Becoming Converted To This Gospel

There's something interesting that we as missionaries have learned from one of our mission leaders. On the other side of the veil, there are spirits of the righteous doing the exact same thing as us who wear the tag. They find, teach, and convert people, all free of any sort of charge. They don't get tired, they don't need to buy things like food or pay for lodgings. So why does the church send out thousands of missionaries every month? Because we, the missionaries, need to become converted to this Gospel.

Sure, we help people. For example, the L family picked up everything and moved two hours away from their nearest family just so they could be closer to the church. Brother L is getting baptized on Saturday, and his wife will follow two weeks after. Their lives will be infinitely blessed by this glorious restored gospel, and yet the same thing could have happened in the spirit world free of charge. I would not trade a single moment with this family for all the treasures on earth.

Another example is Sister N. I've talked about her several times. She chased us away at the beginning, but then progressed to simply tolerating us and (reluctantly) saying recited prayers. Now she'll pray willingly, and the messages she sends to our Heavenly Father are short and sweet. When I listen to her, I can tell she knows who she is talking to.

Being around all these wonderful, humble people are making me question the way I live my life. Why can't I have the faith of Brother L? Why can't I understand my relationship with Heavenly Father like Sister N? But the wonderful thing about this Gospel is that we are all equipped with the ability to change.

One thing I can think of is a caterpillar just when it comes out of it's cocoon. It's a completely new creature. At first, it's unsure of what exactly it is, and so it will just sit there for a while. As for myself, I'm like that caterpillar-just-turned-butterfly. I'm seeing things in a new light, and while I'm eager to learn I'm not sure exactly where--or how--to start. But I know that if I just get on my knees and pray to the Lord I'll be able to get instruction on the way forward.

There was some exciting news in the branch this past week: everyone's passports came through! Several young men have been waiting just for this so they could move forward with their mission papers, and I think the branches are going to be planning a temple trip soon. It's so cool to see their excited faces at the prospect of going to Joberg and getting temple work done, and it makes me so very humbled to know that we in Utah don't have to go to such lengths to attend the temple. Which reminds me--The morning after I get home, I want to go straight to the temple. I don't care which one, I just want to go. Maybe I'll spend the whole day there...

One of the funniest joys I have is trying to describe snow to Malawians. Or just Africans in general. They really don't get the concept of freezing cold all around, and I would trade a year's supply of peanut butter just to see a few of their faces in the dead of a Utah winter. I once was trying to convince one of our Branch missionaries that she would serve her mission on Temple square, and that she would just disappear beneath all the snowdrifts because she's so small. Her eyes were just big and she had very few words to say (a rare occurrence for this sister).

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I would like to share a bit of something that has really helped me progress as a missionary, as a sister, and even as a human being. Verse four of How Firm a Foundation. I read it, and I had to quickly try to hide my face and the pending tears (because I was in sacrament meeting). Those words really touched me, and I knew that I am not alone in this crazy endeavor. Nobody is. Because the Lord is always with us, no matter what. If nothing else, read through all seven verses of that song, and ponder for a moment the promises the Lord is making to us. I leave you these things in our Savior's name, even Jesus Christ. Amen.

Sister Adams