Mission thoughts July 2011

In the shadow of the Utah mountains, there is an impressive facility that is sometimes misunderstood. It is the LDS Mission Training Center. Thousands of LDS missionaries go through this demanding facility every year, going in as 19 year old boys and coming out as men ready to go to the four corners of the earth. When it comes to language, the MTC is the fastest, most consistent way to learn, even with the 52 different languages taught there. But that doesn't mean that learning a language isn't hard.  It's one of the hardest things I've ever done, but also one of the best things I've ever done.

At the beginning, I was met with challenges that made me think about if it was worth being here. But all I had to do was remember why I chose to serve a mission in the first place. I chose to serve because I wanted to share the message of Christ that has brought so much joy to my life, with others. I realized that I could turn to the scriptures and to my Savior, Jesus Christ through prayer for comfort. I was able to strengthen my testimony that God is our loving Father in Heaven, and that he will always be there for us. He will never give us trials that we cannot handle with his help. Each trial is for experience, and I know this will be one of the best experiences of my life.

Elder Waters