Pep Talks

When I was nearing the end of my mission, I started dreaming about writing a book. My companion joked that I should call it "Pep Talks to Myself", because I was always doing just that - giving myself pep talks. 

Now I've been home from my mission for 3 years, and I feel too far removed to be any kind of authority on missionary work. But I wrote Kari a pep talk the other day, and I wrote one in my head last Sunday as I watched a soon-to-be missionary give a talk. So I decided to give myself authorization to write a bunch of pep talks for missionaries. So there. And inspired by my amazing also-aspiring-author-cousin Becca, and Samantha Bennett, (author of Get it Done and creative consultant), I decided to start by writing for 15 minutes a day. 

Here's the first attempt. Stay tuned!

Dear missionary,

Here you are. You thought about it for a long time, you prepared for it, you planned for it, you prayed about it, and now you’re here. You’re a missionary. You have the tag and everything. You thought you’d be transformed, your magical missionary heart would love everyone perfectly, would never tire of the schedule or the service, would always feel the Spirit and be prompted to know what to say.

But you’re sometimes not that different. Sometimes you sit there awkwardly, no words come to your mind. Sometimes what you do say seems wrong. Sometimes it is wrong. Sometimes you are tired, sometimes you are scared. Sometimes you don’t open your mouth, no matter how much you tell your mouth you need to. Sometimes you get annoyed at your companion, at other people. Sometimes you get more than annoyed.

You are less than you thought you’d be.

But guess what? From God’s point of view, you are more than anyone ever has been or ever will be.

You, his child, have chosen to do something for him that is absolutely amazing. You left behind family, friends, plans, school, work, money, your hobbies, your clothes. You put aside everything. You left everything behind.  You chose to do something that scares you. You chose to talk to strangers, to share intimate things that you’re not even sure how to share. You chose to live in another culture (one you didn’t get to choose), learn another language, learn another way of life. You put your Savior’s name on your chest for everyone to see.

You did it for Him and he is grateful. So grateful, you’ll never understand the depth. Oh, you’ll feel pieces of his gratitude. You’ll feel it flood your heart when you help someone pray for the first time. When you see someone take the sacrament. When you help someone repent. You’ll feel it when you ask for it, because sometimes you’ll need it, just to keep going. You’ll feel it when you see people change. Sometimes you’ll get to feel it even when nothing is going right at all. You’ll feel it when someone thanks you for your service.

You’ll feel it one day when He looks into your eyes, takes you in your arms, and weeps. When he thanks you, You, my missionary friend, for helping his children find their way home.

You’ll remember the times you were angry with your companion, the times you were too scared to say anything, the times you fell short.

But all the Lord will remember is every time you bore testimony of Him, every time you brightened someone’s day, every time you knelt in prayer.

And He, who taught you to be grateful, will be grateful for you.

Remember this, missionary. To God, you are the greatest gift in the world. The choice you made to serve a mission is the greatest gift anyone has ever given Him. It is a source of inexpressible joy for the Creator of the Universe that someone has joined Him in His work. Every act of goodness, no matter how small, is noticed by Him. Everything you do is a ripple effect, and God, who knows all, hears every prayer and knows the part you played in it.

He said, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man, the things that God hath prepared for them that love Him. He knows that you love Him and have chosen to show your love to the world. And you and I cannot even imagine the ways that He will show his gratitude for your service.

Know this, missionary. You are everything in the world to the God who created it.

So keep going.