John has had many interesting experiences during the last 21months and has grown into an amazing 21-year young man. He has seen the lives of people change as they turn to the Lord and learn more about who Jesus Christ is and what He has done for us. Sure, he has had his share of problems, struggles and bad days because missions are just hard.
John is currently assisting the President of the New York, Utica Mission and is very tied to paperwork, administrative duties, teaching missionaries, leading meetings, providing service to members and non-members alike, talking to strangers about Jesus Christ and studying the scriptures for over an hour each day. Young men and women who give up 18 months to 2 years to serve a mission in this way should earn our respect and admiration no matter what religion we are. LDS missions are hard. No phone calling, text messaging or tweeting family or friends. They have about 30 minutes once a week to email parents and a few others - that is all. They call home twice a year, once on December 25 and once on Mothers day. The mission president assigns a companion to be with them 24/7. The companion is not someone of their choosing. They are up by at least 6:00am everyday and in bed by 10pm. No television, no radio, no headphones and no computers. They live on a budget and cook their own food. They study the scriptures each day, teach others Christ-like principles and provide service; anything from chopping wood to cleaning out a fridge. They get laughed at, spit on, mocked, and sometimes bullied for what they do. But they also meet kind, loving and generous people who will give them a drink of water, take them to lunch or those that will listen to their message with an open heart. Missions are hard, but the rewards and lessons learned create strong young people who learn to put others first and to stand strong in the face of adversity.
Here is something that John shared with me a few months ago...
"To be blunt about being an Assistant, I'm settling in okay to the new position. I'm getting a hang of the area and how things work around the mission, but I still feel like a fish out of water. I feel like I don't quite fit the bill for who should be here. And I, at least intellectually, understand that the Lord calls who he needs, but I still feel like I fall far short of where I should be. But I suppose I'm my own worst critic. It's great to work with President and with the Zone Leaders from a different perspective, I've learned so much in my short time here. But there are times when I feel very inadequate, so just be sure to pray for me (if nothing else to simply have patience with myself). A little phrase from an excellent BYU Devotional titled "The Four Steps on the Stairway to Heaven" explains a bit of what's going on in my mind, and it goes a little something like this:
"Losing hurts worse, than winning feels good".
And in the case of missionary work since I've been in Utica: Rejection, dropped appointments, and forgetfulness sometimes hurt worse , than success feels good. It's a phrase that has popped into my head time and time again. And maybe I feel this way because I need to understand the weight of the calling. I don't really know. It's a definite point of prayer for me to focus on. I'm managing."
Missions are HARD but yet John has grown and will continue to grow over the next three months. I can't wait for my happy reunion with him - he is the BABY and we ALL love him.
I am EXPECTING John and a very big HUG in three months!
