Ten Lessons I Learned as a Missionary in L.A.

You are Special. See Yourself and Others This Way.

At the beginning of my mission, president Valeri Cordon told me I would have a successful mission. I recognize that this message was delivered to missionaries often, yet, at that moment, I felt special. In fact, time and time again mentors and leaders in my life made me feel extraordinary, but I don't think that was unique. I think my mission president made hundreds of missionaries feel special because we were so. They saw us as Jesus Christ sees us. Jesus Christ gave His life for each of us because He saw our divine potential and the things that make us special. So special that He asks us to treat them with his same love. That's why, when I interact with others, I try to see them as Jesus Christ does.

John 15: 12-15

This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

Center Your Life on Jesus Christ.

Don't get caught up in the drama and cares of the world, you will fall. Christ is the rock that if we center our life on Him we will never fall. A mission call says to leave all your personal obligations behind, and at first, I didn't think that was possible. Now I would translate this as not letting any personal obligation get in the way of your discipleship to Christ. The way we do this is to strengthen our faith in His Atonement and His restored gospel. Do what you do because you love the Lord. If you look back to scripture in John 15, it says that there is no greater love than laying down your life for a friend. We don't have to physically die, but we can lay down our life, our social life, work, and other cares, for the Lord. Seek Him, and everything else will fall into place.

Mathew 6:33

but seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Moroni 7:33

And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me.

Do Not Compare Yourself to Others

Comparison stops progression. God knows us each perfectly and knows where we are coming From. God knows what our best is and wants us to have divine discontent ( a motivation to keep making our best better). If we try to set a standard or compare our best with others we will get discouraged and will not make progress. Our efforts to be a lil better are seen by the Lord.

" Comparison is the thief of joy" - Theodore Roosevelt

Focus on The Pure, Simple Principles.

At times it may seem like the Lord has a lot of rules. Or we may be feeding our doubts by turning to the wrong sources. As missionaries and as disciples it is important to focus on the pure and simple doctrine of Jesus Christ. It is also important to focus on the spirit of the law, not the letter of the law. It's not about the lists of dos and don't we have to live to follow Him. Instead, focus on the why, and why does the Lord ask us to keep his commandments? If you don't know the answer, ask him! I have found that the reason the Lord gives us commandments is that he loves us. and we keep His commandments because we love him, when we look at it this way the restrictiveness melts away. The confusion of obscure things becomes smaller in comparison.

" When we allow minor and troublesome obstructions - those we face in our daily life - to get so close that they block out the magnitude, brightness, and warmth of the light of Jesus Christ and His gospel." - Gary Stevenson

" Don't get lost in the sauce" - Elder Carson, a missionary I served with

"Stop Faffing Around!"

One of my mission president's councilors, Greg McKeown, would say this phrase. "Faffing" is a British term for doing things in a disorganized way and not achieving very much. you perceive the task as a waste of time and therefore you over-complicate the task and don't get much done. This taught me that you only have one mission, so don't waste a minute of it. I wanted to leave it all on the mission field. Don't do things because you're supposed to, do things because you want to. Don't let any situation keep you from doing your best. another statement my mission president would say is," Be the missionary your mom thinks you are." And now I strive to be the disciple my mission president thinks I am.

Be Obedient.

The last time my Grandmother, Elaine Roylance, stood at the pulpit at church she said, " If you want to be happy, just be good." That is an eternal truth. wickedness was never happiness. On my mission, I found uncountable scriptures teaching that if we keep the commandments we will be blessed. Similarly, we can't knowingly disobey God and not have it affect every aspect of our life. You are entitled to power when you obey.

Don't Expect Perfection.

In so many ways I never became the missionary I thought I would, But in so many different ways I became so much more than I could ever imagine. I had a lot of goals and inspiring moments on my mission, but I did not achieve perfection. I can say that I did my very best, and I had to learn that there was a difference between my best and perfection. One of the final Lessons my mission president first mission president taught me before he left was when he said, " you..(ponders)..are doing your best." I was offended. Why didn't he just say good? or great? was my best not good enough? However, this inspiring man was teaching me that I was not making occasional mistakes, that I wasn't just sinning once or twice, I was a sinner. That I would never be enough on my own, but that I was saved by the only perfect man to walk the Earth. If God wanted perfection he would have made robots. But God does not want robots, we are not pets, we are his children. He has given us the divine potential to make our best better. I didn't want to leave my mission because I had no feeling of finishing, no cap reached, I still felt I had so far to go. As I expressed this to my second mission president, John Egbert, He taught me that I couldn't build where I was. I needed to take what I was learning and grow as I go. Don't expect perfection, Just continue to build what you are learning.

Lamentations 3:22-23

It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Lose Yourself in Service.

This is not an experience from my mission but from my rural home life in Washington, but I came up with the analogy on my mission. When you ride a horse from its home, it drags its feet the whole way, acting like every step is hurting them, because they know every step is taking them further from home. When you finally turn around it's almost impossible to keep them from running. On the other hand, if you take a horse somewhere new to ride, he will be much more agreeable and it will be much more consistent and pleasant to ride. The reason for this is that the horse is lost. He doesn't know if he should save his energy or if every step is getting them closer to the end. Now to compare (I promise there is a purpose to all this farm talk) on my mission I found true joy in getting lost in the work. I didn't want to come dragging my feet or running to the end. If you want to be happy lose yourself in this great work.

Matthew 16:25

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

Be Consistent.

Being consistent is a principle of the Gospel. It is what God is asking us to do when he says, " endure to the end." As our lives change and even trials even arise, the lord can bless us with consistent Faith. It takes effort and planning and praying to be consistent. The Lord does not want us or ask us to run faster than we have strength, but he does expect us to run. Consistency shows more than just a behavior change, it shows a character change.

Creativity is a Gift of The Spirit

If we stop constantly feeding ourselves others' ideas, we begin to have some of our own. Being inspired and having original thoughts is one of the most empowering feelings. When we rely in the Lord in all things our minds can be opened.