An Instrument in His Hands: The Miracle of a Mission

Bula Vinaka!

First of all .... HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! Shout out to my fabulous DAD. He's the best. And He's also my best friend. :) And I am who I am today because of his love and sacrifice and example. If you haven't seen it yet, check out this fabulous Mormon Message about Fathers. It's one of my very very VERY favorites. Earthly Father, Heavenly Father

The work is going so well here! We saw a lot of miracles as we extended baptismal dates and helped people understand that they really are ready! Help them understand how much they've changed! And help them understand just how much this Gospel will change their lives. FOR ETERNITY.

As the end gets closer and closer, I feel like my thoughts get more and more jumbled because there is just sooo much. So many memories and reflections and lessons learned. But this week I was reading through an old talk by Elder Holland called " The Miracle of a Mission." And this time, it took on a different perspective. I love what he says here.....

"However significant your lives may have been... and I'm sure you've done very important things, ... this is higher and holier and more sacred and more eternal than anything you've ever done. It is by definition the most important thing you can do in the world, in time or eternity. For this reason you are engaged in the saving of the human soul. And that is the highest and holiest work in the universe."

Trues up Elder Holland. Sometimes it is so easy to lose sight of the holy calling we have been entrusted with. This talk was a good reminder to me.

And I love this one too....

"Plan right now! Plan right now for the stories you will tell your children about your mission. Live right now in every way to look them in the eye and put them on your knee and rock them on your lap and tell them as I am telling you, that you loved every day of your mission. That you worked your head off! That you've never worked so hard in your life. That you were tired and sweaty and dirty and hungry and you knew how Paul felt and you knew how Peter felt and you knew how Mormon felt and you knew how Moroni felt. And I promise you that your children will remember and never forget it, and they will cherish it and hold it dear for their mission and so the generations go."

As I read this I thought of all the fabulous missionaries before me. My parents and my Grandparents. And so many more. I thought of how my sweet Grandmother's decision to serve a mission, even when it was so uncommon and inconvenient for girls to serve, completely guided and changed generations. I'm not sure exactly how many missionaries and how many converts and how many eternal families came from that decision, but I'm sure it's a LOT! And that was only like 2 generations ago! Just imagine. I testify that Missions really are Miraculous! I'm going to go serve my last full week as a missionary with all the heart and might and mind and strength I can muster! So that some day I can tell my children those exact same things! I Love being a missionary!

Loloma Levu,

Sista Matheson