To every person there is a season season: a time to prune and a time to be pruned
At we drove along the freeway to Lancaster last week, I noticed the orange trees were cut across the tops like a flat top hair cut. I’ve been told they are pruned that way to give light to the inner branches so they don't grow top heavy, nor become so deprived of light that the inside branches wither and refuse to grow fruit. In a way I feel like the missionaries also experience a bit of a pruning process: the young missionaries are modified to a simple life so they can concentrate on developing their testimonies and understanding the Spirit. They have the things they need, but, no excess. They must rely on the light of the gospel to help them fill their days with meaningful work. They study and work hard to produce the fruit of their service.
We as senior missionaries don't have the strict rules that the young Elders and Sisters do, but we also live simply. We miss our cozy fireplace and throws, our decorations and cooking gadgets, and, our scrapbooks and movies; but we've also learned that we can live simply with one fry pan, no bed spread nor over stuffed chair. And we spend our time relying on the light of our testimonies as we figure out how we can best serve. Our prayer is that our fruits will be the opportunity to invite others and to lighten the loads of the young missionaries.
It is amazing our office works so well. We are a group of senior adults, from different background, who have been assigned different jobs. None of us knows the others’ jobs (in fact, we hardly know our own jobs), yet we work together and things get done. The hours are long and hard (though no one requires that of us), and we enjoy what we accomplish. What an experience.
We are learning much about the workings of a mission. There is so much that is required of so many to help our young missionaries feel safe, loved, productive, and successful as they dedicated two years of their lives to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement. It is a great work.
We closed one apartment and opened three last week. Closing a house that has missionaries living in it for several years can be a major shock -- we truly appreciate those mothers who have taught their children to clean. Four cute missionaries, and two service missionary couples helped us with the moves. But three of the moves took place on the one day in six months that there was rain in Lancaster. By the end of the day we were all soaked and cold to the bones, and there was an 18” stream of water running through the roads. We had lots of laughs and even more exhaustion.
The other night we delivered a dryer to two Sisters in Palmdale. I asked them what their favorite part of the mission is, and the first Sister said it is the many little miracles she witnesses each day as they are doing the work. I must confess, I agree with that. We’ve done some hard things, and still, things fall into place.
Each missionary has his/her own story. One young sister shared her amazing conversion that inspired her to join the church 19 months ago. Another young missionary talked of his difficult childhood as his family worked with his dad’s mental illness and the neighborhood gang violence, tempered through the blessing of letting the Savior make up the deficiencies in his life. Many of these young men and women have gone through great sacrifice to served the Lord.
We are so blessed to work with these young men and young women.
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