Sheltons in the Sun

February 8, 2015

Blog #8 . . . a time for LOVE

What better time to talk about love than this month, the season of love. I’ve heard it said that where there is great love, there are great miracles. So true. . . as we see love from so many directions in the mission field we are also witnessing so many miracles.

The Savior said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. (Matt. 22:37-39)

Of course, this work radiates love for the Savior. These young missionaries have made a commitment to the Lord, and it is wonderful to see how hard they work to share Christ’s message. Last Tuesday was transfer day, and that is the day the departing missionaries bear their testimonies. After the meeting, Mike and I talked about how each young missionary had earned his/her testimony of belief in God, of the need for a prophet, and of the truthfulness of this gospel; that the testimony wasn’t just handed to the individual missionary.

It was marvelous to hear how many of them have received their own witness of the Savior and His love. The first sister who bore her testimony said when she came on her mission, she made a deal with her mother that she would give it three weeks, and if it didn’t work she would come home without judgment from her family. Her mother asked her consistently for months if she was going to stay. And although it wasn’t easy, she worked hard, loved the work, and had no desire to leave. Some missionaries talked about how their experience was the “highest of highs and lowest of lows” in their lives -- sometimes both in the same day. Some mentioned how they felt themselves grow in ways they never expected (one young man said he was concerned his parents may not recognize him when he gets home.). A couple mentioned how they hope they can remain changed – that the growth they’ve received has changed their hearts and souls. Some testified they had received strength that they knew wasn’t their own; many times the Lord carried them. One young man said that these two years have been the hardest years of his life: every day brought new trials; and with each day, he witnessed some type of miracle. But the main theme was that all of the missionaries had experienced and recognized God’s love for themselves, for their investigators, for strangers in their paths, and for the members with whom they’ve come to know. Several spoke their testimonies of the atonement of our Savior, and how they recognized the atonement wasn’t just for sin, but because of His great love for us. Several mentioned how they fasted and prayed to know and understand truth, and to truly know that God lives. (They didn’t want to be teaching something without the knowledge that it is true.) Our hearts have been touched by these young elders and sisters. We feel such a great love and compassion for them.

Another concept we have found quite remarkable is how easy it is to “love our neighbor as ourselves.” We are meeting people from all walks of life, and it has been quite easy to feel love for them as our brothers and sisters. The members of the church have been particularly kind and receptive of us. But even those we meet on the streets are positive and friendly. While Mike was waiting in the car for me outside a store, he was looking at a map, and a lady walked over to ask him if he needed directions.

We see in action how precious and powerful the love for family is. Last week we moved two elders out of an apartment that we were closing. As we were chatting during lunch, one elder mentioned that he and his mom joined the church when he was 14. He was the only one who stayed active, and his older brother had chided him a bit when he decided to go on a mission. Then, his brother decided to check out what he was really doing. In the process, his brother (now married) gained a testimony and was actually getting baptized on Saturday (which happened yesterday.) This Elder was tenderly emotional and tearful as he talked about the opportunity he would have to speak at his brother’s baptism through Skype. He sent me a text yesterday expressing how wonderful it was.

A departing sister’s family came to pick her up last Wednesday. She paced the mission office as she shared her mixed emotions about leaving the mission to go home -- she loved serving her mission. Still, when her family arrived we could feel the love, through their tears of joy, during the reunion.

In our Monday staff meeting we all enjoyed yummy donuts -- to help Elder and Sister Morris, who are missionaries serving with us, continue the loving birthday tradition of eating donuts to celebrate their daughter’s birthday morning (she is serving a mission in Argentina..)

We are learning much about love.

And, finally, we are so grateful for the love and support we feel from our family and friends. We still miss hanging out with the family on Sunday nights, or going to dinner with our friends at home, but we are learning so much about loving those around us. What a great blessing it is for us to know and to understand that love is eternal!

“. . . perfect love casteth out all fear” Moroni 8:16