I have always appreciated the following quote. The Prophet Joseph Smith said: “A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation; for, from the first existence of man, the faith necessary unto the enjoyment of life and salvation never could be obtained without the sacrifice of all earthly things” (Lectures on Faith, 6:7). I give great credit to our full time missionaries who sacrifice 18-24 months of their lives to serve. They typically put off relationships, college, and life in general to serve. I am more impressed with the sacrifice required by mission presidents and their families: three years of service—putting their (fully entrenched) personal lives on hold, leaving family, careers, homes, recreation, and personal pursuits behind—in order to serve. What an honorable demonstration of faith and sacrifice.
Libby, your parents just began serving as mission presidents in Montreal. I’d be curious how you feel about their call(as I can only imagine how children, parents, and others might respond to a call like this). So, please share. Others can comment later also.
Libby's Comment:
The general feeling surrounding my parent's call to be mission presidents has been one of excitement. I can express on my parent’s behalf a feeling of deep humility and gratitude to be asked to serve in this position. They would joke, “are they sure they’ve asked the right people to do this,” but all in all they were both so happy to get to be ‘missionaries again’. My feelings have been much the same. Having served a mission in southern Chile I have very found memories of my mission President and his wife. It was they who set the tone of the entire mission - we looked up to them and they were great sources of comfort and guidance during those 18 months. My parents have always had a great capacity to love and I know they are going to spread that to all they interact with in Montreal.
I admit there have been moments when I’ve thought about the implications of them not being as present for some big moments like the birth of grandkids (although my mom asked early on and it was made clear that while my dad would need to stay in Montreal to keep an eye on things, my mom could go visit new grandbabies☺), graduations, or just not being as available as I am used to. I will deal with those things as they come but for now I just feel very happy about the work my parents are doing, and I am so proud of them.
My parent’s call has come with the opportunity to meet extensively with some highly esteemed people in our church. Much as Christ formed a church with a prophet and 12 apostles, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints operates in much the same way today. The men who hold the callings of prophet and apostles are revered as spiritual leaders to us and while they are often out meeting and sharing with members of the church, it is not often you personally meet with them. In preparation to leave for Montreal my parents met with several of these men, most who have sacrificed careers as lawyers, doctors, and businessmen indefinitely to uphold their church callings. Not only were these men able to offer advice and counsel to my parents about the following three years they blessed them peace and assurance regarding the things they would be leaving behind. Time and time again they assured my parents that God is very aware and grateful for their sacrifice and that not only they, but also their families (children, parents etc) would be very blessed for their sacrifice. This has been a great comfort to us, and already we have felt those promised blessings in our lives.
My mom set up a blog to share some of their experiences.
http://montrealmissionmom.blogspot.com/
So far she’s talked about the experience of learning French at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. They have been so busy since arriving to Montreal that it is hard to imagine that she will be updating, but I sure once they get settled in the posts will be a bit more frequent.
5 comments:
Libby,
Thanks for sharing those personal thoughts. I found your comment about their capacity to love insightful. As the essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ is centered on love, I am sure they will find great success as they exemplify this principle and behavior. Thanks again! DadM
p.s. On a much lighter note, I am curious how you were able to edit (add to) my original post!
Libby, thanks for your sharing your thoughts! I'm so excited to hear how they're doing. Glad your mom will be posting on the blog. I'll definitely keep track of them. I'd love to send them a card too...so if you think of it, can you send me their address?
I appreciated your thoughts on sacrifice & blessings that come from sacrifice. I am confident that our sacrifices are known and that we can each be richly blessed in life as we make loving sacrifices for the good of others. I know your parents will experience wonderful moments in Montreal & I am so excited to hear more!
Sure love you.
Wow, Lib, your thoughts are so well said.
I definitely see your parents as being great leaders because of how kind and caring they are. I can only imagine that nervous but sincere missionaries would be comforted in a meeting with either of your parents. They have always made us feel so welcome, and I am sure they will do so with the missionaries in Montreal as well.
It will be great to hear how things get going once they are settled in...
I second Emily's comment - your mom has an uncanny ability to make you feel at home and comfortable in their home and I'm sure they will do the same on their missions!
I'm jealous of the perfect french they'll have when they get back!
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