26 July 2009
Sharon’s Sunday Blog
Posted by Roy Bischoff under: Guest Blogger .
It’s All About Love
This week Joy’s son Bryon, one of our frequent bloggers, gives his farewell before leaving for his mission in Louisville, Kentucky. He will be one of more than 52,000 missionaries who are currently serving in 348 missions around the world as representatives of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Most of these missionaries are young men (ages 19 to 21) who give two years of their lives to go wherever they are called so they can testify of our Savior Jesus Christ and teach His Gospel. They receive no pay, but rather are expected to pay their own way (insofar as possible). They leave behind their families, friends, coaches and athletic teams, cars, electronic devices, and scholarships, and they do it because they love the Lord. They have felt His love and it has blessed their lives and brought them happiness. They want to share what they know with others.
Missionary work is not easy. Rising early each morning and keeping a rigorous schedule of studying, finding people to teach, and then teaching can be exhausting. There are days of discouragement when it seems that no one wants to learn more about the Lord and His plan of happiness, when just a friendly smile and a kind word would be appreciated. But the rewards are great. Nothing else can compare to helping others come to the Savior, or seeing those who already love the Lord receive additional light, knowledge, and blessings. When we give our time, talent, and energy in serving others, we grow in our love for them, so we rejoice with them when they experience the heavenly joy that comes from making and keeping sacred covenants. That is why when missionaries return home they frequently want to tell about the wonderful people they grew to love and they are often heard to say, “Those were the best two years of my life.”
Thanks for the great blogs you have shared with us here on this site, Bryon. We will miss hearing from you, but we know great experiences lie ahead and that you will be blessed as you serve the Lord. Good luck and God speed!
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matt. 24: 14 and 28:19-20)
Mail this post
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
