Forget Yourself and Go to Work

"President Hinckley described what happens to the heart of every missionary who commits his or her life and work to the Lord when he talked about his own missionary experiences. It was early in his mission, and he was discouraged. The work was hard, and the people were not receptive. However, there came a time when discouragement turned to commitment. For him, the beginning was a letter from his father in which he read: “Dear Gordon, I have your letter. … I have only one suggestion: Forget yourself and go to work.” In describing what happened next, he said: 'I got on my knees in that little bedroom … and made a pledge that I would try to give myself unto the Lord.

'The whole world changed. The fog lifted. The sun began to shine in my life. I had a new interest. I saw the beauty of this land. I saw the greatness of the people. … Everything that has happened to me since that’s been good I can trace to that decision made in that little house' " - David F. Evans, Member of the First Quorum of the Seventy

Words of the Prophet: Forget yourself and Go

This talk has been a source of inspiration for me. There have been times that I've felt discouraged and belittled. Other times I've felt that it's just too hard. These are the times that I've learned to rely on my Heavenly Father. It's not my work. It's His. One quote always comes to my mind when things start to get hard: "I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it".

In Doctrine and Covenants 18:15-16 the prophet Joseph Smith received this revelation :

 15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one ^asoul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!

 16 And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the ^akingdom of my Father, how great will be your ^bjoy if you should bring many ^csouls unto me!

What a promise! It's something that I've seen time and time again on my mission, and through out my life.

Today we had the opportunity to teach an investigator named Nyma. We've taught her once and she said she was no where near ready for baptism. We've been trying for weeks to go and see her, but she's always busy or never home. Talk about discouraging. We were almost ready to stop going by, but we decided to stop by with President Caten (the branch president here in the McMinnville 2nd Spanish branch).We finally caught her at home yesterday, and set up an appointment to come teach her today. When we got there, we taught her the first lesson again, using the cups as a visual aide. We tried to explain the best way we couldShe had awesome questions and they kept leading back to baptism. At the end of the lesson, we extended a date to her, and she accepted. It was an awesome experience and I know that the only reason she said yes was because she felt the Spirit of the Lord testifying to her that it was the right thing to do. We could not be more excited as she said yes, because we knew that she was beginning to see that joy that she could have.

Up to this point, we were frustrated beyond believe. But, we followed the council of Pres. Hinckley and got to work, and now we're experiencing that joy that's been promised to us in Doctrine and Covenants. I know that as we continue in faith, showing our Heavenly Father that we will continue to work, no matter how hard it is, he will bless us beyond measure.

Now you may be thinking, "I'm not a missionary. What does that have to do with me?" Well, as we continue to show our faith, those around us will see our joy, and in turn, we will become missionaries, even though you may not realize it.

Remember the words of President Kimball: "We all have relatives, neighbors, friends, and fellow workmen, and it is our responsibility to pass the truths of the gospel on to them, by example as well as by precept."