Doing Failure the Right Way

The purpose for a missionary representing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is to “invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.”

It was not always in my plans to serve a mission for the LDS church. After reading the Book of Mormon, however, I felt an overwhelming desire and urge to share the book with others. While visiting a history site for the church, I had another experience that led my aspiration to serve a mission. This desire to serve others through missionary service grew over time.

What’s a mission? A mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints involves dedicating yourself full-time to the work of God. See the above missionary purpose. This commitment is the length of 18 months for women and 2 years for men. Where you spend your missionary service is decided by modern-day apostles.  Your call to serve is signed by the prophet.  These leaders are the highest officials of the Church.

By accepting a call to serve, you understand the strict standards you will be required to follow. Some of these include, but not limited to:

-Restricted contact with family.  There are two phone calls a year with once-a-week correspondence through email or letters.

-Following schedule guidelines. Wake up at 6:30 AM and go to bed at 10:30 PM. EVERYDAY.  

-Staying with a “companion” for 24 hours a day within proximity of sight and sound.  There are a few exceptions to this, a.k.a. restroom privacy. By the way, this person is assigned to you.

-Work. Work. Work….Work…Work…

With great anticipation, I was called to serve in the Kentucky Louisville Mission. My missionary service would begin in June 2012. After many congratulations and encouraging words, I left with confidence to serve as a successful missionary.

A couple months into my mission, I had a serious wake-up call.

Despite the strict obedience to mission rules, hard work, and anything I did to be successful, I felt like a failure. A BIG FAILURE!  I wanted to see someone accept the message I was sharing and show their change of heart through baptism. After nine months, I had yet to see a baptism.  

I had some bright lights come on during my mission from this experience.

Missions are about God’s work- not yours.

Beware of pride. You will become your own worst enemy.

Learn RESILIENCE. During my mission, I read an article in a magazine called “The Ensign” entitled Raising Resilient Children by Lyle J. Burrup. It brought forward my faults on perfectionism and relying on my own strength instead of God’s. https://www.lds.org/ensign/2013/03/raising-resilient-children?lang=eng

Truly lose yourself in the service of others.

The quicker you learn to be humble, the better off you’ll be.

Out of all the challenges I foresaw in serving a mission, the feeling of failure was the most surprising. This trial taught me so much, however.  My mission has changed my life forever. I saw so many miracles while serving as a missionary of my Savior. Serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was the best thing I could have done in my life at that time. I will never forget the people I met while being a missionary. God truly guided me to that place at that time. My gratitude for my mission is overwhelming, not to mention I met husband there too! J We didn’t know it at the time but that’s another miracle for another time.

Missions turn on a lot of lights!