Thursday, August 27, 2009

MISSION

Growing up in the LDS religion I always looked up to missionaries. They always seemed so mature for their age. They were all nice. They all seemed so happy. And they were giving up two years of their lives to try and help other people however they could. When I was getting to that ripe old age of 19 it wasn't a hard decision for me to become a missionary.
If you're familiar with the LDS church you may have heard, on more than one occasion, "My mission was the BEST two years of my life!" This expression was thrown around quite a bit. Missionaries would return home and say that phrase like it was going out of style. I think many young men preparing for missions don't get the whole story, and as a result they're shocked when they get out there. Some don't even get through the training period before they get to their real mission destination.
My experience was probably similar to most. I went on my mission with good intentions. I wanted to share my beliefs with other people, because it had been such a great blessing to me. If they didn't want to hear about the church I was willing to help them out in other ways. Moving heavy furniture, weeding, painting, roofing, helping people move in. You name it!

The part about the mission I was ill prepared for was ALL the rejection. Constant rejection. Terrible insults, bottles and other garbage flying out of speeding cars aimed to hurt me, spit, threats from people to get guns and shoot us if we didn't leave right now. Every day we ran into people that hated us. Pure venom and loathing. As a missionary I couldn't grasp why people could react in such a way. Sure, most people already have a religion. I'd say 99.999% would never want to allow me into their home to discuss religious topics. That, I was okay with. I was not okay with the constant persecution. Some people would go out of their way to make us feel like dirt. It was depressing and demoralizing to walk around ALL day and have people react that way. THIS is the stuff I didn't hear much about before I signed up.

Yet despite all those troubles the positives far outweighed the negatives. I was a better person for those two years. There was little time to worry about myself or things that I wanted and I truly DID love what I was doing. I got to really study and understand scriptures that I never would have learned otherwise. I blessed people, I taught people, I learned from people. I was never more happy in my life. In that sense it was the best two years because of all the things I learned while I was there.
Was I happy to be done.... You bet!! But I'll always be glad I got the chance to serve as a missionary.

So when you see an LDS missionary walking around, riding their bike, or maybe even knocking on your door go easy on them. If you don't want to talk to them just so no thanks and close the door. They're still human beings. They hurt, they cry, the get down despite usually having a smile on their face. And for those thinking about a misison. It's totally worth it!

4 comments:

Natalie said...

great post!

Curious said...

Oh my gosh. I love this. No one ever mentions the rejection or the hard part. No one mentions how scary it is to walk up to someone and hand them a Book of Mormon. I can't wait to be able to go on a mission, and I appreciate you sharing it all!

Megs said...

I totally appreciate this post! I am a girl, so it was definitely different for me, but seriously, missions are hard work! Giving up all the worldly things that you are supposed to give up while on a mission helped me stay focused and remember that what I was doing really has eternal worth. Even if no one would listen to us, I was benefitting and becoming a better person from all the true love and effort I put into it. I would never take it back!

Rachel said...

Thanks for sharing, Steve. I know I appreciate all the service, time, heart, and effort that you and other missionaries have put in. I wonder if I could have ever been that strong. Nice post. :)

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