Missionary Work

Just before we left last March, I hurriedly wrote this and posted it on the door.  I wish if anything, I could help these young people realize this.

Seven hours of a Zoom Zone Conference call today.  Whew!  At least I can sit on the couch, in reasonably comfortable clothes (I still dress up - but not the way I would to go into London for a zone conference).  They are incredibly spiritual and inspiring, but at the same time, I feel tired after sitting all day.

Dave and Deb did this yesterday and will do it again tomorrow.  Then on Friday they have zone interviews.  Ours were last week, and they lasted 4 hours.  It is been nearly a year and a half since that first week we spent with them in their apartment.  I was in open-mouthed wonder at the schedule they keep and the intense and unremitting demands of each day for them.

The final two speakers of the day were truly marvelous.  The first one was Danny Humphrey, a man who served here in England on his mission in 1986.  He started out by saying that to be honest, "I didn't come on his mission for good reasons."  He hadn't given it much thought, until one day when he decided out of the blue to do because it would be one more thing to cross off his list.

He got to England and was dead tired after the long travel time, sat through the orientation by the mission president and then his first interview, and was assigned to his trainer.  All eight of the trainers came and stood in front of the eight new missionaries, and Danny said he said a silent prayer, "Please don't assign me to that one who is always smiling."  Sure enough that was his new trainer.  

He went on to say how much he disliked that trainer, but if you read his letter about that experience, you will be inspired and delighted with the whole 21-page document.  It is well worth the read, and I highly recommend it.  This is the first of four installments, and you can read the others on the same site:

The Ricciardi Letter by Danny Humphrey

His testimony was magnificent - some 30 years later.  

The last one was Alan Phillips - a member of the Seventy who resides in London.  He is a tall handsome and boyish looking man of 40 something. When he was sixteen, he spent a day serving with Danny Humphrey - a missionary assigned in the area where Elder Phllips lived.  It is called splits - ward members go out with each of the two missionaries - just to get a taste of missionary work. He said "It rained all day, every single appointment we had fell through, every door was slammed in our face, and then we went to the missionary's apartment and had some awful sort of a tv dinner that was boiled in the bag.  When he got home that evening, his parents asked how his day went, and from the bottom of his heart he answered, "The best day of my life!"  

He was so inspired by Danny Humphrey's enthusiasm, love of the gospel and resilience that he just had a grand time, and of course went on to serve a mission himself.

I am certain every missionary's heart listening and watching those men just beat in tune with everything they were saying.

Elder Phillips

We made a delivery and stood talking with a young woman who is here from the U.S.  She is working hard for her degree, but it is so difficult for her as well as everyone else.  This isolation thing is just getting to everyone.  

But these young missionaries have so many people rooting for them, so many people to inspire and motivate, and so many who are praying for them.  There is no doubt this is a hard hard time to be a missionary....but there is no time that is easy.  And if I had to bet on anyone succeeding, it would be these great young people.

All of our zone - 10 missionaries attended Institute tonight.  They immediately upped the "spiritual" level with the comments they share.  I am so proud of them.

Comments

Lia said…
I loved reading that Ricciardi letter! Thanks.
February 17, 2021 at 7:33 PM
melissa said…
That’s beautiful!!
February 19, 2021 at 6:11 PM
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