I think that the other senior couples who serve here would agree with me that there is only one reason why we are here: because we know we are on the Lord’s errand. We are frequently reminded of this by what we experience. If not for this we would rather be back home enjoying our free time and the company of loved ones. Here are a couple of recent examples:
1. In the previous post I talked about the dentists’ visit to Santa Lucia. Let me explain how this came about. The leaders in Santa Lucia had meant to take a group of future missionaries in to Guatemala City to get passports, chest xrays (A TB test is one of the requirements to serve a mission), and to get their dental exams at the dental clinic. As it turned out, their first two tasks consumed almost the whole day and they had to miss the dental clinic. The dentists were disappointed at their appointment not being met and the leaders were unsure how they could gather the resources to make another trip in for the dental work. They asked if the dentists could make a visit to Santa Lucia, but were told that the dental schedule was filled up for many weeks into the future. So they did what Mormons do when their backs are to the wall, they fasted and prayed for a solution. Neither I nor the dentists knew how desperate they were, but the Lord knew. There was a street fair to be held on the street where the dental clinic is located. It ended up effectively blocking access to the clinic for several days. So the dentists decided that, rather than just shut down for the duration, they could go to Santa Lucia with their portable clinic. They found out later that that decision was the answer to prayers.
2. To get into our assignment here in Escuintla, we are meeting many of the new members. We know that it is easy for people to get discouraged as new members when they find that joining the Church does not remove all problems and challenges from their lives. Yesterday we went to the home of a man and his wife who joined the Church about a year ago and have been actively participating since. We were surprised to see that the branch president (the leader of the congregation) had just arrived there too. Fortuntely the husband had just gotten home from work. As we talked to them we were surprised to have them say that they did not understand anything in the Bible or the Book of Mormon, didn’t feel any thing in their heart for the Church and had decided not to attend any more. They felt that they had agreed to join just because of the pressure applied by the young missionaries. The branch president talked to them for some time, telling them, among many other things, that he had been present when they agreed to be baptized and did not remember any coercion taking place, that they enthusiastically wanted to do so and that they had been freely participating for some time. He further told them that he had since had many experiences with them in which their joy and enthusiasm were evident. As he talked with them it bacame apparent that the root cause of their feelings was that they had seemed to expect that joining the Church would remove all problems and difficulties from their lives and when they still had them, they were losing faith. Both the branch president and we have enough experience to know that the Lord does not remove problems from our lives because that would defeat its purpose. The Lord promises to help us deal with problems, not to remove them from us. As I listened to the discussion I felt inspired to recommend that the couple read and study one particular chapter in the Book of Mormon and that we would return in a couple of days to see what they had learned from it and to answer any questions they might have. They agreed to do this. I also told them of something they didn’t realize: that the branch president and we did not discuss before hand visiting this couple, that neither of us knew that the other was coming. Yet we both showed up a their home at the same time, just as he was coming home from work and at a time when they were struggling spiritually. This was too much to be just be a coincidence, but was evidence that the Lord knew of their struggles and led both of us to show up at their home at just the right time to be able to meet with and help them. Jo still struggles to understand Spanish but somehow she knew what was being said and felt inspired to add her counsel as I translated for her. It was clear from what she said that she understood exactly what the issues were and offered her own inspired advice that fit perfectly with the situation.
It is experiences such as this, feeling close to the Lord and being part of his work, along with seeing the transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ in the lives of others, that is the payment we receive for our work here. And it is far greater payment than money or any other earthly thing. This is why we are here.
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