After
the initial excitement of finally receiving our call it was time to get busy
with preparations. I’m a list maker so I
created a To Do List, Clothing List, and Mission Supplies List. I figured it was easier to take what we
needed instead of discovering that we were missing something important and
feeling like we needed to go buy it once we arrived in Nauvoo. Especially since we don’t know when or where
we will be able to do our first shopping when we get there.
We
logged into our missionary portal and right there in big, bold numbers is the daily
countdown until we enter the MTC! It made my heart skip a beat! The portal was
helpful, with information about what to do immediately and some training, but
there are also things that senior missionaries don’t need to worry about. What a bonus!
I
began to search out blogs of senior couples serving in Nauvoo. It was so fun to read about their experiences
and helped us know how to plan and what to look forward to.
On
Nov. 22nd, almost two months after receiving our call, we received
an email from the Nauvoo Illinois mission office. There was a welcome letter and an information
packet attached. It contained the
answers to just about all of our questions: living accommodations, clothing, internet,
how to pay for things etc. Not that we
still didn’t have questions, but the most important ones were answered.
Scott
and I took time each morning to read and prepare ourselves spiritually. We read Jesus the Christ, Our Heritage, The
Restored Gospel, Preach My Gospel, among other books. We are now reading the Nauvoo section of the
Church History in the Fulness of Times Student Manual. There is so much that Scott already knows,
and he has a mind for all of that kind of history. However, I have a long way to go and I find
that it’s the remembering that’s difficult. But I just pray a lot, read things
over and over and eventually it sinks in, especially if I take notes.
Backtrack
a bit. The day after we opened our call
I left for a work trip with Heidi to Hawaii. Yes, everyone needs a “work trip” to Hawaii
:0) The trip was over General Conference
weekend. I obviously had been thinking a
lot about our new call and was feeling so inadequate. I knew why we were called to Nauvoo. I felt
it was because of Scott’s knowledge of Church history and his teaching
ability. I kept asking myself, “But why
was I called?” I certainly don’t sing
and dance like they do for the Nauvoo pageants, my knowledge of Church history
is mediocre and wearing a pioneer dress (or any dress for that matter) for 18
months was beyond my realm of thinking. I
prayed that as I listened to General Conference I would get the answer to my
question, “Why was I called?”.
Well,
Heavenly Father answered my pleadings first thing in the Saturday morning
session!
First
off, Elder Deiter F. Uchtdorf:
“God calls to you.
God knows your every thought, your sorrows, and your greatest
hopes. God knows the many times you have sought Him. The many times you have
felt limitless joy. The many times you have wept in loneliness. The many times
you have felt helpless, confused, or angry.
Those who heed the inner call and seek God,
those who pray, believe, and walk the path the Savior has prepared—even if they
stumble along the path at times—receive the consoling assurance that “all
things shall work together for [their] good.”
Perhaps you don’t consider yourself all that
useful; perhaps you don’t consider yourself a blessing in somebody’s life.
Often, when we look at ourselves, we see only our limitations and deficiencies.
We might think we have to be “more” of something for God to use us—more
intelligent, more wealthy, more charismatic, more talented, more spiritual.
Blessings will come not so much because of your abilities but because of your
choices. And the God of the universe will work within and through you,
magnifying your humble efforts for His purposes.
The history of God’s work is filled with people
who considered themselves inadequate. But they humbly served, relying on the
grace of God and His promise: “Their arm shall be my arm, and I will be their
shield …, and they shall fight manfully for me; and … I [will] preserve them.”
And then…John
C. Pingree Jr.
To Moses, God declared, “I have a work for
thee” (Moses
1:6). Have you ever wondered if Heavenly Father has a work for
you? Are there important things He has prepared you—and specifically you—to
accomplish? I testify the answer is yes!
Brothers and sisters, God
has important work for each of us. Speaking to sisters but teaching truths that
apply to all, President Spencer W. Kimball taught: “Before we came [to
earth, we] were given certain assignments. … While we do not now remember the
particulars, this does not alter the glorious reality of what we once agreed
to.”2 What an ennobling
truth! Our Heavenly Father has specific and significant things for you and me
to accomplish (see Ephesians 2:10).
Some of us question
whether Heavenly Father can use us to make important
contributions. But remember, He has always used ordinary people to accomplish
extraordinary things (see 1 Corinthians
1:27–28; D&C 35:13; 124:1). “[We] are agents,” and
“the power is in [us]” to “bring to pass much righteousness” (D&C 58:27–28).3
He quoted Pres. Russell
M. Nelson:
“The Lord needs you to change the world. As you
accept and follow His will for you, you will find yourself accomplishing the
impossible!”
Ok, ok.
I got the message. It’s time to
just take the bull by the horns and go for it! Even if I DO have to sing and
dance!
