Mission Memories

Last week I went to my mission reunion! It's been a year since I've been, so it was good to see some old friends. That experience, combined with an awesome General Conference talk I read today, prompted me to write about the following experience. 

In the talk by Elder Funk, he relates the following story: "One of many outstanding missionaries with whom Sister Funk and I served was Elder Pokhrel from Nepal. After being a member of the Church for only two years, he was called to serve in the India Bangalore Mission, an English-speaking mission. He would tell you he was not well prepared. That was understandable. He had never seen a missionary until he was one, because no young missionaries serve in Nepal. He did not read English well enough to understand the instructions included with his call. When he reported to the missionary training center, instead of bringing nice slacks, white shirts, and ties, he packed, in his words, “five pairs of denim jeans, a couple of T-shirts, and a lot of hair gel.”

Similarly, I had a companion in the MTC names Sister Shresta who was also from Nepal. Like Elder Funk, she had only been a member for a short time when she was called to serve a mission to the English-speaking Caribbean islands. She too had never seen missionaries before. She did, however, have some understanding of the English language, although it was the fourth language she had learned. Sister Shresta had never had the opportunity to read the Book of Mormon or the Bible in her native tongue, and consequently was not as familiar with the scripture stories as many other missionaries were. But that did not matter. Sister Shresta had an unwavering testimony and a desire to learn. Through our brief time at the MTC, she was constantly studying the scriptures at every opportunity. She was a great example to me of overcoming obstacles. It was great to help her learn more about the ancient prophets and the miracles that occurred in the scriptures, but it was even more rewarding to see her faith as she gained a testimony about each of these stories. 

While I did not keep in good contact with Sister Shresta over my mission, I have no doubt that she became a powerful witness of the truth. 

What mission memories do you have?

Rhetorically,

Rebekah