Just Do It

What an experience so far!!  It has been a mental, spiritual, physical, social-emotional shock coming out of the world to serve the Lord full time in the Georgia Macon Mission.  Furthermore, the challenge of writing about our experience in a public forum seemed daunting, but we believe, with God’s help, we will be able to communicate some of the great things He has done.  

To begin, missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are called by revelation to areas where they have been specially prepared to serve (see Elder Rasband’s address on the remarkable process for calling missionaries:  http://lds.org/general-conference/2010/04/the-divine-call-of-a-missionary?lang=eng.)  So why were we called to Ft Stewart in Coastal Georgia?   (We wanted to serve as military relations representatives, but we didn’t request any particular location.)

Georgia (GA) was the last of the original Thirteen Colonies and the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution.  It was also one of the original seven states  to secede from the Union and was the last Confederate state to be restored.  We, like GA, strongly believe in States rights, but understand the importance of one nation under God.  We contemplated working in the political arena but then decided to go on a mission instead because we believe what Ezra Taft Benson said in his address “Born of God” http://lds.org/liahona/1989/10/born-of-god?lang=eng&query=slums :  “The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people, and then they take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature.”

Georgians would support that statement.  They love the Lord.  They have stopped us in the grocery store, on the street, and in restaurants to talk about it.  A woman waited on us in the Post Office, and when she saw our tags, she took our hands in hers and thanked us.  Even restroom graffiti reflects the thinking of these humble people:  “God is watching” and “Jesus loves you.  Believe it.  Think it.  Live it.”   

We are here as representatives of Jesus Christ because the Lord wants to bless these people for their righteous hearts.  Part of the challenge is to believe that God will help us in spite of our weakness.