Planting The Seed

Every missionary will at some point before or after their mission wonder, What have I accomplished? How can a missionary serve with all of their heart, might, mind, and strength with a question like this weighing on his/her mind? With some missions being more difficult than others this can take a toll on their minds as the adversary seeks to tear down these valiant young men and women serving the Lord.

Knowing this I have sought to share my experience with missionaries and help them realize that although they may not see the fruits of their labor, one day there will be a rich harvest from all they have done. It is my hope that within my personal story you will see this illustrated and be able to share this with current missionaries, as well as those who have long returned. 

In 1969 my father served in the Cordoba, Argentina mission. At the time, mission boundaries were immense and my father's mission was no different, it was one of two missions in Argentina (as of July 2015 there will be 14). My father served his full time mission, returned honorably, met my mother at BYU, married her, and started a family. It is a fairly familiar story among the LDS community.

Fast forward to 2008 where I, the youngest of my father's four children, was attending BYU and on my way to a semester abroad in his beloved Argentina. I would be living in Buenos Aires as an intern for LDS Church Services and teaching the self reliance workshop. This internship was by far one of the best decisions of my life, but little did I know the things that I would learn and the amazing people I would meet.

My Dad, feeling nostalgic, began writing a weekly "family home evening" email. He shared the areas he served in, the people he met, and the struggles of being a missionary. These detailed, journal-like emails led me to find three of the families he spoke of. In these next few blog posts I will share my father's stories from the past, and my journey of reliving them.

I hope you will come to answer the question, "Will/Does/Did my mission matter?" with a resounding "YES!" as you read of my encounters.

Join me on April 26th to read the first story of these three families - my father's first baptism. Planting the Seed: Part 2.

This post is a feature post submitted by Jen S. You can submit your own stories, thoughts, etc through social media or email. See the badges and links on our blog.

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