Missionary Moments - A Desire to be Baptized

Today we got an email from Michael. Michael is serving in the Mexico, Veracruz mission. He is proselyting in Posa Rica right now. It's going to be a busy month for him and his companion. They are working on 3-4 investigators who have all recently committed to baptism. The thing that frustrates Michael the most is that several of these people can't be baptized because they are waiting for someone else to do something first. For instance, one investigator isn't married to her partner. They've been living together for 20 years, but he is still married to his wife (in the temple!), and has been ex-communicated for years. All he needs to do is sign on the line of the divorce papers, and he refuses to do it. So, that is what's holding this woman back from her baptism. How do you even deal with something like that?

I feel Michael's frustration. Of course, he asked us to pray for her, and for all of his investigators. I know that Satan works extra hard against investigators and missionaries. I also know that prayers are powerful, and that Christ is stronger than Satan. I know that eventually these investigators will join the church and it will change their lives. Faith will be a big part of this process.

In 2 Nephi 26:13 we are reminded: "And that he manifesteth himself unto all those who believe in him, by the power of the Holy Ghost; yea, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, working mighty miracles, signs, and wonders, among the children of men according to their faith."

Hopefully Elder Herron will be able to teach these investigators to search the Book of Mormon to find the answers to the problems they are having. For now, they are in our prayers, and in the hands of some of the Lord's choicest servants.

Missionary Work

Today we attending the "homecoming" report of one of Grant's friends, Brady Rice. He gave a great talk. He brought up one of the young men he baptized in Taiwan and had him bear his testimony. It was incredible hearing a testimony in another language and being able to feel the love he has for the gospel and the faith that he has developed - all of this despite me not understanding the language. Brady talked about the fact that there is really only one thing that is important in life. That is working on perfecting ourselves and sharing the gospel with others, so we may all return to Heavenly Father. Hmmmm. That sounded like more than one thing, but anyway...

I helped my oldest son, Grant, and his friends keep in touch throughout their missions (there were 28 of them!) with a monthly newsletter. When I was diagnosed with cancer and got sick, I stopped doing a monthly newsletter and have only done one or two here and there. It's always made me feel bad - like I let them down, or something. Like I left something really important undone. But, today, after officially "meeting" a few of those from the newsletter who had returned, I'm feeling a little bit better about it. A few of them reassured me that during the first year, it was such an important thing to them, but during the second year, they were ok. They were so involved in the important things they were doing in their own little areas of the world. They didn't really need that support as much, I guess. That's good. I hate leaving things half done. It was such a privilege to have participated in their lives for that short amount of time. I love every one of those guys. They are such a great group of men and such a blessing in Grant's life and our lives.

So, today, another mission "era" starts (or actually, continues). One of Michael's best friends, Garrett, opened a mission call to Brazil! His other really good friend, Stuart, is right now in the MTC. And Michael is working hard to prepare to turn his papers in and go on a mission.

I love missionaries and mission work. Because of missionary work, we now have a connection to the people of Japan! Who would have ever thought that would happen? What a privilege to be the mother of these young men. Such choice spirits. Such strong convictions. Such faith. It humbles me.

Grant's Mission Report...

This last Sunday was Grant's (formerly, Elder Herron/Herron Choro) mission report in church. Besides the people who normally go to our ward, around 50 of our family members and friends were in attendance. It was also a missionary farewell - Elder Cori Harker was leaving to go to Brazil for two years. Cori mentioned Grant in his talk - which I thought was great. He said he's always looked up to Grant and admired his ability in understanding scriptures, and whenever there was a scripture chase, he wanted to be on Grant's team so he could win! Hee, hee! We wish Elder Harker all the luck in the world!

Grant was assigned to talk about "The Only True and Living Church". Grant did a good job. He was a little hesitant in speaking, not because he didn't know what to say, but because he hasn't spoken English much at all for 2 years. He stumbled over a few words, but every returned missionary does that. It's endearing. It's fascinating. I love to hear the accents these Elders have when speaking English after they return. Grant's accent is already starting to disappear. The best way to describe it is that whenever Grant is explaining something, it sounds like he is asking a question - his voice goes a little higher at the end of each sentence.

Grant spoke about a 3-step process to knowing for ourselves whether the LDS church or true or not:
1. Desire to know
2. Follow the Commandments
3. Pray

Grant explained that as missionaries, they spent their time trying to get the people they came in contact with to have a desire to know about the truthfulness of the gospel. Why must we desire? In the Book of Mormon, Alma 29:4 teaches that God will grant unto us according to our desires. If we desire to know, then he will show us the way to act, and how to be. He gives us commandments.

Grant taught his investigators that commandments aren't just rules. If they were just rules, they would be an end in themselves. However, commandments, unlike rules, have blessings attached to them. If we follow a commandment, God blesses us. If we don't, then there will be no blessing.

Doctrine & Covenants 130:20-21 reads...
"There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated - and when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated."

Doctrine & Covenants 82:10 says...
"I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise."

So, if we desire, then that desire leads to action. The appropriate action is following the commandments and getting blessings. Every commandment has a special blessing attached to it, and those blessings help us to recognize that God fulfilled His promises.

John 7:17 -
"If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself."

Lastly, even though we might feel like we've received our answer as a blessing, we need to pray. Praying to our Heavenly Father will help us to confirm our witness of the truth.

Grant talked about an investigator he had - a 16-year-old Korean boy. He read and read the Book of Mormon and prayed about the truthfulness of it. He got his answer - a burning in his chest. Grant said that he was so happy to hear about this young boy's experience. He knew it was true. But that wasn't the best part of it all. He didn't ask only once... he asked 5 times! Every time he read, he asked again. Every time he asked, he got another answer. He had great faith and had a wonderful experience. Grant learned a lot from him. He learned that no matter how phenomenal the answer or how sure we are, Heavenly Father will still answer our prayers if we desire to know. Grant talked about a few other experiences he had as a missionary in Japan. Then he bore his testimony. He said each phrase in Japanese first and then translated it to English so that we could understand what he was saying. It was incredible!

Grant was a great missionary. He learned so much and taught others. He bore testimony of the Savior to people in a country that isn't really Christian. What a hard, challenging thing to do. I so grateful that he was up to the challenge. He will always have a special place in his heart for the people of Japan. I can't think of a better blessing than having one of your children serve a mission.

Called to serve Him, heavenly king of glory... chosen ere to witness for his name... Far and wide we tell the Father's story... far and wide His love proclaim...

Reunion Time

Well, I'm now the mom of a returned missionary (RM). The reunion at the airport was great. I got there an hour early with the younger boys and we waited there for Rick and Michael and the grandparents. We brought a couple of welcome signs that my friend, Leslie, made. Rick was annoyed that we were going to hold them up! But, out of all of the families that were there, ours was the most understated. One family had tons of people, a huge banner, balloons, and a big video camera on a tripod! Haha! People from the flight kept coming down the escalator and telling us that the missionaries were on their way... I guess a bathroom was the first order of business. So, Grant and his companions were almost the last to come down the escalator. Rick hid behind a pillar at the top of the escalator and saw Grant before we did.

There are no words to describe the feeling I had watching him come down that escalator. I felt such a huge relief. In the few days before he came home, I felt joy, because I was going to see him after such a long time. I was sad, because he was leaving a place and people that he loved so much (and it's not like he can just hop in the car and drive to see them!). I felt sad because it was so nice to have a missionary out serving, because our family was showered with so many blessings. But relief is what I felt when I saw him. There was such a feeling of completeness - our whole family is here again. I guess you don't realize how imcomplete you feel until they come back. It's almost like I held my breath for 2 years and I could finally breath again.

Anyway, here are some pictures of the reunion - he looks so great!

I'm Soooooo Excited!!!

I was going to do a book review today, but I just can't think straight! I'm soooooo excited. Grant (my wonderful missionary son) is returning home right now. He is on Korean Air Flight #788 and will arrive in Seoul Korea in 22 minutes. He then has a 3 hour layover and then takes Delta Flight #7859 to Los Angeles (back in the USA after almost 2 years!). The bummer is that he has a 3 hour layover in California too. Then on to Delta Flight #1180, and that will arrive tomorrow afternoon (the 20th) at the Salt Lake City airport, where I will be waiting impatiently to see my son come down that escalator.

We are tracking his flights on www.flightstats.com. It's fun to see the updates about where he is. Grant is traveling with 2 other missionaries - Elder Rodney Tonga and Elder Spencer Bateman. I bet they are having so much fun. Grant met Elder Tonga in the MTC 2 years ago. They both served in the Fukuoka mission, but never as companions, so I know Grant is enjoying seeing Elder Tonga again. I'm hoping they get some sleep at some point, but I'm sure they are excited to get home and probably won't be able to sleep.

I've been a big cry baby today. I don't know what's wrong with me. I think that the second I see him, the tears will start to flow again. I'm just so happy that our family will finally be together again. I can't wait to see the huge changes in Grant (I hope he hasn't completely changed, because I really miss the old Grant).

Think about us tomorrow - wish us luck. Pray that Grant and his companions arrive safely.

19 hours and counting.....

Eight Stages of Successful Missionary Work

I'm pretending that today is Monday so that I can blog about Missionary Moments (which I missed yesterday). Plus I don't really want to write about My Cancer Journey or Cherish Bound today. :-)

If you are familiar with the Book of Mormon, you'll perhaps recognize these eight stages of missionary work from Alma, chapters 17 and 18. In chapter 17, Alma the Younger meets his friends, the Sons of Mosiah, after they have been away, preaching the gospel to the Lamanites for 14 years. When he meets them, he rejoices that they are still his brethren "in the Lord". At the beginning of chapter 17, there is a wonderful description of these men: "...they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God. But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with the power and authority of God." Words that should describe every missionary!

At this point in chapter 17, we "flashback" to the beginning of their missions and learn about the things they've been doing for the past decade. We learn of Ammon first: Ammon is on his mission to the Lamanites and is trying to convert King Lamoni. Ammon is a wonderful missionary and he fits the Lord's definition of greatness, found in Matthew 23:11 - "He that is greatest among you shall be your servant."
Ammon Defending the King's Flocks

Eight Stages of Successful Missionary Work...
1. EXEMPLIFY. "Show forth good examples unto them in me" (Alma 17:11)
2. SERVE. "I will be thy servant" (Alma 17:25)
3. WIN HEARTS. "...that I may win the hearts of these my fellow-servants, that I may lead them to believe in my words" (Alma 17:29)
4. BEFRIEND. "We do know...that he is a friend" (Alma 18:3)
5. EXAMPLE STIRS CONSCIENCE. "They supposed that whatsoever they did was right; nevertheless, Lamoni began to fear exceedingly, with fear lest he had done wrong" (Alma 18:5)
6. BE A FAITHFUL SERVANT. "There has not been any servant...that has been so faithful" (Alma 18:10)
7. SPEAK WITH INSPIRATION. "How knowest thou the thoughts of my heart? Thou mayest speak boldly" (Alma 18:20)
8. LOVE "EVERY CREATURE". "They could not bear that any human soul should perish" (Mosiah 28:3)

I'm sure my son, Grant, has learned the success of each of these stages throughout his mission. I think one of the most valuable is SERVICE. Just serve others and you will be a successful missionary - one that people will remember.

Missionary Moments... Grant's Homecoming!!

For my Missionary Moments post this week, I'm excited to say that my son, Grant (Elder Herron), will be coming home in 11 days! Yay!!!! He will be home on the 20th of March at 4:03 pm. His flight plans will take him from Fukuoka, Japan, through Seoul, Korea, through Los Angeles, CA, and into Salt Lake City International Airport. There he will be greeted by his family (us, and his grandparents). From there, we'll go to have him officially released by the Stake President, and then he wants to go to Cafe Rio to eat (his favorite restaurant). After that, we'll go home and let him get some sleep.

Everyone and anyone who wants to see Grant is welcome to come to our house the next day (after 10:00 am) and hang out. (5359 W. Earl Place, Highland, UT 84003) We'll have some snacks there (for a little brunch).

Then, Grant's "homecoming" talk will be the next Sunday - 29th - at 1:00 pm at the church in the Country Club. Afterward, we'll have an open house for those who wish to come and visit with Grant. We'll have lots of food there, too. So, if you are reading this and know Grant and would like to come, please do, and pass the word along to any friends who would like to be there as well.

Well done, Grant! We are so proud of you.

Missionary Memories

If any of you have LDS missionaries in the field or going soon, this post is for you. When my son, Grant, left on his mission to Fukuoka Japan 20 months ago, I told him I would keep up on all of his letters/pictures/movies/etc. That's easier said than done!

For about the first 2-3 months, I printed off every email we sent to him and every email he sent to us. I put them in page protectors and into a 3-ring binders, in chronological order. This wasn't really a hard thing to do, but unfortunately I'm now WAY behind. And I've already filled one binder. If you keep up on it, it's a great gift for when your missionary comes home - they'll be able to sit down and read about their mission, in their own words, from beginning to end. I do recommend this, but keep up!

Actually, the main thing I want to tell you about in this post is this great website that I found to make a webpage for Elder Herron. I tried several (including Dear Elder), but none of them worked for me - mostly because of restrictions on uploading pictures. The one I finally decided to use is www.missionsite.net. This is a great site - very easy to use. They'll let you put up to 500 pictures on your website. Grant is a picture taker - big time. I don't load every single picture on his website, but I think I'm up over 300! It's so fun to go back through all the pictures and see how he has changed and see all of the companions and people he has come in contact with over his time there.

The other things you can do on the website are:
1. Upload letters - each letter shows the date, the place he is serving at the time, and his current companion.
2. Show special events - I use this whenever Grant gets transferred, gets a new companion, gets a special assignment, or baptizes someone.
3. There is a message board that anyone can use to leave messages.
4. You can also add links to this website.
5. The home page looks great and includes a picture of your missionary, his/her favorite scripture, a weather report from the place they are serving in, a list of the latest news - the latest 3 events you've posted, the missionary's home address and mission home address, his/her current area, the name of the latest letter and picture you've posted. And it keeps track of when your missionary will be home - Grant comes home in 119 days! Although, sometimes I wonder if it's accurate. The very bottom thing on the homepage is where they keep track of how many visitors you've had to the website, although it counts every single time something changes on the website - whenever anyone, including you, looks at something, or adds something. Currently, Grant has had over 36,000 visitors - something I really doubt!

The very coolest thing about this website, is that they'll burn everything onto a CD for you at the end of the mission! So, check it out. It's not hard, but feel free to email me if you need help - nafari01@yahoo.com. Remember to start at the beginning of the mission. It's much easier that way - update the website every week with a new letter or pics that you have received.

Check out these Elders' websites for ideas (one is Grant's and the other two are his good friends): www.missionsite.net/eldergrantherron, www.missionsite.net/elderskyelarsen, www.missionsite.net/elderspear.

To get to their main webpage and start your website, go to www.missionsite.net. On their homepage, there is a way to look for other missionaries' sites, and they pick one each month to highlight on their homepage.

Good luck! Happy mission memories.