A Prayer of Faith

This essay was written by Alli, one of our guest writers.

“Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.”
-Isaiah 12:3

I am often so busy checking things off my to-do lists that I forget to enjoy my life. I have lists of tasks that I should do: things I want to do today, this week, before school starts, or by the time I am thirty. I actually end up crossing quite a few things off my lists, but I tend to get lost filing through the ‘clutter’ of life. Sadly, living the gospel sometimes becomes a checklist of things I should do, rather than a profound and meaningful power in my life; I do not think I fully realize the extent of joy available to me through the gospel of Jesus Christ. On days where I find myself distant from this joy, there is a memory of an experience I had in Portugal that strengthens me.

It is unfortunate that closer to the end of your mission is typically the time you feel the most confident and capable as a missionary. That is where I found myself seven years ago, as I was given a new area and companion. My new companion had been in Portugal for one month. Because she had lived in Brazil as a child, her Portuguese was quite good. Language is often something with which new missionaries struggle. She had the language barrier behind her, but as all missionaries do, she had her own challenge: she was not happy. She knew she should be on a mission, but her heart was not yet in it. Missions, like life, provide the greatest learning experiences. Often we need to learn things we do not necessarily want to learn, but Heavenly Father knows our capabilities and what we need.

She and I had a difficult time at first. Our experiences and attitudes were so different. I was obviously happy and she was obviously not. You can imagine how annoying my happiness must have been as she struggled. But as we walked through Abrantes, we talked. We discussed what she wanted out of the next few years of her life. She admitted that she felt the gospel to be somewhat of a burden, and our daily missionary “rituals” of scripture study and prayer to be monotonous tasks. So we started to come up with questions we had about the gospel, our lives, missionary work, faith and so forth. We made our scripture study and prayers more personalized and meaningful experiences by searching for answers to our questions, and seeking to learn about aspects of the gospel we did not understand. We stopped reading from Nephi to Moroni and instead used the index to help us study different subjects. We both increased our testimonies of how important it is to apply the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is meant to be taken personally and is adaptable to every individual and her personality and experiences.

My companion started to enjoy the gospel and missionary life. The subject that seemed to make the most difference in her life was studying the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I think with the desire to personalize each aspect of the Gospel, studying the Atonement became a powerful experience for her.

After only six weeks together, she and I were transferred to different areas, so I was only with her for the beginning of her transformation. Over the next few months however, I would see her at mission conferences. Each time I saw her, my testimony was strengthened. She sparkled with enthusiasm and love for the gospel and for herself. She had come to better understand and appreciate the Savior and it had changed her life.

I cannot say that she was the only one blessed by her conversion. I continue to draw strength from her example, each time I think of her. It is such a powerful experience to have the opportunity to see that change of heart in ourselves and in one another. I do not think that conversion is a one-time event in life, but rather a consistent effort to understand and apply. My heart was changed as I saw my dear friend, my companion, take the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ off of her back and put it into her heart. The memory of this experience strengthens me when I forget to be joyful as I draw upon the Savior’s waters of salvation.

Alli was born and raised in Mount Vernon, Washington, the 8th of 9 daughters. She served a mission in Lisbon, Portugal. She graduated with a degree in Biology from BYU, where she met her husband, Nate. Alli loves the outdoors, running, walking, hiking and playing. She and Nate are the nursery leaders in their ward. Alli is enjoying her new role as mother of one darling, delightful baby boy. She is also currently working as a Physician Assistant.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 27th, 2006 at 5:49 am and is filed under Every Word. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.