Nate's last week at home
Nate the Great is now safely in Taiwan, canvassing the quilted countryside by bicycle to find the honest in heart who want what he has.
...The life changing message that each of us has a personal, powerful Savior...who is more powerful than all of our problems. And that the fullness of his living gospel is again on the earth.
Nate is the fifth fulltime missionary in our family, led by Brett, Dallin, Tanner and Megan. While we already miss Nate a ton, we're seeing the silver lining in the cloudy days of distance between Taiwan and home.
Some blessings in our family because of our missionaries serving:
Brett - The frequency and sincerity of our prayers has improved. Because we love
and miss Nate and Meg, our hearts are open and more tender, so
our prayers are more needy. That has improved the power of our prayers
personally and as a family.
Jonell - Nate is teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, a gospel of deep and enduring change. I want to change the words from the fixer-upper song in Frozen to
"You can never change them, but people do really change. The atonement of
Christ has power, both wonderful and strange" ...something like
that. Having a missionary re-activates a desire in me to change for good. He has healing in His wings and He's the message Nate and Meg are taking to the world.
Lalo - I felt a connection with the sister missionaries in England. I was far from home and we missed both of our families back in the states. It's a foreign country, etc. and the first time I felt like I was home was at the London temple. I loved the sister missionaries and enjoyed seeing them each time we visited. I just kept thinking how much bigger their sacrifice was than mine: they were farther from home, and for a longer time, but they were so happy. I think happiness is an automatic blessing for giving it all to help others.
Lalo - I felt a connection with the sister missionaries in England. I was far from home and we missed both of our families back in the states. It's a foreign country, etc. and the first time I felt like I was home was at the London temple. I loved the sister missionaries and enjoyed seeing them each time we visited. I just kept thinking how much bigger their sacrifice was than mine: they were farther from home, and for a longer time, but they were so happy. I think happiness is an automatic blessing for giving it all to help others.
Dal - The example of selflessness in Meg, in Brianna, and now Nate has really inspired me to be more that way. On Tuesday I want to be better at helping others because of the letters I read from our missionaries on Monday.
Tan - Missionary service drives home the truth that God and Christ are real. You will not, cannot know that though, without acting first. Just as Naaman did not know until he washed in the River Jordan, or like the widow did not know until her faith had brought her son back to life. You don't have to know to follow. But those who follow will know.
Meg - Blessings of missionary service…hard to say only one. A big blessing is how you get to see change. Change in people, so many positive changes in our family, and changes for good in the people I've taught.
Lyn - A blessing of having family members on a mission is having someone to talk to for advice. I wrote Nate a few weeks ago but I wasn't sure he'd write back, because we haven't been close like that before. But I really wanted his advice so I wrote. I was so amazed and happy for how he responded. He took my problem seriously, and offered his thoughts, and sent me a scripture to read. I like how having siblings serve a mission helps me draw closer to them.
Isaac - In Sunday school we talked about how Family History and Genealogy are like missionary work. Whatever work is not done to baptize everyone who ever lived, will need to be done during the millennium. Heaven and angels will help find all the lost names until everyone has been found and had the ordinances done. Nate's just finding people now.
Joss - Missionaries teach about repentance, which is a lot like David and Goliath. Sins are bigger than us, just like Goliath. But David knew God was with him, just like he's with me when I'm having trials. In Primary today, my class got asked to write down a habit or something we want to repent of, then we got some stones and wrote what we need to do to help slay the habit. I like how Jesus wants to help us get our bad habits gone. (Not saying what mine was.)
Alex - One blessing is that even though Nate is going far away, just like Megan went far away, you get so much closer to them. And then when they get back home, you just get to unlock the mysteries of what happened to them while they were gone.
Tan - Missionary service drives home the truth that God and Christ are real. You will not, cannot know that though, without acting first. Just as Naaman did not know until he washed in the River Jordan, or like the widow did not know until her faith had brought her son back to life. You don't have to know to follow. But those who follow will know.
Meg - Blessings of missionary service…hard to say only one. A big blessing is how you get to see change. Change in people, so many positive changes in our family, and changes for good in the people I've taught.
Lyn - A blessing of having family members on a mission is having someone to talk to for advice. I wrote Nate a few weeks ago but I wasn't sure he'd write back, because we haven't been close like that before. But I really wanted his advice so I wrote. I was so amazed and happy for how he responded. He took my problem seriously, and offered his thoughts, and sent me a scripture to read. I like how having siblings serve a mission helps me draw closer to them.
Isaac - In Sunday school we talked about how Family History and Genealogy are like missionary work. Whatever work is not done to baptize everyone who ever lived, will need to be done during the millennium. Heaven and angels will help find all the lost names until everyone has been found and had the ordinances done. Nate's just finding people now.
Joss - Missionaries teach about repentance, which is a lot like David and Goliath. Sins are bigger than us, just like Goliath. But David knew God was with him, just like he's with me when I'm having trials. In Primary today, my class got asked to write down a habit or something we want to repent of, then we got some stones and wrote what we need to do to help slay the habit. I like how Jesus wants to help us get our bad habits gone. (Not saying what mine was.)
Alex - One blessing is that even though Nate is going far away, just like Megan went far away, you get so much closer to them. And then when they get back home, you just get to unlock the mysteries of what happened to them while they were gone.
Ethan - One night I kept not sleeping because I thought
about how I walked on the lawn, even if the sign said Danger. A boy told me if I did it than I might die. Accidentally, accidentally I stepped on the lawn...with no shoes or socks on. So I woke up Alex and he woke up Mom. Then Mom telled me a story
about the picnic blanket and getting all the scared feelings into
a garbage can. Then Jesus came and took it all away. And I felt safe. Nate is a missionary and he tells people about Jesus. You can do it Nate. You're a missionary!
To all of you missionary moms and dads out there. Carry On!
