So this week I had a very special experience. I spent a lot of time pondering about what my purpose is. In Preach My Gospel we have the missionary purpose and I was just thinking about myself and what I was really doing to fulfill it. I took a lot of time to ponder and I could not get it out of my mind. What bothered me most was I felt as though I was just another missionary, another person in the mission that really did not seem to make a difference. I just wanted to feel that I was really called to serve rather than serve because I was called.
I went through the week trying to figure out why I was here and I just kept searching for things I could do to better myself, my area, my companion, techniques of teaching, but it just did not seem to be the answer. I then was just tired of being feeling so out of place that I just could not handle it. I started to pray more to really understand my purpose and I patience had start to run out.
It was during the sacrament hymn while I was singing with and investigator the words ¨Jesus, the profound love that frees us from slavery¨ at that moment I felt overwhelmed by the love of Christ and the words came to my mind. ¨Just keep going, your not finished¨
I decided to just be happy and wait just a little longer. After that moment, all of our lessons seemed to go almost perfect and then we got done with the day satisfied with our work. I did not feel I had recieved a response still, but I was ready to wait.
We got up this morning and got ready for P-day. Our ward mission leader was celebrating his birthday today so he invited us to his birthday barbecue. When we got there, we found out that he had invited some of his relatives as well. Amongst the few guests where two very special ones, his son and his son´s girlfriend.
They were both deaf and when we walked in it almost seemed as though we as human beings had forgotten how to acknowledge one another because of our differences. I then remembered the little sign language I had learned during my two years of american sign language. I knew that there would be differences because portuguese and English are two different languages but I just started.
After I started we seemed to not stop. I quickly learned the portuguese alphabet and from there the conversation started to go even better. The young couple started to open up with me and we started to talk and tell stories. We shared many moments of laughter and smiles.
In the end our ward mission leader gave a Book of Mormon to his son´s girlfriend and I had the oppurtunity to explain to her the story. It truly was a calling that no other missionary that has served here could have accomplished. It was clear to me that truly God had prepared people for me, and me for people.
I ended with sharing my testimony about the Book of Mormon and the blessings it brings. When we left there was a new friendship made between two different worlds that the barriers have always been difficult to break down. The thing that I had learned though was that I truly had a purpose.
I know that many times we as people would like to be the Nephi, Abinadi, Moses or many other heroes in the scriptures. The truth is sometiems we are called to be more like the heroes of Sam, Nephi´s younger brother where God is preparing us and saving our talents and knowledge for a specific time and purpose that we truly don´t know.
Eu amo vocês,
Elder Cooper
P.S. Stay happy and keep smiling!
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