Tex/Don't Give Up

Today I think about an impressionable person that I met while serving in Hurricane, UT.

Now, for those of you who are not from Utah or have never heard of this town let me educate you on how to say this town name. If you ever head out that way, do so! It's a really nice town about 30 minutes outside of St. George. But remember, this the way the locals pronounce it "Hurricun" with a soft "A" at the end. Now, you'll be prepared if you ever decide to go there.

Anyway, Hurricane has a special place in my heart. Well, each of my areas do, but Hurricane is extremely special to me. My companions and I had tons of fun while we were there.

We got a referral for Carl Thompson, but most people called him "Tex" because he was from Texas. My companion and I went to go visit Tex and see if he was interested in learning more about the church. We met him and found out a couple of things. First of all, he had been going to church for almost 50 years on and off. Wow, and you're still not a member?! I was impressed. Second, he told us he had cancer. We expressed our sympathy for him and he told us his story about learning about the church but never feeling the need to join it. We stopped by a couple times again and extended the invitation to be baptized. I'll never forget what he said. "Many people have asked me to be baptized. Back then, I didn't really see the need for it. But with this new sickness I have, I care about my family. I think it's time to do it."

Wow, everyone! After 50 years of on and off going to church Tex decided it was time to join! Awesome!

Now I want to speak to RM's or missionaries still on missions who feel like they haven't had any success or people don't want to listen to them.

First of all, I know exactly how you feel. You may be a little confused because I served in a part of the world where it seems like everybody is already a member of the church. Shouldn't missionary work be easy? Doesn't everyone want to hear the Gospel? Definitely not. I wish it were that way. But we experience the same exact things that other people experience in their missions. Disappointment. 0 lesson days. Nothing works out the way you plan. There were times in my mission where I felt like I wasn't making a big impact on anybody. But I go back to my friend Tex, who ended up getting baptized. Think about how those missionaries felt that tried to visit him for the past 50 years. They probably felt like they weren't making a difference in his life. But you do. Just the way you act, how you look; people recognize the LDS missionaries. And it may take time and it may not happen in this life, but God promises us that all of His children will hear the Gospel.

So I say to all of you who worked and are working hard, don't give up! Remember, Heavenly Father does not let any effort go to waste.