" On Your Mission, You Are Asked One Thing...

 

Back home, you talk to those you know.

Here, you don’t know anyone until you talk to them.

Back home, when someone said they weren’t interested, it meant you stopped trying.

Here, when someone says they aren’t interested, it means we will try again later.

Back home, when you got tired, you took a break and got some rest.

Here, when you get tired, you pray for strength and push along.

Back home, when things got hard, others helped you.

Here, when things get hard, you help others.

As a missionary, you are asked to rise above the human expectation.

You are asked to not just endure heartbreak, but overcome it. Again and again and again.

You are asked to constantly give all that you are, and when you feel that there is only one drop of yourself left, you are asked to give that too.

You are asked to earn the trust of those who don’t even trust themselves.

You are asked to bond a family together, close and strong, then pull your hands away so they can stand on their own.

You are asked to walk into Hell on Earth and testify of Heaven.

You are asked to be an answer to prayer, to be someone’s angel, someone’s last hope, to be a hero.

You are asked to make the world better.

 You are not asked, however, to do it alone.

You are not asked to go first, to pave the way or bear the brunt.

That was asked of someone else.

Someone who was far stronger and far better than you or I.

 

You are asked to rise above the human expectation.

He was asked to never even reach down and touch it.

You are asked to overcome heartbreak.

He was asked to make it possible.

You are asked to give yourself until there is nothing left.

He was asked to take everything you give, and carry it.

You are asked to earn the trust of those who don’t even trust themselves.

He was asked to put his trust in them.

You are asked to bond a family together, then step away.

He was asked to be that bond, and to always be that bond.

You are asked to walk into Hell on Earth, and testify of Heaven.

He was asked to be your solid foundation when Hell on Earth walks into you.

You are asked to be someone’s last hope, to be someone’s angel and hero.

He was asked to be the only hope, to be the savior and redeemer.

You are asked to make the world better.

He was asked to change it.

 On your mission you are asked one thing…. ‘Do you love me?’”

 

 

By Sister Sara Barlocker

Kansas Wichita Mission

February 2014

 

 

 

"In God's Name... Forward Boldly"

Blog posts have fallen off, because of the sensitive nature that Sara's mission has taken. She is growing spiritually by leaps and bounds and the growth that she is experiencing is phenomenal!

Because of this, I have been blindsided as to what to keep sacred, and what to publish! I am going to take a different route now with her letters. Instead of publishing her "whole" letter, I will be editing the letters to keep the sacred parts sacred, but still allow the reader to see her growth, and of course her wit and sarcasm which we all know and love!

I apologize for the delay in the blog posts, but with this change I believe it will be easier to post.

An update - which is what threw me into this whole mess in the first place. The blogpost "Gary. Is. On. Fire" - I am sad to report that Gary died a day later. Sara didn't realize how bad the burns were. Her next letter was one of shock and sadness and gratitude in the Atonement and Resurrection. She planned her first funeral, attended the family, and had to clean up the burned areas of the kitchen, including the clothing and flesh that were burned off. It was a life-changing experience for Sara and for us. Hence the change in the tone of her letters. But it is a good change, and a more mature change. She used her talented voice to sing at his funeral and was grateful for the chance to do that. Maybe in future posts, I'll share some of her growth from that experience with you. Right now, it's still a sensitive area for me.

now... "In God's Name... Forward Boldly"