My Mission Journal (abridged) — May 1971 to May 1973
Overview
I was called to the New Zealand South Mission and served from May 22, 1971 to May 25, 1973. I represented the American Fork 12th Ward of the Alpine Stake. President Joseph Fielding Smith, the tenth President of the Church, signed my mission call. I recorded these thoughts when I received my mission call: “I went down to the post office at 8:15 am on the morning that I thought my call would arrive. I asked one of the employees if I could pick up our family’s mail early. My call was there and I opened the letter while sitting in front of the post office in the car. When I read that I had been called to New Zealand, I was at once astonished and jubilant. I was a little sorry that I wouldn’t have the opportunity to learn a foreign language, but I was elated nevertheless because I knew that this was where the Lord wanted me to go.” I have always had a twinge of remorse that I didn’t share the opening of the letter with my family.
My farewell was held in early May of 1971, with the speakers being my parents, Herschel Pedersen, and myself. I left for my mission weighing 165 pounds and being 6’3″ tall (I returned weighing 185 pounds and 6’4″ tall). I was set-apart as a missionary by President Leland F. Priday on May 21, 1971. I entered the Mission Home in Salt Lake City on May 22, 1971 and met the three other elders that were going to the same mission, Elders White, Woolsey, and Still. I loved the spirit in the Mission Home and enjoyed the inspiring messages we heard from Richard L. Evans, Bruce R. McConkie, and others. We had the privilege of going up to the 5th floor of the Salt Lake Temple and being addressed by President Harold B. Lee. He gave us the opportunity of asking questions. In an incredible display of brashness and poor judgment, I asked if he would explain the Second Endowment. He simply said, “No” and asked for the next question.
We flew out of Salt Lake City on May 26 and arrived in Wellington, New Zealand on May 28 (after an unexpected 8-hour layover in Christchurch due to heavy fog in Wellington). We were met at the airport by President Eugene C. Ludwig and Sister Ludwig, and Elders McCarty and Holman, the assistants to the Mission President. President Ludwig was an inspiring man with a gentle demeanor. We had a testimony meeting that first night in the mission home, and I recorded this in my journal: “As I began to bear my testimony, tears welled up in my eyes and my chin quivered. This had not happened to me before, but I felt the Spirit and was grateful for the opportunity to serve as a missionary.” We had three rigorous days in the mission home, being taught and instructed by the assistants to the President. I was informed that my first companion would be Elder Robert Fillmore, serving in Palmerston North.
Palmerston North with Elder Fillmore
I very quickly realized what a blessing it was to be assigned to Elder Fillmore: he had baptized at least one person every week for the previous 12 weeks before my arrival. Within my first two days in Palmerston North, I was initiated into four of the mainstays of missionary work – bicycle riding, rain, tracting, and strange food (I was halfway through my first true New Zealand meal before I realized I was eating fried liver).
On my first full day of proselyting (June 1), I smashed my bike into the back of a parked car in a driving rainstorm and cried like a baby on a woman’s doorstep as I bore my testimony to her. My days in Palmerston North with Elder Fillmore were fast-moving and action-packed. We maintained a frenetic pace and our days were filled with tracting, challenging, bearing testimony, baptizing, and fasting (Elder Fillmore fasted every other day, and thus so did I). Elder Fillmore was a wonderful trainer. His enthusiasm and work-ethic were outstanding. Sister Smiley, the sister we boarded with, treated us like royalty. I really admired my first set of zone leaders, Elders Parente and Hamilton. The cloudbursts and downpours were almost daily experiences. Umbrellas and raincoats were of no benefit in these deluges. I had all of my six discussions completely memorized by my third week in the mission field, and I was grateful for this blessing.
The baptism of the Barnfather sisters stands out as the most memorable missionary experience I had in Palmerston North. During one of our visits to Suzanne Barnfather shortly after her baptism, she said, “I will have 20 cents tithing for you tomorrow because I am going babysitting tonight.” The faith of the elect! We also taught and baptized a sweet 13-year old young man named Mark Jacobs. He initially asked his parents for permission to be baptized, but they asked him to wait until he was older. He later told us that he immediately went into his bedroom and asked God if he was doing the right thing, and he “…got an answer straightway!” His parents relented when they saw his resolve and desire.
My most amusing moment in Palmerston came when Elder Fillmore broke the pedal on his bike and was thus forced to use Sister Smiley’s young daughter’s bike for two days. This bike was baby-blue in color, very small, and had a cute blue wicker basket on the front. What a hilarious sight it was to see the prestigious Elder Fillmore on this vehicle! He only complained mildly, and the work proceeded.
As with most missionaries, my first months in the field were a time of major adjustments: living with a companion 24 hours-a-day, adhering to mission rules, dealing with relentless rejection, learning the necessity of complete dependence on the Lord. How sweet, however, it was to witness in myself the change from a carefree 18-year old young man to a sober, grateful full-time representative of the Lord.
New Plymouth with Elder Fillmore
Early in July, Elder Fillmore and I were transferred together to New Plymouth, with Elder Fillmore serving as the District Leader of the New Plymouth District. We now had a car, which was a blessing due to New Plymouth’s many hills. New Plymouth was a beautiful city, situated on coastal rolling hills on the west coast of the North Island. Mount Egmont, an extinct volcano which formed a perfect cone, was only about 30 miles from New Plymouth and was visible from all parts of the city.
At this point in my mission, I was well accustomed to the daily routine of missionary work. I was now able to concentrate on and enjoy the “spirit” of the work, and worry less about the “mechanics”. With my discussions memorized, I was able to focus on the investigators and their reaction to our message rather than on my delivery of the discussions. I began to feel the peace, the assurance, the joy of having the spirit touch the hearts of those we were teaching, as well as my own heart. On several occasions, my tongue was loosened and my mind enlightened as we testified. Elder Fillmore and I worked exceedingly hard in our new area, and we continued to fast every other day. Our efforts were blessed, and we baptized many choice souls. We were able to baptize at least one person every week we served together in New Plymouth. One week we baptized a family of six, that being Greta Miller and 5 of her wonderful children. The baptism of Brother Perry was the spiritual highlight of my time in New Plymouth. Brother Perry’s wife was a member of the Church, and he had resisted the efforts of many elders before us. He, however, found a kindred spirit in Elder Fillmore, and he could resist no longer. Sister Perry wept like a baby at her husband’s baptism, as did we.
Serving in New Plymouth while we were there was a wonderful older couple from Utah, Brother and Sister Beard. They were an absolute delight. Brother Beard was serving as District President. They were such a strength and example to us. Brother and Sister Peck, recent converts, were also a marvelous help in our work. How we enjoyed them.
Waitara, a small Maori village not far from New Plymouth, was in our area, and we had some beautiful experiences there. The Maori people were humble, gentle, gracious, and spiritual. In Waitara, I had my first experience with a Maori funeral, a Maori hangi (celebration), Maori bread (delicious!), and Maori singing (exquisite harmony).
Our diversion days (D-Days) were very enjoyable in New Plymouth because of the wide diversity of places to visit. We hiked Paritutu Rock, visited a rock hound, toured large ships at the wharf, and visited a “freezing works” (slaughter house). We frequented the “Arizona Burger Bar”, a small restaurant which advertised “Authentic American Food!”. Their hamburgers had beets and cabbage as garnishes, but we enjoyed them nonetheless.
Christchurch I with Elder Garfield
Near the end of August, I received notice that Elder Garfield (an elder who had been working in New Plymouth as well) and myself were to become companions and we were being transferred to Christchurch, the largest city on the South Island. Elder Garfield and I had been in the mission field about the same length of time, so a monumental challenge awaited us both. Christchurch was a beautiful city of 300,000 people, having numerous parks with vast flower gardens. It was located about midway down the eastern coast of New Zealand’s South Island. Fortunately, our new area was very flat, as we found ourselves on bikes again. The Lord blessed us as a companionship during the brief three weeks we were together. Elder Garfield and I were blessed with two baptisms during the short time we served together. We baptized a wonderful man, Vernon Morgan, the first week we were there. Vernon Morgan was a sweet middle-aged man who felt the spirit strongly as we three prayed together one evening. With tears in his eyes he accepted our baptismal challenge. Robert Dick was a young boy in a part-member family that we baptized with a large plastic bag on one of his arms. Robert had broken his arm and the bag was necessary to keep his cast dry.
One of the major challenges in the mission field is adjusting to new companions. I was grateful that Elder Garfield had a wonderful work ethic and believed in living the mission rules. I learned that personal idiosyncrasies and personality differences between companions rarely caused major strife as long as both elders were willing to be “anxiously engaged” in the work.
Christchurch II with Elder Moyes
Elder Garfield and I were both shocked when, after only three weeks together, we both were informed that we were going to receive new missionaries (greenies). My new companion, Elder James Moyes, and I were to move to a new area on the other side of Christchurch.. I was at once excited and apprehensive about receiving a new elder, having only been in the mission field four months myself. However, my burgeoning faith in the Lord and my willingness to work hard strengthened my feeble knees.
My two months with Elder Moyes were two wonderful months. He brought a firm commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ with him into the mission field. He had experienced many spiritual events and revelations during his teenage years, and he bore strong and fervent testimony as we tracted and taught. This being my first opportunity to serve as a senior companion, I redoubled my commitment to hard work and obedience to our mission rules. During our first week in this new area, we taught a discussion to a minister of the Church of Christ. I remember how foolish I felt as he pommeled us with scripture after scripture from the Bible, striving to refute our message. Rather than preaching the restored gospel, we attempted in vain to answer his salvos with more Biblical passages. I left that home with a renewed understanding of the importance of preaching the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, the restoration. I also more full appreciated that contention is of the devil.
In order to adequately convey my feeling about a wonderful experience that occurred on September 30, 1971, I need to digress briefly. While in the Salt Lake City Mission Home, prior to my departure for New Zealand, we missionaries heard a powerful sermon by Elder Bruce R. McConkie. As he concluded his talk, he told us that if we had not received a burning testimony in our heart that the Book of Mormon was true, we would not be effective missionaries. He admonished us to get on our knees and pray until that burning conviction was received. I left that meeting somewhat shaken. I wasn’t sure that I had ever experienced a “burning” in my bosom, yet I knew I had a testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel and of the Book of Mormon. Never at any time in my life had I doubted or questioned the divinity of the Savior nor the verity of the Book of Mormon and the restored gospel. However, an apostle had told me that I needed a “burning” conviction (or at least that was my interpretation of Elder McConkie’s message). I didn’t feel that my devotion met the standard he had set. I prayed mightily in the Mission Home that I might receive this assurance. Nothing dramatic happened, but I continued to feel at peace about my missionary service. Soon I was in New Zealand, immersed in the work. Returning now to my narrative, as I retired to my bed on the evening of September 30, I said my prayers and read some beautiful verses in the Book of Mormon. As I lay pondering upon the magnificence of the Book of Mormon and my testimony of it, I was engulfed by the Spirit of the Lord. A feeling of warmth entered my heart and radiated through my soul. A very tangible peace and serenity enveloped me as I basked in the love of my Savior. Here, at long last, was the assurance Elder McConkie had admonished us to seek. I knew the gospel was true before this experience; I knew it with even deeper appreciation and gratitude after. Having reflected on this experience many times since, I have gained a deeper understanding of the Lord’s statement that we usually receive witnesses after trials of our faith.
My commitment to hard work soon bore fruit. We met a wonderful Maori family, the Carters. Sister Carter was an inactive member of the Church who was the mother of 12 children, only 1 of which had been baptized. We saw the light of the gospel re-enter and rejuvenate the soul of this great woman, and we were able to baptize all 6 of her children that were still living at home, as well as the girlfriend of one of her sons. We developed a great love of and closeness to this family.
On October 4, 1971, we had a Zone Training Meeting at which I gave a talk. That evening I wrote, “I can no longer bear my testimony and express thanks without crying. I really felt the warming influence of the Holy Ghost during our meeting today.”
Early in November, we were informed that Elder Moyes would be transferred, and that Elder Doran Jody Moore was to become my new companion. I was to stay in my area in Christchurch.
Christchurch II with Elder Moore
How I loved Elder Moore! He was humble, hardworking, and sweet. No missionary who has ever served had a more wonderful companion that this sweet companion of mine. My time with him in this area was much too short. Elder Moore and I taught the discussions to a Mr. Summerfeld, who read 300 pages of the Book of Mormon in 4 days and gained a testimony of its truthfulness. Unfortunately, he was in the middle of an acrimonious divorce which prevented his progression toward baptism. Elder Moore and I were able to baptize 2 souls (Rachel Levy and Ra Taukiri) during the 3 weeks we served together.
Elder Moore and I had two unique experiences together. The first one was an encounter with a spiritualist, which I have discussed in this section of my journal under “A Mystic Encounter”. The other involved a woman who was quite interested in our message and her husband who was opposed to it. As we taught this woman a discussion, her husband sat in an adjacent room, listening but refusing to participate. As we concluded, we had a prayer and left some pamphlets. She asked us to leave via the back door. As we came around to the front of the house, we were met by her infuriated husband. He had ripped up our pamphlets, and as he thrust the shreds into our hands, he angrily stated, “Don’t ever come back to this house!” Another victory for the dark side.
Christchurch II with Elder Cook
After three brief weeks with Elder Moore, I received another new missionary (greenie) named Elder Geoffrey Cook. He was from Melbourne, Australia. He also had a somewhat difficult transition period, but he was willing to work hard. I missed Elder Moore sorely. He was a choice companion, and it was so hard to see him go. I loved him like a brother. After only one week with Elder Cook, I received notification that I was being made a district leader in Dunedin, and that Elder Cook would continue to be my companion. Before we transferred to our new area, Elder Cook and I were able to baptize John Rowe. On the day that Brother Rowe was baptized, Elder Sohm baptized Julia Mouat, a girl that Elder Garfield and I had tracted out in my previous Christchurch area. That was gratifying.
Dunedin I with Elder Cook
Elder Cook and I arrived in Dunedin on December 17. Dunedin is a beautiful city about two-thirds of the way down the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. Dunedin surrounds a beautiful, natural harbor. The chapel in Dunedin sits high up on a hillside overlooking the bay and the rest of the city. We found the people in our area to be cordial yet steeped in the traditions of the Anglican Church. The two months I spent with Elder Cook in this area were extremely difficult; we tracted endlessly in 90-100 degree heat and 90-100% humidity, and we had no baptisms during this time. I enjoyed serving as a district leader but felt ineffective due to my own lack of success. I enjoyed having a car and learning to drive on the opposite side of the road. An overwhelming surprise came on February 16, 1972 when I was called to serve as the zone leader of the Otago Zone (centered in Dunedin) with Elder Brent Bowden to be my new companion.
Dunedin II with Elder Bowden
I was doubly blessed in this new assignment. First, Elder Bowden was a wonderful companion! I thought I could never have another companion that I would love as much as I loved Elder Moore, but I was wrong. I had a bond of brotherhood and discipleship with Elder Bowden from the first day we served together. He was humorous, happy-go-lucky, and a pleasure to be around. Secondly, our area was fantastic. The University of Otago was right in the middle of our area, and we had thousands of university students living in our area. We had so many great experiences as we proselyted, encountering young people our own age everywhere here we went. Every door, every teaching opportunity was unique and challenging. For example, one day we encountered some male students moving a bed into their apartment. One of them quipped, “You religious boys probably hate to see us moving another ‘instrument of sin’ into our flat!” Every new day presented us with eye-opening encounters.
Elder Bowden and I found a great boarding arrangement with a Mrs. Cook, and elderly woman who mothered us wonderfully. We soon discovered that she was a spiritual medium and a sorcerer. She kept us entertained by divining our futures and telling us of her “contacts” with spirits of the deceased.
Elder Bowden and I were able to baptize four wonderful souls during our time together. Our experiences with Peter Ellis and Falafia Ah Chou were so outstanding that I have written separate articles about them. The articles are “The Peter Ellis Conversion” and “The White Chapel on the Hill”, and they are found in this section (“Mission”) of my journal. We also had the privilege of baptizing a sweet Samoan sister, Sister Fitiao. I grew to love this sister so much. Her husband was an inactive elder, and she absorbed the spiritual truths of the gospel like a sponge. Her little children were beautiful and so loving. Her baptismal service was one of the highlights of my mission. She asked me to confirm her, and the spirit inspired me powerfully as I performed this sacred ordinance. After the service, she tearfully said to Elder Bowden and me, “I will never forget you. You have given me a new life. Thank you so much for finding me. I will never forget you!”
On May 11, I received word that I was being transferred to Wellington to serve as the Zone Leader of the Cape Zone. I was absolutely elated to find out that Elder Doran Moore was to be my companion (for the second time). I hated to leave Elder Bowden and our Dunedin area, but I felt like I was leaving Alma (Elder Bowden) and receiving Ammon (Elder Moore) as my new companion. I developed a great love for Elder Bowden while we served together. His easy-going personality and fun-loving nature were so refreshing. He always had a smile and a ready quip. I was envious of these traits. The sorrow of leaving this great companion was lessened by the blessing of receiving an equally wonderful companion, Elder Doran Jody More, whom I already knew and loved.
Wellington I with Elder Moore
Words on paper cannot adequately describe the blessing it was to serve in this choice area of Wellington with Elder Moore. Our area was called Newtown, and the population of Newtown was about 80% Samoan. These wonderful people came to New Zealand in great numbers because of the increased opportunity for gainful employment. We had two Samoan stake missionaries, Davy Leuluai and Brother Alofipo, who went everywhere with us. They taught the gospel in their native tongue to our many investigators. These were men possessed of great faith and and fervent testimonies. I quickly developed a great love for these gentle and humble people. We lived with the Alofipos, and we benefited from the great LDS spirit that permeated their home. Elder Moore and I did very little tracting because we almost always had teaching appointments. We baptized six wonderful Samoan souls, all of whom I loved. The entire Samoan branch would come out to these baptismal services, and the spirit was almost overpowering. One of the Samoan young men that we baptized was named Filia, who was a practicing Seventh-Day Adventist when we met him. When we presented the first two discussions to him, he was very argumentative and confrontational. When we returned just a few days later, his demeanor and attitude had diametrically changed. Before we even started the third discussion, he bore his testimony to us that the Church was true. He had prayed sincerely, studied the Book of Mormon, and received a spiritual witness of the truthfulness of the Church. Elder Moore and I witnessed occurrences like this on a regular basis as we worked with these wonderful Samoan people.
Elder Moore was a very accomplished organist and I was a very mediocre pianist, so he and I were regularly asked to play piano-organ duets in the Samoan Branch Sacrament meetings. We really enjoyed preparing and practicing, and we found that the performance of these numbers ingratiated us in the hearts of the Samoan saints very quickly, as they are a music-loving race.
I loved my three months with Elder Moore. Our days were busy and filled with wonderful missionary experiences. I so much appreciated Elder Moore’s humble approach to the work and his work ethic. He finished his mission as my companion. I took him to the mission home on August 18 for his final dinner and testimony meeting before departing for his home in Cody, Wyoming. It was while I was at the mission home that Elder Fillmore (now an Assistant to the President) informed me that I was to become an Assistant to the President in the next shift, two weeks away. I was at once elated and apprehensive, and grateful for a new challenge.
Wellington I with Elder Nelson
I served for two more weeks in Newtown before I was transferred to the mission home as an Assistant to President Sant. My companion was Elder Keevin Nelson, who was just completing his mission. These two weeks were filled with preparations for moving out to the mission home in Tawa, and saying good-byes to my dear Samoan friends and converts in our area.
Mission Home with Elder Brady
I transferred to the Mission Home in September of 1972. My daily life changed dramatically with this new assignment. Teaching, tracting, and proselyting were replaced by meetings, filling out reports, preparing talks, and zone conferences. The structured routine and organization of the mission home life was much to my liking, but I did miss the close association with investigators and members. My new companion, Elder Scott Brady, was a joy. He was an incredibly hard worker and a very successful missionary. I was in awe of his missionary skills. He was absolutely fearless with regards to talking to strangers about the church. He would initiate conversations at petrol stations, stores, restaurants, post offices, anywhere, anytime, any person.
I quickly learned to love President and Sister Sant. I have recorded my feelings about President Sant and President Ludwig in the article entitled “President Sant” in this section of my journal. President Sant had a wealth of leadership experience, both in the Church and in his professional life. I loved his leadership style and his wry sense of humor. The breadth of his knowledge, both religious and secular, was amazing. He personified dignity and poise. Traveling to zone conferences with the Sants was very enjoyable. Sister Sant loved to try new restaurants, and Elder Brady and I were always very willing tag-alongs.
I enjoyed preparing and delivering zone conference talks. On September 19, I gave my first zone conference talk, and that evening I recorded the following in my journal, “I think that my talk went well and I mightily felt the spirit with me as I spoke!”
Between zone conferences, Elder Brady and I would “go on tour” to work with missionaries throughout the mission. We would typically be gone for 5 to 7 days at a time. We usually slept in the homes of church members during these working tours, and Elder Brady and I were chronically infested with fleas due to the many strange beds we had to sleep in. When we would return from these ‘tours’, we would have to fill our bathtub with incredibly hot water and immerse ourselves, fully clothed in our suits, to drive the fleas out of the clothing. The fleas would float to the top of the water. We collected them and put them on the walls with scotch tape as prominent trophies for our hard work.
We had eight missionaries, including elders and sisters, living in the mission home at any given time, not counting the Sants. This situation presented opportunities for intrigue and chicanery. The article entitled “Mission Home Tryst”, found in this section of my journal, relates an unfortunate example of intrigue, and “The Hole In The Wall Gang” an example of chicanery. One particular week, President Sant, Elder Brady, and I had spent many hours working on a huge shift that would affect almost one-half of all the missionaries in the mission. The other mission home elders had tried various means to get us to disclose information concerning the shift, all to no avail. Because of the over-active ears and wagging tongues that were prevalent in the mission home at that time, we kept all shift information locked in a secure file in my office. Late one night during this particular week, I happened to notice a faint light in my office. Thinking that I had inadvertently left a light on, I nonchalantly walked down to the office to tun off the light. I quietly entered the office area and immediately noticed that the light in my office was the beam of a flashlight. Not knowing if I would confront a robber or some other form of intruder, I flipped on the overhead lights, prepared for battle. There stood our mission secretary, Elder _____, with a flashlight and a purloined key to my file. I had caught him red-handed as he attempted to steal a copy of the all-important shift notices. He was absolutely speechless. Never have I seen a face with less color or more guilt than his at that time. I unceremoniously asked him to replace the sheets in my file and return to his quarters. To his credit, he confessed all to President Sant the next morning, and within 3 days he found himself serving in the hinterlands of the mission on a bicycle.
The incredible story which evolved when Elder Brady was transferred (December 1972) is chronicled in the article “A Ring, A Broken Promise, and Heartache”. During the 4 months that Elder Brady and I served together, we trained 34 new missionaries, sent 10 missionaries home, planned 17 different shifts, gave 17 zone conference talks, and worked with 45 different missionaries on tour.
Mission Home with Elder Wightman
Elder Wightman was a very good companion. He had a clever and entertaining sense of humor and was greatly loved by all who knew him. My mission continued to be a whirlwind of proselyting tours, zone conference talks, shift preparations, completing and submitting reports and forms, and battling fleas. On January 13, 1973, I wrote in my journal, “I have 18 flea bites on my left arm alone, and innumerable others on the rest of my body.”
As I have intimated elsewhere, one of the unpleasant parts of being an Assistant to the President was being aware of the many missionary problems. On January 30, 1973, an elder serving in _______ called President Sant and told him that a recently-returned missionary from our mission had been romantically involved with one of the female members in _______. Not long thereafter, a letter from the missionary to this sister was intercepted and forwarded to President Sant. The contents of the letter were very incriminating and led to the eventual excommunication of this returned missionary.
I suppose that most missionaries have at least a few regrets concerning their missions. Such is the case with me. I regret that I didn’t complete my mission out in a proselyting area rather than in the mission home. I wish that I had left my mission home assignment when Elder Brady left, completing my mission with a new elder in a challenging area. Although I performed worthwhile tasks and assignments during the last few months of my mission, I feel that my time would have been better spent as a proselyting elder. Alas.
In mid-April, President Sant brought a new elder in as Assistant to the President and to be Elder Wightman’s companion, and I was given the assignment to completely rewrite, update, and revise our mission Leadership Handbook. I spent many hours on this project and felt satisfied that I accomplished something valuable and worthwhile.
During the months that I served with Elder Wightman, we planned 10 shifts, trained 24 new missionaries, sent 16 missionaries home as they completed their missions, gave 20 zone conference talks, and worked with 12 different elders on proselyting tours.
Toward the end of my mission, I received a letter from Suzanne Barnfather, the vivacious young girl that Elder Fillmore and I had the privilege of baptizing in Palmerston North. In the letter she said, “Do you remember Adrienne, one of my younger sisters? Well, she’s getting baptized on Saturday! This has been so neat to see her accept the message. Since getting baptized, I have really grown in the gospel and I don’t think that I could live without Jesus Christ or the Church.” How heartwarming that letter was! What a privilege to see seeds that we had sown blossom into beautiful gospel plants! The reception of news or letters such as this was truly a ‘missionary payday’. What a thrill! Joseph Thomas Frost, one of the wonderful young Samoan men that Elder Moore and I baptized in Wellington wrote the following in a letter to my mother: “Yes, I acknowledge also that this is the true church, not because of any selfish desire of showing my appreciation, but because of the understanding I have, and of the accurate knowledge I have gained. For this knowledge, I can honestly say that I must attribute some thanks to your son, Michael. Sister Taylor, not only is he a fine testimony to his parents, but he is also a fine example of what a young Christian should be.”
These are the thoughts I recorded in my journal as I completed my mission: “I left the New Zealand South Mission with mixed emotions. I was excited to see my family and friends again, but it was sad to leave all my close friends and acquaintances in New Zealand. I have enjoyed the past two years more than I could ever describe on paper, and I know that my mission will be the foundation upon which I build the rest of my life. I will always cherish the experiences I had on my mission, but I know that many great moments yet await me in the future, and I am now going to prepare myself for any and all assignments and duties which I might be called upon to perform. I will do my best to be a missionary for the rest of my life. It is a joy to tell other people about the true Church of Jesus Christ. I have developed a strong testimony while on my mission that I want to share with many people. I love my Heavenly Father and realize how dependent upon Him I am.”
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