My nephew recently arrived in the country where he will be spending the next (almost) two years (minus the time he spent in the Missionary Training Center) as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

It brings back tender feelings as I read his letter about not being able to speak the language and wanting so desperately to be able to communicate fully all that the gospel of Jesus Christ means to him. It’s an interesting irony that new missionaries in foreign countries are so limited in the words they can say and understand. But that’s why the letter I received meant so much.

The person who wrote had been a teacher and coach in junior high and we’d kept in touch during the years. (Her nickname was ‘B.’) To this day, over 20 years later, I’m still moved by the fact that she had the foresight and love to have a letter waiting for me when I arrived in Argentina. She’d also served a mission in a Latin American country and knew how much I would love the people and how much love I would feel from them. But she also knew what a transition it can be for a new missionary.

I still have this Aerogram. It’s priceless to me. I’m sad to say that I didn’t have the foresight to send something like it to my nephew, but in his honor, I wanted to share what my dear friend shared with me.  (And now, dear nephew, there are more than twice the number of people praying for you!)

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We will soon be posting audio links to these and other talks as well.

• President Thomas S. Monson Joy in the Journey
• Sheri Dew Awake, Arise, and Come Unto Christ
• Jeffrey N. Clayton Turning the MTC into a Review, Not a Revelation
• Lolly S.and Russell T. Osguthorpe A Partnership of Equals: “Neither is the Man without the Woman, Neither the Woman without the Man”
• Ana Maria Coburn Sacred Relationships and Self-Reliance

The post 2008 Women’s Conference Transcripts Available! appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

As I left the Missionary Training Center (MTC) to enter the missionary experience, I felt a strong sense of certainty that there was in front of me a vast sea of experiences to be had. I was anxious to share the gospel that I had been taught all of my life. With a renewed sense of urgency and confidence in my ability as a servant of the Lord, I embarked on my journey.

The first six weeks of my mission were spent in Sacramento, California. I had been called to Portugal, but was awaiting a visa before I could travel there. I distinctly remember the feelings I had as I arrived in my first area and met my companions. A sort of realization washed over me and I sensed that the days of dreaming about golden investigators, packages from home, and letters from a “waiting” boyfriend were now becoming a reality about which I was very uncertain. The feeling, as I can best describe it, is not unlike the feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you are sitting in your seat on a ride at an amusement park and the bar suddenly locks into place.

About six weeks later, in my first area in Portugal, my companion and I walked along the busy streets of Lisbon, contacting people as they passed by. I had only been in Portugal a few days and had found that the Portuguese I had learned in the MTC differed vastly from the language the people were speaking. I felt insecure in my ability to both understand and communicate. I felt ineffective as a missionary as I easily became lost in conversations. As we walked home one rainy night after a particularly frustrating evening, I felt discouraged. I felt lonely and hoped I was not wasting the Lord’s time. I felt very far from my family and friends, far outside of my comfort zone, and afraid that I was not going to be up to this task.

It was in this rainy state of mind, when I heard in my head the words to a hymn:

“Fear not I am with thee, be not afraid for I am thy God and will still give thee aid” (“How Firm a Foundation,” Hymn #85).

That night I looked up the scripture in Isaiah 41:10,13, which reads:

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.”

I was able to derive from these words the hope that I so critically needed. I felt that I did not have to rely only on my ability, but that Heavenly Father was watching over me and would help me. Whenever I hear that hymn I think of that rainy night and feel in my heart a warm confirmation from my Father who believes in me.

– by Alli

(Did you notice that you can listen to an MP3 recording of this hymn? Find more hymns here. You can download MP3s of music as well.)

Read more First Person essays here.

Would you like to submit a First Person essay? Submit essays to ‘mormonwoman’ AT ‘gmail’ DOT ‘com’.

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This will only be available for a couple more weeks, so watch it while you can! It’s a great spiritual feast and also a wonderful exploration of some very important themes, including faith, womanhood, missionary work and preparation, modesty and chastity, equal partnership in marriage….

UPDATE: You can get part of Elizabeth Ricks’ talk as well as Barbara Thompson’s talk (both on the topic “Lay Hold Upon Every Good Gift”). Sister Thompson will have you laughing as she talks about her anti-gifts and then will inspire you as she turns to the scriptures, particularly Romans 12. The trick is to go to Thursday, May 15 on the Move Media player and slide the playback marker to about 53 minutes into the broadcast. It’s better than nothing, no?

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