Missionary work is exhausting.

Dear Everyone:

Meet my new companion - Sister Bateman! She's 23, is from Orem, Utah, and has been out for a year, as of next week. Sorry I don't have any pictures... eventually.

I actually already knew Sister Bateman. We were in the same district for 3 transfers while I was in Montpelier and she was in Burlington. So that's fun.

Other than that, I don't really have much to report this week. Our teaching pool is looking more like a puddle. Hopefully we'll add some depth to it soon. Today marks the official start of tourist season in Biddeford/Saco/Old Orchard Beach. Which means a lot more people will be out and about. Which is awesome news for us missionaries. 

You guys. I love being a missionary. Really, I do. It's great. I get to be there as we watch people's lives change through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I've seen people gain hope, find purpose, and just completely change their lives.

But being a missionary is exhausting. In every way imaginable. Seriously. That's one of the purposes of being a missionary though. It's not only to help others come unto Christ.

It's so that we can learn to depend on Him too.

And it's hard. Really really hard.

I read a scripture this week that just really screamed 'mission' to me. It was Alma, chapter 26, verse 27. In this verse it's a guy named Ammon talking. Now Ammon was a really great missionary. One of the best actually - he helped to convert an entire country. Not to mention a lot of other people as well. Ammon and his brothers just finished their missions and are kind of talking about the experience all together. Ammon is talking about how great his mission was, and about how blessed by the Lord he was throughout it all.

Now what does this have to do with me being exhausted?

Well, I'm positive Ammon was exhausted at points during his mission as well. If you read the scripture, Ammon said "Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us..." Even Ammon was depressed at times! Yet he was able to find strength in the Lord.

The scripture continues: "the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions and I will give unto you success."

Ammon only had to do two things in order to gain success: go out among the people, and be patient in his problems. As long as he did those two things, the Lord promises that he will have success.

And he did. Ammon had an insane amount of success - as did all of his brothers. Because they did exactly what the Lord said. They went out and worked, and were patient, trusting in His timing.

So that's what I'm doing right now. Trying to make more of an effort to go out and talk to people. Trying to make more of an effort to really trust the Lord, and trust His timing.

Although patience is still something I haven't really learned as well as I probably need to.

This is good council in everything though - not just missionary work. Heavenly Father gave us bodies, gave us the ability to act for a reason. If it is according to His will, He promises to help us. But only if we're going out and doing all we can first. He's not gonna help us if we sit in the apartment all day playing uno - as tempting as that is sometimes.

So, I'm exhausted. But it's worth it. Or at least it will be. Because I'm not alone in this. My Savior has my back.

That's my challenge to you all this week. Find something you've maybe been dragging your feet on. Or that you've been struggling with. Then go out and work on it. Trust in the Lord, and He'll help you with it. Just go and do it. Knowledge comes through experience. And it'll be worth it in the end. Promise.

I love you all!

Love,

Sister Lindsey Berg