Lessons Learned

Grandma and I have just returned from a two-day Senior Missionaries’ Conference at the Mission Home in Trinidad. To say it was fantastic is not enough. In some ways I wish we had had it during our first week in the mission field. In another way, I think the Lord wisely made us wait until we were really ready to be taught. And taught we were! I’ll share with you all just a few of the important learning experiences we had:

The first thing was something our Mission President, Reid Robison, said. He said, “There is no such thing as a coincidence.” Perhaps this only applies to missionaries, but I think it may apply to all of us, all of the time. He had said it to us before in other meetings, but this time the Spirit taught me what he really was saying. The other day Grandma and I were standing in line at the bank, waiting to deposit a check. It was a long and boring 30 minutes. Later I thought, “Why didn’t you strike up a conversation with someone in front of you or behind you? You don’t need to start with a gospel question, but it could lead to one.” I realized that the Lord had put me in that line and placed those people near me for a reason! No coincidence.

On the way home from the conference, Grandma and I were not seated together on the plane. At first I was disappointed, then I thought, “No coincidences.” Grandma was in the window seat, I was in an aisle seat, across the aisle. A very large and intimidating black man came down the aisle and sat next to Grandma. I looked at him and smiled. He looked at me and frowned. I thought, “No coincidences.” So, I said, “It looks like they got our seat assignments mixed up, doesn’t it? He grunted. The plane continued to fill. When we are almost ready to close the plane door, I smiled and said, “She can pretty rowdy (referring to Grandma). If you like, I could trade you seats and try to control her.” He actually smiled and agreed to change seats. By the time the plane was ready to taxi, I noticed he had his row (formerly my row) all to himself. I said, “I see you have the row all to yourself. You owe me big time.” He actually laughed. Well, we took off, made the short flight to Tobago and landed. As we were getting off the plane, he turned to me and said something (I couldn’t understand what he said because of his thick accent). I smiled and then chickened out!!!!!!!!!! The Lord probably groaned and shook His head in disappointment. I should have at least given him one of our missionary cards. But I’m still growing. Next time I’ll be better.

This morning Grandma and I were out doing our early morning exercise walk. Remembering what I had learned (and failed to do at the bank and on the plane) I actually struck up conversations with four different people. It was easy and the people were all friendly. I was thrilled and amazed. I wish I could report that those four people are ready to set a baptismal date… not yet. But now we know each other and the next time, who knows.

The next thing I learned was that in our branch we are to stop “doing” and start teaching. In a few months we will be gone and if we haven’t taught the branch members how to run a branch, everything will fall apart. We are trying to repent of that. Serving as a counselor to the branch president I have literally evolved into the president. I do everything. Why? Because it’s easier than trying to get the president to do it.

We also learned the importance of praying for specifics. We had been praying for the branch to be successful. But the Lord wants us to pray for exactly what we need. For example, now we are praying for a new and bigger building to meet in. Until we have that, the branch will not be able to grow and be successful.

The last thing I’ll mention is the importance of giving new members (indeed, all members) a calling. Currently, Grandma and I and the young missionaries do all of the assignments. We teach, conduct, coordinate… everything. We need to make some calls. Of course, we tell ourselves that no one is willing to help. Not so. The other day, Grandma and I were inspired to write a note to a less-active woman in our branch. We told her how much we missed her and how much we needed her to lead the music in Primary. She agreed to come and serve!!! We are so excited that perhaps we have started the ball rolling for her and her less-active husband to return to the branch and start again on the road back to the Lord.

One more thing: Grandma and I have been reading in the Book of Mormon every day. We have actually read it four times since we came out on the mission. But we realized that we needed to take it a step further. With each page we read, we look for things that strike us as interesting and inspirational. We then focus all of our attention on that specific page. We look up all of the cross-references; consider what the Lord really meant when he gave that prophet that message to be written. And we try to discover how it applies to us today. Let’s face it, the Book of Mormon was written of us in these latter days. We are learning so much more than when we were simply reading.

We love you all so much and miss you enormously! But we know we are where the Lord wants us to be and we are happy in serving as missionaries. And don’t forget, we have been told that we are all missionaries.

All of our love,

Grandpa Ross