Last Sunday was Mothers Day. It was a wonderful day. A day of family and church and enjoying the many blessings of motherhood. It was also a day to talk to my son, who is serving a full time 2 year mission for the LDS church. We only get to have a phone call on Mother's Day and Christmas, so it is extra special. We talked for about an hour, (oops, it was only supposed to be for 45 minutes).
He sounded wonderful. He is only 20 years old, and he is living far from home, learning another language, and working hard everyday to share the message of the Gospel with God's children. I can't express how much joy it brings me to see how mature and strong he has become. He has always been a great kid, but his mission is refining him into a wonderful man. His love of the Lord and the people of Brazil is a shining light in his life. I miss him tremendously, as he misses us, but we all accept and recognize that this is his time to serve the Lord exclusively.
He walks everywhere, gets very tired, struggles with the heat and humidity, and sometimes doesn't get enough to eat, but he gains far more than he suffers. He gains joy, peace, happiness, and satisfaction. He sees lives changing for the better. He sees people accepting the Lord's message and turning their lives around. He has learned to rely on the Lord like never before in his life, and he is gaining an understanding of the great love our Father in Heaven has for each of us. He fully understands how important his family is and how much his family has done for him. He is very thankful for all his blessings.
How do I know these things? He has communicated them to us in letters and in the phone calls. Also, I too, served a full time mission. I may have walked different paths, but I walked similar paths. I know what it is like. So does his Dad. There is just nothing like a mission to turn a lump of coal to a diamond. The diamond may need some more polishing as time goes on, but the foundation is laid for life.
Even though he can't read this now, "I love you Matt (Elder Lee)".
Love the post Lynn! How blessed are we! I love it that Jed and Matt are in the same area right now. Jed's call to us was about an hour too, oops! Just gotta love being a Missionary Mom!
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