Forget Yourself

           I had the opportunity while on my mission to serve in leadership positions. I became a zone leader at just 11 months into it all. One of the obstacles I had to overcome was getting the respect from older missionaries. As most of us do, it is hard to learn from or take council from someone that is younger than us. After all what could a rookie leader and less than a middle aged missionary teach someone that had been a missionary for 20+ months. I knew that I was called to lead them and as such had reasons the Lord only knew to teach and guide my zone to success.

            While reading of Christ he always converted people with his great example and outstanding service. I had an idea that at the time I thought would help get the respect of the other missionaries in my zone and help them, but I came to find out pretty quickly that it wasn’t the only thing that would come of it.

            Each morning missionaries have a solid routine. Wake up at 6:30 am and exercise for 30 minutes. Then you have 1 hour to eat, shower, get dressed and do anything else you need to get ready for the day. By 8:00 am sharp you are reading and doing personal study for an hour. From 9:00 am to 10:00 am you study with your companion and then its out the door until 9:00 pm.

            We decided that if we were going to see changes in this zone we needed to follow Christ’s example and server the Elders in our zone. We woke up at 6:00 am and headed out the door to be at a new set of missionaries’ house each day at 6:30 am just in time for them to wake up. We then proceeded to clean their house as out exercise, (believe me some of these places I would have rather do push-ups and jumping jacks) we did all we could in 30-45 minutes. After that we fixed them a breakfast they wouldn’t forget. Finally together we studied and taught them a lesson during companionship study. We successfully pumped them up to work miracles and then headed to our own areas to work for the day. Each day was a different house and it was always a surprise.

            Over time they worked harder than ever before and I also noticed that I was happier then I had ever been too. Yes, I was getting 30 minutes less of sleep each day but it sure didn’t feel like it! Nothing compares to the feeling you get when you serve someone else. To see the reaction on their faces of gratitude and unbelief that someone thought of them the way you just did is incomparable to anything else that I have ever experienced. If you are ever feeling down and out, or feeling as if you are not enough do are President Hinckley suggests and forget yourself and get to work. Serve someone else and Heavenly Father will reward you in return. Odd that the fix to you problems will never be yourself but God repaying you for helping someone else in need. We are all in need everyday and the best way I have found to get out of a self pity rut is to help someone else out of theirs first.