WEEK 41

The Fourth Missionary

This week's email is going to be a little different from how my emails normally go. This has probably been the hardest week of my mission. A lot has happened, I've learned a lot, and I'm ready to let the experience change me for the better.

So the title of this week's email is in reference to a talk given by Lawrence E Corbridge, a former mission president. I'm going to attach the talk for anyone who wants to read it. It talks about the four types of missionaries that exist, and why we should all strive to be the fourth missionary.  (Link to the talk at ldsliving It's the second one referenced in this article.)

This talk hit home this week as one of my good friends in the mission made the decision to return early and not finish his mission. His decision affected every aspect of the work during the past seven days. It was a really hard week, and my heart aches for this elder. As much as I love and care about Elder Smith (name changed, obviously), I came to realize this week that he embodied the characteristics of the first missionary. The first missionary is disobedient and does what he wants to do. As a result, the first missionary is either sent home or chooses to return home early. The good he would have otherwise done goes undone. He forgoes development and is not changed by his mission.

Elder Smith and I became good friends during our time here together in Romania. I knew he was struggling; We talked about it often. I just didn't know how to help. I have realized during the past week that the best help I could have offered this young man wasn't a sympathetic ear during a game of ping pong or the shallow words to "just hang on; it gets better". No, I've realized that the best thing I could have done would have been to share this talk. Maybe he'd read it before. Maybe it wouldn't have helped. But maybe it would have made a difference. It would have at least made a difference in how I'm feeling this week.

I'm trying to hold on to the perspective that all things happen for a reason. I've decided that the reason for what happened this week was to teach me a lesson. I need to work a little harder and be a little better so that I can end my mission and say that I was the fourth missionary. The fourth missionary:
-is obedient and worthy
-totally surrenders their will
-consecrates themselves
-desires only to do what the Lord wants for them to do

As a result, the fourth missionary:
-is changed by their mission
-is content and happy
-gains great knowledge
-feels satisfied with their missionary service

These are the 4 types

I'm still really sad to have had to say goodbye to Elder Smith. I'm sad that he made the choice that he did. I regret that I didn't do more/better/different things to help him. I've reached a fork in my mission road. I can choose to let this derail me, or I can choose to let it be a springboard into bigger and better things. I hope this wasn't too much of a downer email, but it's all I could do this week.

Sora Lucy Gleason
România/Moldova Mission
July 2016-January 2018