The Mission I Didn’t Expect—and the Lessons I Needed

The Mission I Didn’t Expect—and the Lessons I Needed

When I was a young boy, I dreamed of serving a mission.

Like many children in Primary, I enthusiastically sang:

I hope they call me on a mission
When I have grown a foot or two…

I believed every word. Long before I was old enough to serve, I had already made up my mind that I would be a missionary.

Years later, shortly after graduating from high school, I submitted my missionary papers and anxiously awaited my call. When it finally arrived, I was working out of town in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. After several days and a long six-hour drive home, I finally opened the envelope.

“Elder, you are hereby called to serve in Brazil.”

I was thrilled.

In my mind, I knew exactly how the next two years would unfold. I would spend six weeks in the Missionary Training Center, learn Portuguese, travel to Brazil, preach the gospel, and return home two years later.

The Lord, however, had a different plan.

My visa was delayed. Six weeks in the MTC became twelve. After learning Portuguese, I was reassigned to California and had to begin learning Spanish. Just when I felt comfortable speaking Spanish and had forgotten much of the Portuguese I had learned, my visa arrived, and I was sent to Brazil. There, I found myself serving alongside Brazilian companions who spoke little or no English, which forced me to relearn much of what I thought I knew.

My mission was not the carefully scripted experience I had imagined as a young boy.

It was better.

The Lord used unexpected challenges, disappointments, detours, and victories to teach me lessons that would bless me long after my missionary service ended. Looking back, I can see that the greatest blessing of my mission was not where I served, what language I spoke, or even what I accomplished.

The greatest blessing was who I became.

As I reflect on those years, I realize the Lord taught me six principles that continue to guide my life today.

1. The Lord Teaches Us to Trust Him Through Prayer

When my plans changed, prayer became more than a daily habit—it became a lifeline.

Nephi taught:

“Ye must pray always, and not faint.” (2 Nephi 32:9)

Prayer carried me through uncertainty, discouragement, homesickness, and disappointment. It helped me recognize that while I could not always understand the Lord’s plan, I could always trust the One who created it.

I learned to pray before studying, before teaching, before making decisions, and before facing challenges. More importantly, I learned to pray not only when I needed help, but also when I needed gratitude.

The Lord’s promise proved true:

“Pray always, and I will pour out my Spirit upon you.” (Doctrine and Covenants 19:38)

The more I prayed, the more clearly I saw His hand guiding my life.

2. The Lord Prepares Us Before He Uses Us

One of the most humbling lessons of missionary service is realizing how much you still need to learn.

The Lord taught:

“Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word.” (Doctrine and Covenants 11:21)

Before I could effectively teach others, I needed to be taught myself.

Every missionary quickly learns that knowledge alone is not enough. The gospel becomes powerful only when it moves from the mind to the heart through the witness of the Holy Ghost.

Alma testified:

“It is the Spirit of God which is in me which maketh these things known unto me.”

The Lord often spends more time preparing His servants than He does using them. Looking back, I realize He was teaching me long before I was teaching others.

3. The Lord Blesses Faith-Filled Effort

Missionary work taught me that faith is not passive.

Faith works.

There were days when investigators canceled appointments. There were days when no one seemed interested in our message. There were days when I felt inadequate, exhausted, or discouraged.

Yet the Lord repeatedly taught me a simple principle:

Keep working.

The Lord declared:

“I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say.” (Doctrine and Covenants 82:10)

Faith does not guarantee immediate results. It guarantees that God will honor faithful effort according to His timing and wisdom.

Some of life’s greatest blessings come not because we see immediate success, but because we continue moving forward when success is not yet visible.

4. The Lord Changes Us Through Repentance

Perhaps one of the greatest misconceptions about discipleship is that faithful people don’t make mistakes.

The truth is that faithful people repent.

Every missionary discovers weaknesses they never knew they had. Pride, impatience, fear, discouragement, selfishness—whatever remains hidden eventually comes to the surface.

The miracle of the gospel is that the Savior already knew those weaknesses would appear.

That is why He came.

The Lord taught:

“The Lord your Redeemer suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him.” (Doctrine and Covenants 18:11)

I learned that repentance is not a sign of failure.

It is evidence that the Savior’s grace is working in our lives.

Daily repentance brought peace, strength, and joy. It still does.

5. The Lord Teaches Us to Love Imperfect People

Missionary companionships provide countless opportunities to learn patience, humility, and forgiveness.

The Lord commanded:

“Of you it is required to forgive all men.” (Doctrine and Covenants 64:10)

That command is often easier to read than to live.

The older I get, the more I realize that nearly every conflict becomes smaller when viewed through an eternal perspective. Most disagreements that feel important in the moment matter very little in eternity.

I learned that preserving relationships is usually more valuable than winning arguments.

I learned that extending grace often accomplishes more than demanding justice.

And I learned that everyone—including me—is doing the best they can while trying to overcome their own challenges.

6. The Lord Never Forgets Who We Are

If my mission taught me one lesson above all others, it is this:

I am a child of God.

Not because I earned it.

Not because I was a missionary.

Not because I was successful.

But because He is my Father.

The Lord knows our names. He knows our struggles, fears, hopes, and dreams. He knows every sorrow we carry and every burden we bear.

Most importantly, He knows our eternal potential.

Doctrine and Covenants 18 teaches that the worth of souls is great in the sight of God.

Not some souls.

Every soul.

Including yours.

The Savior suffered for you individually. He hears your prayers personally. He loves you perfectly.

And He will never abandon you.

The Mission Continues

Although my missionary service officially ended years ago, the lessons continue.

The Lord used a delayed visa, unexpected transfers, language barriers, successes, disappointments, and countless ordinary moments to teach me truths that still guide my life today.

What began as a young boy’s dream of serving a mission became something much greater.

It became an opportunity for the Lord to shape me into the person He needed me to become.

Whether you are preparing to serve a mission, currently serving, have returned home, or are simply striving to follow Jesus Christ, these same principles apply.

Pray before everything.

Seek God’s word before sharing it.

Put your faith to work.

Repent daily.

Forgive freely.

Never forget who you are.

The Lord’s plan may not always look like the plan we create for ourselves.

My mission certainly didn’t.

But I have learned that when we trust Him, His plan is always better than our own.

God lives. Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. He leads His Church through living prophets and invites each of us to come unto Him. The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ and a powerful witness of His divinity.

I know these things are true through the witness of the Holy Ghost.

And for that witness, and for the mission I didn’t expect, I will always be grateful.