High on the City Wall

This week in Zone Conference (a large missionary meeting) one of our fine young mission leaders told of a prophet in the Book of Mormon named Samuel the Lamanite.  He was commanded to go to the city of Zarahemla and preach to the people and try to persuade them to repent of their evils.  The evils of their time sound quite familiar and are described as follows in another part of the book: "And many more things did the people imagine up in their hearts, which were foolish and vain and they were much disturbed, for Satan did stir them up to do iniquity continually; yea, he did go about spreading rumors and contentions upon all the face of the land, that he might harden the hearts of the people...." (Hel 16:22).  We are
certain that Samuel did his very best, but his efforts proved ineffective.  He was about to return to his own land but felt inspired to try one more time.  The people would not permit him to enter into the city.  Undeterred, he climbed on the walls of the city and delivered his message, (Hel 13:4) which provided direction and consolation to those seeking a closer walk with God.  

As we watch these fine young missionaries that we are privileged to work with, we detect that same sense of stubborn determination as was found in Samuel the Lamanite.  They left their families and the comforts of home and familiar surroundings to serve here in Cauayan for either 18 months or 2 years.  It is not a paid position.  They come at their own expense.  School and relationships are deferred.  When they apply to serve missions, they do not choose where they will serve but rather go where they are called.  They come with a fixed determination to share a message about the Living God and his Only Begotten Son.  Their faith is that this message will lift burdens and heal hearts.  

Like Samuel, things do not always go according to their hopes and plans as they come to deliver their message.  Two weeks ago, we had only a handful of cases of COVID-19 within the boundaries of our mission.  We had read news that the Omicron variant was coming.....and oh, it came.  Like a tsunami it came.  Cases in the area skyrocketed to unprecedented levels.   Because we knew it was coming we had put in place a number protocols to help our missionaries remain out of harm's way.  In addition to requiring face masks and social distancing we added several more cautious restrictions.  We allowed them to still go out and teach on a limited basis but prohibited any in-person missionary meetings (including exchanges and district councils) (OUCH!).  More painful was prohibiting eating or having meriendas (snacks) in members' or friends' homes.  Most missionaries would rather lose an arm than forgo eating the delicious food of members or friends (may members and friends express their love through food).  Perhaps the hardest restriction of all was moving Zone Conference to a virtual format.  Missionaries love to get together.  That is perhaps the only thing they love more than members' and friends' food.  

The restrictions proved less effective than we had hoped.  2 weeks ago we had no missionaries in quarantine for COVID-19.  A few days later, we put 36 of our 62 missionaries into quarantine.  Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms were quarantined.  Headaches and runny nose do not necessarily mean that they had contacted COVID-19, but we took no chances.  For a time, it felt like our world was caving in.  How could they do their work?  Would they go crazy locked in their apartments?   Would this make the new missionaries more homesick?  It seemed pretty scary and dark.  The good news is that now everyone is getting better and we have had no serious illnesses.

Like Samuel the Lamanite, these obstacles did not stop or really even slow down our young missionaries.  They have been in spots like this before, so they just climbed the city wall.  They had goals and plans of which they refused to let go,  and kept working.  If they were in quarantine, they just found people to teach online or by phone calls and then taught them using their smartphones.  If someone did not to have a smartphone to meet with the missionaries, then a member would go over to the person's home as a friend and then would sit with the person being taught as they met with the missionaries using the member's phone.   Some people have poor internet signal so they would go where there is better signal.  Others have chosen to wait to meet with the missionaries in person.  That is ok.  It will just take a little longer to teach them.

Our Zone Conference was held over 3 consecutive days on a large Zoom meeting.  We met for 3 hours in the morning each day. While we were sad not to see the missionaries in person, the conference was still great.  At the end of each day, they were given an assignment to read something or make an inspirational facebook post or try to use the skills we taught in their teaching that evening.  They were asked to report the following day on their. experience.  In fact, we actually ended up with more time to teach than with in-person conferences, and could ensure better understanding by following up on the assignments.  The spirit was tender and joyful.

The scriptures are full of stories of wonderful people who set goals and made plans, only to have those plans upended by other people or difficult situations (like COVID-19).  Just like Samuel, they just climbed the city wall and attained their goal with a stubborn determination.   The Philistines filled with earth the wells dug by Abraham.  When faced with this problem and the urgent need for water, his son, Isaac just dug another well.  When other herdsmen strove with him saying the water from these new wells was theirs, Isaac just dug yet another well (Gen 26). This stubborn determination is one of the things that makes our young missionaries great.  

We say to our creative young missionaries that, like Queen Esther of old, perhaps "thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this." (Esther 4:14)  

Time and the work roll on.  Miracles never cease.  Hurrah for Israel!