Till He Comes

"Envision the day you make it through the Lord's coming". Those were the words spoken by my inspired and dear mission president, President Bunker. I really let those words sink into my heart this past week. I thought about my life here on my mission and about some of the things I still need to change. I thought about those things I can never return to, because they were my past. I made a list of things I need to leave behind in my life and mind so that I can become a better person and missionary. I also made a list of things I want to gain from my mission/life and the areas I want to grow in my life. I made a similar list back when I was in the MTC. There are some similarities between my two lists but there are also new things that I need to do. I have found that my life has changed so much just over the last seven months or so. I have come to realize what is essentially important in my life and those things that have eternally importance; and how serving a mission was not only something that was really important to me but to all the people I will be in contact with for the rest of my life.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland gave a devotional at the MTC and he said, "You cannot go back. When you were called to be a missionary it was forever. When you were asked to leave your transgressions behind it was forever. This is who you are. You are representatives of the Lord, Jesus Christ. You can never go back."
President Bunker also said, "God doesn't see you as your past, He sees your future." I love this quote because it's so true. We can CHANGE. Little by little, we can change if we look forward and if we are willing to turn to our Heavenly Father. If we look back and all we see is the guilt, sorrow, and pain, then we are going to walk that road of darkness. Through Christ we can be cleansed from all of our sins, and we are here on this earth to gain experience and to learn. As I was thinking about that I asked myself what I have to do to be prepared to meet Him. What is it that I have to do to prepare myself for the second coming of our Savior? The answer I found is that I need to KNOW Him; on a very real and personal level. It is through reading in the Bible and The Book of Mormon, and receiving answers through the Holy Ghost, that I have come to know that my Savior lives. We must all learn of Him and come unto Him; and put one foot in front of the other and look ahead to our own futures. The past is the past, but we can BECOME that FUTURE that our Heavenly Father sees in us if we choose to follow the example of Jesus Christ.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland also said, "To yearn to go back to a world that cannot be lived in now, to be perennially dissatisfied with present circumstances and have only dismal views of the future, and to miss the here-and-now-and-tomorrow because we are so trapped in the there-and-then-and-yesterday (is a mistake). I plead with you not to dwell on days now gone nor to yearn vainly for yesterdays, however good those yesterdays may have been. The past is to be learned from but not lived in. We look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences but not the ashes. And when we have learned what we need to learn and have brought with us the best that we have experienced, then we look ahead and remember that faith is always pointed toward the future. Faith always has to do with blessings and truths and events that will yet be efficacious in our lives."
Last week I got to witness that kind of faith in many, and see where their lives are headed because of that faith. Faith truly does bring blessings.
I did a baptismal interview for a couple (Evelyn and Marvin) that were baptized this past Saturday (you can see them with me in my green tie in the photo below). They are investigators that were being taught by a couple sister missionaries in my district. Evelyn has cancer and has been fight for her life. Her faith is just so strong and it was really neat to listen to their testimonies and feel the spirit that they both have. Their baptism was truly a special one that I won't ever forget. They are so humble and so strong and I have such a love for them.
Juan had his own baptismal interview last week and it was great! He is ready to be baptized on the 25^th of March. It has been a special privilege to be part of his life. He has asked me to baptize him. What an honor it will be to help a child of God enter into the Kingdom of God. I am so proud and excited for this decision he has made to be baptized. I have a ticket for a front row seat to the greatest show that ever happens on this earth. I get to witness the faith of one of my brothers, and see it blossom and bloom as he reaches out and walks to the gate of his eternal salvation. I have seen Juan’s faith; and it has been a testament to me that by faithfully looking at our eternal importance and potential, and seeking more out of life, we ALL can prepare to meet our Savior, Jesus Christ when He comes again. I love my Savior. That is why I decided to serve a mission. On the hard days I think about why I am here, and it always comes back to Him and to the people I am helping bring unto Him. I am still very imperfect, but I know that this is the right path for me. I know these things are true with all my heart and soul and look forward to the day when our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, will come again.


Les Amo,


Elder Spencer Guy Vance