Serving the Lord as a Service Missionary
For my service mission, I have been tasked with bringing the love of Christ to others by doing what He did best, helping and serving. I wish to share what I have done as a service missionary, not to boast, but to inspire and help others understand the difference and similarities between proselyting and service missionaries, because I have loved being a service missionary.
The year of 2020 was a difficult one for all, but I was able to find my way around it. I have worked with the elderly and aged, to help them know that they are loved and special. I have worked with organisations in York to help make areas such as Clarence Gardens or Rowntree Park cleaner and more beautiful. I have served with Community Action for Nature to help care for the land that it works with. I have spent many hours indexing on FamilySearch and on BillionGraves, an online resource of cemetery data. I have documented and completed thousands of records and names.
As a service missionary, I made family-like connections with all those with whom I worked. I have been able to help them through thick and thin. I have cared for my neighbourhood through litter picking and by helping people in Harrogate. I have attended YSA and institute activities in person and through Zoom meetings. I have attended meetings and companionship studies that helped me to connect with others and to strengthen bonds as sons and daughters of God.
One of my greatest joys is serving the proselyting missionaries. They needed help during the lockdown and coronavirus restrictions, to remain happy and active. I have taught them new skills, such as wood carving, and have invited them over for meals and to interact with them. My mission has encouraged me to be more willing to serve in any manner. I have been more eager and willing to help my family; I have cared for sick family members and done work for my parents. I have planned activities and lessons for the youth, YSA, and elders. I strive to be loving and welcoming to all whom I meet.
I know that my work has meaning, and I know that God is proud of the work that I have done. Being a missionary has been the greatest blessing of my life. I have been able to serve in a nation that I love, with a people I adore. There are few callings as rewarding and fulfilling as being a service missionary. I am proud to be a member of God’s great battalion and to be working to better the lives of my fellow beings. Being a service missionary is my life now and it will hurt to leave it, but I know that the Lord will bless me for my service, and I will stand before Him one day and share with Him and others the joy I felt while serving.