My cousin, Kristin Romney, and I had the amazing opportunity to serve a mini-mission. Two actually: one in Monterrey and the other near Saltillo. We served for 4 weeks total, and had the times of our lives! We were both put with a companionship, each having one of the Mexican Sisters as a companion. It really opened my eyes to missionary work – the difficulty, but mostly the amazing rewards. We happened to be in Monterrey during the hottest time of the year, and we were undoubtedly sweating every second of the day (even inside the houses). But the thought of being able to serve and teach others about the gospel of Jesus Christ was the definite motivating factor. And we didn’t mind the food too much :) We thought it was actually quite delicious!
Unfortunately we were not in one area long enough to see a baptism of an investigator we contacted. But we were able to see those we taught progress, as they came to better know the Savior and His teachings. One man got baptized after attending church for 6 months! It is just miraculous to find people who listen to the message we deliver, and who try their best to study the gospel and live their lives according to the standards of the church. We saw increases of self confidence and worth, happiness, and reception to the spirit in our investigators. Serving a mission may be hard and tough at times, but seeing that one person or family change their lives and come to know Christ makes it all worthwhile.
Personally, I felt an increase of spiritual reception and the increasing love my Heavenly Father has for me and ALL of his children. It was difficult to communicate with the people and often my companions, due to the language barrier. But I was still able to feel the spirit and love of our Heavenly Father. I know the doctrine we taught is true, and that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth. I know this is His work, and I know he is always there to help us – whether on a mission or not. It’s hard to put this experience into words, but my testimony has grown tremendously. As I have always wanted to serve a full-time mission, this experience has not changed that desire but rather made it grow even more. I know that as I try my best to remain worthy to have His spirit with me at all times, Heavenly Father will make my life’s work known to me. And I know the greatest work we can do on the earth is to serve others. I’m so grateful for the opportunity I had to serve, learn, and grow spiritually. I hope to take this experience with me for the rest of my life!
This is a slideshow of our first area, Monterrey.
This one is of our second area, in Saltillo.
-Brielle Romney
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