WHAT THEIR MOTHERS & GRANDMOTHERS TAUGHT THEM...
Just like Helaman's young stripling warriors, the mothers and grandmothers of our missionaries have taught them many important lessons "We do not doubt, our mothers knew it."
This interview cycle my question to each missionary was: What is one important thing your mother (grandmother, important mother figure) has taught you?
Interestingly, an almost universal response was, first a smile, a soft look in their eyes, then the comment "oh, so many things". Almost all had an instant answer for me...and some had a story to tell. It is clear that our fine missionaries were taught well by their mothers. Thank you Moms!
Here are some of their responses:
1. Power of a mother's love. I know she loves me! She worried about me and cared for me.
2. Do your best always! Even in elementary school - don't slough off the homework - always do your best. She always supported me and helped me to be successful.
3. Family First and Determination...she went to college after she had 3 children. Always patiently helped us with our homework before doing her homework. She graduated!
4. She taught me to fast, pray and read the scriptures. She supported me in my decisions but helped me look to God's help when making important decisions. I heard her praying out loud at her bedside for me. She is a diligent member/missionary - talks to everyone about the gospel.
5. She worked from home so she could be at home with the kids. She loves the scriptures.
6. Take care of your grandparents - took kids with her to visit and care for them always.
7. Easily forgive others. As a child, encouraged me to forgive and be a friend to another boy who had been mean to me. Never talk bad about others. Don't let things affect you negatively.
8. Wrote me a letter to read on the airplane when I left on my mission - telling me to be strong, be obedient and live up to her hopes for him. I want to live up to her expectations of me.
9. Be diligent: scripture study, FHE, prayer. Always learning. Excited to learn. Asked him "What did you learn from that scripture?"
10. Be persistant. Worked and worked to keep their family together even when their father left.
11. Positive attitude, no matter what happens there is always something to be thankful for. She broke her leg and after surgery she posted on Facebook "So thankful for good doctors!"
12. Charity. Invited homeless man for dinner on Christmas day although they barely had enough food for their own family.
13. Never give up. Even though father did not have steady job for 5 years, she kept working and helping him until he got a good job.
14. Get up in the morning and get to work! Work hard!
15. Service. There were frequently two dinner meals prepared: one for our family and one for a family in the ward who needed it. Also, we have a huge yard that is frequently used for wedding receptions. We all had to Work Hard - to keep the yard in tip top condition.
(Many elders answered with "service", "charity", "love for others". ) We have a small business in our home and my mother frequently gave jobs to people who were unemployed. Helped older people clean their homes, gave them meals, helped them in the street.
16. Work before play, always! In high school, I failed to clean my room and had gone to a friend's house, she called me and I had to come home to clean before I could hang out with my friend.
17. Be responsible so people can always Trust you. Integrity is everything.
18. Be obedient! No real problems if you are obedient.
19. Be self-sufficient. Among other things - taught me to sew up my own pants.
20. The family is the most important thing.
21. Work hard! Never give up. Finish what you start.
22. Respect for ALL people. All people are of great worth, no matter race, creed, or belief.
23. Patience!
24. Always pay your tithing and things will work out.
25. Little things lead to big things.
26. Persevere. Keep trying - never give up.
27. Set goals and work hard every day to achieve your goals.
28. Taught me how to cook and clean and keep the house in order.
29. How to be silly and have fun (after our work was done!) How to work together, support each other in our work.
30. How to listen to the Spirit.
31. Taught me to make good choices and then trusted me - gave me my agency to make choices.
32. She really has confidence in me and expects me to do good things.
33. Taught me the difference between right and wrong and then asked me, "What do you think is the right thing to do?"
34. She is an example of a truly Christ-like person.
35. Taught me that even though our family did not have a lot of money, we were rich because we have the true and everlasting gospel, and we are an eternal family.
36. Be positive, be happy and smile!
37. If you say you're going to do something, do it. Be a responsible person others can always trust.
38. When you worry about something, ask yourself, "Will it matter in 10 min., 10 days or 10 years?"
If it won't matter in 10 years, it must not be too important.
39. Strictly obedient.
40. How to manage money. Don't waste things.
41. No matter what happens, what tribulations come, stay strong in the Church always.
42. Hope - always look forward with a smile and have a positive attitude.
43. How to be polite - be interested in other people and how to treat others with kindness, always.
44. With real dedication and hard work we can achieve great things.
45. To be grateful for everything. We have so much. Always be grateful and positive.
46. Be calm, be kind. Rarely, if ever, get "mad".
47. She cried with me when I made dumb mistakes, still loved me and hugged me. She is "charity".
48. Be where you need to be and do what you should do.
49. Selfless love for others.
50. She was my best gospel teacher. I remember her teaching me the Plan of Salvation, the Atonement and about the judgment and degrees of glory.
51. Supporting family members if very, very important. We build relationships as we spend time together.
52. Mom took time to do little "adventures" with me. We had fun together.
53. If Mom is still working - get up and help so we can all fun doing something together.
54. My mom lead by example. She didn't force me. She always followed the gospel, lived right and I saw all the blessings for myself.
55. Act, don't react.
56. She always told me, "Remember who you are and what you stand for."
57. Get along with others. Love one another and love the Gospel.
58. She loves the Gospel and talks to everyone about the Gospel. Great member missionary.
59. She doesn't want to "lose" a single person. She works hard for all.
One of my most touching interviews was with a missionary whose parents had divorced when he was young. After the divorce, he and his sister lived with his dad and his mom moved to another country, promising to communicate with them. She only told him she'd send an airline ticket to visit when graduating from high school. That was about all the communication they had.
Later his Dad remarried, and although his step-mom initially said she was excited to be their "mom", soon after the wedding she was not kind to them at all. Later she and his father had two more boys whom she was very loving toward. This was very hard for him and his sister.
When he graduated from high school no airline ticket ever came for him to visit. When he began to apply for colleges, he learned that his mom had remarried, had two more children and had never told her new husband she was divorced with two children. This missionary contacted his mom about the hoped-for visit, but she had never told her new husband about him and his sister and she couldn't risk telling him about them now - and "good-bye".
After college, this elder found the gospel, joined the church and got to know many, many happy Mormon families, which gave him hope!
He said Mother's Day had always been very painful for him. But he said he made the decision to look forward to the Mother's Days he would celebrate in the future, with his own wife. For several years now, to celebrate Mother's Day, he buys a Mother's Day card, writes a dedication to his future wife, puts the date on it and puts the card in a special box. He says he will someday give this box of cards to his future wife, and he now has joy and hope in celebrating Mother's Day!
It is truly through the principles of the Gospel that we find joy, peace, and hope! Aren't we blessed!
**********************************VIVA MEXICO*********************************
Fabric stores are big in our part of Mexico. Our mission includes some of the most humble parts of the City - and that is where you will find these big fabric stores. I believe families sew lots of curtains, home furnishings and clothes - especially bridal and quisenera dresses.
Sew! Mexico is a great place to Sew!
This is Martha, not Wandal. Fabulous post!!!! Saving it in case I ever have to give a talk on Mother's Day!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting me know...I was so touched by how much these elders and sisters love their Moms. I wish their Mothers could have been listening in secretly...they would have been so gratified to know how their children feel about them.
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