I have finally given in and started a blog! Gooooooosh, I'm so hipster. But seriously, I am a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! I am currently serving in the Utah Provo Mission and have been out for 9 months.
In the nine months that I have been a full-time missionary, I have changed immensely. Perhaps I should back up a little bit. Let me take you back to senior year of high school, 2010. I met a young man whom I had gotten very close to and eventually started to date. I had heard many rumors around the school that he was Mormon, eventually leading to my friends questioning me about my new boyfriend. "I have no idea!", I said. I was suggested to that he probably has multiple girlfriends, seeing as he is Mormon... and that he probably belongs to a cult. I eventually got curious enough that I asked him about these things. He laughed and smiled and asked the question that forever changed my life, "Would you like to meet with the elders?". Elders? You mean big, old, men with beards and glasses? Well, I guess. That night, to my surprise, I did not encounter what I thought would be elderly men, but 2 young men, dressed up in shirts and ties, approached the door. We met and they asked me different questions about my current church and how I felt about it.
Let's back up even a little further (stay with me!). I was raised in the Catholic church and attended Catholic school. My father is a Methodist man and I would rotate between going to church with him and my mother (the Catholic). I never questioned what I believed, nor did I ask questions. I knew that God was. I knew that He was powerful. I didn't know much else. After my mother left the Catholic church and joined in with the Presbyterian church, I decided to go on my own spiritual adventure. I decided to attend an Assemblies of God church with my friends, which I fell in love with quickly. This is where I was when I met the missionaries.
Okay, back to the story! I answered the questions the elders asked with honesty and sincerity. The elders told me something amazingly significant but greatly simple. They told me, that night, that I could have a personal relationship with my Heavenly Father. They told me that He loved me, and had a tremendous plan for me. They told me how I could have that relationship and what that relationship meant for me. GOLD! I had never had that before. I had never known that I could interact with my Heavenly Father like I would with my earthly father. What an amazing thing to come to learn! We ended that session with a commitment (of course, there's always homework!). One of the elders reached into his bag and he pulled out the Book of Mormon. He bore his testimony about the power of the Book of Mormon and he extended it out to me. He told me he wanted me to keep the copy he had. In my nonmember mind I thought, "WOAH! He's giving me his PERSONAL copy! He means business.". He was not giving me his personal copy, of course, but, I graciously took the Book and that night my boyfriend and I started to read it. I didn't understand much and I didn't feel much at all except that it felt and looked like scripture.
Upon our next visit, my boyfriend and I were encouraged to visit Palmyra, NY. Only living an hour and a half away from these sites, we decided to make a day trip out of it. What was I getting into?! These sites were amazing! I stood in the space where Moroni visited Joseph Smith. I stood in the frame home that is over 80% original, and finally, I stood in the Sacred Grove where Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ visited Joseph Smith. The first vision played in my mind, "I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. When the light rested upon me I saw two personages whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name, and said, pointing to the other, 'This is my Beloved Son, hear Him.'" I thought to myself for a second. I remembered the verse that was presented to me, by the missionaries, as we spoke about Joseph Smith in James chapter 1 verse 5, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him". If Heavenly Father could speak to Joseph Smith, telling Him to restore the Gospel on the earth then He could speak to me too. I sat down on a bench and offered a prayer. That day, in the Sacred Grove, I learned that the church was indeed true. I learned that Joseph Smith was a prophet and he restored this church. I knew this the gospel was restored to the earth and that I was part of the plan. I knew this was right.
The next day, as my boyfriend and I were driving, breaking silence I said, "I think I want to be baptized". Catching my boyfriend totally off guard he asked me millions of questions about the statement I had just made. I was calm, I was at peace, and most of all, I was confident that this was where I needed to be!
On August 1, 2010, I was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I cannot say that I haven't had trials since joining and my life didn't magically get easier but I am completely grateful for all that I go through. I know that the trials that I experience help me to grow and learn. I know that my Heavenly Father lives and that He loves all of His children!
I am so completely grateful to be serving a mission for my Heavenly Father. I want others to have the happiness that I have and I want them to feel it through the Gospel. I want to be obedient to the Lord and to do His will always. I am a proud member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! This is where my joy is and this is where my heart is!
~Sister Maren Schultz
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