After to talking to Michelle last night, she said I should post more of my brother's letters. I month or two ago, I taught a lesson on the responsibilities of a missionary. I e-mailed my brother Max and this was his reply. I was blown away.
Rach,
Thank you so much for your letter... I love hearing that my experiences here are affecting lives all the way over there in the states. Gives me a sense of how broad the scope of this work is.. as for your lesson, here's what I would say:
The best way to understand the responsibilities and sacred calling of a missionary is from the scriptures. Missionaries from the Bible and especially the Book of Mormon show exactly what missionary work is. We're all familiar with the scripture/saying "God is Love." From my experiences over the past months, i can say that "missionary work is love." The number one responsibility and fuel of missionary service is love. From that stems everything else. If you love the people you serve and the Savior, then all the commandments, teachings and ordinances make perfect sense. If you love someone, you want them to be happy. A person is only happy when he live correctly and is free from sins - and that is only possible through repentance and baptism. If you "love" someone, but not enough to speak with them about the gospel or bear your testimony, then your sense of love has been warped. No brother's keeper could watch someone he loves "droop in sin." That's what a missionary does... he is given the mantle of the Lord, which includes personal revelation, and revelation for his flock. He uses that, along with other gifts of the Spirit, to introduce the restored gospel to his brothers and sisters.
hope that helps... love you all, and tell zoey HAPPY BIRTHDAY from uncle max
Elder Eddington
(This is Max before he left A YEAR AGO!! I can't believe it has been a year already. He is now in Riga, Latvia.)
3 thoughts:
Hey! My brother just got called to the Baltic Mission. I'll have to talk to you about it!
That is a beautiful letter! I love getting letters like that from my brother who's on his mission in Chicago. They are the ones that just make silent tears creep down your face because you can feel the love that they have for the work that they are doing, and you are just so proud to see the spirital growth that they have experienced. Its such a wonderful feeling.
Thanks for sharing. I love missionary letters.
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