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Sam Nelson is a newly returned missionary from Chile and will be studying economics at BYU in the fall. He is also part of the "5000 Days Project," was featured in a youth mormon message and is the subject of a BYUB feature film that will be released this September. You can read Sam's first guest post here.
I remember when I was first filling out my papers to go and serve my LDS mission. I had always wanted to go and always planned on going, but for some reason, I just had the sickest feeling about it. Was it because I wasn’t ready? No … I was ready. Was I unworthy? No … I was fine with everything. Was this the spirit telling me that it wasn’t time for me to go? Was it the spirit telling me I was supposed to wait to put my papers later? was I meant to go to another mission? I didn’t know.
When push came to shove, my bishop told me I should go at that time and I did. I received a call to Concepcion, Chile and right away I was sent to my Aunt White’s old sector (where she'd served ten years earlier) where I helped her converts and also worked with them to bring many other people to the restored gospel. I was exactly where I was supposed to be, exactly when I needed to be there.
Just a few months ago - while on my mission - I had a similar experience, I decided to take a risk, and take it upon myself to go open a new area called “Puente Ñuble.” Everything about the idea made perfect sense and - initially - I felt good about it. It was not in any way against any mission rule, but it was different. Leaving a designated sector was never done before, but it seemed like the right thing to do in the given situation.
That night I had the sickest, worst feeling about it. Thoughts came … “How stupid would you look if this didn’t work!? Why are you taking it upon yourself to do something that has never been done before? Who do you think you are? Why don’t you just do what you are supposed to do?” The next morning I woke up and told my companion that I wasn’t doing it. I told him that it was a silly idea, and totally irrational … “I just had the worst feeling about it.” I said. But after some time, and a lot of talking, the other elders that lived with me convinced me to do it, and I did. I’ll spare you the details, but suffice it to say, those last three months were the most successful and fulfilling of my entire mission. In fact, if the 21 months before that were nothing more that a preparation for my time in “Puente Ñuble.” I would still consider my mission the most productive two years of my life.
, "keep the snake in the cage" and you'll rectify more than half the problems marriages face.
