Update Talk on Ethan

 I gave an update on Ethan last Sunday in Sacrament Meeting.  Here is my talk:

I am grateful to be able to talk about one of my three favorite people today.

Ethan was called to the Colorado Fort Collins Mission. His mission includes the northern part of Colorado, a little bit of Nebraska, and part of Wyoming (over to Martin’s Cove). He has been out for 14 months. Ethan did Home MTC for all 3 weeks and entered the mission field without having his endowments, he doesn’t knock on doors and is wearing his church shoes from before his mission.  His mission isn’t what we are used to but it is his mission, he doesn’t know any different, and he was prepared to serve it. And there are perks to a unique mission - we got three extra weeks with him during Home MTC and we went last November to Fort Collins to go through the temple with him.

We talked to him on Tuesday and I asked him to tell me what he wanted me to let you know as far as an update on his life.  I didn’t want to just give you a list of where he has served or who he has served with.  We asked him a few questions to get his thoughts going.

First: How has your mission changed you?

Ethan said his mission has grown his testimony of the Gospel, Jesus Christ, and especially the Book of Mormon.  He has come to realize how important it is to read it daily.  When he was in Home MTC, he made a goal to read the entire Book of Mormon before he flew out.  I think he began doing this because there was nothing else he could do at night.  It only took him 2 ½ weeks but he completed his goal.  It was fun to see him during Home MTC, in his room reading his scriptures. 

Second: How will your mission contribute to your life?

Ethan shared that there is a statistic that 50% of returned missionaries go inactive.  He doesn’t want to be a statistic.  Missionaries teach that we can overcome trials that come in our lives, that the atonement covers the mistakes we make, and that we can return to Heavenly Father, but when they return home, Ethan said many aren’t applying those principles to their own lives.  Ethan said he has seen the peace the Gospel brings to his life and that it’s harder to get through life without it.  His mission has contributed to his life by teaching him that it is worth it.

Third: What is the role of humility in the life of a missionary?

Ethan shared that missionaries feel a lot of guilt because if they mess up in a lesson they are worried that someone isn’t going to accept the Gospel. That’s pride. They need to realize that they aren’t the ones who are converting people.  It’s the Spirit who teaches the people what they need to know.  If a missionary has pride, he/she feels like they have failed if they teach a bad lesson.  Missionaries have to have the Spirit.  They have to believe in the Lord’s will for them.  They have to keep looking on the spiritual side and humility helps them see the blessings they are experiencing even in tough times.

Fourth: Why is humility important for people investigating the church?

Ethan explained that missionaries extend invitations to people to help them see how the Gospel works in their lives.  Those people have to be humble to keep those commitments and realize what blessings they have received from their actions.  He said he would sum it up as: Action is part of faith and humility is key.  Again, if someone has too much pride, they aren’t going to make changes in their life.

We can see a change in Ethan each time we talk to him and especially as we have a year to look back on. Right now, he is in Casper Wyoming (he loves Wyoming, he has bounced back and forth from Colorado to Wyoming and has loved Wyoming the best).  He is in a trio with a greenie he is training and another elder who has been out one transfer.  He has a great district that is all elders so they play slaughter ball which is dodge ball in the Cultural Hall, in the dark, for p-day.  Last May, his mission president took all the missionaries in the mission to Martin’s Cove.  Ethan said it was one of the most impactful p-days he has ever had.  They didn’t pull handcarts. They silently hiked around the area, had a devotional, and took pictures.  He was grateful to have that experience.

I am so grateful for the experience of having a missionary.  Ethan’s service has blessed our family so much, most in little ways.  Our home was an MTC, we were able to see him grow and develop as a missionary during that time, our family has come closer to each other, and we were able to attend the temple with him when it wasn’t something to check off the missionary “to-do list” but something he was really striving to do because he had to wait. It’s fun to hear his experiences (although his letters are super short) and see his growth.