The Real Test of Faith

           One valuable lesson that I wish I had learned before my mission is about faith.  About nine months into my mission, I found myself in probably the most challenging time of the whole two years.  My companion and I had transferred together into an area that did not have any current investigators.  He and I worked as hard as we knew how, but no matter what we did, we couldn’t seem to find anyone to teach.  This continued for weeks.  When our mission president came to visit I talked to him about our struggles and about the feelings of discouragement I had.  He then gave me this timeless counsel, “Faith is not always instantly rewarded.  Sometimes the real test of our faith is to be asked to keep going when we don’t see immediate results.”

            This advice was encouraging then, and helped me throughout my mission.  Later, while serving in another city, our mission was given a mandate from the general authorities to teach fifteen sit-down lessons with a prayer.  For most areas this required us to stretch our faith.  My companion and I went to work.  The last week of that transfer, we prayed that the Lord would provide a way for us to teach fifteen lessons.  We worked and prayed, and by the end of the week we taught fourteen. 

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I was confused.  I thought the Lord was bound to provide a way if he gave a commandment.  Then I remembered what my mission president had said.  I also considered Nephi and how when he tried to fulfill the commandment to get the plates, it didn’t work out for him on his first try.  The transfer ended, and I got a new companion.  I decided to try again, and that whole transfer we were blessed with fifteen lessons with a prayer every week. 

I’m grateful for my mission president who taught me that faith means to keep working even when you don’t see immediate results.  I know that if you will trust the Lord as you serve, even when things look discouraging, that everything will work out in the end.