We Shall Not Be Moved

Late last night we got a text from Daniel telling us that he had just forwarded some very important information from the mission president. This is the second week in a row that we’ve gotten an unexpected message from him when it was not his P-day. And I could tell, even via text, that Daniel was kind of freaking out. Call it the mom vibe or the Spirit or both, but all was not well in Oregon. After reading the email, the reason for his heightened stress and anxiety became clear. The mission president and his wife have been directed to send a report to Salt Lake concerning all missionaries in their mission who have chronic health problems. With the threat of COVID-19 looming over everyone’s heads, the brethren are sending many at risk missionaries home. Because of his asthma, Daniel falls into that category. Kevin and I both communicated with him at length to try to help him calm down and as requested, I immediately sent an email to the mission president’s wife, giving her information about Daniel’s health. Let me tell you, even the written word can carry the Spirit, and it did just that as we communicated with Daniel last night. He was able to calm down and find a bit of peace.

This morning we got another email, this one directly from the mission president, and were informed that any missionaries under consideration for early release would be getting a phone call from the mission president’s wife. She did call and talk to me and she had clearly talked with Daniel before that. He had expressed his desire to stay in the field and serve. Kevin and I feel like his asthma is very mild and don’t feel that it necessitates and early release, but we also all know that these are not normal times and that whatever the Lord directs him to do will be for his good. The decision lies in the hands of the brethren as directed by the Lord. And we will all do what is asked of us.

Having said that, Daniel does not want to come home. He hits the six-month mark next week, so he is still very new in the field. He has a strong desire to be a missionary and has found the many restrictions that have come in the past few weeks very frustrating because it is so much harder to share the gospel. He has only been in one city. And he has so much more that he wants to offer and so much more work he wants to do. If he ends up being sent home, he will humbly obey and knows that the Lord will put him where he is needed, but there will be mountains of disappointment and discouragement. Daniel hasn’t said those things, but I know him well enough to know that it will be so. And knowing that makes it so hard as his mother to see circumstances spiraling out of our control. But I do know that while things may be out of our control, they are eternally under the Lord’s control.

I also know that there are many families and many faithful missionaries in the exact same situation. We, on a worldwide scale, are being tested and if we are all going to make it through, we need to pull together as a church, as a stake, as a ward, as a family, as brothers and sisters in the gospel as we all try to keep up with the frantically increasing pace of these last days.

“And in that day shall be heard of wars and rumors of wars, and the whole earth shall be in commotion, and men’s hearts shall fail them, and they shall say that Christ delayeth his coming until the end of the earth. . . But my disciples shall stand in holy places, and shall not be moved.” (D&C 45:26, 32)

Right now, those holy places are found in our homes and our hearts. Nathan’s posting of optimistic and uplifting messages is making a holy place on Instagram. The support, ministering and lifting of spirits the ladies in my ward are sending to one another is making a holy place in text messages. The gospel-based conversations I have had with my family as we weather this storm together create a holy place in our living room. The phone calls from neighbors offering encouragement and support create a holy place in my neighborhood. Our faithful, heartfelt pleas to the Lord in behalf of those we love allow holy places to blossom in our hearts. When we choose joy and hope rather than allowing fear and despair to flourish, we are inviting holy places into our lives. Although we are all physically separated from one another, we can create holy places wherever and whenever we choose to do so. We can all get through this if we choose to stand in holy places and not be moved.