Mike gave a FANTASTIC talk in church on July, 31st. It was about "Why it is important we serve"
Good afternoon brothers and sisters, I’m grateful to be here
today. My name is Michael Dean and my
wife is Emily. We
have been in the ward for just over 10 years and we have 4 children. Sadie, Will, Jake and Rachel, our oldest, is
currently serving in the Canada Calgary, Spanish speaking mission.
It’s interesting when you have a missionary out because it
brings a special spirit into your home.
But not only into your home but I would say into your whole life. Because I find myself thinking about Rachel
all the time. There is not a day that
goes by that I don’t think about her in one way or another. And usually the things I’m thinking about
are: is she safe, is she healthy, is she
hungry, is she being fed, is she getting along with her companion, is she
learning the language, is she driving carefully, is she finding people to
teach, is her testimony growing, is she homesick, does she miss me?
And thinking about her and her mission has made me reflect
on my mission and I’ve started comparing her experiences to my experiences and
wondering if they are similar. The same
headaches, heartaches, joys, happiness, adventures. And this in turn has made brought the
question to my mind, “Why do you serve?”
Why do we do it? Why do you put
ourselves in potential uncomfortable situations for 2 years and 18 months? So I’m going to answer that question and try
and do it in the simplest way I can think of.
But first I want to tell you little about my mission and the
experiences I went through during the first few days, or week. And this started on September 13, 1990. That was the day I received my mission call. I was at my house with my family and
friends. Everyone had written on the map
where they thought I would go and so I open my call. And this is my actual call right here and I
love that it’s been signed by a Prophet of God.
In 1990 that would have been, Ezra Taft Benson. Awesome.
Read call.
Whoa, that’s what I’m thinking, whoa, where is that?? So I run over to the map and immediately
start looking in South America.
Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Paraguay,
Uruguay, HUNGARY? Right. Well, my friend had just been called to the
Czeckoslovakia Prague mission and he was standing right next to me and I look
up and he’s kind of shaking his head and he says,
“Dude, you’re not going to South America.
And he moves my finger across the world to Eastern Europe, where Hungary
does in fact reside. Well, I’m pretty
sure they don’t speak Spanish there, so I keep reading my call. Hungarian, whoa, what is that? Where is that and what is that?
In case you didn’t know, the Hungary Budapest mission was
officially created in July 1990. I
entered the mtc in October of that same year.
And I would say that the Hungarian language program at that time in the
mtc maybe isn’t what it is today. Our
discussions were photo copied pieces of paper that had been stapled
together.
So I arrive in Hungary and I remember that first night
standing out on the balcony of the mission home. The mission home is in Buda, there’s buda and
there’s pest and they are separated by the danube. So I’m standing out on the balcony looking
over the hills of buda and having this overwhelming feeling of dread. And this wasn’t a dread like I wanted to go
home, because I really wanted to be there, it was more a feeling of – 2 YEARS! I am going to be here, in this country for 2
years! Next Christmas, which is a year
away, I’ll still have another year. I don’t speak the language, I don’t know
anybody and I’m going to be shipped off to some city tomorrow in the middle of
Hungary. And I’m going to be here for
two years!
So the next day the mission president takes me and two other
elders down to the train station and says to me, “Elder Dean, remember you are
going to Szombathely. Don’t get off the
train until you get Szombathely, the elders should be there waiting for
you.” Should be. They’ll be there right? Yes they’ll be
there.
So with each of these experiences my dread level is slowly
increasing. I’m going to say it’s now at
a 10. So were on this train and the
trains in Hungary tend stop every 10-15 minutes. Every little town you come to the train
stops and it’s not like they have the cute little voice that comes over the
intercom, ‘jo napot kivanok, a kovetkezo megallo Szombathelyen lesz.”
No, you had to know where you were or at least see the sign
and get off. So the other two elders
come to their cities and got off the train.
So I’m now alone. When I arrived
the mission had 28 missionaries, so I guess there weren’t enough to escort me
on the train that day. Now Szombathely
is one of the most western cities in Hungary.
It’s about 8 miles from Austria.
And I thought for sure, without a doubt I was going to end up in
Austria. Dread level 15. Well, I
finally make it, I see the sign and I get off and walk into the train station
and there are the elders. I think, yes, first
prayer answered.
So we get to the apartment and before I can even get my coat
off one of the missionaries says, “Elder Dean, we have an appointment scheduled
and you’re going to come and you’re going to teach the first discussion” uhhh no I’m not. I can’t do that. Dread
level 30. So we get to this little
old Hungarian lady’s apartment and she and the elder are talking back and forth
and I didn’t understand one word. Not a
single word. I’m thinking, “this is not
the language they taught us in the MTC.”
Suddenly there’s a lull in the conversation and Elder Sellers turns to
me and says, “Elder Dean, go ahead and teach the first discussion.
He finally realizes that I really can’t speak and lets me
off the hook. Two days later it’s
Saturday and my companion says, “Elder Dean, tomorrow is Sunday and since
you’re new you’re going to give a talk” What? Why do we put ourselves in these uncomfortable situations? It makes me think of a hymn and primary song...
Because I have been given much I too must give
Because of thy great bounty lord each day I live
I shall divide my gifts from thee, with every brother that I
see
Who has the need of help from me.
“We have been born as Nephi of old, to goodly parents who
love the Lord. We have been taught and
we understand that we must do as the Lord commands. We are as the army of Helaman, we have been
taught in our youth, that we will be the lords missionaries to bring the world
his truth”....
MIKE NEEDS TO FINISH WRITING THIS BEFORE I PRINT IT INTO MY BOOK :)
