**This is Elder Higgins Mom, every few months our bishop asks parents of missionaries serving from our ward to speak in sacrament meeting, it was my turn to share experiences from Elder Higgins, here's my remarks:
"When Jordan left on his mission I knew there would
come a day when I might have the opportunity to speak about his mission in
church, I have actually thought about what I would say. Coincidentally it comes on a day when I am
also teaching Gospel Doctrine class on what else? Missionary work….
Three of the greatest days of my life were the days
my children Justin, Jennifer and Jordan were born! I am so thankful to Heavenly Father for the
opportunity to be a mother. Another
great day in my life was when I became a missionary mom!
Many of you know I like to scrapbook, Jordan
mentioned this in his farewell talk….I bought this piece of scrapbook paper
years ago, probably at least 10 years ago, I knew I would have the opportunity
to use it someday, it says Missionary Mom can’t wait till they get called!
Can’t stand to let them go! Can’t stop talking about them! Can’t stop worrying
about them! Can’t wait till they get
home! Pretty much says it all. I am thankful for this brief opportunity
Jordan has given me to be a missionary mom.
One of Jordan’s best decisions to prepare for a
mission was his choice of good friends.
In his farewell talk he said:
“My friends also deserve my gratitude. You hear it
said about marriage a lot, you know, they say, “Marry a person who encourages
you to be the best possible you, you can be.” Well, it applies to friendship
too, and my friends make me laugh, and they make me smile, and they’ve always
encouraged me to be the best possible me, I can be. I owe them so much.” Many of his good friends are serving in
the mission field right now. I am
thankful for them and their influence on my son. I would encourage all of you YM and YW to
make good friends……..
Jordan has been out for 6 months, now. On May 9, 2012 he received his call, it says in part, “You
are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. You are assigned to labor in the
California Riverside Mission….you will prepare to preach the gospel in the
Spanish language. You have been
recommended as one worthy to represent the Lord as a minister of the restored
gospel…..As you devote your time and attention to serving the Lord, leaving
behind all other personal affairs, the Lord will bless you with increased
knowledge and testimony of the restoration and of the truths of the
gospel”
I have seen this come to pass in his service so far,
I have been amazed at the opportunities for personal spiritual growth that come
to a young man or young woman as they serve a mission. As he was preparing his farewell talk
entitled “Converted to His Gospel through His Church” he voiced to me concerns of feeling
inadequate in some areas of the gospel, obviously he had a testimony of the
church or he would not have made the choice to serve a mission. I told him that we spend our lives becoming
converted to different aspects of the gospel….so far on his mission he has read
the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, Jesus the Christ, and is
currently reading Preach My Gospel and working through all the study
opportunities there. In his very first
letter from the MTC he said “I enjoy studying so much, a lot more than I
thought I would originally. You can
really lose yourself in the gospel here, which is what makes missionaries
effective.” He loved the MTC he shared
this “I really do love it here, my companion is great! And the spirit here is
tremendous, it’s like a constant buzzing it’s amazing!”
He was in the MTC for general conference when the
announcement was made by president Monson lowering the mission age, he said
“the MTC went completely nuts when president Monson made the missionary
announcement and for the rest of the day everybody could not stop talking about
it, some of the sisters were kind of mad seeing as they could have left and
been home already, ha ha! He shared some
words from Elder Bednar who came to speak, “he said there was only one reason
for the change in age, the Lord will hasten his work when his work needs to be
hastened”
He has become converted to the temple, during his
nine weeks at the MTC he was able to attend the temple weekly in one of his
letters he said “I just got back from the temple. I love it there. It’s one of the things I look forward to most
each week.” He has some really special
spiritual confirmations in the temple.
He currently has the opportunity to go to the Redlands, CA temple every
three months.
“This is the Lord’s mission not mine. The more I accept that the greater I feel as
a missionary” He shared the miracle of
learning the Spanish language…..
He spent thanksgiving in the MTC and Elder Holland
and his family came and did a devotional, and adopted the missionaries for the
day into his family, Jordan shared with us that he is thankful for Family…he
goes on….”I’m thankful for this Gospel and the opportunity to be a
missionary. I’m grateful for prophets
and specifically Joseph Smith and the amazing things he did as the Lord’s
servant. I’m thankful for Jesus Christ and
his love and sacrifice. I’ve come to
know him in the MTC so much better and I love Him! So you guys can see why I had an awesome
thanksgiving!
His first week in Riverside, CA he writes…”We taught this really cool guy
named Carlos, and the lesson was in Spanish so I don’t know too much of what
went on but he asked how the dinosaurs fit into the gospel. It was kind of funny to me because my last
week in the MTC our district had a debate about this same topic. We never really settled the debate. We just ended it, after it got kind of ridiculous,
by saying it doesn’t matter none of our investigators are going to ask a
question like that. Wrong! Carlos was cool though I’m excited to see him
again.
Jordan shared an experience on being obedient. “We had kind of a cool experience last
night. We had just got done watching the
Christmas Devotional and it was around 8:30, which is kind of an awkward
time. We didn’t’ want to go knock on
doors, but it wasn’t time to go in yet.
We are not supposed to go back home until 9:00 unless we are in a lesson
and we can stay out until 9:30. We were
faced with a choice to make. We could go
in early, which would mean disobedience to some degree, or find something to
do. So we ended up pulling into a
parking lot and just talked to people there.
I ended up setting up an appointment with a girl named Vikki, who said
she was looking for a church and was interested in hearing more, which was cool,
but that wasn’t the cool experience I’m talking about. My companion was called over by someone in a
van while I was handing out cards and talking to people. He talked for quite some time before I joined
the conversation, but apparently this man was a former member of our
church. He had joined back when he lived
in Ghana after being taught by some missionaries there. He has been inactive for a while now, at
least since he moved to California 9 years ago.
He said he has been super depressed lately, and feels like something is
missing. He called my companion over
because he recognized us, the white shirts and ties, from the missionaries that
taught him in Africa. We talked with
him, and asked if he needed anything. He
wanted us to pray with him and he wanted to see the missionaries, we will refer
him to the English speaking Elders.
After we prayed he said he felt hope and he felt calm. I’m just glad we didn’t go back early!
Elder Higgins has learned that lots of people in
California have pit bulldogs, he’s learned that there are many people that want
to bible bash and how he should and should not handle these situations. He has learned about other religions and
their beliefs, which has strengthened his testimony. He was excited to know that his mission
president allows the elders to have musical instruments and share their
talents, so he wrote home before Christmas about his experience in a pawn/music
store on P-day and how he came to own a “sweet acoustical guitar” he named Ramona. Many of you know Jordan played in a band and
I knew he would miss playing his guitar.
I have been able to send him hymns to learn to play. He is learning about the Spanish people and their
culture. He is learning about real life
experiences such as having broken pipes in his apartment and no water for two
days and an infestation of ants because someone left a donut out…..he has
learned how it feels to have doors slammed in your face and keep on going………….
He finished his 12 week training in Riverside and was
transferred and is now serving in Murrieta, CA where there is a small Spanish
branch. They live in the home of some
members there. I am sure you may have
heard the announcement in Feb of 58 new missions in one of Elder Higgins most
recent letters he wrote “there is going to be a Redlands mission now, that
means our boundaries are going to change, we are losing Redlands, Palm Desert,
Yucaipa and Yucca Valley to the Redlands mission and Murrieta where is serving
now will be going into the Carlsbad, CA mission. The change will happen in July and if you are
a missionary in one of these areas you will just transfer to the other mission. Pretty crazy right?
Jordan’s Mission scripture he chose 2 Nephi 31:20
“Wherefore, ye must press forward with steadfastness in Christ, having a
perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting
upon the word of Christ and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father;
Ye shall have eternal life.”
In conclusion:
he writes: I heard a talk back in
the MTC by Elder Holland, and he said we need to let the mission change us, not
just pass through us. I want to do that
and so far I think I have…..I know that when I go up to someone and say, “Hey
I’m a representative of the Jesus Christ”
I want them to recognize me as one, so they want to hear the message I
can share and to do that I have to let the mission change me, I’ve got to keep
bettering myself, you know an endure to the end type of thing….he goes on….The
message we share of the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the most
unique and marvelous message anyone could hear, and it’s either true or it’s
not. And it’s my testimony, something I
can say, as a 19 year old boy, who doesn’t know much of anything, that it’s
true. I would have thrown in the towel
and come home a while ago if I didn’t know. And it all boils down to a prayer I
said about a book and an answer I can’t deny, and can only explain as a
manifestation of the Holy Ghost."
How thankful and blessed I am to have the privilege
to be missionary mom, I add my testimony to that of Elder Higgins…………
