Officially A Missionary

I am officially Sister Hill. Tonight I got set apart by President Richard Nixon at his home. What a wonderful experience. He took me aside from my parents into a separate room and asked me “What is the key to a successful mission?” I replied, “Obedience and listening to the promptings of the Spirit.” He said those are very important, but the key to a successful mission is “discipleship”.

What does it mean to be a disciple? Part of being a disciple is to love.  President Nixon testified to me how love is the number one thing that can overcome any emotion, like anger or grief. It’s so true. Loving others is a quick way to soften a heart. He further counseled me on how I need to seek to emulate the characteristics of Christ: love, charity, etc. To see people as Christ sees them. He told me when I come home from my mission I will see the world differently, people differently. It will be like going from “black & white to HD definition”. 

I found a fabulous quote from the History of the Church by Joseph Smith when I was researching things said about discipleship. He says, “A man filled with the love of God, is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race” (History of the Church, 5: 227). As a missionary it is my goal to be Christ-like. To love unconditionally, to serve as Christ did in the New Testament and to teach all I meet about the love God and the Savior has for them. Love truly does change hearts.

President Nixon further counseled me to love my companions. He said, “The only thing you’ll in common with some, is that you both weren’t astronauts”. He also told me to love my Mission President, that I need to love him and adhere to his counsel.

We then went and rejoined my parents so that I could be set apart as a missionary. He laid his hands upon my head and set me apart. He then gave me a wonderful blessing about how obedience will bring protection and how there are people in Korea waiting to be taught, who I will have the opportunity to share the gospel with them.

Right as the Mission President was ending the blessing the Rocky Movie Theme Song started playing from someone’s phone. It was great timing, like a huge triumph to now be a missionary.