In Over My Head

This post is third in my DASH series for #52Stories

Did you ever get yourself involve in something and find that you are completing over your head?

I have many times!  Sometimes though you can have the best learning experiences as you learn, grow and over come challenges. One example for me was when I served as an at home church service missionary experience with FamilySearch.  This mission would involve answering phone calls and e-mails from my home and help people with FamilySearch products.  At the time it was New FamilySearch, familysearch.org and Personal Ancestry File.  The opportunity came about at a time when I was trying to figure out what do with myself during one of life's transition times.  This was when my children five older children were all married and out of the home.  We only had Evan left.  My daughter-in-law, Sariah, had shared a flyer about serving this type of mission with me. It sounded interesting.  I always had a passion for family history and I had extra time on my hands.  And, there was training so that sounded easy!  So I decided to give it a try!  

Well, a few weeks into the extensive training I knew I was so over my head.  But, in retrospect that was a good thing.  I had to rely on another power!  That power was the Spirit!  Every month we had to send in a report of the hours we put in, usually 20 hours a week for me.  And, we also had to share a spiritual experience.   I recently, reread those reports and was touched again by the experience.  I notice that as I served longer (I served with FamilySearch Support for 2 1/2 years) my reports were longer too.  I want to share on with you.  

"March 2010  This week at our weekly group meeting when one of the Sister’s mentioned how her heart had been softened by serving this mission, I realized that mine had been also.  I used to have such a hard time sitting through missionary send offs and homecomings in Sacrament meeting. When Evan was the age to be going on a mission it was just a reminder to me that he was different and here was one more thing that he would not be able to participate in, like his non-disabled peers.   It felt like he was being left behind in the same way that he was left out of many of the Young Men activities.  I actually had bad feelings toward the YM and their leaders for not helping to include him more. Early on in my mission I decided that I would dedicate my service to Evan, kind like how we do proxy work for our ancestors.  I have recently realized that I no longer have those sad, and sometimes bitter feelings as I sit in Sacrament meeting and listen to those return missionaries share their experiences in helping to spread the gospel throughout the world.  My service has softened my heart, and I can feel the whisperings of Spirit and realize that Evan’s mission is that of a different kind.  And, that is just the way it is suppose to be. It is amazing how when we serve we can forget our own problems and concentrate on helping others.  I continue to be grateful for the wonderful opportunity to serve this mission."