An Elder's Shared Life Lessons

I implied in yesterday's post that I received some letters from my friends currently serving missions. One of the questions I always enjoy asking them is "What are a few of the lessons you've learned on your mission?" Because when they have the chance to respond, they give me these answers that are really inspiring. Today I want to share what one of the Elders wrote me about a few life lessons he's learned:

1. The Lord is preparing certain people to receive and accept the message of the Restoration. And often times, it's the people you least expect.
2. Whom the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies. If the Lord wants you to be a missionary, he will help you to be a missionary. If he wants you to be the prophet, he'll help you become the prophet.
3. Obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel will bring you lasting happiness. Satan tries to trick us, or beguile us to think that we are truly happy. But we're not. Only the Savior and His gospel can do that.

The reasons why I like to ask missionaries about the lessons they've learned is so that I, too, can learn those lessons. I want the missionaries serving to think about not just all the "success" or lack of they are having, but of all the lessons they are learning. I want them to think about the amazing opportunity they have to grow in the gospel and the lessons they have learned, so that they can begin to apply them immediately. I want to hear of what they have learned, so that I can also begin to apply them in my life.