Ensign liahona article

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“Open Thy Mouth, and It Shall Be Filled” Hillary Olsen I remember how my heart pounded with excitement and anticipation on my first day as a missionary in Italy. I had left the MTC with a long list of goals and a clear vision of what I wanted to become on my mission. I had studied and worked hard to prepare myself for missionary service and couldn’t wait to get started. For months, I had envisioned what I would be like as a missionary, and my heart burned with a desire to serve the Lord and help my Italian brothers and sisters to feel the same joy and peace that I felt. With excitement, I accepted my first assignment: Sicily. One train, ferry, and car ride later, I arrived in my first area. My trainer and I became fast friends, and as soon as I had a chance to get situated in our apartment, we headed out the door. I tried to match her long and steady strides as we wove through the maze of empty cobblestone streets. Finally, I saw someone approaching. This is it, I thought to myself. I expected to feel a sudden surge of confidence and stroke of inspiration telling me what to say. Nothing came. I took a deep breath, preparing to say something, but then I was hit by a wave of fear and uncertainty. I didn’t know what to say, so I said nothing. The same thing happened with each person that we passed. I didn’t understand. I had a strong desire to share the gospel; I knew that my message was true and that it was the most important message I could possibly be sharing. Why didn’t it come more naturally? My first few months in the mission field were difficult and humbling. The Lord took that opportunity to teach me some very important principles that blessed me for the rest of my mission and have continued to bless me ever since. “Open thy mouth, and it shall be filled, and I will give thee utterance, for all flesh is in my hands” (Moses 6:32). The Lord extends this promise to us, but it can still be scary to share the gospel with others. I remember those lonely first weeks of my mission; I would step into the spare room in our apartment during personal study time and plead with the Lord to help me. I was so scared. I pled with Him to give me the courage to talk to people. I trusted His promise that my mouth would be filled, but I felt like I hadn’t experienced that yet. Each time we passed someone on the street, I’d think back to my prayer and wait for a feeling of confidence or reassurance. It never came. I didn’t understand why the Lord wasn’t answering my prayers. Sometimes the Lord wants to see a little gumption. It took me a long time to learn this lesson. We have to show our faith first, and then the Lord will bless us. He can’t guide our words until we are actually speaking. I was expecting to feel confident and have the right words before I had done my part.


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