Ensign liahona article

“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.

I don’t know exactly when the change occurred; it was a gradual process, and the change became evident only in retrospect. I still felt nervous and there were definitely times when I didn’t know what I was supposed to say to people, so I just started talking. As I got to know them a little, I noticed that our conversation was inevitably guided to a gospel topic that I knew they needed. The guidance I received from the Spirit was subtle. Most often, I only realized that my words had been guided in hindsight. I know that the Lord honors our trust when we put it in Him, and He will always help us to achieve His eternal purposes.

“Lift up your voices unto this people; speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and you shall not be confounded before men” (D&C 100:5).

Every time I contemplated talking to someone on the street or speaking up during a lesson, I was hit with an endless stream of doubts. What if they don’t understand me? What if I mess up? What if they ask me a question that I can’t answer? In Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord promises, “Lift up your voices unto this people; speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and you shall not be confounded before men” (D&C 100:5). In our day, Elder Neil L. Anderson has offered some similarly comforting advice. He addresses those who feel nervous or inadequate in their roles of sharing the gospel. He says that it’s natural to feel inadequate because we don’t know everything! But, he reminds us, “You don’t know everything, but you know enough!”

His words brought me a lot of comfort. I did feel inadequate, but I knew that even though I didn’t know everything, I knew enough. I knew that God was my Father and that He loved me and all His children. I knew that my older brother, the Savior Jesus Christ, had suffered and died for me. I missed my family but knew that we would be together forever. I knew that God the Father and Jesus Christ had appeared to the young Joseph Smith and that through Joseph Smith, the gospel of Jesus Christ had been restored.

I knew that the Lord had called me to serve in Italy and that I was doing His work.

There were many times when I was asked difficult questions that I didn’t have an immediate response to, but I never found myself at a loss for words. In those moments I was either able to testify of what I did know or the Spirit guided my words as I spoke, helping me to respond in the right way.

“Nevertheless, the Lord God showeth us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things” (Jacob 4:7).

Don’t be discouraged by your weaknesses; they will not keep you from doing the Lord’s work. I learned this in a very powerful way on my mission. Before I left and even during my first couple transfers, I felt like I would never be a fully effective missionary because I was shy. However, as soon as I saw the Lord’s promises fulfilled in the work and in my life, I knew that I could trust Him. Through His help, I was able to become a bold and courageous missionary. My shyness didn’t restrict me. In fact, it was because of my weakness that I knew without a doubt that the Lord was with me and that it was through His power that I was able to be a successful missionary.

“Nevertheless, ye are blessed, for the testimony which ye have borne is recorded in heaven for the angels to look upon; and they rejoice over you, and your sins are forgiven you” (D&C 62:3).

By sharing the gospel, not only are we blessing others, but the Lord promises us that we will also be blessed. We need the blessings that come from sharing the gospel. None of our efforts, however small or seemingly insignificant, go unnoticed. We are also promised that our sins will be forgiven as we share our testimonies.

I know that this is true because I have watched the blessings flow into my life as I shared my testimony of the restored gospel with others. I am a stronger, more confident person now because of the opportunities that I have had—both while I was on my mission and since I’ve been home—to share my beliefs with the people around me, and I know that my testimony is strengthened each time I share it.

“Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord and with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come” (D&C 68:6).

Finally, remember that you are never, never alone. The Lord stands with us. As we testify of Him and share the message of the restoration of His everlasting gospel, we have His promise that He will be at our side.

I felt His presence and His love as I served in Italy. His love and confidence changed me. I still felt nervous, but I was eager to talk with anyone and everyone that would listen. I had the opportunity to speak with people from all different backgrounds, and they taught me so much about the world, about the Lord, and about myself. The world needs the gospel, and whether we are called to share it as a missionary, a friend, or a neighbor, we will never be alone. We can have confidence knowing that the Lord will always fulfill His promises.