Monday, August 8, 2011

The Joys of Moving





So I've been packing up a bunch of my stuff in preparation for moving in a couple weeks and I've found some great stuff!

Here are my missionary name tags. So many good memories associated with these babies!


Here's one of those memories:
I was at my last zone conference of my mission and feeling really, really sad about my mission drawing to a close. My mission president (President Johnson) had spoken about how there are a lot of really good people on missions, but very few really good missionaries. It was a great talk that left us all wanting to be better and work harder.

Now, President Johnson was not a man of many words. One of those people that when they speak everyone listens because it's gonna be good. He never let me down. After the zone conference as people were milling about and getting ready to catch their buses back to their respective cities, I got a chance to speak with President Johnson.

As we were talking, President Johnson looked me straight in the eye and said, "Elder Walker, I said there are very few really good missionaries, but you are one of the few because you served the second name on your tag, not the first. Thank you."

No one has given me a better compliment before or since. I knew President Johnson didn't say things just to say them. President Johnson had seen me at my best and at my worst, and his sincere comment meant the world to me. I had given everything I had to serving the Master, and President Johnson was my angel that day.

The hours and hours of tracting, the street contacting in the freezing winters, the countless prayers on worn-out knees, and the pleading for help when I didn't think I could do another day all fell into place perfectly. It was all worth it. I loved the Master and had served Him with everything I had, and one of His servants validated my efforts that day. I'll never forget it. Like I said, so many good memories come to mind when I see these tags!