The Blessings of Serving a Senior Mission?
By Marion Parkins
Should a Senior couple go on a mission? The answer: YES!
One is told about the blessings received. It is true and they are so many and so beautiful.
I know that leaving a home unoccupied while on a mission, not having enough money, the thought of proselyting (going door to door) are the main worries that keep some seniors from serving missions. Leaving the children and grandchildren are other worries. The Lord does truly provide.
When we were on our mission in McAllen, Texas disaster struck our home. A flood filled the basement and there was a lot of damage to fix. The Lord sent his angels (the Ward) to clean and repair. They went beyond the call of duty and painted, redid walls, shingling and fixed things.
The angels in the Stake provided financial aid also. We spent our mission with no worries other than going out to serve the Lord and his people.
The blessings were so many. The people we met filled our hearts overflowing with love. It is awful to think we could have missed this great opportunity if we had worried about the wrong things. We would have missed meeting all these people who have enriched our lives in so many ways.
You learn you can overcome all obstacles. A senior sister told us her story of faith. She started out on her mission in a wheelchair. She had a kind and loving sister for a companion. The sister helped her in so many ways. After being out for a while the wheel chair bound sister knew she could not go up and down stairs the way she had been doing. She would sit down and climb the stairs on her rear end. She said she got down on her knees which was very difficult and said, “Lord, this is not working out. We have to do better.” The next day she got a walker and went back to serving the Lord and his people.
Again, she found out this was difficult and her rear end was in trouble. So again, on her knees and she said, “Sorry, Lord, but this is not working either.” So the next day she tried two canes.
A little better but she still could get up the stairs. One or two steps she could manage, but more than that it was back to the rear end. So again to the Lord she went.
Down on her knees she said, “Lord, we really have to do better.” So the next day she threw away the canes.
When we met her, she was walking slowly and had to put her hand out sometimes for support, but she walked along with the Lord’s help. She told us she may lose the ability to walk with physical support when she finished her mission, but she said, “I will finish my mission and proud to serve the Lord and his people.” Think of that possibility of having missed meeting this wonderful sister and hearing how faith can move mountains.
We met so many interesting people who wanted to know Jesus but for their reason did not follow through to Him.
Minnie was a dear soul, the kind who would give you her dress. She was a devout Catholic. When we met her, she was serving the Lord by feeding people, giving them rides to places they needed to go and clothing them. She was always getting into trouble with her husband and sometimes the law. She would meet illegal immigrants and feed them. Her husband would come home and never know who would be in his kitchen eating, in his shower, or wearing his clothes.
After knowing Minnie we told her she would make a good Mormon. Her mother was Mormon and always wanted Minnie to go to the church. She could not give up the choir or helping the priest, or driving people to church. She had a heart of pure gold.
We gained knowledge and experience in dealing with people, traveled across the country, saw and did things we would never have done in our lifetime. We found kindness and love everywhere. God’s people are truly wonderful.
We will always how we blessed lives by serving. What a wonderful feeling it is to know that you really can change things.
The Missionaries Knocked on the Wrong Door:
The Conversion Story of Bob and Marion Parkins
e were at the point where we had given up on churches.
1.(a)One church we went to, the minister asked if he could visit us and the date he picked we were busy so we never heard from him again.
1(b) Another church we went to, we went three times and then the congregation split due to some wanting to keep the traditional hymns and the other half wanting to sing modern songs, so we left that church.
1(c) We tried the church who wanted modern songs, and the singing was great, but the congregation was only interested in praying for themselves, the teaching was all about their problems. If you asked to pray for someone outside the church, it was a calamity.
We had attended other churches but were disappointed with them for various reasons. Was there a true church…apparently not. We came to the conclusion that these churches were not the true church only what someone felt they should be. They were not set up right to handle what was needed by the congregation.
Our small town never had its own set of missionaries until early in 2002. We had seen these Missionaries walked around small town and said hi to everyone.
When the missionaries showed up at our door one Saturday, we were not too responsive. Besides, they were looking for a neighbor.
They asked if they could return. Bob agreed to it thinking we could just go away or they would forget. We then forgot about them and when they did show up, we were very surprised. Since then we have learned that missionaries never forget an appointment.
They spoke to Bob but I wanted him to come to the truth on his own. I didn’t want him to do it for me. I listened to the discussions in the other room – not wanting to pressure Bob either way. We have always done things together and sometimes we did things just because the other person want to.
Bob wanted to go to church. He had always been reluctant to go to any church before because he said he never learned anything (hearing problem) He was never into book learning.
The Word of Wisdom didn't bother us at all. We felt that because our health was concerned, we should do it.
The Law of Tithing was different. We weren't even squeaking by with what we had, and so felt we really couldn't afford the tithe. But we committed ourselves to this church because we were impressed to do so and so we paid the tithing. We have never been sorry that we started out right, and have truly been blessed. You know, we notice the big blessings (the extra money that comes from somewhere) the friends who help.
We never notice all the small blessings that come also. I have better friends now. I enjoy the talks that help me. The help the friends have given us, that is uncountable. But the little blessings - that we don't notice too much. I was in Lethbridge with a friend who had just had an operation and had to go to the hospital for a small procedure and then downtown to make an appointment at a clinic. The first time I went to the hospital, I dropped her off at the entrance and as I came around, a parking spot opened up. So she did not have to walk far after her operation. I didn't pay any attention to this time. Two days later, we went to the hospital, the same thing happened, dropped her off at the entrance, came around and a spot opened. Then we drove downtown to the clinic, and I let her off at the drop off spot, drove down the street and immediately there was someone backing out of the spot. When we came out and she saw the spot where I had parked, she stopped and said, "how do you do that? I can never get a spot that close" That was when I realized about all the small blessings we take for granted.
We were a little nervous about coming to church. It was more or less like anything that you do for the first time. Brother Parkins knew one person that was in the church, but was not really sure he would even be there. We had not been to the church before. But when we got there, the elders came right out and then Brother Smith whom Brother Parkins knew. Then several others greeted us including our doctor.
The first day we came to church Bob felt something different. During Sunday School we went to a hastily arranged Gospels Principles class. During class on that first day Bob said “I feel like I am home.”
Bob had a pony tail. Every time someone asked him when he was going to cut the pony tail he added a month to the length of the pony tail. As the time for baptism approached, Bob chose to cut his pony tail – not because he had to but because he felt it would help him fit in better.
The missionaries asked us separately if we wanted to be baptized and we both said yes. We went to church and were surprised by the number of people we knew. They took us in and we have never regretted it.
I think a lot of people need this church. This was like coming home after being away.
We have indeed been blessed with joining the church. We are much happier and healthier and really enjoy life. We feel that the blessings of the temple are worth joining for that alone, without all the other blessings we have received. The blessings of our mission in Texas have been so many and are still continuing with friendships made there. The blessings are endless.
Editor’s Note:
The day of the Parkins baptism – they did a critical thing. Marian asked me where the tithing slips were. She took one. When the missionaries taught them the concept of tithing, Bob laughed in their face. “We don’t have enough money to get by now – and we are going to give up 10% more?” Five years later Bob bears the strongest testimony of tithing. First, they tested the principle from day #1. Second after testing the principle they have found that they have been blessed.
