BE YOURSELF



The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Europe Area Office
Frankfurt am Main
Germany
December 22, 2014
A friend and former colleague (Jennifer - you know who you are)

I got to the office.  I was sick,  I was exhausted.  I had no idea what I would be doing for the next 22 months.  I was frightened (yes, really).  I was handed an envelope addressed to ME!  Was this a mistake?

No.  Jennifer had sent a card to the address I had given her - it went to Salt Lake City, then into the Frankfurt Germany mailbag, and then to my office - and the timing could not have been more perfect. 

How true the words are - and particularly meaningful to me as I was in a new country with all new people with whom I have no history - more than ever it was important for me to be myself . . .

I share this today as I think about the work I am doing here in Germany.  Many young members of my church (typically aged 18 - 22) are serving as proselyting missionaries throughout the world.  The missions I advise are in the United Kingdom and Scandinavia.  I do my work over the phone or via Skype.  Young people are referred to me by their mission presidents (I work with nine mission presidents) because they are having a difficult time for some reason.  Some of the most common issues are adjustment issues including homesickness, dealing with stress of a new completely different lifestyle, sometimes a new language, different food, different cultural norms, etc. etc.  It's tough (I know - I'm sort of doing it too and I'm much, much older than they are).  And of course there are some with more challenging issues:  perfectionism, depression, anxiety.

Anyhow, I often talk with the missionary for 45 minutes or so and then send them a follow-up e-mail.  The first e-mail I send almost always includes this picture (thanks again Jennifer) and the following video clip (many of you may have seen the video since I used it for girls' camp last year).

and I say to each "I know that you are a child of God.  He knows you - your good qualities AND your bad qualities.  And He loves you.  He wants you to be yourself.   He doesn't want you to try and be something that you are not.  But He wants you to develop and grow and become the best person that YOU can be.  That is different for every person.  Aren't you glad God created you and knows you?  so that you don't have to try and be someone else?" 

As I send this message, I try to let it reach inside of me and remind me that it doesn't matter where a person is 20 or 64 the message is still the same.

So Jennifer, thanks for the card and the important message.  The words have become a daily reminder that I can be myself and that is good enough!