Nora Soh Returns From Her Mission (Sept 2014 – March 2016)

I think God is happy and more willing to pour out miracles when we pray for it for someone else’s benefit.

I was called to serve in the Adelaide, Australia Mission. I could honestly write whole novels about all that I’ve learnt and experienced while serving my God, my fellow missionaries and the sweet people of Australia. 

The first thing we teach every investigator is the most important eternal truth - that God is our loving Heavenly Father.

On the mission, I received witness after witness of how God and Jesus Christ are so much bigger than all our problems and have the power to help us overcome them. Not just my problems but everyone’s problems! It’s because God and Jesus Christ love us so much that they give us that second chance; that power to keep going and to rise above the trials around us and keep trying.

I have a true testimony that a mission is the best time of your life because it is, in many instances, our Sacred Grove - when we truly learn for ourselves that God the Father is right there beside us and we are not alone. But before we can learn that, we must go through the Garden of Gethsemane. There must be opposition in all things. 

There were times on my mission when remembering that truth - that I have a loving Heavenly Father who cares about me and wants my eternal happiness - strengthened and inspired me. One of my favourite quotes is by Bruce R. McConkie when he was President of the Australian Mission: “I am called of God. My authority is above that of the kings of the earth. By revelation, He has selected me to be a personal representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is my master, and He has chosen me to represent Him - to stand in His place, to say and do what He Himself would say and do if He personally were ministering to the very people to whom He has sent me. My voice is His voice, and my acts are His acts. My doctrine is His doctrine. My commission is to do what He wants done. To say and do what He wants said, to be a living modern witness in word and in deed of the divinity of His great and marvellous latter day work. How great is my calling!”

Such an empowering statement of truth! Truly, the perfect love of God casteth out all fear. I know that He loves me and has chosen me, so how could I ever be afraid of anything and anyone? There’s a reason why they say the most important word in the dictionary is the word “remember”. Because there is so much power in remembering who we are, and whose we are. Remembering how powerful and mighty our Father in Heaven is, and how much He loves us. Remembering that because of Jesus Christ, we can always have that Spirit to guide us; knowing we are not alone. As we walk in faith holding on to that simple notion that it could be true, that we have a loving Heavenly Father above, we come to know the power behind that truth. For me, I began to see the evidence of how real this statement wass just before my mission and then during my mission, and I know as I keep progressing, I will grow in the surety that it is true. Indeed, it is a lesson for our lifetime. 

Another lesson I have come to learn is that because God loves us, He will always answer our prayers. Always. If we ask in faith, believing that we will receive, we will always get an answer. (It might not be a yes though!) My companions and I experienced countless miracles from all the said and unsaid prayers that we had each day. Stories where you’re praying to find someone, or for an investigator to come to church or for hearts to be softened enough for that seed of faith to grow, they are so true and they are real. 

One beautiful experience that I love happened when my companion and I were having a really hard time getting along. She had been struggling with many deep issues for a while and it came to a point when she didn’t want to do anything anymore. I never prayed so much for another person till I was with that companion. It was partly selfish I think, because I wanted to get out to work and I knew we had to do it together. There was no other way. One day, we finally got out of the house and we went tracting. I was pumped to be working. We said a prayer to know where to go and that we would find new investigators. Inside, I prayed extra hard that we would have huge miracles so that my companion could be motivated and optimistic. God knew she needed it to keep going. 

We got to work! And we met many lovely people. About midway down the street, we knocked on the door of a man called Ian. He had never met Mormons before and had actually been thinking a lot about the meaning of life. He asked us what we thought happened to us after we died and we told him about how families can be together forever. My companion was such a star because she shared her experience of her mum passing away and the Spirit was so strong! It hit the spot because Ian had actually just got back from England where he attended the funeral of his mother. We met up with and taught Ian many more times and always had powerful spiritual moments with him. My companion was so happy, and she loved it every time we got to teach him. It gave her that drive again. I think God is happy and more willing to pour out miracles when we pray for it for someone else’s benefit.

I love my mission so much. It was perfect for me in so many ways. Heavenly Father knew what He was doing when He called me to serve in Australia. I have a true testimony of His church, His gospel, and His chosen leaders. May we all keep holding on to that simple truth that God is our loving Heavenly Father and press forward in faith.