How Beautiful Upon The Mountians are THEY that publish Peace

I was reading in Mosiah 14, 15, and 16 this morning. It brought to my memory a sweet reminder of missionary work and their love of the gospel along with dedication:

14 And these are they who have published peace, who have brought good tidings of good, who have published salvation; and said unto Zion: Thy God reigneth!
15 And O how beautiful upon the mountains were their feet!
16 And again, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that are still publishing peace!
17 And again, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who shall hereafter publish peace, yea, from this time henceforth and forever!



There is no better picture imprinted in my mind and heart as the one of a pair of wing-tipped shoes that my oldest son Hank wore on his mission. He brought them back from Venezuela that he wore holes in the soles walking the streets on his mission. To me it was a symbol of his love of God and his dedication to Jesus Christ and the cause of bringing many souls unto Him.



These are not necessarily Hank's but you get the idea--


A few weeks ago as we were driving to K2s Eagle Court of honor, Aaron shared with us his feelings about missionary work after we sang "Call to Serve" on the way to Orem. It was a tender account how he is so deeply touched having served the Lord with all his heart, might and strength. He told us that for about five years after his mission he would have tears come to his eyes when he sang it in church meetings because it brought back memories of his mission and the experiences he had as a missionary. I was touched by his feelings and it was a wonderful teaching moment for Aislyn, who was with us.

I was blessed twelve years ago to have the opportunity to go to Guatemala City and see Michael finish his mission. We traveled to Tikal to experience the ancient Mayan ruins. It meant so much to me to have my feet on the soil of that country. It felt like I was in a holy land as we drove to Lake Atitlan, a place that was known by President Harold Be Lee to be where Christ visited the Nephites.

When Tana was on her mission in Ireland, she was protected and watched over as she assisted many souls that she taught and helped come into the Church. I know she was protected and watched over even when she was riding her bike and a dog came up and snapped at her and she fell off the bike! Her experiences, I know have blessed her to know how to communicate with others and matured in her life as a wife and mother.

I continue to be impressed that as Matt served in Paraguay he learned a dialect, Guarani, and Portuguese beside refining his Spanish on his mission. The dialect he learned reminded me of some of the Book of Mormon names and writings. I am so thankful that each of my sons and a daughter were able to serve the Lord on a mission.

The last four missionaries all served in a six year time frame. So many blessings were poured out upon me and all my family for the sacrifices that were made during their mission service. I truly know how much Father in Heaven loves us as he watched over us all and still does.