January 31, 2021 Sunday Sacrament Talk

Hello brothers and sisters, 

 I’m Elder Toma and I’ve been serving in the Charleston West Virginia mission for about 2 months now. But I’m originally from Gainesville Virginia so this is very close to home for me. I was asked to talk about how being on a mission has made me more Christ- like. 

 So, to start talking about that I would like to share a scripture with you, the scripture is in 3 Nephi 18:24. 

24 Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up—that which ye have seen me do. Behold ye see that I have prayed unto the Father, and ye all have witnessed. 

So that scripture relates to becoming more Christ like because when we think about it, we call Jesus Christ the Light of the world. and that relates to missionaries in a big way because as missionaries we represent Jesus Christ and, in a sense, become a light for others so they can come unto Christ. 

 Another way I've seen myself become more Christ- like is by doing service. A great example of this is when me and my companion were walking to our car one day when we saw an old couple stuck in the middle of the road. So, me and my companion ran over to see what had happened. Apparently, their car had a bad alternator and the battery had died as well. So, me and my companion Elder Stowe helped push the car out of traffic and into safety. Afterwards the old couple thanked us and noticed the missionary tags we had on our jackets. And said, “Aren't you the Mormon?” To that we replied yes and asked about how they knew. They said that they had some friends that went to the Mormon Church up in Roanoke where they lived. We said that was awesome and wondered if they would like to talk about it a little. And they replied yes. Afterwards we gave them a Book of Mormon and got their contact info and waited with them until the tow truck arrived to fix their car. Then me and my companion said goodbye to the old couple and went home. 

 I have a firm testimony that being on my mission has made me a better person and more Christ-like and that serving others makes all of us Christ-like as well.