Overcoming Discouragement on the Mission

There is no sugarcoating it. Missions are hard. It can be a roller coaster. Some parts are filled with joy, while others are sad and discouraging. There’s only one rule with a roller coaster: Don’t get off the ride!

The mission serves two purposes. To invite others to come unto christ and help other receive the restored gospel. The second is to transform you into a new person. Transformation isn’t easy. When a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly the caterpillar is constrained by the cocoon. It is only through the metamorphosis of the constraint that the caterpillar will become a butterfly. The mission is a very intensive and constraining experience that is designed to change you in a very good way. Said another way, by the end of your mission, you will be knocked back by who you’ve become.

Constraints has many faces, and it occurs differently for everyone. Here are some possible constraints.

• Your companion doesn’t want to work, or you don’t get along with your companion.
• You’ve tried everything in your area, and nothing is working.
• You didn’t want to serve a mission in this city, state, or country.
• The members aren’t helpful.
• My prayers are hitting the ceiling, I don’t receive revelation.
• I’m afraid.
• You got attacked by a dog, or the city is unsafe.
• There are a lot of mosquitos.
• There’s no clean running water and my apartment is dirty.
• I don’t have air conditioning or heating in my apartment.
• I don’t speak the language or I don’t understand the language.
• etc.

It’s no wonder that missionaries get discouraged. Being a missionary is not meant to be easy, and such is life. Saving souls is not easy either.

One of my favorite quotes for discouragement is in Alma in the Book of Mormon.

“Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success.” Alma 26:27

But what happens when you experience deep discouragement and depression and being patient doesn’t go away?

It’s true, discouragement and depression wont magically go away. It’s important to understand that there’s no one size fits all to this. What works for one person might not work for another. First, it’s okay to no be okay. To pretend that you’re not upset is like shaking a bottle of soda and then opening the top. Eventually it’ll burst.

Some discouragement is circumstantial—meaning, if your mission went the way that you want it to go, then life would be a lot better. The lesson is serving a mission is not easy, and such is life. The saving a soul is not easy. You can go on a mission but resist the mission all the way through. You can be a missionary, but you can resist being a missionary. If you’re going to devote every waking hour for a period of time to something, why not choose to embrace it.

Life is like a pendulum, when things aren’t going so well, you can have peace because it’ll swing the other way. It’s a matter of when.

Surround yourself with people that can and will support you. It’s important to start having conversations around discouragement on the mission so it loses it’s power over you. Share your discouragement with your companion, district leader, zone leader, assistant to the presidents, and mission president. Talk to members about it, they are a lot more empathic and compassionate than you know. But don’t get sucked in to the self-wallow and -pity. Getting to the root cause of the discouragement is key. Discouragement is crippling.

If you experience any self-damaging thoughts immediately talk to your mission president. His role is to ensure your spiritual, physical and mental well being. They’re are given training from the apostles and other professionals to assist you. Share your struggle with your parents, they care deeply for you and will want to know about your challenge.

There is no sugarcoating it. Missions are hard. It can be a roller coaster. Some parts are filled with joy, while others are sad and discouraging. There’s only one rule with a roller coaster: Don’t get off the ride!

The mission serves two purposes. To invite others to come unto christ and help others receive the restored gospel. The second is to transform you into a new person. Transformation isn’t easy. When a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly, the caterpillar is constrained by the cocoon. It is only through the metamorphosis of the constraint that the caterpillar will become a butterfly. The mission is a very intensive and constraining experience that is designed to change you in a very good way. Said another way, by the end of your mission, you will be knocked back by who you’ve become.

Constraints have many faces, and it occurs differently for everyone. Here are some possible constraints.

• Your companion doesn’t want to work, or you don’t get along with your companion.
• You’ve tried everything in your area, and nothing is working.
• You didn’t want to serve a mission in this city, state, or country.
• The members aren’t helpful.
• My prayers are hitting the ceiling, and I don’t receive revelation.
• I’m afraid.
• You got attacked by a dog, or the city is unsafe.
• There are a lot of mosquitos.
• There’s no clean running water, and my apartment is dirty.
• I don’t have air conditioning or heating in my apartment.
• I don’t speak the language, or I don’t understand the language.
• Etc.

It’s no wonder that missionaries get discouraged. Being a missionary is not meant to be easy, and such is life. Saving souls is not easy, either.

One of my favorite quotes for discouragement is in Alma in the Book of Mormon.

“Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success.” Alma 26:27

But what happens when you experience deep discouragement and depression and being patient doesn’t go away?

It’s true. Discouragement and depression won't magically go away. It’s important to understand that there’s no one-size-fits-all to this. What works for one person might not work for another. First, it’s okay not to be okay. To pretend that you’re not upset is like shaking a bottle of soda and then opening the top. Eventually, it’ll burst.

Some discouragement is circumstantial—meaning, if your mission went the way that you want it to go, then life would be a lot better. The lesson is serving a mission is not easy, and such is life. Saving souls is not easy. You can go on a mission but resist the mission all the way through. You can be a missionary, but you can resist being a missionary. If you’re going to devote every waking hour for a period of time to something, why not choose to embrace it?

Life is like a pendulum, and when things aren’t going so well, you can have peace because it’ll swing the other way. It’s a matter of when.

Surround yourself with people that can and will support you. It’s important to start having conversations around discouragement on the mission so it loses its power over you. Share your discouragement with your companion, district leader, zone leader, assistant to the presidents, and mission president. Talk to members about it. They are a lot more empathic and compassionate than you know. But don’t get sucked into the self-wallow and -pity. Getting to the root cause of the discouragement is key. Discouragement is crippling.

If you experience any self-damaging thoughts, immediately talk to your mission president. His role is to ensure your spiritual, physical, and mental well-being. They receive training from the apostles and other professionals to assist you. Share your struggle with your parents; they care deeply for you and will want to know about your challenge.

Conclusion

In conclusion, serving a mission is not an easy task. It can be a roller coaster ride filled with both joyful and discouraging moments. However, the mission serves two purposes, to invite others to come unto Christ and to transform the missionary into a new person. The transformation process can be challenging and constraining, but it is designed to change the missionary in a positive way. Discouragement and depression are common experiences on the mission, and it's okay not to be okay. The key is to surround oneself with supportive people and not get sucked into self-wallow and pity. It's important to talk to one's companion, leaders, and mission president about discouragement and to get to the root cause of it. If self-damaging thoughts arise, it's crucial to seek help from one's mission president or parents. Ultimately, serving a mission is not easy, but it is a worthwhile and transformative experience that can lead to personal growth and spiritual development.