Lessons on Missionary Service
Lesson No. Twenty-Two

Charity by Sydney Lunt

Sister Sydney Pearson Lunt in the Italy Padova Mission

All missionaries love the places and people they serve, and my feelings for Italy are no different.  I love the people, the language, the architecture, the food… I cannot think of anything about it that I don’t love!  As I look back, however, I can see that much of the love I feel comes from the complete dedication you have as a missionary to the Lord, the gospel, and the people you serve.  Many of the greatest lessons I’ve learned in my life, came from my time as a missionary.

In Moroni 7 we learn that we should “cleave unto charity”, the “pure love of Christ” for it “endureth forever.”  This teaches that we should be completely faithful to our dedication in developing the pure love of Christ and not be distracted by how the world wants us to see and treat other people.

On my mission I spent a lot of time studying a Conference Talk of Elder Marvin J. Ashton on charity.  I believe it was no accident that I spent so much time studying this talk.  It completely changed how I saw other people.   I would say that one of the greatest gifts I experienced on my mission was to see people through God’s eyes.  I met many different kinds of people and missionaries.  However, when I viewed them as if they were doing the very best they could, I saw them differently.  I believe that we have been given both spiritual and physical eyes.  The natural man in us sees people the way the world sees them – beauty, wealth, educated, etc.  However, when we allow ourselves to open our spiritual eyes, we see them as sons and daughters of God.  It isn’t always easy to do this, but I will forever be grateful for the people in my life who see me for what I can become.  To me, this is the Pure Love of Christ.  This realization came mostly from how I saw people because of what they did for me.  I would like to share some of these moments that changed me:  

  • a non-member who would regularly leave soup on our doorstep because she knew we were far from home, and families who invited us to Christmas dinner to be sure we weren’t alone;
  • sitting out in the main square of the city just so I could be around the people a little more;
  • crying because someone decided to not listen to our message anymore and yet knowing baptism is their gate to salvation;
  • having a companion cook lunch for me every day so I could memorize my discussions;
  • non-members who would give us free gelato from their ice cream shop because they loved us;
  • children crying when I was transferred because they loved the messages we shared with them;
  • eating many large tomatoes almost whole so as to not offend an investigator;
  • members who took us to beautiful castles; more importantly their faith in us as missionaries;
  • listening to stories from people in nursing homes who were lonely;
  • the feeling you have in your heart as you tell someone the story of Joseph Smith’s First Vision on the street and hope they will let you come teach them more;
  • singing with companions “There is Sunshine in My Soul Today” as we walked the streets after having rung at least 100 doorbells without a single door opening; 
  • miracles from heaven coming just at the right moment;
  • handmade tortellini for Easter dinner;
  • an 80 year old non-member that still sends me a Christmas card each year

I will be forever grateful for these experiences that through the tender mercies of our Father in Heaven have taught me Charity.