That being said... it's story time.
About 5 months ago, I was serving in Corvallis, OR. One rainy day, my companion and I were rushing around town, heading from one teaching appointment to the next. Somewhere along the way, I looked down at my jacket and realized that my name tag was no longer clipped to my collar. I had no idea what had happened to it, and I started freaking out. I needed that tag! I could not let anyone else find it; it had to stay in the right hands.
In a panic, I drove us back to the area where we'd just been. I was saying a prayer in my heart that I'd be able to find it, that Heavenly Father would lead me back to the spot where my tag had fallen off. After frantically looking around all the streets and sidewalks we'd been on that day, I got discouraged and gave up.
The next day, we had another appointment in that same area. We were getting back into our car after our lesson, and I hear my companion say, "Sister Nealy, I found your name tag! But... uh..." She picked it up, and it was in pieces. Turns out I'd accidentally run it over with the car. My most prized possession, and I ran over it with a car. I was so sad; I hadn't intentionally done anything wrong, but my name tag still got destroyed. So I called the mission office the next morning and paid $4 to order a new one.
My badge of honor.
A few weeks ago, my two companions & I were at the beach in Bandon. It was a gorgeous day--unseasonably warm for January--so we decided to spend a little bit of our Preparation Day time taking pictures at the beach. I'd seen some really cool pictures of missionaries' name tags in the sand by the ocean, and I wanted to duplicate them.
So I took off my name tag (there was my first mistake), put it in the sand at what I thought was a safe distance from the ocean, and crouched down to snap the photo when the foam came up from the waves. It looked like such a great shot. But then the wave came up a lot higher than I expected, and... well...
Long story short, the ocean ate my name tag.
After much panicking and prayer, I again gave up trying to find it. I guess I deserved that one for basically throwing my name tag into the ocean; that was just a really bad idea on my part. I had to humble myself and call the mission office, pay another $4, and order another new one.
Since then, I've been a lot more careful about keeping my name tag safe. I've been very determined not to take it off for any reason, to jostle it around unnecessarily, or to do anything that might make it fall off.
But just the other day, as my companion and I came home for lunch here in Coquille, I looked down and noticed my name tag gone again! I was really upset. I mean, I hadn't even done anything stupid this time! I felt terrible. What kind of missionary loses three name tags? The worst kind, obviously. Ugh. I did not want to swallow my pride and order another one when I hadn't even done anything to lose it this time.
Then I thought--maybe there's a lesson to be learned from all of this. Since everything can be related to the gospel...
Calling the mission office has been kind of like accessing the Atonement. The Atonement of Jesus Christ allows us to correct things we've done wrong, and it gives comfort and peace in hard times. There is a price to pay--we feel guilt and we must suffer the natural consequences of our actions--but "all that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ" (Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Missionary Service, 52).
I had the option to swallow my pride, call the mission office again, and pay $4 to order a new name tag (which, come to think about it, is a small price to pay to keep my identity). It didn't matter how I lost the tag, whether or not it was my fault, or how many times I'd already called in. The wonderful people in the mission office didn't even ask me those questions. They just showed me love & kindness as I went to them for help.
Our Savior is the same way. He knows when we make bad choices and when bad things just happen to us. He knows how to help us, and He wants to. When we come unto Christ with a sincere heart in our time of need, He will give us the help we seek. He promises us, "I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee" (Joshua 1:5), regardless of the circumstances.
I'm grateful for a wonderful mission office that allows me to correct my mistakes & misfortunes, and I'm eternally grateful for a Savior who loves me and wants to help me no matter what stupid decisions I may make.
If any of you have any questions about the Atonement or how you can apply it to your life, please, comment or send me a message. I'd be more than happy to help you take advantage of this glorious gift.
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