19 Years

On 31 August, 1991—nineteen years ago today–I stepped into the waters of baptism and witnessed unto my Savior that I was willing to follow Him. It’s been a long road since then, and I’m constantly falling short of that lofty goal. Still, I really am trying to become more like Him, and I guess today is a great day to recommit to that attempt.

Back when I was a full-time missionary in Spain (1995-1996), my life was very much devoted to God’s work. I didn’t watch television; the only music I listened to was hymns and classical works; and I spent somewhere between 1-2 hours per day, studying the word of God. It was as a missionary that I finally made it through the Book of Mormon for the first time (though I started it long before my mission, studying it probably too intently to be worthwhile), and as a missionary that I learned so much about the practical application of Christ’s teachings.

In two years of service, I never once had the blessing of a baptism in the area I was serving in, but I was blessed to help at least four people learn the gospel preparatory to making that sacred covenant: José, Esperanza, Manolo, and Marta. There were many more I met who made that same decision, but those four are each special to me, as I had at least a small part in each of their conversions. As is often said, though, the most important convert a missionary can have is him- or herself, and I definitely became converted from a horribly prideful boy into a much less prideful young man—and it’s all due to the opportunities and forgiveness that my Father and Savior saw fit to give me.

Returning to the point of devotion, though, I once figured out that, as a missionary, I regularly prayed at least eleven times per day: once with my companion when waking for the day; once alone, immediately thereafter; once before personal scripture study; once before companionship scripture study; thrice before meals; twice before leaving the apartment to work; once with my companion, before bed; and once alone, immediately thereafter. Furthermore, those eleven times don’t even include the many times we prayed during our work; they’re just the specific, set times we could count on praying, each day.

So today, I’d like to recommit myself to prayer. I had a nice talk with my Heavenly Father, this morning, and I hope to have another one now, as I retire for the night. When I return home from my current business trip, I’d also like to start praying with my wife, at least twice a day (we tend to only pray once per day, as a couple); and with my family, in the morning as well as at night (the latter of which is already well established). Add in our already faithful prayers before meals, and that brings me back to nine times per day—ten, if I can reintroduce daily scripture study into my life.

Will all this make me more spiritual? I can’t rightly say, but I certainly hope so. I just mostly want to relearn to converse with my Father in Heaven, the way I used to be able to. And if nothing else, that is real power.

Happy rebirthday to me.