Whether it takes us a few months or several years to prepare ourselves for what life brings, the Lord will help us share the Spirit with those we meet.
Photo by Mari Pi
Like many Latter-day Saint youth, E. Tracy Williams wanted to serve a mission. However, she spent seven years preparing for it. In her article “Working Out Weaknesses, Sketching Out Faith,” Williams relays her experience.
Like most potential missionaries, Williams talked to her bishop and received some counsel: be obedient, read your scriptures daily, attend church weekly, and change certain things in your life. Hoping for an easier way, Williams spoke to four other bishops, who ended up giving her the same counsel. Eventually, she accepted this counsel and started to work on improving herself.
Williams worked on “one weakness, one week at a time.” After a lot of hard work, Williams was called to the New Zealand Auckland Mission, Tongan-speaking. Williams struggled to learn the language, but she recalled the scripture in Ether 12:27. She took this scripture to heart.
Williams realized that she needed to rely on Jesus Christ and on her strengths. She explains, “I love this gospel and I love street art, so I decided to combine the two.” Every day Williams packed her art supplies and scriptures into her backpack; she used street art and the Spirit to teach others about Christ. “I used street art—on paper, not on buildings—and the Spirit to teach others about Christ,” she says. “And as crazy as it sounds, it worked. Many people didn’t want to hear my message, so I sketched it.”
Williams persevered when others might have given up. The seven years of preparation for her mission helped her understand herself and the gospel better. As she overcame her weaknesses, she was able to use her strengths to share the gospel with others. Because the Lord knows all of us individually, he can help us recognize our own strengths and strengthen our weaknesses.
Read E. Tracy Williams’ experience in her article “Working Out Weaknesses, Sketching Out Faith.”
Source: Ensign
—Kiana Kekauoha, Mormon Insights
feature image by joe shillington
Find more insights
Watch or read Elder Richard G. Scott’s talk entitled “Personal Strength through the Atonement of Jesus Christ” to learn more about gaining strength through Jesus Christ.
Check out Sister Anne C. Pingree’s article “Making Weak Things Become Strong.”
This is a fascinating story! Art can influence people, but you usually don’t think of it as a missionary tool. This story really testifies of how all our talents can be used to reach out and serve others.