The Volga River & Devotional Address

Walking Along The Volga River

We've been asked to give a devotional at our upcoming couples conference. Here is a copy. 

We Don't Know What We Don't Know - But We Do Know What We Do Know.

When Sister Childers and I received our mission call five months ago we were surprised to be called to Russia.  We were very grateful to be called as CES missionaries since working with seminary and institute young people was our greatest desire but the call to serve in Russia was unexpected and, quite frankly, scary.  There were so many things we didn't know!  We didn't know much about the church in Russia.  We didn't know the language.  We didn't know the Russian culture. We didn't know anything about Saratov, the city we will be serving in.  We didn't know any of the missionaries - particularly the senior couples that we will be serving with.  We didn't know our mission president. 

Since our call we have learned a few things.  We've learned a little bit about the church in Russia, about Saratov, about the wonderful history of Russia and we've met a few of our fellow missionaries.  To be honest none of that information reassured us very much. We've often felt like mules in the Kentucky Derby as we've met and gotten to know other senior couples.  We've met retired orthodontists and retired Superior Court judges and many other retired professionals who have been called to serve.  What in the world are we doing in this kind of company?  And, of course, there is the language.  Are we ever going to be able to communicate in Russian?  And then there are Elder and Sister Williams, the couple we are replacing in Saratov.  Are we going to be able to fill those capable shoes? We really don't know.

However - there are a few things we do know.  We know without a doubt that there is a God and that He knows us and that He answers our prayers.  We have had numerous direct and obvious answers to our prayers.  I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed and I've appreciated direct and obvious answers to my prayers so that even I can't misunderstand. We have seen the tender mercies of God in our lives as he has richly blessed our family.  We have seen the results of trying to live the principles and doctrines of the gospel as we have raised our family.  We see those fruits in our lives and in the lives of our children and grandchildren. We know that Jesus Christ lives and that He atoned for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane and that he died on the cross so that we could receive immortality and eternal life.  My mother died when I was nine-years-old and I have missed her terribly all these years. I know that I will see her again and enjoy the sociality I have longed for.  I look forward to that day. We know the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that Joseph Smith is a prophet.  We know he did have the vision that he purports to have had.  The Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion - if it is the word of God then Joseph Smith is a prophet and everything else falls into place.  If the Book of Mormon is not the word of God then the entire church crumbles.  We have read and reread that great book - I have taught it many times and studied it as I have done so.  We have fervent testimonies of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. Joseph Smith called it "the most correct of any book on earth and a man could get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts" than in any other way.  I have found that to be true.  The Old Testament and the New Testament which comprise the Bible testify of Jesus Christ and His divinity.  The Book of Mormon is a further testament of Him. I love that great book and I know it is the word of God.

Joseph Fielding Smith said that a witness of the spirit becomes woven into the very fiber and sinews of our body so that we cannot deny it. I have received that witness. Alma said that if you experiment upon the word and plant the seed of faith it will begin to swell and sprout and you will begin to see the fruits of that word and that faith and your faith becomes a perfect knowledge. I have planted that seed and received that knowledge.

So, there are many things that Sister Childers and I don't know. But - there are a few things we do know. We are very grateful for the knowledge that we have.