Mikayla Ockey: Their Mothers Knew it.

Ah fam bam. That was the best. I forget how great y'all are sometimes. Not sure if I liked the happy birthday rendition or the 'when I fall in love' sing-a-long better. But either way I love you wayyy too much. Thank you for waking up early so I could see your smiling faces. I love you momma. I love mothers day. Especially bringing mom joy to the world. (we had to get creative with our name) Really. There are so many amazing moms out there who are way under appreciated. So we put on our best sister missionary pants and set out with cookies and roses to go bring them some mom joy. And it turned into one of the neatest experiences on my mission.

There is this family in our ward who I sure love and we have been working pretty close with as far as attempting family home evenings and dropping off birthday gifts and taking their daughter to youth group and such and so we decide there is a perfect place to start. And really I felt like they served us more then we served them. We were so pampered with hot dogs and ice cream on the patio as we are all just sitting around complimenting each other and such. And then the closing prayer...She begins praying and expressing her gratitude for us and begins to cry. And not even just like the little choke up kind but the full on crying and through the tears expressing how much she appreciated us and the things we had done for her family. How much she wanted her daughter to stay active and come willingly to church. And how much she loved her and wanted the best for her.

Sister Link hasn't been to church in a while and we have been semi trying to visit her and help her remember how great this gospel is but that usually turns into her complaining about how someone did the wallpaper wrong in her family room for 45 minutes.... but this time it was different. What we thought would be a quick little stop-by-here's-a-flower-and-a-mothers-day-message turned into a life changing moment for her. We read the story of the stripling warriors in the Book of Mormon and how they were doing what they were doing because of what their mothers taught them. And how she could be that example for her sons and I don't even know what we said or did but somehow she felt the spirit and had a sudden urge of motivation. We stood up right then and went on the search for her Book of Mormon. Hidden at the bottom of a random suitcase full of books she hadn't used in years. She opened it and started going through all the bookmarks and handouts she had received from past missionaries. All with special memories attached as we discussed the 'power of a verse'. And challenged her to that. We are now visiting her and reading with her and she wants us to call her at 6:00 am Sunday so she can wake up to come to church next Sunday. Her love as a mother motivated her not only to make changes for herself but for her sons as well.

We ended our mom joy errands with a family with two of the most rockstar sons I have ever met. They were taught by sister missionaries about ten years ago and now one of their sons went on a mission and is the best member missionary ever. Like really. He even asked a girl in our ward on a date to go visit all the people who don't come to church. Like who does that? And he still talks to complete strangers about the gospel on the daily. If that isn't dedication I don't know what is. And their other son just got his mission call to Australia. And all thanks to their rockstar mother who truly teaches them to do what's right. The whole lesson just turned into stories from how awesome their Mother was and how much she shaped the people they were.

they did not doubt because their mothers knew it.

hey moms. word of advice: don't you ever doubt your efforts.

we love you. truly.

xoxoxox

s. heywood