Trial and Error, Not Failure

Whenever I read “Letters from the Military” in Elohist or heard brothers who had completed their military service share their experiences of practicing their faith in the military, I was always impressed. Their stories of relying on God throughout their year and a half of service, faithfully carrying out their duties, and bearing precious fruit of the gospel not only moved me but also gave me confidence that I could do the same.

When I first enlisted, everything went smoothly. I responded to orders loudly and clearly and willingly took on tasks that others preferred to avoid, earning the trust of my senior soldiers. Just as I had learned in Zion, I tried to stay cheerful and conduct myself with humility and integrity, and my fellow recruits soon felt comfortable around me. If felt as though I were on a smooth and easy path. Nothing seemed particularly difficult.

After spending several months with the other soldiers and growing as close as brothers and friends, I found myself hoping more and more that they would all hear the truth and receive God’s blessings. Whenever I had the chance after our daily duties, I shared the word with them one by one. I thought that if I continued this way, it would not be long before they understood the truth and came to God. But the reality was different. Some showed interest in the truth at first but quickly lost interest. Inviting them to church was also difficult because our days off and leave schedules rarely lined up. Others seemed to regard the teachings of the Bible, which are directly connected to the salvation of our souls, as nothing more than topics for debate. After months of sowing seeds without seeing any fruit, I gradually began to lose heart.

For the first time in the military, I found myself at a complete loss and felt as though I had been left all alone. I had no idea where to begin, what to do, or how to move forward. I do not think I had ever prayed as earnestly as I did then. I poured out everything to God, who fully understood my situation and how I felt. Then God helped me realize something I had never considered before:

“If I were hearing the truth for the first time right now, would I readily accept it?”

Although the truth is absolutely certain, I realized that it could still seem unfamiliar to someone hearing it for the first time. Even though I had attended church from a young age, it had taken me a long time to truly understand the love and sacrifice of God revealed in His word. Compared with that, the time I had spent waiting for fruit was far too short. I decided that even if I did not see clear results right away, I would see it as trial and error, not failure. I would pray and wait patiently until each person fully understood the word.

Around that time, I found my first heavenly family member in the military. He was a junior soldier who had never attended church before enlisting, yet he never skipped praying before meals. He was also kind and upright, and I sincerely hoped that he would come to know the true God. So I asked if he would like to study the Bible with me, and he agreed without hesitation. I began by explaining why I worship on Saturday. With curiosity in his eyes, he listened intently. He eagerly received the word and came to understand that the Sabbath is God’s day of worship. After that, he stopped attending the Sunday services he had been attending as part of the military’s religious activities.

Two months after we began studying the Bible, he told me he wanted to be baptized. However, because of the circumstances of military life, arranging it was not easy. I had to leave for a month-long assignment, and even after I returned, we still had to find a time when we could visit Zion together. It was a long wait, but in the meantime, he continued studying the word and growing in faith. Four months after we began studying together, he was finally born again as a member of our Zion family.

It felt almost like a dream to have met a soul seeking God and guided him to the truth only near the end of my military service. Through my time in the military, I came to realize that if I keep in mind that there is a spiritual brother here for me to find, remain patient, and pray to God, He will surely allow me to bear fruit.

Now that I have completed my military service, I am preparing for missionary work in Africa. I am certain that there are brothers and sisters there whom I am meant to find as well. I know that if I earnestly pray to our Heavenly Father and Mother and make every effort, They will lead me to them. I believe my part is simply to have faith, diligently preach the truth, and nourish many souls with the word of God. Putting into practice what I learned during my military service, I will devote myself wholeheartedly to the gospel wherever God leads me, becoming a young adult like the dew of the dawn, and lead many souls to salvation.