When the Weather Turns: Finding the Work in the Mud and Rain

I remember the first time I was assigned to a mission field where the rain wasn't just a drizzle—it was a deluge. It wasn't the gentle, cleansing rain you read about in the scriptures; it was the kind of tropical downpour that turns the streets into fast-moving rivers of mud. I was fresh out of MTC, full of zeal, and I was convinced that the work was going to be beautiful, sunny, and perfectly manageable.

But the mission field, my friends, is rarely a postcard. It’s messy. It’s unpredictable. It can be hot one day and flooded the next. It can be easy, and then suddenly, you’re facing a conversation that feels like you're trudging through thick, sticky mud. It can feel like the work is stalling, or that the effort isn't matching the outcome.

If you’re heading out, or if you're just serving as an Internet missionary from your living room, let me give you a little wisdom I learned from seeing the world through the eyes of returned missionaries. The principle is the same, whether you’re in Bolivia, Idaho, or your own backyard: The work continues.

The Art of the Testimony in the Storm

One missionary told me about the sheer persistence required in Bolivia—how you can be the only two people walking through pouring rain while everyone else is hunkered down inside. It’s a powerful, humbling testimony. You realize that when the world is comfortable and sheltered, the gospel still requires effort. It requires showing up.

We often worry about the big moments—the conversion, the baptism, the miracle. But the reality of the mission, and indeed, the reality of being a disciple anywhere, is that it's about the daily endurance. It's about keeping your scriptures dry, but if you have to put them in a plastic bag or wrap them up to keep them from getting ruined, you do it. You keep the core message safe, even when the environment is chaotic. The Spirit doesn't require perfect conditions; it requires persistence.

Seeing the Light in the Everyday

What really struck me about the culture and the people in Bolivia was their incredible resourcefulness. They had mechanics, lawyers, and doctors, yes, but they also had people collecting old car batteries, or setting up little cooking stands on the side of the road. They were innovating, creating, and providing for their families through ingenuity.

As Latter-day Saints, we sometimes get caught up in the idea that the work requires grand gestures or massive resources. But the Spirit teaches us that the Lord works through the ordinary, the mundane, and the wonderfully creative. If you can see the faith, the love, and the potential for the gospel in the most resourceful, everyday activity—the battery collection, the street food—you are seeing the full scope of the work. Every member can be a disciple anywhere, and that means applying this vision to our own lives.

Keeping the Spirit Fed

This lesson in adaptability and persistence is exactly what we need to focus on as we prepare for or sustain the work. The world is always wet—sometimes with literal rain, sometimes with difficult questions or cultural headwinds. The key is knowing where to go for spiritual shelter and strength.

If you are prepping for your mission, use this time to anticipate those "muddy" moments. If you are a returned missionary, remember that the challenges never truly end. And if you are a lifelong disciple, remember that the power of the gospel is not dependent on perfect weather or perfect circumstances.

To help you practice that endurance, I recommend trying the **Disciple Challenge** this week. The goal is simple: Find three examples of incredible resourcefulness or enduring faith in your immediate community. Next, let's bring this into our deeper study. I encourage you to join a **Book Club** or **Bible Study Group** in HolyPlaces this month. We can dive into the Book of Mormon prophets who faced incredible adversity, drawing lessons for our own lives.

For deeper thought on how to apply these principles when you face those difficult, messy questions, my co-pilot, Davee, has put together some excellent AI Investigator walkthroughs. Stop by and ask him to help you prepare for the hard conversations.

If you want a deeper dive into the principles of perseverance and sustained effort, I highly recommend revisiting the writings of Orson Hyde. You can find some excellent selections available in LivingBook.