Partly as a safety rule, we missionaries have "companions" just like kids that go to the pool might have "swimming buddies." We stay with our companions all day, everyday. It can be exhausting sometimes, but it can be really fun, too.
Anyway, when you're around someone that much, you have to learn to put aside your differences and get along. Despite common belief, we don't automatically become best friends when we meet our new companions. And for those of you who don't know, we switch off "swimming buddies" several times in the two years of service we do.
I've had to learn to have patience while I've been out here. But moreso, charity. Charity is a Christ-Like attribute that in some ways is related to patience. It means putting others' welbeing before your own, even when sometimes that person is annoying you! Charity is more than action, it's a state of being and a way of life.
As I've learned to get along with my companions I have come to have a deeper understanding of my savior and of charity. Christ was the greatest example of it. Even when the people spat on him and hated him and eventually killed him, he allowed it to happen because He loved them and what He was doing would allow them to be forgiven of their sins. He loved the very people who killed him- He loved them so much that He paid the price for them, so they could be saved in the Kingdom of God and have eternal happiness! That price included His life.
I've learned to love those that persecute me while serving as a servant of Christ, and only in that little way, I've felt some of what Christ endured for each of us! It was hard for me to have that love for just one person- it still is. I can't imagine how hard it was for Christ to do it for every sinner that ever lived- to love each of us enough to suffer in our place so we can be forgiven and live with God again! I'm not sure I could ever have that kind of love, but I am grateful for our Savior, who did! He truly lived and suffered for us so we can be forgiven of our sins and live with God again!
I was once asked by our Bishop to cold call everyone on a list to ask if they wanted to participate in a blood drive. I was certain that there were people on the list who would not be happy with the call. Needless to say I was nervious about making the calls. Our Bishop simply said, keep in mind that under different circumstances you could become best of friends. Don't let the circumstances dictate how you act. Who was it that said, "There are only 2 types of people in the world. Those I call friends and those I haven't met yet."
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