Do-Over Companions

An article in this month’s New Era may be of interest to anyone who has been on a mission and had a companion that he or she didn’t get along with very well. In “Do-Over Companions,” the author, Devon Black, recalls his “bitter and contentious” time with a missionary companion. He is reviewing his journal entries some months later (an interesting point in itself, though he doesn’t expand on it), and he reflects on what happened, particularly his own behavior. His self-examination leads him to see his former companion in a different light, so he decides to do something to make things right. And, of course, a New Era article ensues.

I wonder how many returned missionaries could tell similar stories of former companions. A mission certainly is a crucible of experience in many areas, including interpersonal relationships. This article shows how one young man learned to develop a more mature outlook on his relationship with a fellow missionary he thought he had nothing in common with.

We can apply what he learned to our relationships with many others, particularly those we associate with in the Church. We’re all striving to be disciples of Christ, and the Lord has told us to “be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine” (D&C 38:27). I believe that all of us, myself included (or especially), could put forth a little more effort in this regard.

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Mission or Admission?

In many countries, young men have a difficult time deciding whether to go on a mission because going away for two years could jeopardize their educational opportunities. Many colleges do not allow deferments of any kind, and the longer you wait after completing your basic schooling, the less likely you are to be admitted to college. This month’s New Era contains a story of a young man in England who was more than qualified to enter Cambridge University but put a mission first. It is titled “Mission or Admission.”

If you can guess the rest of the story, that’s perhaps because we are, after all, talking about the New Era here. But this story also represents the kind of trust we should place in the Lord, and the outcome shouldn’t entirely surprise us. (Of course, not everyone who makes this kind of decision is blessed in the same way, but the blessings do come.) Check out this story and see if there isn’t something each of us can learn from it.