Fireside Talk about MG's

Taken from a Fireside from Vaughn J. Featherson. This is a GREAT talk. I am amazed by it!

"Question: Is it good for a fellow to leave a girlfriend behind? Answer: Is it good for the sun to shine?

Have you ever heard of a mission call telling all missionaries to get rid of all girlfriends? Do you think that you could be a better missionary if she were there to help you? I think you could.
Most of my best missionaries during the three years that I served left a girl behind, you notice that I said girl not girls; there isnt time for more than one. Of course the first duty is to the Lords work, which you have been called to do, second is your family, and third is to the girlfriend, and this you should always remember. I always interviewed all missionaries as they entered the field, and one of the questions I asked was, Do you have a girlfriend at home? If the answer was yes, I would say, Can I have her name and address, and would it be alright if I wrote her a letter? Of course this would scared the poor fellow to death then I would bring the color back into his face by telling him that I only wanted to write her a letter and tell her how lucky she was to have the opportunity to share this mission for the next to two years with one of the Lords chosen servants. And if she was faithful, her testimony would become stronger in the gospel because of it along with a little more advice that I would touch on later. Young men, do not ask a returned missionary for advice on a subject. For if he has be jilted, should we say, hes giving poor advice. Pray about this together and if you feel that you could do a better job, then go ahead, there is nothing wrong with it. It is better to have her support, then to go out there wishing that you had it, this is more frustrating then worrying about a Dear John, and believe me, there wont be one of those if its right in the beginning. The Lord always answers prayers to those who honor him.

Have an understanding with your parents so they can encourage her and make your girl happy by showing they have faith in her and love her. Let her parents know your plans, also and in most cases they will stand by her when she gets lonely. If you show them respect as well as the girl, they will be behind you all the way. Write her once a week or more, you can almost always write two letters a week on P-days. There is plenty of time if they are not books. Tell her about your mission and experiences, let her live your mission with you through your letters, send her a snapshot once in awhile. Yes you could let her make a scrapbook for you- mom is not going to have time- and she (your girlfriend) would love that.

Remember that behind every successful man there is a good woman, so why shouldnt it be good to leave a girlfriend if you feel that she is that special? Forget that old story, 2 years is a long time. Why I have known girls to wait 2 or 3 years. Also, the story that you will change a lot- you will only if you make yourself scared in letters, etc... You will only change in the fact that you will be more mature, have a greater testimony, and mind.

Now girls, make sure that you do the things that will help you grow along with the missionary. Study the gospel; stay active in the church, pray often- morning, noon, and night. Watch out for those lonely returned missionaries. Youre not in a hurry to get married. At the very most you will be 22 or 23 by the time he gets home and that is about the right age to start thinking about marriage. Write happy letters every week. Let him know that you still care. He will be looking for those letters even if he is real busy during the week and on P-days. Yes, you could send him a snapshot of yourself- he would love that. So what if you dont take good pictures, anything will look good to him. Why you will be so busy getting the education you need, working in and out of the church, learning to sew, and all of those lovely things, learning to cook fancy things, but most of all the basic things.

If the occasion arises and you feel like you want to accept a date now and then it o.k. but again, beware of those jilted R.M.s, they are dynamite. Stay close to your parents. Oh, yes, there isnt any harm in leaving a girlfriend at home if you are both determined to fulfill that mission together. It will not be the big job you think, but the happiest 24 months of both your lives. When you both are back together again, it wont be long before you are sure of each other because of your pure maturity. I can say these things because it happened to me; and I know of many others who have experienced the same things. "

This link also makes me happy! READ IT! :]