Stories from Scotland & Ireland: Homecoming/Talk

Sunday, December 28th:

Well, I haven’t spoken in front of this many people since my farewell, so bear with me and I hope the spirit will guide me as I talk today.

First off, I would like to thank you all for coming. I’m so grateful for the chance that I was able to serve a mission. For my family, for all the support that they gave me. I couldn’t have done it without them. For my friends, and for the great examples that they are to me, and for all of you for this great ward. I don’t know some of you, I’ve only been in the ward for 2 weeks now. But I am really excited to get to know you.

My name is Callie Firth for those of you who don’t know me. I just returned home from the Scotland Ireland mission. And it was the best 2 years for my life, as my friend Alex Moss would say. I just came from his homecoming, and he did amazing. And so, today is the day of homecomings. I hope that you will bear with me.

Before I start I’d like to talk about some facts from my mission. Just a little bit of where I served. My mission includes the countries of Scotland and Ireland. But the Irish get upset if you don’t include Northern Ireland, so Northern Ireland, Ireland, and Scotland. I served in 5 areas. Pollock (which was in Glasgow) Stornoway (which was a group of Islands on the northwest coast of Scotland). East Killbride which is in Scotland as well, and Holywood in Lisburn which is in North Ireland. I had a total of 8 companions who are now my best friends and will be lifelong friends for my entire life. All of them were from America, except one. She was from England, so that was exciting.

The people in Scotland and Ireland, they are very different people. But they are like family to me. I love them so much. They can be kind of crazy sometimes, and even though I went English speaking it wasn’t very English when I got there. I had to learn it. Everyone is either a Catholic or a Protestant, so religion is very big over there. Over there you eat all kinds of potatoes. You always have 2 kinds of potatoes on your plate, so that was a very big culture shock to me I guess. There re 4 seasons in one day, and that is very true, people who served in that mission will agree with me. It definitely rains, pours, snows, windy, and sunny all in one day. That was adventurous.

My mission was very adventurous. It was an adventure every single day… you never knew what was going to happen that day, who you were going to meet. If you were going to find someone on the streets, which was a miracle. That’s what I want to talk about today---is miracles. And the miracles I saw on my mission.

A lot of people over there don’t believe in God. Because they believe that miracles don’t exist anymore. But I definitely know that they do exist because I have seen them first hand. I’ve seen them in my life, and that’s what I want to talk about today, is those experiences on my mission.

The first one would by my first day in the mission field. I started out in an area in Scotland which is right outside of Glasgow. And it was probably the roughest area sisters missionaries could go to. It was a very big culture shock to me. It was very tough and I saw a lot of things that I wouldn’t see here in America. Well, I would probably see them, but just not what I was used to. There was stuff all over the streets and people who were drunk all over the streets and abuse, and it was just very eye opening to me. It made me grateful for my family and how I was raised.

The first day that I got there we went to a dinner appointment, and we came home and I got ready for bed. And I got in bed after I said my prayers, and I was laying there for about an hour thinking, “Oh my goodness, what have I gotten myself into? My dad said I could swim home if I wanted to, but I can’t, I’ve got to finish this.” I remember just being so homesick, and I was just so nervous because I had just such a long time ahead of me and I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. And I didn’t know the gospel. And so I was very lost. So I decided to get down on my knees. My companion was already asleep. I just prayed for help and said “Heavenly Father, I need your help. You told me to come on this mission, and here I am. I can’t do this alone.” I got back in bed and I felt a little bit better. And then the next morning I got a phone call from 2 sister missionaries. They were my really good friends before the mission, sister Cuff and Sister Fairbanks. They were serving as companions at this time. They called me and my companion answered the phone and handed it to me. I said “Hello?” And all I hear is screaming. And they said “Hi!!” That was the first miracle to me. Because Heavenly Father really helped me out, even though it was just so small that my friends called me. It was a great testimony builder to me. That was the first miracle I saw on my mission.

The second one would be in my second area. We opened the area. It an island called Stornoway, the Isle of Lewis. That was very exciting, that was an adventure every single day. And I just remember it was very lonely at times. We were the only 2 missionaries on the island, except for the senior couple. We didn’t see many missionaries. I was up there for 6 months. It was rough, it was really rough. A miracle that I saw was that I came to know my savior. He really helped me out in Stornoway because it was rough. There is a quote by Elder Holland that says (he is talking to missionaries, and he is talking about the Atonement and our Savior Jesus Christ). And it says, “When you struggle, when you are rejected, when you are spit upon and cast out and made a hiss and a byword, you are standing with the best life this world has ever known, the only pure and perfect life ever lived. You have reason to stand tall and be grateful that the Living Son of the Living God knows all about your sorrows and afflictions.” That was a miracle to me because I definitely gained a testimony that my Savior was right beside me that whole time. It was just comforting to know that.

We got there in September, and the only way we could find people was to knock on their doors. I remember one day, it was in October, October 25^th, and we had chapped (chapped is knocking on doors). We had chapped this cold village and we got to this one house, and our bus was about to come. And I said, “We need to catch our bus, we need to go home. We’re going to be late.” And my companion said, “No, we need to chap on this door.” It was a very run down house, and it didn’t look like anyone was home. There was a camper trailer in the back, and she said, “Let’s go knock on it, we’ve always wanted to do it”. So I said okay. We knocked on it and no one answered. But the back door opened and this guy (who was an older man and walked with a cane) came out and asked who we were looking for. We said, “We are looking for you. We are here to tell you about the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and about Joseph Smith.” We talked to him a little bit. His name was Hugh. And he right then and there said this was what he had been looking for. That he had been waiting for someone to come to his door. And to knock on it and to tell him to change his life. That was the first experience I’ve ever had like that, and probably the only one I’ve had like that. We were able to teach him, and he got baptized 2 months later. Today is his year mark from when he was baptized, so today is a very special day to me. And really, he was just an example to me of faith. He committed himself to everything, which was so easy. He didn’t’ struggle with things, he was such an example to me of faith, of someone who just goes forward. It was a miracle to me that we found him because he was the first person we were able to teach and baptize there. They hadn’t had a baptism there in years. So that was a big miracle to me on my mission.

Another one is loving people. I’m kind of like my Dad, I don’t like a lot of people. No, I’m just Joking, I do. But I got there and it was bugging me that I wasn’t falling in love with these people. We were getting rejected all the time. I would always wonder, “Why can’t I love these people who are rejecting me, and putting their hands in my face, and telling me that they don’t want to hear about it? Why? We are missionaries, we are supposed to teach people.” And when I got to Stornoway, I just remember people not really being interested in the gospel. They knew who the Mormons were and they thought we were a cult. They didn’t want to hear about it. I just remember coming home one night and feeling so sad because these people aren’t accepting. That’s when I found out I really love this people because I want what’s best for them. They have come to be my family while I left my family here in America. I just really grew to love them. One of those people was named Bella. She is amazing. She isn’t baptized, but we taught her the lessons. She is like my twin. We’re the same person, but she lives in Scotland. We were able to connect so well, and that was a miracle to me. To know that I went to Stornoway to find her. She was the person that I needed to find at that time. She was the person that I needed at that time. She helped me so much, on my mission up in Stornoway. That was a very big miracle to me.

The next little miracle was I my 3rd area in East Killbride. I was going through a rough time, a rough couple of weeks. I just prayed to Heavenly Father to help me out, to have someone or something help me. I was at church one day and I was giving a talk. I was sitting on the stand, and the elders walk in and they’re like, “Sister Firth, Sister Firth, there’s someone here for you.” I’m like “What? What are you talking about?” And they’re like, “Oh it’s fine, it’s fine.” So then this guy walks in, dressed in all his biker gear. I think, Wow, I didn’t know this would happen.” My brother-in-law’s dad walks in the door. And I was blown away. I could not believe that he was in Scotland, in my ward. And so that was a big miracle to me because I was struggling. I was going through a rough time on my mission. By him coming and being here and talking with me, that was a little piece of home, so that really helped me out.

Another one is when I was in my 4^th area. I was in Holywood. And I was in the city of Belfast. And that was so much fun to me. One day we had 4 apts set up, all of them cancelled. I’m sure most missionaries would agree that happens. And all of them cancelled and we were going home on the bus. It was very discouraging. I was sitting by the window and my companion was right here, and this woman got on the bush. And I was drawn to her right when she got on the bus. And she was getting off the bus a couple of stops later. And the spirit told me, “You need to go talk to her.” I said, “No, it’s okay, we need to go home.” Again, it said, “You need to go talk to her.” I was like, “It’s fine, I don’t need to, it’s okay.” And Heavenly Father was like, “You need to talk to her right now, get off the bus.” And I was like, “Get off the bus, get off the bus, we need to go.” My companion was so confused. I just got off the bus, and stood there and stared at her, and she stared at me. And I was like, “Hi, we’re the missionaries, and your daughter is so cute.” It felt like a good lead in. So we walked with her and she asked why we got off the bus if our stop was down there. I just turned to her and I said, “To talk to you, that’s why we got off the bus. God told me that we needed to talk to you at this time.” And we were able to walk with her to her house and teach her the restoration. And that was such a miracle to me, when our day doesn’t work out, when Satan gets in the way, Heavenly Father always helps you out. He always helps you out by giving you a small miracle, a small blessing. She got taught a little bit, but then had to stop because her fiancé didn’t want her to learn anymore. But she told us that she would keep reading the Book of Mormon. I just pray that the missionaries will find her again.

The next is in my last area. Me and my companion hadn’t taught a lesson in months. We were struggling, and hadn’t passed out a Book of Mormon in weeks. It was a Tuesday night, and it was about 8. In this area it was really dark. It gets really dark about 3-3:30 in the winter time. It was just very discouraging, we didn’t know what to do. And when you walk around town there is no one in town, so you just walk around. But we said, “Let’s just go out. We need to go and do this, we have to go out so we can get blessings.” We were walking on the street, and we were walking into town, and this man walks towards us. My companion stopped him and we talked to him. And we said, “Hi we’re missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ.” And he stops us and says “Jesus Christ?”. And we said yes. And he said, “I’m with ya.” And we’re like, “Okay!” We talked to him a little bit about the Book of Mormon. And he accepted the Book of Mormon right then and there. So we talked to him about that, and that Saturday we went to his house with a member, and taught him a little bit about the restoration. And we were able to invite him to be baptized on the first lesson. I’ve never done that on my mission. That was the first time. And he accepted. And I couldn’t help but laugh because it was just such a surprise to me. Such a miracle to me. His name is Richard, and he loved the Gospel. We were able to teach and baptize him in a month. He got baptized on Nov 1^st , and he got the priesthood, and he goes through the temple soon. That was a huge miracle to me, when things aren’t going so great, you do what you have to do. You keep going. You don’t’ give up. And you put your faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. He really does help you out. I’ve seen so many miracles on my mission with safety, and remember so many times having to walk the other way or the Spirit speaking to me, “Don’t knock on that door,” or “Don’t talk to that person,” or “Don’t go that way. Turn around go back.” That was just a big testimony builder that Heavenly Father really does watch over us, over his children.

Another miracle that I was able to experience was gaining a testimony. Funny that that is a miracle. But it was a miracle to me. When I left on my mission, I knew I had to go on a mission, but that’s all I knew. I knew the Heavenly Father loved me, and that I needed to serve. I didn’t know anything else. I hadn’t gained a testimony of anything else. On my mission I was the one who got converted. I was my biggest investigator. And I’m so grateful that I was able to serve this mission, that I was able to come to love the people and love the scriptures. And come to know my Savior. That’s the biggest blessing we could ever receive, to come to know our Savior. At this time it’s Christmas, and we are able to reflect on him and what he did for us. And I’m just so grateful for him, for sticking by my side, on the hard times as well as the good times. I know that this church is true. I know it with all my heart. I don’t doubt it. And I know that Heavenly Father does watch out for his children, that he loves all of us, and wants what’s best for us. But it’s through our obedience and through our efforts that we receive those blessings. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I love it with all my heart. I know that I can be with my family forever, and to me that is one of the greatest blessings that I could ever receive is to be with my family for eternity. I am grateful for my Savior and for His Atonement, and I know that it is real. I’m so grateful that I was able to be a servant in his hands for 18 months, and to help the Scottish and the Irish people come to know about him, and come to know who their Savior and their Heavenly Father is. I leave this with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.