Several years ago, Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his family embarked on a hike in Iceland to see a waterfall.
Inexperienced in hiking and uncertain about the trail, they navigated their way using cairns—intentionally placed piles of stones—and learned to avoid white, fluffy cotton grass, which indicated marshy terrain.
It was a difficult and tiring trek, but following the cairns, they successfully reached the waterfall. On their descent, they realized the cairns had also guided them past several hidden dangers.
“Your journey through your mission is like this summer hike. You have desires to serve God and join Him in His work, but the path can be difficult to navigate,” Elder Renlund said to more than a thousand missionaries during a devotional at the Provo Missionary Training Center on June 2.
In his message, Elder Renlund discussed five metaphorical cairns to assist missionaries in serving their missions “confidently and joyfully.”
Visit the Church News to read about the Apostle’s full address.
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