In the second area of my mission, I was serving in the middle of nowhere—in Creston, British Columbia. We were an hour and a half from the nearest missionaries, and I was training a new Samoan elder who was difficult for others to understand. He came from a very different culture and life experience. It was winter, the days were short, and it was dark and cold. The combination of all these things made me feel very alone.

We were working hard. I was obedient and doing everything I could to follow God’s will. We were teaching many people, but I didn’t feel I had the knowledge or skills to help them truly progress. I began to feel like my efforts weren’t making a difference. I felt overwhelmed and isolated.

One night after returning home to our apartment, in a moment of loneliness and discouragement, I knelt in prayer beside our brown recliner in our missionary apartment living room and pleaded with God for help. As I prayed, I was overcome with love and comfort—the clear impression that my Heavenly Father loved me, was pleased with my efforts, and that everything would be alright.

And it was. Through that small trial, I received a powerful spiritual confirmation and reminder that God is real, that He loves me, and that He brings peace when we earnestly seek Him.