Dear Elders and Sisters,
I am so grateful to the Lord for His kindness and goodness to us. As I pray for you I have felt over and over again the same spiritual prompting I had during our first interviews--and it gets stronger and more clear over time. The spiritual impression is that "God loves His missionaries!"
Many of you see your own weaknesses so clearly that it is painful for you to think about all you don't do that you know you should do. You study the Characteristics of Christ in chapter 6 of Preach My Gospel over and over again but it seems impossible to master them. You work hard all week but fall short of your goals or of the mission standard of excellence.
I want you to know that this is NOT how Heavenly Father sees you.
What does He see? He sees each individual elder and sister, each of you, for who you really are. He LOVES you for each and every little effort you make to serve Him. He LOVES you for every minute you share the gospel. You bring Him JOY. You bring Him HAPPINESS because of your willingness to serve. You are working hard to bring his sons and daughters back to Him. He loves you, loves you, loves you for doing this.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said:
"Brothers and sisters, I testify that no one of us is less treasured or cherished of God than another. I testify that He loves each of us--insecurities, anxieties, self-image, and all. He doesn't measure our talents or our looks; He doesn't measure our professions or our possessions. He cheers on every runner, calling out that the race is against sin, not against each other. I know that if we will be faithful, there is a perfectly tailored robe of righteousness ready and waiting for everyone, "robes...made...white in the blood of the Lamb." (General Conference, April 2002)
My dear fellow-servants, please allow yourself to feel the love of our Father. Please allow yourself to feel more often the great joy of this work. You are the greatest missionaries in the world to Sister Ostler and me.
With love,
President Ostler