When I served my mission we covered all of Utah county and went east to Vernal. Since then, it has split and changed.  I was serving in Lehi and met the a family which consisted of Holly, a single mom, and her three beautiful daughters. Missionaries had been coming over to them over the years, but never taught them.  My companion, Sister Henderson, and I asked if we could go through the missionary lessons to strengthen their family and they eagerly agreed. 

They were considered less active in the gospel, and all it took was a bit of love to get them back on track.  They had us over every Monday night, and soon enough they began the habits that bring us happiness such as family scripture study, family prayer, and church attendance.

Skip ahead 3 months, to an encounter I had with Holly as she gave me a ride to Orem.  I had been transferred to Orem a month prior but had traveled up to see a baptism of a boy I had taught.  Holly had offered to give me a ride back to my area and our discussion is a highlight of my mission. 

At a lull in our conversation, Holly told me she had begun to pay tithing again. She was, "tired of only believing 98% of the gospel" and wanted to be obedient.  Her goal was to obtain a temple recommend the following month.  I was overjoyed to hear her confidence in the Lord.  She wasn't expecting any mighty miracles but believed her family would be blessed as she lived the gospel 100%. 

What I love about her experience is the fact that she saw an area of improvement in her life.  She wasn't the vilest of sinners, or in a moment of despair.  Life was going well for her but she knew she wasn't keeping all of the commandments.  Holly has a sense of integrity to the gospel that I admire.  There are plenty of people I taught that had been in rough situations and they had to overcome huge obstacles to become members of the church.  Of course, those stories are wonderful, but Holly's simple exclamation of her desire to be 100% obedient struck me and impacted my life. She inspires me to repent daily and always improve myself.    

Sister Hinkson served in the Utah Provo Mission