When Justin Mozina was growing up in Crestview, he was not serious enough about preparing to go on a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints mission.
He says, “I was one of the most unprepared missionaries to serve a mission in the Zimbabwe Harare South African Mission.” Nevertheless, serve a mission he did. This was an answer to a prayer; he was struggling to decide if he should serve or not, so he got on his knees to pray.
The first thing that he remembered was something his sister had told him after returning from the LDS Young Women’s Summer Camp. She said to him, "If you have a problem, pray and then open the scriptures, and you will find your answer."
He continues, “So I opened my scriptures and there was Doctrine and Covenants 4: 2-4, and I read: 'Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day. Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work.'
"I knew that was the answer to my prayers and that I needed to go. And I had no idea what I was getting myself into!”
Typically, young folks looking forward to a mission attend four years of Early Morning Seminary, where they learn their scriptures from the Bible and the Book of Mormon, as well as church history. These classes take place every high school day at 5:45 a.m. Also, many go out teaching with the missionaries, and also use the guide called "Preach My Gospel."
According to Elder Mozina, his most important preparation was having a strong testimony of the Restoration and the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Justin had many spiritual experiences, but the one which touched him the most was when he was reading the Book of Mormon to his investigators. He states, “We were in 3 Nephi 17 when Christ is among the native tribes and he heals the multitude of all their afflictions. That day, I felt the spirit testify to me that Christ is our Savior and redeemer of us all and that through his atonement, we all can be healed. And I knew that our listeners knew it too, at that very moment.”
While on his mission he learned many valuable lessons. He said, ”The most important thing I learned was that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that he truly did atone for our sins.
"All of the knowledge I gained on my mission was important, but nothing can be more important to me than the strong testimony that was forged through teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of Zimbabwe. I will be forever grateful to my Father in Heaven for giving me the opportunity to discover that.”
He added some advice for those contemplating a mission, “There will be ups and downs on your missions, but not one second of it will you ever regret if you wholeheartedly serve the Lord with all your might. I loved every second of my mission and I loved the people that I served, and I know you will too.”
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview man serves as elder, missionary in South Africa