"You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." Twenty-seven years ago, these words were addressed to me. Now I was reading them again in a call sent to Mom.

Photo courtesy Paul Young

In 1965 photograph, Betty Jo Young, now serving in the Texas Houston Mission, holds son Paul.

All my life, Mom has been an example of faith. The phrase, "still waters run deep" comes to mind when I think of her. In spite of that, having Mom serve her mission alone was not something I had anticipated. My hope was that Mom and Dad would have a "storybook" mission experience and serve together as a couple in New Zealand, where Dad had served as a young elder.

Dad passed away suddenly just more than two years ago, which made that experience impossible. At the time I didn't realize Mom would consider serving a mission alone. (After all, I was certain that Mom would be too nervous, plus serving a mission isn't as common among widows and, selfishly, I have always wanted Mom and her fresh-baked rolls to be very close.) Even so, when Mom told us that she felt the need to serve a mission, I was not surprised or disappointed, just proud.

Just before Mom entered the Missionary Training Center, we had an early Thanksgiving dinner. I tried to eat enough rolls to last the time she would be gone. At the end, she provided each of her children with a transcripted copy of the journal she kept while we were growing up.

As I started to read Mom's journal, I searched for evidence that I had been a perfect child. Despite plenty of ink that proved otherwise, I kept reading. As I read, I relived those years with the combination of my own memory, Mother's account, and now life's experience; I read about the death of loved ones, the difficulty of raising children, budget strains, and her concern about the erosion of traditional values.

I remembered many of the events Mom had written about, but I had experienced them with the limited understanding of a child's perspective. Reading about them now, I was blessed with a greater ability to see where Mom's strength had come from, and what it was. I realized it was faith that enabled her to transcend difficulty and I saw clearly that faith provides understanding, not the other way around.

One entry, from July of 1973, mentioned a "special meeting" called by the stake presidency. This meeting was held just a few weeks after our stake had been created, and in this meeting, General Authorities living within the stake spoke. One thing that Mom recorded, and I remember hearing at other times while I was growing up, was the statement: "Plant a slow-growing tree and expect to see it mature."

Mom expressed faith in, and comfort from, the words of the brethren amidst so much uncertainly in the world.

Since 1973 much has changed, yet nothing has changed. Great things happen by doing, action still requires faith, and faith without works is dead.

I am thankful for the example of my faithful mother, who exemplifies the Proverb and shows me the way by her words and deeds:

"Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised" (Proverbs 31:29-30).

Paul A. Young is bishop of the Willow Creek 6th Ward, Sandy Utah Willow Creek Stake.