THEY SAY A picture is worth a thousand words. Recently, while looking through photos, I was reminded of my experience as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1991 to 1993 in Bordeaux, France.
As I looked at each photograph, memories came flooding back — the people I was with, the places where I served, the events in my mission, the challenges I faced and the joy I experienced.
Most of all, I fondly remembered the love I had for the people we taught in France.
Each picture triggered different memories. Much of this couldn’t be known from the image alone without my commentary. However, one thing you can see in my eyes is that I was happy.
Now more than 30 years later, as I reflect on my mission, I have knowledge I didn’t have back then. I had no idea how transformational my mission would be for me.
I couldn’t foresee the trials and challenges I would later face or the happiness that awaited me as I continued to serve in the Church in various ways. I didn’t know the joy I would experience as I would go on to marry my wife and have six wonderful children. Life would bring incredible highs and terrible lows.
The young Jason Bringhurst in those photos knew none of this. We benefit from wisdom and experience as we look back upon the past.
I still love taking pictures, and much to the chagrin of my children, I take plenty during family vacations, holidays or whenever I see a great opportunity to capture a moment — whether of them individually or all of us together.
I use Facebook as a digital scrapbook of my life. I love looking back through memories. Sadly, we don’t print as many photos as we used to. Many of the events in my life over the past 18 years can be found on Facebook rather than in physical photo albums.
As we begin a new year, one goal might be to organize our photographs and tell our own story — whether digitally or in print. We might also help a parent or grandparent do the same.
If you’re my age or older, you know that our childhoods were vastly different from those of today’s children. What may seem ordinary to us could be fascinating to future generations.
While a picture may be worth a thousand words, adding context makes it even more meaningful. Fortunately, along with photography, I love writing and sharing my experiences.
One thing I am especially grateful for is my testimony of Jesus Christ. As a young boy, the seed of faith was planted in me. I learned about another young boy, Joseph Smith, who also had questions about faith. In the spring of 1820, near his family’s farm in Palmyra, N.Y., he knelt in a grove of trees and had a miraculous experience — he saw God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
I have devoted sufficient time to prayer and study during my life to know through the Holy Ghost that this experience was true. The heavens are not closed and God still speaks with prophets today, just as He did in ancient times.
My faith journey didn’t happen overnight. That seed of faith was planted years ago and has been nourished through the years by studying The Book of Mormon and The Bible, through earnest prayer and a commitment to serving the Lord. Even today, I feel that same joy that was in my eyes as a young missionary in France as I consecrate time to the Lord and serve Him.
I am optimistically looking forward to 2025.
I plan on fondly reflecting on cherished memories through old photographs, taking many more pictures and drawing closer to Jesus Christ through reverent prayer and scripture study.
The Lord has abundantly blessed us, and photographs often serve as poignant reminders of His countless blessings.
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Issues of Faith is a rotating column by religious leaders on the North Olympic Peninsula. Bishop Jason Bringhurst is the leader of the Mount Pleasant Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Port Angeles, ComeUntoChrist.org. His email is jasonbring@gmail.com.
