Anick Gervais of Sudbury, Ontario, doesn’t wear a missionary name tag, she wears a figurative jersey. And even though you can’t see it, she says she never takes it off.
“I’m on the Lord’s team,” Gervais said. “And I want to wear His jersey forever.”
Gervais, a member of the Sudbury Ward in the Sudbury Ontario Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is happy to take the analogy even farther. As a member of His team, she’s dedicating her life to becoming an all-star. Following President Russell M. Nelson’s repeated invitation to “gather Israel,” Gervais has introduced thousands of people to the restored Church and has given away more than 400 copies of the Book of Mormon.
At her breakneck pace, she might hit 500 by the time you finish reading her story.
Gervais, 39, has always wanted to do the Lord’s work, she just didn’t know where to start. “For most of my life I was lost, just searching and searching,” Gervais said.
She grew up in another faith, but in name only, and doesn’t recall Jesus Christ being a topic at home. “We didn’t talk about Jesus. Ever.”
As a teenager, Gervais grew desperate for a spiritual foundation, but her curiosity and seeking were rarely rewarded. “I was always too outgoing, too loud, too much. I was a firecracker, always questioning everything.”
To her friends and teachers, Gervais seemed to have it all. She was captain of the basketball and volleyball teams. She was always involved, serving and volunteering. But inside she waged a war with darkness, loneliness, and a voice of despair grew louder. “It shouted at me,” she said. “It told me I was ugly, dumb, that no one loved me, and that I should just disappear.”
She began to question more than ever the meaning of life, and if God were real, why had He made her the way that He had?
In grade 11, nearly ready to give up on life, love, and faith, she heard a clear and empowering voice. This time, the voice wasn’t creating doubt, it came offering hope. “Anick, you cannot give up. You are meant for greatness. I have a plan for you.” Gervais heard and felt the words from head to toe.
Soon, at just 17, with nothing but dreams and $200 in her pockets, she left home for college and began an intense search for this promised plan. “The day I heard that loving voice sparked a journey,” she said. “A long one. A messy one. A beautiful one.”
Over the next season of her life, Gervais began to finally find answers. “One night, my roommate Sarah started telling me about this man called Jesus. I mean, really teaching me—who He was, what He did, how He died for us. And I sat there, tears running down my face, because I had never in my entire life heard that story.”
With a smile, Sarah added, “Oh, and I think He’s coming for you.”
Read the full story on the Church News.
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