Defining the Role

I do not have many leadership qualities. However, I read somewhere that the best leaders are always looking to improve. Hopefully, that is one characteristic that I do have: a recognition of my shortcomings, and a desire to make strong my weaknesses. With that, I hope to become a greater leader. This semester I find that I can exercise a tremendous amount of leadership as a roommate. First, I think it would be appropriate to explore the nature of rooming together with someone.
Roommates, quite obviously, live together. They most often eat together, sleep together, go to the same ward, and if you're one of those lucky ones, indulge in deep conversations that go late into the night. Sometimes, roommates share a bond, that improve through a progression from shallow pleasantries, to a sense of rapport, to some conflicts, and finally to a relationship that has been tested of time, stress, and pressure. Out of all these things, the aspect that I would like to emphasize in this entry on the nature of roommate relationships is the aspect of example. Roommates, interacting so much on such a basic level, cannot help but become somewhat similar to each other. Starting from the small things like whether or not you make your bed, to big things like doing well on your academics, or becoming very social. Depending on the habits and characters of each roommate, some of these habits and qualities will rub off on the other roommates. For me, I think this is a wonderful opportunity to exercise leadership, through my own example as a roommate.
To give some more background information on my roommates, I have three roommates. Two are Korean friends that I met during the spring and summer terms and one is an American student who, understandably, might feel a sense of pressure from being surrounded by three students from unfamiliar cultures and who speak a language different from his own. Although I am fluent in English and thus, can communicate well with our single American roommate, my two Korean friends are not very comfortable speaking English, nor with the American culture. Even in that one description, I can already see a leadership opportunity.
Although this opportunity poses a relishing challenge of communication and having our roommates get along despite the language barriers, I see a greater opportunity for leadership that holds dearer to my heart.
My Korean friends, as Korean citizens and as Church members, are required and obligated, respectively, to serve a two year draft in the Korean military, as well as a two year mission for the Church. Being already required to sacrifice two years of their time for their country, it could be seen as a greater decision to serve a mission for the Church for these two Korean roommates. However, from the many things I have heard from fellow Korean saints, many Korean men, though determined to serve their missions before serving their military draft, after having gone through two years of military, decide not to serve missions. It is understandable that they would come to such a decision, but I cannot help but feel much sorrow that these men will not be able to experience for themselves the wonderful joys and blessings that come with serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And as such, my concern is for my roommates, who will have to go through the same decisions. As of now, they are set on serving missions after their military service, however I know, from the warnings of many RM's, that Satan can and will try to deter my friends from serving their missions. I love my friends, and as such, I cannot bear to watch them not serve missions. In the end, it is their decision and I must respect their agency, however, I also know that example is a strong motivator.
By living a life that is consistent with those principles that prepare a man to enter the holy temple and serve a mission, I seek to be an example to my roommates, so that when the time comes for them to make this difficult decision, they will have, as extra support, my example. Thus, it falls on me to set a strong example for my roommates, so that it may give them the strongest motivating factor that I, within the bounds of my abilities, can possibly provide. That is my leadership role this semester, and I seek to accomplish it by doing all the things necessary to prepare myself to serve a mission and by communicating to my roommates on such matters.