Going home

 

Well familia, it would seem that my time as a missionary has come to an end. There are so many things I want to say, but first I want to say thank you! Thank you for all your support, your prayers, your advice, and your love. Thank you for actually reading my emails! I never thought these things could have an impact, but I've been lucky to have this opportunity to share my testimony with you all regularly. 

 

I have loved being a missionary so very much, it's hard to put it into words. I have grown so much closer to my Heavenly Father; more than I ever thought I could have. I've grown so much closer to my Savior Jesus Christ. Sharing his gospel and seeing its life changing effect on others has been one of the greatest joys in my life. I have seen many people come unto Christ and made so many friends that I would have thought unlikely before this experience. Moving missions and going home and back out again was a great trial, but I'm so thankful for the trials that I've gone through on my mission. 

 

Romans 8:18 reads:

"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."

 

I've thought about this scripture and its meaning. It points to the amazing happiness and glory that we will receive in the next life, but it doesn't mean that we will only be rewarded after this life. Our futures can be brighter and more joyful than we ever thought possible if we rely on the Lord to help us through our trials. I've seen so many examples of his hand in my life, pushing me and picking me up through the hard days, and helping me laugh and feel his love throughout all the good and bad. The Lord's timing isn't always what we want, but if we trust in him, we will learn that it's the timing that we need. 

 

Seeing others come unto Christ is something that never gets old. Elder Egbert and I have had the privilege to start teaching some awesome people, Alaina is one of the more recent ones. Her phone number hadn't worked in a while, so we tried email and were finally able to get in touch with her. She's been coming to church, and when we met with her last, she told us how when she was talking with someone about baptism, she thought of us, and decided that she needed to be baptized! She is so wonderful, I'm so glad we've been able to share this message with her. Being able to help someone who has recently lost someone know that they will see them again is an amazing feeling. The reality of eternal families is just one of the many reasons the gospel gives us so much hope. Hope in the future, the hope to work for a better world, the hope that we can be more like our Savior and redeemer. 

 

This last week our mission opened up a bit, so we were able to knock doors of people who we had already had contact with. Although it's not the same as knocking doors of random people, it made me think about the first few months of my mission when that was a regular thing, and how much I've changed. I love teaching others about the gospel, but when I first came out on a mission, I was apprehensive about talking to strangers. I'm still not the best in the world, but I'm so much more able to look at a random person and try to help them see themselves as God sees them.

Moroni 8:16 says: " I fear not what man can do; for perfect love casteth out all fear." That's something I've learned throughout my mission, that if we truly love someone, we won't fear to reach out to them in love. 

 

I'll share one last scripture; this was the one I picked to be a theme for my mission at the beginning. It's Alma 17: 11, and it reads: "And the Lord said unto them also: Go forth among the Lamanites, thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls." 

 

I find it interesting that the Lord calls the Lamanites the brethren of these missionaries, whose people had been at odds and at war with them since they could remember. We are all truly Brothers and sisters, as we are all children of God. These missionaries had to see these people through God's eyes in order to truly deliver the message of his love and his gospel. The part about being patient in afflictions is not something I ever really wanted to learn, but it's something I needed to. The mission has taught me so much about patience, and how it relates to Godliness, as we work, we can have peace as we wait on the Lord's promises. We must be patient in order to be those good examples, and to be an instrument in the Lord's hands to help bring others to the truth. Many times, throughout my time as a missionary I've said or done things that I knew weren't me in that moment. I could feel the spirit working through me and telling me what to say. The spirit is vital if we ever want to feel God's presence in our lives and help others feel that same joy. Being an instrument in God's hands to bring others unto salvation as a missionary has been an unforgettable experience. I've made lifelong friends and have seen lives completely change for the better with God's help. I've realized that I am nothing without him, and I don't ever want to be without him again. I've had many spiritual experiences with the Book of Mormon Another Testament of Jesus Christ and with others. I know that as you read it and pray about it, you will know that it is God's word, no other book brings me happiness and joy quite like the Book of Mormon. I know that it is true, I know that God restored his church to the earth again through the Prophet Joseph Smith, I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior, and that he suffered all, for all of us to be able to come unto him and be saved. I know that God is our loving Heavenly father and will lead us to a happier life if we just let him, and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ amen.