The Best Year and a Half!

It is amazing how fast time flies when you are truly having fun! Words escape me as I try to describe how absolutely wonderful these last 16 months have been! I could not have asked for a better mission experience! I thought Heavenly Father was just crazy for calling me to the South!!! BUT I seemed to fit in more than I thought I would, despite my “northern” accent!

Even though I served the first 3 months in the Arizona Scottsdale Mission, nothing could have prepared me for the Southern States! Never had I seen so many churches in my life! And there were ones on every street corner! It was hard to keep up with all the different Baptist churches! I knew nothing about any religion besides The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! I was not prepared, nor was I looking forward to peoples questions about my church! But with a continual prayer in my heart, I was able to say what Heavenly Father wanted me to say! That first door was the scariest, best experience ever. I knew then that what I was doing was real, it was right! I was a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ and I was so happy to have that privelage!

“I am called of God. My authority is above that of Kings of the Earth. By revelation I have been selected as a personal representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is my Master and has chosen me to represent Him.”

From that day on, we knocked on doors and shared our unique message about the book of mormon with the beautiful people of South Mississippi.  Never before have I felt the pure joy that comes from serving our Savior. The next 12 months were nothing but that. Of course the hard days came, and unfortunately so did the humid weather, but with each hard day and rude rejection came a wonderful peaceful feeling that I was doing the right thing. That someone, somewhere out there was waiting for me to meet them and share this message of joy with them!

“I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it…and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to brig some soul to repentance, and this is my joy.” Alma 29:9

I was privileged to meet people who didnt know Christ and be able to teach them. I had the wonderful opportunity to make friendships with ward members that are more like family than anything else! I was able to teach, and feel the spirit and strengthen my testimony as I simply reminded these brothers and sisters of mine of the plan they once chose to follow! It was amazing to watch the spirit work through these people and see them make choices that brought them the joy that Alma talks about!!

My mission was absolutely joyful. The bad days and rude people are just funny stories now. Refiners fire I suppose. The success I had was not measured in numbers, but measured in the change of heart I had, and the people I met. My life has been greatly enriched from experiences in Mississippi and Arkansas! I wouldn’t trade them for anything. They made me who I am today, each person I met changed me for the better. Okay, maybe not Blair 😉 But everyone else has helped me be a little bit more like Christ because of their examples and the spirit they had!

It’s awkward to be home, and I want to go back so bad. Arizona looks boring compared to the beautiful South, but I know it will just take some adjusting. I am so grateful for those who supported me, who believed in me and helped me get on a mission and those who I met while I was out and made my time worth it. From the mountains in Arizona, the coast in Biloxi, around Mississippi and to the little town of El Dorado Arkansas,which isn’t pronounced how you’d think, I am forever changed and it truly was the best year and a half!!

“Everything, for the rest of your life, you owe to your mission…there will not be a day that goes by that you do not think about it…”-Elder Holland