Readjustment!

You have to sing it like “Reproduction” from Grease 2. 🙂

You’re welcome.

Y’all! Holy cow! I’ve officially been home a week! That is insane! It is so weird readjusting to normal life! I truly feel like there needs to be a class for returned missionaries. Just like there’s mission prep, there needs to be a readjusting to normal life! It has been a complete struggle being home, and every part of me wants to go back! It is insane how fast a mission goes, especially when its cut short cause of dumb medical stuff! But anyways!

Last night a member asked me what my favorite part of being home was. I of course shouted so excitedly that I was most excited about the freedom I have now! Y’all, being able to leave when I want by myself is an amazing feeling! haha! I loved my companions but it is so nice to be free and to be weird all by myself! 🙂 She then asked me another question, what was the hardest part about being home. And it really took some thinking. There’s a lot of hard parts about being home. I’m a real adult now having to deal with real adult decisions, and I have to figure all this medical stuff out. But besides all that, the hardest part about being home is Satan. As a missionary I knew he was there. I saw him as I taught people and as they progressed. That was always one of the things we told our investigators, that things are gonna start to get really hard from here because they were on the right path. So I saw him, I knew he was there! But what was so freeing was, Satan couldn’t get to me on my mission. Of course he could tempt me to be lazy and sleep in and take a longer lunch break, but he couldn’t stop me from doing what I was doing. I was called to serve a mission! I was set apart to be able to do so! And I did it! And then I came home…and was  released from that wonderful calling. That meant that mantle I had was taken, I was back to being Haylei again. I didn’t feel a physical mantle coming off, though I hoped for it. But over the last few days I’ve really noticed how real Satan is.

“Pray always, that you may come off conqueror, yea that you may conquer Satan and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work.”

It was a small experience, but really helped me see that Satan is back! I was invited to attend the temple Tuesday night with some young women!I was nervous because I didn’t have family names to take and I didn’t wanna get stuck handing them towels, so I decided I wasn’t gonna go. I kept having this internal struggle all day! I texted and told them I was not gonna go…and it just didn’t sit right. Hours later they responded and I just realized that this was Satan! He didn’t want me to go to the temple! He didn’t want me to continue progressing. He DOESN’T want any of us to continue to progress in any way, shape or form. It’s safe to say, I changed my mind and went and I DIDN’T have to be the old towel lady!

It is crazy how real life works. I guess I’ve forgotten about it a little bit. A mission is go go go! The spirit is constantly there leading and guiding ya, and then you come home and BAM! Normal life sets in, people come back into your life that left for a year and a half….all these different things. It’s hard. It’s hard to be back with everyone ya love. All they remember is the old you, the unchanged you…when you feel like you’ve changed entirely. Satan doesn’t want you to see a difference, and he wants to make you believe that you haven’t changed. I think that is the hardest part about coming home and trying to readjust. It is not easy, it is not desired. It is a trial in itself. Boo.

You can do ANYTHING you put your mind to!

That is one of the BIGGEST things my mission taught me. I, Haylei Craig, can do anything I put my mind to. I can do hard things! Heck, I just served in the Bible Belt for crying out loud!! I can do hard things! Which means, I can conquer Satan. It ain’t gonna be easy. But nothing in this life worth fighting for/against, is easy!

Readjusting, it’s an adjustment 😉 haha. It’s weird. I’m still awkward. I’m still learning how to be Haylei again, and apparently how to say my name cause I’ve called myself Sister Craig twice now.. It’s weird. It’s different. I thought I left a piece of my heart in Mississippi, but it’s much more than that. I think I left the aorta. I think that’s the most important part of your heart. Don’t quote me on that, I learned it from Grey’s Anatomy, but still. My mission means the world to me, and not a day goes by in the whole 7 days I’ve been home that I don’t think about it. I loved it there. I miss it. I miss the spirit I felt as a missionary. I miss the atmosphere. Ah. Y’all should go on a mission. It’s the best year and a half FOR your life. ❤

I love y’all! I know this gospel is the true gospel! I know that Heavenly Father loves us and is aware of us and wants to see us succeed. I know that my mission was the best thing I could’ve ever done. I am so grateful for the support from y’all. #hollardollar