****** I have prayed for about 5 months now that you would consider a mission and never fear, I´m not here to pressure you at all to turn in papers or anything I just want to share how I feel about the whole business (obviously your decisions are up to you). Obviously, I am biased because I´m in the throws of the work. But let me just say that it is the thing of greatest worth that I have ever done and I´ve never been happier or closer to the Savior Jesus Christ. Rememer when you KNEW that Jesus Christ was your Savior and that THIS is right and the ONLY way. As missionaries, we get to help people find that daily and I think a natural result of really having a testimony is the desire to share it with other people. I didn´t REALLY consider a mission until I REALLY started getting my own testimony (which was about the same timeish as you...19 or 20).
Wow, my thoughts won´t be organized at all because my little heart is just screaming GO, GO, GO! Just how when you drew closer to the Savior, you knew HIm better...you understood...so much more is it when you enter the temple and then the mission field. I wrote just this morning in my journal how ashamed I am at the lack of understanding I had before the mission...of the plan of salvation, of the Savior, of other people, of myself. You learn things out here that will only help you get better and better (eternal progression is the whole point, right?) I can´t imagine my life without this calling. I lay in bed last night and felt the beautiful changes that have come over me the last 9 months. You might be able to find a few of them in my blog, but the rest will hopefully just be manifest in how I live the rest of my life...
Okay, I could rave all day about how YES is the decision you should make, but it all comes down to you. I know it was real and I know you grew close to the Savior...I can see it in your face and read it in your letters. Obviously you came to a knowledge of the Savior . You discovered that He cares and He loves you. God is able to answer prayers. But with the whole mission decision will all come down to you. I think Heavenly Father would LOVE all of His daughters to serve in this capacity...but he leaves it to us to decide. I have found with every companion I´ve had that there was at least some oposition in their decision (boys, TIME was a huge one...they thought it was so long or they couldn´t finish school or stuff like that, family problems, money) We can rule out family problems and money because we have the best of those worlds. For you, I bet it will come down to time. (You´ll have all sorts of boys interested liike always...but whatever). It probably seems like a really long time or you´ll feel like you will miss something that otherwise would´ve happened if you hadn´t have served a mission. FALSO! Those two are false. Heavenly Father would never restrict blessings based on a good and righteous decision. Don´t you worry for one second that you´ll somehow miss something if you decide to go. and two, it is the shortest time of my life.
Basically it all comes down to you. Meditate, think, study the scriptures, evaluate your own testimony, think of the good you can do and the lives you can change and how this opportunity will never, ever come again in your life...even if you serve with your husband (president holland said it, not me) Think of the joy and changes YOU personally have experienced from having the Savior be such a huge part of your life..think of the stories you will tell your children…think of the increased knowledge you can have of the Savior from serving day alter day in the Spirit, think of the depth of your testimony that comes from the sactifying process of the atonement…and then think of your Father in heaven and what He would have you do. Of course I´m going to say GO, nothing in my life has meant more to me than this. I love you so much and thats why I´ve been praying since January for you to think about serving. I have never found anything of greater worth and thats why I want to share it with you.
I can´t imagine you having a companion that wouldn´t just absolutely adore you. I know you can work hard and I know you are exceedingly capable in whatever language, country, weather, or situation. Your mission president would LOVE you and you have a testimony of the Gospel you have the capacity to reach down into people´s low points and give them a high and eternal hope. Nothing in my life will ever be the same because of this and I´m eternally grateful. I can´t make the decision for you (although I´d like to :) ), but please just trust me when I say you will be phenominal and will find nothing to do that is of greater worth (except start your own family). The decision is between you and the Lord (but I´m still going to pray for you). There´s a part where Paul is preaching in the Bible and he says that he counts his life before his ministry as dung...now I don´t think my life before was dung, but everything is so much more meaningful...so much more beautiful and so much happier. Vicky (a 19 year old girl we baptized) wrote me today and she expressed her love for me and for God, she has a calling and is preparing to go to the temple to get married to a return missionary. I almost cried with joy and felt that I would work the rest of my mission without baptizing one more person if she would remain faithful till the end. I know she will.
Well, I could write to you for hours and hours and hours about experiences and people I love with a pure love. I would do anything for some of these people and I KNOW Christ DID do everything for these people. ****, Christ did it for us, too.
Nothing will be of more worth, nothing will bring you greater happiness at this time in your life, and NOTHING will bring you closer to God than to enter the holy temple and then serve with all your might. All he requires is a worthy heart and willing hands. You don´t have to be perfect, you don´t have to know everything. The burning knowledge that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world and restored HIS Gospel (the only way back) through the prophet Joseph is what you need. Pray, pray, fast, pray, study, breath, and pray. You will know what you should do. I love you so much ***** and will be overjoyed at whatever decision you make and support you in wherever life takes you (seriously).
Em
No comments:
Post a Comment