18 Months to Find Him; Eternity to Cherish Him.

Welcome to the final stretch! Ten days until the MTC and thirty days until Oklahoma! A flood of emotion has come over me this last week as I said a goodbye to some friends and family all ready, given my farewell talk and had time to let reality sink in. 

Reflect back to the title of this post and then let me share with you the why behind it. 

I believe if I let the Atonement and the Spirit work effectively in my life, I can and will be the greatest convert on my mission. I have 18 months to spend with amazing children of God as we all strive to come closer to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It's a process and journey we will take together; as missionaries, members, family, friends, converts, investigators, etc. 

I am beyond words excited for my mission! I have found myself pretty nervous the last few days, but that is the Spirit working. I don't remember word-for-word, but a wonderful member in my ward said to me the Sunday of my farewell, that if we are nervous but the slightest, the Spirit is with us and ready to teach. If we find ourselves content and overly confident, we might not be as spiritually prepared. Now, this is just a statement of opinion, but I believe it is true. Our Heavenly Father wants us to be challenged so that we can grow.

There was a picture of Christ that always hung in my home throughout my childhood. Next to it was a phrase and it read, "I didn't say it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it." It was not easy for me to decide to serve a mission but I knew that time and time again, my Heavenly Father was telling me that, that is where I needed to be. As hard as the mission decision was, it was not hard to decide to serve my Savior after all He has done for me. 

I decided to serve a mission because of revelation given to me through the Spirit, experiences provided through the Atonement and Priesthood power in my life which testified of His love for me. This amazing Gospel truth has provided a change in my life that gives me hope and provides an eternal security. That is the message, His message, that I want to share. Love, peace, hope, truth, eternity. 

As I spend the next 18 months on a journey for my Savior and my brothers and sisters, my hope is that I will find Him and come to know Him better than ever before. Most of all, I hope that every person I meet and experience I have on my mission will better me for the eternity I have to cherish Him and His Gospel. <3