Good morning Brothers and Sisters!! These past 2 years have been filled with patience, perseverance, and humility. I can’t explain all the emotions I have filled these past 2 years but I can share how the Lord has a plan for us all.
Two years, I met with Bishop Sorenson and President Ham and began my papers. A couple weeks later, after meeting with LDS family services I was told that they didn’t feel I was ready for a mission. Understandable. I figured that I was already going to summer session at BYU Idaho and I could just add on the fall. Now, before all this, I was 100% against going to Utah or Idaho or Kansas. I refused to go to any of those places and I felt that they are boring places. Heck, I didn’t even want to go to Vegas. No offense to anyone who lives in Vegas but I don’t think it’s the most glamorous place to live. HOWEVER, I did learn to love it and it became one of my favorite places to live. Anyway, I went to school. I met so many amazing people and had such a fun time. I was ecstatic for the opportunity I had to go to an extra semester of school. However, as I came home that Winter, I felt like I needed to go serve a mission. I came home and my LDS family services counselor told me to wait another year and that I can probably serve. Upset and disappointed I did exactly that. However, I did waste 3 months doing nothing. Let’s just say, I have seen all 9 seasons of The Office about 9 or 10 times. The next 2 semesters were by far the best semesters ever. I made even more friends than before and I had some of the best roommates. I was extremely blessed to go to school those times. I’d list off the friends that I made but I don’t want to forget anyone even though none of them are here. I was determined to finally serve a mission. There came a time where that thought of serving in Utah or Idaho or Kansas became a dream that I wanted to happen. I was ok with serving anywhere I was called to go. I just wanted to serve. I knew it was selfish of me to be picky about where I wanted to serve because I was called to serve God and not myself. My last semester of college was when I told people that I didn’t care where I served as long as I got to serve. It was probably also the best semester ever. I can’t emphasize enough how appreciative I was to have to wait and learn and grow. Eventually, I came home again. I met with LDS family services and they said they would recommend me and I got my papers in. 3 or so weeks later, I get called in by President Ham (the stake president) and he told me some pretty awesome news. I was given the opportunity to serve a 2-transfer mission in the Nevada Las Vegas West mission. I was able to serve and show that I am capable of serving a full 2-year mission. And that is where one chapter ended and another started.
Now I learned many things in those 2 years. The first one was patience. I waited 2 years to finally serve my mission and to get approved to serve. The Lord made me wait that long because he knew that there were other things he needed me for. Learning patience helped me to know and understand the importance of doing things in the Lord’s timing instead of my timing. It killed me to wait that long but as I look back I realize and understand that the Lord needed me to wait and be blessed by many others. This patience led me into the other thing I learned which is humility.
I truly believe that one reason the Lord made me wait is that he needed me to humble myself and accept any call. I needed to enter the mission being willing to serve everywhere and not be close minded on just a few certain places. It definitely would have made my mission suck and I would have been salty half the time if I was in a place that I didn’t want to be. I loved having to wait in order to humble myself and accept any call to serve. It doesn’t matter where we serve because we are all doing the same thing. I have friends serving in Peru, Thailand, Australia, Utah, Idaho, Sweden, Brazil, Washington, Oklahoma, Florida, Russia, Africa, and many other places around the world. I got sent to Vegas and I wouldn’t ask for any other place to serve. Well, I still do wish I could go back to Peru. I learned to love and serve where I was called. I am just as good as my friend in Sweden. It’s where we were needed and where there is a life that only you can bless. In this ward alone, we have someone in Brazil and someone in Spain and then there’s me who was 4 and a half hours away in Vegas. I don’t think they are any better than me because they went to a foreign mission and learned a super cool language. Every missionary is the same but just called to serve in different places. I am extremely blessed for my time in Vegas. And blessed for the moments leading up to Vegas.
As we got closer, I was more and more excited and couldn’t wait until the day of me entering the mission field. 2 hours before I was to go to the mission office, I was nervous and refused to go and felt sick to my stomach but I finally decided to go and felt a warm peaceful feeling inside of me. The spirit overwhelmed my soul and comforted me so that I would go. It was awesome. I immediately saw the blessings in my life and the blessings I would receive. I have a few experiences to share that made me realize that I am where the Lord needed me.
We had an investigator Becky whose husband was baptized a few years ago. She has been taking the lessons forever and knows a ton of missionaries. When I got in the area, they were meeting with her less and less because she wasn’t progressing and I said that we can’t stop meeting with her and we need to continue. There is no reason that we should stop meeting. 7 weeks into the mission, we went to a lesson at her house and before we started the prayer her husband says that Becky wanted to be baptized. It was a huge miracle because she hasn’t shown any huge interest in being baptized and then it happened. We were ecstatic and she was baptized a few weeks ago. The best part was that I found out a couple weeks ago that we have the same birthday. I don’t take credit for her baptism or for her wanting to be baptized. Every missionary leading up to that played a role in her conversion. But, I do know that I was there for a reason and that if I didn’t push on saying that we need to continue meeting with them then she might not have ever been baptized.
Our second miracle was Omar. We were randomly riding down a street when I get this prompting that we should go see a member in our other ward. Although I knew he wasn’t home and that he was going to be at work, I got a feeling to go down this road. As we turn the corner, we see a man and ask how his day is going. Then he said it was rough. My companion stopped and asked if there was anything we could do to make it better and he said no. Then he shocked us both by asking, “Are you in the Dove Canyon ward? And do you know so and so?” Asking about our ward mission leader and bishop. We responded again that we did. He then tells us that he was going to be baptized a few years ago but things happened and he still wants to be baptized. We met with him a couple days later and we set him on date and now he too is baptized.
Now I don’t tell these stories to brag about baptisms but I tell them in order for everyone to understand the importance of following through with promptings and knowing that the Lord places us in people’s paths for a reason. I knew there was a reason that I was there for Becky. I still don’t know exactly why I was the missionary chosen to be there for Becky when she wanted to be baptized.
I do know that if I hadn’t waited 2 years to serve a mission, if I hadn’t been called to Vegas, if I hadn’t been called to serve in the Dove Canyon ward, and if we hadn’t been riding down the street at that moment and I had the prompting to turn down the street then Omar might not have been baptized for another 4 years. We are so blessed to have met him and to help him draw closer to the Savior and strengthen his testimony in the gospel.
For the past 2 years, I have persevered to get on a mission. I have had many ups and downs and many challenges and setbacks. Many times, I didn’t know why I had to wait and why I was having to go back to school. But looking back on it, I feel so blessed and understand the reasoning why. I won’t say that this trial was horrible because many people have gone through way worse and many people don’t get the chance to serve at all. But, I know that the Lord has put me through this for a reason. Now to finish off the rest of the story.
3 weeks ago, my mission president came to the church for me, my companion, and one of my zone leaders to do a survey. We do the survey and life goes on and we continue on with the missionary work. One week goes on and nothing is heard. Finally, my mission president calls me and tells us to meet him at the office at 7 pm. We show up and he tells me that the church is worried about one of my answers. I wrote something that made the church think I couldn’t handle the work or that I didn’t want to do the work. He asked me if I wanted to serve a 2-year mission and I said yes. Deep down I was screaming “yes!!! Of course, I do. I’ve waited so long for this and I would be so excited to serve.” I was extremely happy and felt that I could serve and wanted to. Then Friday, he calls us and tells us to be there in an hour. He tells me that a 2-year mission is basically off the table. I have no idea what happened. I have no idea what was answered that made the church think I couldn’t handle it but that is what’s on the table and here I am. He told me that they are considering me for the Church Headquarters mission which would be really cool. However, the church was supposed to get back to us the other day but due to a huge lack of communication, they still haven’t gotten back to us. I have no idea why the Lord would make me wait 2 years and then give me this wonderful opportunity and given me a chance, just to shoot it down the drain. I may not know why I had to go through all this just to not be able to serve a full 2 years but something that I do know is that I served for the time that the Lord needed me to serve. My mission call only stated that I would serve for 3 months with the possibility that I could serve for longer. I am fully satisfied with knowing that fulfilled my call to serve the Lord. Besides, the Lord knew it would only take me 3 months to do what it takes the rest of you to do in 2 years. Haha.
Please don’t ever give up. The Lord has a plan for all of us and we need to be patient. Having the patience to allow the Lord to fulfill his plan is super important. Never lose faith that the Lord has something in store for you. As I have said, I have no idea why the Lord is making me go another path. For the time being, I will be going back to BYU Idaho and finishing up my education to get a job. I don’t know why I have to go this route and why I am to go back to school but I know it will bless my life. I am already extremely blessed to have met the missionaries I did and to know the members I did. In fact, I know there’s a family here right now. The Trudeau’s came to support me and I’m extremely grateful for them and their love for missionaries and for all of us. I know there is a reason for all of this and that the Lord has a plan for me. Whether it be an amazing teaching job or starting a family. Yes, I know, that’s already crossing my mind. But I know that all of this is for a reason and that no matter the outcome, putting my faith in God and trusting him is all that I can do for now. I have questioned this a lot and I have really questioned my faith but as I have really followed the counsel of Elder Uchtdorf’s counsel “Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith.” I realized that doubting the authenticity of revelation or their authority was seriously doubting my faith and I needed to stop doubting the things I have grown and gained a testimony on.
I would also like to share my favorite scripture. Jacob 3:1, “But behold, I, Jacob, would speak unto you that are pure in heart. Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction.” I have found a great deal of comfort in these words. Knowing that when I put my faith in God and trust in him, he will give me comfort and help me feel the love that I need. It won’t always be easy for God will comfort us and he will protect and defend us. I have never found it super easy but I have always found love and comfort within God. Now if I have time I want to quickly share the 10 things I learned on the mission. I had to send this to someone who worked in my mission office who created a mission book for everyone. Extremely blessed for it.
1. Member missionary work is important and everyone should actively participate in sharing the gospel and finding people for the missionaries to teach.
2. Everyone has potential and an ability to be receptive to learn of the gospel. It comes over time but if you try, people will learn and grow.
3. Miracles come in all shapes and sizes. The smallest of coincidences are no coincidences. They are always miracles. Everything works together to create miracles.
4. Your days won't always be 100% happy but they will work out and something good will happen in each day. Always look for the tender mercies in life.
5. Winco is better than Walmart. Always shop at Winco.
6. Always follow the promptings of the spirit. Even in the smallest of ways. Every small decision and choice that turns out good is because of the Holy Ghost. Always rely on the holy ghost and don't get discouraged when you think a prompting turns out wrong, there is always a reason for a prompting.
7. Every member and missionary truly does love you and wants the best for you. Even during tense situations or when you think you aren't getting along, everyone is looking out for you and wanting you to succeed and be happy.
8. Don't let other people ruin your day. Not everyone is going to accept our message or be nice but there is always someone willing to be kind and give you water or at least be polite.
9. Be quick to forgive and apologize. Always have the attitude to forgive others and not hold grudges. We all deserve second chances and an opportunity to be forgiven. And always apologize to those you have hurt and ask for forgiveness from those that you feel you have hurt. Forgiving and apologizing can heal us and make us all feel better.
I am extremely blessed to know that the Lord has a plan for us all. I know that wherever life is supposed to take me, it’s for the good and it’s what I am destined to do in life. I am excited to go back to school but I know how blessed I am through the Savior. Never give up, be patient, and persevere.2. Everyone has potential and an ability to be receptive to learn of the gospel. It comes over time but if you try, people will learn and grow.
3. Miracles come in all shapes and sizes. The smallest of coincidences are no coincidences. They are always miracles. Everything works together to create miracles.
4. Your days won't always be 100% happy but they will work out and something good will happen in each day. Always look for the tender mercies in life.
5. Winco is better than Walmart. Always shop at Winco.
6. Always follow the promptings of the spirit. Even in the smallest of ways. Every small decision and choice that turns out good is because of the Holy Ghost. Always rely on the holy ghost and don't get discouraged when you think a prompting turns out wrong, there is always a reason for a prompting.
7. Every member and missionary truly does love you and wants the best for you. Even during tense situations or when you think you aren't getting along, everyone is looking out for you and wanting you to succeed and be happy.
8. Don't let other people ruin your day. Not everyone is going to accept our message or be nice but there is always someone willing to be kind and give you water or at least be polite.
9. Be quick to forgive and apologize. Always have the attitude to forgive others and not hold grudges. We all deserve second chances and an opportunity to be forgiven. And always apologize to those you have hurt and ask for forgiveness from those that you feel you have hurt. Forgiving and apologizing can heal us and make us all feel better.
I love you all and thanks for reading this!!!!
