A year ago today, I was in Utah, scrambling around for this or that, trying to prepare myself for the biggest adventure of my life. Did I know how to prepare for a mission? No. CAN someone really be prepared for a mission? Definitely not. Most of the preparation comes while you're on a mission, I think. Sure, you can buy all your clothes, luggage and necessary items; you can study the scriptures and Preach My Gospel and get the doctrine in your head and heart; and you can try to imagine what a mission will be like...but it really starts once you get out here. That's when your faith builds, day by day, one door and one spiritual experience and one heartbreak after another. Heavenly Father literally takes you on a journey. Your first six weeks prepare you for your next six weeks. Your second companion prepares you for your fifth companion. Something you find in your studies seven months ago prepares you for the person you will meet on the street today. Everything about a mission is so intertwined. It's a big, woven experience, and you need all the little details to see the whole picture. I don't really know how to describe my experience of being a missionary. Time has dragged on and flown by at the same time. I feel like I've only been away from home for a few months, but I feel like I've had enough experiences to fill five years. It's incredible how many people I have met and come to love, as if there is more room in my heart than I knew existed. It's so awesome! I definitely have grown a lot, and gained so much understanding and appreciation for the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that this Church is true. I know that God lives, loves, and never leaves us comfortless. I know that there is a purpose for everything, and that Heavenly Father's way is best. Always. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. It has to be!! Joseph Smith really did see God and Jesus Christ, and was called to be a prophet. There is a prophet on the earth today, and the fullness of the gospel has been restored. Isn't that great news? I am so grateful to have this knowledge that has shaped my life and given me the best kind of happiness. Heavenly Father is so great! "Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel (Alma 26:16)."
If you know these things are true, go tell somebody about it! The Restoration of the Gospel didn't end with Joseph Smith. It's still going on, and we can all be a part of it!Sister Myers
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