I hate mission. there i said it. Now let me take it back. i love missions and i think they are the most wonderful thing. i hate goodbyes. this summer i have attended my own ward a total of three times because of all the missionary farewells i have been to. at the begging it was so much fun watching my friends go out and serve, change lives along with their own. however the more farewells i went to the harder it got. so many of my friends were leaving. the last farewell was the hardest. this boy was amazing. he was already such a great missionary here in our little old town, he changed so many lives mine included. i went to his farewell heartbroken that it was the last time i would see him, but it wasn't. Monday four of us went over to his house to say our last goodbyes. i watched him give an amazing blessing hugged him goodbye and walked away. none of us were all that good at goodbye's. we hugged we cried and we hugged some More until Finlay he had to walk into the house and i watched his empty porch as we drove away.
this is one of my many "my best friends wedding moments" (SPOILER ALERT) in this movie the main character wastes the whole movie away planning how to break up her best friends wedding stealing him for herself. the movie is filled with plots and schemes and Finlay at the end she watches her best friend walk away hand in hand with his new wife. i have lots of moments were i plan some earth shattering speech just to be the only audience member. this is what happened when i told my friend goodbye. it was nothing romantic but wanted to let him know how amazing he was, how much he changed my life, that if anyone of us was going to save this world and bring the gospel of Christ to his people that it would be him. i wanted to say this and so much more, but all i could choke out was "see you into"
a week latter a friend of mine invited me to a missionary discussion. since i have been a member since birth i have never actually sat in on a real missionary discussion. i watched this young boy teach to these two individuals who already knew so much about the gospel, but had just struggled getting back into it. i have never felt the spirit so strongly before. it was a lesson i had learned every Sunday, a topic i had deemed as primary easy. it wasn't the young mans message i needed to hear but to feel his spirit. he strengthened my testimony on one small little concept i thought i grasped. however more than that he strengthed my testimony of missionary work. how selfish was i to be so heartbroken over so many of my friends leaving. they are going to change lives. i have a testimony of missionary work. i can't put into words how grateful i am for it, or as to how powerful i know it can be. what an amazing gospel we have been blessed with. these young men are completely selfless to give up two years of their life to share it with those who don't know about this amazing gift. i love missionary's and missions.
