What It All Boils Down To
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
Question: If I had known when I received my call that my mission would be one of what many would say is of little "success," would I have had the guts to go?
I remember as I turned the corner of the security line, waving goodbye to my teary family for the last time, it began to hit me how long it would be till I saw them again. I couldn't comprehend what lie ahead. I knew only what I had left behind.
18 months is quite a time, you know. In the space a year and a half, my brother Eric grew taller than me, my sister Rachel completed her freshman year of college, and my other brother Adam competed in national rugby championships (although I never once saw so much as his first rookie game).
I came on a mission expecting something great. I wanted to change lives. How? .... I had no idea. I just knew that the gospel mattered to me and I was going to share it. Leaving behind loved ones was the sacrifice I was willing to make.
Now, at the end of 18 months there is no way to change anything that has happened. The past is the past, the clock cannot be rewound.... and perhaps to some, numbers wise my mission would be considered a failure.
BUT I AM SO HAPPY THAT I SERVED A MISSION.
It is hands down the best thing that has ever happened to me. From hours trying to talk to people who didn't want to hear it, to discovering new cultures, to growing to care so much for those who chose to follow the path of faith, the mission has shaped me in every way. My person has been criticized, my religion attacked, yet through thick and through thin I have developed not only a stronger testimony, but a stronger sense of WHY the gospel matters and with it the person I want to become.
Of course, I still have a long way to go. But I can't IMAGINE everything I would have missed out on had I taken another route and not put on that badge.
So forget what others may think. Life is not about numbers -- my mission was my success. And I will remember it every day for the rest of my life.
I think Heavenly Father is just pouring out blessings and miracles at the end so that I will go out with a bang:
- We missed our bus, but it was for a reason-- we ended up meeting these two young guys who wouldn't stop staring at us. I thought they were making fun of us when they asked for a card, but when I actually did they were SO EXCITED. They flooded us with questions such as, "Do you have anything for us to read?" And when we handed them a Book of Mormon they asked if we could meet that very day to discuss it! One of them has actually been SEARCHING for the right church!
- We met a family with previous contact to missionaries; we asked the sweet young daughter to explain a scripture to us. She teared up as she bore testimony of Christ. At the end, she practically begged us to return!
- We have been able to out dooring for hours without feeling tired
- We have so many appointments every day with lovely people
- We had a good number of friends with us at church
- People have been calling US to meet
- There are other miracles, too beautiful and private to share! BLESSINGS
2 Nephi 2:28 And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit.
Liebe Grüße,
Sister Lundgreen
2 comments
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI found this on Missionary Mommas. What a wonderfully written summary of the mission experience. Sister Katie had obviously served diligently and with all her heart. Thank you to her for her service!! Good job parents!!
ReplyDelete