Any way to the point of this entry, I went to LDS.org (seriously my favorite site ever) and searched choosing to serve a mission. I came across a talk given by Gordon B. Hinckley (he seems to help me through this frequently) called The Question of a Mission. In it he identifies the inphamise question on whether a not one should serve a mission. I would try to paraphrase it for you, but that would not do it justice so i took out the section that hit me the most.
The work in the field was not easy. It was difficult and discouraging. But what a wonderful experience it was. In retrospect, I recognize that I was probably a selfish young man when I arrived in Britain. What a blessing it became to set aside my own selfish interests to the greater interests of the work of the Lord. I had the association of tremendous young men and women. They have become treasured friends whom I have known and loved now for more than half a century.
The girl I left came to mean more to me while I was away. Next spring, we shall commemorate our fiftieth wedding anniversary.
How profoundly grateful I am for the experience of that mission. I touched the lives of a few who have, over the years, expressed appreciation. That has been important. But I have never been greatly concerned over the number of baptisms that I had or that other missionaries had. My satisfaction has come from the assurance that I did what the Lord wanted me to do and that I was an instrument in His hands for the accomplishment of His purposes. In the course of that experience, there became riveted into my very being a conviction and knowledge that this is in very deed the true and living work of God, restored through a prophet for the blessing of all who will accept it and live its principles.
There may be a few young men in this vast audience tonight who may be wondering, ever so seriously, whether they should go on missions. There may be a scarcity of money. There may be compelling plans for education. There may be that wonderful girl you love and feel you cannot leave. You say to yourself, “The choice is mine.”
That is true. But before you make a decision against a mission, count your blessings, my dear friend. Think of all the great and marvelous things you have—your very life, your health, your parents, your home, the girl you love. Are they not all gifts from a generous Heavenly Father? Did you really earn them alone, independent of His blessing? No, the lives of all of us are in His hands. All of the precious things that are ours come from Him who is the giver of every good gift.
I am not suggesting that He will withdraw His blessings and leave you bereft if you do not go on a mission. But I am saying that out of a spirit of appreciation and gratitude, and a sense of duty, you ought to make whatever adjustment is necessary to give a little of your time—as little as two years—consecrating your strength, your means, your talents to the work of sharing with others the gospel, which is the source of so much of the good that you have.
I promise that if you will do so, you will come to know that what appears today to be a sacrifice will prove instead to be the greatest investment that you will ever make.
Let there be no hesitancy in your decision. Live worthy of a call, and respond without hesitation when that call comes. Go forth with a spirit of dedication, placing yourself in the hands of the Lord to do His great work.
After reading this I was filled with so much grattitude for my Savior, my Father in Heaven, my family, my friends, the gospel, the opportunities I am living out, and my missionary. I am so grateful he recgonized the need to serve our Lord to bring his gospel, and this very joy to the people of Chihuahua, Mexico. I strive only to carry out my own mission here and live in accordance to the Lord's will.
On a lighter note, potty training Nate has officially begun, after one rancid diaper I was through. He know gets very excited every time he uses the potty. I am also very proud of him, and it makes me excited that I am helping him learn this! :)
I am grateful for smiles like this.
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