Reflection

Nick is letting me send out some things he had to write for his college applications.  Because he wrote these he really didn't have time to write a long letter.  He wrote a little something at the end.  

I firmly believe that someone who has never served a mission will never truly know what it is like. It has been the hardest thing I have ever done. 

     John, the apostle in the bible states that "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

    For a while I misunderstood this. I think it was my dream as a kid to grow up and be a superhero, and die heroically, saving the world. Maybe have a statue built in my honor or something. 

     As I have grown older though, I have realized that it is less about putting my life on the altar of sacrifice and more about sacrificing my time. To consecrate my life, and give service to the people I hold most dear. Trying to, as George Albert Smith said "warn the people … in as kind a way as possible that repentance will be the only panacea for the ills of this world."
      Doing my part in the Army of God. It is a battle everyday. The devil is real, and he doesn't like to lose. It is a constant fight through homesickness, depression, failure and stress. 

     But looking past all that, it has been the happiest time of my life. I have forgotten about what I have wanted, and become the person God wants me to be. It has made all the difference in my life. 

I have spent the past few months reflecting a lot. My time here in Mexico as a missionary is ending. I have been away for 16 months, and in another short 8 months I will be back home.

     The question that has been on my mind is what changes do I need to make in my life when I get home.

Jeffrey R. Holland once said about the act of reflecting that “we look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences but not the ashes. And when we have learned what we need to learn then we look ahead..”

What has been the greatest blessing from these past 16 months, is the overwhelming desire to be better. To nurture the gifts I have been blessed with, and cultivate those which I lack.

When Jesus Christ came to the earth he taught of forgiveness and change. His gospel was never one of everlasting punishments, but of repentance, giving us, his brothers and sisters, the opportunity to start over.

This opportunity has meant everything to me. I know I can't be the same when I get back. I can't live the same life as conformity.  I believe everyone was made for greatness, and that’s what I am going to search for. And when I get there, I am going to help everyone else be there with me. 

Hey sorry, I didn't have time to write today, todo lo con mi aplicacion. But I did have a Thanksgiving. We went for Costco Hawaiian pizza, chicken bakes, pumpkin pie, and Martinelli's sparkling cider. Elder C......'s mom from Park City bought it all. He's a funny kid. If you want just put up my essays for my letter.