Before I ever even had my mission call, my Bishop shared an experience with me during an interview that has stayed in my mind ever since. He was sitting in one of his final Sacrament meetings before being released as Bishop and thinking about all that he had done within his calling and asking if he"d done enough. After a few scary moments thinking to himself about his shortcomings during his service, he felt an overwhelming impression from the Spirit saying "You have loved, and that is what I've asked of you".
The last few weeks of my mission I found myself feeling the same way. Thinking back on the days where I was prideful, where I didn"t say the right thing in the right moment, or when I was simply tired and less diligent than I should"ve been. After 18 months of being a missionary, that question- "Have I done enough?" weighed heavier on my mind than it had when I first heard the story. But looking around and remembering all the friends I've made and people I've met, I've felt the same answer and the comfort and relief that it brings: "You have loved, and that is what I've asked of you."
In the world we live in, there are conflicts between people that are painful and messy. Sometimes we make mistakes and get confused and hurt, but at the end of the day it"s our choice to remember Christ that makes all the difference. To choose forgiveness over bitterness, hope over despair, and love over hate.
Mushiness aside, some highlights of my last included some FUN service activities such as picking grapefruits in an orchard in Murrieta, finding a whole bunch of frog friends while scooping up rotting bales of hay (I know it sounds gross but it was pretty exciting), and getting to DRIVE a 100 year old trolley train that used to serve the citizens of LA (an experienced train conductor man was standing right next to make sure I didn’t, you know, run us off the rails or anything) Someone somewhere has a picture of it but they never sent it to me so I attached a picture of my companion Hna Coronel driving so you get the idea.
The other cherished memory I have (7 months later) was my last night as a normal missionary. Hna Coronel and I were getting whitewashed or “doubled out” as they call it in CA (when both you and your companion are leaving the area and two brand new ones come in) so there was lots of cleaning and packing to do. We had had a lesson planned and a member was supposed to come with us but it ended up falling through. We were so busy that we’d forgotten to eat before proselitista hours came around so, having no lessons planned and being very hungry we started to make dinner. I remember chopping a carrot and feeling tears well up in my eyes from disappointment that I wouldn’t even get to teach a lesson on my last night and that that chance had slipped away without me realizing it.
So we sat down and ate our dinner and then when we finished it was maybe 8:50 (10 minutes before we stop contacting people) and we decided to call this one kid who was only available on Sundays but still never answered/was always busy when we called. It felt like a shot in the dark but miraculously he answered and was excited to talk to us. He went and found the Book of Mormon the missionaries had given him a while back and together we read about faith in Alma 32 over the phone. It was one of those lessons that fills you up with happiness and fulfilment cause everyone is engaged and you could tell that the guy we were teaching was understanding and excited about what he was learning.
Although it was just a single lesson in the hundreds that I'd been a part of, it was a tender mercy that reminded me that the Lord wants to help us fulfil our righteous desires.
Anyways, the official last day came and went with lots of fun festivities. I had my final interview with President Watson. I remember him thanking me on behalf of Jesus Christ for my missionary service, and quoted the scripture that says 'well done, thy good and faithful servant' and it brought tears to my eyes. I felt like I'd been holding my breath my whole mission and then with those words somehow it all the stress and strain of my mission was released.
We had a delicious taco dinner, star trek dessert, and a testimony meeting at the mission home before going to bed and flying home the next morning.
Coming home the second time was much more fun and satisfying than the first time. Getting reassigned wasn't at all what I pictured but I really believe that those last 3 months helped polish me into more of the person I hope to become.
God is good. God is mindful of you. God wants to help you if you let him.
And I guess that's all I have left to say.
Outgoing Testimony at Zone Conference over Zoom
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| Gal Pals of Menifee |
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| Menifee Zone |
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| District Pic |
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| Hna Coronel driving the train (somewhere out there there's a picture of me doing it too) |
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| The 100 year old trolley train from the outside |
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| Picking Grapefruits for Service! |
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| They smelled heavenly |
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| Apparently there's a tradition in this zone where the person who's going home wears this crying baby mask. Of course I couldn't break the tradition. |
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| Final Evening with President and Sister Watson |
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| Tux wasn't as excited to see me and I was to see him |
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| Finally earned the pin, coin, and necklace for the CA Riverside mission |
The outgoing testimony that I recorded for my last mission conference.
