Well folks every tale has its ending and this missionaries tale is about to Die.
SHOUT OUTS!!!!
Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me while out here :) I have loved all the letters and packages and emails. It made things a lot easier, kinda like I wasnt even away from home :)
Thank you to Heather and JayDee, Jill, Mom & Dad, and Grandma and Grandpa for making my mission possible!
Thanks Dad for sending me a letter every week of my mission!
Thank you Jill for updating my blog every week! You are wonderful!
We were able to teach Catherine, the lady from our building who stopped us on the street! She is pretty amazing and has some wonderful questions. I can tell that she really is searching for truth! She has a baptismal date for November 2nd and I'm confident that if she is diligent in reading and praying and coming to church that things will work out :)
The highlight of my week would have to have been on Friday though, when I got to go to the temple (yet again) to see my dear Kingston family! They all came out to do baptisms! YAY! Words really cannot describe the joy I felt when I saw them all in the temple :) Jake, Ian, Will, and Maverick were all there along with a couple other new converts and some oldies (Jordan and Monica). Winnie, Jess, and Dieter were the only ones who weren't able to make it out :(
Just to give you a little update on how everyone is doing...
Ian is in his last year of engineering at Queens. He confided that he sometimes misses church because of homework, I scolded him for that. He has grown a lot since his baptism in March and has utilized the Gift of The Holy Ghost in all aspects of his life to walk down good paths. He said he felt the spirit very strong while in the temple and described it as very calming and secure :)
Jake is doing great as per usual! He is working 2 jobs right now and has managed to pay off all his debt! Things are looking pretty good for a mission! YAY! He told me after we were done in the temple that he received some revelation but wasn't going to tell me until I got home -_-
Will is also in his last year of university :) he told me that he is still reading and that he even went to church back in Mississauga over the summer!
Maverick is Maverick :) he is doing well and I was SO proud to see him in the temple :) He's thinking of getting married before serving a mission. I told him to stop being silly and get his butt out on a mission! He's only 19 or 20 for goodness sake!
I'm not sure what I did to deserve such wonderful blessings as the Lord has given me. Meeting all these amazing people over the course of 18 short months and then at the very end having the opportunity to see all of them before I go home.... I Stand All Amazed At The Love Jesus Offers Me
Ugh thinking about it makes me want to cry
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| Maverick and Will and I |
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| Jake and Ian and I in our power pose :) |
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| Everyone :) |
It is safe to say that my mission has changed my life. The thought of what would happen to me if I didnt serve a mission makes my heart drop in fear. Had I not served a mission I would have continued to go to church. I would have found someone to take me to the temple and I would have raised my family in the gospel. I would have coasted through life not truly understanding my purpose here, my relationship with the savior or the joy that comes through obedience and consecration. In short I would have never reached my full potential as a daughter of God and would have settled for a mediocre life. The Savior and His atonement have changed me and my mission has been a training ground to help me with the trials and experiences I will have in the future. My mission has taught me that obedience brings blessings and are a way to help us be truly free in this life. I was able to develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and came to understand that he knows me personally and has a perfect love for me. Repentance is real and there is nothing that I cannot be forgiven for... well almost nothing haha. The Atonement is not just for forgiveness but to heal us, comfort and change us into who we must become. The race in life is not against each other but against sin and it doesnt matter how many times we fall in that race- all that matters is how many times we use the atonement to pick us back up. It has helped me prepare to be a mother; how to raise my children in the gospel and help them become converted. I have been taught how to be humble and have been given a taste of what true charity feels like. I don't know where I would be or more importantly who I would be without my mission. The people I have met, the experiences I have had are sacred to me. In losing myself for the Lord and His work I truly have found myself. I am my number one convert. That being said I have also been made aware of my many weaknesses and I'm terrified to go home. I'm terrified that I will slowly slip back into old habits. I wish I could stay here forever and just labor in His vineyard like the 3 Nephites, but I know that is not God's plan. That would just be too easy for me. The real test is when I go home. Will I stay true to who I have become and continue to progress or will I let all the work the Lord has done on me go to waste... Nope that cannot happen. I will not let it. My mission has changed me and will continue to change me for the better for the rest of my life and even if I do slip and fall I know that my Savior loves me and that he will be standing there with open arms to pick me back up and help me on my way :) Progression doesnt happen all at once. It is line upon line. We just need to be a little better today then we were yesterday. If I can keep that pattern of living I will not need to worry about regression. This is what my mission has meant for me :)
Scripture of the Week: Hebrews 12: 1-2
"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."
A Haiku For You
Toronto
a piece of my heart
forever
See you soon,
Sister Hall
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| This is Wayne Gretzky Dads house! SO COOL! |
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