Well I think it is time...

I have been wanting to blog for sometime, but I really haven't known where to start or what to say. Coming home from a mission is a very weird experience. I had heard that I was going to be hard and I would be awkward, but I didn't really know how hard it would be or just how awkward I would end up being. My mission meant the world to me and I really can't imagine my life without it. I don't think I would be near the person I am today without it....in fact I know I wouldn't be. By going on a mission I learned so many things and I think that is what I want to blog about today. The blessing/lessons learned from going on a mission. It will be hard to keep it short, but I will try to sum it up in just a few things.


The main thing I learned that has really changed my life and the way I think about things is the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I mean before my mission I thought I knew what the Atonement was and how it would help me, but really I had no idea. Thanks to a companion of mine I was able to come to understand so much. We were able to read "The Atonement and the Journey Through Mortality" by Elder David A. Bednar. That is when I realized that the Atonement covers so much...in fact it covers EVERYTHING in my life. The enabling power of the Atonement is the only was I was able to do the things that are asked of as a missionary, and that is the only way I do things now. I am so glad that I was able to come to know my Savior in a better way and truly come to find out that he is really there for me in so many ways. There are days I wish I could personally go to Elder Bednar and thank him for the perspective he was able to give me because of that talk. If you personally are struggling your life or want to know more about the Atonement I would highly suggest reading it. I know my Savior lives and he is there to help me so much in my life. I am thankful for his sacrifice so that I could live the life I have now. I don't think I will ever be able to repay him for the things he did for me. I will be in debt to him for eternity, and I am totally ok with that because I know he is always there for me.




The first blessing I believe that I got was gaining a love for the scriptures. I am ashamed to say that I didn't really know the scriptures before I left. I mean I had read them and studied them through seminary, but I never really did it for myself until I went on a mission. I don't think I can really put words to how much I love the scriptures now. They really are the words that heal a wounded soul, and help you find answers to the questions you have. The stories in the scriptures are a blueprint for our lives. The stories found in them can guide us to know what to do in our lives. There is so much power behind the scriptures. I mean just think about The Book of Mormon. When someone comes to know that the Book of Mormon is true they come to know that Jesus is the Christ and that the church is really Jesus Christ church. There is no other book that can give you that result. I love the Book of Mormon with my whole heart. It has changed my life and it has changed the lives of so many people. What a blessing it is to have the Book of Mormon in our day. I know it to be true with all of my heart.




I just want to add one last thing and then I will end this post. I came to understand and love the Doctrine of Christ. This one is one of the things that is both a blessing and something I learned. The Doctrine of Christ is the basic units of the church, and it is how we can access the most beautiful thing in the gospel, the Atonement. I am so blessed to have the mission president that I did to teach me how to learn to love this and to take it from my head to my heart. When I came to learn how to do that my mission was changed and so was I. I could go on and on how important these basic things are and why they bless our lives, but it is something that we need to learn for ourselves. The best thing I can tell you in that I know the basic things are what make the difference and I know that the Doctrine of Christ is what will bless our lives more than most things in our life. I know it is what helps us change and become more like the Savior. It is how we can submit our will to the will of the Fathers.

Like I said before I am so glad that I served and I could go on and on about it, but I will end there for tonight. Thanks for reading!