Dear Sister Wilson, you are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Hawaii, Honolulu Mission with a special assignment to serve in the Hawaii Temple Visitor's Center...
"That's not a mission, that's a vacation..."
I can't even count how many people have said this to me over the years. Secretly, I am quite partial to the sunshine, palm trees, ocean air and eating. So, in many ways it did have elements reminiscent of a sweet vacation. I guess the real difference was that if I would have treated my mission experience like a vacation, it would not have had such an incredible impact on my life.
You know how everyone has their "story" of where they thought they would go. Well, I have one of those. I thought I would go to a romantic city in Europe because I thought that would be the coolest place on earth to live and serve. I love architecture and pastries and fashion....seemed pretty simple. I mean, the Lord already knew all those things about me, right?
Well, then I got my call and was totally surprised to find I would be going on a "vacation" mission, as many of my friends reminded me. Of course I was super excited to serve in Hawaii {duh}, though I had no idea why I was called there, or what was in-store for me.
In short, I found out that I served a vacation mission for a few specific and special reasons just for me. First, my Heavenly Father knew I needed to be in the sunshine. He knew I needed my Vitamin D in order to function at my best. He knew I needed to learn Aloha. I needed to feel and experience the compassion, generosity and love of the islanders. He knew there were a few people that I would be able to connect with in a powerful and important way. Those experiences would teach me repentance, forgiveness and the sweet love of the Savior.
The single decision to serve a mission literally changed the trajectory of my life. My vacation mission changed me. I treasure the testimony I gained in Hawaii. I learned the importance of teaching the gospel to my children one day. I gained important spiritual growth and a real love of the scriptures. I learned how to lean into my fears and trust in the Lord, even when it's scary and hard. I especially learned the importance of finding a husband who loves the Lord...
Goodness....I could go on and on....basically, I will forever be grateful for the experiences and growth I gained in Hawaii. The Lord actually knew me much better than I knew myself. He knew I needed more than architecture, pastries, fashion and romantic cities-- he knew I needed sunshine, a testimony, aloha and flip flops....and I'll take it.
xo
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