New Life

I feel like I should write another introduction of myself because I feel so different from the person I was two years ago.
Two years ago, almost to the day, I had been home from my first year of college for a couple months. I was working at a restaurant. I was 18 years old and had just turned in my paperwork that would lead me to be called as a missionary for my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Life was good! I loved my job and the people I worked with. Although I was a server, I was pretty shy, keeping to myself most of the time. I was also a little lost in the world. I knew that dropping everything to go and serve a mission would give me some much needed direction, but I was also soooooo terrified to leave.
August 2014: I received my mission call to serve in Paris, France.

The day I found out I was going to France.

So, now not only was I scared of leaving my family for 18 months, but now I was also terrified of going to a new country and learning a new language I had unsuccessfully tired learning through high school and college. Thankfully, I did receive confirming feelings that I was doing the right thing, and that my Heavenly Father had a plan for me and this mission was part of His plan.
October 2014: I left everything behind, spent 6 weeks in Provo, UT in a missionary training crash course, and then was shipped out with five other missionaries to the beautiful country of France.
May 2016: I came home. My time as a missionary ended.

Taken in the Paris Airport coming home.

Voila. Here I am today. I am still me, but I am not the same me I was when I left home almost two years ago. What has changed? I am still the same height. My hair is the same color. I like a lot of the same things I did before I left. BUT, I understand some things a little more than before.
I understand now who I am. Who are you? Having grown up a member of this church; if someone would have asked me that question before my mission, I would have said something like, "Well, I am a daughter of God, so that's cool." Not a bad answer. But there is something liberating in the truth that I learned while I was out serving the people of France. I learned that I am a Daughter of God, and that means that He is literally my Father. He loves me. He cares about me. He thinks about me. He wants what is best for me. I was born with a divine potential to become like Him and like my Savior Jesus Christ. To be perfected by Them. I had a newfound confidence in myself knowing that I was placed here on the earth for a reason. My life has a reason. Heavenly Father has a perfect plan etched out for my life and if I show Him that I am worthy of it, it can all be mine.

Coming home has been hard for me. It means making a million different decisions that I haven't had to make for the last 18 months of my life. I now have to worry about schooling, roommates, college classes, life decisions and goals, and everything that goes along with that. I am not even going to mention my fear of dating. Oh la. HOWEVER, I know that it will all be okay. I know that if I am doing my best to make good decisions and follow the spirit, Heavenly Father will help everything work out for my good. His goal is that I return to be with Him someday which means that He will do everything He can to get me there.

Another lesson I learned on my mission that has helped me a lot in the last couple months since being home is simple, "Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured." (I'm pretty sure that is quoted from President Hinckley.) Life is hard and we are always going to have trials and bumps in the road, but we can choose our own happiness! That happiness comes from trusting the Lord. Fears are conquered by faith. Trials are conquered by trust. And life is conquered by happiness. At least I think so.

So, if you read this far, I hope you can feel a tiny bit of the gratitude I have for my mission and all that it taught me. This blog is really about the new perspective I have in life. I hope you enjoy it.
Keep on Keepin' on. 

PS In case you were wondering about my fears of speaking French. I am now fluent and I believe that it is the prettiest language in the world.