Please allow me to be nostalgic for a bit.

I never talk about my mission on my blog, but I am about to make up for it right now.  For the past two days now I have been reminiscing about the glorious 18 months I spent as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. You see today (well yesterday since it is now almost one in the morning) marks the anniversary of the day I left for my mission and entered into the MTC nine years ago. WHAT! Nine years?! Boy oh boy does the time fly by. I can assure you  that not one single day has gone by that I have not thought about my mission in one way or another. I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT MY MISSION!!

I was blessed to know at a very young age that not only did I want to serve but that the Lord wanted me to serve a mission as well. I have journal entries upon journal entries from about 8 years of age and on, expressing my desire to serve the Lord. I love going back and reading them :)

One of my MTC teachers told us with tears in his eyes as we were getting ready to leave for the field , "If you could even see a small glimpse of all the adversity, trials, and fear you will encounter while serving, you would run out the door screaming. However, if you were to see just a small portion of all the love you will experience, all the lives you will help touch, the spirit you will feel, and the miracles you will see first hand, you would turn right back around and not even think twice".

He was right. I was chased out of a building with an axe, I had water and eggs thrown at me, I was yelled at and spit upon, I witnessed evil and the power of the devil in a way I never thought possible, and yet I would have done it all again in a heartbeat! Yep, totally worth it. I LOVED MY MISSION!!

To help add to my nostalgia, I had to go through old mission photos, I just had to! Which of course had me crying tears of joy for the last two days. And don't even get me started on my mission journal and letters. I saved EVERY single thing I received on my mission, everything! They are some of my sweetest possessions.  But since I can't post those things, please enjoy some of my mission photos. It's me as a missionary.... EEK!! I just love it! YAY for missions!! :)