Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. I've been busy with end of the year finals, and other school stuff. My Summer started with the best experience of my life! My Mini Mission!!!! :D
Truly, I think that had I not gone, I would have had a very different summer!
Just a little back ground info for those who don't know what in the world I am talking about :) I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Otherwise known as Mormons! When a girl (for my case) goes on a mission, it's not just a trip. She volunteers her time and efforts to go out to a different state, or even country, to be in the world, but not of the world, and to share the message of the Gospel. It's all on them! They raise and save the money for this, and it is a life changing experience! And I got to have a taste of that for a week!
I met so many people, those who helped build my testimony, and those who tried my patience :) But everyone deserves a chance!
Something I learned while I was out was that you may be someone completely different on the outside than you are on the inside. One man we taught was struggling to understand how he could ever be worth something more than what he thought he was worth. And so I told him my story. I told him about my depression and about everything that I went through for the last 2 years. I made a point to say that I did lose faith that I was someone who could be worth anything at all. It amazed him to see how much I wasn't who he thought I was. He had thought that I was a happy teenager. It was wonderful to see the look on his face as he got a real look at who I was and how strong I am. On our way home, he told me that he had no idea, and that he couldn't even tell that I had been depressed. I told him that this was what the Gospel could do for him.
One other thing I learned was that if we have the simplest faith, anything can happen! My companions and I visited a member who was from Cambodia. She had heard about the Church as a little girl. One story she told us was that here family was trying to find a way to leave Cambodia during the Vietnam War. Her family knelt in prayer and asked Heavenly Father for the means, no matter how small, to be able to leave and come to America. The next morning, they went to sign up for the refugee roster to find passage on a boat, and found that they were already on the list, to leave the very next day. How wonderful is it to know that if we have but a mustard seed of faith then the Lord will bless us!
On another note, I am finally to the final year of schooling! I made it to my Senior year! How crazy is that?! It's hard to believe, for me at least, that I am at the pinnacle of my young adult life! But I am ready to go and to excel in everything I try, and if I can't excel, I'll just do my best :) Among other things, I am looking forward to representing my Choir as President, and hopefully, the other officers feel the same way! It's shaping up to be an amazing year!
As a final message to those reading: Remember that even when you don't like yourself, or you think you aren't worth it, Someone, somewhere is looking out for you and wants to help you in any way they can! It could be a friend, or someone you haven't even met yet! Keep your eyes open!
~Me
