Leaving

The last four months have been the longest months of my entire life. 


But then one day, I woke up. And realized that I am leaving on my mission in two.weeks. 

Where did the time go?

Am I ready?

Can I be a good missionary?

Who will my companion be?

Will I really be successful on my own?

And then people start wanting to do "one last thing with me." Like I'm dying or something. And I realize that it really might be the very last thing we do. I'm leaving a lot of people here at home. People I love. People I will miss dearly. People who are my strength and support system. Family and friends.




But then I remember what I am going forward to do. I am going to devote the next 18 months of my life full time to The Lord. I am going to be a representative of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I am going to teach people of Him and watch them change their lives to know Him. I am going to come closer to Him myself. I will be changed. I will be new. What is a sacrifice of 18 months when the Lord gives me every.single.thing? Each breath I take, each day that I wake up to a new sunrise, each smile--is a gift from Him. 


Yes, I feel like a little girl who is about to do a very grown-up thing. Yes, I feel sad about saying goodbye to the people I love. Yes, I worry about what will happen when I get home. 


But right now, I don't want anything more than to serve a mission. I know in my soul that it is the right decision. I know that The Lord will bless me. My faith is growing stronger than my fear. I have wanted to be a missionary since I was a young girl and now it is really happening. I have a great desire to bring people to Christ, and I am humbled that my desire is becoming a reality. That the Lord is trusting me with His work. My desire is to be but an instrument in His hands. To do what He would do and say what He would say. To love and lift His children, no matter where life has brought them. 

Notice that my area is the box up north around Buenos Aires 

AND the southern tip that is shaded in. 

Where the penguins live. 

Cool? yes! Cold? definitely!!

I am leaving. But it's just the beginning of a very great adventure.