Laurel's Missionary Journey

Eighteen and a half Months later. My bags are in the process of being packed, I have my flight plans sitting on my desk, and I can count on one hand the amount of days I have left to serve God as a full-time missionary. As expected, this week has been amazing. Jewel has decided on December 29th as her baptismal date, and her husband Roy let me hold a deer heart, which we then ate. It was really delicious, and I fully intend to eat it again. Besides that, this week has been full of heartbreaking moments for me, as I realized that this is the last time I am going to get to do so many things I have come to love--last time attending church with a nametag, last time inviting someone to be baptized, last time tracting... you get the picture. Five areas, ten companions, a million miracles... I can't believe that I made it here. I hope you'll indulge me with this little walk down memory lane. I'm in a little bit of a nostalgic mood. For those of you who have been getting these ...

Lovely Humans!!! This week has been one for the books! The story I am about to tell you includes donuts, a power-outage, a cemetery, and a blow-dart gun. So buckle up!!! The subject line of my email relates to just about everything I am going to talk about, but it specifically comes from a conversation that we had with one of the older ladies at the Genealogical Society that we volunteer at. Jean was a little hesitant to have us there at first because she didn't want us to try to convert her or any of the people that come into the store. When we first met, we assured her that we were just there to help with Family History. Since then, we have gotten progressively closer with her, and it has gotten to the point that every time we go in she asks us one of her "Mormon questions". Basically something she has always wondered about our church, but has been too afraid to ask. It has been the cause for a lot of laughter, from her asking if we are allowed to date the Elders that w...

FRIENDS!!! There is something incredibly powerful about a changed heart. That is why repentance is so vital- it's not just having your sins taken from you, it is literally becoming a new person through the power and love of the Savior Jesus Christ. We lose all of our unrighteous desires and thoughts, turn our hearts and our minds towards heaven, and start having faith in the fact that we are becoming more than what we used to be. Changed hearts also come with a changed attitude and perspective, and I am more than happy to report that my heart has changed this week! Every PDay, I read back through my general email from the week before, and it never ceases to amaze me how different I feel from the girl that wrote those words only 7 days ago. Sometimes that change is a positive thing, and I have proof that I have become a better person that week through the Savior's grace. This week, I am grateful to say that I have changed for the better. It started with revelation that I receive...

Beautiful People! One of the best parts about serving a mission is watching Christ orchestrate your life perfectly so that your testimony can grow in very specific ways. Often, He sends you people or places that are exactly what you need to change your weaknesses into strengths. Especially when you didn't even realize that you had a weakness. Every trial teaches us something new- what a crazy concept! Lol! This week, I have realized that God is helping me to work on one of my weaknesses- having faith that God's plan is better than my own. If you know me at all, you'll know that I have had the same life plan for basically as long as I can remember. I wrote it when I was in Kindergarten, and the only thing that has really changed is that I was able to go on my mission at 19 instead of 21. Since coming on my mission, that life plan has gone haywire! I have changed my major, my plans for a future career, and even my thoughts on where I would like to live when I graduate college...