Reminiscing....

...Today was a wonderful day. I had lunch at a yummy restaurant with my last companion in the mission, Sandy Schaugaard. She doesn't live too far, but we just don't seem to see each other as much as we should. We ate lunch and then I filled her in on all the details of my trip, how all the members are, how the islands are, and most importantly, on how our convert, Maritsa and her almost 8 year old son, Aron, are doing. We sat and talked for 3 hours, it was much needed. We reminisced about our missions and what a blessing they were and will continue to be in our lives. I loved all of my mission, but the end was the best. That area was hard, but today we realized once again, that more than anything, we learned that when we put our lives in the Lord's hands we are always blessed, and things are always ok. We both got to that area, and knew no one and knew nothing. We had the roughest 4 weeks of my mission, and then after much testing, the Lord deemed us worthy, and poured out the blessings of heaven. We found lots of people, had so many teaching opportunities, had wonderful experiences, and most importantly, we found and taught Maritsa, and I saw her baptized on my last Sunday in the mission...all so many tender mercies from the Lord. I am glad for that reminder today of what I learned back then...that the Lord always blesses us, that things always work out...and like my Dad and others often say, when we put our lives in the Lord's hands, our lives turn out thousands of times better than we could ever even imagine or plan for ourselves. I am grateful for the faith I had as a missionary, and I am grateful for all of these memories and experiences that I can recollect on time and time again, so that I can be reminded of things I once knew and now need to remember again. So, I will put another picture of me with my special friends, Maritsa and her son, Aron, from my recent trip...I loved my mission, and I hope that all of you that served missions stop and reflect on them time and time again...Love y'all!