Letters

Have you ever come across old missionary letters? Today, I did. I re-read most of them, and I think I'd die reading what I wrote to those boys. Seriously! One letter makes no sense at all because he is just answering all my questions or responding to what I said about how life is going.

And I didn't write many boys, and I didn't write for long :( Looking back, I wish I was better; I know how it can be an appreciative and a supportive gesture for missionaries serving two years. Whether or not I took a particular interest in any of those boys is for me to know only ;) My sister, Alexis is writing her missionary, Jared Johnson. I congratulate her for being so strong! He comes home in April and she cannot wait. It's fun when his letters arrive here in California and I'll text her saying something like, "I GOT A LETTER FROM JARRREEEDD!" She is very, very eager to have it forwarded to her in Idaho.

I love the missionaries. Every time I see them riding their bicycles, or talking with me personally, I have great admiration for what they do. When they speak in Church, I'm extra attentive; I'm still young (only 21!) so I feel like I can still relate to them on some level. I think I could have served a mission and I have thought it many times before getting married and even after. Good news is I can still have that opportunity when I'm an old woman. :)

Back to these letters. What makes them so special (and a reason why I'll never throw them out) probably has to do with their testimonies. It would have been great (if I kept writing them) to see how much they grew from the early days in the MTC to the end of their mission. And a couple of them were very sweet in expressing to me  that I'm "a daughter of God and [I'm] very valuable" not only to Heavenly Father but to them as well (as friends people! At least, I'm pretty sure that's how it goes). Fun to see a different side to these friends of mine since Freshmen year. I'm grateful those" general" emails could get forwarded every week from their families!

President Hinckley answers the question why serving a mission really is the "best two years":
I think I can safely say that for many young men a mission represents the greatest challenge they will ever face. They have been given the assignment of going into a world that for the most part is indifferent to their message. They are out working in all kinds of weather. They have to adjust to new living conditions, they are a long distance from home, and they have been taken out of normal social life. All of these things are difficult. The whole situation calls for tremendous adjustment and self-discipline in addition to faith and humility. They feel the need to get on their knees and plead with the Lord for his help. Out of all this comes a quality that is invaluable not only to them during their missions, but throughout their lives. All of us need to cultivate self-discipline and integrity, and there is no place on earth quite like a mission to build these qualities.

And there you have it!