Why Serve a mission?

When I was 15 years old I listened to the mother of a close friend talk about serving a mission. For the first time I remember really wanting to serve a mission when I turned 21. I just had to hear hundreds of missionaries sing "Called to Serve" in the MTC! Time went on, and I prepared for the different eventualities of life. When the age sister missionaries could serve dropped to 19, I was super stoked! I was 19, almost 20! I could go early! Well, it turned out that wasn't the time for me. November of 2013, I felt strongly like I should reconsider the mission idea. I did, and the pieces of the puzzle fell into place :) This is all really nice, but it's not really the WHY, it's more of the HOW.

So WHY am I choosing to dedicate 18 months of my life away from my family, friends, school, and a closet full of clothes to talk to people in Missouri? Well, 33 years ago, 2 male missionaries started talking to my dear sweet Momma. The message they shared with her changed the course of her existence, and our family. I'm so grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ and the knowledge I have of who He is, and what His plan for His children is. I can't help feeling like if I choose not to share this message with others that I'll be ungrateful for the amazing gift that I've been given. I've also been blessed with some talents that I'd like to give back to the Lord. As much as I love my family and the other things listed above, I love my Heavenly Father and Savior more. They have called, so I'm answering.

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Its a small town after all

Hello Everyone!

This week went pretty well. The work is pressing forward! So I've been super lucky because up until now, it hasn't been super hot or humid. Well, this week that changed. It's definitely getting warmer. We had a few awesome storms. Sister Barret and I got pretty drenched. We passed some little girls in swim suits outside playing in the rain! That's how I want to live my life! Enjoying the blessings of an adventure instead of moping inside that I can't ride my bike. I just love little kids. They're so fun :p

Good news! I will be in Paris with Sister Barret for another transfer! I feel like I've lived in Paris for a long time! I'm finally getting good at knowing people's names and places and what not. It's awesome! I'm glad to be in a small town. It makes it a lot easier to get to know people. The funny part about being in a small town is that people can't hide from us! They can run, but they can't hide. We will see them somewhere unexpectedly. It's quite comical. We joke sometimes that missionary work without the spirit would just be stalking people. haha :]

Our investigators are doing pretty well. We were pretty bummed yesterday because none of them made it to church after 3 of them said that they would be there. A few of the less actives we're working with came! Yahoo for progress! The good news is that Kelly has a baptismal date! She's so excited! We just have to get her to church :p It's really neat to see the progress we've made. They say, "numbers don't matter", and it's pretty true! Our numbers haven't changed much over this past transfer, but I feel like we've gotten a lot better at things than we were before. The members are beginning to trust us and to get excited about the work. It's awesome! We're doing our best to help people progress.

Something that I've been thinking a lot about this past week is sacrifice. We want things, but sometimes we aren't willing to sacrifice for it. As I thought about this, I realized that the Lord truly is capable of doing this work on His own. He could have angels come down and do it MUCH better than we could, but He knows that we need the opportunity to sacrifice and grow for the work. It's the same for the people we're teaching. We could do absolutely everything for them to get them to church, but they need to make those sacrifices to show their dedication to the Lord and to receive the blessings that come as a result of sacrifice.

There are some definite perks to being in a small town. For one, it's awesome to hear everyone's farming stories. Our branch mission leader was cracking us up yesterday telling us about some of the crazy things that go down on his farm. He couldn't believe I was afraid of cows (in real life they're huge and scary alright! They could squash me!). Most people here love animals which is awesome! My biggest problem with living in the country is the bugs. They. Are. EVERYWHERE! Sister Barret and I had a freak out on Friday. The bugs were after us alright! We're pretty sure they live entirely to terrify us when we walk into the bathroom or try to mow the lawn. It's just a theory, but we think we're on target! The bugs are scary! haha

I've made it through my first transfer! I don't know where the time has gone. It's awesome to see how far I've come in the past 6 weeks. It's crazy to think how much different I will be by the end of my mission! I love the opportunity I've been give to be a part of this work. It's awesome to see people change. It's not always an easy, fun, experience, but it's so worth it! It's so important to sacrifice what we want in the moment for what we REALLY want most in the end. I'm learning more and more about that every day. I love you all! Keep being your awesome selves! Count your blessings! Smile those beautiful smiles! Have a wonderful day :)

Lots of love and support,
Sister Edgel

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