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.

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

June 22, 2015 Lulu's baptism

Hello everyone!

I hope things are going well in whatever part of the world this letter finds you in. Things are going really well here in St Louie!

So this Wednesday I got a new companion! This is her first area, but you wouldn't even know that! Her name is Sister Bishop, and she's from Lehi. She's so great! Things are going really well here.

Funny story: So on Sister Bishop's first real day, we went to go crochet with a less active who teaches all the missionaries to crochet (don't worry, our mission President has approved it!) While we were there, her dog nearly threw up on my bag (missed it by a centimeter) and then almost pooped on Sister Bishop's foot. Poor dog! It was pretty funny though to watch Sister Bishop's face. She just stared straight ahead and dropped her crocheting. hahaha Life keeps you on your toes :p

Yesterday was Lulu's baptism. It was so beautiful. Our mission President and His wife came to support her. It was great. Lulu was so happy and the spirit was so strong! She had wanted me to talk, so I talked about the role the atonement has played in getting her to where she is today, and how it will continue to help her after baptism. After she was baptized, she just cried. It was so sweet. She was so touched. There's nothing quite like a baptism as a missionary. It was great for Sister Bishop to start off her mission with a baptism. Hopefully we'll have a few more in the next few weeks :) Our next goal is to help her husband. Keep us in your prayers!

The two investigators that were baptized last week were confirmed yesterday too. It was really neat. They're not naturally super social, but it was fun to see them start coming out of their shells. The Mom answered a question about a Book of Mormon story in Gospel Principles. It was really neat! They stayed after for Lulu's baptism too. It's so neat watching people grow and progress in the gospel. Missionary life is the best!

This week I learned a lot about the importance of being grateful for the good in other people and in valuing their value! We had got back late from a meeting with our new ward mission leader, and we only had 5 minutes until 9. We decided to go try our neighbor who I've talked to before. She didn't answer, so we tried her neighbor. We were about to go back when Sister Bishop said, "I think we should try apt B. We did, and we ended up talking with the lady for over 15 minutes. It was really neat. We have a return apt with her this week, so we'll see how it goes!

One of the main focuses of my studies recently has been looking for the Love of the Savior, and for His mercy, and the importance of giving God our hearts. It's been amazing to see how many times the Savior reaches out to us, even when we don't deserve it at all. Studying the scriptures this way has brought me so much peace! If you are having trouble feeling the love of the Savior in your life, and/or love for others, I challenge you to read the scriptures looking for it. It has helped me so much. I am so grateful for this opportunity I have to be a missionary. It's the greatest thing in the world! Keep doing all of the good that you do. Have a wonderful week!

Lots of love and support,
Sister Edgel
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