Whelp this is it. My time has come to an end in Georgia and I couldn’t be more grateful for the wonderful journey. Our Savior lives. I can testify that he is aware of all of us personally. No matter how imperfect we may feel at times, His love and grace is always there.
When I first left on my mission I didn’t know what to expect, I wasn’t aware of the trials I was going to face or the pure happiness I was going to experience. But through Christ I have learned to overcome personal trials and I have witnessed many miracles of those who have trusted in him and saw His hand in their lives.
To sum up these two years is nearly impossible so instead I will leave you with my testimony of what I have come to know is true over the course of my mission.
The first being as I stated before, our Savior lives. I have spent many nights on my knees praying, pleading, rejoicing, and seeking direction from my Heavenly Father and in those moments as I have sought divine help from God I have been led several times to where I needed to be and choices I needed to make, each of those leading back to our Savior and the example He set and the ways He taught and what He taught.
Coming to know of Christ’s love is the biggest game changer, your life may not become easier but the feelings of peace through those trials is overwhelming. To know of what Christ had to go through as far as persecution, temptation, obedience, and so on, then being able to go and share that with people and to experience just a little bit of that persecution or hatred, has given me a new love and new appreciation for all He has done for us.
Second, The Book of Mormon is another Testament of Jesus Christ. Within each page of the Book of Mormon I have been able to expand my knowledge of our Savior and understand more of His teachings. The Book of Mormon is something I have earnestly read and prayed about with a sincere heart to know if it was true. And through my own personal experience and the answer I received I can not deny the divinity of it and the truthfulness that it holds.
I have stood in front of Pastors, Preachers, Christians, Baptist, Methodist, Catholics, and many many more, and I have testified that if there is nothing else this book can do it will bring you closer to Christ. It is true. It is a guide for our lives and when used hand in hand with the Bible we are able to truly understand why God has placed us on this earth and what we need to do to return to Him.
Third, God has a great and eternal plan for us. I am a firm believer that there is no such thing as coincidence and that everything happens for a reason. No matter how hard life can be and no matter how many trials we face there is always a lesson to be learned and there is always growth to be made.
When we experience hardships that lead us to asking the questions of “why me?” Or “why them?” I want you to remember that no matter who it is or what the circumstance or situation God wouldn’t allow something to happen if it didn’t need to. Sometimes we may lose someone in our life in order to understand the value behind loving everyone or to be able to help someone who may face that similar trial in their life, you are then able to be an instrument in the Lords hand to help them.
We are always given the ability to choose for ourselves how to look at situations that are presented to us. I have learned that when things don’t necessarily go your way, stop and appreciate that God is trying to direct you somewhere else and is helping you learn something more. With there being a plan I have also seen many times that if we are willing, God will place us where He needs us to be in order to help His children and to let them know that He is mindful of us all individually.
My list can go on but for the time being, this is what I needed to leave with you. I want to let each of you know how much I appreciate all of your love and support throughout this journey and for all that you have done. This work is so wonderful and it affects so many more people than we can imagine.
I love all of you and I pray the Lord may continue to bless your lives as I know He has blessed mine. I’ll see you soon! Until then, God be with you.
Love,
Elder Summers
