Of new beginnings

Hello my friendlies and strangerlies and families!...that doesn't work as well with families...oh well!

I'd like to apologize for not having written Monday. I'll try to be better at that. I think this week I will be trying to manage my time better, and to do so I will be planning out my time more. I've found that if I don't plan to do anything, it's very likely that I won't do anything. Funny how that works. So the inverse should also be true, no? We'll find out.

Last week I said that I would be trying to work on my patience, and it's a little bit better. I'm still not the most patient person in the world, but I'm at least trying to accept that things won't happen right away. I need to study about patience better, and as I do I'm sure I'll get better.

I'm still learning how to do deal with post-mission life, and today has been no exception. There are so many things that can change over the course of two years. While in the mission, one has an interesting perspective of the world from whence he came. He hears that siblings go to school events and get awards, parents get new church callings, vacations are had, and the like, but none of those things are really real for the in-field missionary. That missionary slightly expects things to be somewhat the same when he returns. He "knows" that things will be different because others have told him so, but he doesn't expect to what extent.

When that missionary returns, he hopes for people whom he left behind to be there to receive him. He hopes for any past loves to be there, any friends, all family, and then he can receive a shock. Friends, while they have the same faces, have changed. Past loves have moved on. Family is different but the same as well, but they're always there for you (thank goodness for that). It can be a difficult time for the missionary. In his past life (i.e. the mission), he knew who he was and where he fit in. He knew who his friends were, he had a family in every ward, and romantics wasn't really a problem because there wasn't time nor a need for it. Life was comfortable. And then getting thrown back into "real" life is...hard. Almost immediately life demands your full attention with schooling, jobs, and searching out that eternal companion. Your friends have almost all graduated from college and are moving on with their lives, and you don't know where you fit in. It's just a lot to do, and if he doesn't have support from someone, real life starts looking bleak.

But he always has someone to count on, even if everyone else has moved on; his Heavenly Father. God never moves, never wavers, and never changes His feelings towards said missionary. He is always there for him. Even in the darkest, most lonely moments, Heavenly Father is there. That is so wonderful! And what more is that Heavenly Father isn't just there to say, "It'll be better", but He actually knows personally what that missionary is going through. God knows the exact things that that missionary should do to be able to move past the pain and the loneliness. If that missionary is faithful, he will receive all of the divine guidance that he needs to find happiness again, and any holes that have been left by unexpected change will be patched up again. All it requires is faith, diligence, and obedience to all that that missionary knows to be true. Little by little the darkness of a bleak life starts to dissipate and the dawn of a new life appears again on the horizon. Further striving brings the tangible blessings, and that missionary finds his place in his new life. I know that this is true because, as you have most likely guessed, I am living proof. The last part is still to be experienced, but I know that it will happen. I know that my Heavenly Father loves and knows me. He has seen all that I have passed through, and He will reward me according to my loyalty to Him, even when the world would have me follow an easier path. I know that all will be well, that I will find a job, get a wonderful education, and find a perfect woman for me, and I know that it will all be in God's time. So I'll just do my duty and let God do the rest.

I hope that I've helped someone out there besides myself. Sometimes these blog entries serve me to remember what I know, so if no one else learns anything, at least I learned something! I hope you have a wonderful week, and I will see you when I see you! Love y'all!

Love,
Andrew