Two of these sisters were my companions- I was lucky to have either of them, since they were supposed to go to the MTC in Brazil but had to wait for visas, as was the case for most of the Portuguese-speaking missionaries. 4 of these sisters went to Brazil, 2 went to Cape Verde, and me and the one other sister went to (opposite missions in) Portugal.
There are so many feelings that come with being a missionary. As I've thought about each one in the last few days, it further solidified the comparison of a mission being a miniature version of a lifetime. Sure, the analogy isn't perfect- for example, you get to choose your companion, and hopefully, you don't go through as many in life as fast as you do on a mission- but there are so many things about it that do fit. Like, "it's the hardest thing you've ever done" or "it's the most fun you've ever had," phrases which I've heard used about missions and which I've used about my own mission (prior to having a spouse and a kid, of course. They've both changed my perception of "hard" and "fun").
So this is mostly just a memory reel for me to look at every so often, mostly for the memories, but also for the lessons I learned that apply to life outside of a mission. Not everybody needs to learn these lessons by being a missionary, but those people have a leg up on life. I needed a mission to try and pound them into my skull. And even after a good pounding, I'm still trying to master most of these.
Focusing on the negative will always make things worse. Focusing on the positive won't always bring an immediate miracle, but the future is as bright as your faith. So have faith!
Don't be afraid to try new things. Even if they end up going terribly or being gross, how will you know if you never try? And most of the time, it works out SO much better than you imagined.
We had some ice cream bars that left a gold shimmer that you can't see in the picture. It's okay, the memory's still good.
Sometimes, ice cream really will solve the problem. Apply liberally.
Let other people support you. For independent and prideful people (like myself), it's harder to do, but everyone needs support sometimes. And usually, we would benefit by it more often than we think.
It's amazing to me how so many different kinds of people and personalities can come together to do some awesome things. Look for the best in people, and you'll be surprised at how easily awesome comes.
This guy lived in our house for a while. We tried to keep him on our back porch, but he had his own plans.
Unexpected things happen. Run with it. There's probably something great to learn from it, and even if the lesson is really hard to learn, at the very least, it'll probably make a great story later. And who doesn't love a good story?
Your leaders as are inspired as you allow them to be. Hint: You get more out of your leaders if you want to be led.
Families come in many different shapes and sizes. I'm learning that the more variety there is, the more I want to be part of that family. And I'm already part of a lot of families.
Love takes on many forms of expression. Learning to recognize all of them is one of the greatest adventures in life, and one of the very most worthwhile.
Find people in your life who will recognize mishaps and misfortunes for what they are and will laugh with AND at you.
Look for opportunity, don't just wait for it to knock. And never pass up a good opportunity to be silly.
Be there for the big events, even if it means a little bit of sacrifice. Even when you think it may not mean much to that person, you never really know. Show up. Be supportive. If it really didn't matter to that person, who cares? There's probably free food.
Sometimes life hands your cards that make you hurt. You're confused and angry and frustrated and wanting to curl up in a ball and cry all at the same time. Nobody is immune to those cards. Take time to feel, and those cards will be your strong ones later. You're already on your way if you can find little rays of sunshine when those rough cards are dealt.
Never take family pictures too seriously. Everybody likes the goofy ones anyway.
Be kind to strangers. It might change their life, or yours!
Find good friends. It makes the journey far more enjoyable.
[title from pin your wings down by copeland]
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