Eighteen Months Well Spent

Monday was kind of hard for me, I've been away from home for just over a month and I was missing my family a lot. So I decided that I should think about why I decided to leave them for 18 months. The decision for me to go on a mission wasn't easy, and I didn't know for sure that I wanted to go until I read this scripture...

Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble.

Mosiah 28:3

After reading that scripture, I knew that I wanted to do my part in declaring salvation to every creature. I was filled with an extremely strong desire to share the gospel and the problem of leaving my family seemed little in comparison.

The reality of being away from them was harder than I had anticipated. So I thought about that scripture again, to see if it would help me remember why I didn't worry that much about leaving my family in the first place. The desire I had to share the gospel with every person that would listen was still there, but I realized something that I couldn't know until I had felt it. I understood what it felt like to experience the "torment" mentioned a little bit more. I knew the feeling of torment that comes from being away from your family and loved ones. What helped me was the knowledge that families can be together forever in heaven, and the real reason why I am here is so none of Heavenly Father's children have to endure the "endless torment" of being separated from their family forever. I will gladly give up 18 months with my family when I know that I can be with them forever, and especially when I know that this 18 months are being spent helping others achieve this goal as well.





The Nashville Tennessee Temple


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