Date
June 18, 2019
Area
Eureka, MO
Companion
Sister Palmer
don't pick me up from the airport because i'm finding a way to not be there
Where's the paper I sign that allows me to extend for 6 more months??
I feel immensely blessed and honestly indebted towards my Heavenly Father for the opportunity I have had to serve in the Missouri St. Louis Mission. I have a strong testimony that Heavenly Father qualifies and magnifies who He calls to serve Him. Each of us has been chosen to serve Heavenly Father and to proclaim His gospel, and I KNOW, whether as a missionary or not, Heavenly Father gives us the words we need to say to those around us who need the message of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
My mission literally means everything to me. I've literally, like the sons of Mosiah, experienced a mighty change of heart, and honestly, this is just the beginning of it. I've been thinking a lot about the idea of becoming, and what's so neat about this gospel is that we will always have the opportunity to progress and strive to be like Christ. We are constantly striving to become, and we should never be too satisfied with how close our relationship with Jesus Christ is. I recently realized that my mission isn't my spiritual peaking point. It definitely has set the foundation for it, but there is so much more to the gospel of Jesus Christ that I have the opportunity to learn and apply. I am beyond grateful for the righteous habits I have developed because of my mission and I am excited to see how they carry me through all that lies ahead.
No matter what point of life we are in, there's change happening all around us. Coming home will certainly be a reality smack in the face- but the gospel of Jesus Christ never changes, and there is so much peace and encouragement that comes from that, especially with the world we live in today. I have been reflecting a lot on the way I have truly come to know how to live the gospel of Jesus Christ more carefully. I have learned how to really live my covenants, and because I have been taught it so well, I will forever be accountable to the way I apply the principles I have learned. I'm accountable for the way I use my phone, the language I choose to use at home, the way I live my temple covenants and literally so much more. I'm grateful for solid parents who will help me be accountable till the day they die, and probably keep me accountable through the veil too.
Top 5 things I learned from my mission:
1. God is our literal Father in Heaven who loves us with His whole heart. He truly wants the very best for us. He wants us to be successful and happy. This is the reason why we have commandments, and that's why the greatest commandment is to love our Savior, Jesus Christ.
2. We are vessels of the Spirit when we personally live our lives worthy of it. God's greatest gift is the promise of the companionship of the Holy Ghost. We are literally capable of having a for reals member of the Godhead with us all of the time.
3. We are agents. One of God's greatest gifts was for us to come to earth and make choices for ourselves. We are here to exercise our agency and rely on the gift of the Holy Ghost as we do so.
4. Careful vs Casual- this has been our missions motto since literally day 1. I feel like I was partially sent to this mission to learn and apply this principle of the gospel. I am literally so set on living the gospel and my covenants carefully for the rest of my life.
5. Always have Christ's name on my lips. We have covenanted, and really, we are willing, to stand as a witness of Jesus Christ. Our words, actions, the way we dress and talk, reflect the way we keep this promise with Heavenly Father. We speak the words of Christ and we constantly keep Christ's name on our lips so we can always declare His doctrine.
Okay I lied, here's a 6th: Every single thing always comes back to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Any situation or problem that we are in comes down to our faith, trust, and belief in Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father's plan for us. Heavenly Father doesn't try to make mortality a complicated thing- that's why He continually teaches the 5 principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ so simply. Struggling hard in life?- What do you need to do to increase your faith?
This part goes out to all of you- I am beyond grateful for all of the encouragement and support I have been given the past 18 months. I have felt so much love and strength come from home, and I truly know that your prayers have sustained me through out my mission. I literally know that I wouldn't be here without the support of my family, friends, and church leaders. Each of you have had such an influential impact on me that has seriously brought me to this point in life. I CANNOT THANK EACH OF YOU ENOUGH.
You can take the name tag off my dress but you can't take it off my heart. I am stoked to apply the things I have learned from my mission and to continue to progress towards the person Heavenly Father needs me to be. Leaving St. Louis has got to be the hardest thing- but I'm grateful to have learned how to love, serve, and obey and to figure out how to be a missionary for the rest of my life.
This last transfer has been one of the VERY BEST transfers of my whole mission and it is making it really, really hard to leave. Heavenly Father is so good to His missionaries and I am so grateful to have literally the greatest companion who has made this transfer one of the best.
SPIRITUAL THOUGHT- I read literally the best talk I have come across- "Live Right Now" by Elder Gong. This BYU devo was literally a straight answer to prayer, so here were some one-liners that literally changed me. "As we choose the Lord and obey His commandments, we come to understand and accept His will." "Do you protect your spiritual identity in how you dress, speak, or portray yourself online?" "IF you go to bed at 10:00 and get up at 6:00 am, things will work out for you." (for reals, way cool promise) "Humility precedes inspiration." "Once you really determine to follow that guide, your testimony will grow and you will find provisions set out along the way in unexpected places, as evidence that someone knew that you would be traveling that way."
LOVE YOU ALL WAY TOO MUCH. over & out for the last time
soon to be former, sister beal
((would actually love to see as many of you that want to be at the boise airport on Monday @7, much love))
pics:1. my very fav people, the batemans2. rockin comp3. this week we had a mini missionary with us for 4 days and it was SO GOOD. Jilian is 17 and one of my new best friends and is literally SOLID at sharing the gospel. LOVE HER.4. exchanges with sis winn! + jilian5. exchanges with sis ashby6. tractin goods