Good morning Elder G! How is my wonderful son today? How was your week? Before I forget, I want you to send me pics of the area you are living in and your "apartment." So this week, it was the birthday of one of the elders serving in our ward. A lot of the elders in the US live with member families now to help save on some of the expenses. So Sister Steed and i went over to the house they live in to bring him cupcakes and balloons. I am so grateful that someone treated you so kindly on your birthday so I wanted to do the same. So we get to the house and the family invites us in but the missionaries aren't there. The "mom" asked us why we were bringing something over? And we told her it was Elder Belnap's bday and she didn't even know. Then we looked around and the house was so cluttered and tons (i mean TONS) of animals all around (dogs, cats, lizards, birds). It was so noisy. The elders bedroom was right off the main family room. The tv was on so loud and I was thinking I bet they have to just stay inside that bedroom and even that is not very private or peaceful. It was just another reminder to me that missionary service is so tough... on so many levels. I told Michele as we were walking out that i bet that Sam would rather live in the places he lives over living in that home with all the noise. There was no peaceful feeling being there. They are such great missionaries and have never complained, but I guarantee it is a very hard thing to live there. I came home and told dad that after Abby goes to college, we are going to have to house missionaries for a little bit. At least they can have a peaceful place to rest at the end of a long hard day. BUT, the good news is that we celebrated Elder Belnaps bday and he was so happy about it.
I have been thinking a lot this week about you trying to decide if you should stay for the additional 5 months or not. I really don't think you have to make that decision yet. However, I want to give you some things to consider as you think about it... and you must pray about it! It is a big decision for you.
First of all, I want the Lord's will for you. I trust Him and know he has a plan for you. So if you pray about it and feel an answer, then I'm all in on that answer and will support you. But as you are thing about what to do, will you think about these things?
First of all, I want you to remember that your mission will be remembered by the kind of service you gave, not the amount of time you served. When Heber C Kimball opened up Great Britain and hundreds of people joined the church, he served 8 months. As far as the histories of missions go, some missions were longer and some were shorter than 2 years. That is just our current time period assigned to missionaries. So don't get too mixed up about the number. Remember that if you come home in August next year, it will have been 3 years since you began your mission. The kind of missionary your are, how hard you work and your obedience and the people you reach, is more important than the number of months. In addition, the fact that you went back in confirmation of how much you love the Lord and put His will before your own.
Secondly, your mission is just a starting point for a life full of service and sacrifice for the Lord. I'm hoping this time when you come home, you will be the same person you were on your mission. I hope you will continue to study, pray, obey, sacrifice and stay loyal to Him. I love the words in Mosiah 5:15:
15 Therefore, I would that ye
I heard someone say once that their mission was like the MTC for their life. You missionary service is a unique time in your life... a treasured time in your life. But you don't have to separate it so much from the rest of your life. Let it continue to work in you when you come home. Continue to love and serve and pray and grow. I pray for that so much for you. I want you to come home changed and continue growing in that direction. That has nothing to do with the months you serve, but the kind of service you give.
A couple of logistic concerns. You already deferred for your missionary service at BYU the first time you left. You can only defer once so when you went' back on your mission, we had to do a leave of absence which can only go for 1 year. So I'm not sure how that will go if you stay and miss more schooling. We will have to figure that out. Can you at least be home in December if you decide to stay so that you can start in January and not miss a complete year? Coming home in mid december would be 4 1/2 more months out of the 5.
You are a loyal servant of our Heavenly Father. You are such an example to so many people around you in Guatemala and here at home. Take dignity in your service and be proud of your mission. The Lord will accept what you give him and He loves you so much for your willingness to return. That is special in itself. You have a lot to do when you get home. You have lots of schooling, you will find a wonderful woman to marry and start a family. This is a continuation of a faithful life... not just a faithful mission. Try to see your mission on a larger scale as part of a full life more than just the 2 years you serve.
I'm so incredibly proud of you. You know that I am overwhelmed by the kind of character you have shown. If you get called to any leadership position in the mission it will be because you are a great, loving, obedient missionary and you have such leadership to provide. It won't have anything to do with the months you spent. It will have more to do with your willingness to return and give everything you have to the Lord for that period of time.
With all this being said, when you receive your answer, I'm all in. I will support whatever you decide. You know I love you more that you could ever know. I know that the Lord and our Heavenly Father love you even more than that. It's hard to imagine.
Have a wonderful week my boy. Let me know your thoughts on all of this. All my love infinity + infinity.
mom
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