Is this really happening? Am I finally here? This is so crazy! 18 months worth of serving and doing the Lord's work now finished and I am getting ready to finally board the plane to Boise! I gotta say... It has been the hardest, craziest, scariest, awkwardest, most stressful, physically and mentally draining, exhausting, trying, challenging work I have EVER done in my ENTIRE life. BUT, it has also been the most rewarding, spiritual, heart felt, loving, motivating, amazing, life changing, happiest, blessed, work that I have LOVED doing more than anything I have EVER done.
In 1 Nephi 3:7 we read that often quoted scripture: “I will go and do.....”. We are so familiar with this. I like to turn back the page and look at 1 Nephi 3:5. In this verse father Lehi is asking Nephi to go do this assignment of retrieving the plates but he then tells him that his brothers have murmured when asked to do it. “Behold thy brothers murmur, saying it as a Hard Thing which I have required of them.” As you know, Nephi steps up and accomplishes the task. There are many hard things we are asked to do in life. We call this the Doctrine of Doing Hard Things. Yet here is the grand secret of it all. When we do hard things the blessings flow, lives are changed, people are blessed, and the Lord accomplishes His work through us. "Missionary work, particularly a full time mission, is hard. Yet in the doing, comes the Spirit......and the blessings" -President Rogers.
Never in my entire life could I picture myself doing the things that I did out here. I am thankful that I was so clueless as to what was actually going to happen to me because I probably would have chickened out. But I came out here blind, and uncertain about the future but with a testimony of the things I've learned growing up. That was truly all I needed. The Lord opened my eyes and gave me the certainty of the message that I was sharing was true. He was the artist that molded me into the missionary and person that I needed to be to reach my full potential. He knew the whole time what I was capable of doing, and knew my limits. He never put me in a situation that I couldn't handle. Even when I thought I was hopeless. I have been cut at the knees a few times, but that only made me stronger and I bore testimony of those moments that God hears and answers our prayers. He knows our struggles and wants us to turn to Him in those moments.
I realized yesterday as I was sharing my testimony in Sacrament Meeting that my very first Sunday as a missionary was a fast and testimony meeting. I stood up and bore my testimony that day pretty green about life and a bit scared. My testimony has grown so much since that day. Before coming on my mission I knew that the church was true. I knew that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and that He lives. I knew that we had a living prophet to lead and guide His church. Today, I know more than I know that I am sitting at this computer typing this email that Jesus Christ is my Savior! I know, that Heavenly Father loves me and has a perfect plan for His children to come unto Him in His kingdom once again. For all eternity. I know that families are forever sealed together in sacred temple ordinances done by the holy priesthood authority of God. I know that Joseph Smith saw our Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ, in the sacred grove where they called him to be the prophet of the restoration of the one true church in these latter-days. I do not know all things, but I would fear for my eternal salvation if I denied the things of which I do know. I know that the church is true with all of my heart, mind, and soul.
Farewell NYUM! God be with you till we meet again! The church is true!
Love, Sister Keller
P.S. See you at home!
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