Thoughts and two weeks - February 22, 2016

I go to the mission home in 14 days. How insane is that. I remember when I was in my first area, about two months out, and I went to bed one night after a long day, I looked up at the ceiling, my eyes got wide...and I thought I would be a missionary forever. I was convinced I'd never go home. And now..I'm looking at it square in the face. That's insane.

This week was a nice, normal week. We taught a lot. We have a baptism/wedding this Saturday that we've been helping the family involved get ready for. That's been fun. I really like them a lot, they're amazing people. 

I spoke in church yesterday and I'm pretty sure that's the 25th time I've done so. 

So, I've had a few experiences this week that have really made me think about what brings actual happiness in life. I don't know everything, but I'm coming to realize that happiness is using our agency to follow the gospel. We use good judgement and do the things we know we need to do. Good judgement comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgement. Sometimes we need to make dumb choices to know what makes us actually happy. You have to know the bitter to know the sweet. That's just how life is. We need to make mistakes in this life so we can know what makes us happy. We're going to make mistakes in life, that's going to happen. But we can learn from them, we can grow, and we can be better. I regret every mistake I've ever made, but I don't regret what I've learned from them. The gospel's where peace is. Life is complicated, but the gospel isn't. 

Life is hard. But the blessings of enduring to the end far outweigh the consequences of giving up. My mission has been so perfect, I can't wait to talk more about it at home. 

Anyway, have a fantastic week. I love you all!