So one time in Sacrament meeting either one of our ward missionaries was speaking/giving his testimony or it was a return missionary. Either way, the writing muse fell upon me and the idea to just give a brief pros about missions popped to my head. So here it is!
Leave a Boy, Come Home a Man
At nineteen he leaves home: wide-eyed, excited, full of wonder and fear. He hugs his siblings and parents before boarding the plane. He finds his seat (a difficult task when tears blur his eyes) and sits down in his suit.
Then begins the months of training at the MTC. Missionary Training Center. He learns a brand new language he had never heard of before his mission call and learns about the teachings of the Gospel he will be sharing with people in some far-off land. Finally those four long years of early-morning Seminary pay off.
He boards yet another plane, still young and full of wonder.
A new country, new people, new customs. Luckily he has a companion he can rely on. He feels like Helen Keller: he doesn't hear or see anything he understands. Two long years to go before he sees his family again. Oh, how he misses them! One letter a week and only two phone calls a year is not enough to sate his want for them. But even without them there beside him, his testimony gradually grows from the small shrub it had been and into a tree as large as a mountain.
Whereas the first six months seemed to crawl along at a snail's pace, the last six fly by in an instant. His wide eyes are now weighed down with weariness. His excitement is replaced by regular routine. His fear has been replaced with love. "Do I even want to go home?" he thinks. But no; he can't wait until he sees his family again. Two years older. Where has the time gone?
Many goodbyes to new friends; too little time spent between them. Many tears shed. Many hours coming home on the plane. And then he sees them, waiting for him with smiles and tears on their faces.
I haven't gone on a mission yet but I sure plan to! I'm really hoping to go to a foreign speaking mission because I love languages. My first choice would be Iceland and my next choice would be Croatia (I'm 1/8 the latter and 1/16 the former). Like I said in the summary, I have had two brothers go on missions (Latvia and Tiwan) and I have been that family memeber with tears and a smile on my face. Please R&R and if you want then put down where you would want to go on your mission, or, if you've already gone, where you went. Thanks!