Sunday, August 12, 2012

Pre-Mission Photo Shoot!

My wonderful friend Franny offered to take "pre-mission" photos for me! Shes amazing, what more can I say? Her and I were roommates up in Fort McMurray last year, and man. I would have died without her! Here are a few of her photos! <3
Enjoy :)




 
 


Saturday, August 11, 2012

One of the many reasons I decided to serve...

I personally decided to serve a mission because I had the desire to share what I know with others. The gospel of Jesus Christ is an amazing gift which has been provided for each and every one of his children to obtain joy in this life, and exaltation in the next. Through my travels in China I had many experiences where people had the desire to learn more about their Heavenly Father and purpose in life. However because of the restrictions at the time I was asked not to share my beliefs with anyone who held a Chinese passport in that area.

One particular Sunday morning myself, and a group of girls I was traveling with meet this sweet Chinese girl who was sitting next to us on the train. We had been studying our scriptures on the ride to church and over the course of time she started speaking with us and asking many questions about the God and what we believed. I remember feeling like her soul was sincerly pleading for us to answer her questions. It was possibly one of the hardest things I've experienced to sit there on the train, knowing what I know about this gospel and the happiness it has brought me in my life, and to look her in the eye and say that "I am sorry but I cannot tell you what I know". We were able to tell her that God lives, and he loves her, but that was all we had permission to say at that time.

 From that experience something was planted inside me, I made a promise to myself that day that I would never hold back from sharing what I know with others. How could I live in a country where I have no religious barriers and not share my testimony with others? That desire to teach others about the restored gospel, and to serve God are why I and thousands of other Mormons have decided to serve missions