“Sometimes the hard thing and the right thing are the same thing.”
— Me
As the days tick past, and our mission approaches ever closer, I’ve been pondering all of it. I’m excited about the opportunity to do something new and different, and the adventure of living in a new place, and the chance to serve people who need help. I know that serving a mission is the right thing for us to do at this time in our lives.
But I’m also going to miss my family and my friends, and playing board games, and designing board games, and throwing parties. I’m going to miss the beautiful Montana summers, and jet skis, and visits from friends, and visits from family, and twice-a-week lunches at Rosa’s Pizza. I’ll miss meeting up with old friends, and going skiing, and backpacking, and road trips, and of course my annual fall trip with my favorite brother. There are so very many things I’ll miss, that I’ve more or less taken for granted these past few years. I find myself wondering why I’m “giving away” a year of my rich, full, blessed life to serve a mission.
And then I remember that it’s because I have a rich, full, blessed life that I can do this at all. What I’m really doing is giving away a year of my life to help someone else. Pepper and I will fill our days with work and service. We’ll help youth and young adults as they navigate the treacherous and often confusing waters of their lives. We’ll teach and (hopefully) inspire people to see the bigger picture. We’ll dedicate our time and our efforts to the Lord’s errand. We’ll follow the example each of our kids set as they gave away years of their young lives to serve missions of their own. And finally, we’ll follow the example of the Savior, who gave away everything for all of us.
So yeah. A mission is going to be a hard thing. But it’s also the right thing. And it’s going to be awesome.