Los Minas 12 - - I Love Missionary Work

Los Minas 12 - - I Love Missionary Work

This email will be a short one. 

Kind of saving my words and experiences and stuff for next Monday when I write my LAST EMAIL HOME. I still feel like it hasn't sunk in yet. Yeah, sometimes I get butterflies when people remind me or thinking about what I'm going back to. But overall, the work keeps progressing and I would dare to say we're working harder than I have in any time of my mission. Just because I know that I don't have much left. 

I've come to love missionary work. It's not a burden.

There's a time that EVERY missionary encounters in their mission when you have just an absolutely terrible day. Or an awful week. Or a really hard transfer or difficult companion. One of the first things that comes to mind when one is new as a missionary is: 

"What a trial. Doing all I can and nothing is going my way." 

Sure, you enjoy and love it when people make the decisions they need to and accept Christ. When you come out of a POWERHOUSE lesson or witness a miracle. It's easy to love what you're doing when you're having success. 

But when I say that I've come to love it; I mean, come what comes, good or bad, happy or sad, there's NOTHING I'd rather be doing more than preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

It's taken two long years of practice and lots of hard tests and let downs. But I don't think there's anything that could come my way, with the help of God, that could make me feel like the mission work is a burden in any moment of the day. Because I've come to learn that with opposition, there's always opportunity. And it's what the LORD wants, not what WE want. 

It's probably the biggest and most important principle I've learned on the mission. To accept the will of God and to face opposition with your head up, face on, and find the beauty in the struggle.

I'm so grateful for the time God has given me here and for one more full week that He's lent me to work along His side, trying my best to testify to the world about the truthfulness of the message of the Restoration. 

Words cannot describe how anxious and excited I am to see you all. But it's time to sprint now, and end the mission the way I started it.

Love,

Elder Graff