"Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening and Good Night"
Wow! This will be the last time that you all will hear from me on my mission. Words cannot express how I am feeling right now. Everything is so surreal to me at the moment.
This week was a really good week for us lessons wise and we went on a couple of exchanges with some sisters in our zone because one of them has a concussion(nothing too serious but has to stay home), but we got a lot of work done in both of the areas.
I don't have much time but I want to tell you the highlight from my week, it was on Sunday. We had 9 less actives at church!!! We filled up a whole pew, I cannot tell you the feelings of joy that I had that day. It was in that moment where I didn't want to leave, I am going to miss moments like that. We had Sister Dilworth and Jeff Hitesman come out, I haven't really written you about them too much but they are ones that we started working with when Sister Broberg and I were together. They finally both made it out to church along with the McEvoy family and a less active youth we are working with and an older lady as well. I think I had the biggest smile on my face the whole time! They all had such good experiences there, I hope that they will all come to church next week as well. It was crazy at times and hectic trying to get everyone to the right classes, but it was all worth it in the end. I wish I could just bottle up the feelings I felt that day and hold onto them forever.
So I don't really have much time, lots of emails that I had to read today but I just wanted to tell you all what these last 18 months have meant to me. It is hard for me to write this all on paper, but I feel like a way that a close sister missionary said it sums it up. My missionary experience was so sacred! I have learned so much about myself on my mission and have grown so much spiritually and temporally. I wouldn't change the experiences I have had these past 18 months for the world. I wouldn't change one companion, one area, one convert, one less active, one tough day for ANYTHING! Each and everyone of those has played a part to where I am today. Before leaving on my mission I thought I already had a pretty strong testimony of the gospel, but it has grown so much on my mission. My testimony burns so strong inside me each and everyday, it is something that no one will ever take away from me and something that I can never deny. To be honest I was a little timid to talk to those about my beliefs before leaving on a mission. I feel like if there was any Apostle that I could relate to it would be Peter. He was still unsure of his testimony and wasn't deeply rooted. But then he had an experience with Christ that truly converted him and he became one of the greatest Apostles known to man. That is what my mission has done to me. It has truly converted me to the Gospel, God, and Christ. I hope to be one of Christ greatest disciples. Elder Holland has said it perfectly for me.
"When (Christ) comes, I so want to be caught living the gospel. I want to be surprised right in the act of spreading the faith and doing something good. I want the Savior to say to me: “(Sister Breanne Metcalf), I recognize you not by your title but by your life, the way you are trying to live and the standards you are trying to defend. I see the integrity of your heart. I know you have tried to make things better first and foremost by being better yourself and then by declaring my word and defending my gospel to others in the most compassionate way you could.”
He will certainly add: “I know you weren’t always successful with your own sins and with the circumstances of others, but I believe you honestly tried. I believe in your heart you truly loved me.”
On my mission I have come to know how much God truly knows me and how aware he is of me and my situation. He knows what I need and what trials need to be put into my life to push me to become the person that I need to be. One of my favorite scripture stories that I have come to love on my mission is the story in the Book of Mormon of the Jaredites [Ether chapter 6
(To read the story click here) ] when they are traveling over to the Americas. It talks about them being in the barges and them being pushed along by the storms and the winds and how they cried continually to the Lord, but that is what was needed to push them to the promised land. If they would of been on a calm sea they would of never of moved forward. That is the same for our lives as well. If we don't have trials or hard times in our life we will never progress we will never be pushed forward to "our promise land" to where and who our Heavenly Father needs us to be. But most importantly is in verse 10 that they had light continually in the darkness, we have that light continually as well. It is the light of Christ.
The one thing that I am most grateful for on my mission is the relationship that I have built with my Father in Heaven and my Savior. I would never be this strong if I wouldn't of gone on my mission. My mission has humbled me so much, as most of you know I am a very independent person and I don't like to rely on others. My mission has pushed me to get on my knees and to rely on my Father in Heaven because in times of need I had no one else to turn to but Him. I couldn't just call any of you to talk to know what to do or to help me when needed or for you to just listen to me in my times of struggle as well as my times of joy. My first resource was my Father in Heaven. He, as well as my Savior have become so real to me on my mission. I have grown an even deeper love for them.
I have missed you all so much and am excited to see all of you and to see how much all of you have grown and changed as well. But know that it will be bittersweet for me. It was hard reading some of your letters, to be honest I started to cry a little bit, it has started to hit me a little bit that I will be leaving in less than a week. I don't think I am ready for this part of my life to end. These 18 months were not just the best times of my life but FOR my life. I am not ready to take off this name tag to stop being a full time missionary, but I know that it has to end at some point. I promise that I will try to make it to the airport, but if my mission President offers for me to extend, I just might take it hahahaI know that this is where I was suppose to serve, I know that this is where the Lord needed me to be. People laugh when they here others being called to Boise, but know one will ever know just how special and sacred it is to serve here.
I just want to end with the testimony I have of this Gospel. I know that this is the true church that contains the fullness of the Gospel. That through a 14 year old boy, Joseph Smith, the Priesthood power, that power and authority to act in God's name, was restored through him. It is by that same power that we can preform saving ordinances that are essential for entering into the Kingdom of God like Baptism, and that Families can be Sealed together forever. I know that we have a Father and Heaven who loves us and knows us so perfectly. We also have a Savior of the World who Lives. Jesus is the Christ! There is so much more I would love to say but it has come to that time for me to sign off.
I love you all so much, be safe! I hope to better explain what my mission means to me to all of you in person. I am going to miss everyone here that I have met on my mission, I know that I will be able to see them again, but it won't be the same without my tag on :(
Love
Sister Metcalf
Last time from The Great Idaho Boise Mission
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