Standing firm

Abraham Lincoln once said,
"Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm. "

Recently, I was informed that one of the most
influential men in my life
moved with his wonderful wife,
to Arizona.

He was my mission President,
(I served as a missionary for 18 months,
for the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
and he was the leader charged with
the responsibility for me and 165 other missionaries)
Now, he and his wife are selflessly
serving as missionaries again.

By observing him,
I witnessed a beautiful marriage relationship,
I saw the blessings that come from bearing a solemn testimony of the Savior,
and I was a recipient of unconditional love.

From President and Sister White,
I learned what it meant to put my feet in the right place
and stand firm.

Through their stewardship,
I was able to be molded, and refined.

I count my mission as one of the most necessary
experiences of my life; a time
where I grew up and learned
in greater abundance who
Heavenly Father wanted me to be.

I am certain that I needed to serve a mission
in order to learn how to listen,
to learn how to endure,
to struggle and
realize the need I had to
stop relying on my own strength, and instead
to rely on an
infinite, eternal, and loving Father in Heaven

I love The Whites,
and today I am so grateful for the
eternal part they have played in helping me
on this awesome journey.