Redemption

We got snowed in again! It seems like this winter is never going to end! I feel like this March brings a new beginning, a redemption of sorts. I haven't taken a chance to really write much about it on my blog, but anyone who reads through the entries of 2013 will discover that there is a sudden stop in entries after February 27th, 2013. One day later it was determined that I would be sent home from my full time missionary service. I haven't felt the right time to really share some of my experiences from these events until now. That day was devastating. I'll never forget the way that I felt, so helpless. I was willing to trade anything for the harsh consequences that I was forced to face. I didn't want the plane to land in Seatac, WA where I would need to face my parents, and my dear friends that loved and supported me. My natural instincts were to run away and hide, rebel and hate the world. In that moment of greatest despair, I chose to have faith. I prayed with all the energy of my heart to my God, and I felt something within me. I felt a power come over me, a comfort and a determination that I cannot explain. I felt to love and forgive everyone that would judge and criticize me. That point of decision has made all the difference in the past year. It gave me the strength to change my ways, and to not give up hope. It helped me save up to pay for most of the remainder of my mission, meet new friends, and get back to the temple for my sister's wedding, one of the greatest moments of my life! It brought me back into the mission that I love, with added opportunities to lead and to serve. Recently my dad shared with me a few stories of similar redemption. One of my brother's high school swim teammates forged a signature to pass grades for sports and was expelled for the season. A family was killed by carbon monoxide poisoning while two children were serving missions. In this life we will all face various magnitudes of pain, loss, and heartache. In that moment that we are down, we have a choice. The path of fear or the path of faith. AJ's teammate got his honesty and grades together and took home 3 state titles this year. Those missionaries are comforted with knowledge that they will see their family again because of their temple sealing. I get to be a missionary! As though I had never fallen. I feel redeemed! I hope that you find redemption, when you choose to have faith in someone that helps you find it, even Jesus Christ.