Well, the day has arrived. Today is my very last Monday in the mission, and in just 3 days from now, I'll be home with my amazing family. I can't believe I finally made it. The day has arrived very quickly! The past two years only felt like a fraction of that!
Overall, I'm very grateful for my mission and all that it's helped me do and learn and become. Being completely committed to the service of my fellow beings and my God has changed my life completely. I've changed my perspective on a lot of things, my testimony has grown and has been strengthened a ton, and I've met many friends and not-so-friends along the way, each of them being a key part in my personal progression. Going on a mission is, and probably forever will be, the most important decision I've ever made in my life.
As for my testimony as of now, I'm sure I'll have plenty of opportunities to share what I know and feel to be true in the coming weeks, but I'll share it here as well. I am a witness of God's divine love. I have felt it many times during my mission, and I know he has been there for me from the beginning to the end. My mission was hard, as I knew it would be, but not in the ways I thought it would be. I went through a lot of mental and spiritual battles. I know it was God that put me through them, and it was God that delivered me from them. My mission served as the refiner's fire that I needed to become the better version of myself I always knew I needed to become. I know that Jesus Christ lives, and so does His church. He really does have living prophets and apostles that in reality teach us the truth, which come from God. I have taught boldly and with full confidence throughout my mission this fact: that the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true and living church upon the face of the earth and the very kingdom of God here to prepare us for the Lord's second coming.
A couple weeks ago, someone asked me what was the biggest lesson I had learned on my mission. This question seems simple at first, but after thinking for a bit, I couldn't pin it down for him. I told him I would need to get back to him on that one. After thinking it over, the biggest lesson I learned from the beginning to the end is the reliance I have on Jesus Christ. He really is the way, the truth, and the life. Any efforts we put into knowing or following God without Christ's atonement, help, or example are futile. I tried many times during my mission to do things "my way" or to not follow the rules because I thought they were pointless or inefficient, but as I did this, I noticed that things usually ended up not working out. As I tried harder to align my will with God's, I found more peace and happiness knowing that the work I was doing was good.
Going forward, I will strive to apply the things I've learned here throughout the rest of my life. I will strive to rely on my Savior more, following his example in all things by always asking myself, "What would Jesus do?" I will seek opportunities to serve, and I will continue to grow my faith, hope, and charity. I will increase temple service, church activity, and I will no longer make excuses for inactivity. I'm so happy with what my mission has helped me become, and I'm really excited to see where I end up in life using what I've learned and relying on God's help. One last thank you to everyone who was with me along the way, I'm grateful for your prayers. Can't wait to see you all soon! Adios!
I must go home -Elder Barlow
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