two years.

This is more of a reflection than an insight . . .

I've been thinking a lot about missions recently. The 25th marked two years of being home from my mission in California.

Missions are about being in the correct place with the correct timing; being where God can utilize you. It is a test of finding what that mission is and fulfilling it. We may be asked to do things that don't make sense, or we feel do not lead to anything, but they become clear later on. We may not know why or how, but by following impressions we are able to fulfill our missions. 

Being home for two years, I feel a lot like I'm finishing a second mission and preparing for the next two years. I've tried to be where God wants/needs me when he needs me. I feel like there have been things for me to do in certain places and at certain times during my mission and since my mission. Now I feel like I'm preparing for a third two years. Not sure what the mission will be or where it will take me . . . But I want to be where God wants me.

Hopefully this reflection was insightful.

confidence.

This is something I wrote down a few months ago. It's about virtue.

The best feeling in the world is knowing that what you're doing is pleasing to God. Having confidence that you're living correctly, having confidence that you can call on His blessings and the comfort and guidance of the Spirit. There is power in it. There is an ability to achieve and progress. And I feel that it directly relates to virtue. When your thoughts are focused on what is good and wholesome, your words and actions are as well. You have nothing to hide or feel ashamed of. There is a time for everything and when we bridle our passions, we are able to feel that God is pleased with us and trusts us; we are able to feel His constant love. He never stops loving us, but sometimes he must retire His influence from us because we are not living worthy of it.

That is it. 

sacrificing for the temple.

Yesterday was a sunny day. A little cold. So, I decided that I would ride my bike to the temple instead of driving. I figured I wouldn't die of heat exhaustion, so I should give it a try.

I have a single speed bike . . . the temple is 2.7 miles away . . . and it is uphill the entire time. Needless to say, it wasn't the best idea I've ever had. By the time I got to the MTC my thighs were about ready to go into a coma. 

Then I remembered a story that Silvia Allred (Relief Society presidency) shared about sacrifices to get to the temple:

"In 1976, when we were living in Costa Rica, the mission president asked my husband to help organize the first trip from the mission to a temple. The Central America Mission then included Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, and Honduras. The closest temple was the Mesa Arizona Temple. The trip required us to travel five days each way, crossing six borders. The financial sacrifice for most of those who went was great. They sold their television sets, bikes, skates, and anything else they could sell. We traveled in two uncomfortable buses day and night. Some of the members had used all their money to pay for the bus fare and had taken only crackers and margarine to eat on the way.

I have never forgotten the great outpouring of the Spirit we experienced during the three days we spent at the Mesa Temple."

For me the sacrifice is usually time during a busy school week or a few hours on a free day. But I realized that 20 minutes of leg exhaustion wasn't so bad when compared to the time and discomfort others have gone through to receive temple blessings. 

The temple is a special place for me, a place where I almost always get answers to my prayers and questions, if I go prepared.

I'm glad I got to sacrifice a little more to get there yesterday. And besides. I'm sure my thighs are being blessed somehow.