The Return of the King

Big News! The King is returning home! President Smuin, my Mission President, is completing his mission and is going to be back in Utah by Thursday. He’s been an amazing Mission President and has been very supportive of me.

This transfer has been pretty fun. We’ve been interacting with more people who want to come to church. We’ve also been giving out invitations to the Watch Party we are having for the Tabernacle Choir concert on Friday. We also had the Smuin’s last Zone Conference. It was pretty emotional. Now my mission is splitting in two and each half its getting a new Mission President. I’m getting President and Sister Chard.

This past week we got an online referral and we asked if he wanted to come to church and it turns out that he was a member in Idaho and he’s been inactive for about 15 years and was really excited to come.

Zone Pday was last week and we had water balloon fights, played kickball, ultimate Frisbee, and poker! We didn’t bet with anything but poker chips but I would have been rich if we were playing with money!

At Zone Conference, President Smuin shared a quote about serving missions from President Gordon B. Hinckley.

“Now, my dear young friends, I hope all of you are pointed in the direction of missionary service. I cannot promise you fun. I cannot promise you ease and comfort. I cannot promise you freedom from discouragement, from fear, from downright misery at times. But I can promise you that you will grow as you have never grown in a similar period during your entire lives. I can promise you a happiness that will be unique and wonderful and lasting. I can promise you that you will reevaluate your lives, that you will establish new priorities, that you will live closer to the Lord, that prayer will become a real and wonderful experience, that you will walk with faith in the outcome of the good things you do.”

I can truly testify of the truth of this quote. The mission has not been easy, it has not been comfortable, it has been downright miserable at times. However, I have grown more than any other time in my life, I have had more joy, happiness, and more spiritual experiences than any other times. The mission has changed me for the better and I would not change any decision that led me to this point in my life.

May the wind be in Your sails,

Elder Ward