I'm coming home; I'm coming home. Tell the world that I'm coming home.
Well it's finally come to an end. Soon I'll be singing "God Be With You 'Til We Meet Again" but this time it won't be directed towards a companion, a fellow district member, or an area. No, this time I'll be singing to you Guatemala, the country of the eternal spring. I'll be singing to the Guatemalans I have come to love so dearly. I'll be singing to handmade tortillas, ancient pyramids, and Mayan ruins. I'll be saying goodbye to members and converts. I'll be saying goodbye to the best two years.
The best two years? Absolutely. Without a doubt. And also the sweatiest, hardest, most challenging and yet most gratifying two years.
Am I glad I went on a mission? You bet. Am I the same person I was when I boarded that fateful flight two years ago? Not by a long-shot. But you know what? That's what it's all about. My mission experience has taught me to put others first, to set and achieve goals, to develop charity, to exercise patience, to work diligently, to forgive quickly, and to love truly.
Perhaps the greatest dividends of missionary work are paid in the words of testimony which I can now say. The phrases are short and you've heard their contents before; but these ones are different because these ones are mine:
I know that Jesus Christ lives. He is God´s son. Joseph Smith was a prophet. The Book of Mormon is true. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is God's kingdom upon the earth. The temple is the house of the Lord. Families can be together forever.
Am I perfect? Not even close. In the words of Robert Frost, "I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep." My greatest challenges lie yet ahead; and though I see great, tall peaks looming in the distance, I look back and remember how far I have come. I may still stumble and I may yet fall along my journey; but my savior has lifted me up before.
After one particularly tough climb the Israelites made in antiquity, "Samuel," the record states "took a stone... and called the name of it Eben-ezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us."
Samuel looked back and saw that the Lord had been with him the entire time. As I also look back, I see the same. I conclude with the words of a favorite hymn that expresses my gratitude towards my Heavenly Father for these, the best two years:
Here I raise my Eben-ezer
Hither by thy help I come
And I hope by thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home
See you Wednesday. 
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| Stake Patriarch |
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| Sister Selma and her family |
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| Farewell Party |
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