Reflections, Gratitude, and Missions

"Even though I had left my mission, my mission didn't leave me. In fact, even after all these years, I still feel that my mission was the best two years for my life"

-Matthew O. Richardson

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Seeing that this is my first Thanksgiving since being home from my mission, I wanted to express my gratitude for having the privilege to serve as a full-time missionary by sharing some of my thoughts as to just how influential my mission has been to me.

Since I can remember, I always had a burning desire to serve a full-time mission. I attribute that desire to having been raised in a fabulous family with each family member setting a good example for me to follow. When the time finally came for me to “put in my papers”, it was a no brainer. I had been waiting for this all my life.

I remember it all so well; waiting anxiously for the envelope to arrive, and when it came, opening it surrounded by people that I love – then reading aloud:

“Elder Jacob, you have been called to serve as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You have been assigned to labor in the England London Mission…”

What I remember most about that moment was feeling that London was exactly where I needed to be. England had never before crossed my mind as I place that I would serve, but it was the perfect mission call for me.

I like to think that I hit the ground running as I entered the MTC and eventually the mission field; however, I had to go through my own growing experiences before I truly began to understand my purpose as a missionary.

It may sound cliché, but it wasn’t until I completely lost myself in the work, that I began to experience a fullness of joy that only comes through sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

“He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.”

Matthew 10:39

My mission experience means everything to me because:

• On my mission, I began to more fully know Christ as my Lord, my Savior, and my friend

• On my mission, I saw and felt the healing power of the atonement

• On my mission, I witnessed miracles

• On my mission, I began to understand how the spirit works

• On my mission, I began to appreciate the power of prayer and regular scripture study

• On my mission, my priorities in life began to be aligned with God’s will

• On my mission, I developed eternal friendships

• On my mission, I had fun

• On my mission, I worked hard

• On my mission, I went through trials

• On my mission, I learned how to rely on the Lord

• On my mission, the love that I had for my family was magnified

Ultimately, the reason that I loved my mission was because it helped change me from the person that I was, to the person that I hope to one day become.

It has been six months since I last had the privilege to don the nametag that bears both my name and the name of my Savior. Despite how much I miss my mission, life could not be better now.

“The past is behind, learn from it. The future is ahead,
prepare for it. The present is here, live it.”

Thomas S. Monson

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“Missionaries should have the understanding that their mission is not a two-year
mission; it is an eternal mission…”

Janet Brigham

Guiltiest of the Guilty Pleasures

We’ve all got ‘em. Here’s to wiping away the guilt, not the pleasure.


Exfoliating (purple) gloves –
That’s right, I exfoliate, and I like it. This is one of the many blessings I got out of my mission. At first my companions were hesitant, but they eventually came around and joined in on the fun.

Cyber-Stalking –
Facebook. No explanation needed.

Coco Butter –
Who doesn’t love the feel of soft hands?

Sarcasm –
I’ve been told sarcasm is “the lowest form of wit”

It’s not the lowest form of wit.

Eating raw cookie dough –
YUM!

Skinny ties and fitted suits –
Another thing from the mission. England, I’m in debt to you forever.

Hitting snooze about 5 times before I actually get up –
I set my alarm clock early, just for the pleasure.

Turning on the A.C./ceiling fan and sleeping under heavy blankets –
SO cozy.

Long, hot showers –
I can’t help it. Clean AND soothing.

Beating roommates to the shower in the morning –
Only way to start a day.


There you have it. Don’t judge me.

I cried at work today.

No biggie.

You might think I'm a loser. But, I would (and likely will) do it again.



A short while ago, I got a job as a teacher at the MTC. So far, it has been unbelievable. Basically, I get to do something that I love and be involved in something I'm passionate about. Brilliant!

This morning, I was crouched down by a couple of missionaries who had just finished a role-play and I was discussing with them how they felt about it. As I asked one Elder how he felt, he looked me in the eye and I could almost see things begin to click in his head. Tears filled his eyes as he spoke, but he managed to keep himself composed as he shared his experience with me. As he went on, I realized that small tears were rolling down my own cheeks.

Initially, I had the urge to quickly hide my tears. I didn't want anyone to see me in my weakness. Then, as flashback after flashback of my own mission sped through my mind, I thought to myself, "Why not show a little emotion?"

So I did.



As I walked to my car after work, I was elated.

Made my day.

Sleeping in garbage bags? A good idea!

My sister recently received a letter from a missionary, Cameron, who happens to be one of my good friends. In his letter, he reminisced about one of our many adventures together - the time we out smarted the rest of our scouting troop by using garbage bags as sleeping bags... Here's the scoop:

My scout master, at the time was an avid hiker and outdoorsman. This, was both a blessing and a curse. Blessing, because he took us to obscure places that I would have never seen otherwise. Curse, because he LOVED hiking - and hiking FAR.

On one particular occasion, we traveled to Havasupai - an Indian reservation in the Grand Canyon. Honest, this has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth.


If you were to hike through Havasupai, you'd see dazzling water cascading over awe-inspiring waterfalls. How's that for imagery? Breathtaking.

But, there's a catch - in order to get a glimpse of this natural wonder, you have to hike (backpack) for AGES through the Grand Canyon. I don't remember the exact distance, (I'm scared to look it up for fear that it actually isn't that far) but, I remember feeling utterly exhausted.

Knowing that it was going to be a difficult hike, and being the logical people that we are, Cameron and I put our heads together to come up with ways to minimize the amount of weight we would have to pack.

Your average hiker might think that a great way to minimize weight would be to scratch the tent and pack a small tarp instead, or to only pack light-weight clothing. Both are good ideas. Yet, Cameron and I, are not your average hiker.

Being not only logical, but also resourceful, we came up with the idea of taping two garbage bags together and sleeping in them. After all, they're water proof, so no tent would be needed. And, we were told that it would be warm, so no need to worry about getting cold. Ingenious!

So, that's what we did.

As we hiked, we watched as few members of our troop struggled, the hike seemed easier to us as we joyfully thought of how clever we were.

From then on, everything went well... Until our first night...

With all the careful planning that Cameron and I did, we somehow overlooked the possibility of a torrential rainstorm happening. Darn.

Garbage bags are waterproof, so at least we had that going for us. But, you can't exactly cover your head with a garbage bag for an extended amount of time. We had to come up with a plan and fast!

Being the logical, resourceful, and clever people that we are, we quickly huddled under someone else's tarp and stayed there for much of the first night. Bless their heart.

We made sure to pack their tarp out of the canyon for them.

The extra weight nearly killed us, but we figured it was the least we could do.