February 3, 2014 - IT'S OK! and a shout out to his father...

Hey Mom! The title of my post this week is, "It's OK."  That was something I learned to say last Saturday night, but I'll get into that a little later.

First of all, Z A is getting baptized this Friday!!! Woooo hooooo! It'll probably be the last baptism I have while I'm a full time missionary, barring some unexpected miracle, and it tastes so sweet! He is so ready and we've been able to meet with him a ton these past few weeks.  He had a really busy holiday schedule with family but that's all done now so we're in the clear! It's cool because it'll be the two year mark of when I got set apart by President Carpenter. 

I need to send a shout out to Dad, you know what day it is today. I learned many lessons that night, and I don't know why it happened, but it's OK.  I know that if you had stayed or if the Lord had decided to take you home it would've been in our best interest as an eternal family. I love you Dad!

So the past few weeks have been just a *little stressin with knowing that the iPad's were coming (yes we have them, no I don't particularly like them, guess I'm too "old school," but they are nice for certain things), and that my days left as a missionary are dropping like the temperature did a week ago (we had highs of 14 degrees, not too bad, I know Sister Lewis had -19 in Chicago at one point, but still cold).  Anyway, one of the recent converts and women that've I've learned to love and trust because of her amazing insight into what I'm feeling, sat me right down and gave me a 45 minute talk on how I've touched so many people's lives, and I've become the best missionary I can be, so why am I stressin?, and just enjoy the ride.  She made me count to ten and take a breath, after which I said, "You're right.  These past two years I've worked so hard for this.  I've done everything that I can, and I'm gonna enjoy the last two weeks, but still work hard.  I've done what I came here to do.  And I'm gonna miss it." (cue the tears) And then she said, "And?..." And I said, "And it's OK." I've been told by a lot of people lately that it's ok to cry, it's ok to miss the mission, it's ok to be starin down the barrel of a shotgun called "Going Home", that it's ok to this, that and the other, but I finally realized that it is OK.  You'd expect that when the greatest force for good in the entire universe, the Atonement, comes and drapes itself upon you that you'd feel heavier right? Wrong, you feel lighter because that force is the love of God, which takes our pain, sorrow, and grief away.  

I love you to the EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE! I'm closer to the edge, Elder Schoemig