"I have led thee in right paths"

This week I had somewhat of a tender mercy. I was walking out of the MTC with one of my couples, the Metcalfes, when we ran into my friend Mary, now known as Sister Teichert. Mary and I had a Polynesian dance class together over winter semester, and we also participated in the New Zealand section of the Lu'au together. Mary also knows the Metcalfes because they're from the same city in Montana, where Brother Metcalfe was actually her teacher. Small world! Anyways, so we were just chatting and I was asking her how the MTC is going (three weeks in!), etc. I remember getting a text from her a few months ago announcing her mission call, and I just thought it was so awesome because I hadn't even known that she was thinking about going. I mentioned this to her, and she responded with something along the lines of, "Well I was thinking about going on a mission when I met you and Laurel (my BF who was in our dance class and the Lu'au with us too), and I just thought, 'they are so great: I want to be like that.'" Now, I'm not repeating this to say how great someone thinks I am, but I was just so touched that I had influenced her to serve a mission. I love knowing that in some little tiny way, I was instrumental in helping her make that ever-so-important decision. And now the people in Rome get to have this amazing sister come and teach them.

This experience really took me back... to about 3 years ago. It was 2008, and I was thinking about going on a mission. Or rather, the Spirit was making me think about going on a mission; but I wasn't sure. It was at this same time that I had a phonetics class with two returned sister missionaries: Rebecca and Amanda. Rebecca and I become friends right away, and I remember many a conversation with her about how her mission had changed her life for the better and how wonderful it had been. That semester passed, and going into Spring term, I was happy to find out that Amanda and I were in the same French class. We spent a lot of time together that Spring, attempting to speak in French together, watching French movies, eating crepes, etc., and again, I remember many a conversation with her about how much her mission changed her life and was just the best thing. I also remember the talks that she suggested I read that really helped me make up my mind about going.

Fast forward three years, and here I am: a returned missionary. It was definitely the best decision that I have ever made, and I am so grateful for everything I learned, all the wonderful people I now know and love, and for the way that experience has set the tone for the rest of my life. I'm especially grateful for the way the Lord goes about to accomplish His purposes, especially when it comes to guiding our lives. I know He does, and I am so grateful for that because I know that His plans are infinitely better than my own. I'm grateful that he put those two wonderful girls in my path to make it so much better than I ever could have imagined.

And I'm grateful that I maybe was that girl for someone else.

Laurel (or rather, Soeur Cummins at the time) and I in New Caledonia:

Mary (Sorella Teichert), her sister Celinda, me and Laurel at the Lu'au:

I was so happy and excited to find out that my old friend Rebecca was coming on the study abroad to Senegal with me over the Spring. Here we are in Senegal, filthy, with Rebecca and her wonderful husband, Andrew. (Can I just say how cute they are? Rebecca learned French because he served his mission in France, and he learned Spanish because she served her mission in Chile. Love it!)

Yes, I stole this picture off of her facebook, but here is Amanda and her husband in front of the Hawaii temple (where she served her mission).

Hooray for sister missionaries!

"And from thence, whosoever I will shall go forth among all nations, and it shall be told them what they shall do; for I have a great work laid up in store, for Israel shall be saved, and I will lead them whithersoever I will, and no power shall stay my hand." -d&c 38:33

"I have led thee in right paths" -Proverbs 4:11

"And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not." - Isaiah 58:11 (although I didn't really appreciate being made fat in New Cal, I'll take it in exchange for the wonderful mission I had :) )

This also reiterated something that President Uchtdorf talked about during the Relief Society Broadcast:

Love it.