Joy in Christ 10/28/24

Hola family and friends!


I wish I could say this week was an epic week of being a missionary but I'm not gonna lie, it was really tough. 

Monday we ate hamburgers but one of them might have been undercooked or something so I was throwing up until like 11 at night. After that I didn't feel great the next couple of days, and I did an intercambio with an Elder from Buenos Aires. Then we went to Mendoza to do some paperwork and make me legal in Argentina. The bus ride there was pretty miserable I thought I was gonna puke. Then when we went back me and my trainer had an emotional breakdown because we realized that after dropping a lot of our friends last week and not really even working for the whole first half of this week, we have just a few friends and the ones that have baptismal dates aren't progressing, and the ones without baptismal dates don't want to get baptized. My trainer also really struggles with finding new people and so he is also going through it and said this was one of the hardest weeks of his mission.  I've had moments of feeling homesick, having doubts, and feeling really tired and unmotivated. There was a couple moments this week where I just kind of cried and prayed to my Heavenly Father for strength and peace. The hardest thing of all is I have felt guilty for struggling. Everyone tells me to enjoy my mission, but that felt a little impossible at moments this week. 

But don't worry guys, I'm not just gonna complain this whole email. Even through all this, I found little moments of peace. The biggest thing I realized is that joy is a choice! President Nelson said, "the joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives." As soon as I was able to be ok with my imperfections and struggles and let Christ do what he says he can do, my whole perspective changed. I stopped feeling bad for myself and blowing things out of proportion. I've started to think more positively and be grateful for the little blessings God has given me. As I've done this and turned to Christ, He had given me the strength, peace, and joy I need to keep moving forward with faith. 

D&C 122 is revelation to Joseph Smith while in liberty jail, and after talking about all of the bad things that could happen in this life, it says: 
"if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.
 8 The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?
 9 Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever."

I know Christ has suffered all that we are going through, and He wants us to turn to Him and recieve the love and joy he has waiting for us! I promise you all that there is joy to be found in Christ, we just have to look for it! 

Sorry for the dump, thanks for all of your love, prayers, and support, it means the world to have much amazing people in my life! 

-Elder Milne💛

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