Welcome!
With my mission less than two months away, I decided I'd get the ball rolling on this blog; a chronicle of photographs and stories of the adventures to come. I hope that through this, you will be able to read of my successes, struggles, learnings, yearnings, and experiences as I labor for two years in the field of Las Vegas, Nevada. I hope that you will also be able to read of my testimony as it grows and develops through my service.
There are two questions that I am frequently asked about my mission. Firstly, 'how do you feel about your call?'
How do I feel about my call? Well, initially I was just relieved that I would be speaking my first language, and in a country that I already know and love. I know that the language may be subject to change, and I probably just jinxed myself, but for now I am relieved. I will worry less about running water, medical treatment, or foreign dining than I otherwise might. I also know that most of my favorite cereals will be available locally, which warrants another sigh of relief. To some, this security may feel like a let-down. Being in the states is far less exotic than a distant location or another continent. My friends David Doty, who is serving in England, and Dylan Parry, who is serving in South Africa, were called to places that make you lift your eyebrows and say "wow!" I might actually want to listen to some mission stories from elders that visited these happening places, because I would love to visit them myself. I can just picture Elder Doty getting accidentally roped into an espionage mission by a secret british agency, or Elder Parry riding an elephant to a meeting with the mission president. I have no doubt that this is not what really happens when someone serves in one of these exciting locations, but they have that appeal because they're more unknown and exotic to us Americans. Or maybe they're just that way to me. Anyway, a call to Las Vegas by itself doesn't spark any of these images. I've been to Las Vegas before, so I know roughly what to expect. There won't be any quicksand, queens, or ancient booby-trap filled temples. Instead there will be gamblers, casinos, streets filled with sin, and a lot of heat. To me, this is a fantastic place to serve a mission. People go to Las Vegas hoping to enjoy themselves, maybe to get lucky, or simply to find something that they didn't have before. I am excited to have the opportunity to give those that are willing to listen a chance to have something great. Being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has been the source of so much happiness in my life, and I know it will be a great source of happiness in the lives of converts.
Secondly, I am asked 'how's the mission prep going?" I'm never sure how to answer this question. I am rereading the Book of Mormon, Preach My Gospel, and various other books on top of general scripture study. I am learning a lot, and I am glad to be doing it. But I don't feel like I am prepared enough, or maybe will ever be prepared enough to confidently say I know every part of the Gospel, or how it works. Fortunately, I will mostly be teaching the basics, and I will have the Holy Spirit guiding me in what I say. That's all a bit of a mouthful though, so for those of you who ask, that's what my awkwardly shallow 'good?' means.
I am so excited to have this blessing and chance to act as a messenger for the Lord. It is one of my deepest aspirations to help other people find hope, and that's exactly what I get to do by sharing the teachings of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ.
Please enjoy the blog!
-Derek
