I'm not going to print the whole letter but I do want to copy a couple excerpts from her letter. What an incredible missionary she has been. She has worked hard, struggled and conquered challenges, taught hundreds the gospel, walked miles, rode her bike miles and gained a testimony of the gospel and her Savior, Jesus Christ.
"The most beautiful thing in the world is the Gospel. Every single day without fail I feel and know it more. I'm grateful for my growth in the Church . . . A knowledge of the Gospel is a beautiful thing to have and all you have to do to get it is ask . . . I am so happy and love the gospel so much. I'm so grateful for this mission and the little bit I've been able to do to fulfill my obligations, in some part, for the building of the Church. I love the people I've been able to teach and testify to and watch them embrace the Gospel. Love, happiness and the gospel of Jesus Christ are all the same thing. None can be separated from the other. I'm so grateful I'm here and can do my part, no matter how small it may be." Annette
"Annette say it pretty perfectly! The gospel is the most beautiful thing. It has forever changed my life. the past 18 months and 3 weeks have ben so amazing and very dear to my heart. I have no way to adequately describe all of it, so I thought I'd share 5 of my mission "greatest hits"."
I will interject here and say that I am not typing her 5 greatest hits. You can read them on her blog. But I will type the one that touched my heart the most.
"When I became truly converted. There's not one specific day that I could pinpoint saying, "That's it! That's when I was converted!" It was more gradual over the whole 18 months. Before my mission I knew the gospel and I believed it, but did I really know it? Did I truly believe it? I can now, without a doubt say yes! I KNOW it's true, I BELIEVE it with all my heart! The knowledge of the simple truths of the restored gospel have forever changed my life! I've come to see how vital it is to have your life always centered on Jesus Christ. He is my Savior! I know that He suffered and died for me. I know that He knows me perfectly, and in spite of that, loves me infinitely! I know that He feels this way about every single person who has ever lived or will ever live! I know, that my Savior lives and that He and my Father in Heaven love me. I know that Joseph Smith was a true Prophet of God. He was a simple farm boy from New York who had a question. I know that he did in reality see and speak to God the Father and Jesus Christ. I know that because of Joseph Smith the fullness of the gospel has been restored to the earth, never to be taken again. I know that if Heavenly Father was aware of a little farm boy, and knew him by name, that he is aware of each of us and knows us by name. I know that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon by the gift and power of God. The Book of Mormon is true! If you read and pray about the truthfulness of it I know you will get an answer. I know because I read it and prayed about it. Gaining a solid testimony of the Book of Mormon is something I hold close to my heart. It has become the foundation of my testimony. It is the keystone of our religion. Joseph Smith said that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth and that a man would get closer to God by abiding by its precepts. I have seen this in my life and the lives of others. I am continually grateful for the Book of Mormon! After Joseph Smith had the first vision and experienced great persecution he said, "I knew it and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it." That is the best way I can describe how I feel about all aspects of this gospel. I know it's true. I know God knows that. I could not and would not ever deny it! My mission has given me that. I feel more deeply converted than ever before. God is good always!
There is so much more I could say, and that will always be the case. It's impossible for me to sum up the most incredible, impactful 18 months of my life. But, to wrap up the love rant of my Tennessee Mission, I have another quote from Annette. She said it perfectly,
"I've learned to love the gospel so much and it's an active love, and I want it always to be active . . . I love life and I love living it, and I can't wait for every tomorrow. Two years ago I could never have imagined the happiness I feel now - even a year ago I never would have believed it and I hope I can look back on every year and say that."
For those of you reading this, Annette is my sister who served a mission in Brazil. I was so touched by Mallory's words and by Annette's words that she quoted.
Looking forward to tomorrow night and greeting Mallory at the airport!!
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