"Do you have any food on you," they ask.
"No, sir!"
That's a lie.
We walk through the airport, and then we say goodbye to one comrade at a fork in the path. The three of us continue until we pass the others' terminal. We say our goodbyes and I walk alone to my terminal to wait 4 hours for my flight back to Vegas. Now I'm really glad I didn't tell them I had food on me. I still can't sleep. I read my scriptures, Preach My Gospel, write in my journal...do anything really. Then I'm boarded on the plane and headed back to Las Vegas. Is this real? I'm not as eager to watch Portland slip from my view, though 2 years earlier, those same sights were the ones that preceded my exodus to Japan.
"10 minutes to Las Vegas."
This is real! My "home" comes into view. I wasn't sure what to call it, because that sure wasn't where my heart was. Desert was a scenery I hadn't seen for 2 years, and the expanse of Vegas was overwhelming. I mosey through the airport, and find the escalator that will take me down to where my family is presumably waiting for me. I pause. Am I ready for this? Is there a plane somewhere taking off to Japan that I could stow away on? My time has come, and I know that. Still, with hesitation, I step onto the escalator, and for the first time in hours, a familiar face slips into view...
This explains only the events that took place. Yes, I cried. A lot. But I cannot possibly express the pain I felt leaving Japan. However, I can say that pain was perfectly anti-parallel to the joy I felt while serving. Being a missionary and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ brought more happiness to my life than any experience as of yet. As a missionary, I learned many lessons. Most of them about myself. I learned to see who I was in the eyes of others, but most importantly the kind of person I am in the eyes of the Lord. I began to see much more clearly what he expected of me. I fiercely studied humility and charity and sought tirelessly to acquire those attributes in myself. I strove for quiet dignity, but respected authority. Today, I am not the same man that stepped off the plane in Japan on December 21, 2011. I changed as a missionary, and I wouldn't exchange that experience for anything. I loved it so much, often I wonder how much longer I'll have to wait to serve as a senior missionary.
The most important thing I learned as a missionary was things I already knew, but were strengthened. I know that Jesus Christ is my savior, and that he loves every single person I spoke to, the ones that listened and didn't alike. Through him, we can be perfect. God and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith. That kick-started the restoration of Jesus Christ's pure gospel. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is run by Jesus Christ. He enlists men like me to execute its purposes. He gives us his power and grants us the authority as we use it properly. I learned that I want to be with my family forever, and that, pending our obedience, we can be through that same power. I learned that the Book of Mormon and Bible are God's words and teachings to us. I learned to love reading the scriptures. I learned what type of man God wanted me to be. I learned Japanese, which has led to several opportunities for God to perpetually bless be for my service as a missionary.
They limited me to 3 suitcases, but the experiences I had could not be contained in the largest suitcase in the world. They made me list the items I'd be bringing back to America with me, but there was no space for the memories. Even if there were, that form would have to be as long as my experience suitcase is large. They asked me to put a price on the things I had with me, but there is no monetary value even close to how I prize the love and friendships I carried with me across the Pacific Ocean.
No comments:
Post a Comment