1. Meeting so many new people every day -- I feel that you just don't meet people on the mission. You get to know them in a very personal and intimate way because you are always talking about spirituality, pretty much all the time. I really miss that. I miss hearing about why people are the way they are.
2. Learning -- There is nothing quite as fulfilling as sitting in a meeting soaking in so much knowledge that feels so good and so right. I mean school is cool.... but it's nothing like sitting in a zone conference.
3. The purpose of doing something you know is important -- You are able to impact lives on the mission. Every day you know you are doing something that is worthwhile. Something you know is so important to everyone and you get to share it with others. It's a pretty good feeling to be able to do that every day.
4. The people -- I sure miss all of the friends I made in Wisconsin. They feel like family, well now they are apart of my family, and I miss them as much as ever.
5. Recognizing the spirit -- I know I know, you can still feel the spirit when you are not a missionary. No doubt about that. But it is also different. Back in the "Real World" you are so busy with things you know are not the most important things, but are still things you have to do... if that makes sense. Like worrying about school, bills, friends, church callings etc. They are all good things, but man they make you busy. I felt that on the mission you have a calling to bring the truth to people and that gives you some pretty powerful revelation. Back home, I feel anyway, that because you are so busy it is harder to recognize that. I need to find a way to be better with this. Let me know if you have any ideas.
There are lots of things I miss. But I also love being able to be home. I am so grateful I can go home on the weekends and my mom will cook me food. :) I also love that when I am sick or struggling in anyway I now know the tools I have to get through things, especially with our very loving Heavenly Father.... and my very loving parents.
I was reading in my scriptures the other day and I will just share a quick thing of what I learned. This is revelation given to Oliver Cowdery in Doctrine and Covenants Section 8 (you can find this on lds.org) it says:
"Oliver Cowdery, verily, verily, I say unto you, that assuredly as the Lord liveth, who is your God and your Redeemer, even so surely shall you receive a knowledge of whatsoever things you shall ask in faith, with an honest heart, believing that you shall receive a knowledge concerning the engravings of the old records, which are ancient, which contain those parts of my scripture which has been spoken by the manifestation of my Spirit."
I think this is so cool because of what we are doing in our lives right now. I don't know about you, but I am not translating scripture. I am just trying to do well in school, but I know the Lord cares about that. I know that He knows my mission, and He knows the things I have learned. And He knows that I miss it, but if I learned anything at all from the Mission and from our Savior, it is that he pushes us out of our comfort zone again and again and again. So now it's time to move forward and makes this next year and a half, the best one I've ever had by remembering and living the things I learned from being a missionary.
If you would like some additional information, here is an awesome link I found for some advice.
http://www.thereturnedmissionary.com/advice-for-returned-missionaries/
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