Goodbye San Angelo...Hello Abilene...

Goodnight and Good luck to good old San Angelo,

If that didn't give it away, I got the call on Saturday night…oh Saturday night…that I am leaving this wilderness of San Angelo and embarking on a new journey to the forbidden land of Abilene, Texas for my last two transfers I presume. To a Land that has more different kinds of churches per capita than anywhere else in the world. A Land so weary that because of so many churches it is illegal to proselyte after 7 PM. A city so mysterious that it has a Red Robin....the only Red Robin in the mission mind you… It is weird I have been called to the Lubbock Texas Mission. But I have yet to serve in actual Lubbock itself. I have literally served everywhere around it. Am I livid? A little. Do I know the Lord has a plan? 100%

This week I would like to touch upon the subject of friendship and good impressions. So moving from area to area as a missionary is kinda lame sometimes, mainly because you build such good relationships with these people, then a couple months later you stab them in the heart and just leave them. I have done it a lot on my mission, so I am kind of used to it. But this week I had to say goodbye to all of the people I have grown to love here in San Angelo. I think I learned what friendship and love truly means these transfers. True friendship you don't need to be fake or talk too much or anything, if you are yourself then everything will fall into place. But I don't like the term just “be yourself”. I don't. I know a lot of people will disagree with me when I say that, but that is okay. I believe in order for us to make the best friends and have the best environment to live in, we need not only simply always just be yourself… but always be your “best self”. If we are being our best self, we are always improving, we are always getting better and I have found myself being more myself these last few months more than I ever have. And I have found that,

1) I am living the best life I ever have

2) I am having the best happiness

3) I am making the best friends

And because of that I have the best testimony I have ever had as well. So I challenge everyone to be their best because it will only bring the best. And I know that all of you know what your best is and way too often we are not doing it. So try it.

Also go to the temple as much as possible. I went on Saturday and it was revolutionary.com and then I taught seminary this morning as well about the temple and missionary work vs. temple work. It was so cool. The students asked me a couple questions which is weird cause in my mind I literally just graduated high school, so I don't feel any older than these kids, but it was cool. They asked if going on a mission was better than school. And I said,  “oh my goodness yes”… haha but  it is. They also asked if they should go on a mission at 18 or wait. And I guess I never really thought about that before. Should people just go at 18 or should they wait a year. Then I thought about me personally. And there is no way I would have had the tools to make it through college without my mission. I hear all the time that college is where you "find yourself" and that is such a crazy intense place to find yourself. Which is good in some ways because you can say no to temptations head on. But there is so much more room to fall. Going on a mission I was able to find myself in ways that I thought I already had figured out. I have found myself so there is no need to do it later. I know who I am. I know God’s plan. And I am going to be me.

Well I love y'all. If you need me let me know. I will be in Abilene.

Be safe.

Love elder c

P.S. my address is 3549 Curry Lane Apt. #3612, Abilene, TX 79606