Texas Dallas Mission

It seems like it has been a lifetime since I've posted anything to my blog. Let's see if I can remember how it's done.

I figure that my first post should be describing what I've been up to for the last 18 months. I've spend the last year and a half serving a mission in Dallas, Texas. First off, I just need to say that Texas really is all that it is cracked up to be. You haven't lived until you've seen a Texas thunder storm. While in Texas, I served in four areas: Carrollton, Allen, Plano, and Aubrey. I loved all of them for different reasons. Even though I didn't ask God to let me serve a mission, and quite frankly I really didn't want to, I am so grateful for the opportunity that I had to do so. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Here's why.

It's an alternate universe. That sounds quite dramatic, but it really is such a different experience than anything that I'd imagined before. For once in my life, I didn't have to worry about work, school, or dating. Do you have any idea how nice that was? All I had to worry about was whether or not I was going to be busy that day. Once in a while I'd get stressed out, but for the most part, I learned to just go with the flow and not worry about things too much.

So many friends. If you want an easy way to make friends, serve a mission. You're like a mini-celebrity in your ward. It took me forever to get used to the fact that whether or not I liked it, people noticed me because of the name tag I wore. (Hopefully I was a good representative) It was an easy way to meet people in the ward you were serving in. And every night you had a different member of the ward inviting you over for dinner. When else in your life will you get that opportunity?

Even more friends. For 18 months I was surrounded by 270 guys and girls close to my age who were going through the same types of experiences that I was. That's a definite way to bond with someone. I became friends with so many people that I never would have imagined being friends with. Not only did we become friends, but we became some of the best friends. I'd list them here, but the list would be way too long for my blog. I LOVE my missionary friends.

So much knowledge. I wish I could describe how much I learned from my mission. I'll try, but I can't promise that I'll do it justice. I learned a lot about the gospel and the scriptures. I learned the importance of pulling my own weight in a ward. I learned how to get along with someone 24/7. I learned to trust God's hand in my life. I learned just how blessed I really have been in my life. I learned how to drive in a major city. I learned a bazillion other things, but that's all I can come up with at the moment.

I'm sure I could go super in-depth with tons of details about my mission. But I hope that this has been a decent summary of the experience.