I was blessed to serve a mission in Sao Paulo, Brazil. I loved it! It was probably one of the hardest things I've ever done, but it was also one of the best and most wonderful times of my life. I learned so much and grew so much during those 18 months, and I truly believe it has shaped my life forever.
On the mission, we usually had lunch with the members. After lunch, either my companion or I would share a short thought or scripture with the family as an expression of our appreciation for the delicious meal. One of my favorite things to share was a quote by C.S. Lewis, from his book Mere Christianity, which I still keep in my Portuguese scriptures and read at least once a month.
The Christian way is different: harder, and easier. Christ says ‘Give me All. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don’t want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down. I don’t want to drill the tooth, or crown it, or stop it, but to have it out. Hand over the natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked – the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: my own will shall become yours.’
The gospel truly does change us. It changes our lives. As Elder Holland talked about in the last conference, once we have a personal, meaningful experience with the Savior and His Atonement, our lives are forever different--changed for the better. We can't ever go back to who or what we were before. In some ways that is easier; in other ways it is hard. But in every way it is better, because we are becoming more like the Lord, and as we do so, He will empower us to overcome the difficulties of this mortal life. I saw this principle in action countless times on the mission, and see it in my own life, and am so grateful for it.
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