Well, here are some of the thoughts I had: as mom asked me
to write down what I learned. I hope they make sense. I love you all! I am happy to see you soon!
So what did I learn from this experience? To tell you
everything would require maybe a few years and there would be a book published
out of what I would want to say. But I
will try my best to express my feelings so that I can get the main message
across. There will be small added things
and I will emphasize everything in bullet points to keep my thoughts more
organized. Ok, here we go.
- I have learned that the Book of Mormon is the most
powerful tool we can use to find our direction in life. I have seen through the small, but what
seemed immense at the time, difficulties that I faced on my mission, that I
enjoyed my personal study of the scriptures.
As I pondered about the reason why, I realized that it was because of
the power of the Book of Mormon and other holy scripture. It is truly my daily bread and I see it
so. As I read in the Book of Mormon
daily, I felt a feeling of peace and comfort.
Not only that, but I was able to use the scriptures that I read as
friends to help me throughout my day. Now,
I have become addicted to the Book of Mormon.
That will be something that I will have to make sure that it is being
done daily, and in the best conditions, before I start my day.
- I have learned the importance of setting goals. Sometimes, the most important thing is not
reaching the goal, but living a life where I am constantly striving for a
goal. I am not perfect at this, however,
I have seen that through setting goals, I can become someone better, and reach that
goal that Christ Himself gave us, to become perfect, even as He and the Father
are perfect.
- To follow that, I learned that perfection is not
reached in this life. It was not
obtained during my time being a missionary.
But it is a goal that should always be at the front of our minds, and
that is, to be more like our Savior, Jesus Christ. scriptures teach us how to
reach this goal and what life paths we need to take in order to accomplish it.
- I learned to always pick up after yourself, and that
means immediately, and to not follow the "I will do it later" rule
- I learned the importance of cleaning
- I learned that it is always better to be early than
late
- I learned that planning is a life habit for success
- I learned that exercise is the key to energy and being
awake throughout your day
- I learned how to sit through a 6 hour meeting and not
fall asleep and actually pay attention
- I learned how to bear my testimony
- I have learned how to adapt myself to my surroundings
- I have learned how to be a good listener. It requires love, patience, and eye contact
every now and again
- I have learned that the best of things are hard to do,
but not impossible
- I have learned the German Language and have a basic
structure of the language
- I have learned to trust my God. He is the one that knows all things. He even knows the thoughts and desires of my
heart. And when I put my trust in Him,
and do what He wants me to do, then our vision becomes one.
- I have learned that when you are full, not to eat
anymore.
- I have learned the importance of keeping track of time.
- I have learned to love general conference and our
general authorities. They are truly our
watchmen on the tower. What they have to
say to us is inspired and leads us back to the presence of our Eternal Father.
- I learned the importance of laughter.
- I have learned to capture the good moments, and
sometimes that includes a camera.
- I have learned that it is important to greet all of our
friends and family at church and notice that they came. Sometimes that requires talking to them for a
while and seeing how they truly are doing.
A handshake is good, but a handshake and concern for their well being is
better.
- I have learned the importance of having the gospel in
the home. A home centered on the gospel
is a fortress against the things of the world.
I have felt that in multiple occasions in the homes of the members that
I was standing in fortified homes. That requires also effort and occasionally
talking to your family even when they are sitting in the same room. Or even a weekly family home evening would be
good as well.
- I learned to check the laundry and make sure that no
colors got mixed with my whites.
- I have learned the importance of always having a study
journal while studying the scriptures. I
have no idea how to really use one, but whenever I had one, my study of the
scriptures was a lot better.
- I have learned how quickly I can invite the Spirit into
my life.
Feeling His presence is as warm as feeling the sun on my
face. (And I lived for almost a year of
cloudy skies and not really seeing the
sun.) When you can feel the presence of the Holy Ghost,
then you know that the Comforter is with you, and that God is with you.
- To add to that thought as well, I have learned how
quickly we can drive the Spirit away through our thoughtless words and
actions. I have come to know that when I
cannot feel the Spirit, there is almost a void in my feelings. A hole, that is not filled. That has become a warning bell for me and I
need to then do the things to have the Spirit back in my daily activities. If that means a physical or mental removal
from a certain place is necessary, that I will do it.
- I have learned the value counting my many
blessings. Counting my blessings has
helped me in my missionary life to see that God is always with me. It is also very humbling to know that He is
very proactive in my life. I have
learned how to count my blessings, by noticing the things that brought me joy
or whenever I was grateful for a experience or sometimes a warm smile from a
stranger. Those small blessings have
brought me lasting joy.
And the list goes on and on. I can imagine myself adding things to the
list in certain circumstances and by always remembering the wonderful things
that happened on my mission. I think to
end my learning process, I have learned that I am a Son of the living God.
That is the most powerful connection I have with the God
who gave me life. He is watching out for
me and is always by my side. I have seen
how He helped his Son, Jesus Christ, and I know that He is standing there,
willing to help me as He did him. As I
read more about the life of Jesus Christ, I am at awe at the wonderful message
that He shares with me. Not only what He
said, but what He did for me has changed my life. I know that God and Jesus Christ live. Jesus Christ is my Redeemer. For God so loved the world, and that includes
me, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever would believe on Him,
shall have eternal life. I believe
that. I know that Joseph Smith was a
chosen Prophet of God. He ushered in
this last Dispensation of the Fulness of times.
What does that mean? I know
through the power of the Holy Ghost, that Joseph Smith restored the lost pieces
of the Gospel that was taught in the Bible.
Through the help of the Book of Mormon, another Testament of the Jesus
Christ and His gospel, he was able to find answers to His questions. I believe that the Prophet today, President
Thomas S. Monson is his authorized servant today, to receive the revelation for
this church, for us as a body. This
church is true. The Book of Mormon is
true. That I know.
And these experiences that I have made, I leave them for
anyone to read, and close in the name of my Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Love you All! See you soon!
Love,
Elder Bretzing
