Pre-Mission thoughts

*This was originally posted 5/26/13 but I deleted my missionary blog because I was never able to use it and moved it to here.


I've spent the past month in Virginia with my family. If you know me, you'll know that I am the type of person who always likes to have something going on. I enjoy working, studying, serving- I like to know that I am needed and making a difference, somewhere. Since being here in Virginia I haven't had any of that. I'm done with schooling until after my mission, I don't have a job since we are only here for a month, the service opportunities I contacted never responded, and best of all, I do not have a driver's license because I have never lived anywhere long enough yet to get one. So needless to say, I have been feeling useless. Much of my time has been spent lounging around watching TV or on my laptop which makes me feel like an utter blob. I've tried to motivate myself to learn some Ukrainian but that is hard since I still have 4 months before I leave. Long story short, I have been wasting SO much time doing basically nothing.

Today I decided to read something that two of my friends sent me. It is called "The Fourth Misionary" by Lawrence E. Corbridge. It is all about how you can become the best missionary you possibly can. Something really struck me as I was reading it though:

There are two ways of evolving: deliberately and accidentally. You can either decide who you want to become and deliberately work toward that end, or you can just go with the flow and become whatever life makes of you. If you go with the flow, you will become whatever the fickle circumstances and forces of life and society will make of you, whatever is currently considered to be popular or “in”, whatever is easiest. But whatever you become accidentally, it will not be the full measure of your potential. Not nearly. You will become just someone, somewhere in the middle. 

I'm done with just "going with the flow" every day and staring at a screen. It's time for me to put on my big girl pants and start doing things that are meaningful and worth my time. A few days of vegging can be great but 5 months worth is simply a crime. I was given this time for a reason: to make myself better.

I named my missionary blog "The Fourth Missionary" because that is what I want to become. The article describes 4 types of missionaries ranging from totally useless to the best someone can be. I hope that when I'm serving I'll work hard enough to change myself for the better and hopefully touch the lives of some other people too. If you want to read it here's the link: http://www.scribd.com/doc/34660140/The-Fourth-Missionary