{A little bit of an intro}

So coming home from a mission was a bit different than anticipated, as I believe we can all agree. As a dear friend explained it “it felt like my superpowers had been taken away”. I felt like I wasn't important anymore. Like I no longer had a significant roll in the work of the Lord because I wasn't sporting my amazing black badge. Each day began to feel a bit like on autopilot. I can’t say it wasn't amazing to be with my family again, but other than that I was bombarded with a whole load of responsibilities that just seemed so trivial compared to the work I had previously been emerged in.

After being home 6 months.. and them having been a rough bit of 6 months.. it finally hit me that I've been looking at this whole RM thing wrong. I would find myself writing my friends still in the field saying something to the extent of “enjoy your mission because life at home is way overrated”.

I loved my mission.

I wanted to go back.

But I had a rough awakening on how sad my perception of this new amazing chapter the Lord has prepared for me. It finally clicked in my head that the Lord didn’t send me on a mission just for mission’s sake. The Lord sent me on a mission to prepare me for what’s ahead. It’s like a doctor. They don’t just spend years and years of training for nothing. They do it so they can put it in PRACTICE and use it to benefit others. Missionary service doesn’t end when you are “released” from the official calling. Think of your releasing more of a type of graduation. CLEARLY we aren’t perfect. It’s more like we’ve made it out of gospel pre-k and now we’re finally ready to go to elementary. But either way, it’s progression. A new chapter. We must remember what we learned. Cherish what we learned. But be ready to move on. Build on it. Just how in school you can’t do astrophysics without first learning addition and subtraction. You can’t read a novel without first knowing the sounds of vowels. We’ve been sent to build that firm foundation to learn those basics and now we are called to build on top of that. CONTINUE PROGRESSING. Yes. Rumor has it that progression is still possible post-mission. That’s why I decided to start up this blog. I’m no know-all, post-mission guru, so I’ve sent out a survey to receive feedback from 100’s of different returned missionaries and am open to any suggestions or guest posts, just email them to betruetothenewyou@gmail.com, so as a family we can advance together. Learn from each other. So now go. And DO. And be true to the new you while you’re at it.