My mission

A shift in my missionary paradigm. My mission was not typical. Past tense. I have been home from my mission for a few days. My mission was shorter than most. But I am still proud of how I served, it was an honorable mission.
There is a stigma with missionaries who return home early. Assumptions are made. Generalizations of sadness and failure. Granted before my mission I unfortunately fell into the same way of thinking. But I have been enlightened through my experience.
There is no sadness associated with my mission being shorter than most. And utterly no sense of failure.  None. It was a good mission. My gifts and talents are just more compatible with a different type of service. My mission is not something that needs to be tiptoed around. I would love to bore you with my excessive mission stories.
My mission and the decisions that I have made regarding it are something I will never regret. I have learned a lot. And will continue to learn from it throughout the rest of my life. I consider missionary work to be an amazing way to spread the gospel. And I commend every single missionary for their commitment. The Philippines is such a unique and beautiful place. So full of its own culture and way of life. I had a lot of wonderful, positive experiences. I know that this Church is true. And I hope to be able to serve my whole life in ways that fit me better. Marami salamat para sa lahat.