Tick. . . .Tock . . . Tick . . Tock. Tick

There has been a lot on my mind lately. Especially today. Today is the mark for my final 6 weeks of my mission. My last full transfer experience is happening now. I go home December 16th, exactly 18 months to the day from when I entered the glorious Missionary Training Center, aka MTC. Time on the mission is very strange to say the least. Time goes by very fast; that is if you're being obedient and doing what you're supposed to be doing. I feel like I just started my mission and met my first companion. It's so strange. Time is a strange thing, specifically the Lord's timing.

His timing is ultimately the best timing. Throughout my life, and going through what I have, I never really appreciated the Lord's timing. I used to think 'why didn't my parents die when I was older?' 'How come the Lord wanted me to serve a mission past the age of 21 and after I graduated from College?' Those and other questions have been going through my mind lately since it is nearing the end. So I decided to turn to my trusty scriptures and the words of apostles for advice.

There Will Always Be Hope. . . Part 3

Don't you just love the title of my blog post? It is so true! There is always hope, there is always a way to come back and come back clean. How do we do this? Well, we are given the opportunity to act and to follow Jesus Christ in word and action.

In 2 Nephi 31 verse 10 of the Book of Mormon Jesus Christ says to "Follow Thou Me." This whole chapter is devoted to Him being baptized. We know that He was baptized by immersion, or He was under the water entirely, by John the Baptist who had the proper priesthood authority. A lot of people have asked me, "wasn't Jesus perfect? If so, why was He baptized?" The above mentioned chapter of 2 Nephi answers that question:

"Know ye not that he was holy? But notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children of men that, according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father, and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be obedient unto him in keeping his commandments." (2 Nephi 31:7)

He was being obedient to the commandments that God gave all of us. He invites us to "Follow thou me" and we follow Him by being baptized. This is the gate way to live with out Heavenly Father again. He wants us to return to Him and he has provided a way that we can get there and given us the perfect example to follow.

I remember when I was baptized and the hope that I felt. I remember being in our car and looking out the window on our way home from my baptism. It was a whirlwind of a day and sitting there I think I was finally able to realize what just happened. As I sat there in the car I remember feeling happy and just peaceful. It was a different peace than I had felt in a long time or ever before in my life.