general conference: now is the time to serve a mission!

Now is the Time to Serve a Mission!, Elder Richard G Scott

Earlier this year (so you know, 6 days or so ago) I got thinking how much I miss knowing conference as well as I did on my mission. As a missionary, I knew who said what, what they talked about and could quote things from conference and I loved it. I want to be able to do that again!

So, I've decided to share some of my favorite conference talks, the ones that have made a particular impression or ones that have stuck with me for one reason or another. I also want to write more about what I learn from current conference talks.

I'm starting with one of the most influential talks I'd ever heard at conference up to this point in my life. In April 2006 I was just finishing up my freshman year at BYU. I'd learned a lot about hard work, learning to live independently, learning to be my own person, to stand up for myself, to speak up and to forgive. I'd learned a lot about being brave and working hard. I'd learned a lot about love and failure and God. I'd learned about the gospel, about friendship and about the real value of failing at something despite great effort. Needless to say, I was also very jealous at this time that guys my age were on missions and I was stuck home going through a really challenging first year of college when really I just wanted to be on a mission too. It wouldn't be until 2 years later that I would make the decision to serve but this talk set me on a course of preparation.

The line from this talk that I still remember today is this: You will never regret serving a mission, but you most probably will regret not serving if that is your choice.

Isn't that so powerful?

There is so much wisdom in this statement that applies to my life even today in regards to regrets and opportunities.

Elder Scott changed my life for good that day. And the Spirit began to work on the desires of my heart more than ever before. I know that what Elder Scott said is true. I have never ever regretted my decision to serve the Lord as a missionary. My mission wasn't perfect, in fact it and grad school are fairly tied in terms of the most trying times of my life. It was the experiences I had as a missionary that make me reflect back and say...Erin, you did that...you can do this. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of a person, a place or an experience that I had, or all three. It has influenced my life in every way for the better. I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who knew that "now" was the time to prepare for a mission.