well this is slightly overdue, but i had to give a shout out to SEATTLE because i arrived home from my mission one year ago on november 1!! wow. i can hardly believe it!! just a little over a year ago, this was me:
i still miss that tag!! i was skyping with my mom tonight, and she got a phone call and said, "Hi this is Sister Gibbons" and even THAT made me mission sick. haha. I'M sister gibbons! haha. it really is so fun to read my parents' emails and live vicariously through them.
anyway, i felt really nostalgic on november 1st and it made me think of a list i made throughout my mission of all the things i learned. it's super long but here's a small taste
*how to cook salmon
*how to plan
*that obedience brings freedom, peace, and happiness
*how to check my tire pressure
*i am imperfect, weak, prideful, and selfish, but i am improving through the atonement of Jesus Christ. He never gives up on me.
*the world is FULL of good people
*the gospel of Jesus Christ can heal ANY heartache
*how to wax a car
*God knows and loves little Sister Gibbons
*how to speak a little cantonese, spanish, korean, samoan, kiribati, japanese, and mongolian
*how to take care of someone else when you yourself are sick
*how to plant a garden
*it's not always about me. in fact, it's rarely about me.
*how to work, even when you're exhausted
*i'm only the instrument
*how to make mongolian food
*how to eat with chopsticks
*how to live with someone 24/7 and love them, even with my flaws and their flaws
*i have many beams in my eyes (even ones i'm not aware of)...and i always will in this life! so i have no right to pick at other's motes
*"truth, tis the fairest gem"
*it's easier to weed when the ground is moist
*how to serve a volleyball overhand
*how to throw a spiral and catch a football
*"in the quiet heart is hidden sorrow that the eye can't see"
*that forgetting myself is a decision, one i must make daily
*the only prerequisites to being a good missionary are commitment, desire, humility, and diligence. age, looks, education, and personality are irrelevant.
*anchovies really are disgusting
*all things are made fair through the atonement
*my stewardship is very overwhelming, but the Lord can do all things through me if i rely on HIM rather than my own abilities
*what the scriptures mean when they say we must lose our lives in order to find them
*patience
*that the gospel is for everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, culture, background, or personality
*that agency is the key to the plan
*you can't do the Lord's work without charity. it's the purest motivation
*faith has more power than i realize
*how to strike up a conversation with ANYONE
*FPF: follow promptings fearlessly (bro sim)
*the spirit crosses language barriers
*that everyone has an interesting life story. if you take the time to listen and learn it, you will love them
*other cultures are different than mine, but neither is better than the other
*you could see miracles "if only you believed" - elder kikuchi
*we each have a divine gift: our capacity to love is infinite...we never run out of space...we can always love more people more deeply
*i'm not always right (actually i'm rarely right)
*how to truly recognize the spirit
*the spirit can give you very specific guidance when you ask for it, listen, and if you need it
*that the more i learn, the more i feel i know nothing!
wow sorry i just couldn't stop! and there's still so much more. so as i thought of this list and i thought of what i'm learned since i've gotten home, i felt like i've accomplished nothing in the past year!!! talk about missing the mission. then it started to rain!! once it rains i'm lost in my seattle thoughts :) but then i got out my journal for the past year and started reading about my adventures since i've been home. i realized i have grown and i have learned things. i've decided i need to start writing them down. here's a start:
*how to drop your parents off at the MTC, instead of the other way around :)
*how to be a grown-up (aka have a lot of BILLS and pay them all)
*i already had a testimony of tithing...but now i REALLY have a testimony of tithing. when we obey the law of tithing, we ALWAYS have enough money (i even ended up with some of those miracle stories. i didn't need them to believe, but wow it fills me with awe)
*i've learned a HECK of a lot about apoptosis, differential equations, fluorescence, molecular biology, developmental biology, and scientific writing
*waking up early really does make you happier (sadly i learned this from NOT doing it all the time like i did on my mission)
*the Lord always brings the people we need into our lives
*winning on the radio is actually possible (especially when you're stephanie buhler) and doing fun stuff for free makes it even more fun
*how patient the Lord is
*when we have the desire to serve and share the gospel of Jesus Christ, we ask for opportunities, and we listen to the Spirit, the Lord will provide us with small miraculous opportunities to be His instrument...no matter HOW busy we are.
*how to use touch screens (i'm getting better haha)
*i learned to be a runner!! who knew little liz could run half marathons?? people if i can do it, anyone can do it
wow i'm actually thinking of a lot of things! but i'll stop so you don't have to be dragged along liz's pensive parade any longer. i feel a lot less depressed now haha!! i also have learned a lot more about my weaknesses, but i guess that is a positive thing because i'm working on them right? so here's to another year of growth!! i think november 1st will always be a day of pondering for me, the rest of my life....a time to think about where i am and where i've been and where i'm going... and of course, the Lord's hand in my life. it's so prevalent. it's comforting to look back and see how He's guided me because it strengthens my trust in Him that He will continue to do so.
(sorry that was kind of deep and boring. i'll try to be funny next time haha!)
