As this 18 months comes to an end, naturally my mind is full of both fear and anticipation of what the rest of my life has in store. I have also spent a lot of time thinking about the past too. Questions like, "Who will I still be friends with?" "Do I still want to study this at school?" "Do I even like the things that I liked before?", are constantly running through my mind. I can think about these things all day long, but there is really no way to know. None of us know what the future has in store. That doesn't mean that the Lord has us blindly cruising through life though.
Life is like a highway. When you start driving you know where you want to go, but on the highway there are dozens of little exits that lead to random towns that you've never ever heard of, let alone want to hang out in. When you first get on the highway, you know where you want to go, but then all of these exits and billboards start distracting you and they all point in different directions. Before you know it your awesome day trip to City Creek Mall has ended up being a less-than-fashionable day spent at the Valley Fair Mall in West Valley. (Only Utahn's will understand that one.) And don't even get me started on the traffic! The highways are just full of dummies that are inconsiderate and unaware of all the other cars around them.
This example doesn't need too much explanation, but I'll draw it out to kill some of my internet time. Like I said, the highway is life. Whether you know it or not, the destination is returning to live with God. All of the exits are the million and one distractions that keep you from fulfilling your purpose and hold you back from continuing down the road. The billboards and their advertisements are the voices of the world telling you you need things that are actually completely unnecessary. And the dumb people on the street, well they're exactly that - the dumb people in your life.
So what are we to do to reach our final destination? In the last general conference President Thomas S. Monson said, "Our Father provided the sun, the moon, and the stars— heavenly galaxies to guide mariners who sail the lanes of the sea. To us, as we walk the
pathway of life, He provides a clear map and points the way toward our desired destination. He cautions: beware the detours, the pitfalls, the traps. We cannot be deceived by those who would lead us astray, those clever pied pipers of sin beckoning here or there. Instead, we pause to pray; we listen to that still, small voice which speaks to the depths of our souls the Master’s gentle invitation, “Come, follow me.”"
Prayer and the words of the prophets are two of the most important tools on our trip down the long-stretched highway of life. I guess you could say that they're like the fancy navigation system in your car. If you want to know God, you have to communicate with Him. If you want to receive His directions, you have to study the words of His representative - the living prophet. I can promise you that prayer and studying of the prophet's teachings are the quickest ways to feel peace. Trust me, I am the least peaceful person you will ever meet. I'm a rambler, I'm always talking, and I've always got enough energy to run up and down the street a million times. Yet each time I just take a couple minutes to stop and say a prayer or read through the Liahona I just feel good! I'm happier! I feel that the Lord actually loves me and I can see his hand in my life! It's super cool, you should try it out sometime!
I want to talk a little bit about the dummies on the road - they're inevitable. Each street has them and 1. they're annoying and 2. they're dangerous. Don't be friends with these dummies! Being friends with the dummies turns you into a dummie. Dummies are the friends that think that Panda Express is Chinese food and that Taco Bell is authentic Mexican food. Beware of dummies. Unfortunately, they're everywhere! They make stupid things look fun to do. They make the dumbest jokes seem hilarious. They make sin look like something appealing. Once again, beware of dummies. The dummies in life are those backseat drivers that try to give you directions when the built in nativagation system obviously knows better how to get to your destination.
This week I'm extremely grateful for my friends, especially those that are out serving missions too. Those general weekly emails that you send to me and to everyone else in your contacts are important to me. The faith that I've seen you all show inspires me to keep working hard. The words of encouragement that we all share with one another is a pattern of what life should be like after we serve missions. Even though you may think that someone already knows that you love them, or you think that they're too busy to be visited, still do it. Do you remember Elder Holland's talk from last general conference - "Are We Not All Beggars?"? Well if not here's a snippet of it conveniently copied and pasted from lds.org here for you to read: "A journalist once questioned Mother Teresa of Calcutta about her hopeless task of rescuing the destitute in that city. He said that, statistically speaking, she was accomplishing absolutely nothing. This remarkable little woman shotback that her work was about love, not statistics. Notwithstanding the staggering number beyond her reach, she said she could keep the commandment to love God and her neighbor by serving those within her reach with whatever resources she had. “What we do is nothing but a drop in the ocean,” she would say on another occasion. “But if we didn’t do it, the ocean would be one drop less [than it is].”
Good, genuine friends that are commited to the gospel keep me on the highway. Thank you for your support.
I don't know if I'll be sending a long email next week (it being my last p-day), but I want you all to know that I love you and I'm so grateful for the support I've received that last 18 months. Serving a mission was the best choice I ever made. It's been a lot harder than I imagined it would be, but there's nothing I would trade it for. I don't understand why a lot of things have happened the past year and a half, but I understand that the Lord is guiding our lives and everything that happens is meant to make us stronger. Life is full of regrets, but through the Atonement we can repent and resolve to do better. Of Regrets and Resolutions Love the Lord and I promise you will love your life. The Church is true. It's restored and everything you need to know is clear if you will put in the time to study and ponder.
I don't know where the Lord will lead me after my mission. The words of my favorite hymn "Be Thou Humble" gives me comfort as I try and figure things out though:
1. Be thou humble in thy weakness, and the Lord thy God shall lead thee,
Shall lead thee by the hand and give thee answer to thy prayers.
Be thou humble in thy pleading, and the Lord thy God shall bless thee,
Shall bless thee with a sweet and calm assurance that he cares.
2. Be thou humble in thy calling, and the Lord thy God shall teach thee
To serve his children gladly with a pure and gentle love.
Be thou humble in thy longing, and the Lord thy God shall take thee,
Shall take thee home at last to ever dwell with him above.
The Lord is guiding you, and me, and every single one of us. Never forget that. Never turn away from Him and His infinite love.
With love,
Sister Egelund Trinh Ly
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| Real friends take you out to get Indian food. Kelley + Loan = Numbaa 1 |
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| I didn't know President Moon owns a smoothie shop in Vietnam? |
