In case you forgot where I was, I am now back from serving my mission in beautiful Mesa, Arizona for a whole year and a half! It was the most wonderful experience of my life and I miss it every single day. I want to go back so bad but I know that I have so much to look forward to being a returned missionary!
I could probably try to recap my 18 months in Mesa... but that would take forever and wouldn't do any justice to the experience I had there. So I'll give you a small taste :)
I served in 4 areas, a YSA ward (Young Single Adults, anyone from 18-31 who aren't married) for 6 months, a family ward in Apache Junction, Arizona, then two more family wards in East Mesa. Each of those 4 areas brought life long friends and new scenery.
I served with 6 different companions. As a missionary you are assigned a companion, someone you work with to proselyte full time. You are within sight and sound of this person 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, until the mission president decides one of you needs to be transferred (could be 6 weeks could be 6 months!). My alone time over those 18 months consisted of going to the bathroom and showering. That's it. Which may sound horrible, especially since I'm fairly introverted and quiet, but my companions were my best friends! You can't live with someone in such close proximity for any extended period of time without sharing experiences that bring you together.
During my time off (Prep Days, Mondays from 10 AM to 6 PM) I got to hike, play sports, and spend time with my missionary friends. Missions are hard work, but they're also so much fun!
I had the wonderful opportunity to meet people who were interested in learning more about my church and eventually made the decision to be baptized! It was so cool to see people learning about Christ and His Atonement and actually seeing them apply it to their own lives!
I guess that's the short version of my time in Mesa. Now I've been back for about 4 months. I've kept quite busy in that time. I worked at my old restaurant for a few months and now I'm preparing to go back to school! I'll be attending Boise State University, majoring in Kinesiology! I'm excited for the adventures life is going to throw at me in the next few months! I'll try to keep it all documented here :)
While a blog is good, the easiest way to follow my adventures is on Instagram! Feel free to follow lindsey.sparhawk
Thanks for reading and keep in touch for some adventures to follow!
