I made it!

October 5, 2015

Yeehaaahh! I made it to San Antonio Texas and back to the United States!

This past week has been such an amazing week and I am so very thankful for this time in my life that I have to be able to serve a mission. I have already seen the blessings come into my life and I know that it is because I am serving a mission.

As we got off the plane in the San Antonio airport, we were able to meet President Slaughter and a few of the missionaries that came to greet us. It was really amazing being able to see the other missionaries at the airport and feeling the excitement build up as we were ready to serve the Lord.

After we got back to the mission office and had lunch, we were able to go to the Alamo and pass out Book of Mormons to those who were there. It was an awesome experience being able to follow the spirit and to share the knowledge of the gospel and the importance of the Book of Mormon. It was exciting to be able to pass out the Book of Mormons because of the love that I feel towards the gospel and the testimony that I have of my Savior.

Afterwards we had the chance to go to the mission home and have dinner with the president and his wife. They are true disciples of the Lord and have a strong desire to serve Him. I am so very thankful to receive counsel and direction from them and to work alongside them. After dinner we talked about some of the fundamentals to greeting and approaching others and how to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ. We got to learn more about the president and his wife and their desires in serving in the Texas San Antonio area.

After that first day, I had felt such an excitement and joy and I knew that I was going to have an amazing mission experience and that it would change my life forever. On Thursday, we were able to get our new companions as well as our new areas were we will be serving for the next 6 weeks. After we got our supplies we were able to meet in the chapel and hear all the secretaries and the presidency of the mission bear their testimonies of the gospel and missionary work.

Soon afterwards they started to call out our companions and the areas we would be serving in. My companion and trainer is Elder Christensen and we both will be serving in the San Antonio South area for the next 6 weeks. I am so very thankful for my companion because of the example he is to me in living the gospel and being a servant of the Lord. He's been out for around 11 months and loves sports and the outdoors.

As soon as the meeting ended, we packed up and headed over to our new area. After we got our stuff unloaded at our apartment, we started to bike to our progressing investigators that my companion had before our current transfer. I was able to meet Joseph Mejia who we talked about prophets and the importance of having priesthood authority on the earth with. We also talked to him about General Conference that was coming up and the opportunity we have to hear counsel from our prophet and apostles. Afterwards we were able to bike around the area to our other contacts and investigators. Though it was nice being in a new culture at the Mexico MTC, I am so glad to be back in the U.S!

It has felt like every time I have been able to find someone on the street or to see someone outside their house and just say hello and see how they are doing it brings joy to my soul and I feel of the importance of my calling and how important this work truly is. On our bike ride home that night, I couldn't stop thinking about how thankful I was to my Heavenly Father for this amazing life changing opportunity to be serving a mission. I want to be able to use the time that I have on my mission to strengthen others and to help others come unto Christ and to feel of the peace and joy that comes from the gospel. I am so very thankful for the opportunity that we have had these past few days to be able to watch General conference and to hear from our prophet and our apostles. I really enjoyed how many of the talks have counsel in finding safety in the gospel and standing firm in our beliefs. I know there is safety in the gospel and as we live it, we will be blessed to face the challenges and trials that we have in our lives.

Yesterday after conference we were able to stop by a home that we had received as a referral to give them a message. As we gave a lesson on the Restoration, I could feel of the spirit and knew that He was there testifying of our message. When it came to my turn to share a few points of the lesson, I felt as though Heavenly Father was guiding me and helping me to know what words I needed to say just like the scripture in D&C 84:85. I am so thankful for the influence of the spirit in my life and for the help that it gives us in our teaching abilities. I am so very thankful for this gospel. I am also thankful for the time that we have to be able to study and to increase our testimonies as we are out in the field. As I continue to preach the gospel every day, I gain more and more an understanding of the purpose of why we are out here and how sacred this calling is to me.

Mom, thank you for the awesome package you got me!! I love the picture!! That scripture means a lot to me and I know as I live worthy of the spirit in my life, I will be able to help others feel of that same spirit as well as the love of Christ. I hope all is well back home and I hope you know how much I love you. I continue to increase my love for you guys and I am so very thankful for the strength that you give me. There is so much that I want to say but words cannot express how happy I am to be out here. I want you all to know how thankful I am to have an eternal family so that we can live together for eternity. Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers and know that my Heavenly Father is watching over me. Continue to treasure the gospel and the light of Jesus Christ, he will never lead us astray. Love you all!!

Love,
Elder Munro

Mom: My p-day will be on Mondays. I will be able to read emails throughout the week but I can't send any until my next p day. Love you!!