many things happening in my life lately have been what some might call a "curve ball"
my mission came to an end earlier than i expected because of some health concerns. and as heartbreaking as it was to leave the mission, it was an experience where i felt an abundance of love.
when i was in my third area i had been out for about 10 months and my health issues started to effect me a little bit more than they usually did. around this time i received a priesthood blessing and was told that my "weeks here were few," of course when i heard this i immediately thought Heavenly Father was meaning my weeks left in o'fallon. and so i worked as hard as i could knowing i wouldn't be there much longer.
i ended up leaving o'fallon, not thinking much more of the blessing, and went to glen carbon, illinois. i thought leaving o'fallon would help some of the situation but it didn't and i realized that i needed some help.
when i finally started looking for help it was pretty clear that the health issues weren't a "go to the doctor and get a band-aid" type of illness. i quickly realized that getting better would require a lot more time and attention than i could give out in the mission field. at this time i also remembered the blessing that i received a few weeks earlier, at first going home wasn't really an option in my mind but as time went on it didn't seem like the wrong thing.
after meeting with my mission president and discussing my options a week later i found out that the missionary department recommended that i go home to be healthy. at first i cried, i cried a lot.
but then i started to see the bigger picture and how Heavenly Father has been preparing me for a long time to endure this trial and to be completely healthy. during all of this i have felt an overwhelming sense of love and support from my family, my mission president&his wife, fellow missionaries&friends, and of course my Father in Heaven.
i'm so grateful for my mission and the experiences i was able to have. even though i didn't serve for 18 months, i served the mission Heavenly Father needed me to & i served my full-time mission. i have no doubt in my mind that He is pleased with the work i was able to do while in st. louis. i've learned a lot lately about our unique plan, and how we are each prepared to endure that path. and not just endure it, but truly enjoy it. i've learned a lot about how we are each entitled to receive revelation & inspiration for ourselves. and most importantly, how much we are loved despite our weaknesses, faults, or what we believe to be imperfections.
this is a wonderful life we're given, curve balls and all.
-allie
