Final Email ... The Best Two Years

Hey Everyone!

We'll, I never thought that this time would come....Only one more week on the mission and this is the last letter that I'll be sending home. Ahhhhhh, where has the time gone? It literally feels like I've only been in Madagascar for a short little while and now I'm being told that it's time to go home.

I always knew that his day would eventually come but I never thought that it would be this quick. I love Madagascar with all of my heart and I'm so thankful for the opportunity that I have had to serve here the last two years.

I think it's safe to say that the biggest blessing that I've recognized on my mission is the ability to change. I've seen it in myself and in those that I teach and it truly is a great blessing from a loving Heavenly Father. People always say that a mission is the "best two years" and it certainly is to certain degrees. You experience a lot of good moments on your mission and you learn how to become a better person which is awesome. However, I think that it's safe for me to say that it's not necessarily considered the "best two years" because your experience nothing but good moments on the mission. It's not really like that at all.

Along with all the good you still experience a lot of opposition and discouragement which isn't always fun. Some of the hardest moments of my life were experienced out here in the mission field and sometimes I felt inadequate or incapable of completing this sacred calling. It's taken me a while to learn, however, that the hard times can be considered as special blessings. Through hardships that have happened, I have seen and experienced a greater relationship with my Heavenly Father and I truly have seen changes in my life. It's an amazing process and it's something that I have learned from being a missionary. I've realized that my mission was the best two years for me and that's why the mission is considered the "best two years." As you help to others and forget yourself you really can see changes in your life and it's absolutely incredible. I have loved being a missionary and I love this work.

Well, that's all I really got today. I love y'all so much and I'll be seeing some of you soon!

Elder Stringfellow