The way the notes and the cords all combine it tugs at your heart strings. Every single time I listen to it, I am brought back to biking in the wind by the country fields to Churchdown, just outside of Gloucester. I am brought to the North Country just outside of Lincoln on the way to a dinner appointment, or Garry and Sue taking Sister Jian and I to Stroud for the day to visit Bisley where my ancestors came from, and the Country Roads Terry, in Wylde Green, would take us on as he took us out to dinner at the pub to get the best lamb roast I have ever had. The movement of the cars on those narrow windy roads as you increase speed, change gears, and glide through these picturesque places, your mind never wants to forget but at the same time you aren’t able to take it all in fast enough and there is a longing to go back and to never leave this moment. So many memories have been brought back while listening to this song that I can’t help but smile and feel my heart fill with love for the decision to serve.
I want to share my thoughts on the blessings of serving a mission. I don’t even want to call it “Serving a mission” because I was serving my Saviour. I say “My Saviour” because that is who He became to me while in England”. I was his servant who got to know him through my own struggles, my own pleadings, and by being obedient to His teachings. And because I served and did the best I could possibly do, I have been blessed. I remember getting a blessing from President Rassmussen in my second transfer in Wylde Green and he mentioned that I would be blessed 100 fold for the sacrifices I made in coming on a mission. And I feel like I have already started to see that happen. I feel I have been blessed with a more open mind, I have been blessed with an amazing job, I have been blessed to reach many of my goals that I set for myself as a new missionary which have allowed me to be the person I am today. I have learned how to rely on the Lord in hard times, and how to find joy in those hard times. A bit of a personal experience: Just recently I went through a bit of a rough time. My heart was broken and I was in a situation where I wasn’t sure what to do. All I knew how to do was get down on my knees and pray for help. While driving in the car I was praying, pleading. I prayed and fasted. I prayed and asked for blessings. I prayed and did my homework. Long story short I never stopped praying. And as I listened to the counsel and the promptings that came I found peace. I was able to move forward with the one of the biggest smiles on my face trusting in a bright future. I knew that the Atonement was real. I knew that the Saviour was there with me every step of the way. I knew that people had been placed in my life for a reason and that they were my personal angels. I knew that when my health took a hit at the same time, I knew how to take care of myself until I was able to get the medical attention needed. I knew that I could choose to look at the hard time or I could choose to smile and make the most of the situation given me. And I knew these were all things that I learned while on MY mission.