Beacon

I'm grateful for the Gospel.  I'm so grateful to be a member of this simple church.  The Lord always guides and directs us down the path that we need to go when we obey His voice.  There are so many things I have learned over the past few weeks--particularly in this past week.  Unfortunately, sometimes in order to learn the lessons necessary to become better people, we must take on a difficult task.  I am just grateful for the opportunity that we have in this life to learn.  The best lessons are usually learned during great times of heartache and trial.  Being on a full time mission, away from my family, everyone and everything that I love, I felt as though my life was full of trials.  But the important thing I needed to remember were the lessons I could learn and the amount that I would grow.  I have grown in so many ways...I know my heart has grown being out here.  I have learned to love in a way I didn't know I could before.  Today, for example, I met some incredible people whom I love already, though I've had just brief conversations with them. 

Gratitude for life's lessons is the beacon of hope that we have amidst trials and struggles.  I know that when we turn to God, he makes life's troubles easier to bear.  He doesn't always take away the pain, because sometimes we need to learn-but I know that we can find hope--we can find that beacon of light that the Lord is shining down upon us.