Gish On A Mish: Week 53: Sister Gish Hits Her One Year Mark!

Hello! Where do I even begin? I have been a missionary for an entire year. This has been the absolute fastest year of my life! It has been the happiest, saddest, most fun, and difficult year of my life. Mostly it has been refining. Refining and sacred. I am so in love with my mission and I wouldn't trade it for anything in this world. These past 53 weeks have shaped me for the better, and I consider myself so blessed to have another 6 months to serve the Lord. Thank you for all the letters and prayers! They mean more than you know!

On Wednesday I went on exchanges with Hermana Barnum. She is such a cutie! She is just so kind and loving! I love going on exchanges with Hermanas and hearing them pray in Spanish. Even though I have no clue what they are saying, I can always feel the spirit so strongly!

Thursday was my year mark and we celebrated by doing lots of service! It was great! We helped Jeri make cake truffles and we helped Sister Hanson with her storage unit. We also went to dinner with Jeri that night! She is so fun! She keeps me laughing!

We had a lesson with a lady named Dakota this week. We met her on car fast day. She said that she and her husband have gone to a few churches in Greeley, but none of them felt right. We taught her the restoration and she was really open to everything we shared! We are meeting with her this upcoming week, so hopefully we can help her make it to church.

Poor Sister Zitting lost her original nametag on Wednesday! We searched high and low and retraced our steps from the day before. She found it in the couch cushion later that night.

We had Stake Conference this weekend! Elder Spencer R Griffin of the Seventy presided. It was amazing! I think my favorite part was when one of the members of the temple presidency spoke. He testified that Jesus Christ has walked the halls of every temple. We had a lesson with Chris! He said that he has been so happy since he got baptized! I'm so proud of him!

Yesterday, I went on exchanges with Sister Green! I can't believe it has been 6 months since we've been companions! That girl has grown leaps and bounds, so it was so special to reunite with her for the day! She is a wonderful example to me of patience and following God's will! Our day was filled with contacting, service, and reminiscing about our time in Lander and Dubois!

One of the main things that has been reaffirmed on my mission is that "charity never faileth." Love is at the center of this work. Elder De Feo put it perfectly in his last conference address. "Love indeed is the true sign of every true disciple of Jesus Christ." Faith, hope, charity and love are often associated with each other. One day, Christ will return to this earth and we will no longer need to have faith or hope because we will see Him. However, our charity will endure forever, and that is why it never fails. I invite you to try to develop more pure charity! It comes through prayer and service to others. When we serve Heavenly Father's children, it gives us a small glimpse of the love He has for them and for us. It is such a special feeling!

I love you all!

Sister Gish