My Service Mission... Initial Thoughts

So the two people that read my blog may or may not be interested in how my service mission is going so far. But either way, I want to document this experience because this is an important experience in my life.

As stated earlier in previous posts, I've never worked at a job before. As such, this has been an incredibly overwhelming experience so far. I had absolutely no idea what to expect before I started. I'm a perfectionist, and impatient. I hate having to wait out the "learning curve" as I make mistakes trying to learn everything I need to know to be successful serving at LDS Family Services (LDSFS). But some things just take time, and my second week was a lot better than my first week. That first week I honestly thought to myself, "What in the world have I gotten myself into, and how can I get out of it?" I would just sit there as they would explain their computer programs thinking, "Yeah- that all makes sense. But could I do all you just said on my own? NO!" And everything is so much more detailed than I could've imagined. It's definitely an eye-opening experience to the intricacies of how an office works. My appreciation for all secretaries do in every office has increased a hundred fold these past two weeks.

I'll admit it's an adjustment going from school being surrounded by my peers all roughly my same age to working with women a lot older than me. But I'm so grateful to these women and the other therapists who I serve with. They'll never know how much their patience, kindness, and understanding has meant to me. In fact, when my missionary badge finally came the second week, two of the ladies sang "Happy Missionary Day to you!" to the tune of 'Happy Birthday'. Made my day.

It's also been an adjustment getting used to my service schedule. I serve Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 12- 9 p.m. One unexpected thing I love about serving at night, is that as I drive home along Bangerter Hwy, I get to see the Oquirrh Mt. Temple all lit up. And as I was driving home one night, I thought to myself: there is symbolism is seeing the beautiful bright white temple against the dark night sky. The world is a dark, scary, confusing, and often-times evil place. But the gospel/temple is a bright light that beckons others to come unto it. Through the gospel (and literally in temples) we can find an escape from the world, receive peace that can't be found anywhere else, gain clarity in our lives, and feel the love God has for His children. I hope that makes sense to you as it does in my mind. Whether or not it does- it's a great way to end a day of service driving past the temple each night.

As my stress levels have gone down slightly, I've been able to start appreciating my service mission. I love being surrounded by people who hold my same values/beliefs. I love looking around the office and seeing paintings of Christ on almost every wall. I love being part of an organization that is helping people overcome their struggles through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I love knowing that there are so many resources available in the community to help people. (We often have to refer people who call in to outside resources. I had no idea that so many different resources even existed. There really is help available if people need and are willing to accept it.) I love just knowing that there are people out there who are actively working to overcome their problems, rather than take the easy road and succumb to the problem. Serving at LDSFS has made my desire to one day be a counselor grow, and I'm more determined than ever to make that happen.

As you can tell- it's been a lot of emotions. And it's only been two weeks! I'll definitely be keeping you updated on how this experience goes. I can't wait to see what's ahead.