In Case You Were Wondering...

In case you were wondering...How did Reilly's Mini-Mission go? Fantastically. SHE LOVED IT!! I am not going to lie...I was a little concerned about what state we would find her in when we went to the stake center to attend the special fireside for the returning mini-missionaries. Tyler...returned missionary that he is...assured me that she would love it. He was right!! We found her happy, joyful, and bubbling over with excitement. I hugged her and said "So...how did it go?" She said "It was amazing!! Let's put it this way... I am counting down the days until I can turn in my papers." Wow. Wow. Wow.

Reilly was called to serve in the Post Falls, Idaho area. The mission president had pictures of and information about each of the youth that wanted to go and each individual was prayed about to figure out where would be the best place for them to serve. Reilly loved her area. She adored the sister missionaries that she served with...she loved the people she came in contact with...and her testimony grew by leaps and bounds.

One of the things I love most about Reilly is that no matter what situation she finds herself in...she jumps right in and gives it her all. She likes to say that she can make anything fun and she really can. She is never one of those kids that sits on the sidelines talking about how boring or lame something is. If she is going to participate in something she dives right in and makes it fun. She jumped right in to her mini-mission as well and gave it 100% from day one. The very first day she was talking to peopleand sharing her testimony right along with the sister missionaries. She had so many special experiences that week.

She got to teach a family with a bunch of little girls who are all going to be baptized soon. She got to meet less active families and individuals who are really struggling. She got to provide service for individuals in need. She got to be rejected. She got to be persecuted and then stood up and bore an amazing testimony to a very unhappy man who ended up letting her pray with him, shook her hand, and said how much he admired her faith. This mini-mission really put her in position to truly examine her faith...what she really believes...what she has a personal testimony of...what her faith and relationship to her Father in Heaven really means to her.

She also got to see what life is like for so many in this world. She got a first hand and up close look at poverty. She grew to love and admire individuals who the world would classify as "nobodies"...no one of importance according to the world's standards and see beautiful hearts and beautiful people. Individuals of great worth. Children of our Father in Heaven who have inherent value no matter their social status. Her heart opened wide and she was filled with so much love for all those with whom she came in contact. She was filled with compassion. That is a remarkable experience that all these mini-missionaries came away with...as they shared in their sweet testimonies. They were taken from their sheltered and selfish all-about-me teenageriness and had their hearts broken wide open and filled with love. That alone is worth it's weight in gold. Add that to the spiritual experiences of actually seeing the Holy Ghost in action, learning to pray with true purpose, gaining an even stronger testimony of who they are, and of the gospel...priceless.

Our stake sent out about 20 of these mini-missionaries and every single one of them had an amazing experience, shared incredible testimonies, and said that it had been a life changing experience for them. One of the counselors in our stake presidency who spoke at the end of the fireside said, "I am glad Reilly Johnson is on my team!!" I am glad that she is on my team as well. She is an incredible young woman and I am so blessed to be her mother.