Before I go any further, I just want to clarify a few things. A) This was MY personal experience. Please remember that my circumstances are very different than most people’s & B) Mission experiences are catered to the individual & everyone has a different experience! This post should by no means affect the way you view the mission! I’m just trying to help others grow and learn from my experiences! Everyone has a story to share, and I hope that by being vulnerable, I can touch someone’s heart, or help someone in their decision to serve. With this in mind, let’s begin! 

I’m not going to sugar coat it. My mission was a rough experience for me! It was hard, I was anxious, I was sick & it wasn’t very fun. Was I traumatized when I came home? Yes! Of course I was! It was not the experience I set out to have. Was it worth every second? Yes! & here’s why: 

1. MY MISSION HELPER ME DISCOVER MY PURPOSE! The mission helped me discover SO much about myself! It taught me a lot about who I am as a daughter of God & helped me truly KNOW & LIVE what I believe. Reviewing the principles of the gospel helped me understand the purpose of my life! We are here to have Joy! We are are here to progress, to follow after the example of our Savior, and to become like him! Going on a mission really helped me come to know the purpose of life for myself. 
2. MY MISSION STRENGTHENED MY TESTIMONY! My testimony grew 100% deeper & stronger! I honestly thought I had a pretty solid testimony before I left, & I did! But it grew to a state of surety and steadfast faith while on my mission. & now I can undoubtedly say that I KNOW God loves each & everyone of us, that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World, & that this is his restored church upon the earth! 
3. MY MISSION EXPOSED MY WEAKNESSES! This sounds scary, but I promise it’s actually a blessing! The mission will teach you exactly what you probably didn’t want to know about yourself. Sometimes it takes an incredibly stressful or new experience to help you see where you need to grow in life. While on the mission, I discovered that I struggle with anxiety! I discovered that I have some major food sensitivities that have been affecting the quality of my life. & I know that if I hadn’t decided to serve a mission, I never would have learned these things. Sometimes it takes hard and life change experiences to expose the weaknesses within us. But I promise that God will turn your weaknesses and trials into strengths if you let him! “And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.”-Ether 12:27
4. MY MISSION HUMBLED ME! It opened my eyes to the realities of this world. It taught me how incredibly lucky I am to have the family, home, and knowledge that I have. It is safe to say that I was sufficiently humbled daily on my mission. I have learned that the only way we can truly be successful in life is to rely on the strength and grace of God! We cannot do it on our own. We NEED HIM!
5. MY MISSION TAUGHT ME LESSONS THAT WILL BLESS MY FUTURE FAMILY! I experienced some of the hardest trials and experiences on my mission. However, the thought that these trials are preparing me to be a wife and mother got me through those hard times! I learned that I CAN DO HARD THINGS! I learned the fundamentals of the gospel and strengthened my testimony in ways that I know will benefit my future family! That is what missions do-they are one of the best ways to prepare for a successful life!