The Final Episode

It's been a good one. If you want to hear more, check out the audio file below. If not, here are some cool pics. I love you guys so much. I'll see you soon. I come home on the 21st of July, and then will be speaking in church on the 31st of July. Y'all are totally invited! Elder Horsley (Transcribed audio file) Hey, everyone. I'd saved writing this email until the very end of P-day and now I don't have any time, so I'm just going to send a voicemail. I've never done this before, but it sounds cool.I guess this is my last email that I'll be sending, probably. I might send one of just pictures next week. So this is my last P-day of my mission. So I haven't talked about it before, because I didn't want to, but I guess I'll talk about it today. I come home on the 21st of July, so that's seven days from today. Crazy. It's been good, yeah? It's been real nice. It's been real nice. But yeah, this week's been good. It's a good way to end it all off, I think. We've been doing good stuff, teaching good lessons, finding cool people. Our friend Arvin, who we found, I think my second week here... Was it the second week or the third? It was the second or the third week here. He is getting baptized this Sunday. He had his baptismal interview last night and he did way good, so we're way stoked about that. He's awesome. Elder Palmer just was walking through a train and this guy reached out to give him a fist bump, and then an hour later, Elder Palmer went down and sat back next to him, and the next day had a lesson with him. He was like, "Yeah, I'd love to be baptized." Next lesson, put him on baptismal date for, what, four weeks later or three weeks later? Yeah. It was something crazy. It was way fast. But he's getting baptized this Sunday, which will be way cool. It's the last Sunday of my mission. I guess that's the big news for this week. I don't really have anything else to share. I don't really know what to say because I'll just see everyone in like a week, so then I'll be able to answer further inquiries at that time. But it's been a good one. I've really loved my mission. I've loved all the things that I've learned. I know we talked a little bit about it last week, but the thing that I've learned the most is just who Jesus Christ is. And I think that's been my favorite part of my mission. I didn't really understand who Jesus Christ was when I started. I'm sure I'll still continue to grow my relationship with him and further understand who he is and what he does for me. But now I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that he is the savior of the world and that through him we can return to live with our Father in Heaven again, and that what he did for us, there's no one else who could have done that. And there's nothing else like it. There's so many things in this life that we think bring us joy or that do bring us joy. I think oftentimes one of the biggest challenges of this life is sometimes it's hard to recognize the things that bring us joy and the things that don't, because oftentimes we want certain things to bring us joy that don't actually bring us any joy, but in reality pull us down. The thing that I've learned about Jesus Christ, that any single interaction with him is a positive one, and that it brings us up. That when we try to come nearer to him, when we try to know him, when we try to just figure out who he is, that it lifts us up. It makes us happier. And that when we make Jesus Christ the central point in our lives, everything just works out. Nothing is ever perfect, but nothing ever goes wrong permanently. I think that that is such an amazing promise of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as it really works. Because we're not perfect people, our lives aren't made out to be perfect, we're not supposed to have perfect experiences each and every single day. Because if everything just went by real nice and easy, we will never learn anything from it. But just the very fact that we're not perfect and that our lives aren't perfect, require us to rely on a perfect being who is Jesus Christ. And I find that incredible. I know that the Book of Mormon is true, because I've seen as I've read it... I've read it so many times on my mission, I don't even know. Read it in English. I read it in Ukrainian. Totally have not even read a page of it in German, outside of in lessons, but I'll have to change that in the future. But I know that it's true. And I know that it's true because I see the change that it makes in my day, and I see how it helps the people who I teach, how it helps them to come near to Jesus Christ. I know that through these things, through faith in Jesus Christ, through repentance, and, most importantly, that first step of baptism, that's what sets us on our path. And remembering that baptism by going to church, by partaking in the Sacrament, these are the things that I've come to know as the things that bring us joy in this life. I know that Jesus Christ is joy, and I'm so grateful for that. So I'm so grateful for all the support that all of you have given me throughout the last two years. It's been a wild ride, but I wouldn't change it ever for anything because of what I've learned. I think God planned it out perfectly for me. I know that he's got a plan. I love you all so much. I can't wait to see you guys next week or maybe after next week. [foreign language. But I love you guys. Jesus Christ loves you even more. And I think I'll just have to... There's no better way to end these emails and my mission than, go in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. I'll see you all soon.