I've been thinking a lot about what I want to share in my blog... and I decided it would be best to write about what I'm struggling with/working on/challenged by right now.

        To begin I need to share a little bit of personal information. I have one sister. She is four years older then me, and we didn't get along at all until she went to college. That was years ago and now we're pretty close friends. She has been married for about five years now. About a month ago I found out that she's pregnant! The Baby is due November 30^th. I'm totally excited, I will be an aunt for the first time!!!!

        However, I always thought I would be with her when she had a baby and as all of you know we will be in

Mexico. To be honest I'm kind of disappointed that I will not be there when the baby is actually born, and that I will be gone for a lot of its first year.

        About the same time that I got this news my mom sent me an email with some verses to think about while preparing for and being on a longer mission. One of these verses is Luke 9:57-62…

The Cost of Following Jesus

 

57As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go."

 

58Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."

 

59He said to another man, "Follow me."

      But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."

 

60Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the

kingdom of
God."

 

61 Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family."

 

62Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the

kingdom of
God."

        The way I see it, we are all going to have things, people, and events happening at home that we don't want to miss. But perhaps that is the cost of following Jesus…. I don't think that God is asking us to forget about our family and friends, but rather to not "look back" or regret what it is we are missing, but instead to focus on the work He has laid out for us to do.

        We are being given an amazing opportunity to go and serve, to give our all, to spend every day with one purpose; to serve God. We will be surrounded by others with the same goal; giving each other support and strength. This is not something that everyone has the chance to experience.

My challenge to everyone, and especially myself, is to go and not look back.

If any of you have feedback on this topic I would love to hear it. I do not claim to know it all, and I would like begin learning from all of you. Please do not hesitate to challenge anything I have said.