Reflections of a Returned Chinatown Missionary

I wrote this yesterday, but lacked the internet signal to post. :)

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Dear Readers, 

Sitting in the Chinatown chapel with an afternoon ahead of me, it seems only appropriate for me to write a blog entry.

It’s been four months and seven days since I returned home from my mission in the New York New York North mission.  My mission was a time of immense growth and spiritual development, and the last four months have been a crash course in real-life application of what I learned there.  Going back to real life, even real life at a school run by my church, has been somewhat surreal.  There have been nights I have cried myself to sleep right alongside the days I have been so grateful to be home I could explode.  I have thrown myself back into my creative love, theatre, and been a part of incredible productions, using much of what I learned as a missionary to fuel my actions and my art.

I have become the return missionary I swore I would never be, one that jumps at an opportunity to swap mission stories, or to just tell them to (mostly) willing audiences.  I realize now why return missionaries tell the stories.  It isn’t to draw attention or to brag about what we have done, it is so we will never forget the lessons we learned and the Spirit we felt while serving.

As a return missionary, it is harder to find specific times to study my scriptures and have good conversations with my Heavenly Father.  There isn’t a little white handbook telling me what I have to do every day, defining success so I cannot misunderstand.  What there is, though, is satisfaction at doing what I know God wants me to, joy in temple attendance, and a whole slew of wonderful experiences that are helping grow my testimony even more.

Coming home from my mission was hard.  I wasn’t sure how I could be as happy as I was when serving.  Looking at my life now, though, I am happy.  I still see miracles every day.  I am inspired by the incredible people who surround me, and I am so grateful for their influence. 

So thank you, people that I love.  You make my life a better place.  Thanks for supporting me both on and off the mission, and helping me to be the person I want to be.

Much love,

Caitlin

Hello, World. It's been a while.

A month ago, I walked the streets of New York City, teaching people about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and His love for His children.

And just like that, I am back in Utah going to school.

Transitions are weird.  Sometimes they are incredibly natural, and easy to understand, like seasons changing.  Sometimes, they are not natural, like being abducted by aliens.  My transition has been somewhere between the two.  On the one hand school is great, and I still love theatre (in case anyone was wondering), but on the other hand, the change is pretty huge.  Civilian life is not like missionary life.  It just isn't.

And that's okay.

As much as I love New York and Chinatown, I know that this is the place that I have to be right now.  That's always been how it is - we do as much as we can in one place, and, when He knows we are ready, He takes us to the next one.  My mission was awesome.  Exactly what I needed.  And now I'm ready for the next one.

So, hello BYU, hello theatre, and hello social life.  Hello, World.  It's good to see you again.