Mission Complete

Well hello everyone! 

So I'm writing to a couple more people this week than usual, so I'm going to fill everyone in on a couple details. I'm finishing my mission this week! On Thursday. I'm going home 2 weeks early so that I can start school at BYU next week. Crazy! So I wanted to send one last final letter to everybody. 

We were going to have a final baptism this week for our investigator Yassir. Unfortunatlely, he got a really bad fever and he started throwing up and just wasn't able to get ready in the end. But, I'm not too worried about him. He's progressing really well still, and if he keeps praying like he is right now I know that he'll be able to be baptized this week. It's kind of sad that I'm not going to be there, but I'm not worried about it. We had a great last week though... We worked super hard in spite of the fact that my companion Elder Correa is more burnt than pan casero left in the horno over night. He's a great guy. I actually get along with him really well, and we're great friends. But that's the truth of it. But we finished strong, had quite a few more lessons this week than normal, which I definitely was grateful for. I received a lot of blessings this last week. 

And... I can't believe I'm almost done. It doesn't feel real yet, to be honest. But it is real. And I'm going to miss these best two years a lot. But I couldn't ask for anything else. I literally read that this week in Alma 29:6. But I will be forever grateful for everything I've learned over these 2 years. For all the experiences I've had, for the testimony that I've received, for the people I've met that have changed my life, especially the companions I've had, and that I've been able to be an instrument in the Lord's hands to help even just a couple people come unto him. I wouldn't change this experience for the world. It's changed me forever. I think if I tried to be more specific than that about what I've learned it would take up a few more pages, and I don't want to write all of that, and I doubt that everyone wants to read all that. But these really were the best two years, as cliche as that sounds. 

More than anything else that I've learned on the mission I've come to know one thing for certain: Living the gospel is what makes me happy. I never knew that before the mission. And I wasn't very good at it before the mission either. But I realized very early in my mission, from the first couple months, that obeying God's commandments and living his gospel is what brings us true happiness. I've had hard times in my mission, and I know I'll have much harder times later in my life, but I know that living the gospel keeps me happy in spite of those circumstances. So, I'm going to keep doing that. 

Shoutout to Elder Clarke and my MTC friends... Whom I'm abandoning. Sorry I won't see you guys in a couple weeks. And another shout out to Elder Romero, Levander, and Castillo, who I will also be abandoning. Hahaha. 

And another shoutout to Grandma Ashcroft, who I hope is recovering very well from her knee surgery. 

And... I love you all. I'll see most of you on Friday :)

Elder Bingham

We ate lunch with President and Hermana Goates yesterday!

Elder Correa wanted to dance in their house.

Elevator selfie. Like old times when I was in the office.