"Hold Up Your Light" Final Missionary Email From The MIM

Hey Everyone, 

It's surreal to type that this is my final email as a full time missionary in the Missouri Independence Mission. My time is quickly coming to an end as I will fly home on Friday and start the next chapter of my life. 

This past week has been super busy and we were able to meet a new investigator, Kyra, and teach her several lessons. She is elect and has a strong desire to be baptized. Her husband is a current member of the Church and she has attended Sacrament Meeting with him. We placed a Book of Mormon with her and each shared our testimony about the book. Kyra felt the spirit very strongly as we testified of what the Book of Mormon means to us and she has a goal to read the entire book prior to being baptized. We told her that wasn't necessary but that is the path she is choosing. We hope to teach her once again prior to transfers on Thursday. 

Transfer news came in over the weekend and Elder Fleming and Gillman will remain companions and stay in Tiffany Springs. I am happy for them. Elder Gillman has one more transfer before he goes home. Today we spent time at the Parkville elders apartment and removed Elder Gillman's belongings since everyone was unsure about how transfers would shake out. 

I held my last District Council and afterwards our entire district went out to eat. It was a great time and everyone has enjoyed our district this transfer. I have appreciated my assignment as  District Leader and the responsibilities that have come along with that. I will have one more ZL council to attend on Wednesday and then Thursday are transfers. 

For P-day today Elders Gillman and Fleming shopped for food, had haircuts, cleaned, did laundry, and I have been boxing things up and packing my suitcases. We had breakfast with the Hasting family this morning and it was great to see them again before I head home. We ate lunch as a District and then played games.

We had lessons set up with several strong investigators and many of them fell through this week. It was a bit discouraging but honestly I am used to it at this point. 

As you recall, we are covering both the Parkville and Tiffany Spring wards this transfer. On Sunday when we attended the Parkville ward there was an investigator I found 3 transfers ago sitting in the chapel. Of course, I went right up to him and talked with him. I found out from the bishop later that day that Russell has been attending sacrament meetings since I found and taught him. I asked Elder Gillman about why he "dropped" Russell from the area book and he couldn't remember why. Anyway, such positive news to see Russell there and we put him back on the area book and will teach him this week. He will be moved back to the new Parkville elders on Thursday. 

One afternoon this past week we felt inspired to walk a nearby trail which is about 2 miles to the end and two miles back to the car. We have found a few investigators as we've walked in the past. This day we started off and were finding a few people here and there, most weren't interested or had their ear pods in and we didn't bother them. About a mile and a half into the trail the skies started to get a dark and we were thinking it would start to rain at anytime. We made the decision to keep walking and we did. By the time we got to the end of the trail it was a total downpour, like monsoon type rain. We were completely soaked within minutes. We knew we had two miles back out and turned around and headed back down the trail. As we are walking the water is accumulating at a rapid pace and water gushed into our shoes with every step. As we walked, the dark sky turned orange and we heard low crackling sounds and then the sky went dark again. It did this three times as we hustled back along the walkway. We wondered why the sky was being so freaky? About 1/2 mile left to the car you have to walk through a tunnel--which has purposely been built as a water way--well the water was up to our shins as we walked through the tunnel. Finally we made it to the car and hopped in. We took off our shoes and opened the car doors and emptied out the water. What an experience we had walking in such an intense rainstorm.

This week we went to Leavenworth to see an investigator be baptized. Elder Gillman had taught him before when he served there. See the picture below. 

There are 24 missionaries returning home this transfer. Most are flying into SLC and then a few will have connecting flights home. In our mission we have a "departing missionaries chat" that is created and the content is then shared with incoming missionaries. I had to submit a voice clip including my testimony and send 20 pictures from my time in the MIM. I hope the incoming missionaries can be uplifted by what the two dozen of us have left behind for them.

There are several families who have requested final meals with me before I leave. We have two lunches and two dinners on Wednesday. I have had to turn a few families down and I feel badly about that since I really love these members. I will get to eat lunch with Marr's from Higginsville on Wednesday and look forward to seeing them. 

Tomorrow we have the Kansas City Royals baseball game and will be singing the National Anthem and watching the game. We will work up until the time we arrive to catch the bus to the stadium. 

Today I had the final P-day phone call with my mom. It just doesn't seem real that this is the end and everything is in the final stages. Some thoughts I've had about the last two years are first of all, they were not the best two years of my life. But, they were two years of growth filled with learning how to be fully united with God, His will, and to understand what diligence really is. I have felt the most powerful joy in the past two years. I have seen things, learned things, experienced things, and now know things that I would not have seen, felt, or known if it wasn't for my missionary experience. There are just some things that can't be taught or learned without serving a fulltime  mission. 

My mission has been life changing and has shaped the course of my future life. I know how to be a good disciple of Jesus Christ, I know why it's so important to share His gospel, and why it's even more important to continue to share His gospel once I'm home. My mission is as eternal as anything I could ever talk about at this point. Throughout my mission I've experienced the converting power of the Holy Ghost, and why we need to share what we believe. 

I've learned great general life lessons. I've learned, as we are taught in 2 Nephi 2:24 "But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things." How else could I testify of this without living as a missionary for two years? I am a changed person. I still have my same opinions, appetites, quirks, etc., but I have a personal conversion and a deep relationship with my Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ. I know why eternity matters. I know how to recognize miracles--small, little minor miracles. The knowledge I have about the gospel of Jesus Christ is valuable to me. I will forever keep it. 

In October 2021 General Conference, Elder Marcus B. Nash of the Seventy gave a talk called "HOLD UP YOUR LIGHT". He said, "Joy. Hope. Sustaining power from God. Protection from temptation. Healing. All of these--and more (including forgiveness of sins)--distill upon us from heaven as we share the gospel." I have seen and felt these promised blessings. I'm excited to go home and continue to help others come unto Christ and witness the incomprehensible joy that comes from the gospel when we exercise faith, repent, are baptized and partake of the Sacrament every week, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. I know that God knows all of His children. I know He loves each us with more love than we can even imagine. 

I look forward to seeing and hugging my parents and family again. I look forward to seeing all of you again. I hope and pray that each of us will always "hold up our own personal light" for everyone, everywhere to see, and to know that we are all doing our best by working toward being who our Father in Heaven wants us to be. 

Elder Mortensen 

Pictures/Video this week:

Video of our rainy walk

Baptism day

Me and Mom on our final Pday call

Hastings family and the Elders

Perfectly roasted marshmallows