Elder L's Testimony

(I asked Elder Lufkin to share with me ‘How his mission has blessed his life’ for a talk I was giving in Sacrament Meeting.- Sherry)

Wow, that’s a big question. I feel like I'm a totally different person than before. I've basically been serving other people; studying, sharing, and trying to live the gospel for the past year. You can't really do that and not change for the better unless the gospel is false.
One of the best blessings that I've gained is being worthy to feel the spirit and be guided by him. Also, receiving answers to prayers through the spirit. A member of the 70 in the MTC spoke about the spirit and said that feeling the Holy Ghost is a taste of what eternal life feels like. I can really tell a big difference when the spirit is present or not present.
My testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Plan of Salvation and the Restoration has gotten a lot stronger too. Before, I just believed it because you and most of the people I know believe it. But after studying about that stuff and living it and feeling it’s true through the Holy Ghost, I have a testimony of my own about it. And after you have a testimony, you can resist temptations and do the things that you're supposed to even if it’s hard.
It has also made me appreciate you a lot more. You did a really good job raising our family and I appreciate you more now than I did before.
A mission really just prepares you for the rest of your life. You gain a lot of knowledge and experience that will help you throughout your life.
Things in this area are going good. We already have some pretty good investigators and we’re finding some new ones too. There aren't nearly as many people in this area as my last one, but that’s alright. It's good to get variety and learn how to do the work in different places. Elder Tenney is pretty funny. We're going to try and get our English class built up a lot this week by calling all the old members. We only had one person come last week. Anyway, have a good week and I hope your talk goes good on Sunday. I love you,
Elder Lufkin