Farewell, or as the kids say it: "Peace out"

I mean, how do I even start?

I'm basically writing my farewell as a "normal human being" because I get set apart as a missionary in three days. That's not a lot of days.

Millions of thoughts have been going through my mind lately. Excitement to serve God. Sorrow at leaving behind friendships. Nervousness to learn how to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Joy from the idea of experiencing life in my dream country, Italy. You get the idea.

The last time I wrote a blog post, I had to cover four whole months in one single post. This time I only have to cover two, and yet I feel like there's more to discuss than I could possibly get out.

Part of me wishes I had spent more time with Anna and Eve over the last year. But there's no room for regrets in life, only aspirations to be better. I hope it is at least clear that I love all of you dearly. I've learned a lot about myself over the past year and one of which is that I am very easily distracted by what's happening now, and I don't remember the keep track of what isn't going on right in front of my face. With busy classes, it was really easy to keep my eyes on the people around me, so I spent a lot of my time with people in my ward.

I've already expressed that my ward friends became really good friends of mine. But when I think more deeply about my relationships with everyone, I feel like I will be closer friends long-term with Eve, Lara and Anna than I ever will with them. I want these three girls to know how much I admire them, how much I appreciate their friendship, and how much I desire to be a continued part of their lives, even as our paths diverge.

As the main content writer for this blog, I have been the leading force behind the theme found throughout the website. If you, dear reader, take the time to follow the message I've directed, you might come to the conclusion that this blog embodies the romanticism of our friendship: that the four of us girls converged from diverse locations around North America and just so happened to all get along so well that we became very close friends. As the end of our freshman year arrived, I created this blog, originally thinking it a fun and cute way to document how each of our lives are diverging even though we started in the same place. But now, our lives are truly taking off in separate directions, and we have nothing holding us together except our pure willpower to keep in touch.

Which, sorry, sounds super depressing doesn't it? Sheesh. Let's shake off Debbie Downer and relieve this misery.

Hey look! My friends:

I'm really proud of all of us, where we've gotten, and who we've become. Should we do a lineup? EVE is the majority-way through her degree, has an internship in England, and is on her way to becoming the most cultured T-Swift fan in the world. LARA has been kicking butt in Rome, serving the wonderful people of Southern Italy full-time and taking beautiful pictures of the temple on the side. ANNA has always been a light to those around her, but seeing her find an innate sense of self-assuredness would make any mother proud, especially as it has prepared her to join the missionary forces in beautiful California. These friends of mine are amazing, beautiful, talented daughters of God and I am so fortunate to have crossed paths with them. My heart is full of joy when I reflect on the growth of these strong women. Also sorrow, knowing I won't see any of them in upward of eighteen months. It is a peaceful sorrow, however, because I know how happy I will be when we're all reunited. Seriously. We'd better hold a reunion once we're all back. I'm already planning it.

As for me, I'm proud of my own experienced growth. I haven't had many "breakthroughs" persay, but I have increasingly become more confident in who I am and not so reliant on the opinions of others. That is something I count the as one of the most significant when calculating my growth.

Another is my testimony. My assuredness in our Heavenly Father and His love for us. I am not ashamed of being a disciple of Christ, unlike my unfortunate attitude in previous years. Ido not shy away from the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the principles that used to feel like they held me back. Now, I wear my beliefs, my knowledges, on my sleeve. I am ready to shine my light to the world. I can only hope that my testimony can guide others who are lost, just as I once was, back towards the insurmountable and eternal love their Father in Heaven has for them.

On Sunday, May 28th, I gave my missionary farewell talk. My assigned topic was the Great Commandment, which in two parts is: (1) to love God with all your heart, soul and mind; and (2) to love your neighbour as yourself. Dear reader, please know that your Heavenly Father loves you. I know that as you show your love to Him, He will confirm His reality to you. As a result, you will have an undeniable witness that He exists and that He truly cares for you. A witness to me of our Father's love is the frameworks He put in place to ensure His children are cared for. It is a commandment to love one another so that we can be the instruments of distributing God's love to the world. I bear my testimony of these truths in the name of the Son of God, even Jesus Christ.

I want to leave this post with a happy ending. I am ready to embark in the service of my Heavenly Father. Every lesson He put in my life has prepared me for this calling. I believe I will accomplish that which He needs from me, as long as I continue in faith and endurance. I do not know all that is ahead of me, but I am prepared to adapt and face whatever falls on my path. My reliance on Him and my Saviour are what will carry me through these next eighteen months. I know that for a fact.

Thanks for sticking out this journey so far! Our blog is officially 1 year old, btw. That is an impressive benchmark and I'm proud of us all. Like I said earlier, I don't know what lies ahead of us, but I do know one thing: we'll be together through it all.

I love you all so much, even you, dear reader (if someone other than my girls happens to read this, that is). God be with you!

Yours in heart,

Sorella Edwards

P.S. Mission photos!! Can't wait to serve in Milan Italy :)