YOUR MISSION CALL

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Sonny Bonani, friends, welcome to the

Creative Spiritual Journey podcast where

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GUI and I share with you the joys and

the wonders we are discovering along

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this journey called life, I am Judy.

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I'll be your host for today's episode

number 84, and today is also day 640

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of our mission here in South Africa.

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I have been numbering the days

nd,: 2024

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October 2nd, Which means today

is our 21st month anniversary.

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The end is almost here, not

the coming of Christ silly.

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Only two more months to

go before we return home.

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Ah, it's impossible to put into

words what my heart is feeling.

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This has been an amazing.

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Experience?

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It has been a marvelous work and wonder.

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I found a poem that best describes What

Eric and I are experiencing right now,

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this is by a man named Jack Brinkerhoff.

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It's called Highs and Lows.

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A mission is a strange experience.

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It's a trial and a test.

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A mission throws you at the

worst, yet teaches you the best.

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They told me this would be the best

period of my life, but I guess they

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didn't explain it all too clear.

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It came out looking for a bed of roses.

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I just wasn't expecting all the thorns

I've found here since I've been out.

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I've never been so happy.

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I've never been so depressed.

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I've never felt so forsaken.

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I've never felt so blessed.

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I've never been so confused.

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My mind has never been so clear.

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I've never felt my

heavenly father so distant.

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I've never felt him so near.

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I've never been so discouraged.

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I've never been so full of hope.

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I feel like I can go forever.

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I think I've come to the end of my rope.

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I've never had to say it's easy.

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I've never had to say it's tough.

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Things have never gone so smoothly.

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Things have never been so rough.

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I've never traveled through more valleys.

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I've never ascended so many peaks.

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I've never met so many neat people.

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I've never met so many freaks.

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I've never had so many ups, and

I've never had so many downs.

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I've never worn so many smiles.

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I've never worn so many frowns.

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I've never been so lonely.

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I've never had so many friends.

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Man, I hope this is all over soon.

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Gosh.

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I hope it never ends.

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That just says it all, doesn't it?

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I imagine in our premortal life was much

like being called on a mission Here.

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We received mission calls for this life.

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Do you think so?

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Where we're going to be born?

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Where we're gonna receive our

bodies, our families, our people,

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and you know what the scriptures

tell us that we shouted for joy.

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Yep, you better believe it.

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We've rejoiced to be able to come

to this life and experience it all,

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the good and the bad, the sorrow

and the pain, the ups and the downs,

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and just like leaving on a mission.

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I'm sure we were filled with

every emotion available.

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I remember telling my friend, Julie Ekman,

ah, I was so afraid to come on a mission.

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So much fears.

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I didn't, know how to be a missionary.

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Never done this before.

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And I love my life and I didn't

know where I was going, what

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to expect in South Africa.

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And what she said to me has

pulled me through some hard spots.

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She said, Judy, everything you

need is in your heart and head.

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Isn't that beautiful?

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Our mission packet packing list didn't

mention that in Preach my gospel.

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Now preach my gospel is a lesson

manual that the missionary study.

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It is beautiful and you don't have to

be called on a mission to study it.

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I recommend it highly.

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Go find a preach my gospel and read it.

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So full of good information.

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in the chapter three, lesson two, we

read in God's Plan, each of us makes a

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journey through premortal life, birth and

mortal life, death and life after death.

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God has provided what we

need during this journey.

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I'm gonna read that again.

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God has provided what we need during

this journey so that after we die,

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we can eventually return to his

presence and receive a fullness of joy.

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Now during the surf life, we do not

remember our premortal life, nor

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do we understand life after death.

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However, God has revealed many truths

about these parts of our eternal journey.

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These truths provide sufficient knowledge

for us to understand the purpose of

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life, to experience joy, joy today, and

to have the hope of good things to come.

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Do you hope for good things to come?

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This knowledge?

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Understanding these truths is

a sacred treasure to guide us

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while we are here on earth.

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Do you love treasures?

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I love treasures, and I love journeys.

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Isn't that amazing that we were

provided with everything we

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would need for this journey?

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We came into this world naked.

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There was no backpack, no packing

list, only what was in our hearts.

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And our heads, just like

my friend Julie said.

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Now, have you been backpacking?

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When you go backpacking, you have to

think about all the things you may need.

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Now you gotta also take in consideration.

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The weight because you're gonna have

to carry this baby on your back.

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So you gotta think about the weather,

what clothes you'll need, the distance,

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how many days you'll be out, the meals

that you need to eat, and the water.

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And like I said, everything

weighs, so you've gotta weigh

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it in the balance, so to speak.

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Okay.

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I'm off track.

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I'm chasing squirrels.

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Let me get back on track here.

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With the passing of our prophet Russell M.

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Nelson, have you noticed there's

been some wonderful memories shared

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online and He was such a wise man and.

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So inspiring.

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one of my favorites is when he asks,

what would you do if you had more faith?

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Write it down and go do it.

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So here we are serving a mission

on the other side of the planet

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in a small place called Madada

Qua Zula Natal, South Africa.

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But the quote I wanna share with

you is one that we share with

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our brothers and sisters here.

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Pre Mortally, you and I were

each given a wonderful mission to

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fulfill while we here on earth.

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You were taught in the spirit world

to prepare you for anything and

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everything you would encounter during

these latter part of these latter days,

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and that teaching endures within you.

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It's my favorite part that

teaching endures with.

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In you.

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Isn't that beautiful?

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you may be asking like I

did How do I get it out?

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How do I remember?

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That would be very helpful at times.

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Especially the really ugly,

horrible, terrible, no good times.

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My experience with this is one day, this

was years ago and Eric and I were going

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through, oh, we were going through hell.

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That's easy way to put it.

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And I was cleaning the house at the

moment and I just, my head spinning.

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Over and over again.

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What to do.

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What to do, what to do, and

I fell to my knees and prayer

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and just cried out, help us.

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And these words came to my mind.

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An audible voice into my mind said, you

were taught at your heavenly mother's

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knee how to be a mother to this child.

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feelings of gratitude flooded my heart.

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I have been taught how to do this.

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Here it, what did the prophet say?

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It endures within me.

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So the question, how can I remember

these teachings or get into

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this backpack of provisions that

we've been given in this life?

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I asked this recently to a group

of 200 young women and they hi.

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It right on the head.

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They talked about the gift of the

Holy Ghost, how he can call to our

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remembrance and about the importance of

this daily routine of praying to know

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what to do and to receive enlightenment.

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It's researching and really studying the

scriptures, not nibbling, but feasting.

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Don't go hungry spiritually.

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Find answers.

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There's power and answers in

making and keeping covenants

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and keeping the commandments.

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The prophet ne, I wrote about this

in the Book of Mormon when his

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family left Jerusalem and they were

a journeying through the wilderness.

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Now, this was an eight

year mega backpacking trip.

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That kind of a journey in first Nephi.

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17 three he writes, and thus we see that

the commandments of God must be fulfilled.

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And if it so be that the children

of man keep the commandments.

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A God, he does nourish them and strengthen

them and provide them means he does

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nourish them and strengthen them.

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And provide them means whereby they

can accomplish the things which

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he has commanded them where for,

he did provide means for us while

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we did sojourn in the wilderness.

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I don't think that's only just for

Nephi's journey, but for us here on this

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earthly journey, I want to to testify.

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I have a simple truth because I've

experienced it here as I've entered

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into tiny Tin Shack homes where

they're so hungry, they have so

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little into the presence of giant.

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Faithful souls whose journey

looks so different from mine yet

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the plan of promise are the same.

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we lived with God before

we were born on earth.

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All of us did.

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He knows and loves each one of us.

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God has provided a plan for

our happiness and progress in

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this life and into eternity.

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All of us in our premortal life,

we chose to follow God's plan.

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All of us.

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This meant coming to earth so

we could take the next step

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in our eternal progression.

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And Jesus Christ is central.

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To God's plan for all of us.

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He makes it possible for all of us

to have immortality and eternal life.

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We all are on the same journey,

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just different parts of the path and

just different parts of the world.

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I know sometimes it doesn't seem

fair that one soul is sent to.

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Paradise, tropical Island into

wealth while another sent into the

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desert, wastelands into poverty.

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But I can promise you not one

is loved more than the other

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In God's heart and neither

one is more special.

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In heaven's, eyes all are alike

to God, our savior, Jesus Christ.

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Great infinite atonement

is for every single soul.

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I also know that as we rely on

Jesus Christ and this beautiful

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atonement, his gift, he can help us

endure trials and sickness and pain,

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and we can be filled with joy now.

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And hope for good things to come

and peace, and he will comfort us.

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And this is the most important thing

I want you to get out of this all

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that is unfair about life can be

made right through this atonement,

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this grace and love of Jesus Christ.

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I invite you, Franz, to spend some

time pondering on this mission

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call you've received and like all

mission calls that are received

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from the church, they begin with.

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You are hereby called to labor and serve.

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Start there.

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Ask your heavenly father where

you can labor today in his

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kingdom and who you can serve.

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Who needs a hand up?

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Who needs a big hug and a smile,

and just some encouragement.

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Look around.

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There's mission

opportunities all around you.

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And no one was meant to journey alone.

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GUI and I thank you for spending

your precious time with us.

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I bet you know someone who

needs a reminder that they too

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are on a wonderful mission.

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Please share this podcast with them.

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and give us a five star review,

have you figured that out yet?

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We only grow together I want to leave

you with these parting words from Dr.

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Seuss.

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You're off to great

places, today is your day.

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Your mountain is waiting, so get

on your way just like your mission

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call and I'll see you on the trail.