12/15/14 - Coming Home!

This was the last email that I wrote home from Peru. My best friend, who was in charge of my blog, in the midst of planning her wedding (two weeks from said date), finals week and white glove clean checks, and a million other things, forgot to post it. I forgive her, haha. 

Hey everyone!

This week has been amazing. Hard, busy, but super awesome. I had a lot of time taken away from me this week between dentists appointments for my companion, a training of how to not go inactive and how to be self sufficient after the mission, and other emergencies with the sisters in the other zones that we had to take care of, but I just tried preaching the gospel every chance that I had. 

It still hasn´t quite hit me yet that I´m leaving. It hit me a little bit when me and my companion woke up this morning, and kneeling, had our last companionship prayer. It´s definitely hard having something so incredible come to an end. 

A year ago, when I had only been here for 6 months, I was feeling pretty homesick, and I remember praying and asking God to help me realize how fast my time was going to go by. That night I had a dream that I was in the airport with my mission president, and He said, ¨Well, Sis. Hulse, thanks for your service. It´s time to go home.¨ And I started crying and saying, ¨No, president Erickson, you´re wrong. I still have a year left of my mission!¨And he said, ¨No, a year has gone by already. You need to go home now.¨ 

And I felt and knew in that very moment that that is how fast my mission would go by . . . like a dream. And it´s so true. I feel like I´m going to be waking up in my house in 2 days, and It´s going to be like waking up from a very long, hard, wonderful dream. 

This has been the best time of my life. It certainly has not been easy, but it has been so wonderful and I wouldn´t trade anything in the world for this experience, and I would give almost anything to keep serving.

I know that the mission doesn´t end when we get home. Even though I won´t be wearing a mission tag doesn´t mean I´m not going to be a missionary. I will be serving the Lord every day for the rest of my life. If there´s one thing I hope to do, it´s to wear away my life in the service of the Lord. 

Well, I was excited to come home a little skinnier, but the Peruvian people love me too much, and they´ve fattened me up again these past couple months, haha. But it´s ok, it´s love fat, haha. I guess that´s one of the greatest things I´ve learned on the mission. It´s all about the change that takes place INSIDE, and what we DO with that change. How we´re going to put to use the talents and skills the Lord has blessed us with or helped us cultivate. 

I love you all so much and I hope that I can see you all and talk to you soon.

Hermana Hulse