Home

Home has been and always will be a word that has great signifigance for me. Before my mission home was always the place where my family lived . During my mission I felt that same peace that I associate with home in every one of my areas. After my mission I realized that, at least for me, home was where the Lord wanted me to be. When I got back from the mission I stayed in Aitkin for two months waiting for the fall semester to start. I love my family and it was great to see them, but I no longer felt at home in Aitkin. Why? It was not where I was supposed to be. When I got back to BYU at the beginning of fall semester I felt that powerful feeling of being home.

While I was in Arica this past weekend I got to spend a lot of time with my companion, Elder Bascur. He was my last companion and we worked really hard together and had a lot of success. It was great to remember the mission and the experiences and goals we had back then. As we talked I felt that feeling of being home, but this time I had no idea why. I knew that I wasn't supposed to move to Arica, so I wondered why I was feeling that same feeling.

Alfredo Bascur is one of those people who brings out the very best in me - the real me. When I am around people like Elder Bascur I catch a glimpse of the person I want to be all the time. In short, when I am around people like that I feel at home. I feel that same sense of peace, joy, and calm that lets me know that that is who I really am and that is where I belong. That is the real me. I want to work harder to be that best me every second of every day no matter who I am with or where I am.

While I was there, I was able to focus once more on who I am and where I am going.

Also, on the over-night bus ride to Santiago I was lucky enough to sit beside one of the few chilean guys who is 6'6" and 300 lbs. When he sat down I tried to count my blessings. "At least he doesn't snore" I thought as he dozed off. Nope, mere seconds later I realized he snored too. Conclusion: don't count your many blessings before they hatch.