Post # 1: What's the Point?

Current countdown: 22 days.
 This is my blog where all my emails and fun things about my 18 month mission will be posted! My awesome sister Annie will manage it all while I'm gone. I'm hoping to be able to answer some questions about Mormons and why so many youth go on mission for those not familiar with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I'll do that throughout my future posts- but for this one I just want to say why I'm leaving my family and education behind for 18 months to serve. I grew up in a very religious town and misconceptions were often taught among other religious faiths of what I believe.
This is what I actually believe:
I believe in God the Eternal Father, in his son Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost. God and Jesus Christ are two separate beings, but are one in purpose, which is "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39)

One of my favorite things about the LDS church is its' organization. We have the same organization that was set when Christ was on the earth. We are guided by a living prophet, Thomas S. Monson, who is the head of the church. There are also apostles, just like Peter, James and John in the Bible.

Because we have the keys of the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood what we do here on this earth is also bound in Heaven. Marriage is one of these things. A man and a woman are sealed for time and all eternity, rather than just for this life. Because of this, we have eternal families.  

 The Book of Mormon is another thing that makes the church unique. The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ, just like the Bible. It is a record of the ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains the fulness of the gospel. I have read it many times, and can testify that it is true.

 There are many other important principles regarding the church, but the most motivating reason why I want to serve a mission is happiness. The greatest gift I have ever received is the gift of the Atonement. Jesus Christ suffered for me, and all of God's children. The greatest gift I can give anyone is the message of the gospel, and that a person can find the greatest amount of happiness when centering their life on Jesus Christ. I know that I am a child of God, and that I have a great potential. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ and with all my heart I know that it is true.