"The Rest of the Story"

While in the first area of my mission, with my trainer, I had a hard time with my timidness and lack of faith. I remember one day in particular that I really frustrated my dear trainer with it and I spent the whole day deep in thought while tracting on and off. I realized I couldn't stay like this and have an effective mission. I decided if I wanted to be a better person I needed to keep that ideal version of me in my mind. When I hit a tough situation, I would think of that person, and think of what that person would do and just do it, whether or not I wanted to. This way of thinking has helped me a lot during the years.

The next summer, still on my mission I was taking a moment to eat my lunch in our apartment and was reading a "Church News" article that was magnetized on the refrigerator door. It had been there since before I moved into the area so I figured there must be something worth reading on it. Among other things, there was one of those articles on the back page where they pick a topic and readers send in their experiences and insights on the subject. I noticed someone's response that basically restated the same philosophy that I had realized myself earlier in my mission. I remember thinking "Wow. someone who thinks like I do is out there." It gave me quite a bit of comfort. I payed no attention to who wrote it as it was noone I knew.

A year later, off my mission and attending BYU, I found this article again. This time the name of the contributor stood out at me. It was the name of the person's whose missionary scrapbook I was looking at. The name of the person who I was becoming quite fond of. "Elder Tim Stanley-Riverside Mission".

And I was right, he DOES think a lot like me.
.