Elder Bryson May will be returning home to serve a service mission. Deciding to do so was probably the hardest decision that he has ever had to make. Because of his health concerns, serving a physical mission was just not an option but he has touched so many lives. As his mom, I am full of love and gratitude for this son of mine and it has been heart wrenching to watch him churn over this decision. That being said, I received 2 emails from two folks from his district that I want to share. His weekly email will follow... Love him and so proud of him!
Dear Elder Mays mother - i would like you to know i love your son Bryson May he has been such an amazing blessing in my life and he has become an amazing person with the short time that i have known him. His testimony is so strong and has changed the lives that he has met while being here in the MTC, i am truly going to miss him. i know that his choice to do a service mission is the right one because he has served so many people already, he has helped my testimony grow and has kept me sane here in the MTC. Bryson has become one of my best friends and i just want you to know you have raised an outstanding missionary who is kind and loving to all he meets i wish i could be more like him in every way, he was meant to by my companion here and teach me more about the Book of Mormon then i ever could have known. he will bless many lives in his life. thank you so much for the gift you sent it was the best. sincerely, Elder McNaughtan
Dear Elder Bryson May's Mom! Thank you so much for the care package! That is so sweet of you! But thank you most of all for the incredible young man that I had the honor of getting to know here in the MTC. His mission really was to come here to the MTC, and prepare his District for their missions. Without him, my testimony wouldn't be nearly this big! Thank you for raising such an incredible young man. He is going to do amazing things. Tell him we love him with all of our hearts and cant wait to hear about all of the things he does! With love, Sister Eisert <3
So I spoke with
another doctor last week and I have been honorably excused from my mission to
Knoxville, Tennessee. It was sad to hear at first but then I read a quote by
Jeffrey R Holland that says:
"We also recognize that there are some who have hoped all their lives to serve missions, but for health reasons or other impediments beyond their control, they cannot do so. We publicly and proudly salute this group. We know of your desires, and we applaud your devotion. You have our love and our admiration. You are "on the team" and you always will be, even as you are honorably excused from full-time service." (Elder Holland, We Are All Enlisted, October 2011)
Even though, I can't serve a physical mission, I still have a very strong desire to serve a mission. I have chosen to work with my stake president to see what kind of a service mission that I can serve. I read an LDS article that said that a proselyting mission isn't greater than a service mission, they're actually equal. No matter what, I want to fulfill my purpose and "Invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through Faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. I am going to help someone somehow come unto Christ. I am ready to serve and I know that no matter what happens that my family and friends love me and support me and I want to say thank you for that. I know that most of all that Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father are proud of me and love me no matter what. I know that God has a plan for me and that I was called to serve in the MTC to be a part of my district and I love my district so much! They are the greatest people that i could ask for in my district and they have all told me that i was called to serve them here in the MTC and help prepare them to be better missionaries. I have watched a Face to Face by Jeffrey R Holland too that says that the length of your service doesn't matter, as long as I gave my all to The Lord. There is nowhere in the scriptures that say that a missionary has to serve the full two years to be able to be an RM or a returned missionary. I served a full time mission in the MTC and now I am going to serve a service mission back home.
"We also recognize that there are some who have hoped all their lives to serve missions, but for health reasons or other impediments beyond their control, they cannot do so. We publicly and proudly salute this group. We know of your desires, and we applaud your devotion. You have our love and our admiration. You are "on the team" and you always will be, even as you are honorably excused from full-time service." (Elder Holland, We Are All Enlisted, October 2011)
Even though, I can't serve a physical mission, I still have a very strong desire to serve a mission. I have chosen to work with my stake president to see what kind of a service mission that I can serve. I read an LDS article that said that a proselyting mission isn't greater than a service mission, they're actually equal. No matter what, I want to fulfill my purpose and "Invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through Faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. I am going to help someone somehow come unto Christ. I am ready to serve and I know that no matter what happens that my family and friends love me and support me and I want to say thank you for that. I know that most of all that Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father are proud of me and love me no matter what. I know that God has a plan for me and that I was called to serve in the MTC to be a part of my district and I love my district so much! They are the greatest people that i could ask for in my district and they have all told me that i was called to serve them here in the MTC and help prepare them to be better missionaries. I have watched a Face to Face by Jeffrey R Holland too that says that the length of your service doesn't matter, as long as I gave my all to The Lord. There is nowhere in the scriptures that say that a missionary has to serve the full two years to be able to be an RM or a returned missionary. I served a full time mission in the MTC and now I am going to serve a service mission back home.
I love my family and my friends for helping
me get to the MTC and I love my district so much. Sister Bird,
Sister Eisert, Elder Kesler, Elder
McNaughtan, Sister Fowles, Sister Johnson, Sister Bracken and Sister Merriman.
We were so strong in our friendships that we were one of the
very few districts that is so incredibly rare on how well we
got along. I was able to host with my district that is EXTREMELY RARE to do
with a 3 week district. I have been able to grow so much
and my testimony has been greatly strengthened. I can't wait to serve my service
mission and I know that this is the plan that God has for me. I love you all
and I will email again next week!
Love Elder May!
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