Week 73 - 6/16/2014 THE END!

Hello! So, this week has been the craziest week of my mission!!!!! And I know what you're thinking... Sister pike, you've had the craziest mission in the history of the world, how on earth could it possibly get more crazy than that? Just wait and see. Brace yourselves. I'm telling you, this is big!!! Here goes nothing... Right now, I'm in Tacloban, bags packed because... I'M COMING HOME!!!! This is not a joke. I'm coming home a transfer early. And guess what? I'm happy! I'm excited! I'm completely and totally at peace. And you're probably like, what!? Sister Pike LOVED her mission. Loves the Philippines and had a hard time wrapping my brain around going home in just 7 weeks and it was changed to just one in a second. But it's true! And that's the miracle. Here's what happened. 

I've been taking the medicine and it wasn't really working so Sister Andaya was just following up and I didn't worry at all because they were coming for Zone Interviews on Wednesday. So they came! It was good! It was there last event that we would see them at so it was kinda sad. I talked to sister Andaya for a good long while. About my diet, about setting my next doctor appointment, she wanted me to finish out my medicine and then go. And then I go in for my last interview with President! (or so I thought). Hello, How's your area sister? We talk... "I'm sick still so we haven't gotten to work too much." And then the bomb hits... "We're really worried about you sister, maybe you should just go home and rest and get all better." my thoughts-nooo!!! I would die! "When do you go home sister?" "Next transfer po. July" "Oh! So you can just go home one transfer early! You can be our batch! Maybe you can just go home and rest and get all better than you can be a missionary there in home without the nametag. You have served a successful mission, sister. You have served with all your heart and strength." And I was speechless. And crying. It felt a little bit as if I had tripped at the finish line. Sooo close! but not quite. And like a very wise mission president, He counseled that I should pray about it and that was that. So I wiped my tears and walked out, met up with Sister Brown, "How was the interview?" "Hard" and I just broke down right there in the hallway and cried while Sister Brown held me. She's so good to me. I was super embarrassed, I hate crying! We still had to finish and I had to act like a normal person like everything was okay. But every time it came up, I couldn't help but cry! It was pretty terrible. After that we went home and just talked. I talked about how I just had this vision of going home. Meeting up with my batch. Excited to come home but now I was so afraid that I wouldn't want to go home! That I would just be miserable! That right when I saw my family I would just cry cause I didn't get to finish my mission and I didn't want to be there. She listened, we talked and then I went to the roof to be alone and just prayed my heart out and cried a lot. And wrote everything down in my journal. I can only think of one other time I have ever cried and prayed so hard in my life and that was in Manila when I thought I was going home 11 months ago. It was like de ja vu. But I knew since the second President talked to me that this was going to be different. But here's the crazy part. When I walked down from the roof top an hour and a half later, I was happy. I was content. I was looking forward to going home. My will was changed. My whole heart and every desire.  That's how you learn just how powerful prayer is. Sometimes the miracle is manifest in healing of sicknesses, or of changing our circumstances and sometimes the huge miracle is the mighty change within ourselves. I received a blessing that night and through the words of Elder Hughes, I felt so much love from my Heavenly Father. 

"Over the next few days, you will know what you need to do and with that knowledge will come peace. And that you know your Heavenly Father loves you is always watching over you and has a plan for you. He will give you the strength to fulfill His plan for you. He will give you the strength to fulfill the mission HE has called you to. Have the faith to see the miracles that are all around you. Through your example, everyone around you will be able to see the care of our loving Heavenly Father."

And that's when I knew that this was his plan all along. He called to me this mission, and he is releasing me from it. He never intended me to serve until July. I was done. And over the next few days, I was still sick but I was able to finish off strong. And I was also able to see the miracles that have been preparing me for this. All the goals I set. All the things I bought. I had left nothing undone. I was ready in just a matter of days. Sunday was like the funniest thing ever. Seriously the most bizarre and enjoyable Sunday ever and basically the Sister Pike show. I was a speaker, taught gospel principles, prayed every other time, bore my testimony in MCM, members fed us, we took pictures and I even taught a lesson! It was literally like the best last day ever. And I didn't even cry! I'm just happy and totally at peace. And excited! I'll be seeing you soon! And I'll be seeing a doctor soon! Which is probably what I'm most excited about haha and I'll be resting and getting better. It's such a blessing. I'm batch with the Andaya's. I'm going home like normal (on the cycle, not just me by myself) and it's ONLY 6 weeks early. That's a HUGE miracle! That's like nothing. I feel so blessed with all of my mission experiences. 

Don't have a panic attack about when because we have no idea yet... I'm going to Manila for a while because they haven't processed any of my travel plans so it might be another week or so... but I get to go back to my favorite place, the MRC! And also, I figured, my mission has always been crazy and unpredictable so why should I expect the way it ended to be any different. haha And lot's more crazy experiences happened which I'm excited to tell you in person! That's crazy. Happy Father's Day Dad! And Sister Brown said, the more I think of if, the more your mom is just going to die of happiness. She gets what she always wanted. I love you all! Thanks for the support and the love, you have helped me so much. Next time I email, I will have left the Philippines Tacloban Mission forever. Whoa.  

Love,

Sister Pike