T Minus 17 Days

17 days away from my mission and I'm starting to get restless.  I caught myself feeling really bored in church last week thinking, "What am I doing?"  I'm just super excited to go to Australia and don't want to wait.  I've been thinking a lot about my talk and some of the things I will include.  One thing for sure will be the "not optional" lesson I got in Deacons Quorum from Brother Schaffer.  I had always planned to go on a mission before then, but after that lesson it became a fact.  He told us to make certain things in life "not optional", including a mission, the word of wisdom, and temple marriage.  My greatest hope now is that I will be spiritually ready to serve the Lord and that I will learn how to be the most effective tool possible in his hands.  I am thankful to all my leaders, family, and friends who have supported me and made the the person I am today.  Without them I may not have chosen to serve a mission.  I am thankful for the testimony I have of eternal families and the blessing of having a family that was raised in the gospel.  My upbringing has been top notch.  I have learned the gospel, good work ethic, good family and life morals and values, and have come to love my current family as well as my future one.  I am no where near the level of gospel knowledge and dedication I would like to be, but I know that serving the Lord with all my might, mind, and strength will bring me a step closer to becoming the man I want to be.