August 19, 2014

Tuesday, August 19, 2014


Hey Everyone!

I pray you all had an amazing week, because my companion and I did. I feel like sharing a quick story about why I decided to serve a mission. 

I'll be honest, when I was younger I told people that I wanted to serve a mission, but really, I had little desire to - leave my home for two years.. Leave my friends. Not watch TV. Wake up at 6:00 everyday. Follow rules. 

But I was at an Especially For Youth camp one year and had an interesting experience. If you don’t know what EFY is - it’s like a giant week long youth conference - with games, and dances, and inspirational youth speakers and all sorts of spiritual classes and things. If you are still a youth, and you have the opportunity to go to and EFY - do it! You won’t regret it. 

I was at this EFY, and I was pondering about whether or not the friends I had made there - if we were friends in the spirit world before we were born, or not. While I was caught away in this distracting daydream, we were sitting in a testimony meeting, where many of the kids were getting up and sharing there testimonies of Jesus Christ, and how their faith was strengthened during their EFY experience. While I was listening to some of these kids, the spirit of the lord came over me so strongly and powerfully, I couldn't deny that it was the spirit of god. The feeling that was put into my heart, and the thoughts that were injected into my mind were - "Joey. You need to serve a mission, because there are friends you had in the spirit world that don't have the gospel, and you need to find them."

I was sitting at church the other day, and I was looking at the congregation. And I was looking at the people that my companion and I are helping experience the gospel - and I thought to myself - wow. These people are my friends. 

I’m so dumb for not wanting to go on a mission. The joy that I’ve received from the gospel is ten thousand times greater than anything that the world could ever give me

I love you all!!

Elder Allison

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Write to Joey:

Elder Joseph Patrick Allison
4945 Lincoln Way
Oakland, CA 94602

The Oakland Temple

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