78 "not my will, but thine, be done"

We read in Luke 22 about Jesus Christ atoning for our sins and suffering all pains, agonies, and heartbreaks for all of humanity in the Garden of Gethsemane. While he is suffering, he says to the Father (or God), "Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." 

Or in other words, Jesus was asking the Father to "remove [the] cup" from him so He could stop feeling the agonizing pain. But, He was willing to endure if it meant He was doing what God needed Him to do.

Now I will never feel the pain or agony or heartbreak or any of the things that Christ felt in that Garden, but right now....I feel  what can maybe be considered a fraction of what He felt.

As of last night, the church is sending home all foreign missionaries who are serving in Mexico due to Corona Virus concerns. So that means I'll be headed back to Virginia and be put in quarantine for a period of 14 days. There's a possibility that I could be reassigned to finish my 2 year service. But it's likely I get released honorably after my 18 month service.

When I found out, I couldn't control my emotions. For those of you who know me, I'm an emotional guy. But this took me over the edge. I don't think I've ever cried like I did when the news became a reality with the assistants of our mission making our travel plans. I can't describe the blessings and experiences I've had in my time in Sonora, Mexico. I've given my blood, sweat, tears, heart, might, mind, strength, and soul to Mexico. I can't believe my time here has come to an abrupt stop.

However, I know that the Lord has me (as He has all of you as well) in good care in His plan. Elder David A Bednar once said in a talk in 2013 about accepting the Lord's will.

"We recognized a principle that applies to every devoted disciple: strong faith in the Savior is submissively accepting of His will and timing in our lives—even if the outcome is not what we hoped for or wanted."

It's certainly hard to accept the will of God. Life will always be filled with ups and downs, changes and windy roads. But if I could leave y'all with one thought...it's this. 

"[Life]...ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward." -Rocky Balboa 

I'll still be a missionary...regardless if I have my tag or not. If this is my last testimony (as an official missionary), I want to share that God lives. He is our Father and He loves us. I've had too many experiences that have helped me come to know that His plan is the best plan. I know Jesus Christ is our Savior. I know that through His teachings, sacrifice, and grace, we can have eternal life as families in the presence of God.

Les amo mucho. No tengo palabras para describir mi gratitud para cada uno de ustedes. Gracias por cada oración, correo,  apoyo, y amor que me han mostrado durante mi tiempo aquí en la misión México Hermosillo. Siempre les recordaré por todo que me han dado. ¡Que Dios os bendiga y nos vemos!

Elder Tyler Gregory