Saludos!
Well, this is my last letter home. I can't believe all of the things that have happened to me in the past year and a half. I've been waiting for this my whole life and now it's coming to an end. It has been so different from what I've always thought and expected, but that's why we have the phrase "He knows better than I."  I have seen and experienced so many things I didn't know I needed to learn. I am so grateful that the Lord sent me to this country, because it has changed me. To me, it is holy ground, where the heavens met the earth, where my eyes were opened.  Where I learned to love and to forgive myself, where my heart filled with gratitude, where the gospel became not only a lifestyle but who I am. I believe I would have had a happy life had I chosen not to serve a mission, but the decision I made to serve a mission has opened my eyes to who I really am, who I can become, and the things that really matter in this life. I love the Gospel.  I love God's plan for me. I love the life He has given me and the opportunities I have to develop my talents. I love the scriptures and the peace I find as I search them. I am so grateful for the sacrifices that Joseph Smith and the pioneers made in order for us to have the restored gospel.  I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior. I know that He leads this church through living prophets, and that this is the true church. I invite all who are not members of this church to read and study the Book of Mormon, and to pray and ask God, with real intent, if it is true. It's worth the sacrifice. It's the most important decision you could make in your life. He will respond.
I can't believe it's time for me to go home. It feels like just yesterday I opened my mission call, thrilled to be called to serve in the Dominican Republic, some island in the Caribbean Sea, where my only worry was how I was going to handle the heat. And now I am here, freezing in the air-conditioned Relief Society room, wondering "how on earth am I going to survive" in freezing, cold Montana? I'll be sure to bundle up like an Eskimo. So pull out my winter jacket and get the Christmas music ready, I'm coming home!