Going back out on a mission

I've come home early from a mission twice :D The first time was because I was stupid in college. Around the time I was supposed to head back i decided I didn't want to go back. And then suddenly everything started pushing me. Every missionary that served in my ward had gone home early and came back. My physical therapist had come home early and went back out. An old missionary friend who had gone home early and came back started messaging me on facebook. I started praying to know what to do and I never got an explicit yes. I got a list of benefits from returning that I could receive. Lines from my patriarchal blessing stood out more. My stake president straight up told me every able bodied man should serve a full mission. So yeah, I went back haha.

The biggest thing for me though was that once I knew I had to return, I went and found my own reason for going. I really didn't want to go back, even though I knew I had to. It wasn't until I found my own reason that I started wanting to go back.

I ended up getting sent home again for bipolar disorder, but it was an honorable release. And I knew about a month or two before it happened that it was going to happen. But if I would never have returned I would have missed out on sooo much.

But yeah, the answer is probably you need to return, but find your motivation for going. I read Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card and my motivation was that I wanted to become Ender haha. At least I wanted to emulate his Christlike attributes. Not your typical had a revelatory experience while reading the Book of Mormon, but it was what I needed. Good luck figuring it out though!

/r/latterdaysaints Thread