Personal, Sarah's Story

December 7, 2016

Called to serve | My Love Story | Idaho Wedding Photographer | Sarah Tapp Photography

I am a Latter-Day Saint (aka. Mormon) and so is my husband Geoff. In the church, all young men who are age 18 and young women who are 19 are encouraged to serve 2 year missions for the church. They go to a different state or country and teach the people there about the Gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. So, when Geoff turned 19 (the age requirement was different then), he put in his mission papers and waited for a call.
He got his mission call in April 2012 and was called to serve in the Brazil Porto Alegre South Mission and was to leave on August 29, 2012. So, he decided to do another semester in school and then go on his mission. We continued dating and had a couple classes together that semester. Before he left on his mission, he told me not to wait for him and to keep dating other people, but I didn’t want to. haha.
He left on the 29th and I started school again in September. I decided to go to school year-round and I finished my bachelor’s degree in 3 years. I wanted to be busy while he was gone so I didn’t have time to miss him. But, that didn’t quite work. Sending him on a mission was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do. It’s like a long distance relationship times ten. Because I couldn’t be attached. I had to let him focus on his mission and I had to go on with my life, separate from him. I only heard from him once a week through letter or email. And it was HARD.
But I could see how it was changing his life. And how it was changing mine. It was amazing to see and hear about his faith and perseverance and his struggles. His mission wasn’t the most easy. He got sick a couple times while there and I’m sure as every missionary does, had hard companions. His family had some life-changing events while he was gone, but he never faltered. He knew that his Heavenly Father called him to serve in the right place at the right time, and he was not going to give up. And he didn’t.
And his faith strengthened me. Not being able to talk to or hear from your best friend was hard and there were days that I felt like he would NEVER be home. I remember after a couple weeks of feeling down and missing him, I wrote a song. (Yes, I used to write songs and play them on the guitar) And here’s how it went ~
Day by day
The tears start to flow as I watch you so faithfully so courageously
Doing things I could never do
Becoming things I never would have dreamed that you would become
Yet my strength falters without you near
You’re faith is my rock
Some days are hard some night are long
Sometimes my confidence is shot
But I know you’re where you’re supposed to be
You grow more each day
You rely on the one who knows your pain and He strengthens you day by day
And I know I’m where I’m supposed to be
I grow more each day
I rely on the one who knows my pain and He strengthens me day by day
Sometimes I feel I’m left in the dust with nowhere else to turn
No voice to guide me when I’m scared
No arm to calm my fear
But when I think of how I’ve grown I wouldn’t trade it in
Because I know He’s shaping me for when you will return
And I know you’re where you’re supposed to be
You grow more each day
You rely on the one who knows your pain and He strengthens you day by day
And I know I’m where I’m supposed to be
I grow more each day
I rely on the one who knows my pain and He strengthens me day by day
When you return we’ll be where we’re supposed to be
We’ll grow more each day
We’ll rely on the one who knows our pain and He’ll strengthen us day by day

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