I got a call a few days ago from one of my favorite members in Italy and I was talking to her about life and how things are going. After we hung up, I naturally became nostalgic and pulled out my mission journals and began to read and remember those experiences I had while wearing my black tag. I still have that tag on my shelf. It is pretty beat up and the metal clasp in the back is actually held together by thread. But I wore that same tag every single day of my mission. It was the only thing that was present for all of my experiences.
That little black tag means a lot to me. "Sorella Jones- Chiesa di Gesu' Cristo dei Santi degli Ultimi Giorni." It gave me more hope and more peace during tough times than anything else. It gave me more courage and faith during scary times than anything else. It brought me more joy than I thought possible. It taught me more than I could have imagined. And it represents 18 months that changed the course of my life. When I got home, I had a hard time taking that tag off.
I can't believe it's now been a year since I got home. I've had a lot of great things happen to me in this last year, but I have to say one of the greatest blessings from this last year was when I was hired as an Italian teacher at the MTC. The tag I wear every day isn't black... it's white. But it's still a tag. When I put it on, I am reminded that I still have a small influence over the missionary work in Italy. It means a lot to me. I was just thinking about that today as I looked at these pictures of the district of 14 missionaries that just left to go to Italy. They have black tags and I have a white one but when it all comes down to it, we are just a bunch of people with testimonies, a devotion to the gospel, and love for the people of Italy. Someday I'll take off the white tag, but that doesn't matter. I don't need a tag to continue to learn.
I tried to teach these missionaries not to take their time with a black tag for granted. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like for me to be able to go back to Italy with a black tag even just for one day. It's be amazing... but missions end for a reason. Someday I'll wear a black tag again, but that won't be for a long time and I'll be in a very different circumstance. Sometimes it is just good to remind myself of how lucky I was that I had the opportunity to experience a mission... and how lucky I am now that my life is still so enriched by my mission. I wouldn't trade it for the world. It is the single best decision I have made up to this point in my life and I am so grateful that I had the privilege. It changed me forever. I miss Italy. 
Just some thoughts.
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