I have finally finished (after 9 years) my quilt top. This has been a visual aid that we show departing missionaries when we talk about the importance of having a vision or goal before we start so we know what we will end up with. This quilt is entirely hand stitched and has over 2000 pieces in it. I had to choose the pattern (called Grandmother's Flower Garden) before I started and while no single piece is particularly distinguished, the thousands and thousands of individual stitches are like the little decisions that we make every day. We want them to add up to something beautiful. As Russell M. Nelson said "Begin with the end in mind." We ask the missionaries to have a vision of who they will be at the end of their lives and to set long term goals that will help them achieve that vision.
