Homesickness

Sister Carr has been in the MTC now for over a week. We received our first letter/email from her last Saturday and she said homesickness had set in, but that she was dealing with it.
 On Sunday night we received a call from her and her District President letting us know that she was really struggling. We had a few minutes to talk to her and she explained that she didn't think it was going to be as hard as it was to be away from home and all her friends and family. She has been trying to focus on the work that she is doing, but her thoughts kept coming back to home and it was making it very hard to stay focused on what she was learning. 
After talking with AJ, we spoke with her District President for a few minutes as well and he counseled her to be patient and give herself some more time to adjust to the changes and he would meet with her regularly to check on her progress. She agreed to be patient and give herself more time to adjust. 
We received an email the next day, Monday, and she said that after a good nights rest she was feeling better and was going to work harder at getting through her homesickness. She will continue to meet with her leaders there in the MTC on a regular basis and exercise her faith in the Lord. She said that even though she is having a difficult time right now she knows that serving a mission is the right thing for her to be doing.

I, myself have never served a mission. I can only imagine how challenging it must be. These young men and women, at a time when most young adults are focused on themselves, sacrifice 18 months to 2 years of their lives to selflessly serve others. They receive no financial benefits for their service, but the blessings and the experiences they receive are priceless. 
Many are sent to different parts of the world where they immerse themselves in the language and the culture of the people they are serving and they form relationships that will last a lifetime. 
My prayers and love go out to these missionaries as they tirelessly seek to do the Lord's work and serve His children.