56 days

In 56 days I will report to the Missionary Training Center and become a full-time missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I will be set apart as a servant of the Lord, Jesus Christ, and will dedicate every moment of the next 18 months to serving him and those children of Heavenly Father who He has specifically called me to serve.
I've learned so many wonderful lessons and truths in preparation for my mission. Among these lessons have been several concerning the importance of the gift of the Holy Ghost, also known as the Spirit of God.
Having the Spirit of God in our hearts and flowing through our bodies is the most wonderful feeling. Doing whatever is required to be worthy of having that Spirit with us is worth it.
The Spirit opens our eyes, clears our minds, enlightens our understanding, purifies and enlarges our perspective, enlivens our bodies, softens our hearts, refines us, and fills our souls with peace. In days like now, while the world confuses, muddles, and discourages us, God strengthens us, encourages us, enlightens us, and brings clarity to our lives through this special messenger and comforter He has promised to us- the Holy Ghost.
Thinking about my mission, preparing to go to Brazil and share the gospel of Jesus Christ, imagining the people I will meet there, and knowing that some of them will accept the message of Jesus Christ I have been called to share, all make me ecstatic. Not only does the gospel fill my life with peace and comfort, but it makes life exciting, fun, and so, so good.

Stars along the way

 

I feel so blessed to have so many incredible and inspiring people in my life. There are friends who make us laugh until we cry, friends that inspire us to become a little better in certain areas of our lives, friends who are always there at just the right times when we need someone, friends who give the greatest hugs, friends whose smiles can instantly lift anyone's spirits, friends who bring us closer to Christ, and friends who help us to see ourselves in a more true and positive way. I have friends of all these sorts in my life and I couldn't be more blessed!

 

I have friends who are from all corners of the earth, and who are going to all corners of the earth, and even while we are all apart, I feel there is a string that connects us all to the ones we love. I have friends who are serving missions (or soon will be serving missions) in Mexico, Korea, New Jersey, Germany, Norway, Texas, Finland, Brazil, the Philippines, California, and many, many more places. Even though we often don't see each other for long periods of time and aren't able to communicate often, I gain so much strength in knowing all of these friends are doing/will be doing the same thing that I will be in Belem, Brazil. And I find strength everyday in knowing that I have family and friends who I love and who love me spread out throughout the U.S., Hawaii, and the world. So when we feel alone, remember that just because we don't see them, it doesn't mean they aren't there.

 

True friends are bright like stars. They are little lights along our path that point us to and remind us of our truest friend and brother, Jesus Christ. They help us to become our best and strengthen the light inside of us so we can shine a little brighter.

As for friends who give the greatest hugs...

these guys could still use some practice. =)

 

I am blessed!

Changing Us

I had this thought the other day while finishing my run... Praying is like running! The more and more you do it, the better it gets- but, the thing you are doing- the situation you are in- really often doesn't change at all! What does happen is a change in us! I think prayer is one of the mightiest tools we have been given to change ourselves! Christ is the refiner, and the Spirit of God is the fire. What better way to submit ourselves to the refining power of Christ and the Spirit than by kneeling and pouring out our hearts to our Father in prayer. Sometimes the best way for our prayers to be answered isn't for our situation to be changed, but for our hearts to be changed.

The Atonement is the most incredible gift!

I am guilty.
While once blind to my faults, they are suddenly made so clear.
I judge. Wrongly.
I label. Unjustly.
I have not loved as the Savior loves.
I have sinned.
But-
All is not lost.
There is a way provided-
that all those who are stained may be cleansed by He who never faltered,
He who was spotless,
but took our stains upon himself;
so that those stains might be removed.
That we might be clean.
And I will not take that sacrifice for granted.
To thank Him I offer my heart,
that it might be broken.
I offer my actions and promise that I will correct them.
I offer my spirit,
that it might be made contrite.
I offer my soul,
with faith that it will be made pure.
And then I act.
I change.
I love.
I pray.
I repent.
I confess.
I covenant.
I desire.
I trust.
I come.
And finally,
I am made clean.
And I thank Him.

The Uncomfortable

“To reach a goal you have never before attained, you must do things you have never before done.”
— Richard G. Scott

My mom recently shared this quote with me and it really stands out to me. This quote so well sums up one of the most valuable lessons I have learned in this life. In order to progress and grow, we must do something that is out of our comfort zone. We must leap into the uncomfortable! Whether for us that is running a little further, sitting next to someone we don't know, extending our study by a few minutes or hours or going further in depth, asking new questions, doing the unpopular, serving a mission, leaving home for college, trying a new receipe, changing your perspective! There are a trillion ways we can stretch ourselves by trying something uncomfortable- something we have never before done.
My recent goal has been to run a 5k this summer. This last week I have signed up for one and started training more seriously. I had a goal to run 3 miles in a certain time- a time goal I had never before attained- which today I accomplished. In order to reach this goal, I've run 15 miles in the last 5 days- something I had never before done. Running has taught me several very meaningful-for-me lessons. One of those, probably the first and biggest, is that when we do uncomfortable things consistently, they become comfortable. We become comfortable in what were once uncomfortable situations.
With running, there are all sorts of things that one can perceive as uncomfortable: the heavy breathing, the sore legs, the expanding lungs, the beating heart, the unfermiliar rythm of the feet against the ground. But the more you experience these at first seemingly uncomfortable things, the less uncomfortable they become, the more comfortable you become, and you may just in fact grow to really love these things! You suddenly love the rythm of your feet against the pavement, the sand, the tredmil, the grass...everything! And you love to feel your heart pumping because it makes you feel alive. And your breathing becomes less heavy and it doesn't scare you anymore, it just makes you smile. And afterwards when your legs are a bit sore, you find satisfaction in knowing I'm getting stronger.  And once you become comfortable running one mile, or two, or three, or more, or you become comfortable running 5 minutes, or 10 minutes, or 15 minutes, or 30 minutes, the more you realize "Hey, I can do this!" which gives you a little more courage to stretch a little further! Another important lesson I've learned in life and while running too: You can do hard things. And once you do them you will realize that you can do them. And knowing this can keep us going even when things get tough. We can always look back and know "I did that hard thing, so I can do this hard thing."
Just like the gospel of Jesus Christ, we come to know things by doing them. When we do hard things, we learn that we can do them. When we are obedient to commandments, we learn that keeping them brings us greater joy than we ever could have found on our own. When we choose God's path, it isn't until we start walking it that we realize how much better it is than our own. Life and progressing is about doing. And by doing we learn. "Faith without works is dead."  And faith with works is LIFE! Is JOY! Is PROGRESSION!
“To reach a goal you have never before attained, you must do things you have never before done.”

Clarity

Something I have learned over time: for me revelation and inspiration often come in little momments, in little bits at a time. They are like little sparks of clarity- when suddenly something, no matter how big or small, becomes so clear. These momments speak to your heart and mind in a combination unlike any other kind of learning. And they can be about just about anything- whether spiritual or secular or other knowledge- because the One providing us with these truths knows everything! These are momments of being taught truth. Whether they come during our own deep study and pursuit of knowledge, or whether they suddenly pop into our heads while we are pondering, walking, jogging, working on homework, star gazing, doing yoga, dancing, reading, writing, eating, sleeping, singing, climbing, jumping, talking, surfing, etc- they are momments in which our Father clearly teaches us princples of eternal truth, and they can come just about any time as long as we are doing the simple things He asks, living worthily, seeking diligently through studying His word and talking with Him through prayer, and having our hearts and minds tuned to that still, small voice with which He teaches. Imagine that! Momments of teaching and learning directly between the Creator of the universe and one of His individual children.
And He speaks to each of His children in different ways that are unique and tailored to each individual.  Pretty neat, right? This is a gift He wants every one of us to have: the gift of personal revelation. I feel so blessed!

Belém!

I have always dreamed of being able to say this and now that it is here, it's even better than I ever could of imagined...

I have been called to serve as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! I have been called to serve in the Brazil Belém Mission! I will be speaking Portuguese and will report to the Brazil Missionary Training Center on September 4th!

It's hard to describe receiving your OWN mission call. It is awesome. People always told me that they didn't expect their area at all, were so surprised to get their call, and yet that they felt (often instantly) and knew that it was perfect for them. Now I can say that all of these things are true! From personal experience! I didn't expect Brazil at all, but now that I have received my call, I can't imagine anywhere else I'd rather go. It is so perfect. And I can feel that this is right, and I know that Belém is the right place for me.

Things have really changed. My life has turned around and is going in a completely different direction than it was just a short while ago. I broke off my engagement, and the only reason is because I just didn't feel like it was the right path for me right now.There really aren't words to describe what has happened or how I have felt throughout the expereince, except that I am doing my very best to follow the guidance that Heavenly Father has been sending me lovingly and gently. I am blessed to have such incredible people in my life. Often during these big changes in life it's hard to understand why these things are happening. We- at least I sure do!- ask "Why?" and want answers immediately. I asked why a whole lot while realizing that Heavenly Father was trying to tell me He had a different path for me to follow. But something I have learned is that sometimes we simply won't understand -yet. And we don't have to- yet! A wise roommate and friend once told me (she was quoting a very wise man!) that Satan, the adversary, can immitate many feelings- excitment, anxiety, nervousness, happiness, etc- to try to keep us from the right path and lead us astray, but only God can give us peace. This is a feeling that Satan can never, never, never immitate or give us. Of course feelings of excitement and happiness are not bad! But it is so reassuring to know that when we are feeling peace we can KNOW it is from God, without a doubt. So, I have learned that amidst these times of change beyond our understanding, that we must cling to these feelings of peace. Because as long as we have the Spirit of God guiding us, and are feeling that sweet peace, then we can never be led astray. While doing one of the hardest things I have had to do- breaking of my engagement- I learned that it is only God's peace that can truly reassure us and give us confidence to step forward into what we don't understand. This peace has guided me to the decision of serving a mission, and the same peace that has led me to this decision has filled my heart and soul today while opening my mission call! My perspective is so tiny and incomplete, but it feels like I am finally getting with the program! It's the little steps of faith that we take into the unknown that will lead us to eternal life. I know this for sure.


Some interesting facts about Belém (according to Wikipedia...)
-means "Bethlehem"
-Brazilian city, capital and largest city of state of Pará
-Entrance gate to the Amazon River!
-Also known as the city of mangos due to the large amount of mango trees found there

Also, my mission is right underneath and shares borders with Suriname- where my grandparents served one of their missions!

Basically, I'm already in love with Belém. :) Now, I just need to figure out how to pronounce it the right way...