Return with Honor

2 and a half weeks ago, I returned from serving a full time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I spent the last 18 months of my life in the Italy Milan Mission and I must say that it was one of the greatest experiences of my life so far. I wanted to serve a mission for many years leading up to the day when I would be old enough to serve. Since being home, I have had the great privilege of sharing my experiences with others. Yesterday I was given the opportunity to teach the mission prep class for the future missionaries of my stake. It was so much fun! Telling an enraptured young group full of people preparing to serve full time missions all about every story attached to each picture was an awesome experience. I could talk about my mission forever because it was such a special and sacred experience to me.

As we read in the scriptures however, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). There is a time to be born and a time to die, a time to work and a time to play. And there is a time to serve a full time mission and a time to come home. Turns out though, coming home is a lot harder than leaving home. I miss Italy. I miss the people, the culture, the food, the language. I miss knowing what my purpose is and having that as the very reason that I wake up every morning. I even miss having a companion sometimes- someone that I work with so closely because we have the exact same goal and purpose in mind.

Although I miss many things from my mission, a mission is a very difficult experience at times. Throughout the course of my year and a half, I served in 5 different cities spread across the northern half of Italy. Sometimes I questioned a bit in my heart why I or my companion was being transferred, especially when it seemed things were going so well. But I always knew that God had a plan for me and let’s be honest here: if the God of the whole universe has a plan for me, I want to know what it is and I want to follow it to a T because obviously He knows something I don’t. So if God thinks it is best for me to be transferred to Layton, Utah, then that is exactly where I will be. And if it ends up that He wants me somewhere else, He’ll let me know and I will always follow Him because that is where I will find the most happiness.

Just knowing that God has a plan for me gives me great hope. Hope in the future that things will turn out all right, hope in re-discovering my purpose, hope in knowing that I’m doing good things. I may not be able to preach the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ full time anymore, but that doesn’t mean that I am without purpose. There is a great work for me to do here at home. My family members, my friends, people in my ward and stake- they all need the efforts of worthy returned missionaries to help them accomplish the work of the Lord. Working for the Lord does not end when the tag comes off. The actual responsibilities change a bit, yes, but in the end our whole goal is to return to live with Him and we must live out our whole lives with that scopo, or purpose, in mind.

The mission never really ends. There will always be people to help and souls to save. I just need to put my trust in God and He will guide me in finding what my new responsibilities are, such as deciding for myself when and where I should be transferred, and who my final companion will be, and how many little trainees my companion and I will take on…. Haha did I take the mission analogy too far?

Anyways, this whole thing is mostly for me, but I hope that by posting it here, it may help someone else one day. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the true church of God, restored on the earth once more. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer and that because He suffered for me, He understands me completely, even better than I understand myself. I know that Joseph Smith was called as a living prophet of God and I know that President Thomas S Monson is the living prophet today. I am so grateful for everything this knowledge has given me. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Life is Good

Sometimes, life is just good. Like, pumpkin pie shake good. Or visiting the Provo temple good. And sometimes life isn't so good. Like saying good bye. Or having the patience to wait for something you've been waiting for your whole life and it's almost here, but not quite. But I'd rather focus on the good stuff, wouldn't you? Thus, we are going to compile a list of My Favorite Things.

1. Laughter. It burns calories and sends endorphins spinning through your brain, making you happy and healthy. Does it get better?
2. Music. Turned up loud with the car windows rolled down. A slice of perfection.
3. Roommates. They come to know you better than anyone else and are great companions for late-night ice cream cravings. 
4. Temples. There aren't really any good words to express how going to the temple can make you feel. The Spirit is so strong when you just know you are in the right place at the right time doing the right thing. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have had over the past few months especially to attend the temple and let my testimony of the Gospel grow exponentially. 
5. Family. Funny how much more they mean to you after you move out. I have absolutely loved getting to know my siblings in a different way now that we live apart. Phone calls, texts, and little hand-written notes come to mean a lot when you don't see each other every day. 

You know, this list could go on for quite a while. Think: living prophets, books, food, mission call, good job, awesome college, amazing friends and family... I am one blessed girl! So here's your challenge: instead of counting sheep, count your blessings tonight. It sure helps me appreciate what I do have instead of focusing on my lack.

"So amid the conflict, whether great or small, Do not be discouraged; God is over all. Count your many blessings; angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey's end."

LDS Hymns #241

I Hope They Call Me on a Mission

A few years ago, my stake had a weekend youth conference based on missionary work. On the first day, we got together at the chapel and did mini-MTC classes with returned missionaries. The second day, we met back up at the church and were given missionary companions for the day. I was privileged to be assigned to work with Emily Bouwhuis, a girl from my ward. Our assignment was to go to a member's home and talk to them about the First Vision. Before everyone left for their "missions," the entire stake knelt in prayer in the gym. Then, armed with scriptures and Preach My Gospel, we were sent out. Youth flooded the parking lot, ready to preach the word of the Lord. The spirit of missionary work that I got to taste that day has stuck with me ever since. I wanted to put in my mission papers and leave right away, but I knew that it was something that I would have to look forward to in a few years when I would be a little older.

Then, two months ago, our dear prophet President Monson made an announcement that rocked my world.

"Today I am pleased to announce that able, worthy young women who have the desire to serve may be recommended for missionary service beginning at age 19, instead of age 21."

When I heard the announcement, I was sitting in the trailer with my family in Moab. I was shocked and thrilled and super excited, all at once. When my family asked if this was going to change any of my plans for school and what-not, I think we all knew that answer already.

I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have to serve a mission for my Savior. I am so excited for the new-found enthusiasm about missionary work in the Church. The Lord needs more missionaries now that can take His word to His children and I am very grateful to get to be one of His servants. I am so grateful for my parents, who have taught me the teachings of Christ through their loving examples my entire life. I am grateful for my stake leaders that got me so excited about missionaries at a young age. I know that wherever the Lord sends me, that will be where He needs my talents and abilities the most. I only hope that I can be an instrument in His hands so that more of His children will know of God's love for them.

PS- My mission call is in the mail! It should be here on WEDNESDAY!!

The Real Me

You know how college is supposed to be the time to find out who you really are? Well, I am coming to find out that the Real Me is a Real Weirdy. I guess I should have realized something was up when the first thing I wrote on my bucket list was to milk a cow. Oddly enough, I am also coming to find that I am a-okay with that. (Both the cow thing and the I-am-a-weird-person thing. Which kind of go hand in hand, I'll admit.) I am the kind of person that spends her Friday night on Pinterest in basketball shorts, while consuming a banana covered in chocolate chips and marshmallows. (Ok fine. It wasn't Friday night. It was 10 minutes ago. Friday night sounds way more dramatic than Tuesday evening though. And I probably have done such actions on a Friday night as well. But that's besides the point.) I love to read- the cheesier the better. Reading an unrealistic book is like an escape from the very real realities of life. I LOVE country music. Yes, a lot of it is about drinking and other not-so-admirable things, but what popular music doesn't talk about these things nowadays? You just have to pick and choose your favorites. A lot of country music actually has great story lines, lessons about life, or advice. One of my absolute favorites, for example, Josh Turner's Me and God.

And if you are really interested in my Josh Turner tangent...

So the Real Me is a bit weird, but that's all cool. After all, being unique is all the rage right now, right?

Tricks of the Trade

Whilst I was standing around at work the other day, I contemplated writing another blog post. (I seem to have a lot of time on my hands at work sometimes and find the need to come up with things to entertain myself with. Things such as straightening shelves, organizing the cashier's drawer, straightening the soda machine, and otherwise looking busy. That day I happened to write a blog post in my head.) The blog post I wrote in my head consisted of four things that I call The Tricks of the Trade, or in other words, The Things Any Normal-ish Person Can Use to Entertain Themselves at Work/Any Potentially Boring Situation. (The latter name being much longer and more complicated, I chose to go with the simpler and more clever first name.) 

1. Chew Gum. Personally, I prefer the Extra Polar Ice gum with the blue specks in it. Chewing gum refreshes a person's breath while providing the entertainment of blowing bubbles and making popping noises, as the situation allows. I remember a science experiment way back in the days of elementary that a friend did, which proved that chewing gum actually stimulates the brain and makes a person concentrate better. As this was an elementary school project, this begs the question of it's actual validity, but hey, I'm going with it.
2. Make Music. Since I have to be attentive to customers, I can't actually listen to personal music at work (weird, right?), but I can listen to the radio in my head. Again, as the situation allows, either hum aloud or sing in your head. Or if you're really brave, you can sing aloud, but as this tends to invite awkward stares, I usually keep my music to myself. I like to listen to the car radio on my way to work and pick a song that I can use to get me through my shift. Last week, I had "Born to Fly" by Sara Evans stuck in my head for two shifts. It was pretty exciting. So much so, that I will share it with you.
3. Keep Up a Conversation. Whether that conversation be with your co-workers, customers, or the weird guy that serves up your chicken sandwich at lunch, conversation with real human beings will keep your insanity in tact. Plus, people can be highly entertaining, providing for great stories at the dinner table later on. For example, I was working as a cashier the other day and a lady comes up to buy some ink. All of our ink is behind the counter, so customers tell the cashier what ink cartridge they need and the cashier searches for the said ink in the most efficient way possible. Anyways, so this particular lady asks for ink and I say "What kind do you need?" She says, "Well, I don't remember the number, but it looks like this and is about this size." She proceeds to create a small square with her hands. I sure hope she realized how dumb of a description this was. What I really wanted to say was "You know that all ink cartridges look like that right? And just because I work here does not mean that I have psychic powers that tell me what ink your printer at home takes. It's your job to tell me the kind of ink you need and my job to get it and ring it up." What I really said was this: "I am not sure what kind of ink you are going to need." Hmmm. I hope she got the hint. Co-workers also provide great entertainment while at work. One of my managers recently got engaged and so I get play-by-play accounts of dress shopping. She's a lot of fun to talk to. Another co-worker is a good little gossiper, so I get the juicy information like who is on probation and who got fired for what. 

I know I said there were four, but I can't remember what the last one was now. And three is the magic number anyways, so we don't really want four, do we? If you have anything to add to the list though, I'd love to hear about it.

Life As It Is

Seeing how as I have made exactly three posts since creating this dang blog, I figured it was time to write up another one. This last week has been crazy busy with my new job at Office Depot. I am not sure how many hours I am actually supposed to work in a week, but last week I ended working like 42 (between babysitting, cleaning, and Office Depot). I was originally scheduled for 26 hours, but one of the cashiers flaked out on Wednesday, so I picked up an extra shift there and then on Saturday, the cashier who was supposed to take over for me decided to take the wrong/extra medication and fell down her stairs, blacked out, etc, etc. Anyways, she ended up at the hospital and I ended up staying at work for a few more hours. But hey, it's like service, right? So bonus points for me. Plus, I get paid, so it all works out in the end. The only problem was I had planned to use my day off to catch up on my book club reading, so now I am about 200 pages behind. I would have tried harder to catch up, but I'm at a boring spot anyways, so we are at exactly zero motivation.
On the bright side, I did watch the season finale of Once Upon A Time. Super great show. Oh, the ending was fabulous! You must watch it if you can. And now I can hardly wait until the fall to see what new magic our lovely TV producers cook up!
I also started going to the singles ward a couple weeks ago. Let me tell you, the first week lived up to the singles ward stereotype perfectly. If you have seen the movie Singles Ward or gone to a singles ward, you know exactly what I am talking about. Luckily, this week was much less singles ward-ish (which isn't always a bad thing. In fact, it's highly entertaining).
I had a realization today- I do not like getting a paycheck. Before you think I'm crazy, let me explain. I have always had direct deposit set up, so my money would automatically go into my checking account. Which means that I do not see what they are taking out for taxes or any of that nonsense. But since I hadn't set up direct deposit yet, my first Office Depot paycheck came in the form of an actual check that I had to take to the bank. And they took out a whole lot of money for stinking taxes. I am so not a fan. Thank goodness I have direct deposit set up now. They can take their taxes and I won't complain because I don't see exactly how much it is. Ignorance is bliss, right?

Book Review

As some of you may know, I have started/joined a book club this summer. We are at exactly two members as of right now, but hey, we are rockin'. We finished our first book this last week, which was The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne. GREAT book. I would highly recommend it. It's the story of a nine year old boy, Bruno, living in Germany during World War II. He has a love for grand adventures and exploration, which leads him to another 9 year old boy, who is living by Bruno's house. (Side note: this book reviewing is more difficult than I thought. How much do I reveal without ruining your fun of reading it yourself? It doesn't really help that this book is very short.) Anyways, its an easy read in of itself, but it alludes to much bigger, deeper ideas and situations. And it has a movie version! I love reading a book and then comparing it to the movie. Of course, the movie usually gets torn to shreds while the book is glorified, but whatever. I haven't seen the movie yet, but the trailer looks really good- it alone made me want to cry. Bruno and his friend Shmuel are super adorable. And Bruno's father is played by David Thewlis (a.k.a. Remus Lupin), so how bad can it be? And the actors all have British accents, which really makes you think of Nazi Germany, right?



 Bruno


Shmuel