Soon to be Missionary

Well friends, it practically here. I leave for my mission to Richmond Virgina on August 2nd. Boy, am I excited. I've been waiting for what feels like forever for this time.

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone in my life. So many people have impacted my life and helped me become who I am. I really wouldn't be going on a mission if it weren't for some of you. So thank you so so much. I am so blessed to be surrounded by so many people who are so supportive of my decision to serve a mission. Thanks to all who cam and heard my speak, it was so great to look out and see so many faces who love and care about me.

Shout out to my family. If you haven't met my family, you should because they are the best. Seriously, the most incredible group of people. I couldn't ask for a more supportive, loving family. I am sure going to miss them. I love you all very much.

I am truly blessed to have the gospel in my life, hence why I am going to share the gospel with the people of Virginia. I want to leave my testimony with y'all.

This gospel is so true. It is the true gospel of Jesus Christ. Christ came to this earth FOR YOU, because He wanted to. He gave up His life for every single one of us. No one is the exception to that. Heavenly Father sent His only begotten son so He could save all of His other children. That is truly incredible. We have the most powerful force in this universe on our side. Cheering us on. Wanting us to succeed.
Joseph Smith was called by God to restore this gospel. There is not a doubt in my mind about that. He translated the Book of Mormon. He could not have done it if this gospel weren't true. The Book of Mormon is the most true book on this earth. It testifies of Christ and His life.
I know Thomas S. Monson is the living prophet of God. He receives revelation for the entire church.
I know this gospel is the answer to where we came from, why we are here, and where we are going. We are going home to a loving Heavenly Father who sent us here to learn. There is so much more than life on earth. I promise. Christ is waiting for you, with arms open wide. He wants us to be happy and have cheer. This scripture will be my motto on my mission D&C 68:6 "Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you and will stand by you. And ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come." I know Christ lives. He was resurrected by the power of God. he overcame the sins of the world for us. He conquered death so we too and can conquer death. I leave these words with you in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. Amen.

Girls Camp 2017

I went to girls camp July 10-14. It was amazing. I loved it. My spiritual bucket is so full.  I got to go as a stake leader rather than as a  youth and I loved almost every minute of it. It was such a different experience than what I'm used to. As a leader I had such a different perspective about things and about the girls. (Side note: I am also the Laurels advisor in my ward and its so crazy that being a leader brings so much more love for the girls than I ever thought possible.) I got to be behind the scenes which was nice. I loved making camp great for the girls. Girls camp holds such a special place in my heart because it was so influential in my life. I am so thankful I was able to have a part in making girls camp great for the younger girls.

Both of my parents were at girls camp with me and it was seriously so awesome to share this with them. I was totally overwhelmed with love. I have always known I have a pretty big support group behind me but I was completely overwhelmed with the love that was shown to me up there. I know that Heavenly Father and Christ were aware of everything I needed there. There was always someone or something to pick me up, mentally, physically, and spiritually. It was so incredible. I don't even know how to describe it. I truly felt charity especially from the people I was serving with on the stake camp committee and from a few other leaders.

Girls camp is such a unique place. Not many other places can you gather 12-18 year old girls that are all so eager to learn about their Savior. The Spirit at our stake property is already insane but you add 150 people who are constantly seeking Christ and The Spirit of God and it gets to the point where your heart is always burning and pounding a million times a minute. Its one of my favorite places on this earth. If you've ever been up to our stake property, consider yourself a lucky soul. I also love the stars that we can see up there. This week, there was not night I was in bed before 1 in the a.m. There were a few factors in this but one of them was definitely the stars. I love looking at them and thinking about how many there are. They are so beautiful and I know Heavenly Father loves it when we enjoy His creations.

Children, all I'm saying is you need to go to girls camp. If you are a teenage girl you bet your bottom dollar you will be at girls camp. If you're a boy it may be a little trickier to find your way to girls camp, but if you are ever invited as a priesthood holder, bishopric member, or stake presidency member, take it. Take the chance and run, run fast. Its so worth it. It will be an unforgettable opportunity.

Thank you to those up at girls camp with me. It was such an amazing experience and I am so glad I got to spend it with such incredible women. Some of you helped me in just the ways I needed and in ways I wouldn't have been able to get anywhere else. (more pics to come)

What if it is not true?

A couple of years ago, I had a conversation with someone who is not a member of the LDS church. They knew the gospel is a HUGE part of my life and they asked "what if it is not true?". I was kind of stunned and came back with a response similar to: I know it is true.  I am positive this gospel is true. I know with all my heart. Then they said, but what if???

I have been thinking about this conversation a lot lately. I know this is a question Satan is trying to sneak into my brain. Sorry Satan, but I cannot doubt this gospel. It just doesn't happen and nothing will stop me from living and loving this gospel. But lets just try and say what if? Then I would probably still live this gospel because nothing makes me happier. I have never been happier than when I am completely enthralled in the gospel. I know this gospel is true because a person does not feel the way I feel in the temple about something that isn't right. I don't uncontrollably cry happy and joyful tears over something that is wrong. I have had the best moments and memories of my life because of this gospel. It brings my family closer together. Knowing my family can be together forever because of this gospel makes me smile every time I think about it. 

I can't really comprehend this gospel not being true. I definitely have my questions and sometimes my doubts but then President Uchtdorf's quote "doubt your doubts before you ever doubt your faiths" comes to mind. Then I think about all the times I have felt happiness because of the gospel. I think about how there is no way Joseph Smith could have written the entire Book Of Mormon with the little schooling he had. The miracles of the saints coming to Utah, do not add up with out the help of Heavenly Father. My life does not add up without the help of Heavenly Father. I know this gospel is true. I know Christ lives. I know the Book of Mormon is the most true book on the earth. I know Joseph Smith restored the gospel to this earth. Thomas S. Monson is a true prophet. I know with everything in my heart that Christ died for us. I know that through Christ's Atonement we can live with our Heavenly Father for all eternity. There is no "What if it is not true?" because it is true. 

I love the temple.
Photo cred: Heidi Anderson

Perfectly Imperfect Sisters

This is Heidi, my sister/ best friend. 

Most people know that Heidi and I are really close. She is my best friend. No, we have not always been this close. It wasn't until Heidi moved away for college that our relationship expanded to friends. Oh, I am so thankful for that. She is so amazing and I am truly blessed to have the relationship I have with her. I always get told "Wow you and Heidi are so close, its so awesome." Then I say "yeah its pretty great." The follow up question is always "Do you ever fight?". Then I laugh out loud. Really hard. Because, yes, we fight ALL THE TIME. I told my mom that people ask if we ever fight and she laughed, rolled her eyes, and said "sometimes, I want to say GIVE IT A REST". So Heidi and I are always communicating through snapchat or we are texting or we are together. So when I don't text her back she knows I'm upset, this happens more than I would like to admit. But for every argument, there are at least 10 happy moments. 

 Heidi and I fight over the dumbest stuff. Clothes, jewelry, manners, and lots of other lame things. We both are guilty of making the other angry... sometimes on purpose. but when the important things come up, we are always there for each other. These two pictures are pretty accurate. I probably take the little "devil" role more than I should. I am so thankful Heidi puts up with all of  my sass and sarcasm. Our relationship is pretty balanced between arguing and having so much fun together. It has taught me that having a strong relationship someone does not mean your relationship will be hunkie dorie all the time. We get annoyed with each other but in the end we always come back stronger than we were before.

If you are blessed enough to know Heidi, take advantage of knowing her. There is no one else I would rather go crazy about Disney with. Yes we watch World of Color at home together in our Micky Mouse onsies. There is no one else I'd rather have the boyfriend blues with. She is the best friend and sister anyone could ask for. She is the most loyal human you will ever meet. She is one of the most Christlike examples I have in my life. I am sure Heavenly Father knew I would need an example like her in my life and put us in the same family. We both need each other and I would not trade my relationship with her for anything. I am sure going to miss her on my mission but let's be real.. a year and a half isn't that long. I love ya Heidi. 

Some could say we are sister goals... I think we are. What makes us "sister goals" is the fact that our relationship is perfectly imperfect. 

Because I have Been Given Much, I Too Must Give

So when I was 12 years old, I was in young women's listening to a leader talk about when she had decided to go on a mission. She decided when she was 12 that she wanted to serve so I decided I wanted to do that. Is this the right reason to decide to go on  a mission? Probably not but it got me on the right track. When I got older, I was set on playing basketball or softball in college so I didn't think I was going to go on a mission. Then I went to girl's camp and it hit me, I needed to serve a mission.

Now the time is here. I am going to Richmond, Virginia speaking Spanish. Crazy things about getting this call: one of my very best friends is leaving for that mission (English speaking) at the end of this month. Another one of my very best friends attends Southern Virginia University and is not in my mission but will still be like an hour away from me. Crazy right? Heavenly Father is totally aware of me.

I am so excited to serve a mission and teach the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm a little nervous to learn a language in the United States, but I know I can do it. I have Heavenly Father on my side and with Him, I can do anything even learn Spanish. Satan has already been working on me. I haven't doubted my decision or anything but I just was not too confident about my decision. I went to the temple and have been praying for help. Today I fasted, and asked Heavenly Father to help me feel confident in my decision to serve and in my call. At church they announced I got my call so naturally everyone congratulated me which is always nice. I was walking home from church and the song "Because I Have Been Given Much, I Too Must Give" came to my mind. We did not sing this in church, I actually haven't listened to it for a while. I started to hum this song and kind of got emotional. I am thankful no one was walking with me because they probably would have thought I was a crying, humming, lunatic. I was so overwhelmed with gratitude towards my Heavenly Father. He has given me so much. He has blessed me with being born into a family that has the truth. Not many people get that opportunity and for most of my life I have taken that for granted. I am so lucky to have the gospel in my life. I have been blessed with amazing parents, wonderful brothers that somehow managed to get great wives who I now call sisters. I have the cutest nephew and an awesome sister who is also my best friend. I have so many great influences in my life that have helped me get to where I am today. I must give my time and my abilities to the Lord for 18 months. He has given me so much and this is a way for me to give back to Him.

Thank you to everyone that has helped my progress to who I am so that I can serve a mission. I am so excited to go to Richmond, Virginia and preach the gospel.

April 5, 2017

On Wednesday, April 5, 2017, I entered the Salt Lake temple to receive my endowment. (For those that do not know what this means, I received blessings from God and made covenants with Him). It was truly an incredible experience. It is very different than anything I have ever done, and probably very different than anything I will ever do. But  let us back up to the morning before I went through the temple.

What happens before you go do a really good thing? Satan. Satan happens. I was at work driving and started freaking out. I felt like I wasn't worthy and that I shouldn't go. Of course this wasn't going to stop me because I know I am worthy and I know this was a great thing to do for my eternal progression. Then I started thinking that maybe  I was doing this too early. I wasn't ready for the eternal promises I was going to make. This got me. I got really nervous and didn't know what to do. So I called a friend, she calmed me down and told me to read President Uchtdorf's talk on fear. It was incredibly helpful and I felt so confident in the decision I made.

This happens to me more than I would like. Satan gets me with fear, and we often the play a game of you're not good enough. Any time I am going to do something to bring me closer to Christ, Satan is right there. Why? Why does Satan bother with me? Why does Satan bother with us? Well, its because he knows what we are progressing. He attempts to keep us from doing anything that Heavenly Father asks us to do because he knows that we are doing things he can't. Satan sees our potential as children of God and wants to keep us from becoming the best we can be. We are progressing. He tries to talk me out of promptings because they are of God. They are good. All things God created are good. We are His creations.

I've been back to the temple a few times since then and I love it and can feel the power of God so strong when I am there.

Love life & Love yourself

BEWARE. I am getting on another self worth and self appreciation soap box.

I was talking to someone and we had a conversation that went something like this:

person: "you're so cute"

me: "oh definitely not"

person: "just say thank you"

Then we went on to talk about how we are both the worst at accepting compliments. This hit me really hard and made me think about looking at myself in a positive matter. Yes I am the worst EVER. It is definitely something I am working on. As I've interacted with human beings, I have found that I am not alone on this. I don't know if it is because we are afraid of looking vain by accepting a compliment or if it because we are so dang harsh on ourselves that we have buried any positive image that we have of ourselves.

I know it drives my mom crazy when I degrade myself in any way. It is probably a little insulting to her considering she raised me and I look a lot like her (which is pretty awesome because my mom is beautiful). I can't even begin to imagine how Heavenly Father feels when we insult ourselves. We are his creation and every time we tell ourselves that we are anything but awesome. The choices we may make may not be awesome, but as children of God we are awesome. We are literally children of the most powerful being in the universe. That seriously brings a smile to my face every time I think about it. I know He loves every single one of us because we are His. Please keep this in mind as someone tells you how great you are, give yourself some credit. We are all so hard on ourselves. We need to remember that as long as we are trying our best, we are doing what we need to be doing. Don't get me wrong, there is always room for improvement but just because we aren't reaching our full potential right this second doesn't mean we should belittle ourselves.

President Uchtdorf always says it best so listen to him.

Courtesy of Pinterest

Love life & Love yourself