Called to Serve

As many of you may or may not know I have decided to serve a mission! I opened my call back in March and I have been called to serve in the California Anaheim Mission and I leave July 3, 2013! I am so excited to serve the Lord! My dad also served in California but in the San Bernardino mission which is pretty close to mine. When I opened my call to Anaheim I could not imagine myself going anywhere else.

When I was a senior in high school I wanted to serve a mission and it felt right. As I went through my freshman year of college I kept on getting the confirmation that I needed to go. I was 100% ready to serve the Lord and was anxiously waiting to start my papers. Fast forward to my sophomore year- General Conference October 2012. When it was announced that the mission age was lowered from 21 to 19 I felt confused on what I should do. It had no big effect on me but for some reason I found all these excuses not to go. Then I started feeling unqualified. There was no way that I was ready. I thought I knew the gospel but as I started to move forward I felt like I just joined the church in the past month. I felt like I had been knocked down and there was no way that I would be ready to teach the gospel to others. I continued to go to church and my institute classes. I always had this question on my mind, "Should I go on a mission?" I sent in my papers, received my call but I still was not sure.

Then I read a quote:
"God does not call the qualified, He qualifies the called."

How true this is! Once I read that I started to understand. The things I have been wanting to fall into place weren't because they were not meant to. My education was meant to be put on hold for a little while, my social life and dating also needed to be put on the back burner. By serving a mission it will qualify me to be a much better person than before. It will better qualify me to be a better friend, student, wife, mother, daughter, sister, neighbor, church member, etc...

I understand that a mission is not for every one. It is something that needs much thought and prayer. Through 9 months of much doubt, confusion, prayer, scripture reading, as well other things I received my answer. I love this gospel with all my heart. It has brought me such happiness and I truly want others to feel and know the same happiness.

March 2

Favorite Quotes

First off I love quotes. I have an entire quote book of quotes (obviously) that inspire me and make me giggle.
I narrowed it down to just two of each and it was hard.

Brave

"We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot."
-Eleanor Roosevelt

"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear."
-Nelson Mandela 

Blessed

This week has been a crazy one. I have been busier this semester than ever before with more classes, studying (already), job searching, trying to understand what in the world my head is thinking and feeling, and let me just stop the list there. 

With all this running around and uncertain thoughts I remembered this quote of "Too blessed to be stressed." My word. I have been doing this whole week wrong. I was thinking about all this stuff that was on my shoulders with everything that I still had to do without stopping to pause what I already have. 

I have Taylor as my roommate, a cozy apartment with food, I'm in school gaining an education, the Aggie shuttle pretty much takes me to the exact building of my classes every day, I have time to take institute, I have this gospel, family, friends, previous roommates. 

I am so blessed in my life. "Things will work out in the end. If it's not ok, it's not the end."   

Well Said

"Would the girl you were yesterday admire the woman you are today? If not, adjust for desired results."