The Studly Sons of Mosiah

Over the past week I have been reading about the missions of the Sons of Mosiah in Alma 17-26. Holy guacamole they were such studs!  They are exactly like the missionary I want to be. (And the kind of returned missionary I want to eventually marry. :)  Even though I have read these chapters many times before, preparing for a mission has shed a whole new light on the example they set.  In my scripture journal I made a list of the qualities that made them such excellent missionaries.  Here's my list:  

1.  They fasted and prayed

2.  They had the spirit of prophesy

3.  They taught with power and authority from God

4.  They were worthy

5.  They let their faith cast out their fears

6.  They were humble

7.  They searched the scriptures diligently

8.  They had a solid understanding of the Gospel

9.  They had the constant companionship of the Spirit

10.  They were patient

11.  They were good examples to those they taught

12.  They trusted in the Lord

13.  They served those they taught

14.  They used the scriptures to teach

15.  They gave their missions their all

16.  As they taught, they invited the Spirit to testify to those they were teaching

17.  They attributed their success to God

18.  They took advantage of every opportunity to share the Gospel

19.  They followed the promptings of the Spirit

20.  They were well prepared

21.  They deeply and sincerely loved those they taught 

Even though it is unlikely that while I am on my mission I will guard sheep or chop off anyone's arms, I can work to develop the qualities which brought the Sons of Mosiah such success and joy.  I want to make the most of the Lord's time while I am on my mission, and working to be like the Sons of Mosiah is my first step in that direction.       

The Missionary Broadcast

Tonight my family watched the Missionary Broadcast for new mission presidents, missionaries, and anyone else who loves missionary work.  The broadcast was held in the Marriott Center at BYU, and the choir was made up of missionaries who are currently in the Provo MTC.  It was so fun to see people in the choir that I know.  It was an amazing fireside.  It made me remember how important missionary work really is, and it got me so excited to serve.  And it didn't hurt that during the broadcast President Holland skyped with a Stake President and a few members of a stake in Lima.  So cool!

I will be in the MTC in Lima, Peru in 80 days!  Crazy!  I can't wait!

Visas and Passports--Holy Cow!

Before I can go to Peru for a year and a half I need a passport and a visa.  Sounds easy, right?  Wrong!  My mom and I have learned the hard way that when it comes to traveling outside the country, nothing is easy.

The first thing I had to do was to get a passport since I hadn't traveled outside of the U.S. before (besides kayaking to Canada, but that doesn't count).  We went to Walmart to have my photo taken.  They only have one person working at Walmart who knows how to take passport photos, and she was gone, so we tried to have them done at Walgreens--the only other place in Duncan, Oklahoma that does passport photos.  Their printer was broken, so we ended up having to wait until the next day.  No big deal.

The next day we went back to Walmart to have my pictures taken.  Success! Then we took all the other documents we needed (or so we thought) to the courthouse to submit them and apply for my passport.  It turns out that since I have a Utah driver's license instead of an Oklahoma license, they wouldn't accept my license as photo ID--I'm not sure why that makes it invalid, but whatever floats their goat.  I had to go home and get my BYU ID to prove my identity, and come back.  When they were satisfied that I'm not an impostor, they looked over my paperwork.  I was missing a couple things, so we left, got everything else, and came back.  Finally everything was ready to submit.  A couple weeks later my passport came.

Once I got my passport I had to apply for my visa.  I needed to submit some paperwork to my secretary of state to get apostilles for my power of attorney and passport before I could send everything to Salt Lake.  I sent everything to my state, just like I was told to do, but it came back saying that my power of attorney had to have a translation in English--the power of attorney I was given was in Spanish.  So I did my best to translate it (with a lot of help from the Internet) and sent it back.  I finally got my apostilles and sent them to Salt Lake. Hallelujah!  Now hopefully my visa is processed in enough time for me to go straight to Peru!    

100 Days

Only 100 days until I report to the Peru MTC!  Only 100 more days until I get to put on a name tag that says I am officially a representative of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  Only 100 more days of sleeping in and spending time with my family.  Only 100 more days of listening to music and texting.  Only 100 more days until I begin the best 548 days of my life.

Guinea Pigs, Alpacas and Tarantulas

Of course the first thing that everyone does after they receive their mission call is look up everything there is to know about the place that they are serving--and I was no exception.  After finding out that I am going to Lima, Peru, I spent the next 48 hours learning everything about Lima from the climate to the dialect of Spanish spoken there.

I discovered that my mission is in the same time zone as Oklahoma, so I will be in the same time zone as my family..kinda cool.  I found out that I will never be cold on my mission, but I will also never be dry--the humidity is always between 85-100%.  I also learned about the kinds of things that I will be eating for the next year and a half: guinea pigs, alpacas, bugs, rice, and beans.  Since when are guinea pigs, alpacas, and bugs edible?!  Blegh.  

A few days ago I was in a hippie store at the mall with my family, and we found this beauty.  This, ladies and gentlemen, is a Peruvian tarantula.  Looks like it's a good thing I sleep with my mouth closed.  

But the good news is that Peru is gorgeous.  The people seem wonderful and the church is true.  It will all be worth it..even if I have to eat guinea pigs and fight off tarantulas.

What Have I Gotten Myself Into?

As I was preparing to turn in my mission papers, I couldn't have been more excited.  I was caught up in trying to guess where I would be going and the preparation of submiting my papers.  After I got back to Oklahoma and had my call sitting on my counter for days before I could open it, the anxiety set in.  I thought that I was mostly scared about finding out where I was going to be called.  I thought that once I opened my call, the fear would leave.  I was wrong.  It didn't.  It got worse.

After opening my call I realized that I would be traveling to a place far away from my family where people live very differently from the way I live.  I would be speaking a language that I struggle with and I wouldn't know anyone.  I felt completely inadequate and I was so scared.  I felt like maybe serving a mission wasn't the right thing for me to be doing.  I desperately wanted to serve a mission so I put my trust in the Lord and his call for me to serve.

A quote from Elder Holland kept coming to mind which says, "If it was right when you prayed about it and trusted in it and lived for it, it is right now."

I knew that I had received answers to my prayers about serving a mission, so I decided to just keep moving forward.  I continued my mission preparation hoping that my fears would subside--and they did.

Splits!

Today I went on splits with the missionaries serving in my ward.  I had never done this before since there aren't a lot of opportunities to serve with the missionaries growing up in Utah.  It was such a great experience!  I went with the two elders to an investigator's house in Marlow, the tiny town north of Duncan, Oklahoma where I live.

The investigator was an older Baptist woman who is interested in the Church. She has been reading the Book of Mormon and has a strong belief in God.  At the beginning of the visit, the elders asked her if she had any questions about the Church.  She said that she had told some neighbors and family members that she was meeting with Mormon missionaries, and they told her their perceptions about some of our beliefs.  She wanted to know if we actually have lots of wives and if we worship Joseph Smith.  Of course neither of these things are true, and the elders taught her what we really believe.  It blows my mind how many rumors there are about our Church that must keep so many people from finding the truth.

Our investigator was very open minded and said that she will keep reading the Book of Mormon until she has finished.  The elders asked me to bare my testimony of the Book of Mormon, which was a great opportunity for me.  Too bad I couldn't have done it in Spanish--it would have been better practice.  The elders left her with a pamphlet about the Plan of Salvation and are meeting again with her on Thursday.

Missionary work is so exciting!  The Church is true!      

Where in the World am I going? Billings, Montana?

On the day that they announced the age change for sister missionaries, my initial reaction was, "No way..that's not in my plans. I'm not going."  Then as I continued to watch General Conference, it didn't take more than ten minutes for my mind to start to change.  By the end of the first day of General Conference I was texting my mom to tell her that I wanted to serve.  As I was watching the rest of conference the next two days, I had a very strong feeling about a certain place that I felt that I would be called to if I chose to serve a mission.  Later that week, one of my close friends was called to the place that I felt that I would be called.  I hoped I wouldn't be serving in the same place as him, but I trusted in the Lord.

As short-sighted and immature as this is, I really really wanted to be called to a foreign mission.  I knew that I would be called to the place that I was needed, and that wherever I was called would be right--both for me and the people I served, but I wanted desperately to be called out of the U.S.  I am embarrassed to admit this, but my family and I made many jokes about my call being to Billings, Montana. (Mostly because I hate pine trees, mountains, and the cold.) Side note: I wrote a letter to one of my friends who is on his mission to tell him where I was serving, and I wrote about how scared I was to be called to Montana.  As soon as he saw that my letter was about my mission call he scanned the rest of it to find a place, and the first name he saw was Billings, Montana.  He thought that was where I was called. He got excited and told his companion about it before he realized that I was actually going to Peru. Haha oops.

During the process of completing my mission papers, submitting them, and waiting to open my call, I continued to have a strong feeling about the place where I initially thought I would be called, and the surrounding areas.  (I have no idea why, because I was completely off.)  I had a few thoughts about a couple other places, although no matter what, I was 100% convinced that I wouldn't be called to South America even though I had taken five years of Spanish.  Haha goes to show you how much I know.

After seeing the amount of postage on my mission call, and being certain that I was going stateside (stateside calls require less postage because there is less paperwork), I began to really analyze why I was going on a mission.  Was I going so that I could see the world, or have a study abroad experience?  No way!  I was going because I know this church is true, and I want others to be able to experience the happiness that I feel everyday because of my knowledge of the restored Gospel.  This realization helped me to recognize that I trust that wherever I go will be right, even if it is Billings, Montana.          

I'm Goin' to Peru!

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Today was the big day!  I had to wait exactly one week from the time my call arrived at my house, to the time I opened it.  It nearly killed me!

I woke up at 4:30 in the morning to get ready to go to the Oklahoma City temple to open my call.  It was really important to me to open it at the temple, otherwise I could have opened it two days ago when my mom and I got to Oklahoma.  The Oklahoma City temple is about an hour and a half from our house, so we had to leave by 6:00 AM.  Our ward just happened to have a temple trip today, so my family went early to open my call so we could then meet up with them afterwards.

The whole way to the temple I felt sick.  I was so scared about where I would be going.  I knew I would be called to the right place, but I also wanted to be excited about where I would be spending the next year and a half.

When we got to the temple, we sat down on the steps outside.  I opened my call and started to read, trying really hard not to glace ahead.  When I got to my mission assignment, I realized that it was definitely not a stateside mission like I thought it would be.  I am going to the Peru Lima North Mission!! I am so excited!  It is the perfect mission for me.  I can't believe none of us even considered it when we were trying to guess where I was going.  I thought I was going to either Billings, Montana or Russia haha.  My mom kept saying, "It's so obvious!  That's why we didn't think of it."

Libby is Peruvian, and some of her birth family still lives in Peru.  And as silly as this is, she and I were obsessed with Peru and llamas when The Emperor's New Groove first came out.  We even tried to get a llama after that, but our backyard wasn't big enough.  When we were moving to Oklahoma, my step dad wanted to get me a llama, but my mom wouldn't let him. :)  Now I will be surrounded by llamas for a year and a half!  Plus, my mission is right on the beach, so there will also be palm trees, which is pretty much the greatest thing in the world for me.  And I think I will be in the jungle because my packing list emphasizes that I need rubber boots and an umbrella haha.  So excited!

I am leaving on September 11th (the same day as my roommate/best friend Amy is leaving for Argentina on her mission).  I report to the Peru MTC, which makes me a little nervous, but I'm so excited.  I expected to go to the Provo MTC and travel to my mission with a group of other missionaries.  Instead I think I will be getting to my mission alone.  It will be an adventure!  I am so happy that I will be able to become fluent in Spanish!  Peru is the perfect place for me!

Shop til' you Drop!

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Holy cow today was a crazy day.  Mom flew out and we went shopping ALLL day.  We bought temple clothes for me so I can go through the temple for the first time.  I am so excited!  I still can't believe this is happening.

Then we shopped for mission clothes for me.  I bought lots of skirts and shoes and shirts.  We found lots of cute stuff.  Who knew Sister Missionary Mall has things that I would actually wear that don't make me look like an 80 year old grandma?!  I sure didn't!  Life is good!  We have bought almost all the clothes that we think I'll need.  Hallelujah!  We bought clothes that will work for a climate similar to Utah's..we are just going to assume that I won't be called to the tropics.  Plus I got a mini Preach My Gospel, which pretty much made my day.

My mission call is sitting on my counter in Oklahoma.  It is just waiting to be opened.  It will have to wait until next Saturday.  I don't know if I can wait that long to find out my fate.  Ed sent me a picture of it..it's driving me crazy.

Going to the Temple

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

I went to the Timpanogos temple today.  I realized that when I get back to Provo to go to school, I will be endowed, so I won't really get to do baptisms anymore.  I wanted to do baptisms there one last time before leaving to go home.  It was beautiful.  

The Timpanogos temple is so special to me.  It is where I went to do baptisms for the dead for the first time after turning 12, and where I went regularly throughout junior high and high school.  My roommate Amy and I used to go there once a month during 7th and 8th grade, and my chica Reika who is leaving on her mission to Japan in a couple weeks has been my temple buddy for the past couple of years.  I have received so much inspiration and peace there.

Going to the temple has been such an important part of this last year at BYU for me.  It has been the best, most amazing year, but there have also been many challenges, and I needed the guidance of the Spirit everyday.  When I needed help or peace, the Provo temple was my go-to place.  I even navigated my daily run so that I could be near the Provo temple everyday.  It is so beautiful, and I always felt separated from the world when I went there.  I went there regularly, sometimes more than once a week, which made all the difference this past year.  It makes me so happy to be there. It keeps me excited about missionary work, and I can't wait to receive the blessings of going through the temple for myself.  I love the temple so much.  It is going to be really hard to not live so close to the temple when I go home.  

Which one?

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Today I read the list of all the missions.  I will be going to one of them.  Crazy.  There are a lot.  We'll just have to wait and see.

My Fate Has Been Decided

Friday, April, 19, 2013

My call was assigned today!!!

This afternoon I was in the library on campus wondering if my call had been assigned, and about two minutes later my bishop texted me to say that it had been assigned and should arrive this next Wednesday.  That means it will be sitting at my house in Oklahoma while I am still at BYU for about a week and a half before I get to open it.  Oh well.

I still can't believe it's actually happening!  I am so excited!

Submitted

Sunday, April, 14, 2013

My mission papers are in!!  I am so happy!  It feels soooo good!  I had a great interview and the stake president let me press the "submit" button on my papers at the end.  It was probably the best feeling in the world.  My papers are officially in Salt Lake.  I love life and I can't wait to serve a mission.  I can't believe that I am so blessed to have this opportunity.  My call should be assigned this week, and it should get to my house in 2-3 weeks.  Holy cow.  Crazy.

So, So Good

Thursday, April 11, 2013

I had my interview, and the Bishop submitted my mission papers to my stake president.  I should get an appointment with him for Sunday, and then my papers will be in.  Crazy!  But so, so good.

Almost There

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

I had my doctor's appointment and my interview with the Bishop today.  Now I just need to talk to the Stake President and my papers will be in!  I am so happy and so excited!! :)

Only the Begining

Monday, April 8, 2013

Dang..life is so crazy.  So, so good, but crazy.  I can't believe all of this is happening.  I got my blood-work and all of my paperwork for the dentist done today.  I will have my doctor's physical and final bishop's interview on Wednesday.  I am so close to having my papers submitted.  I am sooo excited and I feel so good about everything.

Six Months Ago Today

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Today was General Conference.  It is so crazy to think that at General Conference six months ago my life was turned upside down in the most amazing way.  My life today is so different as a result of that announcement six months ago.

After watching General Conference, I come home to skype with my family and tell them about my decision.  I am officially going home and going on a mission!  I am so excited and feel so good about it.  Up until yesterday I knew that I wanted to serve a mission, but the timing didn't feel right.  It still seemed like something that was in the future--coming up soon, but not quite yet.  Now it feels perfect.

My papers will be done tomorrow. :)

The Answer--Finally

Friday, April 5, 2013

Today was amazing!  I have been so so stressed the last few days.  I have been questioning almost every important decision that I have to make in the next couple of weeks, and time is running out.  I thought I knew that I should change my major. I prayed about it and felt good, but then I fasted and felt like it was the wrong choice.  Since I don't know about my major, I had no idea what classes I should take over the spring and summer semesters, and I needed to sign up ASAP. I didn't know where I should live during the summer, and I needed to find a job, since the job I thought I would have fell through.  Things just weren't falling into place.

This morning I was talking to my mama about all these things that were weighing down my heart, and how I just didn't know what to do.  I had been trying so hard to listen to the Spirit, but I was still confused.  I am happy to do whatever Heavenly Father wants me to do, I just need to know what it is!

Lately I have been thinking how nice it would be to just go home for a little while, and then go on my mission, instead of staying at BYU for spring and summer before heading out.  That way I wouldn't have to worry about all the things that had been stressing me out.  I thought that staying at BYU for another semester was my only option so I could have time to save money and finish more school since I will lose my scholarship if I serve a mission.  While I was talking to my mama, I told her that all I want to do right now is come home for a month or two, and then go on my mission.  She suggested that I do that.  As soon as she said that, I had such a strong feeling that that was exactly what I needed to do--the weight was immediately lifted off my shoulders.  She told me not to worry about the money for either school or my mission, because it will be taken care of.  This feels so good and right.

I was planning to go to the temple tonight, so she told me to go to the temple, think and pray about it, and make my decision.  I felt so good at the temple.  I absolutely love it there.  I wish I could go everyday.  I received my answer.  I think I was feeling so confused so that I would just go on my mission instead of doing spring/summer.  I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for me.  Now I just have to work like crazy to get my papers in.  I want them in by next week.

Life is so amazing.  I can't believe how incredibly blessed I am.  Life is so good. :)

I'M GOING ON A MISSION!! :)

Prospective Missionary Fireside

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Tonight, Amy and I went to the prospective missionary fireside.  Of course, it was awesome.  President Samuelson spoke.  I can't wait to be a missionary! :)

The Right Decision

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

After classes tonight, I went to the Provo temple with some girls from Relief Society.  It was the best experience.  I felt the Spirit so strongly, and I felt peace about some things I have been concerned about.  It was really busy, so we were there for about three hours.  We spent a long time signing hymns in the chapel, which was amazing. Then I had a lot of time to read the scriptures while we were waiting to be baptized and confirmed.  Every time I am unsure about serving a mission, I go to the temple and randomly open the scriptures while I am waiting.  Since my decision to serve, almost every single scripture that I have opened to has been about missionary work.  It confirms to me that a mission is what I need to be doing right now and it makes me so excited to serve the Lord.  It gives me such peace and joy to know that I am on the right track, and that I have the amazing blessing to serve a mission.  I can't believe how lucky I am.  It was so good to be in the temple, and I am so happy and so excited for my mission.

Let's get this Show on the Road

Sunday, February 3, 2013

I had my interview with the Bishop and my mission papers are started.  I am so stinkin' excited!

At least I'm not going to Oklahoma

Monday, January 28, 2013

I am so excited about serving a mission!  I texted my mama today to tell her that I had my interview with the Bishop scheduled.  The only thing she said was that I could thank her for ensuring that I don't get called to Oklahoma.  (Missionaries can't be called to the place where their family lives.)  Haha I love my mama.

Starting my Papers

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Today was an absolutely amazing day.  I have an appointment with the Bishop to start my mission papers next Sunday.  I am so excited.  I can't imagine a better way to spend 18 months.  I just want to go out and share the Gospel right now.  I'll have to wait a little while, but it will be worth the wait.
I AM GOING ON A MISSION!! A week from now my papers will be started!

I'm Goin' on a Mission!

Friday, January 25, 2013

I have decided to serve a mission.  I love my Savior and the Gospel so much, and I just want to share it.  I don't know how everything will work out, but I know if if it Heavenly Father's will that I serve, everything will work out and be ok.

Mission Age Change: The Beginning of my Journey

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Today was an absolutely incredible day.  It was the first day of General Conference.  President Monson made a life-altering announcement this morning that young men can now serve missions at age 18 and young women can serve at age 19.  This is such a blessing!  BYU is going crazy.  Almost everyone's plans for the next three years just got turned upside down.  I have never really planned on serving a mission because I hoped to be working towards getting married by the time I was 21.  It always felt like being 21 was so far off that I didn't have to worry about it yet.  I always thought that I would think about serving a mission once I got that far.  Now all of a sudden I will be 19 in less than three months--this makes serving a mission a real possibility for me.  It blows my mind.  I am thinking about putting in my papers this year and leaving over the summer to serve the Lord for a year and a half.  I'm not sure what will happen yet.  I need to pray to find out if that is what my Heavenly Father wants for me.  I would be so happy if it is in His plan for me.  I really want to serve a mission.

My Mission Blog!

Hey y'all!  Welcome to my mission blog!  I wanted to start my mission blog before I leave on my mission so that I can share the experiences I have in preparing to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints rather than just the experiences I have after I leave.  While I am gone, I will be able to write emails home every week, and my mom will post them here.

I'll start out by explaining my blog title "The White Fields of Peru."  Libby and I spent a long time trying to think of a good blog title, and this is the best we came up with.  It comes from Doctrine and Covenants section 4.  Verses 3-4 say, "Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work; For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul;"  

This scripture is all about missionary work!  When I was in 9th grade, my mom and I attended a mission prep class taught by Jack Christiansen.  I wasn't intentionally preparing to serve a mission at the time, but President Christiansen is an amazing teacher, and I loved going to class.  At the beginning of every class we recited section 4 of the Doctrine and Covenants, so this scripture became an important part of who I am and what I believe.  It gets me excited about missionary work, and reminds me that there are individuals waiting to hear the message of the Gospel-- it is up to me to share it with them.  I feel like it is speaking directly to me, since I definitely have desires to serve God.  

If I would have known all of the amazing experiences that would bring me to where I am today in serving a mission, I would have began this blog a long time ago.  I would have started it on October 6, 2012 when this journey all really began.  Since I didn't start it back then, I will copy journal entries instead from those days that impacted where I am now: waiting to serve the people of Peru!

Happy reading!