HOLD UP. I REPORT WHEN?
So I just got a call from my Bishop telling me that I leave on MAY 8TH instead of the 22nd. AHH! This just got real! One Month. One more month and I am out of here, and off to Sao Paolo (that is, if I get my visa on time). How crazy is that!? I haven't even bought my clothes, or anything for that matter. Two days ago, I had 40-some odd days before I left, now I have barely 30. I am just reminding myself CONSTANTLY that "Faith in the Lord requires Faith in his Timing." And boy does he know about timing. So, now that my mission is in sight, I will have to get everything done. I am such a procrastinator!!!
So I just got a call from my Bishop telling me that I leave on MAY 8TH instead of the 22nd. AHH! This just got real! One Month. One more month and I am out of here, and off to Sao Paolo (that is, if I get my visa on time). How crazy is that!? I haven't even bought my clothes, or anything for that matter. Two days ago, I had 40-some odd days before I left, now I have barely 30. I am just reminding myself CONSTANTLY that "Faith in the Lord requires Faith in his Timing." And boy does he know about timing. So, now that my mission is in sight, I will have to get everything done. I am such a procrastinator!!!
...in other news.....
For those of you who aren't Mormon, twice a year, we get as many of the +14 million members together on Saturday and Sunday and the Leaders of the Church speak to us via Internet Broadcast. If they don't have internet, they can watch at their church buildings, or several other places. The missionary age announcement had such a huge effect on the Church. Currently there are 65,634 full-time missionaries out on the field. 20,000 more have their mission calls, and are waiting to enter the Missionary Training Center (that's me!), and there are about 6,000 applications per week! Since October, 58 new missions have been opened! Again, for those of you who aren't mormon, this is a BIG DEAL! Oh how the work is progressing!!
Anywhoooo, so we have one Apostle named Elder Russel M. Nelson. Just so you know, he's pretty awesome. All of the apostles are pretty dang cool! But his talk was a lot about how amazing it is that all of these chilluns are so excited to go and preach the gospel! I gotta say, it is pretty spectacular.. and then some. He talked about how RIGHT NOW is the time to preach the gospel, whether you're a missionary or not, because in all actuality, we are all missionaries, with or without a name tag. So he was pretty much just saying, BE READY to give a reason why we live the way we do. So it got me thinking. Why do I do the things I do. People say that my Church is a strict church. I guess that's a way to look at it. But I've never seen it that way. I live this way because I CHOOSE to live this way. It's not my parents' decision. It's not my leaders' decision. I have grown up, and I have learned what is right and what is wrong, and while people can teach me to do what is right, it is only up to me whether I do what I know is right, and what I know is wrong. AND THE BLESSINGS THAT COME FROM CHOOSING THE RIGHT! While you can say, "what blessings?" Whether you know it or not, every choice has a consequence. Not just an "eternal consequence". For example, if you eat a gallon of icecream, you're not going to go to hell, but you will likely get a stomach ache. If you choose to smoke or drink, you have to deal with the issues of getting addicted, as well as other consequences. Personally, I don't view these decisions as "I can't. I'm Mormon." It's "I won't, because I can be doing something better with my time and energy." I choose to do these things because in the long run, I am so much happier.
And sure, I do these things because I believe that if I continue to try and do better every day, and be more Christ-like, I'll be able to live with my Heavenly Father again. And a lot of people can question me by saying, "how can you be so sure that there is something after this life?" Simple. I have faith. And have I ever been let down by faith? Never. No, angels haven't fallen from the sky telling me that the Gospel is true, BUT, I have seen the Gospel of Jesus Christ change SO MANY LIVES, and I have seen miracles in my life and in the lives of those around me because of His teachings.
So, anyways, to conclude my rambling. I just think it's awesome that I get to say that I am one of the nearly 90,000 kids going out and getting ready to share that happiness that us 14 million Mormons feel, and just so ya know, it feels pretty great.
Anywhoooo, so we have one Apostle named Elder Russel M. Nelson. Just so you know, he's pretty awesome. All of the apostles are pretty dang cool! But his talk was a lot about how amazing it is that all of these chilluns are so excited to go and preach the gospel! I gotta say, it is pretty spectacular.. and then some. He talked about how RIGHT NOW is the time to preach the gospel, whether you're a missionary or not, because in all actuality, we are all missionaries, with or without a name tag. So he was pretty much just saying, BE READY to give a reason why we live the way we do. So it got me thinking. Why do I do the things I do. People say that my Church is a strict church. I guess that's a way to look at it. But I've never seen it that way. I live this way because I CHOOSE to live this way. It's not my parents' decision. It's not my leaders' decision. I have grown up, and I have learned what is right and what is wrong, and while people can teach me to do what is right, it is only up to me whether I do what I know is right, and what I know is wrong. AND THE BLESSINGS THAT COME FROM CHOOSING THE RIGHT! While you can say, "what blessings?" Whether you know it or not, every choice has a consequence. Not just an "eternal consequence". For example, if you eat a gallon of icecream, you're not going to go to hell, but you will likely get a stomach ache. If you choose to smoke or drink, you have to deal with the issues of getting addicted, as well as other consequences. Personally, I don't view these decisions as "I can't. I'm Mormon." It's "I won't, because I can be doing something better with my time and energy." I choose to do these things because in the long run, I am so much happier.
And sure, I do these things because I believe that if I continue to try and do better every day, and be more Christ-like, I'll be able to live with my Heavenly Father again. And a lot of people can question me by saying, "how can you be so sure that there is something after this life?" Simple. I have faith. And have I ever been let down by faith? Never. No, angels haven't fallen from the sky telling me that the Gospel is true, BUT, I have seen the Gospel of Jesus Christ change SO MANY LIVES, and I have seen miracles in my life and in the lives of those around me because of His teachings.
So, anyways, to conclude my rambling. I just think it's awesome that I get to say that I am one of the nearly 90,000 kids going out and getting ready to share that happiness that us 14 million Mormons feel, and just so ya know, it feels pretty great.