Week 7

Hey everyone!! It was a pretty awesome week here in West Jordan, Utah :) 

A few quotes by Lawrence E. Corbridge have really stuck with me this week during one of my morning studies. I'll paraphrase the main one I liked:

-You change all the time! YOU ARE NOT CAST IN STONE. Saying, "that's just how I am" or "that's not really who I am" or "I'm not that kinda person sorry" are all false. You CHOOSE to be that way. You will always have the agency to choose to change for the better, or for worse (But remember you are always changing). YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR WHO YOU BECOME, you aren't just born that way or destined to be a certain way forever.

Missions are amazing! The spirit you feel, and lives you change (especially your own) are something I wish you all could feel. If you are planning on serving a mission or thinking about it, DO IT! Don't let anything stop you from this great opportunity. You will NEVER have this specific time again. 18-24 months is a TINY sacrifice in the long run and will go by SO fast! I've been a missionary for over a month and it's already flown by so so fast! I honestly had a hard time deciding to go on a mission because of my life plans. I had planned out most of my life and had no intentions of changing that plan or "messing it up." It sounds ridiculous but I seriously had planned what schooling would happen each semester and at what school and when I would get married and to whom I would be marrying and where I would live and all the details related to those plans. A mission was not part of that detailed plan. But I suddenly had the strongest desire to do it. I knew I wanted to be here and it was worth changing all those specific plans for. Plus we all know life doesn't ever really to the way you plan anyways! Half of those plans I had set in stone are no longer options or at least not set in stone and super certain anymore for me. Which yes, is stressful having a lot unknowns for my future when I get home from my mission, but life happens. Plans always change. I'm glad I'm here and I'm serving a mission and I know I will be blessed for the time I'm sacrificing here:) Luckily, I'm on my mission. I have 17 months before I even need to think about those things (so in a way being on my mission is relieving because I don't need to know what's happening yet or have specific plans yet. I don't need to know which school I want to go to whether it's back to Texas Tech or to a Utah school. I don't need to know who I'll marry, when I'll marry them or if I'll meet someone to marry. I don't need to know exactly where i wanna live after. I dont need to everything yet. Ive got about 17 months before I even need to unnecessarily stress about my future) 

That sounds a little negative but my week was seriously AMAZING! Some of the best parts of my week were:

-transfer interviews with our mission president (I literally poured out my heart and soul and cried to him which I was not expecting to do at all haha but he is absolutely the kindest, most loving and best listening person I've ever met. You can see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice that he geninely cares about you and loves you)  

-hanging out with some of our older missionary couples. They give us rides and get us food they're some of my favorite people ever.

-seeing horses! There's a field of horses right next to our house and we always see them from a distance but one day this week we walked right by it and pet some and took fun pictures they were BEAUTIFUL

-eating the best Mexican tacos ever. This food was the first place so far that tasted like real Mexican food I could eat in El Paso and it was honestly the best food I've had this week 

-Exchanges! I was really stressed about it before because I didn't want a new companion or to be independent or do certain things by myself that my companion had always done so i was just super nervous. I was the one who stayed in my normal area which meant i had to know where things and people were and basically lead. But im new to the area so i was so scared to so that. But it was super fun and I got to grow closer to one of our STL's (sister training leaders) and also be more independent and learn some things I didnt know yet and lead more discussions and interactions. I did still miss my companion though I literally love her so much.

I love and miss you all and appreciate the updates and emails yall send :) enjoy some pictures !!