Happy New Year

Hiiii everyone hope your holiday season has been wonderful! 

Christmas Eve and ALL THE SNOW

The nights before Christmas were packed and full of miracles and families and chaos and snow. But I don't know much about what happened Christmas night or the days after; Temple Square turns into a petri dish during this time of the year so my companion and I caught the flu and were home all week starting Christmas day. BUT I got to skype my beautiful family and there was a Christmas program where all the sisters sang beautiful Christmas music. I don't know if I've mentioned this before but basically ALL the Sisters here have incredible music ability. It's neat to be surrounded by so much talent and beauty all the time. Also that night Sister Evaga and I moved our beds to the living room where our Christmas tree is, next to the windows where the snow was falling hardcore, turned on Christmas music (aka I Stand All Amazed by Vocal Point on repeat) so we could just lay there and soak in Christmas vibes. I really will never forget this Christmas and this Christmas season. So grateful for how close I feel to the Savior.

Christmas mern. Thanks for the Christmas jammies mum

We had a service project at the end of this week at the Utah food bank, helped to pack boxes of bread and rolls.

   

At the Utah food bank, they accumulate leftover groceries all over and donate it.

I told everyone who wanted In N Out to raise their hands..so...we did that..

Had a lot of conversations with the missionaries in our zone, to get to know them better and how we can help them. I was talking to one sister about all of the stereotypes about visitor center/temple Square missions. And we realized and talked about how no one will ever really understand what happens here, the pace and difficulty of the work, yet not seeing the fruits of it, the bond with all the sisters we develop, the people we meet everyday, the mission in itself...etc. But that's how everyone's missions are. And how lives are really. We can never understand what someone has done or gone through or experienced it until we do it ourselves. And that's also why it's important not to judge. I think that's why being sick this week was a good experience because it helped me to empathize with the Sisters. And Jesus has felt it all, so it's nice to be able to turn to him too and I'm grateful He will still be with me after my mission. 

Altogether we weigh 2,600 lbs.....haha

Also had exchanges with Sister Wight from SO Cali. Saw so many miracles together I love exchanges so much. We took this family on a tour they ARE SO CUTE The mom is from Serbia, Dad is from Bosnia but they moved to CA and now they have a little boy. They knew nothing about the church before coming to Temple square and just SOAKED everything in on the tour and loved hearing about the way the church reaches out with humanitarian work all over. They wanted to stay in contact and learn more so Sister Wight will continue to teach them:):):) 

Skyping family, only part of the crew I forgot to take pics..

I'm still in the process of figuring out my goals for the year. But something I have been thinking about lately and shared with a family that we took through the video God's Plan for the Family last night, is that it's good for us to have goals. Even Heavenly Father has goals. His goal is for us to be happy and return to Him. And He has plans for us to accomplish that goal. Called the Plan of Salvation aka plan of happiness......... There's a new-ish chapter in preach my gospel "How do I fulfill my Purpose", (ps There will be a new preach my gospel sometime in the near future..) but the chapter talks a lot about making plans with the goals we set. In it, there is a quote from Elder M. Russel Ballard: 

"Over the years, I have observed that those who accomplish the most in this world are those with a vision for their lives, with goals to keep them focused on their vision and tactical plans for how to achieve them. Knowing where you are going and how you expect to get there can bring meaning, purpose, and accomplishment to life...a goal is a destination or an end, while a plan is the route by which you get there...A key to happiness lies in understanding what destinations truly matter--and then spending our time, effort and attention on the things that constitute a sure way to arrive there."

In the words of M. Russell Ballard when he came to visit: You are serving your mission in a magical fairyland.

 That's a nice thought. Easier said than done. But so possible. And I want to do that this year. Accomplish things I have always wanted to do but have been too scared, and become more of the person God wants me to be. So I guess that's why prayer is also kind of important for this.. so that's my challenge for you this week: to sincerely pray about your goals, maybe ask "what lack I yet," and make plans to accomplish them. I'm doing it too. I'm SO EXCITED FOR 2018. And so grateful for the entire year of 2017 to be on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

A fun tour we took with these exchange students from India, France, and Spain

Also I have kind of a weird favor to ask if you're reading this, will you share with me your goals and plans?

And also something to help me as well: what is something you have ever pictured me doing for work/school? 

love you all so much! 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy New Year from yours truly