Redoing and Reviewing

I officially report to the Provo MTC on Wednesday, March 20, 2013 at 1:30 p.m.!!!!!!!!

I hope you all like how I've redone everything!  It's still a work in progress, but it will get completely hermana-ified in a few days.

I just wanted to share really quickly a couple thoughts that have been in my mind lately.

First: the Lord knows what we are doing to prepare and He's out there waiting to bless us.  It's amazing for me to see the blessings that have been poured into my lap as I've been trying to do as He asks.

Second: there is a lot to be said for treating people with patience and with charity.  It is so easy to judge people and to let feelings of disappointment, frustration, anger, or blame overcome our ability to act as Christ did and love those who have made mistakes or strayed from the path.  I have definitely gained a testimony of this over the last few weeks.  In our stake Relief Society Conference on Saturday, I attended a class on charity and my eyes filled with tears as I realized how my treating others with love and forgiveness instead of other negative reactions has absolutely flooded blessings into my life.  The Atonement has the ability to cleanse even the vilest of sinners: who are we to treat people with disdain or unkindness because they have made a mistake?

Third: I am getting more terrified and yet more excited by the day.  The gospel message we have to share has a potency unlike anything else on the earth: it can change hearts, minds, lives, and eternities.  I know that my experience on my mission will be more difficult and yet more rewarding than anything else I have done, and I know that I will cry and laugh, I will suffer, I will learn, and I WILL LOVE EVERY MINUTE.

Fourth: I cannot be grateful enough for the way my Heavenly Father really is in charge of my life and the lives of all His children.  If I know anything in this world, I know that He is real and that He loves us.