#YOLO

Foreword: YOLO = You Only Live Once. Please note that the use of "YOLO" in this blog post is meant in a manner of making fun of everyone who uses the word.  #YOLO

Warning: This is going to be a long post. You may want to get some snacks and water, because you'll need to stay hydrated.

Kevin, Me & Lindsay at Ammersee

So last Tuesday (14 Aug), Lindsay and I were coming home from the Augustiner, both tired and excited for the holiday the next day. That's right. Wednesday = holiday. So we were grabbing our keys out of our bags on the U-Bahn, only for Lindsay to realize...she had no keys. She had left them in her room and was locked out (this is the 3rd time this has happened). Every problem has a solution, so I gave lindsay a pair of my shorts and she discovered my couch has a fold out bed that's bigger than my current bed. #storyofmylife. Anyways, Lindsay was upset, and to make it better, we watched a couple episodes of Suits and skyped with Elo for a bit.

Wednesday morning, Lindsay was able to call the apartment office for them to come by and bring her keys. We got ready for the day...and went back to Puchheim (where we work) for our day off. haha. So we met up with Siv and when to her flat, which was SO CUTE! It was so awesome, and she decorated it herself. We made some risotto. It was kinda awesome. I cut up the mushrooms. Best cut mushrooms ever! We had a nice lunch and then Kevin came over to pick us up in his...wait for it....MUSTANG! So we were driving through Germany in a nice red Mustang. It was epic. We drove to the lake, Ammersee. The water was a little chilly, but the weather was a perfect temperature to balance it out. We swam, paddle boated, and ate a fish (with the head and eyes staring at you!). Then we went to Dachau to eat dinner and then toured the beautiful town of Fürstenfeldbruck. What a wonderful town! (shout out to Kevin!) It felt funny riding shotgun in a Ford Mustang going 100+mph listening to rap. Haha.

Last week I was also on a Radio Disney roll. I've been switching through different online music streaming websites, and I was so annoyed that all the music kept on cursing at me, so I decided I wanted something nice. So I turned to good ole fashion Disney to save the day. But after a few days, the music got super repetitive. But now I've found a new station with good music, so I'm happy.

I was at home on Thursday when the maids came to clean my room. I let them in, and one of the guys kept on trying to talk to me, so I talked back. He spoke in German, and I answered in English. It was a little difficult at time, but the funniest part was when I was able to explain to him that I don't smoke shisha because it's tobacco and tobacco is bad. We had a lot of fun in the 15 minutes he was in my room. We talked politics, life, and what we were doing in Germany. He was Iranian and AWESOME! My room also was cleaned more thoroughly than it ever had been before. That night, I fed the Sister Missionaries. It was so much fun! Jamie & Lindsay came over for dinner. I went to the Italian restaurant next door to get some pizzas and made some spaghetti, and Jaime brought some salad. The sisters brought dessert. It said it needed to go into the oven, but I dont have an oven in my room.  So I thought it was an already cooked apfelstrudel that just needed to be heated to be crisp, so i said we just put it in the microwave....turns out it wasn't pre-cooked. It was raw. So we did plan B....we cut it in half and got two skillet pans and cooked it over the stove. it was pretty creative. (I've been playing with my food a lot recently and my theory is that it's the sign of a creative mind. #fact)

Friday after work, Lindsay, Siv, and I went to Kempten for a festival. The best part...DIRNDLS!!!! (Definition of a dirndl: traditional Bavarian dress worn at festivals and other days you want to look smokin' hott) I was told on a tour that dirndls were the best because they emphasis all the good parts and hide all the bad parts. #testify. Since Lindsay and I do not have dirndls, Petra let us borrow hers. It fit really well on me...Lindsay's was a little big on top. Lolz. Granted, I'm not big on cleavage, so it was quite a feat that I was modest in the dirndl. It was cool because I did not see any dirndls that were exactly the same. Everyone looked unique. We have also decided lederhosen are super hott! And at this festival were beautiful dirndls, hott guys in lederhosen, good food, and great company galore. It was a really good night, even after meeting Diva-Lindsay on the journey home and having to pack after getting home and not going to bed till super late.

Petra's 2 friends...Petra, Lindsay, Me & Siv

I woke up after 5.5 hours of sleep, and to be honest, I was worried I wouldn't wake up to my alarm. So I got up and flew to Gatwick and got into London a little later than I anticipated. My original plan was to do the HP Studio Tour, but of course, this was the one Saturday it was closed. So I went and got a ticket for Les Miserables. My favourite play in the entire world. Now I must put a disclaimer, this will be the 4th time I've seen this play, and I remember loving it, but when I saw it this time, I fell in love all over again. Within the first few minutes, I was in tears over the beauty of the music and the power of the actors' voices. The emotions the play invoked were so powerful and wonderful. I was able to compose myself for a few moments, but when the Bishop came on the stage and showed such Christ-like love to the broken Jean Valjean saying:

"Come in sir for you are weary
And the night is cold out there
Though our lives are humble,
What we have we have to share"...I lost it again.

Then Valjean is brought back after stealing from the bishop, but the bishop pardons him and says:

"But remember this, my brother
See in this some higher plan,
You must use this precious silver
To become an honest man
By the witness of the martyrs
By the Passion and the Blood
God has raised you out of darkness
I have bought your soul for God"

Oh, the play just testified to my heart the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and how we can all change, repent, and be forgiven. For the rest of the play Valjean is working towards redemption and peace for his past crimes. There was Javert the entire time fighting against Valjean and his change, but Valjean endured and faced each trial with love and faith. I never realized how much the play focused on faith, and it touched my soul. I'm pretty sure that all my crying scared the guy sitting next to me because after intermission, he moved a seat over to be away from me. haha. Another wonderful thing about the play was... when I was 11, I saw my first play ever, The Phantom of the Opera, and it was in London. From that moment on, my mom made sure we had a tradition of whenever we saw a play in London, we would get ice cream during intermission. I am proud to say, I honored my family and our traditions by eating a yummy ice cream during intermission. :) After the play I went to Kate and Rachel's, where Kate and I hung out for the night partying (aka chatting it up!).

Sunday, I ruined an adorable moment between Rachel and (at the time, her fiancee) Ben, when he or she, I can't remember, said "the next time I see you we'll be getting married". I couldn't contain my "awwwww" and then felt bad I ruined their moment and went to the kitchen after apologizing. We had lunch with Kate's family. Rachel has 2 adorable little cousins who I got to hang out with during the wedding. Rachel and I went to run some late minute errands for the wedding and bake the rest of the night.

 On Monday...aka the WEDDING DAY!...I woke up and saw Rachel eating breakfast in the chair watching The Prince of Persia. Now I haven't hung out with many brides on their wedding day or the days leading up to the wedding day, but I'm pretty sure Rachel is the calmest bride ever. It was great. The wedding was in the Hedingham Castle. I arrived with Rachel's aunts, and we got there just a little later than expected, so we had about 10 minutes to walk from the car park up the little hill to get to the castle...plus we still needed to change. I ran into the forest area and had to change into my tight dress behind a tree. I ended up forgetting to change into my ankle boots I brought for the wedding :( and didn't remember to put my lip gloss into my purse. #timesarehard. The wedding was gorgeous. Words cannot describe how happy I was to see them get married, as soon as Rachel came out and the ceremony started, I... surprise, surprise...cried. Totally worth it. The reception was great. I was chatting with the DJ during the reception and he thought it was great that I was from Texas and decided he needed to play a line-dancing song for me. He played Cotton-Eyed Joe. (please click on that link so you know what I'm talking about and can see the dance). Now most people probably aren't as mentally scared as I am from that song, but it brought back memories of bad youth dances of the past. LOLZ!!!! He thought it was great, and afterwards, I had to explain to him that Cotton-Eyed Joe isn't any regular line but has it's very own special dance. His wife said she tried to explain that to him. haha. The entire night Rachel looked like a princess. I was talking to her husband, Ben, and every five minutes, he kept on saying "doesn't she look beautiful" and i would respond in equal awe, "YES :) she's AMAZING!!!!" I also hung out with Rachel's aunts a lot that night. They're legit. It was hot earlier that day, but by night, it was soooo cold. But nevertheless, Rachel was soooo pretty!!!!!!! It was a magical day.



























I stayed the night with Kate and her family in some rooms above a pub. It was awesome, because for breakfast, we had a good ole fashion English breakfast...which means....BAKED BEANS! my fav!!!!! Then I had to buy the Digestives so I can pay my entry fee to get back home to Texas. And Kate dropped me off at the airport early so I could spend the day doing work. I got home an hour and a half late though because my plane was late and then I missed my stop on the S-Bahn because I was reading a book and forgot to look up :/


Wednesday I was back at work in Puchheim. After work, Lindsay and I did some retail therapy, because we found out they are changing our program so we are not going to Brazil and China anymore, and I got some shoes. Shoes. We then met up with Kevin and his girlfriend, Anya at Hirschgarten. It was lovely and the weather had cooled down. They were telling us more about Germany and inviting us back for Oktoberfest. Kevin kept on asking me why I didn't drink, so I explained how it was part of my religious beliefs. His response "Does your religion have a holiday?". He thinks I really need to try the Oktoberfest beer. lol. Then we started teaching Kevin some slang words. This is where YOLO came in. We kept on saying it throughout the night.

At work on Thursday, it was really funny, becuase Lindsay and I were talking about things that had changed since we got to Germany. One thing that was mention was how out German lunches in the cantina no longer make us feel sick. Kevin's resonse? "Mine still do". #YOLO After work, we went to Siv's with Petra for a girl's night! Woot! I told Siv about King Ranch Chicken and how it's my favourite, so she's decided we have to make it, even thought Lindsay and I tried to explain how you can't really get the proper ingredients in Germany, but Siv wants to try it anyways. I've only seen one failed attempt at King Ranch Chicken before, and this time was not the second :) It was made with some improvised ingredients and we made our own rotel tomatoes from scratch. It was pretty awesome. I'm seriously going to miss Petra and Siv. Sad.

p.s. it's thursday night and i'm just now unpacking from my trip to england only because i have to repack for my trip to Cologne, Germany tomorrow. #exhausted #YOLO

The quote of the week:
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.

London, My Love

So after work on friday I had a car take me to the train station and I went into London. I got there around...7ish and found my hotel. I realized I accidentally booked a room with a communal shower and bathroom. UGH! (ironic i'm complaining because i love hostels, but when you're not planning on staying at a hostel, it's not a fun surprise)  because i was so annoyed, i yelled at the guy and literally stormed off. I'm so embarrassed by my behaviour. it's terrible. So to feel better, I went shopping. I found black skinny jeans that fit like a gem! I bought some gifts for peoples, and for myself...and ate some food. after that I felt super better! I walked back to the hotel with a new attitude and a new bounce in my step. On the walk back, I saw this beautiful view, and knew it was going to be a glorious weekend.

I was walking home Friday night and knew that I had to
take a pic for Christine

You know how I know God exists?
A cupcake stand in the middle of a store
He loves me *that* much

On Saturday, I woke up super early. Did a bit of shopping and found some more wonderful things to buy. My friend Christine told me to walk around with a camera and take lots of pics...so i decided to wander to the touristy areas to take pics. It was crazy. Tourists are ridiculous. There were some moments I just wanted to take pictures of the weird things the tourists were doing instead of the monument I was supposed to be looking at. It was cool. Gotta love London. I went back to drop off my winnings for the day and headed out to the theatre. Don't ask me why, but I incorrectly wrote down where the theatre house was, so I thought it was at the very end of the black line. Luckily, that end was not working on Saturday, so I got off in Camden Town. Then I remembered...hey, i think it's near here and i wrote it down wrong! I was correct and managed to get there in time, with time enough to run to the sainsbury's across the street for a quick sandwich and milk, with a galaxy chocolate muffin (why not, right?) The Twelfth Night was awesome! (even thought I had to close my eyes at one part during the portrayal of Malvolio because he was dressed a little scandalously to show his love for Olivia. so awkward) Then, I finally remembered the street with all the shops on it (i had been wracking my brain all day trying to remember). I went to Oxford Street. It's always a good thing when the first thing you see coming out of a tube station is a Top Shop. Oh happy day. It was ridiculously crowded in the store, and in the streets, and everywhere. But there was a cupcake stand inside of the TopShop!!! Woot! It's genius really. Cupcakes and Shopping. Two fun things in life, put together. So I was super exhausted from the day and decided to go eat. Except I couldnt remember where any food was, except in Leicester Square. So I got there to realize that there was still time to buy a ticket and go see Les Mis! It was sold out. Bah humbug. Then I wanted a salad for dinner. All the places didnt have a salad I wanted. So i got a slice of pizza and ate it in the nice little grassy area. As I was leaving, I saw a group of teens walking around with a cardboard cutout of Lucius Malfoy. Good times.

Sunday was WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hopped on the train to visit my England mummy and sister, Kate and Rachel. They picked me up from the station and we went to church. It was a great meeting with great fun. Then we went home where a Galaxy bar was waiting for me on counter top. TRUE LOVE! (in case it hasn't clicked yet, i have a wicked sweet tooth)  That's why Kate is the best. She helps me get my chocolate fix. Last time I was here, we went to Tesco where there was no judgement when I got a giant box of Galaxy bars to take home for me and the fam. True Love. Lol. We spend a wonderful evening together catching up. Being awesome together (one of our fav pastimes). Ben even came over, Rachel's fiancée, so I could meet him. I got to ask super nosey questions for fun. Rachel was telling him that he's escaped their whole relationship without dealing with that, as she's an only child, so I was finally coming to do my sibling-ly duty of making sure he has good intentions :) It was awesome. He's cool. I'm excited for the eternity of friendship and visiting each other we all have in front of each other. Can't wait for the wedding either! We watched the England v. Italy match together. It was terrible. I wanted to kill England for sucking so badly. My heart was aching. Seriously. The only one who knew what was going on was Andy Carroll. As a matter of fact, he's my new favourite player. I don't like Rooney anymore. I may have to throw away my Rooney jersey. Bah humbug. I liked Hart too until he missed all those penalty shots. But it's good. Italy played better.

The view from the window in our conference room this week.
How can we be working on a beautiful day like this?

But now I'm in Surrey, working in a conference room in a swanky hotel till Wednesday when I get to fly back to my flat in Germany. This is the view from our conference room window. Amazing. I got lost getting to my room it's so big. No really. One of the workers was showing me where it was and we got lost. It was so awkward. I got to Skype Marijn tonight and I can't wait to hang out with the guys again.
Other things I'm looking forward to? 
-doing laundry. I bought detergent here in England so I wouldn't have to figure out the differences between all of them in German.
-finding hangers
-Friday night :)

My Life's Constant

Moment in time: Germany just kick Greece's butt and is on their way to the semi-finals in the Euro Cup. Woot.

I've been wanting Union Jack shoes for YEARS
they didnt have them in my size :(

It's been a long week. I was sent to Redditch for the week to work on a new project. It is interesting and fun. And I'm pretty sure I suggested that we all have a meeting in two weeks in a different part of Germany, so i'm going to have to travel again. Which means, Redditch this week. and i'm in London for the weekend because it was pointless to fly to Munich only to turn around and fly back for my project meeting in London next week. Then my suggested trip to one part of Munich and then the following week i'll be in Schopfheim, Germany (which is where Germany, Switzerland, and France meet up). With all the travelling, I'm finally understanding what my dad would say when he got back from business trips. I would always ask, "what did you see?!?!?!" and he would say "not much, I go to work, eat dinner, and then back to the hotel". I never understood why he didn't have tons of time to sight-see. i get it now.

With all this travel, my new motto is "home is where my suitcase is". For the past four Sundays I've been travelling. These are the locations because some one asked earlier.

1. New Zealand to Texas
2. Texas to Missouri
3. Missouri to Germany
4. Germany to England

When I was in New Zealand, Saryah thought it was weird (and probably a little annoying) with how I wanted to go to church every Sunday and then something would happen so we couldn't and I would be upset. Luckily on my last Sunday there, I was leaving in the evening, so Saryah & I were able to make it to sacrament. It was amazing. I was so overwhelmed with how peaceful and wonderful it was to be at church. 

When I landed in Germany, I literally put my stuff in my flat, had a 5 minute shower and left to try and find the church. When I saw it I just burst into smiles. I was smiling all through the German meeting. Luckily, they had someone translating, but I was trying not to giggle as I attempted to sing the hymns in German. It was wonderful. Then I went back that night for a Young Single Adults (YSA) dinner they were having. Then I went back for the YSA Family Home Evening on Monday night. One of the girls saw me there and said "you've been here two days and have already come to church 3 times" to which one person said "she has her priorities straight".  

When I flew into London on Sunday, I made sure to get a train ticket that would give me enough time to go to church before having to head off to Redditch. I was in a state of bliss the whole time I was in church. I was able to answer questions, sing my fav songs, and love life.

I don't talk about this to show you that I'm obsessed with going to church or that I'm creepy weird. I did these things because with all the crazy moving, living out of a suitcase, being in a different place, and always meeting new people...there is one constant in my life. Always. No matter where I am or what's going on in my life, the gospel of Jesus Christ and His church is there, and it's the same no matter what country or language it is. The Holy Spirit is there, testifying of the truths that are being taught. There is a peace that enters into my soul when I walk through the doors. It realigns me after a week of awkward moments or complete cluelessness or exhaustion. It doesn't matter where I am in the world or whether or not I speak the language, the Spirit has no language barriers, and I know I'm surrounded by people who feel the same way. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the same no matter where you or I are in the world, and I know that it is Christ's church. 

The Awkward Moments of My Life

Oh the many embarrassing/awkward moments of starting a new job in a foriegn country where you dont speak the language. I'm going to have so many of those moments in the coming year. yay me.

Maybe my fav moment of the week: Someone approached me as I was getting off the metro to go to work and started speaking to me in German. Instead of saying "I dont speak English", I got tongue-tied, didnt conjugate, and said "you dont speak german". The guy gave me a really weird look, and I quickly walked off because I felt so awkward.

I went grocery shopping, and, SURPRISE! everything is in German. I had milk and cheese on my grocery list. It was a lot more difficult than I thought. Cheeses look surprisingly alike. So I just had to look at it and determine if I liked how it looked. Same with the milk. I did notice that one milk said "Soya" and I stayed away from that. But grocery shopping was hard. I didn't get the cheese I wanted in the end. It's good cheese, but not what I was planning on when I bit into my cheese sandwich.

Marienplatz

It's like having a greenie experience without having a trainer who knows the language to help you out. For example at lunch time (or dinner, when I go to a bakery to get something because I'm too hungry to cook when I get home). I literally look at the food and point to get it. At lunch, I look for the most appetizing meal, and say the German word for "little" so they give me the smaller portion as I point. I honestly don't know what it is that I'm eating. Same at the bakery. I know it's something that looks good. But I have no idea what it's called.

Anther awesome moment is earlier this week with the doors. I know I posted it on facebook, but I just want to say it again. All the doors at work have the german words for "push" and "pull". But when you do not know what the words mean, you recognize it, but you don't know what to do. I would push and pull. There was one door that you push to get in but then there is some sort of knob on the other side you have to twist. So I was standing at the door pushing and pulling for a bit until I decided to try the weirdly shaped knob. Now that I have made flashcards to help me and Matt has given me a little trick to remember, I only slightly pause at doors to think and then I remember. So if you ignore the strange pauses before going through doors, I totally look like I know what's going on. Plus, I even managed to program my email into the german scanner without realizing it. Now that's talent.

Dont worry...that's an Orange Fanta in my hand

At work they gave us a card to get in the doors and then another to put money on so you can buy lunch next door. I tried to put both the cards in the card holder they gave us but it didnt fit. So the second day, I was determined to make it fit. I definitely made it fit, but then I couldnt get it out. :/ I tried using my teeth and different things. I broke a nail. Then an IT guy came in to ask if I needed help with my computer. I said no, but then asked him about the cards and if he could get it out. He took it away and a bit later returned with it out. He then made me promise 3 times that I wouldnt do that again. He saw me later that day and made me show him where my lunch card was.

I had a conference call about the project I'm working on last Thursday. I tried to log in and it wouldnt let me. I messaged my boss to tell her I was having difficulties, but that I was working on it. I had to download java onto my laptop and when it downloaded (after taking forever) it said that it couldnt read it. So I had to download it again. By the time I got it all worked out, I was connected long enough for them to say, "so any questions? ok. well we'll talk again next week. bye!" AHHHHH! Que horror!

Beer Garden in English Gardens

On Friday, things were better. I was feeling good about life. At the end of the day, I realized I was probably one of the last people there because everyone leaves early on Fridays....and the automatic doors stop being automatic. I was standing in front of the automatic door, locked in the building, trying to figure out how I was supposed to get out of the building. Luckily, some guys came up about 2 minutes into it and found the tiny button hidden on a far wall that you press to open the door.

So after a long week of work, Jarrett (who got into Germany earlier that week) and I decided to meet up. We decided to meet in the English Gardens. But my phone died after I told him where in the English Gardens I was. after waiting a bit in one place, I decided to start walking. luckily he spotted me and we were both starving and went to a Beer Garden in the English Gardens to eat. Jarrett got a giant pretzel.

Isar River

On Saturday, Jarrett and I met up. I rented a bike, and we biked around the area. It was a super hot day but Munich is GORGEOUS!!!! The guys renting me the bike said I had to have a "Ladies" bike. It was pink. Lol. We got some ice cream to cool down. We then went across town to play soccer with some of the Munich YSA (Young Single Adult) people. It was fun. It was way to hot for me to play. I was melting and I could hear Saryah in my head yelling about being in the sun and skin cancer, so I stayed in the shade.  Then I got a nice little private German tour with a friend the rest of the evening. 

Sunday:  But I had a great church day. I got into London in time for the YSA meeting time. On the tube I saw a guy in a white shirt, tie, and dark trousers, with a girl in a modest (shoulders covered and dress was down to her knees) dress and I thought, "they're totally going to church". So I used my super creepy stalking skills to follow them out of the station and saw them joined by two other modestly dressed girls. So I asked if they were going to the LDS church and they responded positively, so I asked to follow them. It was lovely. One of the speakers was an RSM (returned sister missionary...i made up that terminology) It was a beautiful talk on the Plan of Happiness (which I LOVE!!!) and we sung "How Firm a Foundation" which is one of my favs! It was a wonderful Sunday. I sat with my new friend Lloyd (who has my dream job of being paid to travel and show people the world) and his Australian lady friend.  Then in Sunday School, before the class started, I thought I heard Spanish but I wasnt sure, so I asked as class was starting. The guy said he was from Venezuela! He was super excited I spoke Spanish, but we decided to chat after class. The class was amazing. It was about remembering the wonderful things our Saviour has done for us. It was a great lesson. And afterwards, me, the teacher, and the Venezuelan just chatted it up in Spanish. It was GREAT! I love latinos! It was awesome. They were really funny guys. Then I had to leave in the middle of the third (and last) hour because I had a train to catch....but I missed my train anyways, even though I was totally on time.

my "ladies" bike and ice cream

When I got to my hotel room, I had told my family I wanted to Skype for Father's Day. It was crazy. The sound wasn't working on either of our laptops, so we were miming to each other and typing. Eventually, they could hear me, but I couldnt hear them, so they made me talk a lot and then type the questions. We switched to Gmail video chat after I had to download the function. Then we realize that we could use the video chat of Gmail and the voice my dad's phone's Skype app. It was a fiasco. After about an hour from initial contact, I think we managed to be 100% voice and video functioning with Gmail video chat. WIN!

It's been a good first week in Germany, and this week I'm in Redditch, England. I'll tell you about it next week. On a happy note, Marijn, Jelmer, Jarno, Lukas, and I have finally agreed on a date and location for hanging out. It's going to be a PARTAY! I can't wait.

Best Letter Ever Received!

News: My friend Terrence got his mission call to the England Manchester Mission.

Terrence got his mission call earlier today and posted it on facebook. He said he would open it at the Institute building at 6pm. Honestly I don't know how he could wait soooooo long. When I got my call...well, I tell you about that in a bit. But at 6, I was there. Too bad Terrence wasn't. :) But seriously, he showed up and we waited for some more close friends who were running late. He brought a map and we all put little tabs on where we thought he would go. When everyone arrived, he opened his letter. The foyer became quiet as the spirit grew stronger and Terrence read his letter. When he read "you have been called to serve in the England Manchester Mission..." everyone went nuts with cheering and clapping. He continued to read his report date when he will arrive at the Preston England Mission Center and continued to read the mission call from the prophet, Thomas S. Monson. I was just brought back to the time when I got my mission call and how wonderful that was. I remembered the feelings of joy I had. Everyone cheered for and hugged Terrence. Then someone started singing "Called to Serve" and I almost lost it. I wanted to sing along but the sight of all these Returned Missionaries gathered around singing:

"Called to serve Him, heavenly King of Glory,
Chosen e'er to witness for his name,
Far and wide we tell the Father's story,
Far and wide his love proclaim"

It was so beautiful and the Spirit testified to me of how the message the missionaries teach is true. It reminded me of the joy I felt as a missionary to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Terrence is going to be amazing. I remember meeting him and talking to him about going on a mission. My thoughts have not changed; it will be the most amazing, wonderful, beautiful, life-changing experience ever. Terrence is a man of faith and inner strength who helps me be a better person.

As I left I started remembering the day I received my mission call. It was 17 October 2009. I just had gotten back home from Ottawa, Canada a few days before, where I was visiting Christina and we both caught the swine flu. It had progressed to bronchitis by the time I got to the doctor back in the US, so I was sick and on antibiotics. It was a Saturday, and for some reason my dad didn't go to the ranch to ride horses and rope cattle (which is a miracle in and of itself). For some reason, I went to the to check the mail, which is not something I normally do. I got the mail, and as I was walking back to the house, I was flipping through the letters and saw it. The Letter. My mission call. I went home and called out for everyone to come down so I could read my letter. I called my brother to see if he could come home, but he wasn't answering the phone. I called a couple of times, and no one picked up, so I left a couple of messages. Then I made the wonderful decision to just open the call! I remember reading the mission call to go to the California Santa Rosa Mission-Spanish Speaking and was so excited along with my parents and little sister. After the excitement wore off, we all looked at each other and asked, "Where is Santa Rosa?" True story. We google-mapped it (it's in northern California), and I was excited. I was excited to serve a mission and to learn Spanish, a language that alluded me for years!

I look back at the 18 months I served as a missionary on behalf of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, teaching people His gospel, and it brings me such joy. I think of the answers I would hear when I asked people who had just received a testimony from God that there was a living prophet on the earth, "What does that mean to you?" I think of people who had a desire to know for themselves if the Book of Mormon is scripture from God and prayed; the happiness and clarity that was in their countenance after they received the confirmation of the Holy Ghost was life-changing. I remember talking to a boy who had never prayed in his life, and we taught him how to pray; the next time he talked to us he told us of his experience and how he felt a comforting presence he had never felt before in his life. I love my mission. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know it has been restored to the earth and is found, in its fullness, in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I know that God still talks to the world through a living prophet, Thomas S. Monson. I know that the Book of Mormon is Another Testament of Jesus Christ and tells of Gods dealings with His people on the American continents. I know God loves us and will never leave us without guidance.  I know it, and I cannot deny it.