He's coming HOME!

Mormon Missionaries are probably some of my favorite people in the entire world. They go out and serve in an area of the world which they were called by the church's Presidency. They teach the beliefs of our church, they do service, they lift up, and make lives happy...or happier than they were. They go and do all these things (an more) for 18 months (for Sister Missionaries)  to 24 (For Elders) months. Some are sent to Sierra Leone, Africa; some go to Kiev, Ukraine; and some go to Ventura, California. There are 405 missions throughout the world, with over a hundred different languages spoken. There are over 60,000 missionaries currently serving around the world.  Recently the missionary age had changed from 19 to 18  for Young Men and from 21 to 19 for Young Women. I have about 5 friends who have come home/ will come home this year, and more coming home ext year. One friend in particular, Elder Jacob Wenz, will be coming home in just SIX DAYS!

 

Just a little bit of a back story for you about Jake: I met him at my first Youth Conference in 2008, when I was 14 and he was 16. We automatically became friends.We were friends for about two years or so before our friendship became rocky. We barely spoke for two years. We'd 'deal' with each other when he had to, but we just kind of drifted apart. Another year went by and we  kind of started talking again, very infrequently, however. Right before he went on his mission, He sent me a text saying that he wanted me to be at his farewell. My first thought was that I didn't need to go, he wouldn't miss me if I wasn't there. I ended up deciding that I should go. I went and I felt a little bit out of place because I didn't know any of his family except for his little sister, Charlie. I met his mom, who by the way is SO sweet. I wasn't there for very long, but I was glad that I went and that I got to say goodbye to him. Before I left, I shook his hand and called him "Elder" for the first time (after missionaries are set apart, they are not allowed to hug someone of the opposite gender). At the beginning of his mission, I wrote letters to him fairly frequently. In the middle of his mission, however, I stopped writing him because I felt like I  hadn't completely cleared the air with him from those years before. About 9 months ago, Jake's mom got in contact with me and  (I won't go into detail) we bonded a little bit. I explained to her my reservations about writing to Jake and she encouraged me to continue writing to him. I started writing him again. Once I found out that missionaries were allowed to email anyone (family, friends, etc) I began emailing him. We've become such good friends. So needless to say, I am STOKED for him to get home. Unfortunately, because I'm at school in Idaho and he will be returning to Kentucky, I won't be able to be at his homecoming or the airport when he gets home. I'm just really excited to see him whenever I can.It's always a special, sweet time when Missionaries come home.

 

Those Mormon Missionaries sure are swell.

 

 

 

Here's a little count down to Elder Wenz's homecoming day. One of my best friends is coming home soon! So close!

Eight days! (June 11, 2013)

Seven days! (June 12, 2013)

Six days! (June 13, 2013)

"Give me a young man who has kept himself morally clean and has faithfully attended his church meetings. Give me a young man who has magnified his priesthood and has earned the Duty to God Award and is an Eagle Scout. Give me a young man who is a seminary graduate and has a burning testimony of the Book of Mormon. Give me such a young man and I will give you a young man who can perform miracles for the Lord in the mission field and throughout his life." -Ezra Taft Benson.

Really, all I want to do with this post is share some beautiful music. I'm very excited for the Harlem Quartet to come perform at BYU-Idaho. So, enjoy! (This is actually The Harlem Quartet with a cellist from the New York Philharmonic).

  “To not take counsel from our fears means that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ overrules our fears and that we can press forward with a steadfastness in Him. To not take counsel from our fears means that we trust in God’s guidance, assurance, and timing in our lives.” -Elder David A. Bednar

Nights Like This

Today I started college classes for the first time. I am 26 hours and 45 minutes away, 1,714.97 miles away from Kentucky, which I consider "home". Mix in the hours,minutes and miles with the change of weather, and altitude and we can say that I'm a little bit more than homesick. I have great roommates, five of the to be exact, but I still feel lonely sometimes. 

I've been in Rexburg since last Thursday morning. I've met some really nice people but because there are almost 16,000 people on this tiny campus, it's hard to know for sure if I'll see them again.Today I was struggling with that fact which made me miss my three very best friends from Kentucky. Of course I miss a ton of my other friends, but those three have been there for years and have always been my rocks.

 I texted Mariah today letting her know that I wish that she was here with me because she was never the type to leave me by myself. Her confidence rubs off on me and she brings me out of my shell. I expressed to her that I miss her and that I had hoped we would have been able to experience college together, but as fate will have it, we are at separate schools, almost 2,000 miles way from each other. 

She told me to be strong, and the next thing I know: Nadia, her older sister who is married and is going to school here in Rexburg, shows up at my apartment per Mariah's request, and let's me know that she is here for me. She doesn't even know me and yet she was willing to come meet me and bring me cookies and tell me everything was going to be okay. 

I didn't even tell Mariah that I needed someone to comfort me, but she already knew. She knew the exact person to do that too. Nadia and Bryce (Nadia's husband) are so sweet and I am so grateful that they took time out of their night to come talk to me.
Once they left my apartment, I just started crying. Crying because I was happy, because I was sad. But mostly because I felt that God had blessed me with one of the best, most caring, selfless friends I could ever ask for. I don't know what I did to deserve her, but I'm glad she is in my life. I thank God every day for allowing me to have such an amazing friend. <3 p="p">

Talent.

Everyone has a talent: whether it's dancing, or singing, or writing stories, or debating. We all have them.

Tonight, I just wanted to highlight three of my friends and their talent. They are AMAZING. They coreographed this themselves. They performed this multiple times for our Specialized Theater class final. I cannot stop watching it. I just wish you all could see the intensity of it in person...And without the obstruction of the head that continues to float in front of the camera. Either way, they are TALENTED . Megan, Carlen, and Colton- Turning Tables 

AND  My friend Brody introduced me last night to this wonderful pop-country-folk band, Eden's Edge. I've been obsessed all day. This song is pure love. It was my "Sunday Song"

Eden's Edge- Christ Alone

Simple.Love.Talent.ENJOY!

A Sad Subject:You Only Live Once

Death.
The loss of a loved one is never an easy topic. We all have our own ways of coping and finding the path back to normal life after a loved one has passed on. Some people cry, some people scream, some people become 'blank', some people separate themselves in sadness, and others come together.   At Oldham County High School, we have had and continue to have numerous tragedies of loved ones lost. We have almost a repetitive line of tragedies in our school, and we experienced another one today at 3 a.m., losing two loved teenage souls. 

At our school, we have always had a way of coming together in the memory of  lost student.  The whole school wears yellow, pink, or  another favorite color of the student that passed away. We all comfort each other and those closest to the student.  I have never had the tragic experience of losing a close friend to death. I have known three out of the four students that have died in the past years that I was in high school. I knew them, but was not friends with them. I always feel a pang in my heart for their family and friends who have to live with a person missing at the dinner table, a bed empty or an empty chair at the movie theatre during a girls night out. I always do what I can to be supportive of the people that did know the students who have passed away, but I almost feel selfish if I post a thousand "We're going to miss you. RIP" Tweets or statuses.

 I don't know how to say this without it sounding heartless, which if any of you know me at all, is NOT who I am. I am one of the most emotional people you might ever come across. Sometimes it seems that we only pay attention after someone had passed away. Millions of people around the world have become familiar with the term "YOLO", and for those of you who, for some reason, may not know what that it means: it stand for You Only Live Once.  I feel, we have come to abuse this term in a way that says "I'm doing something extremely stupid and I know it, but YOLO." YOLO is about being brave- not an excuse to do something stupid or dangerous. Many people seem to realize how precious life is after they've lost someone and vow to never do something so dangerous again. Unfortunately, most of the time, it seems, a few weeks after the tragedy, we are back to living they way we vowed to never live again. 

We all come together and for a split second the world from where we stand seems at peace and everyone loves everyone when someone leaves this life. After a few weeks, however, we seem o lose this sense of togetherness.  We return to hating our neighbors or talking behind people's back or living on the  wrong side of "YOLO".  This type of behavior has always been peculiar to me. And, at the risk of sounding like a "Make Love, Not War" hippie, why do we always have to dissipate back into our hateful lives? 

I didn't mean to begin a sermon.  I am no more perfect than anyone else in this world. I understand how and why people band together in the face of a tragedy-strength in numbers,right?- but why do we go and break the bond after time has passed?

This morning at 3 a.m. two teenagers lost their lives in a car accident. A family lost their 14 year old daughter, another family lost their 15 year old son. I didn't know the two teenagers, but I'm sure that they touched many lives and have befriended many people. I am deeply sad for the people who lost a daughter/son, niece/nephew, sister/brother, fellow cheerleader/ fellow sports team member, or a best friend. I wish them peace in their hearts and comfort in the rest of their everyday life.  God Bless them. Stay Strong.