The Last Post

Well, this will be the last post on this blog for the next two years at least. I'd first of all just like to say another thank you to everyone who's supporting me. All my friends and family. You guys are great, and I've appreciated all the love and friendship that's been shown me throughout my life. Now I'm about to head out, and I'll lose a little bit of that support, or rather I just won't be as close to it. Please feel free to write, I really would love to hear from anyone that would care to write. Other than that, I honestly don't know what else to say... My testimony is on this blog in a number of posts, so I'll refrain from posting too much of it again. Suffice it to say for now, that the Gospel is true, and I know it beyond a shadow of a doubt. I'm willing to serve the Lord, and I know that since it's His work He's more than willing to help me out. Honestly, there's no way anyone would ever be baptized if it was just the missionaries out there on their own. And because of that, though I'm scared, faith outweighs my fear. I'm ready to serve those people in the D.C. area, and God willing, some will be brought to the knowledge of the Gospel. I'll see you in all in two years! Goodbye!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all! This has been quite the interesting Christmas for me, it being the last one for me to spend with my family for the next two years, not to mention the fact that my count is down to four days before I head out... There's a lot to say, and I'm not sure how to put it, maybe I'll post once again before I head out, but for now I guess I'll just say Merry Christmas! Christ truly did and does live. He is our Savior, Lord, and Redeemer. His Atonement is the crowning event of all history. It is the power that enables us to do all things, and most importantly to return Home to our Father in Heaven. The Book of Mormon is real, and it is a powerful testament of the reality of our Savior. Joy to the world, the Lord is come to save all men who will believe on His name!

Familia

Click on it and you'll see the animation!

Finals Preparation

Yesiree, it's the last week of classes, and then finals hit. What am I doing right now? Writing a blog post... Why you ask? I'm not quite sure, though procrastination has been shown to be beneficial to student test performance. It boosts adrenaline and forces mental focus, so I guess you could say I'm in the preparation stage for the final stretch of studying before finals? Right, let's go with that.

The Calm

I step outside. The sky is grey and lifeless. There is no wind. Trees stand lifeless, leaves surrounding them, remnants of their past glory. I walk. The Seas of people have disappeared, all that remain are trickles, shuffling forward, eyes downcast, or looking to the sky, waiting for the impending storm. A spirit of nervous fear, apprehension, and anticipation seems to permeate the air. I look back. The mountains are shrouded by clouds, suffocated by the thought of what is coming. Yet despite this, there is a calm. A time of preparation, both for those about to experience the storm, and for the storm itself. The Calm is a blessing, we have time to prepare mentally, emotionally, and spiritually for the Storm that lies ahead. Yet the Storm is no doubt still coming, gathering strength. So we hunker down, gather ourselves together, and face what comes. We must prepare while there is a Calm, so that when the Storm comes we will be prepared.

Life comes at ya fast!

39 and 51. Two numbers that as of today are extremely significant. There are currently only 39 days left in the semester, not 39 school days, 39 days, including weekends. That's all that remains of my first semester of College. It's gone by incredibly fast... I can't really describe all the emotions that come with that number 39. It's exciting because it means that school will be over and Christmas break will begin. It's intimidating because that means finals are coming up fast. And it's saddening, because it means that I have only 39 days left with some of the good friends that I've been able to make this semester. It's weird how quickly we can make friends when placed in a situation where we all are in some way forced to rely on each other and to learn to trust one another. I'll miss the new people I've met, my FHE sisters and brothers, as well as those that while I may have known before I've been blessed enough to have the opportunity to get to know better. They've had a profound impact on me, whether they truly understand it or not. I will always be grateful for the friendship, laughs, conversations, and examples they've shown to me this semester. The reason why I have only 39 days left with these individuals is connected with that other number 51, a number that holds even more intense and conflicting emotions. In 51 days I'll be entering the MTC to serve in the Washington D.C. North, Spanish Speaking mission! It's exciting because it means I get to serve a mission, and embark on one of the greatest adventures of my life. It's intimidating because it means I will be charged with seeking out individuals to teach the Gospel and try and bring them to Christ, to change their lives, both her on earth and in the eternities, that's a lot of pressure. It's saddening because it means I have only 51 days left before I won't see my family for two years. I won't get to see my brothers grow in the Priesthood and in the other aspects of their lives; from acting in plays to running in races. I won't get to see my sisters grow as well, whether acting in plays and going to college, or graduating and potentially getting married. I won't get to see my parents for two years, and I'll speak with them only four times during those two years. I will be separated from them by a long distance with no contact beyond emails and letters. I'll be leaving behind the support that I gain from them by their proximity and constant vigilance of my well-being. I'll be leaving friends I've had for the vast majority of my life, brothers that have stood by me throughout our lives. Brothers that I've grown up with, learned with, and bonded with. It's really is sobering. But beyond all that, the excitement, happiness, and joy that will come from serving a mission far outweighs any potential sadness. What greater call, what greater purpose could I have at this time in my life than to serve those who are my brothers and sisters? What greater joy could I have than being an instrument in the hands of the Lord to bring them to Christ, and to Eternal Salvation? So while my life is currently a torrent of conflicting emotions, I have Peace in the realization that this is what I'm supposed to be doing, that while it will be difficult it is also possible, that Christ will always stand by me, and that I am on His errand. So while life does indeed come fast, the Lord always seems to make sure that we'll be provided with ample support to meet the challenges ahead. So here we go, life is going to be one crazy ride!

Dreams

We all have those dreams. Those goals that are far distant, something that we think we would love to have happen, something that is to us incredible. For some people it may be owning a farm, for others winning a Nobel prize or a Gold medal. Some people aspire to greatness, to being noticed, others merely to obtaining a decent livelihood. But we all dream. The question then becomes, will we achieve our dreams? Will we reach for the stars, or merely gaze up at them wishing? There is a danger that comes when we reach for the stars. After all, what if we never get there? The stark reality of gravity may bring us hurtling back down to earth, and that is bound to hurt. It's much easier, much safer, to have two feet firmly planted on the ground of "reality" never leaving, only wishing. But how much less rewarding! There's always the chance that when we make that reach, take that leap, that we'll reach the stars, that we'll grasp them and soar farther than even we had imagined. But in order to do so we have to take the risk. We have to be willing to give up something, maybe a lot of things. We have to be willing to experience times of failure, where maybe we do just come crashing back down, and then we have to be willing to get back up and try again. The vast majority of the time this will most likely be the case. But sometimes, in our leap for the stars, we may just grasp one, but perhaps not the one we had originally intended to. It seems to me that in our pursuit for a dream we will often discover a new one, perhaps completely different from the one we had previously imagined, and we may find that we are indeed content with the realization of that heretofore unimagined dream. The man who goes out to become a doctor may discover that he is perhaps meant to be a teacher. Something he had never imagined, but then he loves it, loves it more than he could have ever imagined, and perhaps more than he could have ever loved being a doctor. This new dream becomes his reality. No longer is he standing, merely wishing for what could be. He soars among the stars, discovering things he would have previously never realized, all because he was willing to take the leap and trust what God may give him. After all, we never quite know where the pursuit of our dreams will take us, but one thing is for certain, in order to soar, we must first make the leap.