Wednesday, March 6, 2013

At the Starting Line....

Once upon a time, when I was cool and ran Cross-Country, the only part that I truly dreaded about the race was the long, terrifying minutes that you spend before the race even started. You stand there on that white spray-painted line, watching everyone warm up and stretch, and your stomach is squirming like none other, and your heart rate is peaking so high that you might as well be running already!

Right now, I feel like I'm standing on that starting line, waiting for the actual race to start. I'm not saying that the race is easy at all. But the anticipation is the worst part. :) I'm just sitting here, trying to be as ready as I possibly can, doing warm ups and studying, stretching and praying, and trying more than anything to calm my freakin heart down! I don't want it to explode while I'm standing at the beginning...

ONE WEEK from today, I get to enter the MTC, and I am SOOOO excited! And terrified... and....yeah that's pretty much it. But I have had the greatest time in preparing for this point... I've been able to attend the temple at least once a week, with my parents, friends, future companions... I've had the opportunity to study in a way that's made me take a step back, and rediscover my own testimony of the simplest parts of the gospel. I've grown to love and appreciate the Preach My Gospel, even though it's really difficult for me.

I've researched my mission, talked to anyone who's lived or been there within my home ward. I found out a few really cool things about the area of my mission; basically, my mission covers enough area that I could serve one of three types of missions:

1) I could end up teaching in an area that covers Native American Reservations! That would be so awesome!
2) A lot of the mission is within college towns. So I could be teaching my own age group! That's both good and bad for me... Bad because I've always struggled the most speaking and connecting with people my own age, which is weird... BUT thankfully, I'm going to be talking about my very favorite subject, so I guess I'll be okay. Plus, hopefully I won't really be the one teaching. I love the testimony that I have that as long as I am prepared and do my very best, the words I say won't be what make the difference. It will be the Spirit that will be there. And I am so grateful for that!
3) The Washington Spokane mission also covers a lot of wide open country, some of the most beautiful areas of the country. It includes Coeur d'Alene Idaho, where my sisters in-laws live. That would be pretty cool.

So I could be teaching in wide country areas, city towns, Indian Reservations, or college towns! Diverse!!:)

At this point, I'm basically just grateful that I can say, without a doubt, that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the only true and complete church on this earth. It has brought me so much joy, and I can't wait to go into the world to give other people the chance to feel of that joy and peace that I have experienced my whole life, as I have gained a testimony of it for myself.

I am so excited!