at the end.

This is probably my last post as a full-time missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Let me tell you, 18 months have gone by faster than I could have ever imagined. Well, looking back on it it's gone warp speed. I feel like two weeks ago I was waving good-bye to my mom at the airport. But if you'd asked me how fast it was going 16 months ago, I would have told you that this day would never come because it still felt impossibly far away.

These past 18 months have been full of a lifetime of experiences. The good kind, the bad kind, the laugh-til-you-cry kind, the learning kind, the heart-breaking kind, the tears-of-joy kind, the frustrating kind, the friendship making kind, the spirit-filled kind, the tender mercies kind, the hidden blessings kind. But at the end, they've all been blessings.

If there is one over arching theme to what I've learned in the last year and a half, it's that

we have a Heavenly Father who loves each and every single one of His children.

No matter who we think we are or what we may have done, we are never too far away from the love of God. No one can take that love away from us. We can try to say that it doesn't exist, but we're only kidding ourselves. He loves us. And I'm living proof. 

I'm proof that he gives us infinite second chances through the Atonement of His son--our Savior, Jesus Christ.

He wants us to return to live with Him. So he has a perfect plan for all of us. It's individual. And it's prefect. We don't have to doubt. We just have to have faith. And trust. Because He knows us perfectly. He knows our weaknesses and faults, our triumphs and successes, our talents and abilities.

And as we keep His commandments, He has so many more blessings in store for us than we can even imagine.

I love the Lord. And I've fallen in love with His work.

I'm eternally indebted to Him for this opportunity I've had to serve him.

today's thought.

"Sometimes we let our thoughts of tomorrow take up too much of today. 

Daydreaming of the past and longing for the future may provide comfort but will not take the place of living in the present. 

This is the day of our opportunity, 

and we must grasp it."

-President Thomas S. Monson

Oh how I love our wonderful prophet and his words of pure wisdom.
Last week I was thinking a lot about the future. and my particular, very near future consisted of a place that I wasn't really sure that I needed to be.
So I worried about it.
a lot.
And quite frankly, I wasted a lot of time.
and energy.
on something that didn't need to even be worried about.
Because I love it here.
And because I wouldn't be here if Heavenly Father didn't need me to be.
Isn't it great how he just knows so much more than we do?

If there's something I've learned these last 16 months, it's that Heavenly Father's will is always greater than mine. and it's always smarter than mine. and it's always easier and happier than mine in the long run and in the immediate future.
Because He loves us.
more than we'll ever know.
and I love Him.

So take it from me.
If we don't take what our loving Father in Heaven gives us now, and just keep on daydreaming or wishing or waiting for our perfect moment, we miss the best things that life has to offer us. The best things that our Heavenly Father has to offer us.
And those aren't things that I want to miss.

_________________________________________________________________________________

"A veces permitimos que los pensamientos de mañana ocupen mucho del presente. 

El soñar en el pasado y el anhelo por el futuro quizás brinde consuelo, pero no tomará el lugar de vivir en el presente. 

Este es el día de nuestra oportunidad, 

y debemos aprovecharla."

-Presidente Thomas S. Monson

¡Oh, cómo me encanta nuestro profeta maravillosa y sus palabras de sabiduría pura!
La semana pasada estuve pensando mucho en el futuro. y mi futuro inmediato consistió de un lugar que no estaba seguro de que necesitaba estar.
Entonces me preocupaba.
mucho.
Y francamente, perdí mucho tiempo!
y energía.
en algo que no tenía por qué preocuparme.
Porque me encanta estar aquí!
Y porque yo no estaría aquí si nuestro Padre Celestial no necesita que yo este aqui.
¿No es maravilloso cómo El sabe mucho más que nosotros?


Si hay algo que he aprendido en estos últimos 16 meses, es que la voluntad de nuestro Padre Celestial siempre es mayor que la mía. más inteligente que la mía. más fácil y más feliz que la mía en el distante y en el futuro inmediato.
Porque Él nos ama!
más de lo que se sabe!
y yo lo amo!


Entonces creame!
Si no tomamos lo que nuestro amoroso Padre Celestial nos da ahora, y sólo seguimos soñando o deseando o esperando nuestro momento perfecto, perdemos las mejores cosas que la vida tiene para ofrecernos. Las mejores cosas que nuestro Padre Celestial tiene para ofrecernos.
Y esas no son cosas que quiero perder.

la tierra.

Prueba de que nuestro Padre Celestial nos ama.

Proof that our Heavenly Father loves us.

Ha pensado en eso hoy?

Have you thought about that today?

usted es importante. [you matter.]

En caso de que fuera como yo y vio la Conferencia General en una idioma que no es su lengua materna, tal vez usted  haber perdido esta pequena joya.

"...El Ser mas poderoso en el universo es el Padre de su espíritu. Que le conoce. El le ama con un amor perfecto.

"Dios ve no solo como un ser mortal en un pequeno planeta que vive para una breve estacion--El lo ve como su hijo. El lo ve como el ser que es capaz y esta disenado para llegar a ser. El quiere que usted sepa que usted le importa."

-Presidente Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Estoy totalmente culpable de este. A veces olvido.
Pero todas las veces que se me olvide, estoy aqui para decirles que yo se que tenemos un Padre Celestial. Y que El nos ama mas de lo que sea posible, o sera capaz de imaginar. El nos conoce. El sabe donde estamos. Lo que estamos haciendo. Quienes somos y lo que podemos llegar a ser. Y El sabe como ayudarnos.
Deje que El le ayuda. Yo voy a hacerlo. Porque somos importantes.
Usted es importante.

________________________________________________________________________________

In case you were like me and watched General Conference in not your native language, you may have missed this little gem.

"...The most powerful Being in the universe is the Father of your spirit. He knows you. He loves you with a perfect love.

"God sees you not only as a mortal being on a small planet who lives for a brief season—He sees you as His child. He sees you as the being you are capable and designed to become. He wants you to know that you matter to Him."

-President Dieter F. Uchtdorf


I'm totally a culprit of this. Sometimes I forget.
But as many times as I forget, I'm here to tell you that I know that we have a Heavely Father. And that He loves us more than we can possibly, or will ever possibly be able to imagine. He knows who we are. Where we are. What we are doing. Who and what we can become. And how to help us.
So let Him. I'm going to. Because we matter.
You matter.

somos diferentes. [we're different. and that's ok.]

Ayer, la Hermana Dodge y yo fuimos a la tienda.
Ella compro una falda. Yo compre uno tambien.

Ellas no podian ser mas diferentes.

Cinco minutos luego, estabamos manejando en el carro y ella me dijo,
"Estoy agredecida que somos differentes."

Es interesante que todos somos diferentes, no?

Algunos de nosotros nos gusta azul o rojo o verde. Pero yo? A mi me gusta gris. Algunos de nosotros nos gusta helado chocolate y algunos les gusta helado de fresas. Algunos de nosotros son rubios, pero hay que tienen pelo cafe o pelirrojo, y hay mas que tienen las canas. Hay algunos que son de Tennessee, Utah, China, Guatemala, India, Argentina, Samoa, Sweden y algunos de nosotros somos de California. Algunos le gusta la sandia. Pero hay de nosotros que tienen alergia a la sandia. Pero la mejor parte es, nada de eso nos hace mejor que nadie.

Todos somos hijos de Dios. y "el valor de las almas es grande a la vista de [El]."  [Doctrina y Convenios 18:10]

Tenemos un amoroso Padre Celestial quien nos ha dado differentes cosas que nos gustan y no nos gustan. El nos ha puesto en diferentes partes del mundo. El nos ha dado diferentes familias, diferentes origenes y diferentes vidas.

Y por que?
Para que todo de nostros podamos ayudar unos a otros en el camino de regreso a El.

Entonces, use su personalidad. Sus peculiaridades. Sus talentos.
Ellos son lo que usted es.
Y nuestro Padre Celestial le necesita.
El necesita que usted use lo que El le ha dado y edificar Su reino.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Yesterday, Hermana Dodge and I went to the store.
She bought a skirt. So did I.
They could not be more different.
5 minutes later, we were driving in the car and she turns to me and says,
"I'm glad that we're different."

It's interesting how we're all so different isn't it?

Some of us like blue or red or green. But me? I like gray. Some of us like chocolate ice cream and some of us like strawberry. Some of us are blonde, while some are brunettes or red-heads, while still some of us have gray hair. Some of us are from Tennesse, Utah, China, Guatemala, India, Argentina, Samoa, Sweden and some of us are from California. Some of us like watermelon. But some of us are allergic to it. But the best part is, none of that makes us any better than anyone else.  

We're all still children of God. And "the worth of souls is great in the sight of [Him]." [Doctrine and Convenants 18:10]

We have a loving Heavenly Father who has given us different likes and dislikes. He's placed us in different parts of the world. He's given us different families, different backgrounds and different lives.

And why?

So we can all help each other on our way back to him.

So use your personality. Your quirks. Your talents.

They're what make you, you.

And your Heavenly Father needs your help.

He needs you to use what He's given you and build His kingdom.

[Utilice los talentos que posee. El bosque estaria muy

silencioso si no se cantaran los pajaros que cantan bien]

su cuerpo es un templo. [your body is a temple.]

Templos.

Temples.

Todos miren diferentes.

 

They all look different.

Pero su funcion es la misma.

But their function is the same.

Todos son casas del Senor.

They're all houses of the Lord.

Por medio de ellos podemos regresar a nuestro Padre Celestial.

They help get us back to our Heavenly Father.

______________________________________________________________________________

Cuerpos.

Bodies.

Todos miren differentes.

They all look different.

Pero su funcion es la misma.

But their function is the same.

Todos son casas de nuestras espiritus.

They're all houses of our spirits.

Por medio de ellos, podemos regresar a nuestro Padre Celestial.

They help get us back to our Heavenly Father.

"O no sabeis que vuestro cuerpo es un templo del Espiritu Santo, que esta en vosotros, el que teneis de Dios, y que no sois vuestros?"  

[1 Corintios 6:12]

"..know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God...?"  

[1 Corinthians 6:12]

dia de aprendiendo. [day of learning.]

Ok. Entonces, hoy ha sido un dia bien rado.
Pero tambien, un dia en que ya aprendi mucho.  Y solo son las 4:00.
Realmente, ha sido una de esas semanas.
Y hoy, Hermana Dodge y yo aprendimos por que aprendimos las cosas que hemos aprendido.

Las cosas que aprendi [o que me pego otra vez] hoy:
-Todos de nosotros tenemos mucho para ofrecer a otras personas, y si compartimos muestras experiencias con uno a otro, tenemos mas armas para conquistar a satanas.
-La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Dias es perfecta. Los miembros no son perfectos. Los que me incluyo.
-Tenemos emociones por un razon. Si Dios no queria que las tengamos, no las tendriamos.
-Todos somos hijos de Dios y todos merecemos respecto. No importa quienes somos, ni que hicimos, ni que otras personas piensan. Cada persona merecen respecto de cada otra persona porque "el valor de las almases grande en la vista de Dios". [Doctrina y Convenios 18:10]
-Nuestras familias y nuestros amigos son importantes.
-La obra de Dios saldra no importa lo que el medio ambiente estamos porque "ninguna mano impia puede detener el progresso de la obra."
-Tenemos un Padre Celestial que nos ama y Su mano esta en todas de nuestras vidas individualmente. Podemos verlo si lo buscamos.

__________________________________________________________________________

Ok. So today's been a pretty crazy day.
But also one of those days where you just learn a ton. And it's only 4:00.
It's actually been one of those weeks.
And today, Hermana Dodge and I learned why we learned the things we've learned this week. It was like they all led up to what we had thrown at us today.

Things I learned [or was reminded of] today:
-We all have so much to offer and if we share our experiences and insights with each other, we can have more of an armory to fight Satan.
-The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is perfect. It's members, are not. Myself included.
-We have emotions for a reason. If God didn't want us to have them, He wouldn't have given them to us.
-We are all children of God and we all deserve respect. No matter who we are, what we've done, or what preconceived notions we might already have. Everyone deserves love and respect from everyone else because "the worth of souls is great in the sight of God". [Doctrine & Covenants 18:10]
-Our family and friends are important.
-The work of God will go forth no matter what enviornment you're in because "no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing."

-We have a Heavenly Father who loves us and has a hand in each of our individual lives. We can see it if we look for it.

expections.

Today Hermana Dodge and I were talking about the expectations we've had over the last few months from the time we sent in mission my papers until now.

I was thinking about how I so thought I knew what I was doing. But at the same time, I had no idea. But I was comforted in the fact that I wasn't only putting in mission papers, I was also putting all of my trust in the Lord.

Thinking about all of this made me think of this pre-mission post:

"i can't even adequately express how excited i am for this. i am so incredibly amazed that heavenly father knows me so well. and he knows the people who live in the tennessee nashville mission and he trusts me enough to go and share his gospel with them. it's overwhelming. not going to lie. but i am so ready. well, maybe not completely. but as ready as i'm going to get by myself. i know that with the lord's help and with a worthy heart and willing hands i can help spread the gospel to my brothers and sisters who are ready to hear it. i'm so stoked. and that's not even a good enough word.
the gospel brings me so much joy. so much more than i ever thought possible. it never ceases to amaze me. and i am so excited to help others come to know our savior and experience the joy that this gospel brings into the lives of those who come to know it's truths.
bring on the next eighteen months."

I wrote this the day after I got my call.

When Hermana Dodge and I were talking this morning, I had already forgotten what I had gained a testimony of. Even if it was only six months ago. I had forgotten to keep all of my trust in the only two people who know me better than I know me--my Heavenly Father and my Savior, Jesus Christ. I just remembered that this truly is Their work. That the expectations that They have for me and for the people here in Tennessee who need Them in their lives is far greater than anything I could ever begin to imagine.

Expectations are an interesting thing. And I know that there are a whole lot of things that lay in store that I haven't ever thought about before. But it's a good thing to know that if I put my whole heart in His work, and my whole life in His hands, and all my trust in His wisdom that is far greater than mine, I'll be good. We all will. But even more than that, so will the people we meet.

It's amazing how our Heavely Father knows each of us. Individually.

He knows what we need. He knows how to get us there. And He's going to put us in the places and put people in our paths that will give us the best possible shot at godhood.

So I'll end this in the same way I did the last one:

Bring on the next 13 months.