Aaaand We're Back!

It has been brought to my attention that the release that comes from writing only happens when...well...you actually write! Allow me to elaborate where I've been these last 2 years!

I had the grand opportunity to serve my God with my whole heart, soul AND time for 18 months in Long Beach, California and the surrounding areas. This was a time of great excitement, learning and growing for me. I taught, cried, plead, and learned more than I could ever put in one blog post. This was all I had ever wanted to do with my life. That was it. I was satisfied. Now...I'm home, back to school/work/sociality and frankly, haven't got a clue what to do next.

This I do know, life is hard. Hard, trying, confusing and even a bit disappointing at times. But despite the hardship and let-downs, there is hope. "This life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the time for men to perform their labors." (Alma 34:32 This is a time of preparation! Preparation means mistakes can be made. Why can we make mistakes? Well, let me tell you. We make mistakes in preparation so that when the time comes to actually perform, we know where the mistakes are so we can avoid them. This is a process of learning, no? Learning sometimes requires trial and error. This video gave me a good idea about the kind of attitude we should have. :)

Now you might be asking yourself, "why in the world is she spouting on about this?" Let me clue you in. Yesterday I woke up feeling sick in the head, heart, and stomach. I had a slight fever and I had little to no strength to get out of bed. I was worried, plus I had too much to do to let something like "mental illness" keep me down. After a long crying session and going on a roommate-bonding excursion, I started feel a little better. As soon as I stopped moving, however, the wave of depression hit me like a ton of bricks. Now I'm not a depressed person. I am probably too ridiculously happy for my own good sometimes. This unbeatable depression was really worrying me. So I solicited a priesthood blessing from a good friend of mine. After the blessing, I felt a blanket of peace wrap around my shoulders, giving me strength enough to do my homework and be a normal person for a few more hours.

Then came time for work. I work at the Missionary Training Center (fondly known as the MTC) as a teacher of English-speaking missionaries. As soon as I entered the MTC, I felt that wall hit me again. "Oh no! Not again! I need to have the Holy Ghost to teach these missionaries! I can't be bawling my eyes out. They won't know what I'm saying!" When I entered the classroom, I felt panicked. I prayed and plead with God to tell me what to do. The thought that came, "let them have a real experience. Let them teach you." So that's what we did. They taught me, well, more comforted me. They used all the knowledge and experience they had to help me get through this trial I was enduring. Never in my life have I felt so grateful for the blessing of the Atonement and the power of God's servants in my life.

From this experience, I learned that one must rely on God, friends, family and even acquaintances to get through this crazy thing we call life. I needed a crutch and I wasn't using it. I thank my Father in Heaven for providing that opportunity for me to learn.

Now I will continue to post. I want to keep the world updated on my life and the wonderful life lessons I learn. I hope that my experiences will prove beneficial to all who read.