Where to for the Next 18 Months

A little over two months I wrote a blog letting everyone know that I had decided to serve a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Now I probably have a few people wondering what's going on? Was she really serious? Well I am here to let you know, yes I was very serious. As of Sunday morning, my papers are officially submitted to Salt Lake. It has been a bit of a crazy two months, but I have finally finished my papers and let me tell you I could not be more excited. I don't know how it is possible to be so excited for something like this, something that I don't even know where I'll be living, but I know without a doubt this is what I am suppose to do with the next 18 months of my life. Or future 18 months of my life. Though this blog is to let you all know my papers are submitted, I wanted to share a few of the miracles that have happen along the way of me completing my papers.

One of the first miracles I had occur was when I was figuring out the time timing of when I was suppose to go. I always planned on just staying at BYUH until I had my degree and never really looked at where I was regarding an associates degree. With deciding to go on a mission, I wanted to leave as soon as possible, but also wanted to make sure that I had that degree, because as I well know now, the Lord's plan is not always what we had in mind. I wanted to make sure I was prepared. Going into my adviser I was fully expecting to have to attend at least two more semesters here at school to be able to get the associates degree. When I went in, credits worked out perfectly, along with classes where I had just enough space and time to complete the exact credits I needed. Timing truly was perfect. Now here I am, five weeks away from earning my associates degree. 

The other two I wanted to mention were a little more recent. I'm not going to lie, I flew through the online stuff for my mission papers. Within four days after my papers were open, I think I had everything but medical and dental done. I finished my medical and set up my dental appointment. At the dentist appointment, the beautiful topic of wisdom teeth came up. As most of you know, or saw, I did have to have them removed. There was no way around it, and no the dentist would not sign the papers until they were out. Here I was faced with the difficult decision, wait until I go home, or hope and pray that some how I will be able to find a way to do this out here at school. Based on the video I'm sure you all saw my parents were able to make it out. That happen, truly because of the Lord. When I called my parents and let them know I needed to get my teeth removed my dad immediately called the oral surgeon to see what could be done or what the options were. I was originally given three. Those three being: Go under general anesthesia and have my friend here at school help me out, go under local with my parents here, or wait until I got home. For those who don't know, general is when you are completely asleep and local is when you are awake. General was really the only option for someone like me. I mentally would not have been able to be awake for it. The draw back with doing general was having to put all the work onto my friend who is also a full time student here. Not something I wanted to do. And waiting, how could I wait that much longer to submit my papers? Three options and not a clue what to do. My dad got off the phone with me and, as I later found out, called the oral surgeon place again. He talked with them and tried to see if there was anything they could do. For a lot of people when you buy tickets, it's simple. You buy the day you want to leave and the day you want to come home .For my family we use miles. There are only certain days available for certain miles. My parents were very limited if they were going to come out and help me. The Lord was on our side because they ended up giving my dad the option of opening early on a certain day just to be able to do general for me. A day that my parents would be able to be here for. It shouldn't have worked out the way it did, but I know that it did because the Lord was on our side and watching out for me. I also healed faster than most, with very minimal swelling and bruising. I was definitively watched over.  

The last miracle I wanted to tell you about happen just this past Sunday, yes yesterday. I was made very aware of just how hard Satan is trying to stop us. This past Thursday I made a very unintelligent move and fell asleep with my contacts in. I woke up in the middle of the night and took them out, but it was already too late. The next day I woke up with my eye in extreme pain and extremely red. I could barely stand to have light around me. I would cover my eyes with my blankets and even in the dark I could not get the pain to go away. All day I had to almost walk blindly because I could not keep my eyes open. Any light hurt. Friday night I ended up falling asleep around 9:45 because the only escape from pain I had was sleep. When I woke up Saturday morning, there was huge improvement. I could go in the light again. My eyes were still sensitive and I had to be careful, but the difference was huge. The pain was very little. What should have happen Sunday morning was even more improvement. Instead I woke up Sunday and my eye was in as much pain, if not more than I had on Friday when I initially felt the effects of what I had done. I couldn't even have the dim bathroom light on while I was getting ready. I didn't want to open my eyes. The pain was once again extremely high. Why Sunday morning? Well Sunday, at 8:30 AM I had my final interview for my mission papers. The last step before submitting them. Walking to the stake center I was almost in tears because of the pain. Sitting waiting for the interview to start I barely had my eyes open. In the interview, there was a point where I almost wanted to stand up and leave because it hurt so badly. I couldn't focus where I was looking and the pain would not go away. Nonetheless, I stayed. I needed to get through this interview. Behind the stake president's desk is a picture of Christ hanging. Every time I wanted to stand up and leave I would look to him and know that He understood exactly what I was going through. He knew the exact pain I was feeling, I finished the interview and my papers were submitted. I returned to my room and face timed my family to tell them the news. Closed my eyes and took about a fifteen minute nap before my beautiful roommate came home .So where is the miracle? When I woke up from that nap and was talking to my roommate, the pain was gone. It was as if it had almost vanished. I no longer felt the excruciating pain from that morning. I was able to be in light again. I was back to where I was the day before, if not better. Though I struggled through the interview, I know the Lord gave me the strengthen to push through it. 

Satan is a bad dude. I bore my testimony on it this Sunday, and I truly mean it. He will do everything in his power to stop good from happening, to stop the Lord's true church from being spread to the world. We already know who is going to win the war, so continue to fight Satan. Don't let him win even a single battle. We are stronger than that. 

And to the teacher who asked, and really how serious about this mission thing are you? Pretty serious. 

I know that I am suppose to be serving a full-time mission. I know I am suppose to be giving up 18 months to dedicate to the Lord. He knows me fully. He has a greater plan for me than I could ever imagine. He does for each and everyone of us. I know The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to be true and I look forward to sharing it with everyone I can for 18 months.

Thank you to everyone who supports me each and every day. I love and miss you all. And yes, now is the time to place your guesses! I should have my call in two to three weeks. 

Much love,

MJ