WEEK 3: WOAAHHH HALFWAY THERE

WOO0000AAAHH LIVIN ON A PRAYER (literally hajahhahahjah) 

Hallo keluarga!! How goes it?? Hope you all had such a wonderful Christmas! Sending you all my love from afar:) I pray you all got to feel the Spirit of Christ and continue to remember Him not just during Christmas, but every day.  Thanks to my sweet sis, Bren, for sending me a pug sweater and pug socks and thanks to one of my best friends, Sisi for sending me a calendar with pics of all of your pretty faces and pugs hahaja:,) Happy tears overload! 

3 weeks in the MTC, and 3 weeks till ye olde sweet motherland- INDONESIA!!

Wahhhdooo!!! (My new favorite word haha, means Wow in Indo) Ahh my heart is

so happy here, I really feel the Spirit so strongly so often and the missionaries here

are the greatest.

1) Woke up on Christmas morning to a WHITE CHRISTMAS HAHA CHRISTMAS MIRACLE INDEED IM TELLIN YA THE LORD ANSWERS PRAYERS!! But really, it was unreal. A Southern Californian and Australian as comps + snow = a lot of slipping and falling (on my end haha) and laughing crying of pure joy and excitement

Now- imagine this: a brown girl unknowingly speed walking to a pile of snow to throw a snowball at a friend.. Suddenly, she slips before grabbing a snowball, slides across ice in front of everyone and their mother.. And let's just say I am grateful we have all gone through the temple and know what covenants we have made hahahaha. A few scrapes and bruises on my leg that will scar will remind me forever of the MTC. :)))) 15 seconds later, a friend of mine came over to laugh at me, and then she slipped in the same spot hahaha good times. 

2) Elder Oakes spoke to us on Christmas!! It was amazing. And David Archuleta sang to us that night. You can say my heart was melting all day!! 

Something I loved- Elder Oakes said, "Take what you have put it on the alter, do the best you can, and the Lord will use you." The Lord has given each of us specific strengths and weaknesses. And as I'm learning more and more every day about myself and how I can draw closer to Christ and help others come unto Christ, I am understanding that I am not good enough! I am not perfect, and I am not the best in the language yet, and I don't know everything. But I am trying! I am giving Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ my all. I know He recognizes our efforts in all that we do. And I know that the Lord makes weak things strong(Ether 12:27). 

The beautiful thing about Jesus Christ and His Atonement is that because of Him, He will make up for what we can't do. And I am so grateful for Him! His perfect love and example to each of us. I am so thankful to wake up every day and literally wear his name on my name tag and represent our Savior, Jesus Christ. 

3) (que Where is the Love by the Black Eyed Peas) THE ANSWER IS FOUND AT THE MTC HAHA. So much love is felt here. I feel God's love through the things I'm studying- my scriptures and through prayer, and I feel His love through the people I have met here. I feel His love through hymns and music, and the Spirit testifies so strongly of that love. I feel His love as I'm learning and studying Indo and I feel His love for the investigators I'm teaching and because He loves us, I love too! I love LOVE haha. 

Look for God's hand in your life! I know that if you take the time to be grateful for the little things and reach out to help those around you, you will feel God's love! He is there!! I love being a missionary and I love being able to learn and study and feel the Spirit. This is where I need to be! 

Saya tahu bawha Yesus Kristus dan Allah hidup. Saya tahu juga bawha mereka mengasihi kita dan mereka tau kita. Mereka mau kita jadi bahagia dan saya tahu injil Yesus Kristus benar! Injil ini akan membantu kita jadi bahagia dan merasa kasih Allah!!

Saya mengasihi anda <3 

dengan kasih, 

Sister Ratunuman :) 

Indo class feat Thai elder

                                                 The Indo/Malay/Thai District / my fam here :)

                                                                HAPPY BROWN SISTAS

Goodbye pt 1 to the Thai elders

WEEEEEK 1: MAMA I MADE IT!!!

Selamat pagi!! 

Hello my sweet fam & friends!! Tis I, Sister Ratunuman! And I have made it through the first week of the MTC!!! Can I get an AMEN?!?!? Yeahhhhyaaa!!!!

For those of you who don't know what the MTC is.. It's the Missionary Training Center located in Provo Utah and all missionaries report here first. I'm here for six weeks since I'm learning Indonesian and HOLY SMOKES, MTC is so crazy/fun/happy. I absolutely love it! 

1- Last Wednesday I entered the MTC.. That morning I missed my flight (hahahhahah California traffic is no bueno) and a then a miracle happened!! The lady at Delta Airlines was LDS and she asked me where I was going. Me, the hysterical weeper that I am, told her (in broken words) I was reporting to the MTC for my mission and she found the next flight, booked me on it, and WAIVED THE FEE!!! So I just hopped on that flight and maybe kinda arrived to the MTC two hours later than expected haha! Shoutout to my Ptown friends for picking me up & taking good care of me:)

2- MY COMP IS AN AUSTRALLIAN VERSION OF ME HAHA!!! She is so funny. Her name is Sister Nuku. We make fun of each other 24/7 and we have a ton of fun, we work really hard, and teach really well together. I am convinced we are soul sisters. We try to copy each others 'accents' and she's really weird/funny as well which is just what I need!!! She says the funniest things..and she gets confused with American money and the purpose of pennies and dollar bills. She always says "cheers" and I always thought she was randomly saying cheese all the time hahahahhaha

3- My zone is amazing! The group of missionaries in our zone are going to: cambodia, thailand, indo, vietnam, singapore!!! SO COOL AND SO FUN!!! My district is also hilarious. It has been a week and we feel like family. 

4- I WAS REUNITED WITH MY BFF ZUNDEL SHIMAI IN THE CAFETERIA!! LEMME TELL YA, HAPPIEST MOMENT AND LOTS OF HAPPY TEARS SHED. also we were reunited with our Swig Regular- Chris the MTC worker!! Shout out to my swig fam- you know who I'm talking bout!

5- The Gift of Tongues is real!! I taught my first lesson IN INDONESIAN the third day i was here to an investigator (someone learning/interested about the church). And we taught out second, and third lesson this week too. The first time was rough.. but the second and third were amazing. I know that through faith and prayer, the Holy Ghost will inspire you and teach you the right words and phrases! it is magical!!! My Indo class is unreal too. I understand my teacher, but speaking and grammar is something I have to work on. It's only me, my comp, and Elder Nielsen, and we all help one another and laugh at each other when we mess up ;) 

6- I have felt God's love so immensely in so many different ways. I know with all my heart that this is exactly where I need to be. I need to learn, work hard, study, read my scriptures, pray, and do more and more everyday in order to draw closer to my Father in Heaven. If you feel lonely or afraid, please get on your knees and pray! God will give you that peace and comfort! he is real, He knows you, and He loves you!!! 

My time is running out, but I love it here. One thing I ask for you to do is take the time to do something more- read an extra chapter in your scriptures or pray a little longer and pour your heart out to Heavenly Father- and I know you will draw closer to Him!! I promise you that!!! This gospel is amazing! 

Saya tahu bawha Yesus Kristus hidup dan Bapa Surgawi. Bapa Surgawi mengasahi dan tahu anda!!! Saya tahu bawha injil Yesus Kristus benar!!! <3

(Sorry Mom & Dad & Indo friends if my Indo is a little rough, IM WORKING ON IT!!) 

Saya mengasahi semua anda dan SELAMAT NATAL!!! 

1- P town friends

2- Chirs & zundel shimai - SWIG<3

3- indo class!!!

                                         4 & 5 - MTC friends

Farewell Talk!

Nov. 10, 2016

Good afternoon brothers and sisters! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Vanessa Ratunuman. I have been called to serve as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I have been called to serve in the Indonesia Jakarta mission teaching the gospel in the Indonesian language and I report to the MTC on December 7 (which is in 23 days but who’s counting..) I am soooo excited.

I would like to start off my talk by expressing my deep gratitude for the amazing people Heavenly Father so graciously blessed me with.

• First off, I’m especially grateful for my family here on earth and their examples of unconditional love, service, and hard work. They have taught me and helped me grow beyond measure, and I truly love them with all of my heart.
• I would like to express my gratitude for this amazing ward. When my family first joined the church, this was the ward that built us up and made us feel welcome, loved, and took really good care of my family. This is the ward I grew up in and as I look into the crowd, I see our previous bishops, sunday school teachers, primary teachers, young women’s advisors, friends, and most of all, this ward has truly become my family and I feel so blessed to stand up here and look into the crowd of so many people that I love with all of my heart..
• And I’m so thankful for my dear friends from middle school and high school and BYU. You guys have also helped me grow in so many different ways. Thank you all for your love, support, and your influences on my life.

Throughout this week, I have pondered quite often in what I should say in this talk and I pray that the Spirit will testify of the truth and that the Spirit may be the one to teach and touch each of our hearts.

I believe that Heavenly Father has prepared me to go on a mission, in His own way, without me knowing it. I believe that Heavenly Father has a perfect plan for each and every one of us and that with faith and trust in Him, our choices we make throughout our life will be inspired by Him. Thomas S Monson once said, “Decisions have their eternal consequences. Our lives will depend upon the decisions which we make—for decisions determine destiny. ”

I want to share with you of my story and how I came to understand that serving a mission is what I wanted to do and what I personally needed to do here on Earth. I have felt God's love for me, and I have felt the Spirit provide light and inspiration into my life.

A couple of weeks ago, I was pondering on my thoughts and trials, and I decided to fast for a few personal things, and specifically for peace and comfort as I prepare to go on my mission in just a couple of weeks. I prayed for these things, with all my heart. One sacrament meeting, I felt an overwhelming sensation of love, and joy, and comfort. I had the strongest impression of missionary work and suddenly, thoughts were spewing into my mind. I thought of the story of my parents, my sister, my grandparents, my friends, and myself. I thought of how missionary work plays a huge role in my life, and how I would not be where I am right now without it. I thought of how God truly does have a Plan, and how that Plan of Happiness revolves around the doctrine of eternal families. I thought of how perfectly missionary work ties in with God's Plan and eternal families.

I believe that God answers my prayers, solely through the people around me.. and as I sat in that sacrament meeting and thought about my family, and my friends, and their stories and their testimonies, I was able to feel the Spirit. I was able to recognize the common theme of missionary work and eternal families. Because of that, I felt very inspired to share about the impressions I have felt and the stories in my own life that I have been prompted to share.

My parents are hard working immigrants from Indonesia. In 1996, they decided to move to America so that their future kids and generations could have better opportunities in education, and most importantly, more freedom in being Christians. They worked hard and saved up to come to America, and brought my sister since she was the youngest at the time. I was then born in America in 1997, and my brother was born in 1998.

When my sister was 12, the missionaries knocked on our door. She let them in. She then started taking discussions with them, and next thing you know, she was getting baptized. A 12 year old. You would think a 12 year old would not be able to comprehend the principles and doctrines of the gospel.. But the fact that my sister got baptized at 12 years old, testifies that the Spirit is the one that converts and that faith plays a huge part in making big decisions. Her influence impacted my parents. My parents were then baptized a year after my sister was baptized.

At the time, I was only 6 years old. So when I turned 8, I chose to be baptized.. along with my little brother. Fast forward to a few years- One of our close family friends, Andrew Smith, got called to serve in Jakarta, Indonesia. He then was transferred to a small town called Manado, which is where all of my aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, everyone lives. I don't believe in coincidences, I know that this was all in God's Plan. He was able to teach my grandparents the gospel. He then baptized my grandparents.

All these events-more specifically, all these decisions- have molded my life into a series of miraculous events. My parent’s difficult choice to come to America resulted in finding the gospel. The two elders that knocked on my door changed my life and generations and even eternities to come. The choice of those elders serving a mission resulted in the two elders to get called to California, where they knocked on doors, and found my sister. They taught the gospel to a 12 year old, who influenced her parents, along with the rest of her family. That family has been praying for years for our family in Indonesia to hear the gospel, and then a close family friend is called to serve there, and then got called to serve in the small town of my family, which resulted in my grandparents to be baptized. That same family has continued to pray long and hard for the rest of our family in Indonesia. And I being a part of that family, have personally prayed to go back to Indonesia for as long as I can remember.. To simply meet them and love them and in hopes of sharing the gospel to them.

I never would have thought I would be serving my mission in the land of my heritage and I know that this is a huge blessing. It has been a miracle and it’s still so hard for me to comprehend the fact that I have been called to serve in Indonesia, to share the gospel with the ones I have yet to meet and the ones I know I will love with all of my heart.

Because of these things, I am here. I have the gospel in my life because Heavenly Father sent two elders our way and my life has been changed forever. I have seen God's hand work in my life. My dream of going back to Indonesia- the land of my heritage, where all of my family members such as my grandparents, uncles, cousins, and so, still reside, to teach the people of Indonesia of the beautiful and true gospel of Jesus Christ has come true.

This is the story of the two elders who changed my life, my sister's story, my parent's story, my family's story, my friend's story, and now this is my story to tell you. My life is not just a series of random events, it is a series of God's events in His timing. Right now as I realize I am going on my mission so soon, I feel peace and joy and so much excitement. I know that I owe it all to the Lord. I cry thinking of the people that are waiting for me to teach them the gospel. I want to bring that sense of joy and comfort that the gospel of Jesus Christ brings into my life and I want to share that with everyone around me. I want to go on a mission to bring the world His truth, and I know that looking back on my life, God's hand is evident in so many ways.

Each of us are here for a reason. We all have a purpose to our life. I think as members of this church, we have an eternal responsibility to serve and to love our brothers and sisters. We have the responsibility of sharing the gospel to those around us. Henry B Eyring stated, “Your life is carefully watched over, as was mine. The Lord knows both what He will need you to do and what you will need to know. He is kind and He is all-knowing. So you can with confidence expect that He has prepared opportunities for you to learn in preparation for the service you will give. You will not recognize those opportunities perfectly, as I did not. But when you put the spiritual things first in your life, you will be blessed to feel directed toward certain learning, and you will be motivated to work harder. You will recognize later that your power to serve was increased, and you will be grateful.” We as disciples of Christ must continue to look unto Him for guidance, and for those opportunities to find those who are prepared to hear the gospel and to those who need that extra boost of love, and service.

I know that-

1. I am a divine daughter of God.. That we are all children of a loving, kind, and all knowing Heavenly Father.
2. I know that Jesus Christ lives. He is our brother, our friend, He is our Savior. He died for us, and suffered for us. He knows us. That through the Atonement, we can be forgiven of our sins. And that we can be like Him.
3. Heavenly Father has a beauitful and indiviual plan for each and every one us.
4. That trials are God’s way of helping us to become who He needs us to be. It’s His way of helping each of us to learn and grow and our opportunity to strengthen our testimony
5. That Thomas S Monson is our prophet today & He is called of God
6. That Joseph Smith restored the true church
7. That prayer is REAL. If youre ever in doubt, if youre hurting, I promise that if you get on your knees and ask for comfort, then He will provide the comfort that you need. He will never leave you comfortless.
8. The Book of Mormon is true. With prayer and faith, and a tesimony in this book,  it will bring you closer to Jesus Christ.
9. God is real. Jesus Christ is real. Their love for each of us is real and what’s most important is to share with others of this knowledge of the gospel & their love for us.

I would like to end with my favorite scripture which is Alma 26:12- Yea, I know that I am nothing, as to my strength I am weak; therefore, I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise His name forever.”

In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

---

Thank you so much to my sweet family and friends who have made this day so special! Truly one of the happiest days of my life. I love you all with my whole heart!

My lovely family & the Smith family!! I love them so much!!

My BYU best friends!! Missing a couple of us, but wow, I love them so much!

Some of the greatest high school friends/BYU friends!!

BYU friends

The fambam

My best friend, Alli Zundel, gave her farewell today too!! She is going to be an extraordinary missionary and I am so proud of her. She's taking off to Tokyo Japan on her mission and leaves for the MTC this Wednesday!!

Long live VAS!!!

Jazen!

David!

Childhood friends

Our favorite girls we used to babysit- now everyone is all grown up!

My second pair of parents- Bro & Sis Taylor! 

Dan & GMoney

Ratunuman fam loves food

Highschool/BYU homies

More childhood friends- Playdough, Spence, Antwon, Dabey

Money

One. More. Month!

Dang Gina!! November 7th marks one month till I enter the MTC on DECEMBER 7TH!!!

It seemed like yesterday when I opened my call and thought, "December 7th. I have awhile." And here I am, one month away. Time flies. Ok ok ok, I've basically gone through every single pre-mish phase possible.. From I'm pumped, I'm so ready to I am so incapable of this to I can't believe this is happening to I'm so excited to go mission shopping to I actually hate mission shopping to I'm so stressed to I really hope I don't have to eat dog to I hope I don't die from mosquitoes to I totally got this to I'M SO EXCITED TO SERVE THE LORD!!

I really really am. I am so excited. I know with all of my heart that this is what I need to do. I have felt His love so strongly and I am so thankful for Heavenly Father and His ability to truly make each of us feel loved, and how He truly answers our prayers. I am so thankful for a Heavenly Father who knows and loves each of us so deeply. He knows us individually!

These last couple of months before I leave have been very eye opening. I've learned a lot about myself and I've learned a lot about God and His perfect Plan. I know for a fact that God is always looking out for us, and His timing is perfect. I believe that there is a reason why I was called to serve in December. Although I was expecting to serve in October, hence my availability date was in October, I have come to understand and see His hand in my life. I think of the people He has blessed me with this last year and especially in the last few months. I was meant to meet them. I was meant to love them and care for them. I needed them and they've made a positive impact on my life. They've helped me to grow and learn certain things that I think would be important for me to take with me as I leave on my mission.

Confession: I'm the very worst at change and goodbyes.. It was hard for me to say goodbye to such good people. A couple of days ago, I had to say goodbye to some of my favorite friends, and I tried my best to suck it up, but you know me- tears spewing left and right haha. It was so good though. You know it's always good when good byes are hard because that just means you love them a whole lot. The last time I had a hard time saying good bye was the end of my senior year going to college. It was so hard for me.. but little did I realize how incredible that upcoming year at BYU would be. I feel like that's how goodbyes often are. They're sad, but in the long run, only better things are ahead for everyone. Heavenly Father's plan is a plan of happiness and the people I've met have made me happy.. and even though we might be going separate ways, it will always get better! A wise friend of mine once said "Sometimes you need to leave good things behind because better things are ahead." God is so good and His plan is perfect! I love my sweet friends in Provo, and it wouldn't be heaven without them. I know God placed each of them in my life for a very special reason and I couldn't be more thankful.

Here's to the last month of being a pre missionary!

The Power of Now

Here we are in the blessed month of October! The leaves are changing, the air is crisp, I can finally wear my flannels, and go on canyon drives, etc. With each month going by, I can't help but think- hey, one month closer to December!! I decided that I need to stop counting down the days. I need to make all the days count..

 "Embrace the current season of your life"- A quote my dearest best friend Sister Chadley Baker sent to me in an email one day

I know I need to remind myself often to embrace where I am right now in life. I'm waiting to go on a mission, but it is so wonderful. It is a time to prepare. A time to strengthen my relationship with Heavenly Father and a time to increase my knowledge and my testimony of Jesus Christ. This is a time for me to build up the relationships with those around me and to serve with all of my heart, might, mind, and strength- right now. I love my friends so dearly here in Ptown. My roomies, my Condo Row friends, my Lib Square friends, my Indonesian class homies, my coworkers. They're all so special to me and right now, I am doing my very best to serve them and to love them and to be here for them.

Embrace the time that each of us have right now. Ever so often, we get caught up in being nostalgic of the olden and golden times or vice versa- we get caught up in looking forward to the weekend, a birthday, Christmas, the end of the semester, and so on. It's a trap! Be thankful right here and right now. Put your phone down and take in all the time you've got with the person sitting next to you. Skip the nap and go outside. Be grateful for where you are in life. Be grateful for the people you have right now. Be present right here and right now. With November coming up, think of everything and everyone God has blessed you with. Show your gratitude for them by loving them and cherishing the time we all have now!

Let Go & Let God

Now let me tell ya.. opposition before the mission is a real thing.

I remember getting my call and everyone and their mother telling me how difficult the wait will be. I've always heard of "opposition before the mission", but I really didn't think it would phase me. After I got my call, I was pumped on life. Ecstatic, to say the least. I felt on top of the world and I felt like nothing could ever tear me down. 

Few weeks into fall, I realized how out of place I felt. I let these negative thoughts get into my head.. Thoughts telling me I'm not good enough, I'm not smart enough, I'm inadequate, I'm weak, and I can't do this. I knew that these thoughts were coming from Satan. He was trying so hard to tear me down, and even at some points, he did. My self esteem was hurt and my confidence was so low. I kept worrying and thinking about myself and how I can be good enough, smart enough, strong, and adequate. Internally, I felt lost, discombobulated, and so frustrated with myself. I had a serious case of the pre mission blues. Satan was just tearing me down left and right and I was not having it..

During this difficult life crisis of mine, I came to an understanding of what I needed to do and what was most important. I needed to take a step back and reevaluate my perspective on everything. I needed to take a step back and stop worrying about myself. I needed to look up to God even more than I was, and I needed to trust him even more that I did. I realized that I was thinking way too much about myself and how to make myself feel better. Nothing really worked until I stopped and lost myself in looking out for others instead. I worked on doing little things for the ones I love around me and as I grew a deeper love for them, I became more aware of what their needs were. Once I was able to understand their needs, I was able to help and to love, and that is what brought me joy. That is what brought me to the point where I found purpose.. I found purpose in service. In love, and relationships. I knew that being here as a pre missionary would be difficult, but in reality, I'm here because God knows that the people around me are people I need to learn and grow from before I leave.

My purpose as a pre missionary is simple.. The time I have right now is to prepare for my mission.
but how does one do that?

I came up with my remedy to any life crisis. Also know as My Top Three.

1. to strengthen the relationship I have with God & Christ
2. to strengthen the relationships I have with my family, friends, and the people around me
3. to increase my gospel knowledge & to solidify my testimony 

I have found much joy in focusing on those three things.. and I have realized that this does not only apply to my life as a pre missionary, but it applies to our everyday life as well. The only things that will matter once we are in heaven are those three things.. and those three things are what will bring us eternal and pure happiness. Its true and I’ve come to testify that it is.


I know that I used to feel a lack of purpose.. I used to feel a lack of meaning as I wait to leave on my mission.. but there's so much to do. Wherever you are in life, and wherever you go, there are people left and right, children of God, that need help. There is value and worth and purpose to each life.

To any pre missionary going through a hard time: its easy to get frustrated but don’t.. Don’t let satan get in your head and make you feel like you are not adequate or enough. Don’t let satan get into your head and make you feel like you are less than you are.. Don’t let him make you sad or upset or lonely. because you aren’t. You are never ever alone.. God is truly holding your hand amongst it all.

I pray that as an individual, each of us can strengthen our love for those around us.. I pray that we can strengthen our empathy and understanding of those around us and that we may be receptive to the promptings of the Spirit- so that as disciples of Christ, we can help and serve. I believe that the greatest way to prepare to be a missionary is to start now. Be a missionary right here and right now.. to your friends and your family. To strangers and your co workers. Work hard, and love God. Let go of your troubles & let God take care of you. 

The wait begins..

It's barely been a month since I got my mission call..
and here I am, counting down the days. Day by day, I think to myself: I'm closer to December 7th. This month I learned a couple of important things, so here I go-

Here's my problem right now: I can't just sit here and wait for the day to come. So I've come up with a plan. With a lot of fasting, prayer, and a miracle, I was able to decide on whether I should go home to California or stay in Provo for the next couple of months. Till November at least. I put a lot of prayer and thought into this choice. Simply because I knew that these next few months would be long, and wherever I need to be, would be exactly where Heavenly Father needs me to be. I was so conflicted.. I really had no idea what to do. I found myself breaking down in tears so often because I was so frustrated and did not receive a black and white answer. I thought about this choice I needed to make in the next week or so. What is it that I need to do? There were definite pros and cons in going home or staying in Provo. I wanted to go home and save up some more money. I wanted to spend time with family and relax for a few months. But I also wanted to stay in Provo where I had easy access to multiple temples, and I would for sure have my job, and attend a couple of classes at BYU for a term.

One night, a great friend of mine was able to counsel me with the exact words I needed to hear at this time of need. It was an answer to my prayers.. He told me: "Sometimes God doesn’t give you an exact answer because He knows you will make the right one. He trusts you, and sometimes it's just you.. You need to have the confidence and surety of the choice you have made and through that, He will give you the confirmation that what you are doing is the right thing. Sometimes you gotta take that step of faith into the dark and trust in God and know that everything is going to be okay. Everything works out in his timing and there is a reason for everything. And the best part about big decisions is that it means that something big is about to happen. Big decisions turn into big rewards." 

The last few days of summer, I searched and searched for an apartment contract. Glenwood sold out of women's contracts literally the day after I decided to stay in Provo. It all happened overnight, not even kidding. I had no luck. I felt like this physical barrier was a very sure sign from Heavenly Father, telling me I needed to go home. Then it literally came to a point where I was three days away from moving home to California for good, and a friend knew a friend of a friend who was selling their apartment contract in Glenwood.. So I gave her a call, and I bought the contract the next day. It was a miracle, honest to goodness it was!

I moved into a new apartment, with random roomies, a new ward, continued to work, and attended an Indonesian language class on campus. Sometimes I got frustrated because I felt so out of place in Provo. I felt like everyone is just going about their life with school and dating and what not and I'm preparing to go on a mission. I guess I felt out of place because no one else is preparing to leave, and all my friends left earlier in the year, so now I'm the last one here in Provo. Sometimes I felt as if people automatically cut me off when they find out I'm leaving simply because I'm leaving a couple of months so why bother? This was probably the biggest struggle for me this month.. just trying to find purpose in Provo and trying to understand why in the world I need to be here. All in all, I decided that this is what I need to do, and I felt good about it. I felt at peace with the choice I made and I felt like this is where God needs me to be.

What's so beautiful about conflicting times is knowing that God has a sure plan. I believe in God and His timing.. I believe that there is a reason(s) why I'm reporting on December 7th. I remember hearing an audible gasp in the crowd when I read the date off at my mission call opening. People always ask me, "What are you going to do till then?" Honest to goodness, I don't really know.. All I know is that if I keep doing what God needs me to do, then it will all be just right. If I continue to do my part by building up my foundation in Jesus Christ, living gospel principles, truly praying and studying my scriptures, and expressing my desires to God, then He will answer them. I know it for a fact. Things will fall into place- I just need to trust God and do what He needs me to do with all of my heart and mind and strength. 

I have absolute faith that although these next few months might be long, they are filled with precious time and lessons to be learned and people to meet and a testimony to be strengthened.. and so, the wait begins!!! (105 days, in case you were wondering;)..)

MY MISSION CALL!

I have been called to serve in the Indonesia Jakarta mission preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ in the Indonesian language. Report to the MTC on Wednesday, December 7th, 2016. 

I LOVE THIS GOSPEL AND I AM SO EXCITED TO GO AND SERVE THE LORD!!!

Tears of pure joy!!! I am so grateful for this amazing opportunity!! 

After a long 19 days of waiting for my mission call, it finally arrived!! 

Mission call is in the mail video!!

Mission call opening video!!

Most unreal feeling in the whole entire world.

I'm going home!!

Swig Fam 

Kiana

Ali

David

Glamour shot of Ali and I ;)

Ali!! Sister Eaton is called to serve in Kobe Japan!! So stoked for her.

Kirky

Monica

Imi & Jenna

Kirk & Johnny

Derek

Hals

Dalton

Julianna

Dalton & Julianna

Matt

Colin 

Lanny

Taylor 

Kate

The gals- Kate, Kate, & Sav

Matt, Taylor, Lanny, & Matt

Kayla

Bishop Thomas & Sister Thomas

Jenna :,)

Amanda 

Johnny & Kirk

Steve

James

Derek is the winner!

My cute roomies!!

My support group throughout this hectic day!! Jenna, Kirk, Johnny, & Hals