Chapati for your Body!

Last night Jenny, Carlee and I attempted to make Chapati. Ugandan Style.

Kneading the dough!

It was a failure.

Tasted like cooked flour and oil. Not like a chipati at all. haha!

However we still had fun. :)

We got ice cream to make up for the terrible tasting Chapati.

They are an adorable couple. ;)

We got a new recipe from Kristen, so next time we try this out, hopefully they will turn out better... :)

A Lovely Day in P-Town

Fall has definitely hit Provo.  The snow clouds have been threatening to let the snow flakes fall for the past 3 days and the trees are dropping their beautiful red, yellow, and orange leaves as the brisk wind blows throughout the huge campus of BYU.  It's beautiful.  However-I miss the sunshine.  So. Much.
My papers have been delayed because my stake president has not called me yet. :( So I am still waiting for him to call before they will be submitted.  Although I'm stuck waiting-I am learning to be patient.
And, I got to talk to this beautiful lady, which helped my day go better!  She gave me some mission tips :) Despite the technical difficulties I was having with my computer and sound, it was still grand being able to talk with her. She is so great!:)

I did my visiting teaching today. Yay!:)
I did Physics with Karen.  Afterwards we decided to go celebrate (no particular reason) and we got some Cold Stone Ice Cream! Yummy:)

And then when I got home I checked the mail and voilà! There was a letter for me from an Elder Groskreutz! My childhood buddy! :) It is great to hear from him!

So even though I am still disappointed about having to wait (hopefully just for 1 more week) for my mission papers to be submitted, I had a good day.
Tomorrow Shayna's mission call should be here! Yay! Can't wait to hear where she is called! :)

Quote of the Day! :)
"In the service of the Lord, it is not where you serve but how." - David O. McKay

You've Got Mail

9 missionary letters (2 of them emails) and 1 letter from one of my best friends from Germany received in the past week.

All 8 letters! (2 were emails)

Let the writing back commence...
:)

We'll Bring the World His Truth

My best friend just informed me that her call is in the mail!  She will get it next week!!!! :)
My mission papers will be submitted as soon as I have my interview with my stake president. I will have my call in 3 weeks. :) I honestly cannot believe that this day would come so soon!  It is so great!  Recently a friend posted this quote.  It was too good to keep to myself.

"Today many sisters are being called to serve.  Many more are preparing to serve.  Not because they aren't married or don't have anything else to do, but they have the desire to serve.  One reason that the Lord wants more sisters to serve is because within the next generation He will send His priesthood army to the earth.  He wants to send choice spirit children to mothers who have been prepared, properly trained, and taught in the gospel.  What better schooling can a mother have than the experience and growth she gains through serving a mission."

-President Gordon B. Hinckley

 It is neat to see this quote come even more into play than ever before with the announcement of the age change of missionaries from two weeks ago during General Conference.

I am so grateful for this opportunity that has become available for me to serve a full-time mission.

The time has come.  Sister missionaries will be flooding the mission field.  The work is progressing so much and missionary work will BOOM in this next year as sisters around the world choose to serve.

We'll bring the world His truth. :)

One of the pictures from my Mission photo shoot my parents did!:)

 

D&C 4:3- "Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work;"

Called to Serve

October 5th I turned 20.  What?  20!?  I'm OLD! ;)
My birthday was great! I went to Math class, went to work (my co-workers surprised me with a big box of doughnuts while I was washing dishes!  They started singing and had this box of doughnuts with candles in it! It was so nice! :)

(I have a picture, but don't know how to get it off my phone at the moment...)

And then my friends treated me by taking me to the BYU Womens Soccer Game! :) She was holding up a grand sign for me to find her:) I love these two!

 

Then I watched a movie with my roommate! :)

The next day, I received the best birthday present ever.  While watching the morning session of General Conference, amazing news was announced!

"I am pleased to announce that effective immediately all and able young men...will have the opportunity of being recommended for missionary service beginning at the age of 18, instead of the age 19.

*Loren (my brother) then says, "I wonder if they changed it for the women too?"*

"As we prayerfully pondered the age at which young men may begin their missionary service we have also given consideration to the age at which young women might serve.

*This is where the tears start falling freely from my eyes...*

"Today, I'm pleased to announce that able, worthy young women who have the deseire to serve may be recommended for missionary service beginning at age 19 instead of age 21.

*I'm crying hard core by this point!*

"We affirm that missionary work is a priesthood duty, and we encourage all young men who are worthy and physically able and mentally capable to respond to the call to serve.  Many young women also serve but are not under the same mandate to serve as are the young men.  We assure the young sisters of the Church, however, that they make a valuable attribution as missionaries and we welcome their service." -President Thomas S. Monson

This is an answer to my prayers.  I have waited for many many years for this day to come when it was my time to serve, and it came.  Yesterday morning!  I am filled with immense measures of joy.

My best friend. After years of waiting, we can finally go!!! We are both starting our papers today! :)

I am starting my papers today.

I am ready to serve my Lord!

Miracles Happen

As my life continues day by day, I see all the small miracles that the Lord has blessed me with.
I was able to attend the temple again today.  A beautiful place, it is.  The House of the Lord.  I love the temple so much.  I middle school, my older brother and his friend would pick up me and my best friend from school and take us to the temple every Wednesday afternoon.  Once he left on his mission and his friend moved to college, my best friend and I continued to go every Wednesday after school.  I took having a temple only 10 minutes away for granted though.  I didn't realize this until I got home from Uganda a month ago, and my best friend invited me to go to the temple with her that next day.
What a beautiful experience it was.  I had missed going to the House of the Lord!  The closest temple to Uganda is in South Africa.  It would be quite the trip if I had wanted to go while I was in Uganda.
Going to the temple and feeling the spirit so strongly, it has really made me realize how I have taken so many things for granted.  The temple is a miracle for me, and I am so so thankful to have it so close-by.

Another miracle I have been able to have: Because of my trip to Uganda, it drained my pockets.  I fundraised for my trip, however I still had to pay a lot out of my own pocket.  It was definitely worth it.  However, it created a huge stress factor.  I stressed all throughout the summer and right up to today about how I was going to pay for this year's tuition and housing.  However, the Lord always provides a way when you are where you are supposed to be! :)  During the summer, I received a half-tuition scholarship.  The day tuition was due, I was finally awarded my FAFSA pell-grant, which paid the rest of the tuition AND my housing!  It was the PERFECT amount.  Coincidence?  I think not.  Miracle?  I think yes.

Being able to serve these children by helping build Seya School was a miracle. It went up in two months.  We thought it would take at least until December.

This past week I was able to have my exit interview for my internship I did while in Uganda with the College of Life Sciences.  While having the interview, the Internship coordinator told me about an organization in Provo that involves kids with special needs and Physical Therapy.  EXACTLY what I want to do when I am older. :) So I am going to volunteer and shadow a Physical Therapist and help the children with disabilities!! :) I can't wait to get started:)

Sunsets=Miracles.  They happen where ever you may be in the world and still as beautiful as ever.

When there is a will, there is a way.  The Lord is helping me get to where I need to be, and I am so grateful for all the small and many miracles he has blessed me with.
I have also been able to keep up in my classes so far!  My goal for this semester is to get A's in every class. :)  So far, it is going good.

These children were miracles for me.

Life is great.  I finally was able to watch the CES devotional talk given by Elder Holland on September 9th.  It was so good!  I wasn't able to attend on Sunday, but I was able to watch it tonight after I got home from the temple. :)  I am ahead in my classes - I have homework completed until Tuesday!  I also have a date tomorrow with an AWE to the SOME guy.  He is great. I will let you know how that goes later. :)
Life is good.  Life is wonderful.  I am so grateful for everything that has been happening.  Things are coming together with the help of the Lord. :) With the Lord, all things are possible.  I am definitely seeing that first hand.

I honestly love and miss these children so much.  They have gone through so much more than I can imagine, yet they are the sweetest things on Earth. :)

Quote of the Day! :)
"You can become blind by seeing each day as a similar one.  Each day is a different one, each day brings a miracle of its own.  It's just a matter of paying attention to this miracle." - Paulo Coelho

September 11th - A Day to Remember

Never Forget.

A poem I found about this day:

United We Stand!
This is a story of a historic event,
And this is the way that it went.

An airplane crashed thru building one,
Next thing people know two was done.

Now both buildings down of the twin towers,
While people wait for hours and hours.

They watch the police and firefighters strive,
And see if their loved ones are still alive.

Now there are two lights where the towers once stood,
And they shine very bright thru the neighborhood.

This event did not break apart the U.S.A.,
Because we are closer and closer to each other everyday.

Jen S.