"I'm going on an adventure!" -Bilbo Baggins

That's how I feel like.  If someone said, "Kelsey, what are you doing?"  I would yell in my best British accent, "I'm going on the best adventure of my life."

Life has been full of crazy emotions and events.  Sunday was my farewell.  I've watched many friends have their farewells and I never thought I would actually attend and speak at my own.  But what a wonderful day it was.  I was so grateful to be able to be in church with the 8th ward one last time.  After the Sacrament my brother gave a beautiful talk on how the Aaronic Priesthood prepares him for missionary work.  He talked about how he was grateful that I was going on a mission.  My heart swelled with pride and joy watching my big baby brother bear his testimony of the Priesthood and the power of missionary work.

After his talk my mom and I sang a medley of I need Thee every hour and I know that my Redeemer lives.  We sang one verse of each song in Italian and one verse of each song in English.  Singing with my mother was such an honor.  She has a beautiful voice and we are able to blend together to sound like one voice.  The Spirit was so strong and I could feel the power of the testimony of those hymns.

Then I started my talk.  I ran late that morning so I had to bring my laptop and set it on top of the stand so I could read off of it.  Here is the outline for my talk. 

Hello.  Basic info:  Born in Midvale, till I was 8.  Moved to alpine.  Graduate LPHS 2011.  Study Theater Arts Education and sociology at SUU.    Want to be a high school theater teacher.  Hoping to go to the U after my mission.  Favorite things:  The Color Pink, Romantic Italian groups, high quality European dark chocolate, theater, dancing, running, Krav Maga.

Topic of my talk:  Elder S. Gifford Nielsen 2013 General conference talk:  Hastening the Lord’s game plan.  We each must develop and carry out our own personal game plan to serve with enthusiasm alongside the full-time missionaries.

In order to understand this talk we need to understand three words:  Hastening, Lord, Game plan.

Dictionary.com Hasten:  to move or act with haste; proceed with haste; hurry: to hasten to a place. to cause to hasten; accelerate: to hasten someone from a room; to hasten the arrival of a happier time.

Bible Dictionary:  Lord:  It took me to Christ.  Definition:  The anointed one or messiah.  Jesus, who is called Christ is the first born of the Father in the spirit and the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh. 

Dictionary.com Gameplan:  A carefully thought out strategy or course of action as in politics, business or one’s personal affairs.  The overall strategy of a team for winning a specific game.   

Conclusion:  We need to move, proceed, hurry, accelerate the carefully thought strategy or course of action of our Savior Jesus Christ who is the first born of our Heavenly Father.  Eternal and significant perspective. 

Now that we know what we are supposed to do we have to think what is the Lord’s gameplan?  I think Elder Gifford frames the talk that the Lord’s game plan is the missionary program that I will be apart of.  Our game plans are vines in the Lord’s vineyard.  Here’s why. 

Quote 1  

So how do we implement a better game plan

1)      First specifically pray to bring someone closer to the Savior and His gospel every day.  You could do this by seeing all people as sons and daughters of God helping each other on their journey home.  Think of the new friends you would make. 

President Monson talk See others as they may become November 2012 ensign:  1961 worldwide conference for mission presidents.  N Eldon Tanner, Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve.  Most successful missionary because of tracting.  “The young man said that he attempted to baptize every person whom he met. He said that if he knocked on the door and saw a man smoking a cigar and dressed in old clothes and seemingly uninterested in anything—particularly religion—the missionary would picture in his own mind what that man would look like under a different set of circumstances. In his mind he would look at him as clean-shaven and wearing a white shirt and white trousers. And the missionary could see himself leading that man into the waters of baptism. He said, “When I look at someone that way, I have the capacity to bear my testimony to him in a way that can touch his heart.” 

President Monson finishes, “We have the responsibility to look at our friends, our associates, our neighbors this way. Again, we have the responsibility to see individuals not as they are but rather as they can become. I would plead with you to think of them in this way.”

2)      Second, pray for the missionaries serving in your area and their investigators by name every day.  The only way to do this is to greet them, look at their badge, call them by name, and ask them who they are teaching.  Elder Russell M. Nelson wisely contributed, “Until you know a person’s name and face, the Lord cannot help you know his or her heart.” 

I would replace the word know with love.  When our actions are supported by love, that is the Charity or the pure love of Christ.  

3)      Third invite a friend to an activity in our out of your home.  Wherever you go or whatever you do, ponder who would enjoy the occasion and then listen to the Spirit as he directs you. 

Youth especially.  Invite friends to firesides, dances, conferences, camps, etc.  Adults, invite to meetings, ward gatherings, and to have religious discussions.

Sales taught me, if I like it they like it. 

 

My own personal game plan.

Growing up:  Maybe go on a mission.

High school:  Go on a mission if I finish school, haven’t married, haven’t started my career.

College:  Go on a mission if I can stay single by then, finish college, miraculously don’t have a career.

Two big events that first convinced me I would. 

14 years old sacrament meeting prompting.

Park city girls.

Start off second semester= life had no gameplan.  Lonely, miserable.

Announcement:  Clear the fog.  Knew I needed to go.  Gameplan then was finish school, get wisdom teeth out, get papers in, go on a mission.

When I got my call:  do Krav Maga, mission prep, read materials in Italian, stay out of the dating world, tons of dancing, sit tight for months

Changes in me:  How I saw everyone as my brother and sister.  Dress more modestly.  Seek better music, books, friends, entertainment, etc. 

Biggest lesson:  When our gameplan is the Lord’s, that’s when things can go smoothly.  When it’s not, that is the opportunity for us to learn through the trials and gain a better understanding of what the Lord wants us to do. 

Elaborate.

Mission thank yous. Testimony.  Amen.

I wasn't nervous.  Rather it was so wonderful to look out on a crowd of beautiful faces of the people I loved and be able to share my testimony.

The meeting ended and everyone came to the house.  All my family, friends and some neighbors.  My mom cooked a massive pot of pasta and my relatives brought side dishes.  One of my neighbors has connections to Costa Vida and brought over sweet pork.  We didn't make enough food.  Everyone devoured everything.  I spent the day talking, eating, taking pictures, saying thank you, giving hugs and making beautiful memories.  

Finally around 5, all the relatives left and it was just me and the family at house... and my friend Brady.  We hadn't been able to hang out before my farewell so we went on a long walk around the lake behind Lone Peak High School.  It was a beautiful full moon night and we talked about our lives.  I thought to myself that there was no where I would rather be than with one of my best friends, on a beautiful night, discussing missionary work, trials, and how we can become the people we need to be.  We ended the night with a massive hug and he kissed me on the cheek.  I will miss him soooo much!  

The next day I woke up at 11 in the morning as I was extremely exhausted from the farewell.  I was supposed to spend the day packing but instead my beautiful friend Ashley came over.  She is pursuing a mission and it was wonderful to be able to catch up, laugh and give our last goodbyes.  I can't wait to hear where she is going.  Then my mom and I started to pack a little and who stopped by?  None other than Chocolate Boy himself... Al Galan.  We also went on a walk around Lone Peak and just talked and laughed.  He is an amazing man and I am so grateful I had the opportunity to date him and then become best friends.  Another massive hug and kiss on the cheek later, we departed.  

I spent the rest of the evening packing and then we had the best family home evening ever.  It started with a delicious dinner of salmon, rice, broccoli, french bread, fruit and pumpkin spice bundt cake and molten chocolate cake.  After dinner, my dad showed us pictures from his mission.  The Spirit was so strong and I am so proud of my dad for going on a mission.  I am honored to follow in his footsteps.  

After family home evening I was up till 1 am getting ready for Tuesday.  Tuesday was all packing.  I spent six hours in my room organizing, cleaning and assembling everything.  I went on my last run on the treadmill while watching Cake Boss.  I'm gonna miss that show.  In the evening my wonderful neighbor arrived to say goodbye.  She and her husband had taught me some temple prep classes before I got my endowments.  I will be forever grateful for their selfless service as they taught me those classes. 

Finally at 8 pm I reported to the Stake presidents office to be set apart as a missionary.  What a beautiful experience.  The Stake President himself wasn't able to be there because of meetings but his two wonderful counselors were there.  They gave me fantastic advice about trusting in the Lord, following the promptings of the Holy Ghost and being the best missionary I can.  Then I was set apart.  I won't go into detail because it is a very sacred experience but I will say that I felt a physical weight ascend upon my shoulders.  But it is not a burdensome weight.  It made me feel empowered, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually stronger.  There's a story in the Bible about how when Elijah was taken into Heaven, he threw his coat down to Elisha.  It felt like the Spirit had thrown a coat of responsibility, love, power and strength to be able to accomplish what I must while on my mission.  It was one of the best experiences of my life.  

So now I'm off on a mission.  I've had so many emotions that I haven't been able to process them.  But the Lord in his infinite mercy has given my heart a feeling of peace through these last couple days.  This has allowed me to be calm and be able to get through saying goodbye.

Now, I will go with my family to the Provo Temple, take pictures on the grounds, and then they will drop me off at the MTC.   The adventure begins. 

 

Dates, Delicacies and Delight

An update of my mission prep:  Yesterday I got up, ran on the treadmill while watching four episodes of Cake Boss, updated stuff on my laptop and went on my last date.  A guy I used to date, but now am friends with, we love hanging out.  No it's not friends with benefits.  It is a friendship centered on admiration, trust and the ability to laugh and have fun together.  We went to a Sushi house, my first time ever.  The food itself was gorgeous and tasted even better than it looked.  Stuffed to the brim with Sushi, we went back to his house and chatted about our lives.  It was a bittersweet date.  It would be our last for a year and a half.  This guy came into my life three weeks after I told the first boy I had ever loved, and who had been my best friend for years, to get out of my life and never return.  So I was a wreck.  But he came in, helped me realize that I deserved respect and love, and we made some summer romance memories that challenged Nicholas Sparks literary scenes.  I'll miss him so much.  And I'll never forget what I learned from him. 

Today, I hung out with another one of my bff's.  Shopping for mission stuff, we chatted about her current engagement and her wedding plans in December.  We laughed and reminisced of the good ol days when we were in High School.  This friend has taught me so much about life and how to handle the trials it brings.  After a hangout, family came over and with talking, laughing, arguing and Christmas music filling the background, we pumped out over 100 pizzelli cookies.  Never heard of them?  They're an Italian delicacy.  Shaped like a small doily, they are baked like waffles.  You mix the addictive batter and pour it into a pizzelli maker that bakes the batter into a flat and intricately designed cookie.  I grew up on these cookies.  One of my proudest moments was when mom let me actually measure out the vanilla by myself; granted I was 4 at the time but because it could spill so easily, it was an honor when I got to do it myself.  It was long, exhausting and a huge mess.  But one I will never forget. 

Pizzelli Cookies

My farewell is TOMORROW!  I can hardly believe I'm actually giving my mission farewell talk tomorrow.  As a kid, I thought the day would never come.  Preparing for my mission, I was seriously convinced that it would never come.  Now, tomorrow I will wake up, put on tons of makeup and hair product and spend hours eating and chatting with tons of family, friends and ex boyfriends.  I'm excited, nervous, stressed, and slightly disconnected from reality.  Everything seems to be happening so fast, beyond any control.  In only four days I will enter the MTC ready to begin the best chapter of my life. 

And so it begins

One of my good friends used to say that every time he would tell an epic story.  I'll miss him.  Well here it is.  I've been pursuing a mission since October 6 2012.  But my desire to go on a mission started a long time before that.  When I was 14 I was sitting in a sacrament meeting and felt a strong desire that I should pursue a mission.  I shrugged it off rationalizing that a mission was only for those super old girls (because 21 is just ancient... :p I'm 20).
The next time was at a ward my family was visiting on vacation.  Some sisters were there and one of them looked at me and mentioned a mission.  I kind of laughed it off and said that I wasn't a missionary right then and that I probably wouldn't be.  The sister immediately replied, "We're all missionaries."  I knew she was right but didn't know how it applied to me. 

A few years later, my family went to Park City for a day.  My mom and I were walking up and down main street when we stopped in the Family History Center.  Run by the church, the center focuses on Genealogy and missionary work.  The sister missionaries that gave us the tour were beautiful young women full of life, love and a passion for missionary work.  One of the girls, a short, blue-eyed, curly blonde haired sister talked with me about being a missionary.  While we were talking, I couldn't help but notice the light shining in her eyes.  She truly had Christ's light engraved on her countenance.  This trip happened after a dark time in my life and I thought to myself, "Wow.  I wish I could have light like that.  Maybe I need to go on a mission to get it."

On October 6, 2012 President Monson announced that sisters could start their missions at age 19.  having just turned 19 that summer, I knew immediately that this was what I was supposed to do.  A few months prior to the announcement I was living life but extremely unhappy.  I had started my third semester of college but I couldn't figure out why I felt like I needed to be doing something else.  I felt a pull in my spirit that suggested I had a greater path before me but I didn't know what it was.  I felt disconnected from college.  This caused me to be disengaged from my classes and it made no sense because I was finally pursuing my dream major.  I was in a relationship with a wonderful young man but I didn't want to be married at such a young age.  We were going to different schools and he wasn't in a position to marry for another year.  I had friends I was worried about and others who were going on missions.  I had wonderful roommates but there were times where I felt like the black sheep of the roomies.  What it really felt like was that I was living in a fog.  A fog of uncertainty, anxiety, lack of motivation, selfishness and confusion.  Life was becoming dull, boring, and there was a lack of progression.  The worst part was that I couldn't figure out the reasons behind any of it.   

But when the announcement was made, it was a profound spiritual experience for me.  Immediately the mental, emotional and spiritual fog in life cleared up.  I knew exactly what I was supposed to do.  I called my parents and through tears, said, "Mom, Dad I think I'm going on a mission."  I immediately contacted my Bishop and started my papers that day.  I had never felt such enthusiasm towards a goal in my life.  All I wanted to do was quit school that semester but the housing market crashed at SUU because all the sisters left and it would've been a nightmare to try and sell my contract.  I had recruited most of my roommates to live with me and felt it would be unfair to just pick up and leave.  I was the Relief Society President in my YSA ward and I didn't want to leave my bishop empty handed.  Overall, I felt like I just needed to stay at school and finish out the year.  I did and I'm glad I did.

But my mission prep started.  I bought Preach my Gospel and my life changed the minute I opened that great book.  I started doing daily scripture study and tried to see everyone around me as my brothers and sisters in the Gospel.  I enrolled in Mission Prep in Institute.  Life got easier but it also got harder.  Immediately after I decided to go, I was filled with doubts and anxiety.  What would happen to my family, school, the guy, my roommates, my job, and my life?  Would I be a good missionary?  Would I get sent to Milan, Italy, the place of my dreams and the mission I desired most of all?  How would I afford it?  These questions spun for weeks in my brain.  It wasn't until I went to the temple with my mother that I found peace.  After that temple trip, I had made my decision.  I was going on a mission and nothing was going to stop me.

It hasn't been an easy journey.  I injured my neck, left knee, left elbow, and right foot.  I had 5 illnesses including one that left me with an insanely swollen lymphnode gland that almost required hospitalization.  I've had more shots and spent more time in a doctors office in a year than in my entire life combined.  Learning to be happily single and pull myself out of the dating market was an awkward transition as I had spent the last ten years perfecting the art of flirting.  I had to change a lot of little habits and decide what kind of missionary I wanted to be.  The hardest challenge has been learning how to follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost and accept the Lord's will in my life rather than just doing whatever I want.  It wasn't until right before my mission that I started to be able to master this.

But there have been so many blessings from this decision.  I was able to go through the temple and receive my endowment which has brought more blessings into my life than I could imagine.  I enrolled in Krav Maga and now have almost a years worth of training under my belt.  Krav helped me build my physical, emotional and mental strength.  It boosted my confidence and has helped me learn how to be consistent and endure hard things.  Krav taught me that even though it's hard, I can't stop, quit or give up.  I have to keep going.  My bestest friend in the world moved in with my family and I and shared my room with me.  We've grown closer and I love her as if she was my sister.  She taught me so much about life, pain, happiness, missionary work and love.  I've learned so much about patience.  I got my call in July and would have to wait till November to report.  There have been many nights where I would wish with all my heart that I could just run away from Italy and forget about preparing.  But then something would happen that would remind me why I have to be home.  I coached and chaperoned for my Middle School's Shakespeare Team.  I will never forget the three days of bliss and the weeks of learning and hard work that made that experience one of the best this year.  Another one of my friends, a guy I had dated for a while but then we just decided to be friends, started coming back to church and we would have tons of gospel centered discussions.  It was the greatest experience to hear him tell of the changes he was making in his life to become the person he wants to be.
A special experience has been to talk with my father about his mission.  He has taught me so much about what it means to be a missionary and looking at his mission pictures and hearing the stories was absolutely priceless.  My aunt who also served a mission has taught me so much about what it means to be a sister missionary and how I can keep refining myself to be a better servant of the Lord.

Soon I will give my farewell talk and next week I will enter the MTC.  The process has started.  For a while I was a mess.  I felt tons of different emotions all the time but now I feel peace.  It will be hard to leave my family but like the quote says, "Missionaries leave their families for a short time so others can be with their families for an eternity.