My Incredible Brother

I felt like the luckiest lady around 1.5 weeks ago.....

I moved out to SLC to join my husband, and 1 day later my brother and mother came out so he could go to the Provo MTC to be a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Alpine, German Mission. 

Because he's such a stud, and does so well in German already, he leaves the MTC to head to the mission headquarters (where MY mission headquarters were too!!) in a little over a week!

My husband and I were lucky enough to spend the morning with this amazing elder and my mom--we stuffed him with food, shopped around (see below, my mom trying to convince him of things he 'needed'), and spent the last few hours we could soaking up time with this amazing servant of the Lord.

I miss him! But I am SO proud of him.

I am a lucky older sis ;)

He was SO ready to go (we were reluctant to let him, but eventually we let go of his arms) :)

What an amazing man. Serving a mission is one of the best things I ever did, so I am stoked to hear his mission experiences in German (and possibly with the same people I served with in wards!)

Love you, Elder Bailey! <3

6 Years

On this day, January 18, 6 years ago- in 2006-, I entered the Missionary Training Center in Provo, UT to become a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

It was a very intense, emotional, and beautiful day.

And the start of something very incredible for me as a person. Anything good that has come to me during these past 6 years I can totally attribute to beginning that journey 6 years ago today!

my two companions and me in the MTC, Jan 2006

Little did I know that Elder Holland would be OH so right when he talked about missionary work and the incredible yet totally difficult days that would be ahead-all starting for ME on THAT incredible day 6 years from today.

 From this talk he said,  "I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience.Salvation never was easy. We are The Church of Jesus Christ, this is the truth, and He is our Great Eternal Head. How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him? It seems to me that missionaries and mission leaders have to spend at least a few moments in Gethsemane. Missionaries and mission leaders have to take at least a step or two toward the summit of Calvary.

Now, please don’t misunderstand. I’m not talking about anything anywhere near what Christ experienced. That would be presumptuous and sacrilegious. But I believe that missionaries and investigators, to come to the truth, to come to salvation, to know something of this price that has been paid, will have to pay a token of that same price.

For that reason I don’t believe missionary work has ever been easy, nor that conversion is, nor that retention is, nor that continued faithfulness is. I believe it is supposed to require some effort, something from the depths of our soul."

It is a beautiful talk that poignantly describes how I might feel on some days ;) 

My sister once said before I left to be a missionary that "Heavenly Father takes care of His sister missionaries--before, during, and after."

my sister on the day she returned from HER mission, 2005 --she inspired me to even ask in prayer if I should go

She was right. He does take care of me, and has given me awesome experiences these past several years. 

my original MTC group, FEB 2006

One of the best being marrying my awesome husband. My husband rocks!

wedding day -April 30, 2010

It does the soul and mind good to reflect on what you have done and become because of YOUR blessings from Him, our Heavenly Father.