called to serve

Today marks the four month anniversary for my mission call...

LONGEST WAIT OF MY LIFE. 

Despite my initial pessimistic attitude about how far away October was....I learned that Heavenly Father knows exactly what he is doing, and that his timing is impeccable. #imaginethat

So..the million dollar question...How does a young sister keep busy while her friends are consumed with dance, school, and the entire male population?

yep, you guessed it.. By watching "The District" episodes on repeat, and memorizing the first discussion...

L I E S.

Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl, and online shopping. What of it?

Although it feels as if I have been doing a whole lot of nothing in the past four months I have accomplished two of my life long goals, and for that, I am proud.

MISSION CALL.

On May 23, 2013 I got a call from my darling roommate Emily saying that my mission call was at our house... After suffering from an almost hernia in the middle of Fashion Place Mall, I finally gained composure and went grand theft auto on everyone, and got home in a new record. Six minutes.  After having the typical "It's Here" photo shoot with all of my roommates, I started preparing everything for the nights festivities.

REWIND:

Exactly one week prior to receiving of my mission call, being the punk that I am, I prank called my mom and told her that I had received my call. She said "DON'T OPEN IT" My response? "Too late.." She immediately put the phone on speaker phone and called the whole family to gather round..OH. NO. She then asked me where I was going...the first thing to pop in my head? URUGUAY. Along with the rest of the family, she then started screaming, and crying, and what sounded like hyperventilating....crap. #worstdaughterever After what seemed like twenty minutes, she calmed down and I broke the news that I was joking...turns out, not everyone gets my humor. Or anyone for that matter..not one person in my family thought it was funny. Adopted? Probably.

FAST FORWARD:

Dear Sister Sorenson,

You have hereby been called to serve as a missionary of The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. You have been assigned to Labor in the URUGUAY MONTEVIDEO WEST mission. WHAT. I guessed it..I guessed my mission call. So of course I let it go straight to my head, and assumed I was psychic. I was soon shot down when my brother told me to guess a number between one and ten to prove it....Thanks for that Bubba. k a r m a.

RECEIVED ENDOWMENT.

I love to see the temple, I'm going there someday...

(5 points to anyone who sang that out loud)

On September 20, 2013 I went through the Salt Lake City Temple for the very first time. HOLY COW. (See what I did there?) When I was in elementary school, I remember we always had to write down our short and long term goals...Going through the temple always fell into the "long term" category for me. Was it already here? As I sat in the celestial room, I reflected back on my life..I always imagined my husband taking me through the temple for my first time, and I would be at least twenty five, with a college degree...RIIIIGHT.

Although, it all panned out a little differently than twelve year old Safari dreamed, God has a plan for each of us, and his plan is perfect. My day, was perfect. My sweet, sweet, hip (cause she's reading this) grandma was my escort, and there is no one else I would've rather had take me through. No...not even my husband. 

I fasted all day Thursday, and prayed that I would have an open mind, and an open heart. I can't say much about what went on in there because A. It's sacred and B. I don't even understand it myself, so trying to explain anything would be an epic fail...BUT there is one thing I do understand. The temple is The House of the Lord. That is a fact. Although most of it was like a foreign language to me (bring it on Spanish) I have never in my life felt so much peace.

Some things I did before and after that were useful:
-fasted
-prayed
-studied the scriptures
-read my patriarchal blessing
-wrote in my journal my thoughts and feelings about the temple

I get to go through with my friend Kristen on Wednesday for her first time!! I am so excited and anxious to get back there and leave the cares of the world at the door.

THE CHURCH IS TRUE.

XO,
Hermana Sorenson