i love to see the temple.

From a young age, I was taught the song "I Love to See the Temple". I was always excited that I would someday be able to enter into the temple and do temple work. I had my first opportunity to attend the temple when I was 12 years old! I was able to perform baptisms for the dead for the very first time. It was one of the most spiritual experiences I had in my life up until that point. I knew that this was a big step to be taking, and I felt more happiness and love than I could have imagined. The temple is a place where we can go to feel closer to our Father in Heaven. I feel so blessed that I live so close to so many temples, and that gave me the opportunity to attend the temple on a very regular basis. When I started college, I made it a goal to attend the temple at least once a month, and it helped me so much. I am so grateful for the temple!

Little did I know that just (about) 7 years later I would be entering the Lord's house for a different purpose. On June 15, 2013 I was able to go to the Mt. Timpanogos temple to receive my own endowment. This was a very special experience for me, and I am so glad that I was able to go through the temple more than 3 months before I report for my mission, because I have been able to go back through multiple times and feel that amazing spirit. I am the youngest child in my family, and I was the last to go through the temple. This made it a very unique experience for me because I was able to have my whole family with me during this experience. I was also blessed to be able to go through for the first time with one of my very best friends, Nicole. She had received her call a few weeks before me, and we decided that we wanted to go through together for the first time! What an amazing example this girl is to me. She is so strong, and has such an amazing testimony. I admire her for all that she does. 

{me and my best friend Nicole after going through the temple}

{the whole fam - they're my favorite}

{me and my brother Dan}

called to serve.

I finally decided that it was time for me to start a blog. I figured this would be the best way to keep family and friends updated while I am gone on my mission! I don't leave for a few months, but I wanted to write about a few big events that have led me to where I am now. :)

When the announcement for the missionary age change came out in October of 2012, I was definitely surprised! I was amazed to hear that boys could now serve at 18 and girls at 19. What wonderful news! Within the next couple of hours, it seemed as though everyone (okay, maybe not everyone... but close) knew all of a sudden that they were supposed to serve a mission... How cool for them! But I definitely did not know at that time or day that I would be serving a mission. I always assumed that I would make the decision about whether I was serving a mission when I turned 21, and I could figure out what I was doing in my life - whether a mission was the right thing for me. But that changed when the announcement came out!

Over the next few months, I kept thinking of all of the pros and cons to serving a mission at this time in my life... The pros definitely outweighed the cons! I knew that I had a desire to serve, but I knew that only our Heavenly Father could tell me if the timing was right. Through the power of prayer, I was given an answer in early February, and that is when I decided that I was going to serve a mission! But... That is not where this story ends. I have discussed this with a lot of pre-mission friends, and it seems like when you are making good decisions in your life, Satan really tries to attack you and make you doubt your testimony. After a few interviews falling through in my singles ward, I took that as a sign that I shouldn't go on a mission any more and I really starting doubting those feelings that I had before about serving a mission. I got discouraged and I felt confused and upset. My amazing father gave me a blessing soon after (the power of the priesthood is AMAZING) and I started to feel more at peace and knew I needed to turn to my Heavenly Father once again to talk to him about my life. Through a lot of prayer, and fasting I once again felt at peace with my decision to serve a mission. I met with my bishop in my home ward, and got my papers started. I had them submitted within 6 days, and had my call about two weeks after that!

I have been called to serve in the Indiana Indianapolis mission, and I report to the Provo MTC on September 25, 2013! I will be speaking English, and I couldn't be more excited! This is the perfect mission for me. Our Heavenly Father knows us better than we know ourselves!

Me and my two best friends are all serving missions, and our missions are all right next to each other. What a testament to us that the Lord really does know us, and our calls are so personal and meant just for us! My friend Nicole is serving in the Iowa Des Moines mission reporting August 14, and Makayla is serving in the Illinois Chicago mission reporting September 4. We are all leaving 3 weeks apart.

I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I can't wait to get out there and share the happiness that this gospel brings. I couldn't think of a better way to spend the next 18 months of my life!