A glimps into my brain...

The last few days have been nothing sort of weird. A good month plus ago I'd made up my mind concerning a certain issue I'd been battling (and mind you I thought I'd won) and low and behold, the human part of me informed me I was everything but correct. The issue is irrelevant, so I won't bore you with details. However I will let you know of the conclusions I've come to. In order to adequately fill you in, I'll let you into the corners of my thinking. Here goes:

I don't find it any kind of ironic that life works out the way that it does. That somehow everything seems to just work out. Whether that is finding $5 to pay for gas as you're pinching pennies before the next pay check or miraculous passing a test... or miserably failing so that the following semester you'll come in contact with someone who'll influence and bless your life (not necessarily a spouse... come on everyone!). I'm convinced that the reality is that there is a Higher Being, even a Supreme Being watching over us in every phase of life.

If you're anything like me, you're thinking: "Yeah, that's easy to say when life is blissful and nothing in going wrong." To that I reply, WRONG! For me, it's during the times of struggle and trial that I'm comforted in my faith and knowledge that I do know there is a God and that He is aware of me. I know life is hard, and the beauty is that it was meant to be. I don't have the miracle cure all for many situations I encounter in life, but I guess that doesn't matter to me cause I know it'll all work out.

Welp, until next time. Keep trudgin' through the mud, it'll all work out okay.

In Rememberance...(a few weeks late)

These last few days have been rather interesting. My has undergone some minor changes that have impacted us as a whole (nothing to worry about, so don't be concerned), I've been either a week ahead or behind in my classes, and this morning my family found out that one of our Earthly Angels passed on to the next life.

Daily life has been fairly typical, but for some reason this death has affected me more than I'd anticipated. Maybe it's because I didn't even come close to anticipating it.  Don't read me wrong, I'm not to the point that I'm no longer able to function or that I'm a basket case, but it's caused me to reflect a lot on the impact we can have one each other during our experiences here on Earth. At this time I'd like to offer my condolences to the Brinkman family. I know they'll probably never come across this blog, but I'd like it to be on record that I'm personally grateful for the influence that Curt Brinkman had on not only my life, but more directly on the life my family as a whole.

As I've reflected about the potential of each of our lives, I'm overwhelmed with the amount of good we can do. I'm convinced that this mortal experience wasn't designed to only help ourselves, those abroad, those with life-changing challenges but also those with whom we regularly interact. I believe that a portion on my purpose is to be a shoulder to cry on, to serve as an encouragement to press forward, to help others endure their trials, learn from the good bad and ugly and to help those I love see the long term value of these hardships. Thus, today I vow that I'm going to do all I can live my life a little more like Curt, to end my "service project" mentality and change the way I look at life; to see it as an opportunity to serve my family and neighbors, strangers and my God.

It's kind of a big deal...

For those of you who've not yet heard, or maybe you have and forgot, or you didn't and I'm a super excited big sister: my brother got his mission call and...

...drum roll please!!...

Elder Shaun Christian has been called to serve and Lord and the people in the Mexico Hermosillo Mission!!!!

In honor of an im-port-tan-te dia a mi casa.

Today is a day we've been anxiously waiting for for the past...

19 years

(and I've kinda secretly been dreading for the past year or so). Today Shaun got his "big white envelope" in the mail. For those of you who aren't familiar with the significance of this let me fill ya in.

My family and I are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Part of our religion requires all faithful young men to serve a mission where they will spread the Gospel (our beliefs) to a specified place in the world. This mission will be full time for up to two years, at their own expense. I know this sounds like a lot to sacrifice, and it is. However I've seen the fruits of partaking in such a work as I watched my older brother serve and I know the blessings from Our Creator surpass everything that could be obtained otherwise.

Missionaries often wear tags like the one below setting them apart from the average person you'd meet on the street. They work hard everyday from 6:30 am to 10:30 pm teaching, serving and looking for people who are interested in hearing their message.

As I process the significance of today I find myself incredibly excited for this new chapter in not only my brother's life, but also in the life of my entire family. Missions have helped to bring my family together in the past and I anticipate that again in the future. My excitement for my brother most certainly out-weighs the sadness I'll feel as he leaves but I couldn't be more pleased to have such a good example of obedience in a best friend.

So until you open the white envelope that holds so much of your not so distant future... thanks for everything Buddy!