Terrific Tuesday!

Can I Just tell you about the great day I had yesterday?!
{So, first of all as a preface, I've been working back at my old job as a front desk secretary at a graduate office at my school. Upon returning to work there for the summer after my mission, I asked my boss if I could work full 40 hour weeks at the office. (We have three secretaries and typically divide up the time so as to have one secretary in the office at a time. There really is no need for more, since there is very little to do during the summer.) So, my boss told me that if she could find a project for me to work on, then I could work full-time. Sooo... finally she found one for me just last week about mid-week. I decided I'd start going full-time this week. Monday I managed 7 1/2 hours. It's kind of funny to me actually. Monday I was determined to spend the whole week working 8 hours each day, however, by the time Monday was over, I was exhausted! I went home and didn't want to do anything but... rest... (I even skipped FHE... I KNOW, right? Yes, I did feel guilty...) }
So, ANYWAY, when Tuesday arrives, of course I'm planning to work the whole day... However, I realize I have a list of things to get done: check out an apartment before it gets sold, make a doctor's appointment, etc, so I decide after having hated so much the day before, that I would just scratch the 8 hours a day idea and do some things that I enjoy rather than return home drained of energy again. Even better was when Mike (name has been changed), a friend of mine, called asking for a ride from the car shop. So, it was the perfect excuse to leave! Besides, I think I have better productivity when I'm happy. I left work at one, checked out a condo or two (I can't decide where to live!!), made the appointment with an orthopedic (Finally- in two weeks- I can get my knees checked out and find out what the damage is!), and picked Mike up about 2:40 ish. Okay, I know, I haven't really gotten to the exciting parts yet.
Sooo... Mike, I pick him up all alone, stranded in the dusty car lot, in what he calls his "late to work" clothes, without his car. An hour and a half until its ready, so He asks if He can buy me lunch! Of course I'm all about lunch, so we go pick up some Subway and eat it at a nearby park! This is where the fun begins! After a great conversation about happiness in the scriptures and personality characteristics and things like that (being the NFs that we are), we go for the swings! I LOVE swings! Up, so high, with the wind in your hair, and then back down again! Mike spun me in circles and then a little girl next to us came and wanted to be spun too! Soo cute! I loved it! Next, the playground! You can't believe the adorable children we found there! I wish I had a picture of them! I latched on real quickly to one little two year old girl in particular. Oh, how I fell in love with her! The kids would climb up the slide instead of the stairs-being the brave creatures that they are, and then once they got to the top, would of course turn around and slide back down! When this little two year old decided she wanted to climb two, I felt nervous letting her go by herself, so I climbed with her! -work pants and all! When we got to the top, she jumped into my lap and we slid down together! She was so cute!! We did this many times before the kids decided to go down the other slide-which was much hotter and burned their little feet. So, after getting my bum all dirty and playing with this adorable two year old for a while, I decided to rejoin Mike who had sat himself down in the grass to enjoy the scenery. I think He abandoned me after I opted to play with the two year old instead of Him, ha ha. ;) No, I'm just kidding... Ahhh... the pleasures of being with children! Next stop... a spitting water and ninja fight... hmmm... pretty self explanatory.
After taking Mike to his apartment, I returned home to mine to find even MORE good news! A letter had come from my last two companions in the mission! OH MAN did I love hearing from them! Their letters filled me with emotion as I read about the progress of some of the investigators I had been teaching before I left. I was so happy, in particular, to hear about the upcoming baptism of Jessica, a wonderful young woman, who had been to church for the first time on my very last Sunday in Brazil. She had such wonderful questions when we taught her, seemed to understand everything very well, and had even begun attending the activities before I had left. I was SOOO HAPPY to hear about her conversion and see how well she had grasped the gospel message! I love this woman! I was also happy to hear about the Aaronic Priesthood ordinations of two of our recent converts! Let me just tell you how much each of these little steps means in the life of a recent convert. They are crucial, essential, exciting, and so relevant in their progress as newly baptised members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. What a testimony builder it is to me, to know that the spirit really does witness and testify of the truthfullness of the gospel, that there really are people looking for it, and that the Lord helps his missionaries to find them when they are ready. I love the purpose of missionary work! and I love that feeling you get when you see someone truly grasp the gospel-in its fullness. I wish so many others could just understand! Anyway, I laughed as I read the inside jokes my companions reminded me about and felt so glad to see their own progress as missionaries and servants of the Lord. I love the Garden of Eden (my last area on the mish).
Then, after reading my wonderful letters (I feel like I should frame them-that is how special to me they are!) I put on a skirt and went and picked up my two old roommates from before the mission: Mary and Shauna, (one of which got married, and the other of which received her endowment while I was away in Brazil) and we went to the temple to do an endowment session! It was so special to me to be able to be there with both my "sisters" seeing them in such a sacred place, practicing the same "covenants" that I myself had made almost two years ago. What a special, wonderful place the temple is, and oh how I enjoy being in that spiritual place, where the real world, and its/our own problems are all but forgotten and peace can settle in, even for just temporarily. It's just so nice to be there, and have that spirit of happiness carry with you even after you have left. So afterwards, (and after stopping at Mary's to see her cute new wall frame display!) we went to eat at Los Hermanos (after much trying to decide, since the three of us together are bad at that: Hey, what do you get when you have someone who is bad at making quick decisions... the same thing as someone who is good at it, but you loose twenty minutes. What do you get when you have three people who are bad at making quick decisions... the same thing, but instead you loose an hour. Three people who are bad at making decisions are not better than one, lol) -Anyway, Los Hermanos is a place I've been wanting to visit since returning home! so all our slow decision making skills paid off! and we had a lovely time-as sisters- just the three of us! (We missed Briana of course, our fourth roommate... but we didn't want to invite her to do a session if she hasn't been endowed yet...sorry Briana! we still love you!!!!) So, yeah! Those were the happy moments of my terrificly filled Tuesday yesterday! It was a day full of fun and adventure and I enjoyed every minute, from work, to play, to being spiritually fed! It was a terrific day! Oh... and I forgot to mention the not so terrific part, which was having my own car have a problem on our way to the temple... I will have to get that one figured out sometime soon. Oh, and we saw Mikey, too! as we were driving to pick up Mary! Boy do I love days like this one! I was DEFINITELY happier yesterday than I was working all day long on Monday. I love being with the people I love! It makes my day/life so much more worth it- so much more happy and FUN! Thank you friends for a great day!

What's my Purpose?

Well, I've gone and now I'm back from my mission in Brazil! It was a wonderful experience! A year and a half of challenges and struggles sugarcoated with delightful blessings and surprizes! A loved being a missionary, but am also thankful to be back. It has its pros and its cons however. On the one hand, I miss that mantle, that special feeling and purpose of being a missionary. I miss being "called" to bless people's lives to do the very work the Savior would do if He were here himself. There is power and purpose in that. On the other hand, I am thankful to be back, where I can see and be with my family and friends once again. Oh, how I missed them while I was gone. I spoke with my friend, Mikey, after having recently returned from Brazil, and He asked me, "Doesn't it just seem like the last [year and a half] of your life was all a big dream?" I can honestly say, "yes, it does." I even ask myself sometimes... did I really just do that? Did I really just serve a mission for a year and a half? Because now that I am back in the real world, back in my SAME OLD apartment, in my SAME OLD ward, at my SAME OLD school, with my SAME OLD job... it hardly feels like I even left at all... I mean... despite EVERYTHING ELSE. Ha, the location, the job, the major, may all still be the same, but the people have changed. My friends have all moved on to bigger and better things. Many are married. Many have graduated. Others have gone on missions of their own. Sometimes I wonder, what is left for me? Well, obviously, there is a lot... but amidst all the changes that have happened over my year and a half absence... I still wonder. Am I doing the right thing? Am I in the right place? What IS my purpose post-mission? I'm telling you, this really is a hard thing to figure out. I am trying to find it... Is it in work? Is it in my degree? Is it to date, find a guy, and get married and start a family? What IS my purpose these days? Does it have anything to do with accomplishments? Or is it about serving? Becoming?
I talked to Dr. Gibbons today, (the Department chair in the office in which I work)well, He talked to me, about this very topic. Being a returned missionary himself, He suggested a few things I should be doing to find my purpose post-mission. He mentioned using my patriarchal blessing, finding out what my gifts of the spirit are and studying about them. He mentioned staying close to Heavenly Father through my daily scripture study and prayer. But not just routing reading. He mentioned studying with a real question in mind. So I suppose to do that, I need to be aware of and come up with some questions. I think I have a bunch already (like this one-what is my purpose post mish?) or maybe something more specific like the events in Christ's life or how to develop a specific attribute. He mentioned making sure my prayers are more conversations and emphasized the hearing part. It's true. I seem to have forgotten how to do that post mission. and lastly He suggested paying close attention to conference talks and finding for myself a standard by which I should live. I am quite grateful for his advice.
You know, it's amazing to me, how quickly Heavenly Father hears and responds to our concerns. Isn't it perfect, that upon thinking and praying (and even going to the temple) about my purpose, Heavenly Father placed Dr. Gibbons in my path, ready to offer counsel. Boy am I thankful for this tender mercy today. :)
Well, those are just a few of my many thoughts about post mission life. I need to find my purpose. In addition, right now I am working on a few other essential life items: finishing up my degree, working (applying to the MTC), and trying to find a place to live for Fall! It's been an adventure for sure returning to normal life. As I said before, there are things I miss about the mission. For example, yesterday I received a letter from my last two companions. They spoke of the successes they are having in my last area. Oh, it brought back a flood of emotions and joy as I heard about the progress of those I was teaching before I left. It made me miss the friendships I had there, the security, my 24-7 companion, my constant daily schedule. All of it now gone... but on the other hand, I love my new freedom, my free time, seeing and catching up with my old friends, WATCHING MOVIES! Ha ha! But something is still missing. I need to find out what it is. I will follow Dr. Gibbons counsel and begin a search- a search for me. Who am I post mish? It's funny how people keep asking me how I'm doing with the transition. I keep thinking I'm fine and how silly it is that they keep asking me. But now that I've been home for two months, I am beginning to understand what they meant. There really is something missing-something different, and now I have to go find out what it is. Life is a treasure hunt after all. Full of mysteries and surprises! Our map being the scriptures, the Holy Ghost our guide. There is a grand reward at the end, but we must remember to find the pieces of 8 along the way!
Well, I suppose that concludes-for now-my first blog post post-mission. Hopefully there will be many more blog entries to come dealing with all the different facets of my new post-mission life- and my journey. Life IS an adventure, so I will post my explorations and discoveries here!