4 Year Mission Anniversary!!

Well I can't believe that it has been 4 years since I left for the MTC. Holy freakin cow so much has happened in those 4 years. I remember the morning I left for the MTC; I was sick to my stomach all morning, I just felt like I was going to puke the whole way there. But I've been thinking a lot about my mission experience lately. Yesterday the sunday school lesson that I taught was on Missionary work, so I've had a lot of great memories stirred up in my mind. Going on a mission was the best choice I've ever made except for marrying Matt (can't beat that one)! I know that everyone doesn't have a chance to go, or better opportunities come up (like marriage) so I'm not trying to brag or anything... but I feel so lucky that I had the chance to go and I want everyone back in AZ to know how much I love them! I met some friends that I swear I knew before this life and that are honestly some of my best friends now. Those 18 months were times of complete joy, dissapointment, utter sadness, closeness, SWELLTERING HEAT, hard times (I think I almost killed myself the first few days in the MTC) lol, but the best part was, when I was happy, it was like floating-off-your-seat happy. I'd never really experienced that before. All the highs made up for the downs. I guess that's how life is, but it seemed more dominant then. Going on a mission was a HUGE stepping stone for me and, I believe, prepared me for marriage and hopefully to be a mom!! (We'll see?) AAAAHHHH!!!!

I'm not going to lie, I don't think I was very excited here like some missionaries! I kept thinking, "Mom don't leave me!"


Okay this was my first area. We were on an Indian Reservation and I had to get out of the car to back up my companion (one of the weird rules), and I kind of got side-tracked and started playing in the mud/sinking sand and so my trainer started zooming off without me (thanks Vandenberg!) and I had to chase her down and hop in the car while she was driving. This was just one of the many pranks she played on me. We had a really fun companionship :)


So in my second area we were teaching Shannon, who bred dogs and delivered pups. It was so funny because we were teaching about Joseph Smith and it was all quiet and spiritual then all of the sudden she jumps up and yells "The dog's having her babies!" My comp and I just looked at each other and busted up. So here is a pic of one of the puppies. I think it looks really disgusting tho!


Stephany and I at her baptism. Her two parents were also baptized that day. They are basically like my second family.

This is Stephany and her parents and I towards the end of my mission. I ran into them again at the Easter Pageant. This is the family I went back to nanny for last summer.


This was also towards the end of my mission in my last area, Scottsdale. This bunch is all from Africa. They lived in our same apartment complex and were so much fun to teach and get to know. This was at the Gladys Knight concert in Phoenix.