So. Welcome to the tropical land of Papeete!! This is the first island I will go to when I finally arrive in Tahiti in 97 days. It looks so small and cute and perfect. It really looks like a movie set. I am so so so so excited!!
As many of you know Josh headed to the MTC this Wednesday. He'll be serving in Busan, South Korea. Hence the picture.
Both of our towns/cities are on the coast, but it's crazy to see the differences between them. I'll be living in quaint small towns -the kind of places where everyone knows everyone's business. Josh will be in the big city. Busan has a greater population than entire French Polynesia, that's just one city!
Welcome to our Sister Missionary Series! Sponsored by xoxo, mo and Zuster Anjewierden, aka Morgan and Kira. We hope you'll follow us as we feature more of our amazing Sisters heading out to serve!
Sister Myley Moffit
Serving in the Argentina Salta Mission
The age change for sister missionaries most definitely affected me. I had turned nineteen only a month and a half prior to the announcement. My decision to go on a mission was almost instantaneous. I made an appointment for an interview with my bishop the very same day the announcement was made.
I have always had some desire to serve a mission, but I didn't really think I would have the opportunity. To me, twenty-one just seemed way to late. I was sure I would be married by the time I was old enough to go. Because of the timing I hadn't given it too much thought until this summer. This summer I had the opportunity to help my very best friend in the world prepare for his mission in the Philippines. Through helping him I realized how much I wished I could go too. There were so many times that I told him how lucky he was and how I wanted to go and teach people too. This was the first time I really noticed how badly I would go. But again, since I was sure I would be married by age twenty-one I was almost positive I wouldn't be going. So I just tried not to think about it too much.
I wanted to go foreign more than anything. I am an adventurous sort of person and I love to travel. I love trying new things. I wanted to learn a foreign language. I didn't really care where I went in the world as long as it wasn't the United States. I wanted to get out and experience more of the world and experience other cultures.
Along with my desire to serve in a foreign country came a lot of anxiety about my call and a fear of disappointment. I knew I would be called where I was meant to go, but I didn't want to be disappointed if it did happen to be in the states. I cannot express how relieved and excited I was when I opened my call. I began reading but I couldn't control myself any longer and my eyes flitted across the page to see my destination. It said I would be serving in the Argentina Salta mission. I wasn't really surprised about it. I was just grateful that my Heavenly Father was mindful of my desires and allowed me to have what I wanted. I am so excited to go serve and teach the people of Argentina. I cannot think of a better place for me to be. I am anxiously counting down the days until my departure date. It can't come fast enough!
During the summer I was preparing to go to college. As most people know, college is super expensive. I needed grants, but I was told that it would be a problem so I didn't worry about it. I reserved a room in the dorms (where I would have a year-long contract) and I picked my classes. About half way through July I was told I would not be receiving the financial aid I was promised, and at this point it honestly looked like I would not get to go to college. I was devastated. I had to cancel my room reservation and then drop all of my classes. My dreams were crushed. However, after many (many) tears we found another way. I wouldn't be staying in the dorms, but would be living off-campus by myself. I wouldn't be taking the classes I had wanted, but the ones I signed up for were good too. All was right in the world again. I continued to prepare myself for college, and helped prepare my friend for his mission.
Then October conference rolled around.
Wow.
What a crazy time in life. Sisters could now serve at the age of nineteen? Did I see that coming? No, I most definitely did not. However, I knew that it was right for me and I immediately started my papers. I wanted to go as soon as possible. After I finished and submitted my papers I realized something. If I had not had the issues with financial aid during the summer I would not have been able to go on a mission right away. I would have been locked into a housing contract for an entire academic year. Where I was living I could leave at any time. I was meant to serve now and I know it.
My trials definitely prepared me for something better that was coming. The Lord has a plan for all of us, and those trials were a way of steering me in the right direction.
I am serving a mission because of my love for the gospel. It has brought me so much peace and joy in life. I want everyone to have the same opportunities for happiness that I have had. I want people to have the same knowledge I do so they can be as blessed as I have been. I am also serving for my own future family. Looking forward to the future and thinking about my own kids serving missions I realized that I could never ask them to go if I didn't go myself. I could never ask my children to do something I wasn't willing to do myself.
I know that serving will help me become more Christ-like and that is the whole goal of this life. All of these things are reasons that I'm serving, but possibly the most important reason I am serving is to show gratitude to my Heavenly Father. He has blessed me with so much. I know that I can thank Him through prayer, but to me serving a mission is an even better way to show my gratitude for all my blessings. In my opinion there is no better way to show gratitude for everything you have been given than by being willing to give it all back.
To any future sisters I would say prepare now. Use your time wisely. Study the scriptures as much as you can as well as the words of the living prophets. These can only be a benefit to you as you go out to teach. To girls still deciding, all I can say is pray. Heavenly Father will let you know His plan for you. A big factor in my decision was my realization of how I would regret it later if I didn't go. I realized I had a desire to go. That is the most important thing. Then I took that desire to my Heavenly Father and asked Him if that was what He desired for me. The answer was a resounding yes. It might seem like a hard task to take up, but in the long wrong there are no negative side effects to serving a mission. You will only be blessed for your service. Also, when deciding, this may sound selfish, but only think of yourself. Do not even consider what others will think or want. The only person who matters in this decision is you. Only you can and should make the decision. Just have faith that the Lord will let you know what is best for you. :)
Sometimes I'm sick and have super fantastic thing to share!! But I don't have the energy to get them up. Hopefully I'll be better tomorrow and the Sister Missionary series can begin!! There are a ton of amazing sisters that will be guests here. Don't forget to check back!
A) Went to the police station to get a letter for my Visia for my MISSION!
B) Worked. Ick.
C) Had a date with Josh! I must say, this was one of the best ideas we've had. Ready for it?...
We made Souffle's!
Yep. The super temperamental dessert that everyone associates with *shhhh* if you talk you'll deflate it. We made chocolate ones. Really though, who thinks to make souffles? We're pretty cool.
The batter, if you can call it a batter, is 4 eggs, a cup of chocolate chips, water, vanilla, 1/3 cup sugar, and some cream of tarter. If you don't have cream of tartar, no worries! I forgot to put it in.... and they turned out fine!
Look at those lovelies! They are my new favorite dessert. Ah.
After we ate half of the 11 we made... *cough* *cough*
We needed some mashed potatoes! We make a quick run to Juniper Inn, ate some mashed potatoes and gravy (SO GOOD) and came back to watch Dumb and Dumber.
So the first third of our date was pretty classy.... Oui?
xoxo,
mo
p.s.
If you need a pick-me-up to get through the dreaded Wednesday watch this!!
Sometimes I teach myself French at work. I'm getting paid to study. BEST. JOB. EVER.
Anywho, welcome to the start of a brand new, beautiful, warm, sunny week. If you're in Tahiti. If you're living in Cache Valley you're in for a wonderful week with the average morning temperatures in the negative teens. HOLLA!
While I was teaching myself my purpose as a missionary in French (see Preach My Gospel chapter one, memorize it). I had a fantastic email send to me.
I met a girl named Kelli my very first day of college. I was hauling all my stuff up to my new room and she was in the parking lot helping anyone who needed help. Later I discovered she was in my Honors Public Speaking class and we became friends. She's such a sweet girl, and she is going to be a fantastic missionary. She was called to the Cleveland Ohio mission and left last week.
Well I was forwarded a copy of the email she sent to her family, and I was so glad I did. Reading emails from missionaries are not only helpful, but they make you feel so good. You're actually able to communicate personally with a servant of the Lord. It's amazing. And it made me really regret all the friends I've sent on missions but never wrote to. This might be a tad selfish, but I think writing them would have been more for my benefit than theirs.
So... When I leave make sure to write me. *wink* *wink*
Really though, find a missionary and send them a letter this week. You don't even have to know them. Just get out there, spend a few cents on a stamp to speak to the Lord's mouthpiece. Start your week off right.
If you need help finding a missionary to write to, shoot me an email. I have some Elders and Sisters who would LOVE to hear from anyone.
xoxo,
mo
p.s.
Keep an eye open for our Sister Missionary feature. It'll be fantastic, you won't want to miss it!
Sometimes we watch 19 hours of Harry Potter in a single day. Like. We started at 6 am and ended at 12:42 am on the dot.
We ate our delicious snacks, drank 2 liters of coke each, did some puzzles while watching, had a blanket fight with Chandler, played copious amounts of Ruzzle against my siblings, strangers, and each other. Then we looked up blogs for our missions. He is going to Busan, South Korea on January 23. I'm the sister missionary headed to Tahiti, Papeete. If you're just catching up. ;)
And I didn't bother to get out of my pajamas alllllll day long.
Hello blogging world! It is officially Thursday! My least favorite day of the week... We're soooo close to Friday, yet so far away. Wednesdays are definitely pushing their way to the top of the worst category. They're still in the number two slot, I'll let you know when it changes.
I spend 7 hours a day working in an ice cream shop. In the middle of Richmond. It's sad to say I don't get very many customers during snow storms... Sometimes I get extremely bored, but the majority of the time I occupy myself by studying. I learn some french, read preach my gospel, read PMG in French study the Book of Mormon, write my name over and over and over, check my Facebook, take a nap, sketch, make some ice cream, drink a Diet Coke, eat Chicken and Stars, take a nap, ice skate in the freezer, see how long I can stay in the -20 degree freezer, study the scriptures some more, write my name some more, and basically be bored. That's my day.
I've decided I need to finish my "Why I Want to go on a Mission" segment.
When I first read my call it didn't make any sense to me. In fact, when I first say the word "Tahiti" I thought, how do I pronounce that... I didn't even think about WHERE I was going, I was just wondering what that strange word was. Have no fear, I definitely knew what Tahiti was, it just didn't sink in at that moment. The scariest part was reading "Tahitian" as the language I was going to be speaking. You can kind of tell in video I posted. I was in shock. And scared.
Tahitian is intimidating.
Te Buka A Mormona: Te Tahi Paahou Ite No Iseu Mesia
Then I found out I will also be learning French. Yes!! I'll tell you about my life of French in a later post.
Le Livre De Mormon: Un Autre Temoingage De Jesus'-Christ
Um... The languages don't look at all similar Or sound similar Can I tell you how amazing it feels to know that Heavenly Father trusts me enough to learn BOTH of these languages and then go teach in them after a few months?
Wow.
But, I didn't want to go on a mission to learn Tahitian. I didn't want to go to learn a language or to travel. I'm going because I was told to go. I know I was told to go because I want to help other people. Everyone deserves to know they're a Child of God. Everyone should have the opportunity to receive the blessings that come while making Covenants with our Father. Everyone should be given the chance to read the Book of Mormon and ask to know if it is true or not.
Everyone. Because there is not one person on this planet better than another one. Once we all die President Obama will be held to the same accountability as the local bus driver. Bill Gates won't bring his money and the poorest of the poor may be even richer than he is in the next life. Not rich with money of course, rich with blessings and family, and most importantly the knowledge and a testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ.
I have one. I'm going to Tahiti to share it.
xoxo,
mo
If you're curious about the LDS religion, maybe you want to chat with a missionary, or find a copy of the Book of Mormon, hit "The Belief" tab on the top of this page. You can always ask me too, don't be shy!
I was surrounded. Their beady eyes were staring at me. A rotten stench filled the air. In the corner I could hear gun shots blasting, while in the other lay a heap of bodies. I was trapped with no where to go -no means of an escape. What to do? I did not know. I was stuck...
No. I did not have a terrifying zombie apocalypse dream. No. This was not a movie.
This was real.
I spent this last weekend helping coach and judge a debate tournament in Idaho. Yay! Idaho. Land of potatoes and negative fifty trillion degree weather. It was so cold some kids started a rumor (i'm 98 percent sure it was a rumor) that a kid got frostbite and had to be taken to the hospital.
I'm not kidding.
All-in-all it was a pretty fun weekend. It was weird being a coach because I am really good friends with most of the team. It's all fun until you try to get them to do something and they won't... because you're their friend... and they don't take you seriously.
I'm glad to be home. I like my normal life. I'll like normal life even better when I'm in Tahiti though. :) That will be fantastic.
If you have any questions for me shoot me an email! My contact info is under "The Contact" tab at the top of the page. I love hearing from all of you!
xoxo,
mo
p.s.
if you are concerned about gun shots and bodies at a debate tournament, have no fear! Half the team decided to bring Halo.... and the other half fell asleep during their break.
A lot of people have asked me recently why I have decided to serve a mission.
Goodness.
There are so many amazing and wonderful reasons why, i'll cover what I can.
I am 18 years old. All my life I've grown up knowing boys go on missions when they are 19 and girls can go on missions if they are 21.
Twenty-one.
A lot of members, and even non members would joke that sister missionaries were the girls who couldn't find a husband. Which is not (always) true. I never seriously thought about serving a mission before this past fall semester, 21 was too old for me. I knew if I got to that age and had nothing else to do I would go on one. But that's exactly what's wrong. "if I had nothing else to do."
Then my best friend, Josh, started encouraging me to think about it. And I seriously did. I was ready to go and serve, I just didn't know where the next 2 years were going to take me though... That's when I realized...
Missions are something to do.
To plan and prepare for and countdown the days until you are able to take your first step into the MTC. They aren't a back-up plan or a "i have nothing else to do" plan. They are a priority.
On October 6, 2012 President Thomas S. Monson stood before the world and announced that young men may begin serving their missions at age 18.
Then he continued and said this:
"As we have prayerfully pondered the age at which young men may begin their missionary service, we have also given consideration to the age at which a young woman might serve. Today I am pleased to announce that able, worthy young women who have the desire to serve may be recommended for missionary service beginning at age 19, instead of age 21."
First, I bawled.
Second, I texted my mom. I wasn't home during conference and was watching it without my family.
I told her I wanted to go.
I took a day to fast and pray and make sure that the Lord needed me to go and serve a mission. And... He did. I started my papers within the next few days.
For those who don't know exactly how the missionary application process goes i'll give you the details. You have to have an interview with your Bishop and Stake President after you fill out a personal information form that asks you about where your family has served missions, if you've studied any foreign languages, how eager you are to learn a foreign language, ect. Then you fill out a million lovely questions about your medical history. If you've broken any bones, or have any deadly diseases, things like that. It's just to make sure you don't get called to Africa if you may need medical care. Then you get a physical. (ick) And get to go to your favorite dentist and make sure your teeth are all squeaky clean.
oh... and if you have your wisdom teeth they have to be removed...
That'll be happening to me soon.
Once all of that is complete your mission papers are sent to church headquarters and you wait.
While you're waiting members of the Quorum of the Tweleve Apostles are reveled where missionaries will be called to go.
Then a super fantastic white envelope is filled with a booklet about your mission, passport applications, and all your packing needs for your 18 month (or 24 month for Elders) mission.
My call took longer than expected. A lot longer.
In your medical papers you have to have a copy of all your immunizations sent in, well, my records were misplaced, lost, sucked into the void along with all the missing socks in the world. Delayed. That was the bottom line. And it was really hard. I knew I was going on a mission. I didn't know where. I didn't know when. I didn't know what to plan for. I didn't know anything. But I had faith that everything will work out and happen for a purpose.
The day I held my white envelope in my hand was the best day ever.
Tahiti Papeete.
Not only am I learning Tahitian, I will also be learning French.
Sorry this post is getting super long. I'll continue it next time.
Until then, this lovely group of girls on Facebook as united over 3,000 sister missionaries as we prepare to serve. One of the girls created this video. President Monson announcing the age change is in it, along with other amazing talks on missionary work.
