Annyeong haseyo! 안녕하세요

Hello is about all I've really learned to say in Korean so far. I'm still trying to learn the vowels and consonants so I can read Korean. I haven't blogged in a while so I'm just gonna update on a few things.

Christmas was a great day with my family! We all stayed up till midnight on Christmas Eve to open presents. My brother and I unfortunately had to work so that's why we did that. It was still good though. I mainly got stuff for my mission. No surprise there haha. I'm not sad though, I'm glad to just have spent time with everyone I care about and see them all happy. It's crazy to think that next year I'll be spending Christmas in South Korea! So crazy!! I'm sad but still very very excited. I'm just glad I'll be able to talk to my family on that day.

Today I got my very last shot for my mission. Typhoid. What fun! I don't feel very good at all. I even called out sick from work. If you know me at all, you know I hate needles. They scare me so much. So, I am so relieved to have finished with all my shots. Thank goodness! I know all this is temporary though and I'll be better soon. Plus, it will all be worth it because of serving a mission.

This past week I also tried to submit my application for a passport but my picture wasn't acceptable, and I didn't have the right birth certificate that they want now, so that means delays.. sad day.
So, today my mom and I ordered my birth certificate and that'll take hopefully just a week to come. Then I'll have to go to Sam's Club to get my passport picture taken. Might as well go there this time to make sure the picture is to acceptable standards. I'm just crossing my fingers I can get my passport fast so I can submit my visa application soon after. Cross your fingers for me guys ;) haha

Also the new year is coming soon, meaning my mission is growing closer and closer. As of today I have 62 days, basically two months till my mission. It's coming so quick! I want it to go slower.. :(
Oh well, I'll make the best of the time I have. Happy holidays everyone!

Cold Feet?

As hard as it is to admit, I have really been struggling with the temptation to not serve a mission. You read right. After all the Lord has shown me how could I even let that thought into my mind! Again, I know I need to serve because I received such a powerful affirmation that it was the right choice for me, but it sometimes feels like there is so much that keeps popping up that makes me want to stay! I want to learn more about South Korea and the culture there, but once I do I start finding out things that make me not want to go. The strange food, mostiquos, etc. The list goes on and on! I'm just not that type of person to go through all that. I love the way I live. My nice warm bed. No bugs biting me in the middle of the night. I have a Taco Bell and In N Out right a few blocks from my house. I'm missing America a ton, and I haven't even left yet! It's all so silly really. And to think of what a comparatively small sacrifice it is for me to serve! My Savior, Jesus Christ, suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane and died on the cross for me! That's the biggest sacrifice of all. How dare I? Haha! Word is, a lot of people get cold feet, but you just have to remember why you made the decision in the first place. My mother has taught me to never turn back on a decision made by the Spirit and to discern where every prompting was coming from.
Who am I kidding though? We all know who is putting these thoughts in my mind. Yep it's him alright... Satan.
 I came across this quote on pinterest one time. It says it's by Gordon B. Hinckley, but after research on lds.org I did not find the exact quote anywhere. He said something similar but this wasn't all him. Either way though, it's still a powerful and very inspiring quote.

I have the desire to serve the Lord, I know that he has guided my decision, and I know he will bless me. I believe that the Lord will continue to send little boys to this earth who will become part of that Priesthood Army. When the Lord calls me to be a mother, I want to be strong enough and worthy of raising and teaching these young Priesthood holders and daughters of God, as my mother has been and her mother before. With an eternal perspective, eighteen months is such an insignificant amount of time, but with hard work I know it can yield significant eternal happiness to those who are prepared to receive it. Keeping this in mind as well as the unmistakeable answer to my prayer in January, has helped me regain my focus. The temptation is still there and it has never been harder to ignore. There are a million reasons for me to stay home, get married, finish school, etc. (believe me I'd love to) and only one reason for me to serve a mission. But that one reason is powerful. 

The Lord has asked me to, and so I will.

I recently came across Deuteronomy 5:27. It is the response of Moses' people after receiving the 10 Commandments,

 "Go thou near, and hear all that the Lord our God shall say: and speak thou unto us all that the Lord our God shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it." 

It's so simple! "We will hear it, and do it." I have heard the Lord's will for me through the Holy Ghost, and I am going to do it. It will be a big sacrifice and I may feel inadequate, but then I was reminded of something very important when I read Ether 12:27.

"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

I have been called to the last place I've ever thought I'd go. It's scary and new, but I trust my Heavenly Father. I know He has provided this humbling experience to make me better. 

My favorite scripture is my favorite for this very reason: 

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" -Psalm 27:1

So, take that Satan! Stop scaring me and giving me doubts. Because I chose to serve an honorable mission I will change lives forever and help build the Kingdom of Heaven. With the proper faith and companionship I will do amazing things, I just know it!

I thought I liked Shopping...

One of the big issues I had with the mission thing was the whole stereotype that sister missionaries had of being frumpy, plain, and boring. Because that is so not me! If you don't know me already, I love dressing cute with heels, bows and makeup. That is one of the big things that people laughed about when they heard I was going to South Korea! I am going to be not only out of my comfort zone, but I might not be able to get the make up or shampoo that I like. I definitely won't be able to bring all my cute high heels. However, with sacrifice comes the opportunity to be creative in finding ways to still be the "cute" me.

Shopping for clothes had it's ups and downs, as do a lot of things in life.The rule is that skirts/dresses have to be below your knee, but above your ankle. I'm 5'6" so finding skirts and dresses that are long enough will be tricky. Along with finding the right length, it had to be cute! Duh! Boring was not an option, so I had to do some searching.  I have been blessed to have been taught at a young age the importance of wearing modest clothes, but I still had some skirts/dresses that were borderline or just not appropritate for a mission(maxi skirts, bodycon pencil skirts, etc). As I began my search for some new outfits, I wasn't super impressed with the availability of cute, missionary appropriate, and affordable clothes. Going on a mission is voluntary; in fact, you have to pay to go! I am not in the business of spending a fortune on a whole new wardrobe. This little diagram explains what I went through.

After much searching, I was pleasantly surprised with what I found. I managed to break my way into the "highly unlikely" category mentioned above. Although, I must admit I did buy some modest-attractive clothes; meaning they were a bit pricey. I hope that some of the outfits I show you will give you some ideas for things to wear whether you are a sister going on a mission too, or you are just looking for some fun new modest skirts to have! All of these are going with me on my mission and I am pretty happy how my missionary wardrobe turned out.
Mika Rose is where I bought a majority of my new skirts/dresses.

I LOVE this outfit so much! I bought the cardigan and skirt. Everything else I already own.

My grey skirt is too short for me to wear with garments so I got this one to replace it.

I had like no dresses, so I couldn't resist buying some for my mission.

I didn't buy anything in this picture, but this is an outfit I plan on wearing. I own everything already!

As cute as this outfits are, this store is the "pricey" I mentioned before. So, if you think it's out of your price range that is ay-ok! You have gotta admit that they are all cute though. Right?

The next store I found clothes at is Target. I am a huge fan of Target! I dislike Walmart clothes for their cheap quality, but target clothes are great and also cheap! After buying clothes at mika rose I didn't need much more. I did need new cardigans and a coat. Target has tons of cardigans! It happened to be Thanksgiving week when I went shopping, so I got like 6 cardigans on sale! It was a great deal!
As for a coat, I ended up buying mine at Abercrombie. Korea has rain, heat, and snow. So, I was advised to buy an all season weather coat. Which is exactly what I found.

Pretty cute right? I love that it has the sherpa lining so I will stay very warm :)

Some other good places to buy a coat is at Burlington Coat Factory and Hollister Co. 

Also, Mika Rose has plain modest t-shirts. So does Downeast Basics. I got some at Downeast! Hope this helped anyone!

I Love To See The Temple

Yesterday was a very special day for me. I was able to go into the Los Angeles Temple and receive my Endowments. I made more covenants with my Father in Heaven and I just want to say that I loved it! The temple is such a beautiful place. I felt the spirit more intensely while inside. I left feeling completely clean and pure, with empowering strength. I strongly recommend that every worthy person goes to the temple. I hope and pray that I can always find the time to go.

Me with my lovely parents.

This was the very first time my family was all inside the temple together. Very cool!