Why I'm Going to Brazil for 18 Months

Chances are you've probably seen Mormon missionaries riding their bikes or knocking on doors.

And chances are....you probably thought they were a little crazy. After all, who would want to roam about in 100 degree weather in the Texas summers....or -40 degree weather in Moscow, Russia? Who would want to say goodbye to friends and family, put off school for a while, and volunteer for 18-24 months?

Well, I do!

I'm not going because I want to go on a fun adventure. I already had a few of those experiences...and you can read about them here and here.

I'm not going because my little sister is going (although it is certainly a bonus that we'll be out at the same time). Allison is going to Brazil, as well. When I opened my letter stating where I'd be going, we both just started to cry. Missionaries for our church don't get to choose where we go. We could go anywhere-- from Chile to Chicago, from Japan to Jacksonville. I never guessed that I'd be sent to the same place as my sister. I won't see her while I'm there because I'll be in São Paulo, Brazil and she'll be in Manaus, Brazil. However, after our missions, we will both share a love of Brazil and an ability to speak Portuguese (hopefully!).

I'm not going because I don't have anything better to do. There are lots of good things to do here. Right now, I'm singing lots, and dating lots, and studying lots, and working lots. These are all good things, but I still feel good about leaving.

I'm going because I love God and I love people and if I could help one person feel a little bit of God's love, then it is worth it to me.

The past six months have been really confusing at times. I've been trying to make life plans and big decisions. The choices I've been making will significantly affect my future! I made pros and cons lists, I cried on the phone with my mom, I talked with my roommates, I read old journal entries, but at the end of the day I just stayed confused about what I was doing with my life. The only thing that got me through all of this was the fact that I could center my life around God. I learned that His plan for me was better than any plan that I could imagine. And with that knowledge, I found so much peace. When I serve a mission, I will spend time teaching others that same lesson I have learned. And if I can give one person a small portion of that peace, then it's worth it to me. It is worth it to me to sacrifice 18 months of my life, to take a break from school, to say goodbye to loved ones.

I am God's daughter. He is my Father. Every human being is His child. And life....no matter how confusing, or difficult, or trying it may be...feels a bit more stable, steady, and secure if we know that He is aware of us. 

Grateful that God is good, always. Grateful that Jesus Christ lived a perfect life, suffered for my sins, died on the cross,  and rose again for me. Grateful for the peace I find in this simple message and grateful that I get to share that message with people I meet in Brazil.

lifelately

I lost all of my pictures from fall semester and I cried about it. They say not to cry over spilled milk, but pictures are another story!! Not to worry...I have since installed the Dropbox app on my celly:) All my pics go straight to my laptop.... which means it's time to blog. 

Aside from saying ta-ta to our favorite homies, the worst part of leaving home this year was leaving behind Just Dance 4. I will not disclose how many hours we spent playing this game. However, I will admit I was slightly surprised that learning Noteworthy choreography still comes as a bit of a challenge considering how much practicing I did over the break....lol.

Weatherwise, the first few weeks of January were abysmal. Snow is beautiful; don't get me wrong! My phone is full of beautiful, sparkly snow pics. That being said, there is nothing beautiful about zero degrees. I now see the light at the end of the tunnel, as we groove into a steady 30 degrees.

On one of these aforementioned zero degree days, I wanted to reward myself for walking from my car to the Richards Building. So, I treated myself to Legends. There is nothing a light lunch can't fix! 

Seeing my Noteworthy ladies after the break was wonderful. We missed each other. I love love love singing with these incredible women. I feel so blessed to be a part of this group. Be sure to like us on Facebook, if you haven't already (shameless social media plug...).

So far, 2013 has been a season of selfies. For anyone who doesn't know, a "selfie" is a common term in my generation. A "selfie" is when you employ the front camera function on a smart phone in order to take pictures of yourself. I love taking selfies because I hate leaving people out when it's time to take the pic! It's the best way to squeeze everyone it. Although selfies have been popular for a while, I believe I am partial to selfie-taking because it might run in the family.

Does Courtney's duckface-kissylip-dueces combo remind you of 9th grade?

Zack Oates is the real blogger...

*probably daydreaming about how much fun we had in Jerusalem

Danny & John turned 22 last week and both were surprised! It has been so fun spending time with these boys back from serving missions. We became besties in the dorms and it's like they never left. Grateful for friendships that withstand the test of time:)

Before I close, I need to fill y'all in on a little secret we recently learned from a 10 year-old.... The trick to taking creepy smile pictures is simply smiling and tilting your head down (example is shown below).

Shalom y'all! Friday is on its way!