From Heather to Heather

Yesterday, while at the Riverton FamilySearch Library where I serve a mission, there were about 3 patrons there, and all being helped. I felt very useless. I was late that day (again) and felt really disappointed in myself. You see, I tend to beat myself up about silly things like that. Things that normal people forget about 30 minutes later. I was really slacking, and I had already been honestly very depressed that morning, and that past couple of days. I felt like everyone was so disappointed me for multiple reasons, and the feeling of disappointing people, for me, is the worst thing that could ever happen. I was about to break down into tears for reasons that even I didn't know. It was about 12 pm and I decided it was time for my lunch break. I was really sick of feeling this way, and I knew that I needed to snap out of it.
I knew that Satan was really getting to me. I realized right there, as I got up to leave for lunch, that Satan was succeeding in making me miserable. He is so jealous that I am on this earth with a body and so much happiness, that he was beating me down like a pinata. AND I WAS ALLOWING IT. 
As I walked out of that library, I walked straight into the ladies' room. Right when you walk in, there is a full body mirror. I made sure there was no one in the stalls, or standing by the sinks. I just stood there and looked at myself in that big mirror. It was almost like I wasn't even in my body; like I was staring at someone standing in front of me. I examined my body in the mirror for a couple of minutes. It felt very strange at first, but I stopped caring about how weird I felt doing it, and did it anyway. After all, no one knew what I was doing anyway!
After those few minutes, I looked at myself and said aloud, "Heather, you need to snap out of it. Do you know how strong you are?..."
Weird. This had never happened to me before. This wasn't the first time that I had given myself a mini pep talk in the mirror, to be quite honest, but this was the first time that it felt this almost indescribable feeling of not being in my own body. It was like my spirit was talking to my soul. I stared right into the eyes of that strange, yet familiar person who stood in front of me. She spoke to me saying "Satan is winning, and you need to shoo him away! You run your life, and all you need is the help of your Father in Heaven." That person in front of me reminded me that Satan is strong, but with the help of my Heavenly Father, I am stronger! That strong girl in the mirror reminded me that I am so much stronger that I think I am and that I am a daughter of God. She told me that for the rest of this day, I was going to be better. For the rest of this week, I was going to be better. And if I do something wrong, I don't need to carry that burden. All I need to do is pray to Heavenly Father and tell him how I didn't do my best, but I promise to try harder! Once I have done that, and I really do strive to be better, I don't have to carry that burden any longer. I don't have to worry about it because of the Atonement. Jesus Christ died on that cross and suffered for our sins to that we didn't have to suffer, and that is exactly what I was letting myself do: Suffer.
I didn't want to feel like this anymore. After telling myself that I was going to be better, and that the way to feel happier was simple as that, I felt as if I was in my own body again. I felt so much better. It was as if saying all of those things that I knew out loud instead of just merely thinking them made The Adversary disappear. I no longer felt that confusion, that sadness, or that guilt, but I felt comfort, I felt lighter, and I felt stronger than ever.

Through Christ, we can do all things. I know this is true. Satan pushes you, frightens you, confuses you, and discourages you, but God strengthens you, reassures you, leads you, comforts you, and encourages you. He loves you, and He will always be there.

Obviously, I struggle to remember these things all the time myself. From now on, I will remember this, and always know that I can be the best I can be, as long as I work alongside my Father in Heaven.


"Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." -Joshua 1:9

Yours truly,

Heather

Blog Makeover!

Hello friends! I have just given my blog a facelift. I hope you like it. I really am hoping it doesn't look so amateur and juvenile anymore... I just wasn't feelin' it before. I hope you all enjoy is and look forward to the upcoming posts. Any questions about anything, or any recommendations for future posts, feel free to speak up!
Until next time, please enjoy this picture of a few famous people without teeth.

Yours Truly,

Heather

Happy Birthday, Jono!

Jonathan Alma Hill.

Never did I ever know that that man would mean so much to me.
I met Jon in May of 2013. I went with my big brother to a bonfire. These were held quite frequently during the summer. There were always different people who came, but I loved going with my brother, sister and her family, and a couple of my best friends.
This bonfire only had a few people there. One of them was Jon, who was one of my brother's good friends. When I met him, I literally could not control my laughter. In fact, almost everyone there was a little embarrassed by me because I didn't even know him and I cracked up at almost everything that escaped his mouth! He and I immediately became friends, and saw each other a lot after that! In a very short time, he became one of my very very best friends.

Now, let me pause for a second and tell you a little about Jon. He was 28 years old. He was adopted by his wonderful parents and older sister. He recently reconnected with his birth family, and he loved them all so much. He served an LDS mission in Canada, and spoke 3 different languages. He was hilarious (as you saw above), and he had an incredible eye for photography. He saw such beauty in all that was around him. He had such a testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and he was never afraid to share that. He always had a light in his eyes that was certainly unforgettable What an amazing man! He struggled with depression and anxiety and many other mental and physical problems. He also struggled with a severe drug problem. He had been clean for a long time, and was doing so well. He always told us that we (me and my friends) were his light, and always helped him to do the right thing. He wanted nothing more than to not have this problem, and did everything he could to get away from this Demon inside. He had a detox procedure done and also checked himself into a rehabilitation center, "Turning Point", for six weeks. He LOVED it there, and my best friend Zoey and I went to visit him every Sunday, the day he could have visitors. He was the happiest I have ever seen him when he was there. It was so relieving and amazing to see him so happy. Every second with Jon was a memorable moment.
Well, the day he was released from rehab, he overdosed. He was found unresponsive two days later.
This was the most devastating news of my life. I have never cried so hard. I have never felt so numb. All of the sudden, those memories were all I had left. In the blink of an eye, he was gone.

 Our first photo together ("official best friend photo")

Our last text messages

Now, I don't mean for this post to be a depressing one, because Jon was everything but depressing! I want to dedicate this blog post to him for his birthday, November 20th, because I know I would not be where I am today without him and his influence in my life. I wouldn't be the same without his amazing testimony of the gospel. He is still with me, and I can feel him every day. I believe that he wanted me to share that he knew that his Father in Heaven loved him, and he loves each and every one of us perfectly. He wants me to share that he knows that he was not perfect, and neither are we. We are only human, but through the Atonement of Christ, we can all be saved and made perfect. We can not sink lower than the Atonement. Our God is a forgiving God, and He wants nothing more than for us to return to Him. I know that I am going to be able to see my Jono again, and that instead of seeing him suffering in all of the pains and trials he had to go through, he will "stand before us glorified and grand, breathtakingly perfect in body and mind. What a thrilling moment that will be! I do not know whether we will be happier for ourselves that we have witnessed such a miracle, or happier for (him) that (he is) fully perfect and finally 'free at last.'" (Jeffery R. Holland)

That day truly can not come soon enough. 

To say that Jon was an amazing man would be a complete understatement. Losing him was one of the hardest things that has happened to me, but in the eternal perspective, I have not lost him at all. He is still a best friend that I will surely see again, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that I will be able to hug so him tightly and laugh with him again one day. I can't express how much I look forward to that day! 

I wish you the happiest of birthdays, Jonny Boy! Thank you for everything. I love you to the moon and back.

Love always, 

Your Heather :)

Grateful To Be Living

In this lovely month of November, I have the opportunity to find all the little things that I am so grateful for. I should think of these things a lot more often than just one month out of twelve, I know, but this month is the month of Thanksgiving, and I think about them tons more.
Lately, I have been having more "off" days than usual, where it is very difficult to find something to be grateful for that day. Well, I have realized that in all honestly, I am just so grateful to be alive.
This brings me to the point of this post, which is a story that I will never ever forget. In May of 2000, when I was five (almost six) years old, I was playing tag outside with my brother and sister. I came inside just huffing and puffing, which you would expect from a little kid running around outside, but this was much worse. My stomach hurt so bad that I was screaming and crying while I curled up in a ball on the floor. My mom took great care of me and figured I just had a stomach bug that would pass with time. I confirmed her logic by throwing up almost all day.
That night, she was sitting with me on the couch while I slept. She noticed that I was breathing weird. Scary weird. When I inhaled, rather than my abdomen expanding, it collapsed. When I exhaled, my abdomen expanded. This was very abnormal, and my face started to become pale.
This was when my poor mother, scared out of her mind, carried me to the car to take me to Primary Children's Medical Center. She kept an eye on me in the car, and came to the conclusion that there was no way that I would make it to Primary Children's alive. She rushed me to the Cottonwood Hospital. She got me in right away! They got me hooked up to oxygen and all sorts of different monitors, and stuck me with an IV. That IV was a whole different story. The nurse couldn't find the vain, so she just poked me and dug around in my arm until they found a vain. I still have a scar from that, and I'm sure my mom is still scarred from watching them do that to me. She told me later that she was just in tears as she watched me suffer.
They did X-rays on my chest and my sides. I felt so much better and awake after being hooked up to oxygen! The doctor came in with the X-rays and explained to my mom that I had pneumonia in both lungs and that he would prescribe me some medication to help, and that I would be able to return home that night.
My mom tells me that at first, she felt relieved, but then she had this feeling that there was something missing. Something was not right. She had no experience with anything medical (except for just being a mom), but something told her that this wasn't just pneumonia, this was a collapsed lung. Why the doctor did not catch this, we just do not know, and to this day it still baffles me! She told the doctor that she felt there was something missing and that this X-ray looked like a collapsed lung. He was very doubtful. She being a patient's mother, and he being the doctor, it was understandable. She told him to take me off the oxygen and everything else I was hooked up to and see if I would do okay. About ten seconds after he took me off of everything, the systems all started beeping and my oxygen level dropped down significantly. He decided that maybe she was indeed correct, and he called in two men to take me to the ambulance to quickly transport me to Primary Children's Medical Center. The two men were very nice, and I liked them a lot! Except, one of them wouldn't let me sleep. I kept closing my eyes, and he would shout at me (kindly, but loud enough to keep me awake) saying, "Stay with me, Heather. You can't sleep right now, you've got to stay awake." I was so angry at him for not letting me sleep. I was so tired! My eye lids felt as if they weighed 200 pounds, my vision and hearing was blurring, I just really needed to sleep! Little did I know that I was so tired because I was dying.
Getting to Primary Children's was all a blur (literally), and I hardly remember getting into a room and getting hooked up on things. My poor mom could tell you everything in much greater detail, but I can not. The doctors at Primary Children's concluded that I had a collapsed lung, also known as a "pneumothorax" which is a collection of free air in the chest outside the lung that causes the lung to collapse.

This hospital provided both me and my mother a lot more security, knowing that they had me taken care of, instead of that other bone-head doctor who told me I could just go home. If my mom hadn't listened to that little voice telling her not to take me home, I would not be alive today. My mom went to classes for parents with children with asthma. I was given a device called a Peak Flow Meter that measured how well my lungs were working. I used that for at least three years after this. It was a miracle that I only had to stay in the hospital for one week. Even though, there were so many times when I would rip out my oxygen tubes from my nose because it made my throat dry, and the fact that I would get so bored that I would brush my teeth at least five times a day, I still remember every visitor that came to see me and every gift that I received. I still remember making paper flowers with the nurses, and I still remember being so thirsty all the time and drinking tons of water. So much water that they had my IV removed, but I still carried around the IV pole because I wanted to be just like Madeline in the 1998 movie "Madeline".

Madeline in the hospital

(Sorry for the poor quality)

When I was out of the hospital, I went to the store with my mom and dad and got a Kelly doll that had a hospital bed and if you got her face wet with warm water, she would get the chicken pox. I loved her cause she got sick just like me! :) I remember everyone being so happy that I was out of the hospital and they were so excited, but I did not understand why. As far as I knew, I didn't feel good so just stayed at a hospital for a few nights so I could get better. I didn't know at the time that I came very close to dying a few times in that week.

I am so grateful to be alive today, and to be present in so many people's lives today. I believe that this experience happened for a reason, and that I lived for a reason. I believe that I still had so much learning to do. I believe that so many people needed me, and I needed every single one of the people in my life to be in my life. I know that I was given this life to live it, and I will be forever grateful to my Heavenly Father for giving me a chance in this life. I will be forever grateful to my mother for listening to The Spirit, and to the doctors that saved my life.

Whatever you do, don't take this life for granted. There is a reason you are here. People need you, and you need them. Sure, life is flipping HARD, but it is nothing that you can't handle. Every one of us has a divine purpose in this life. You were given this life to do good in the world and to make a difference in people's lives. You were given this life for a reason. Figure out that reason, and live it.

Find something to be grateful for.

Happy November!

My Service Mission: FAQ

So many people have been asking me about my Service Mission in the FamilySearch Library. If you have an questions at all, feel free to ask! I am more than happy to answer them. BUT before you start throwing out the questions, allow me to answer the frequently asked questions (FAQ).

What is the difference between a service mission and a regular mission? A service mission is very different from a full-time proselyting mission, but it is still the same work. We are still both bringing souls unto Christ! In my mission, we don't get a mission call in the mail that we open to determine the next year and a half or two years of our lives. We actually kind of get to choose what we would like to be called to. We get called to a center or a building near us instead of a city, state, or country. I live at home. I could live with anyone and anywhere I wanted to. I chose to serve in the Riverton, Utah FamilySearch Library for one year. I serve 4 days a week for 7 hours per day (28 hours a week). We can hold a job on the side, and we only wear our badges when we are working, or attending anything that has to do with the church (anything which involves a bishop or stake president). So if you see me at anything having to do with church, don't be surprised if I've got my cute little name tag on! We do not have companions. When we are serving, we are usually with someone else, but we don't always have the same person. We really just find someone to hang out with the whole time and learn from each other.

What do you do at the FamilySearch Library? I help patrons that come in to do their family history. Some people have never been here, and never even done family history. I help them get started and help them bring their ancestors out of obscurity. I help them use the computer, printers and scanners, etc. I am there to help them every step of the way. It is so fulfilling when I help someone find the person they are looking for. The spirit is incredible. When I am not assisting a patron, I am sitting and waiting to help someone. Sometimes, I get the opportunity to do my own family history work while I wait to help someone, but there is usually lots to do. So FEEL FREE to come on in and see me! I can help you out! You don't even have to be a member of the church. We don't even push the gospel on you. Come, and do your family history, because there are so many good feelings and blessings that come from finding those who you came from! "In all of us there is a hunger, marrow deep, to know our heritage- to know who we are and where we have come from." -Alex Haley

Can you go swimming? Believe it or not, this really is a frequently asked question. I believe that I can go swimming. I haven't heard otherwise, but most people who serve here are old and don't swim anyway, so I don't think they are too worried about it.

Are you set apart as a missionary? Yes, but I haven't been set apart just yet. If you have questions about more rules, I will be able to answer them once I am set apart. I am set apart as a missionary and that is when the rules go into place.

Do you have to be unable to serve a full-time mission to serve a service mission? Absolutely not! You can serve a service mission if you feel that it is right for you. I couldn't serve a full time mission, and I still very much wish that I could, but I know this is where I am supposed to be. If you would rather stay at home, only serve for your chosen amount of time, if you need to keep a job, or even all of the above, then a service mission is right for you.

What other service missions are there available to me? If you would like to serve a service mission, first off, talk to your bishop. He will be able to research for you and let you know what is available near you and open to you! He will give you a few options, and he will ask you to pray about it and see which one stands out to you. Family history is what stood out to me, so that is what I chose. There are many other options!

Any other questions, you can ask me, or click here! :)
For a short and informative video about Church Service Missionaries, click here!

Thank you for reading, and like I said, please ask me any questions at all. I love to answer them. :)

Sister Woodcox

When I heard the announcement that beautiful October day of last year, you all know how I reacted. If not, then read my last post! Some people have told me that they knew right then and there that they were supposed to serve a mission. That was not me. I was just appalled. I had this all planned out in my head. I would go to school and work, and then Tony would leave on his mission, then I would continue to work and pursue my schooling while he was gone, he would come back, and we would get married. Well, as we all know, that was completely wrong! Right as you think you have your life planned, Heavenly Father says "NOPE! I've got a better plan for you, my daughter." And boy, did He!
In my last post, I shared my experience in the temple and reading those scriptures from Doctrine and Covenants. It was one of the most spiritual experiences ever. I thought I had gotten the exact answer that I needed. I thought I knew what He was telling me. I started on my mission papers in January! I got it done so fast because I thought I could maybe get my call before Tony left! Well, I was very, very wrong... I suffer from severe anxiety and depression which causes me to have panic attacks. I had one in December, and I didn't think it was a huge deal! I put that on my papers and I was very honest. Once I had sent in my papers, the mission department was taking SO long to issue me a call. My stake president called them and they said that they would like me to go in for a psych evaluation with LDS Family Services. This was expected because my older brother had to complete this evaluation before he received his call also because of very similar mental problems. (Yes, crazy runs in the family!) He received his call a couple of weeks later and served for a full two years! What was the worst that could happen? That they wouldn't let me go? "Yeah, that is not happening", I told myself.
I went into the evaluation, and it did not go well. I had totaled my car on the way there, and I was very shaken up, as you would expect! No, I wasn't physically appearing crazy, with the eye twitching, stuttering speech, none of that. I'm not that crazy! I was just very absent minded. It seemed like when I went in, the lady had already made up her mind that I would not be able to serve. I was so disappointed when I came out of that interview, but she told me it wasn't up to her, it was up the the brethren of the church. So, I still had more hope than I should have had. About 3 weeks went by and my stake president said that they were still in the process of issuing my call. I was more than excited, I was about beside myself! A couple of days later, (in march) I was told that I needed to see a counselor before I was able to go out and serve The Lord. I was so frustrated, but clearly it was what needed to happen. I have had health problems literally all of my life, and I was so upset that I couldn't just do things the normal way. I just wanted to feel normal and do things normally for once in my life. I went to counseling for 4 weeks (5 appointments). Although I did learn a lot, I was so glad to be done with it. My counselor sent in her recommendation to the lady who evaluated me and she was supposed to send it in to the brethren. I waited another 3-ish weeks (it was not April), when one day I got the call from my stake president. I was just finishing my shift at work, so I answered the phone. He informed me that he was very sorry to tell me that my application to be a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was denied, and sent back because of my most recent panic attack in December. I burst into tears right in front of my boss. She was very comforting and gave me a big hug and told me that they hadn't looked for another nanny to replace me yet, so I was welcome to stay if I really wanted to! I just replied, "Well, I don't have anything else to do, and this is the best job I've ever had, so I might as well!" My mom had picked me up that day, and I just got into the car and grabbed her and started sobbing. I couldn't even tell her why I was crying because I was crying so hard. I finally uttered the words from my mouth, "They rejected my papers, and I can resubmit them in October if I still want to." Which by the way, those words tasted like vinegar coming out of my mouth. We sat there for a good 15 minutes and cried together. Little did I know that this was the best news of my life.
I had no idea what I was going to do. People had told me they thought that I was only going on a mission because I wanted to pass time while Tony was gone. People told me they thought I was giving up. People thought I must not have really wanted to go if I was questioning it now. I have never felt so sad, I have never felt so abandoned, I have never felt so angry, I have never felt so confused, I have never felt so doubtful, I have never felt so vulnerable, I've never felt so weak. I just got on my knees and poured out my heart to my Father in Heaven. I couldn't understand why I could have possibly gotten such a clear answer in the temple that I needed to serve a mission, and then all of the sudden I just couldn't go until December? And even then I didn't even know if I could still go. I was so lost for the longest time. My wonderful daddy and brother gave me a priesthood blessing, and that lifted my spirits so much, especially after venting to Heavenly Father.
After this, I was pretty much in Limbo. I did not know what I should do. In this time, my testimony had grown so much. I went to the temple, read the scriptures, prayed, everything I could possibly think of, and I never got a sure answer. I felt so alone and abandoned.
Finally one day I decided that I needed to be okay with not knowing what I was doing, Heavenly Father was definitely teaching me patience. (As if waiting for Tony for 2 years wasn't a good enough test of patience!) I read an article in the Ensign that was titled Go Forward In Faith. I knew I needed to just decide what I was going to do and do it. JUST DO IT? That was the scariest thing I have ever done. To make one of the biggest decisions of my life, that didn't just effect me, but many others who needed the gospel WITHOUT having any help from Heavenly Father (at least I thought) was completely terrifying. But I knew I had no choice. I decided then and there that I would then pursue a service mission.
I talked to my bishop and he gave me some options for available opportunities for a Young Church Service Missionary (YCSM). One of them was the Family History service mission. That one stuck out like a sore thumb to me. Things were finally falling into place! I was so happy. I finally understood why things seemed to be falling apart, when really they were falling together. Everything seemed to clear. Even though this was one of the most painful, difficult trial I have ever been faced with, I knew it was what I was supposed to experience. I have never felt so sad, but I have never felt so happy. I have never felt so abandoned, but I have never felt so supported. I have never felt so angry, but I have never felt so peaceful. I have never felt so confused, but I have never felt so sure. I have never felt so doubtful, but I have never felt so certain. I have never felt so vulnerable, but I have never felt so safe. I've never felt so weak, but I've never felt so strong. My testimony of going forward in faith has been strengthened even more. I truly have a testimony that things fall apart to fall into place. I know that everything I was faced with, He KNEW I could get through. But most of all, I know that even though sometimes our Father above is silent, that doesn't mean He isn't there. We are never ever alone, and I know that through this experience.
I have started my service mission in the Riverton FamilySearch Library as a YCSM! I started last week with orientation, and I already love it! Come visit me, and we will do more things with family history than you thought possible! Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, "Do you young people want a sure way to eliminate the influence of the adversary in your life? Immerse yourself in searching for your ancestors, prepare their names for the sacred vicarious ordinances available in the temple, and then go to the temple to stand as proxy for them to receive the ordinances of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. As you grow older, you will be able to participate in receiving the other ordinances as well. I can think of no greater protection from the influence of the adversary in your life." It won't just lessen the influence of the adversary in your life, it will ELIMINATE it. How amazing is that promise? Family history is something so important, and I know I was called to do this work because others need me. I am so grateful for this opportunity, and I really am grateful for my trials that I was faced with in the process of getting here. I can't wait to spend the next year serving my Savior!

October 6th, 2012 - Life Changing News

It was October 6th, 2012. Who knew that one day would change my whole life forever. There I was, sitting in the LDS Conference Center on a beautiful day with two of my best friends, Zoey and Sarah. We were so excited for this 182nd Semi-Annual General Conference! I mean, who doesn't love hearing guidance and counsel from General Authorities of the church? We love conference and it was such a blessing to be able to attend it, especially this specific session. President Thomas S. Monson got up and smiled his precious smile to the crowd of thousands of people staring back at him. He had the usual welcome and announcements to make. He made a few announcements about temples around the whole world. "Brothers and sisters, I now turn to another matter-namely, missionary service." he said. I have always loved missionary work, and was preparing to wait for my best friend and love of my life on his mission, so this immediately caught my attention. I was on the edge of my seat! I could not wait to hear this announcement, no matter how big it was! He carried on to talk about how they had sent out 18 year old missionaries and so far they had been successful with their work, and had a very positive experience. I could feel it coming. This was going to be huge.
"I am pleased to announce that effective immediately, all worthy and able young men who have graduated from high school or it's equivalent, regardless of where they live, will have the option of being recommended for missionary service beginning at the age of 18, instead of age 19."
Still, even writing this gives me chills up and down my spine. I heard this announcement and felt tingling from my fingertips, to my toes. I immediately started sobbing. Words can not express how strong the spirit was in that room filled with hundreds of future missionaries. This meant that Tony would be leaving MUCH sooner than expected, especially because he was already 18! I did not have any idea as to why I was crying, but I could not stop the tears streaming from my face. (And those of you who know me know that I don't cry a lot when it comes to things like that!) But no, it did not stop there. I didn't even think about the young women age  changing!
"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."
Yes, my hand was over my mouth, and tears were just continuing to gush from my eyes. This had to be a dream. This was the biggest curve ball that had ever been thrown at my life! I had trouble concentrating through the rest of the meeting. It took a while to let this all sink in. Sarah leaned over to me and said "Heather, I can't believe this! I'm going on a mission in a year!" (She now has her call to Helsinki, Finland Reporting October 23rd!)
My life was literally changed forever. I called my boyfriend, Tony, and we were both just in shock. This was much earlier than we expected, but I was so excited. (The sooner he leaves, the sooner he comes back!) We decided to go to the temple.
I went to the Draper temple with Zoey and he went by himself to the Oquirrh Mountain temple. I prayed and I opened up the Book of Mormon. Suddenly, the scripture D&C 19:23 popped into my head. What a great and comforting scripture. I then kept reading and came across verses 36-41. I just cried. I knew that I was needed out there to serve a mission. I decided then and there that when I could, I would start my mission papers. Tony had decided that he was supposed to go now instead of later, so he started his papers as soon as he could! I was SO excited! I felt like I was more excited than him!! (Probably not, though.) He finished his paper, I took his picture for his papers, and he sent them in. This is us when we took his picture at the Draper temple:

After a week and a half of waiting for the call, it arrived on December 12th, 2012 (Yes, 12/12/12) The Letter that would decide the next 2 years of his life!

Samara, Russia it was! Reporting on February 13th, 2013. I Couldn't have been more proud! I was so excited!! I could not stop hugging him that night. :)

To Be Continued. The journey had just begun...