The Vacation. The Turning Point. THE TEMPLE.

After getting my mission call, I thought that everything would be perfect. I thought that I would be in this spiritual high 24/7, and that I would be motivated to go on a mission at all times. BOY was I wrong! Somehow, I fell into deep fears and doubts that just kept bothering me. I just felt like I wasn't going to be ready to go, that I wasn't good enough to be a missionary. My stake president said I would be tempted and tested in unimaginable ways before I went on my mission, and I will say that I certainly didn't expect to be tested in this way! I have never had such greater inner conflict in my life. And that inner conflict affected my daily life and increased my stress. I was so stressed out all the time!
Luckily for my sanity, I took a week off work to hang out with Maria who is practically my sister. I took a bus to New Jersey and spent a few days with her visiting NYC. We then took a bus back to Virginia where Maria stayed with me and got to tour D.C. Honestly, being with Maria helped me so much! That week long vacation was much needed!

Exactly a day after that week of awesomeness, I met with the stake president for my temple interview. Coming out of that interview, I felt amazing! The interview with him was exactly what I needed; he uplifted me and reassured me about being a missionary and going on a mission. His words were exactly what I needed to hear. That was the turning point of my summer. I got excited to go on a mission once again!
On Saturday I went through the temple for the first time! My mom was my escort. She hadn't gone to the temple for 17 years so Sister Hepfinger accompanied both of us as well. It was pretty much my mom's first time in a while. Anyway, the temple was amazing! I decided to go to the session that was in Spanish. Nothing how I expected it to be, but it all felt right. There is no other perfect word to describe it. Everything just felt right. When the session started, a person who worked in the temple said he hadn't seen a session so filled in two years! What a blessing to have been there! I am so grateful to have seen many people that I knew; the Hepfingers, Hermano Balladares, Hermana Walter, Hermanos Ramos, Hermanos Muñoz, and Hermanos Sanchez. It made the experience even more special. But what I'm most grateful for was having my mom go through with me. It meant so much.

Mi madre es bella!

 My mom, me, and Sister Hepfinger

 

Working Towards the Temple and Towards a Mission

Today I had my interview with Obispo Sandoval concerning my temple recommendation. When Obispo signed my recommendation and handed it over to me, I almost couldn't believe it. I had always thought that I had so much time before going to the temple and serving a mission, but the time for me has come now! I have been a member of this church my whole life, and my whole life I have been preparing to be worthy. I now hold MY temple recommend in my hands, something that was only possible by doing my part and working towards the goal of one day going to the temple.
When I got home, I watched this video and it was like watching my life. Except it was more dramatic and the girl in the video is drop dead gorgeous haha. It made me realize how every step we take in life (cheesy, I know) truly determines where we will end up. Like the girl in the video, each step we take is preparing us for something bigger. In my case, as it also was for her, each step I have taken in the right direction has prepared me for the temple. And I know that by preparing to enter the temple, I am also preparing myself to go on a mission. This video makes me feel so grateful to have the gospel in my life!!!! If I didn't have the gospel in my life, I would be so lost. It has shaped me into who I am today, and if I continue to let its influence lead my life, it will continue to shape me into becoming an even better me.

 

Today we had a fireside only for our ward (Spring Lake) titled, "Apresurando La Obra de Salvacion". El Obispo Sandoval, the mission president (President Burton), and the stake president (President Wheatley), spoke to us.

A few things I got from the fireside:

• Apply Mosiah 2:9 in our lives
• "This is my work and my glory..."
• Dar a todos la oportunidad de escuchar y recibir el evangelio
• "Si me amas a mi, salva a mis ovejas"
• Los misioneros, junto con los miemros de la iglesia, pueden lograr milagros
• When we engage and participate in missionary work, we put our hand in the Savior's hand. He is the best companion.
• By going on a mission, my family will receive greater blessings

The fireside was awesome, and it definitely helped me get more pumped for my mission! This is truly the Lord's work here on earth, and it is bigger and better than ever! I feel so blessed and privileged to be a part of this generation. These are such exciting times for a soon-to-be 19 year old girl like me.

 

Pics of some of us Spring Lakers after the fireside:

 

Try One: Felix, Moroni, Debanhi (love her face), me, Sebas trying to get away, Ari, and Pam (right under Debanhi)

 

Second Try: Sebas unsuccessfully tried to get out of the pic

 

Third Try: Success!

 

 

Hermana Sainsbury is such an incredible missionary; she has worked in our ward for months, and now she's getting transferred! She was originally supposed to go to Argentina, but her visa didn't and hasn't arrived so they reassigned her to here. I am so glad she didn't originally go to Argentina, because I wouldn't have met her!

Love you Hermana.



 

 

 



Called To Serve!

"Dear Sister Flores:

You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the COLORADO DENVER SOUTH MISSION. It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 18 months.

You should report to the Provo Missionary Training Center on Wednesday, September 11, 2013. You will be prepared to preach the gospel in the ENGLISH LANGUAGE."

Wow! It has been exactly a month since I opened my letter from the first presidency. It seems so surreal to me that I'm going on a mission, I guess since I thought I had a while before I turned 21...but the Lord said NOPE, you are going at age 19!
It wasn't a surprise to me that I was going to go stateside on my mission; somehow I had always known and had felt a great peace about it. The real surprise was that I got called English speaking! I was seriously expecting to be called Spanish speaking! But the Lord also said NOPE, I need you to be English speaking, in the Colorado Denver South mission. And I humbly and joyfully accept!
I am so excited to serve in Colorado; I cannot imagine myself going anywhere else! I already know it will be the hardest thing I will have done so far, but I also know it will be 100% worth it.