Tuesday, July 8, 2014

How many weeks?

4 weeks. 

I officially have 4 weeks until I enter the MTC in Mexico for my 6 week training. I went through the temple on Saturday July 5 with my parents and my brother and other amazing people that are very close to me and dang. It was just an amazing and spiritual day.
But, I've been trying to find the words to describe my feelings and I honestly can't find one word so it's like 6 of them: nervous, excited, terrified, blessed, humbled, and uncertain.

Uncertainty is a hard thing to admit, not because I'm uncertain about wanting to go on a mission. That is not it by any means. However, uncertain that I can be a wonderful missionary and touch and bless many people. Uncertain that I will have the ability to become fluent in Spanish and be able to communicate to bring the spirit and the light of Christ into a discussion. Uncertain that I will be good enough to bring people to Christ. That is something that I am very afraid of and i think it stems off of me just being nervous and scared and once I start the work, all of my doubts will be gone, but this is what I feel.

Now, I would also like to address my definition of a wonderful and influential missionary.

A MISSIONARY SHOULD NOT WORRY ABOUT THE NUMBERS. EVER. NEVER EVER. THAT IS NOT WHAT A MISSION IS ABOUT. NO NO NO. 

That is something I feel very strongly about. You may disagree, and that is completely fine with me. But I have never been one to push my religion on someone and that has brought my great respect from friends and colleagues. My goal as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is to inform and be that step in the direction of Christ whether they decide to be baptized or whether they hear one lesson and decide they aren't ready or it is not for them. THAT IS OKAY WITH ME. I will keep checking back with them to see how they are and if they are doing well, because they are people and so am I. People need to care about other people. I want to show them Christ by my actions and words. Not by pushing them to believe the same thing I believe. I can be one of many missionaries they will talk to in their life time and maybe someday, they will be baptized. If I helped them put a step in that direction, then my job is done and I am happy with what I have done.

I don't know if this is making much sense considering I have so many thoughts coming out at once but my all around message is: Missionary work is not about the number of baptisms you have. It is the moments had, the spirit felt, and the steps toward salvation. Missionary work is about happiness and love and showing love toward others whether they are the same religion or not. Missionary work is about service and serving others whether they decide to come to church or not.

Will there be times where I am frustrated and/or disappointed? Of course. But I will be happy if I can make others happy. And that is my ultimate goal as a missionary.

Anyway, back to the whole 4 weeks thing. AHHHHHH.

I can't believe how quickly this time home is going. I am having trouble with the thought of leaving my family. Big time. But I have to remember it is for the best and for a short amount of time.
Can we just talk about the fact that I will be 21 when I come home? Can someone say grandma status?

I have so much to do before I leave and I've decided to blog and watch Mulan instead today. Whatevs. I've been working hard, dang it!

Next post should be my missionary fashion choices. Which I bought too many things. Oh well, gotta look as good as the lesson, right? ;) That's my excuse.

Until next blog, thank you for the support and the encouragement. It is greatly needed and greatly appreciated.

4 weeks until Mexico, 10 weeks until Utah. Here we go!

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Mission Call Opening Video!


I swear this will be the last post about opening my mission call. I'm just still excited. Sorry if you're sick of me! ;) 





Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Dear Sister Escolopio...

Dear Sister Escolopio,
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 Utah Salt Lake City Central Mission. It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 18 months. 
You should report to the Mexico Missionary Training Center on Wednesday August 6, 2014. You will prepare to preach the gospel in the Spanish Language. 

AHHHHHHH. 

I'm going to Mexico for about 6 weeks and then to Utah for the remainder of my 18 month mission to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to serve others. I could not be more excited! I think this morning is when it actually hit me, but probably August 5 will be when I start freaking out. 

I am actually and surprisingly super calm and ready. It is a weird experience knowing that for 18 months, the only time you can see your family and friends is through Skype twice a year and pictures they send to you through emails. But I know it is what I need to do and I am completely content. 

BUT SPANISH THOUGH. I was definitely NOT expecting that at all. But I think it is going to be so awesome and rewarding. Also, I think it's going to be cool coming home being fluent in Spanish and being able to show my skills. Just sayin'. 

I am so blessed to be given the opportunity to serve a mission and to share my knowledge of the gospel with others. I am SO excited and ready to serve. This opportunity means so much to me and I am honored to be a tool in the Lord's hands. 


UTAH HERE I COME. HOPE YOU'RE READY!


Video will be up soon :)





Monday, May 19, 2014

The Papers Are In!

I repeat. MY MISSION PAPERS ARE IN.

And now we wait. and wait. and wait. For about 2 to 3 weeks. It doesn't seem like a long time, but it is a super long time when you are waiting for a piece of paper that will change your life forever.

Think about it: This time next year, I will be a missionary. I think about that statement oh, 8 or 9 time...a day. It is constantly in my mind. My coworkers told me I looked like I was glowing today. Best compliment ever because I know it's because I'm stoked to get my call and to serve as best as I possibly can.

I am going to have a mission call opening soiree at my house when I get my call so if you'd like to come, comment, message or text me and let me know so I can contact you when it comes. It will be on a weekend so if my call comes on a weekday, I am willing to wait. You're welcome. 

If that is the case, I told my mom I wanted her to hide it from me to keep me from temptation, but let's be honest. I'll need to hide it from her because she'll open it and glue it shut again. If you have met my mother, you know this is 100% accurate.

I'm just all around happy and ready and pumped to start and go through the temple.

ohmygosh 

I finished my last temple prep class too so I will be able to go to the temple soon too.
SO MANY SPIRITUAL THINGS HAPPENING I'M SO READY.

It is still super weird knowing I am old enough to be doing all of this. You think as a kid growing up in the LDS church, "I am going to be a missionary" or "I can't wait to go to the temple" or "I can't wait to be in Relief Society"....okay, maybe that last one was a lie. Young Women's was just too fun. No offense to the wonderful ladies in Relief Society!

But now that the time has come for all three of these things, I feel like I should be 8 years old again getting ready to be baptized. I don't feel like I am 19 almost 20 and embarking on a new chapter of my life. First it was graduating high school, then it was going to college which are pretty temporal things. They are very important, don't get me wrong, but they are only for a short time here on this earth. But what I am about to do is going to affect not just my life now, but my life for the rest of eternity and that is crazy to me. I always thought my life at 19 would be planned out, going perfectly and I would have all of my ducks in a row.

NOPE.

Life came up and smacked that thought out my head super quick.

Life never happens the way you plan it to. Would that be any fun if it did? Heck nah.
If you expected everything to go the way you want it, you would never grow. You would never have a moment to feel what it's like to truly and fully live.

I will be straight up honest. I NEVER in a million years thought I would be going on a mission. I still don't know how I am going to leave my family and friends AND MUSIC. Don't even get me started. But if I hadn't experienced the things that were completely unplanned that I had to trek through and ask for help from my Father in Heaven, I would be a completely different person and definitely not on the path I am on now.

I am not perfect. I am far from it. But I know that that is okay and I can help to know the things I know and help them to know that they don't have to be perfect to feel the love of God. And that is all I need to leave my comfortable life and step into a bigger unknown than I have ever experienced.


And I am okay with that.

But yes, if you'd be interested in fun, food, friends, and mission call openings, let me know and I will let you know the details when I get my call!




Wednesday, April 16, 2014

A little more serious.

Hello everyone,

 As of yesterday all of my papers are officially finished!! I just have to have an interview with my bishop on Sunday and then the stake president and my papers will be on their way! Thank. goodness.

I am not going to lie though, satan has been working on me super stinkin' hard the past couple of weeks. I had moments where I would doubt myself and my ability to serve and doubt my want to serve. I have never doubted myself being a missionary before, but for some reason I came up with every reason I could to make an excuse not to go. I was always sad and tried to talk myself into not continuing on with the paper process. If you asked me why I honestly could not tell you. And it was super random. These feelings were coming out of nowhere. I was praying to Heavenly Father all the time asking what I needed to do and why I was feeling this way.

I've always been strong in the gospel. I've always said no when I needed to and always tried to be uplifting with the words of The Lord, but this time, I could not offer that because I was just feeling totally awful. In my heart I knew serving a mission was what I needed and what I wanted, but my head was like haha, nahhh.

And then I watched General Conference. It was just like every talk was directed toward me and my struggle. My journal is full let me just tell you. I had thoughts pouring out of me and my heart was so full. I knew what I needed to do and I knew that the feelings I had been feeling had not come from God.

I was sitting in temple class about two Sundays ago and my bishop said something that really stuck with me. He said: All of the times you think to yourself that you're not good enough or your thoughts are putting you down or telling you to do things that are not in tune with the spirit, it is not God talking to you. He would never say things like that. In my case he won't say what I was thinking which was "You aren't good enough or you don't know enough about the gospel to teach others." He would say "You are going to bless someone's life and bring them to the fold."

Obviously I am paraphrasing, but it really stuck out to me and I didn't think about it until conference and just thought that the thoughts I was thinking and the feelings I had been feeling weren't coming from God or even from myself. It really put everything into perspective for me.

They say the people satan tries on the most are the ones that are going to make the biggest difference as a missionary so I definitely can't wait to see what happens on my mission because I should be baptizing entire cities. hahaha

But now I am back to being excited and preparing and just taking everything in. I still have some oncoming health problem and will be dealing with those. Hopefully they won't effect my mission but prayers will be very VERY helpful.

Thanks so much for reading this and if you have any questions or comments just let me know! :D

To learn more about what I'm doing and what my religion is about check out mormon.org and you can also ask me questions.

“God is weaving His tapestry according to his own grand design. All flesh is in His hands. We have no need to fear. We have no need to worry. Our imperative need is to be found doing our duty.” President Gordon B. Hinckley 


Thursday, March 13, 2014

Happy Birthday!

Warning: this blog post bounces around. A lot.

Sooooo I went to the doctor and the dentist. Guess what I have in the next week or two? A consultation to get my wisdom teeth out.

NOOOOOO. 

I am terrified, but I guess it just needs to happen. Better to get them out now rather than be on my mission and be in pain, I guess. So I'm going to have to put on my big girl pants and just face the facts.

This week has been pretty good. But, I have been lacking in the scripture study department. I wrote a talk for sacrament on Sunday, but that was the last time I opened up my scriptures. i know. Totally not okay, but my two best friends are home from school and I have been spending literally every waking moment with them, or at work making bank. Okay, not making bank. Probably making enough to buy a few skirts and tops for my mission, and to hang out with some friends but you know, a job is a job and money is money and I am not complaining.

I am finally finished with everything I need (minus the wisdom teeth) for my mission. I pick up my forms from my doctor tomorrow and I am fin. I am so stoked. They say that satan works the hardest on the people who are going to help the most people and change the lives of people through the gospel. I better be baptizing the entire country I am going to be sent to because dang. Things have been tough and just weird. Dates and times I scheduled things would pleasantly fall on the same dates and times of other big events, people will try to tempt me to doing things they know I do not do, there are certain people that I need to sing "Love One Another" about in my head sometimes just to get through a few hours with them and a whole bunch more, but it honestly just gives me the strength and the courage to keep going and to keep studying and keeping myself as worthy as I can to be the best missionary I can be, not only for 18 months, but for the rest of my life here on earth.

I can only say, work toward the person you want to be. You are not going to completely change and grow over night. It's going to take time and effort, but it is worth it. I am still in the process of changing myself and trying to be the best person I can be, but everyday counts and everyday is a new day.

Okay, that got gushy but I felt like I needed to say it.

This weekend is going to be insane. It is my nephew and two of my brothers' birthdays so we're having a huge combined family party that I should probably be cleaning for right now instead of blogging but eh.

Allen is 37, Aaron is 34, and Aidan is 9. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GRANDPA'S!

Thanks for reading about my totally boring life. I promise once the papers are in and I find out where I'm going, things will start getting exciting! Unless it's somewhere boring like the DC South mission considering I live here. haha BUUUUUUUT, I will go where The Lord wants me to go. My best friends dad said something to me that really struck me. He said, "It is not the same thing to say 'I will go where you want me to go' as it is to say 'I want to go where you want me to go'" It is all about perspective and fully putting your trust in The Lord and knowing you are going to be sent where you can help the most people. Because this work isn't for ourselves. It is for those who need and want to be informed of all of the beauty the gospel of Jesus Christ has to offer. It is not going to be an easy 18 months, but I know it will be the best of my life.


Until next time.

If you have any questions or comments, let me know :)

Thanks!

~Rachel


Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Almost there...

HELLO EVERYONE. 
So, I am starting this blog to not only keep everyone up to date with my mission paper process, my missionary fashion purchases, my random posts about whatever, my mission call, my farewell, but also someone will be updating this blog while I am on my mission to help everyone stay up to date with what I am doing, who I am baptizing-well technically who the elders are baptizing but... (fingers crossed.), and just the weekly updates from my mission for all who cares!

I have been continuously working on my mission papers since the very moment I have been able to start them circa: a week and a half ago. Let me tell you, this process has not been easy. It's not that the actual papers are hard, but we've hit some bumps in the road. 
I found out about 2 weeks ago that I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Disease, which is when the antibodies attack my thyroid which will probably cause it to stop working eventually. To learn more: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hashimotos-disease/basics/definition/con-20030293

WHAT.

However, I am totally relieved to find out what is actually wrong with me because I have been having problems the past 2 years and no one knew what was wrong with me. DING DING DING. We have a winner. So I was put on some meds, had some blood drawn and there we go. It's a pretty manageable disease as long as I keep taking my meds and having check ups every couple of months. Great right? Wrong.

I went to a deferent doctor to make sure this whole Hashimoto's thing was right and it wasn't something worse. Good news, it's nothing worse. Bad news, I have PCOS too.
Learn what it is: http://www.webmd.com/women/tc/polycystic-ovary-syndrome-pcos-topic-overview 
So naturally, my first question was can I have kids eventually? The answer is yes, but it will be more difficult. 
My second question was can I still go on a mission?.............yes. I can still serve a mission. 

HALLELUJAH.

So now I am on two forms of meds that are currently taking a toll on my body, but I will be fine and normal by my mission. Which will be no earlier than July 11th (availability date, holla!)

Now for the unknown question: will I have to get my wisdom teeth taken out before my mission or can it wait?

I have no idea. I'm hoping I can wait, just to I don't have to wait forever to turn in my papers, but who knows. I guess it might just be better to get them out now, but I'm stubborn so...

but we'll find out tomorrow -__-

But all in all, it's been an easy and short process...for now. Unless I have to get those teeth out. Then we might have a problem. okay, real reason I don't want them out? I'm terrified. I hate pain. I am a whiner and I will cry. 

If you have any questions I can answer in the next blog post, let me know. 

~Rachel