57 More Days

Here I am in the great state of Utah! We left Saturday night and as we were driving in on Sunday, we drove past Salt Lake City. I've been there before but every time I see it, I'm still blown away by how gorgeous the city is. I'm so blessed to serve there. I wish I could leave right now and start my mission. My future (especially the mission), always seemed like a dream to me. It's finally setting in that it will be a reality. I'm so excited to be in Utah! I love it here. One reason: In N Out. 

I've missed the deliciousness of this place for too long! We were reunited and it was love at first bite 🍔❤️ 

Another reason why I am excited to be here is because I get to meet Maryn tomorrow! She is one of the girls I met on the sister missionary Facebook page. We have the SAME mission and we leave on the SAME day! We are getting lunch and going to get our nails done. It's gunna be super fun. I also get to meet Rachel when I'm back in WA. She gets set apart as a missionary in 11 days! She too is serving in SLC. It's so awesome how I can meet these girls who I could possibly serve with in the future! We've all become so close and we haven't even met yet! Our mission is going to be incredible. 

(SIDE NOTE: My friend Camille received her mission call last night and she will be serving in the Nashville Tennesee mission! How exciting is that?! So proud of her. I'm so happy for everyone who is choosing to serve a mission!!) 

Another reason why I'm glad to be in Utah right now is because I got to tour Utah Valley University! It's such an amazing campus and it has sooo much to offer. And it's close to Salt Lake City so I can keep in contact with all the people I meet on my mission! I met so many people on campus that told me about all the wonderful things the school does and I couldn't be more excited to go to school there after my mission. 

I've got a couple more days here and I'm going to enjoy every second! Well I guess that's it for today! 

Oh! One more thing. So there's this guy named Stuart Edge. He is one of my favorite YouTubers (check out his videos right now!!) and he's also a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. On Sunday he was in Cali for VidCon and he posted this picture of him, reading his scriptures on his phone in a hotel: 

The caption says: "Sundays on the road. "When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place, or drop out of our lives." -Ezra Taft Benson"

Since I too was on the road on Sunday, I shared the post. It got a couple likes but it wasn't until Monday night that something awesome happened!! 

STUART EDGE COMMENTED ON THE POST! I had a bit of a fan girl moment and told him he was rad. Then quickly recovered and thanked him for sharing his testimony and being an example to me. It's not easy to be in the spotlight and be "famous" and still stay strong to your beliefs so I was impressed that he has such a strong testimony. So that was cool but then, once again, something even more awesome happened. He wished me well on my mission! I don't know exactly how he knew I was going on a mission but I once again had a little fan girl moment. It was awesome hahah. Ok. So now I'm done!

Don't be afraid to share your testimony with everyone around you! Be a light into the world! Someone will notice and you could change someone's life :) stay strong. 

64 More Days

Quite a bit has happened since my last blog post! The most important thing, I went to the Portland temple to take out my endowments! I got to go with my grandma and grandpa, aunt and uncle, and mom & dad. It was such a blessing to be surrounded by people who love and support me. They've all been amazing examples to me and continue to inspire me to do better. The spirit often testifies to me in different ways and when I went to the temple on Saturday, I felt an enormous amount of peace. I had a very stressful week and had been feeling very overwhelmed and it was bringing out the worst in me. I was constantly in a bad mood and couldn't get out of this bad funk until I was at the temple. I know the temple is a house of God because I could instantly feel his love for me and I felt the anger and stress melt away. Even since I've gotten home, I've just felt different; a good different of course. I can't wait to go to the temple again soon!

On Sunday morning, I unfortunately had to work but I got off with just enough time to make it to Poulsbo to go to Nathan Wilson's farewell talk. It's so great to see so many of my friends make the decision to serve the Lord. Austin is leaving tomorrow to Ghana, and then Nathan is leaving next week to Brazil, and then another of my friends is going to Uruguay. & my cousin Krischan (Brazil) and my friends Will (Netherlands/Belgium) and Cole (Philippines) have already left! Ahhh I'm just so proud of everyone. I know the Lord is very happy right now. It's so great to get updates from them every week and hear about all the miracles they have already seen and how they've seen the Lord's hand in their lives. I pray that they all will be kept safe and that those the find to teach will have an open heart and mind to hear about the gospel. Can't wait to join them all out on the mission field. 

So sort of un mission related...I went to the best concert ever last night. My favorite band Parachute was performing in Seattle so I bought VIP tickets the day they went on sale. So yes the concert was fantastic, and meeting the band (especially Will Anderson <3) was even moooore amazing, BUT something super awesome and unexpected came from going to the concert! I met 6 random girls who share a mutual love for Will Anderson and we got talkin, only to find out that we are ALL mormon!! Like how crazy is that?? Most of them live in Seattle so we're gunna hang soon but it was just totally crazy! 

Shout out to Rachel, Ashley, Cami, Abigail, Julia, and Elizabeth!

Overall, I've had a fantastic past couple of days and I'm leaving to Utah for a week and a half on Saturday so it's only gunna get better! I'm going to tour UVU (the college I got accepted into) and hopefully explore Salt Lake City so I can get a feel of the place I'll be living for the next year and a half! I'm so pumped for my future! & I can't wait to share all my adventures with y'all :)

Until next time!

68 More Days

Today was great! The morning started off a little rough with a tough day at work but then I got to spend the rest of the day with my lovely mother <3 AND I found the CUTEST missionary clothes!! I'm tellin ya, Goodwill is the place to shop. 1. It's the only place I've been able to find skirts that are long enough. 2. ITS HECKA CHEAP! *note to the guys: they have super rad ties there as well*

Annyyyways. It was great being able to spend some time with my mom before I leave. She's pretty darn great. She's always been an inspiration to me and she's my best friend. So shout out to her. There's this chapter in Alma about the 2000 strippling warriors who are about to go out and fight a war. And these guys weren't like, huge men that have been trained for war or anything. They were just young men who had to step up and be leaders. "Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it."

Emphasis on the "THEY HAD BEEN TAUGHT BY THEIR MOTHERS, THAT IF THEY DID NOT DOUBT, GOD WOULD DELIVER THEM." Yeah, that's right. Their mother's must've been amazing. And I'm lucky enough to have a mother like theirs, that has taught me to trust God and has helped prepare me for the war against Satan and all earthly things that we will have to fight for the rest of our lives. But there's more that we can learn from the 2000 strippling warrior's story. ALL 2000 young men, made it out alive. "But behold, to my great joy, there had not one soul of them fallen to the earth; yea, and they had fought as if with the strength of God; yea, never were men known to have fought with such miraculous strength." 

We too have the power to fight this war and win. All we must do is put our trust in God. There are so many challenge we will all go through in this lifetime. There will be times where we may doubt or just don't know what to do but that is completely fine! None of the warriors died, but ALL were injured. We may get knocked down and fall to the ground in despair, but that only puts us in the perfect position to pray to our Heavenly Father for guidance and strength. In the words of the wonderful, Gordon B Hinckley, "When life gets too hard to stand, kneel." He has also said, “It isn't as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out. Don't worry. I say that to myself every morning. It all works out in the end. Put your trust in God, and move forward with faith and confidence in the future. The Lord will not forsake us. He will not forsake us. If we will put our trust in Him, if we will pray to Him, if we will live worthy of His blessings, He will hear our prayers.” 

I promise that if you listen to the things you have been taught and apply it to your life and trust in your Heavenly Father that you will find so much happiness and be able to see so many blessings in your life. 

I found this picture on Pinterest, and I LOVE it and I think it relates a lot to the story of the strippling warriors and their mothers. 

I'm so glad that I'm able to go on a mission where I can because closer to God and prepare myself to be a leader and teacher so that one day I can have children as strong as the strippling warriors. I can only hope that I will be a good enough mother and that my children will grow with faith and a love for the gospel and God. That also reminds me of something else that's been on my mind. As long as I can remember, I've always wanted to serve a mission. With the age change, the number of girls serving missions shot up. But if a young women chooses not to serve an official mission, that is completely ok. I personally know girls who have been very overwhelmed and confused because they have felt pressure from people around them to serve a mission when they have received different guidance from the Holy Ghost.  Choosing to not go on a mission, but to stay and get married and start a family is just as praiseworthy. I read in a New Era article called, For Young Women: Making the Mission Decision, "You don’t need to feel guilty for choosing not to be a full-time missionary. Follow the Spirit as you plan for and live your life, and Heavenly Father will provide many opportunities for you to serve His children in your home, community, and the world, whether that includes full-time missionary service or not." 

I just wanted to put that out there for any young women that are trying to make "the mission decision".  Don't let other people try to tell you what to do. Pray about what you should do and the Lord will guide you. Whether you choose to serve a mission or not, you will be blessed. 

Well, I think that's all I'll say tonight. I sort of just ramble on these haha. Ok so I'll just leave ya with a scripture that my good friend recently sent me that really stood out to me,

Alma 26: 11

"I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God."

I have God to thank for all the amazing opportunities and blessings I've had in my life. I can not stress enough the happiness the gospel brings me. God is amazing.

I hope everyone has an amazing night :)

69 More Days

Hi y'all!
So, we are now down to 69 more days until I leave home to serve the Lord. It's crazy how fast time has been flying. It feels like I just barely got my mission call, but that was almost two months ago! The closer my report date comes, the more and more excited I get.
There's this facebook page called, Many Are Called...But Few Are Sisters. It's this amazing place where THOUSANDS of future sister missionaries, or returned missionaries. It's a page where women all over the world can meet others that are preparing for the same exact thing as they are. Everyone is supportive of each other, offering advice and guidance for our preparation. It's an amazing online community. So anyways, on this page, I posted my call and when I'd be reporting and immediately I found 2 other girls going to the same mission, on the same day! Shout out to Maryn and Linda. Soon we were able to find 7 of us total that will be going to Salt Lake City! We made a group chat and we've all had the opportunity to talk and get to know each other before we are even on our missions! It crazy to think that one, or even several of them, could be my future companion! They are all super great. We all have so much in common!
We were all chattin about music and how many of us love to sing, and I realized that we may get to sing in General Conference! Sometimes during conference they have an MTC choir sing and I will be in the MTC during conference! I don't know if it will happen or not, but if it does that would be the most amazing experience.
There's been many amazing things that have happened since receiving my call, but at the same time, I definitely feel Satan trying to get at me. Now that I have been called to serve, Satan will be doing all that he can to stop me from preparing the best I can. I'm going to the Portland Temple on Saturday to take out my endowments. This is a sacred ordinance required for exaltation. It's a very special day for my family and I, especially since I will be going through the same temple we were all sealed to each other in. Family is the most important thing to me and this day is supposed to be perfect, but as I've been preparing to go through, I've also been very prideful and contentious. I've held in anger and pushed my family away when I'm supposed to be drawing myself closer to them for this wonderful opportunity I have on Saturday. After getting some sense knocked into me, I realized that I was doing exactly what Satan wanted me to do. I'm going to bury myself in scripture study and prayer so that I can be spiritually prepared to go through the temple and that I can do so happily with my loving family by my side. We have our ups and downs, but I still wouldn't trade them for anyone else.

#TBT to when my family was sealed for time and all eternity in the Portland, Oregon temple. I believe that even after death, my family will be together forever. I will see them again and live with them again in the kingdom of Heaven. This is possible because of temples and sealings.  "Here [in the holy temple of our Lord], under the true priesthood power of God, we are bound together in the most sacred of all human relationships—as husbands and wives, as children and parents, as families under a sealing that time cannot destroy and death cannot disrupt." –Gordon B. Hinckley"
Although, I don't remember anything from this day, I was only 3, I know that it was the best day of my life. It is the greatest blessing to know that I will be with my loving mother and father forever. One day, I'll be able to go to the temple to be sealed to my future husband, and by doing so, be sealed to my future children as well.  I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to go on my mission and teach of God's eternal plan. I can't wait to go out and tell all  of Salt Lake City what makes me happy, and that they too can have the same happiness.

I have a fam'ly here on earth.
They are so good to me.
I want to share my life with them through all eternity.

Fam'lies can be together forever
Through Heav'nly Father's plan.
I always want to be with my own family,
And the Lord has shown me how I can.
The Lord has shown me how I can.

While I am in my early years,
I'll prepare most carefully,
So I can marry in God's temple for eternity.

Fam'lies can be together forever
Through Heav'nly Father's plan.
I always want to be with my own family,
And the Lord has shown me how I can.
The Lord has shown me how I can.

70 More Days

Missionary (noun): Someone who leaves their family for a short period of time so that others may be with their families for eternity.

Dear Sister Holcomb: 
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 mission. 

My mission boundaries! It has actually gotten smaller, but I don't have an updated picture yet.

I report to the MTC on Sept 23!! Only 70 more days :) I am beyond excited and am so happy to be able to go to Salt Lake to preach God's gospel and to help teach people what it is that has blessed me so much and has made me so happy. 
I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the true church. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet called of God and that he restored God's church back to the earth. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I have read it and have gained a testimony of it's truthfulness. This gospel has brought so much happiness into my life and I hope that if any of you are interested in learning about what I love so much and know to be true, that you will message me! Ask me anything! 
I am so thankful for the love and support I've gotten from all my family and friends. I know that leaving for a year and a half won't be easy, & I will miss you all so much, but I know that my mission is worth it and the time will go by faster than we all think. 
I love you all! Thank you so much to everyone who came to my house to see me open my call. This is one of the most important moments of my life and I was so blessed to be surrounded by the people I love. 
THE CHURCH IS TRUE!