Smile Because It Happened: Week 43, May 30, 2016

Here come TRANSFERS

In 20 years, I have:
 
* Lived in 10 different cities (Ellensburg, WA; Wenatchee, WA;
Portland, OR; Spokane WA; DesMoines, IA; Spokane Valley, WA; Reno, NV;
Houston, TX; Layton, UT; Ogden, UT) (the longest was in Spokane Valley
= 3 years and 10 months)
* Attended 4 different elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 3 high schools
* Graduated from San Jacinto Community College with an Associates
degree in General studies
* Been accepted into BYU, Provo in Utah
* Learned 4 different instruments: piano, trumpet, French horn, and
mellophone. (My favorite is the French horn, but most played is the
piano; I also enjoy singing if that counts as an instrument =) )
* Participated in band for 8 years (having started in 5th grade and
ending, as of right now, in 12th grade), which includes concert band,
jazz band, and marching band
* Performed in community honor bands, at one point being one chair
away from a state honor band
* Performed in 3 major (you may argue what major means but for me,
it's anything larger than just a school event) parades: Jr. Lilac
Parade, Lilac parade, Fourth of July Parade in Washington D.C.
* Performed in Solo and Ensemble twice, once as an 8th grader, the
other as a Freshman. The first time around, I received a 1 (which is
the best score you can receive on a scale of 1-5); the second time, a
2. Lesson learned: never stop practicing
* Seen multiple sights: Seattle, WA with the space needle and famous
pier; the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River (my grandpa Lindh
helped build this dam); Spokane, WA with Riverfront Park and the falls
on the Spokane River and the Davenport Hotel; Mt. Rushmore; Salt Lake
City, UT with Temple Square and General Conference; Denver, CO;
Nauvoo, IL; Omaha, Nebraska; Reno, NV and LasVegas, NV; Sacramento,
San Francisco, and Los Angeles, Yosemite National Park, CA (Disneyland
and Hollywood); Hoover Dam; Grand Canyon; Sedona National Forest;
Pheonix and Tuscon, AZ; White Sands, NM; Carslbad Caverns; every major
city in TX = El Paso, Fort Worth, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, and
Houston; Tower of the Americas and the Riverwalk in San Antonio; New
Orleans, LA; Orlando, FL for DisneyWorld; Washington D.C.; Mexico
City, Mexico
* Been in at least 20 of the 50 states in the United States
* Been the first in my immediate family to leave the country and stamp
a passport
* Tried numerous dishes of food, including to but not limited to:
menudo = stomach lining, lengua de vaca = cow tongue, mole = a
specific sauce that originated from Mexico, street tacos, arroz con
leche, and a whole lot more
* Gone to multiple different amusement parks, such as 6 Flags
(Discovery Kingdom in CA and a 2 in Texas), SeaWorld, DisneyLand and
DisneyWorld
 
All of these things can help describe my life and describe me, but
they don't include some of the most important things that I have done.
In chronological order, my most important memories/events are:
1. baby blessing - in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,
we bless our babies in front of the wards we live in. In this
blessing, we give the baby a name (in my case, Rachel Morgan Lindh)
and their names are kept on the records of the church; in a sense,
from that point on the members of the church become part of the baby's
family and are always there to help them. Also during these blessings
the baby receives a special blessing as dictated to the priesthood
holder by the Spirit. They may be given advice for their future, or
wishes made such as that they'll grow up in faith and virtue. If you'd
like to learn more, please see:
https://www.lds.org/manual/gospel-fundamentals/chapter-21-ordinances?lang=eng
under the section "The Blessing of Children"
2. Baptism - on June 19th, 2004, I was baptized a member of The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and then confirmed. I was 8 years
old and what I remember is my family being there and feeling really
happy. My dad had been out in Iowa that year but came back so he could
baptize me; I wore a white dress that my mom had worn when she was
baptized. (If I mess up the story, please forgive me, I don't have the
best memory ever) We were living in Spokane at the time and I can
remember my primary teacher being there. He was a kind old man and he
gave me a journal that became my first personal journal. I can also
remember not being able to stop smiling. I am so grateful I made the
decision then to follow our Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ because
it has positively influenced my life ever since. I know who He is and
I am firm in the faith due to this major event.
3. Completing Personal Progress - Personal Progress is a program for
the young women (girls ages 12-18 yrs. old) to help them develop into
amazing and righteous women. While I feel like I still could've grown
spiritually without this program, it did help me stay focused and to
push me. I completed it right before I graduated high school and
before I turned 18 and in so doing earned a Young Woman's medallion
(I'll include pictures). To me, this necklace helps remind me of the
work I've done and it's also a promise of continual growth.
4. Preparing for a mission - preparing for my mission was a beautiful
period of my life for growth albeit a bit hard. I was attending
school, attending institute, and overall growing, and as part of my
preparation, I was able to attend the temple. In the Lord's house, I
was able to make a special covenant, or promise, with Him that has
changed my life. I am now more dedicated to Him and He has promised to
help me in my attempt to become more like Him. The temple is a
beautiful place and will always hold a special place in my heart. I
know that as I attend as regularly as possible, I will be able to
achieve my goal of becoming like Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus
Christ. They have given me the things I need to know and do in order
to enjoy the blessings of eternal life.
5. Serve a Full-time Mission - As you know, I am currently serving a
mission in Ogden, UT and it is the most glorious thing I have ever
done. I would not trade the time I have spent, the experiences I've
had, the people I've met, and the growth I've had for anything in the
world. I know that my testimony has deepened and has come closer to
conversion. I know who my Savior is on a more personal level and I'm
here helping others enjoy the same blessing. As I have been praying
and yearning for charity, my heart has broken in innumerable ways, but
it is so much better and stronger now. I kinda had an epiphany I want
to share with you all: all God asks from us is a "broken heart and
contrite spirit." (See 3 Nephi 9:20) Besides the comparison of a
broken horse (one who's easily guided) why else would He use the word
broken? I believe that, at least for me, it's because He can make
something much more beautiful with our hearts than we can if we will
turn over the pieces to Him. We are like windows; before we are broken
and turn to Him, we are merely one panel of glass that may be very
pretty, but we could be so much more. The more we turn ourselves over
to Him, the more our one panel can become a beautiful masterpiece of
stained glass, being made up of beautiful parts. I like the imagery
myself; I am breaking right now so that I can be even better in the
future.
 
Thank you for bearing with me as I reflect on my life up till now. I
hope that you will take the time to reflect on where you are at
currently, where you came from, and where you want to go. Please, in
this last step, lean upon the Lord (Proverbs 3:5-6) and let Him guide
you. I promise that as you strive to match your will to His, you will
be so much happier than you could've been by yourself. I love you all
and I'm so grateful for how you've played a role in my life. Your
touch has helped shape me into who I am today and I know that the Lord
placed you in my life for that reason. You make a difference, and it's
a beautiful one if you need the Lord.
I love you all and I hope that you have a great week!
 
Love,
Hermana Lindh

Part 2

Funny/Just stories for the week!
 
Wheelchair races! We and the Elders volunteer at a place called Roads
to Independence which helps people with disabilities. This past
Tuesday, we had a little extra time at the end and we had just
finished cleaning some wheelchairs that had been donated. Due to the
prodding of one the volunteers there (a mid 40's man who rocks out to
80's music -he's one of my best friends there) we decided to race in
the wheelchairs. The main room where activities are held was our
racetrack and we had two missionaries marking the end. As we raced
each other to the other side, there was a good size breeze blowing
through our hair, each missionary trying to out race the other. It
became quite apparent that some wheelchairs are faster than others, so
now there is the covetous ORANGE WHEELCHAIR!
It was so much fun and it was cool to see adults laughing really hard.
I personally feel like after you work hard and the job is done, you
should play hard =) Silly moments make the harder weeks easier to bear
and make for great stories to share with others when they need a
pick-me-up.
 
We, being the Elders and us, helped set up an activity for the youth
on Wednesday which was a life sized PackMan! Of course we took
pictures and they make me laugh really hard so I hope you enjoy them
as well!
 
This past Friday, we were invited to a wedding of one of the girls of
a family in our ward. They had a Lord of the Rings theme and it was
pretty cool! The bride walked down the aisle to the theme song for the
Shire (I would sing it for you but alas, we are emailing....) and all
of the participants were wearing the leaf emblem thing. What makes
this funny though is two parts. One, the family dog wanted to join in
with the excitement! We kinda hung out with the bride and groom for a
bit, as they were saying their vows, and I guess the excitement was
too much because the dog decided to go to the bathroom right there in
front of the happy couple. Everyone was dying! Then, as part of her
little bit, the bride, now wife, pulled out a plastic ball and chain
and attached it to her new husband! They seem to have a great sense of
humor and I think they'll get along just fine =)
 
On Saturday, our dinner was a pick-up and so we met the Elders at a
church to eat. As we were talking, our phone went off and we spoke
with the person for a bit and then I said goodbye. For those who know
me, I have a very unique way of saying "goodbye"; I kinda Mhhm
quickly, which sounds like a giggle, and then say bye. The Elders
cracked up when they heard me do that "mmmbye!" and said that it makes
them laugh every time I do it. We then had fun doing different
variations of it, such as "mmmm....bye!" (Pause for effect!) and even
"mmmhello!" Now, whenever I can, I make that sound and it sends them
into a laughing fit. We have some great times in this area!
 
Last story: yesterday, Sunday, we had a special family home evening
where we made pupusas. This is a food from El Salvador and Elder Oritz
know how's to make them, so he taught us how! It was really cool
learning how to make a food I love and help those I love learn this
skill too. It's kinda intense, but it tastes so good so it's worth it.