Mission Calls

This week has been filled with excitement...2 mission calls. First was by my good friend Steven, who was called by a President Thomas S. Monson, Prophet of the Lord to serve an LDS mission in the New York New York Mission, Mandarin Chinese Speaking for 2 years. He leaves on February 16, 2011 for the Provo, MTC & will prob stay there for 4 months 2 learn the language. Im so excited for him & for the adventure waiting for him in NY. He will teach the chinese people in his area about our Saviour Jesus Christ, how he completed the Atonement for us, that we might be forgiven of our sins, so that we might return clean & pure & live with Him & our Father in Heaven. I loved teaching people that we are all sons & daughters of a Loving Heavenly Father who has always loved us & will always love us. With that i want 2 quote Sis Beck, my mission presidents wife "THERE IS SO GROWING IN A COMFORT ZONE & NO COMFORT IN A GROWING ZONE" Whenever i think that life is hard, unfair, etc. I think of that quote because its true, without challenges or heartache we would never enjoy growth, knowledge or joy.

The 2nd mission call came to my little nephew who was born yesterday, December 10, 2010 @ 3:59 am, 7lbs 4 oz. Victor Lawrence Sepulveda. He was called down by our Father in Heaven to come to earth to receive a physical body and be tested like the rest of. Little Victor may not know this yet, but he too will make a difference in his families life and the people who he will encounter around him. He too will learn a new language that will take him years for him to master & will eat a variety of new food.

These two sons of our Heavenly Father have both chosen to follow His plan: to be have 'faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, kindness, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence' (D&C 4:6)

I've known Steven for about 6 yrs & seen his desire grow more than ever to go & serve a mission. This is his time & i wish him the very best. To my little nephew who I havent even met, you've already touched my heart & i will help you in your life so that you may be always fed, cared for spiritually, physically & know that you are loved.

Should've loved it while I had it.

Around this time of year people start making lists what they want for Christmas, parents try & please their children with plastic colorful toys that will probably break or get lost in 2 months. I remember as a child i tried to make one of those 'wish lists' and go to Santa Claus at church & ask for those things.I think one year i actually got what i wanted, it was a Barbie kitchen set, Ariel from the Little Mermaid & another doll (which was blond). For some reason my parents only bought me blond dolls, i guess the brunette one's were too expensive? lol! After a while i kinda figured out that Santa didn't exist when we didn't have a chimney in our mobile home for him to climb down. :P

As i've gotten older my christmas wish lists have also evolved, like i want to be in Phoenix, AZ this year. I was there the last 2 years for my LDS mission & when i was there i wanted to be home. But I wanna be there this year, or at least visit for a couple of days. Maybe I'll make a mad escape when i go home to take a trip to Phoenix, its only 8 hrs away. lol! I've been terrible at not keeping in touch with the members or converts, i think because i was so heart broken when i came home that i wouldn't be able to visit phoenix again for at least a year or so because i didn't have the funds. :(

I guess i'll have to contine stalking phoenix from google earth & bing's map search that has pretty awesome aerial photo shots :P Plus i wanna go back to take photos of areas that i served in, church buildings, apartments that i lived in, places that i loved to eat...like Lenny's Diner on 59th & Peoria where they still sold 55 cent ice cream cones. yum!

http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?encType=1&where1=Phoenix%2c+Arizona&qpvt=phoenix%2c+az&FORM=Z7FD

in case you wanted to know the rest of my christmas list, the more tangible things:
1) Glee CD's, don't care which one
2) Josh Groban's "Illuminations" (my family & friends are probably surprised that i haven't bought it yet...i'm waiting for christmas for it)
3) More sheets for more massages & school
er...that's it. yep. :)