Goodbye blog!

I've moved to a new URL for posts from my mission.  I imported this blog to my new one.  

emmaletters.com

Check it out!  It's beautiful.

Love,
Emma

real people

Be prepared for something so confusing but personal.  And a ton of sentences that start with "and."  And no gramatical correctness at all.

Today I was talking to a student about his freshman year.  Honestly, I was being kind of typical about it. Asking the classic questions.

Tell me about your first year, I said. How do you think you've changed?

Changed?

Yeah, you've grown up a little in the past 8 months.  What have you learned?

Well...

We talked about it and he gave some really insightful answers.
He realized -

Hey, I have grown up a little bit.  I've been doing something noteworthy with my time. Cool!

That's the best part of my job.
And it made me start to think.

Remember when I started this job?  I went to a week of training and then they threw to the crowd. And  all I had were a bunch of pictures of students with faces. I tried to memorize them all ahead of time but I couldn't do it.

And then we had New Student Orientation.
And I thought - oh my goodness these names have faces.  They're real people. Here we go.

And then I sit down to talk with them and I totally fall in love.

Because they're all trying so hard and have such huge aspirations to get perfect  GPAs.

And as the semester progresses they're freaking out because that test was a lot harder than high school and that 8 page paper seems so daunting.

And then we meet at the end and we say - you did it. We did it.

I've learned a little bit about love.
Because I can reach out and people can reject me.  I have so much to offer them but only they can take it.

Some of them say, "I don't need you.  I've got this on my own."

And at first it hurts, because, hey, you don't realize how much of my time I spend thinking about you and ways to help you.

So I've learned a little bit about love.  A lot about myself.  And a lot more than I'm saying here.  But if anything, I've learned that
relationships with people make life rewarding. (At least for me.)

so this is my best friend Kamree
and even though I don't like this pic of me
we are mentors together
we are in the Hub
she has taught me so much about relationships
about loving everyone
and about seeing the best in people

We're not just dealing with names on a page, or faces in a crowd.
We're interacting with real people.

And that my friends, makes life beautiful.

there is a season

To everything there is a season

and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born, 

and a time to die;

a time to plant,

and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

A time to kill,

and a time to heal

a time to break down, 

and a time to build up;

A time to weep,

and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn,

 and a time to dance;

a time to cast away stones,

and a time to gather stones together;

a time to embrace,

and a time to refrain from embracing

A time to get, 

and a time to lose;

a time to keep,

and a time to cast away

A time to rend

and a time to sew

A time to keep silence

and a time to speak;

A time to love,

 and a time to hate;

A time of war,

 and a time of peace.

There's a time to write a philosophy paper.

There's a time to go on a mission.

There's a time to someday get married.

But, to everything, there is a season, and a time and every purpose under heaven.

So I'll just have faith in His timing.

(39 days till I go to the MTC!)

But right now I'm gonna find joy in life and get ready and excited for the future but soak up these last 5.5 weeks with music and snow and sunshine and friends and laughing and crying and dancing love and yogurtland and the Roll Up and ice cream and American food and facebook and twitter and instagram. And having a really, really, really good time. 

And shopping for mission clothes.

And loving life :) 

it's all about relationships

If you want to find yourself, you need to lose yourself in the lives of other people.
- My Philosophy professor

Relationships with other people are more important than being right.
- My boss at work, Fred. 

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.
- Mother Teresa

Being angry with someone decreases your quality of life, ya know? 
- My friend Taylor (and he probably doesn't even remember when he said that to me, but I won't forget it because I always try to remember it when someone is annoying me :) )

When the Lord requires that we forgive all men, that includes forgiving ourselves. Sometimes, of all the people in the world, the one who is the hardest to forgive—as well as perhaps the one who is most in need of our forgiveness—is the person looking back at us in the mirror.
- Dieter F Uchtdorf

I LOVE YOU!
- Karina, who always tells us that she loves us, and so I try to say it more too.


It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tired into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one destiny, affects all indirectly.
- Martin Luther King

And that, my friends, it what makes life worth living.  Loving others.  Serving them.  Understanding them.  Empathizing with them. Forgiving them.

And I'm telling you - when you're having a bad day, think about the people you love and why you love them.  Connect with them and then show them that you love them.  Say I love you every once in a while.  Do an act of service.  Give a hug.  Write a nice note. You know,  it's all about relationships.

As I have loved you, love one another.

- Jesus.

A harlot

Wanna read a good story that you probably don't read all that often?  Read Hosea.
Here it is in a wrap.

Hosea is a prophet.
He is commanded to marry Gomer.
Gomer is a harlot.
They have children.  Their names respectively mean: "sow or gather  spread, scatter," "no mercy," and "not my people."
Gomer says - I will return to my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink.
Say what?  Your lovers will give you bread? And water?  Bread - symbolic of the Bread of Life? of Jesus Christ?  Your lovers can give you that?
Gomer breaks her covenant and goes to her former lovers. Can I just say how when I read this - it hurt. I was legitimately so angry with Gomer.  Hosea married you when you were a harlot.  And you leave him for your former lovers who you think can give you bread?
But Hosea doesn't give up on her.
Hosea lets her go for a season.
Then he goes after her.
He "allures" her into the wilderness and "speaks comfortably" to her.
He cleans her up.
"And I will give her her vineyards from thence, ad the valley of Achor for a door of hope, and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.

At first I thought Hosea was crazy.  How could he let her come back?
And then, as my New Testament teacher so tenderly pointed out, I realized....

This is my story.  This is an object lesson for the Savior and me. Sometimes, I go to other places for my flax and wool.  It can be hard.  I learn from my trials.  But Christ comes back for me and he forgives me.

I know that I'm not perfect, that I sometimes get wrapped up in things that I shouldn't get wrapped up in. I forget Him. But, I want so desperately to follow my Savior.  He comes back for me.  He is waiting for me, with open arms. He is my Savior.  I am nothing without Him.  And He loves me.

Following Him is more than just believing in Him and then going and doing whatever I want.  Gomer just went back to her lovers, and yeah, she messed up and came back.

But what does coming back consist of? (click on the link...)

Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
Repentance
Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins
Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost
Enduring to the end living a continuous Christian lifestyle.

I am so grateful for my Savior.
(I can't wait to share His gospel for 18 months!)

To the lovely Sister Callister

Dear Jasmine,

Okay, yes, this is a public letter.  I'm not sure how you feel about that. But here ya go.  This is from me, and also from all of us.

Jasmine! You're going to Paris! PARIS.
Jasmine! You're going on a MISSION. (That's more exciting than Paris...)

Here are a bunch of things that we love about you (in no particular order):

You are an amazing cook. Baker. Everything.

You always do the right thing.

You are easy to talk to.

You are inspiring.

You are hilarious and have a great sense of humor.

 You have great music taste.

You look good - 100% of the time.
You WORK OUT!

You always come up with really fun things to do.

You have the most adorable sense of style.

You introduced us to dry shampoo (best. thing. ever)

 You quietly go about doing good and setting a good example.  You do good for the sake of doing good, not for praise or in a self-righteous way.

You ask good questions about people's lives.

You sense others' feelings really well.

Thank you for being such a good friend.  I am seriously so blessed to have met you and your family.  You are always so willing to serve and talk with me. I will always remember some of our deeper conversations. I am so jealous of all your future companions!

 You love the gospel with all of your heart, and you will be such an amazing missionary in Paris!

We love you! I love you!

Love,
Emma
Karina
Hannah
Sarah, and
Ellie

an extrovert

In high school I took that personality test- you know, you're either a INFP, or an ESFJ, or an ENTJ.  Or something of 16 variants (something like that).
Are you an extrovert or an introvert?
Sensing or iNtuition?
Thinking or Feeling?
Judging or Perceiving?

I liked what I got back.  I won't say what I was.  Except that I've realized one thing since I've taken that test and come to college.

I'm an extrovert.
(Most of the time).
And yes, it might depend on how you define extrovert.

I've developed into an extrovert.

I thrive off of social interaction.
Maybe I'm a little closed off and shy at first and maybe I don't like opening myself up to a bunch of people.  But I realized, it's only the deepest parts of myself.  And not many people open up like that. (Heck- I write a blog...)

 Last week I was sick. I went to school but I didn't feel like myself.  I went home and curled up in a ball trying to stay warm but study Italian at the same time.
And I missed people.

Maybe I don't go up and talk to every person I meet and at a party I'm definitely not the leader or the one to start dancing in the middle first.

But.
I like being there.  I like being there and observing people and talking to new people and getting to know them.  I love that.  I want to get to know people.  I want to understand them.  Understanding people.  Feeling connected with them.  I want to understand what makes us all human. (This is why the hashtag fascinates me.  But that's another story.)
I want to know you.  Why are you you?

And I can sit in the library and read all about the Peoples of India and what makes them unique - but it's not the same as being there, understanding it, and living it.

So yes, a test may tell me I'm an introvert.
But, I am most definitely an extrovert.
Because being around people makes me happy.
Telling people what I think (even if it's crazy) makes me happy.
Listening to others' ideas makes me happy.
Understanding people, and being a part of the culture and the craziness - that makes me happy.

And I think we all crave a little social interaction now and then, even if we're an introvert.  Because we're all human.  And that's something we all can connect with - despite culture, religion, race, color, or even gender.  And while I believe these social groups are absolutely a part of our unique identities, I think it's fascinating to discover what unites us all as humans.

(maybe I should just be a freakin Anthropology major...)

Some tips for falling asleep from an expert ;)

1. Check every social media site you participate in before lying in bed.
2. Keep your phone on full volume just in case anyone needs to get a hold of you. There could be an emergency.
3. Lie in bed and make mental lists of everything you need to do the next day. Don't worry, you'll remember everything the next morning.
4. Drink something caffeinated. It really helps get those sleep hormones going.
5. Eat a bunch of chips and salsa.
6. Study for all of your classes in your bed. They say if you sleep on it (literally) you'll remember more.
7. Think about all the people you might have possibly offended that day and think of ways you can apologize to them.
8. Remember all those good memories you have from your past relationships and just replay them in your head over and over again.
9. Keep switching sides. Try using two pillows. Try out new positions. Hold your breath periodically.
10. Keep blogging in the middle of the night. I'm sure that helps you sleep a lot ;)

love those epiphanic moments

This week in my New Testament class I noticed some things in the scriptures that were particularly touching.  I didn't learn anything I didn't know before, but I saw some symbolism in the scriptures that I just found profound.  And I learned that there are hidden gems in the scriptures all of the time, we just have to look hard enough. As my teacher pointed them out to me, I kept loudly whispering... "that's so cool!" 

 
Acts Chapter 20 - the story of Eutychus.

Verse 7:
And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.
And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together.
And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from  the third loft, and was taken up dead.
And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him.
When he therefore was up again, and had broken bread and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed.
And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.

Eutychus is a Fall of Adam type.
Paul is a Christ type.
And yes, while one could say - don't fall asleep in church because bad things could happen to you - there is such profound symbolism here.

Aren't we all like Eutychus here in some way?  Although we don't believe that Adam's transgression is our own, we still suffer the consequences for that sin. We all sin.  We all fall short every day.  We fall asleep in church.  We say hurtful things to people that we regret. We watch something we know we probably shouldn't.

But, as Paul fell down on him and embraced him - Christ does for us.  If we let him.
And, we can do that for others as we follow Christ's example.

This is such a beautiful image of Christ's love to me.  He has suffered for me, he falls down to embrace me when I am fallen.  And through Christ, we can live again.

I love these golden nuggets in the scriptures.

three things and why

I don't write this blog for a bunch of page views.

I'm not really into the classic - lets take pictures of what I'm wearing and be all fashionista like.

I can't really cook.  I don't post a bunch of recipes that are to die for and everyone should make.

I'm not a photographer. (Although, Instagram is an amazing creating that makes me feel like I am).

I don't even care if anyone reads it. (Even though I might write like I do.)

I'll blog more.  Just because I don't journal enough.  And somedays, I like to look back and wonder what I was thinking.

Oh, and more pictures.

Why do I write?  Just because I like to think.  I like to think out loud and in some way get my thoughts all in one place.  I write about... life.  My life.  I write about random ideas that I have.  Pages that could go on and on.  Philosophies.  Life lessons. That's all this is.

Today I'm thinking about just a couple of things.

1) Italy.

2) My sisters.  I miss them. 3 more weeks!

3) This video.
Boring is easy.  Everyone can be boring.
Aren't we all on the same team?
This is life, people.  You've got air comin through your nose.  And your heart beat.  That means it's time to do something!
It hurt, man!
Not cool, Robert Frost.
I want to be on the one that leads to awesome.
Keep goin, keep goin, and keep goin.
What will be your space jam?
This is your time, this is my time, this is our time.
We've got work to do.
We can cry about it, or we can dance about it.
Get to it!

Love,
Emma