MÉXICO, I'M COMING BACK FOR YOU!!!!!!

Sorry for any inconvenience it may have caused that I didn't post yesterday!! Besides not being home ALL day for the past few days, it was all topped off by my laptop having major issues, so I wasn't able to do ANYTHING on my computer yesterday, which is problematic being in college... But I got everything fixed so it's working today! :)

So I had a fun weekend! My birthday was Sunday, so I'm finally 19 years old! My friend threw me a little surprise party on Saturday, I got a surprise delivery of flowers, and I got to have a delicious birthday dinner with all my aunt, uncle, and all my cousins!! It was a really great birthday weekend! :)

But you know what the best part of my birthday weekend was?
I GOT MY MISSION CALL!!!!!!

OH MY GOOD GOLLY GRIEF! 
So after 9 long days of disappointment, checking the mail day after day, I FINALLY GOT TO FIND OUT WHERE I'M GOING FOR 18 MONTHS OF MY LIFE!

So it actually took quite a long process. On Thursday, my mission call still hadn't arrived here in the mail, so I was positive it got lost in the mail system. It doesn't take a week to send a letter in the mail from Oregon to Utah! 
... But, whilst sitting in my Marketing class, feeling bummed, I got a text from my mom. 
"Your visa stuff is here."

OH MY GOODNESS. THAT MEANT I WAS GOING FOREIGN!!!!!!!

At 9 that morning, the girl I was sitting next to in Mission Prep mentioned how her friends found out which country she was going to from her visa paperwork, because her call ended up coming later. I knew that was what I'd be doing tonight! I needed to know where I would be going! So we set it up to get the paper scanned and sent to me in an e-mail.

So that night, at 6pm, this is what happened:

Uh, yeah. So there you have it. I'm a spaz.
By the way, the reason I turn my laptop upside down is because it got scanned in upside down… hahaha.

So I found out I was going to Puebla, México, but I had no clue about any of the other details. That was good enough for me, though!!!!

Then Friday I found my mission call sitting there in the mailbox! I got home, tore it open, and found out which mission I was going to, and where and when I was reporting!

Look how excited I was!

Dear Sister Lawson:
You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the México Puebla North Mission. It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 18 months.
You should report to the Provo Missionary Training Center on Wednesday, February 5, 2014. You will prepare to preach the gospel in the Spanish language.

YESSS! I'M GOING BACK TO MEXICOOOOOO!!!!

It's not a bordering mission to Elder Gibby's, but it's dang close! At any given time, I'll more than likely be about 4-5 hours away from Elder Gibby. That's super crazy to think about!! 

AND I'M IN THE SAME MISSION THAT MY FRIEND SAVANNAH IS GOING TO!!!!!!
My first year at BYU, Savannah and I took Spanish 105 and 106 together. And we were buddies for our oral exams. We were pretty stellar. 

SO NOW THE POSSIBLITIES ARE ENDLESS! 
As she said, "This is taking Spanish partners to a whole new level!!!"

Plus today I found out I'm only gonna be in the MTC for 2 weeks! I took their little language test thing over the phone, and the guy told me he was putting me in the advanced program since my Spanish was so good!

This is so crazy! All of this... Heavenly Father definitely, DEFINITELY loves me. I have no doubt of that! I'M SO BLESSED.
EEEEEEP :)

And you know what? Those 9 days of waiting were probably some of the most disappointing and frustrating days that I've ever had. But I learned something important from it, besides patience of course :)

By day 7 after checking the mail and seeing nothing, I was so upset I was to the point of tears. And I hardly ever cry. I know it seems stupid, but in that moment, dealing with that level of disappointment was really hard for me. I just wanted to melt away into a puddle, left in the corner, that nobody would ever look at again.

When one of my friends found out it still hadn't come that day, he told me he wanted to Skype to me. I was hesitant at first because I looked all ugly after crying (and my nose was full of snot), but he was pretty insistent, so we Skyped.

And guess what? Talking to him made me feel LOADS better. He changed my perspective and made me so excited for the next day, because I knew it would just be a better day! And surprise! That next day was when I found out where I was going :)

So the moral of the story: We don't have to seclude ourselves when we're not cheery, if that's what we're inclined to do. Our friends and family love us, no matter how we feel or our mood. They're there to help us out and make us feel better. 

Okay, they do a little bit more than that ;)

Our Heavenly Father has given us the people in our lives to depend on and to be there for us, in good times and bad. I know I'd want to help a friend out if they were struggling! SO TRUST AND CONFIDE IN YOUR FRIENDS! The end :)

So Elder Gibby!!

Guess what?! He has a kid now! He seems to like his companion a lot! They dance and sing in the rain, have lemon-eating contests, and have contests of who can stand the most hot sauce on their food. 
It's a lot harder than he thought it'd be to train though. Elder Gibby's Spanish is still coming along, but his companion doesn't speak ANY. So it looks like Elder Gibby isn't going to have a choice but to do his best to learn Spanish, since he's now the senior companion!

He sent me a super fun picture! Elder Gibby's dad (his first companion) was heading out to go home when Elder's Gibby's trainee came in! So they got a picture together! Grandpa, dad, and son! So presh :)

Jeez, I am so elated. I get to go back to a country I ADORE, I get to speak Spanish, and I'm gonna have the best experience of my life! YESSS :) LIFE IS SO GOOD!!!!!

692 Days Left! :)