Holy Moly!

Feb. 26. 2013

Dear, family,

Are you ready for this?

I am going to punch out this letter as fast as I can...good thing I wrote home on Friday!

So, I am not even going to beat around the bush here.

President Weaver called me yesterday at the end of pday.

He told me how he has been calling Salt Lake to try & get ahold of whoever over there is in charge of me & my mission, well there are 2 piles: pre-trial mission & post-trial mission.

He kept calling to the pre-trial mission department (the group of missionaries who have yet to complete or are completing their mini or trial mission)  rather than the post (the ones who already have)... Well Salt Lake apparently already has it that I have completed my mini mission & is ready for him to give the thumbs up or down on to if I am good to go for the rest of the year. They want to know if I am ready to be set apart as a Full-Time Missionary again (yes, I know President Almond has...but they have to do it again according to which mission...even if I stay in the WA-TAC for the duration of the time, confusing? yes...necessary? yes.) Anyway, so by THIS WEEK I need to report & he needs to report back to answer completely:

1. I want to be here

2. I am feelin' healthy!

and the answer is YES! To BOTH!

So, now we turn up the turbo even more & now once President Weaver's report is in, it goes off to the Quorum of the 12 to decide WHERE I will be serving the rest of my mission. NUTS, huh!??! I was with my zone in the parking lot of the Gig Harbor building & I started jumping up & down & getting all excited! (A side I'm pretty sure NO ONE has seen of me in this zone yet) but they said NOW they get it - I shared my story of this whole process & how hard it was to fight for it, and now it's REALLY here. This last week/weekend was one last test for the Lord to prove to me I have it in me to fight. To truly never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever EVER give up.

I've learned a LOT about preparation & I so wish I had the time to go more into detail of all I learned, but again I am pressed for time.

There are just SO many elements that had to come together for this NOT to be divine. All of it. From Salt Lake to home to Wa-Tac to wherever I am needed next, I will truly go where He wants me to go. (Or stay where he wants me to stay, if that is the case as well) :)

It's bittersweet. Don't get me wrong, I can not even put into words how EXCITED I am that this is here, but it is a little bittersweet to think of me going to a different mission. I feel like I have served in the WA-TAC for over a year at this point! But am sure if I am sent off, I will feel the same about that mission as well.

I was sharing with Sister Gurr this morning during studies how this whole process has reminded me of Lion King....it sparked up from Scar's "Be Prepared" but then entertained the thought for a bit & realized that the first thing Simba starts singing about is how he can't wait to be King. But that call can only come, that duty can only be fulfilled through preparation & determination in the right way. He has to be prepared for the throne. Did it come easy? No way. He lost his dad, his own life threatened, chased out from his home, then had to eat slugs. Then did Nala come for happily ever after? Nope. She came, but only to encourage him in a way no one else could to follow his Father's advice to "remember who you are". To take that memory, establish faith in the future, find out his duty & fight for it. To go back &  fight. THAT outcome affected the entire Kingdom, his Father's Kingdom.

I'm not claiming to be Simba here, but I do want to leave a quote from Elder Hales about preparation:

"We are always preparing to be there. We were there in the Council in Heaven to choose the great plan of happiness we now enjoy. When we make commitments to ourselves and others - our family, our wives and children, our bishop, our employer - we should be there. When it is time to be in Church meetings, at Mutual, or fulfilling a priesthood or auxilary assignment such as home and visiting teaching, we should be there. When it is time to graduate from school or a training program, we should be there. When it is time to serve a mission, we should be there. When the man or woman we love most kneels at the altar of God's holy temple, we should be there (and not as a witness!). When our family is gathered in the celestial kingdom, we should be there. When the Savior greets us as we return with honor and our Heavenly Father reaches out to encircle us in the arms of His love, we should be there.

The Decades of Preparation are really a way of thinking about our life on earth for eternity. Preparation is for everyone, young and old. It is a way of life filled with wonder, adventure, challenge, opportunity, and the possibility of MIRACLES as we are led by a loving Heavenly Father, though His Spirit, on our journey home."

Then he asks this question as a 'checkpoint' for yourself:

Will the preparation I'm pursuing ensure that I will be there to fulfill my duties and roles as a member of the Church and, ultimately, as a child of my Heavenly Father?

I remember bopping around the house to my Lion King cd in nana's house growing up, singing 'I Just Can't Wait to be King!' ...I'm sure we ALL had moments like this where we just wanted instant results, but Heavenly Father had a different plan, a different approach to get us to where we needed. To prepare us for OUR crown. He still does every single say, we may have to eat some slugs to get there, but in the end we WILL become whomever HE needs if we continually prepare for it.

PS-

Mike came to Church :)

Bob asked one of the youth if he could attend seminary, that youth turned & asked Bishop Wing to pick him up...ALL arranged without us!! (the ideal situation) :) and he WENT & LOVED it!!! Super-huge mega miracle!!

Your're in my thoughts & prayers.

Pretty sure everyone wants to get transferred to graham now to meet the fam haha!

PS-I just about DIED laughing when I read about the dinner table conversation.

Uhh & cinnamon chip cookies without me?

kinda jealous.

Send some with Bowen to transfer meeting for me.

& there is a BIG fluffy cow for $9.99 at Costco...if he happens to make it to transfer meeting also I would SOO happy :) but seriously. I would. You should go get it. Please?

:)

Love youuu!

How are the Powers doing? That's a big scare for those kids!

OH and have them bring (to transfer meeting) a FEW of the missionary picture....the new one NOT the one of my old plaque.

Did Katie Clifford send you that link over facebook? It's to the WA-TAC blog....she found your profile & messaged it to you. Look in your inbox..

Alright well I only have 2 minutes left, guess it's time to go.

Love you lots & lots.

Have you heard about the new Federal Way Mission they are forming starting July 1?

We will most likely be out of the WA-TAC mission boundary...but nohting has been completely decided yet.

Ask the missionaries for updates or look it up on church news.

LOVE YA BYEEEE
Sister Givens