peaks & valleys

My cousin Jonette has lived abroad a lot with her family and she told me before I came to China that it would be a roller coaster of 'I LOVE CHINA' and 'I HATE CHINA.' She literally couldn't have been more right. I'm definitely adjusting better than some girls in my group but the first morning I woke up in China I couldn't think of a single reason of why I chose to come to such a foreign place 6,700 miles from anything familiar to me. Sometimes I just have to take it an hour at a time or I get way too stressed out that I'm going to be in China for four months.

I got a blessing at church from a complete stranger and it was basically everything I needed to hear. How cool is the priesthood?! I love that I am halfway around the world with people I have known for 2 weeks and Heavenly Father still knows what I need and somehow makes it happen. I truly need Thee every hour.

I've started listening to church music before bed (I've literally never done this but there's no Netflix in this country) and its so calming. I highly recommend it. And sometimes the lyrics will just come into my mind during the day which doesn't usually happen when I only listen to my 'sunday' playlist on Sunday.

Someone in church today was bearing their testimony and they shared the scripture Deuteronomy 31:6 which reads: "Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee, nor forsake thee." This really hit home for me since being in a foreign place can be really scary sometimes. God is always aware of me even though I'm so far from home.

Rachel and I have made this Chinese friend named Nikki. She speaks pretty good English and she is the nicest lady! She told us of some places we can go in Zhongshan. She comes and sits with us on the track sometimes. Its cool to be able to talk to her and ask her things about the culture and the school that we don't really understand. How cool is it that we can make friends in all corners of the earth?!

Wise words from my cute best friend Sarah on her mission in Nicaragua: "you are there to inspire people! so start inspiring them"

Sister Cassie Underly: "keep on and look for the miracles"

I was reading a conference talk from April 2013 by Sister Wixom and she said "to speak to a child's heart, we need to know the child's needs." I love this especially now that I am working with little kids everyday.

"Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God."