Dear Sister Kathryn Grace Sundberg....

 

You are herby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Mexico Hermosillo 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 November 13, 2013. You will prepare to preach the gospel in the Spanish language. Your assignment may be modified according to the needs of the mission president.

 

I'm going to Mexico!!!!!!!

 

Heavenly Father loves me so much. I am already blessed with a lot of comfort and peace and all of my fears of having to eat orange chicken and learning Russian and trudging in snow are gone away (along with some others).  Now all I have to worry about is getting caught in a drug deal and I can totally handle that!!! I was shaking the whole time I was reading it but no tears came because I was so overjoyed and excited about everything that comes with this call. I'm no longer going to be a complete gringa!

 

Now I don't leave until November 13th so I have 139 days until I leave (no I didn't count it out, my missionary portal tells me). So if you have any ideas of what I should do with my life and time I am open to suggestions!

 

So this is my mission

 

If anyone knows anything about Sonora Mexico, I would love to hear about it! Anything I can learn about the people, the culture, the church, the weather, the food....anything!!!!

 

 

 



Family History- I am Doing It!

Lately I have been indexing and it's been really fun.  I really love seeing where the people who I index were traveling to either by plane or ship.  Many of them are from the early to mid 1900s but some are earlier. There are some documents that list what jobs people had on the ship. This week I reached 1,000 names that I had indexed! I have had a great example (my mom) who is indexing all of the time. She LOVES family history work and indexing makes it possible for others to find records about their ancestors through censuses and marriages and other documents.

 

I have also gained a love for the site familysearch.org. In order to view this site you have to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but ancestry.com is another great website where you can create pedigree charts and look for your ancestors. It has been really exciting to upload pictures of my relatives to share with others so that their can be a picture to a name. Today my mom sent me a text saying my 10th great grandfather Hezron Leavitt was a juror on a witch trial in New Hampshire in 1680. Now I'm not sure if I'm proud of this but it's history and it brings my ancestors to life for me.

 

One of the reasons I scrapbook is because it is like my own personal history. I treasure my scrapbooks and every time I am home I look through them and reminisce about the good times I have had and how blessed I have been and even how stupid I have been. A few months ago I went home and Rylin and I looked through some of these books and it was really fun for me. The next time I came home Jordy wanted to look through my books and I knew it was because she had seen Rylin and I look through them and knew that that was a way she could spend some time with me. It was really sweet and Paytin would "look through" them by flipping the pages every two seconds. I keep a journal but having pictures along with the memories are more lasting to me.

 

Anyway I think everyone should learn more about their ancestors. It's a lot of fun and you learn so much more about yourself.

 

 



I LOVE the Book of Mormon

So my blog is completely turning into a missionary blog....oh well. I don't know who even reads this blog but I hope you continue to read.

So I looked through a lot of Mormon Messages videos to find one that I wanted to put on my blog and I loved this one for multiple reasons.

• I love the Book of Mormon and wanted to share something about it. It is a book filled with TRUTH. Here's a link to it. You don't even have to buy the book.There were ancient PROPHETS that lived on the American continent many years ago. Their lives can help us, in today's modern world, become close to our HEAVENLY FATHER and our SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST and have the HOLY GHOST in our lives daily.

• Our modern day prophet PRESIDENT THOMAS S MONSON speaks in the video. His message is short and simple...IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE BOOK OF MORMON, READ IT! I echo exactly what he said. This book WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Meet with the missionaries or talk with your Mormon friends, they would love to give you a copy.

• I loved this video because it shows that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is an international church. These youth from Eastern Europe do not speak the same language as me but our feelings about the Book of Mormon are the same. We know it to be the WORD OF GOD.  I love this church because it is truly the restored Church of Jesus Christ. He is the head of the church. It is the only church on the Earth with ALL of the puzzle pieces and when fit together makes a beautiful scene.



• This video also quotes President Henry B Eyring who is one of Heavenly Father's current APOSTLES. President Eyring, along with President Boyd K Packer, Elder L Tom Perry, Elder Russell M Nelson, Elder Dallin H Oaks, Elder M Russell Ballard, Elder Richard G Scott, Elder Robert D Hales, Elder Jeffrey R Holland, President Dieter F Utchdorf, Elder David A Bednar, Elder Quentin L Cook, Elder D Todd Christofferson, and Elder Neil L Anderson comprise of the First Presidency of the church and the Quorum of the 12 Apostles just as Christ's Church was organized in his day! What a blessing! They are God's mouthpieces today and you can find His words here! 



• One more reason I love this video is because it shows the faith of these people to follow the prophet. Obedience brings blessings and if we follow his words, we are following God and one thing we especially learn from the Book of Mormon is that OBEDIENCE TO THE COMMANDMENTS BRINGS BLESSINGS and disobedience brings unhappiness and being cut off from God. Who would ever want that? Take the challenge, even if you already have read the Book of Mormon- read it AGAIN!

Well if you haven't been able to tell, my desire to serve a mission is here and there is no stopping me now. I love the Gospel. I am grateful for the opportunity I have to bring the joy and blessings of the Gospel to wherever I am called to serve (I should know in about three weeks max!).  I want people to have the LASTING HAPPINESS that I have because I know there is a great plan, THE PLAN OF SALVATION that is GOD'S PLAN and we have a purpose on this Earth. So read the Book of Mormon....nothing bad will come from it.

Ok Happy Sunday!

Mormon Helping Hands

 

About a month ago Dad and I helped out at the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County for Mormon Helping Hands. It was a lot of fun. We got to pack food boxes for those that need a little extra lift. There were lots of people from our stake there that came to help out. Dad was one of the "trash dudes".  That was his obvious job because he is the only one "qualified to take out the trash" at home. We got to wear the best vests in the world! I may have been more excited to wear the vest than to go help out. It's because I knew this is like a prep for when I'm on a mission constantly wearing the Lord's name as one of His servants. I'm getting more and more excited everyday to go and serve the Lord and His people wherever that may be. I would say sorry if this blog turns into a "missionary blog" but I'm not sorry at all. #sorryimnotsorry.

Look what we did!

 

 



Begin Again

 

Usually I am not one to say a semester was hard, difficult, or stressful but this one was. 2013 has brought a lot of new things into my life that I haven't wanted to deal with and then I wait and wait until I get woken up to real life with a slap to the face.

 

 

I am so glad I am now done with finals but I'm leaving this semester knowing I should have and could have done better. I could blame a lot of things on my lack of focus and determintation but what it comes down to is the choices I made and how I used my time.

 

So today I am beginning again. I am making a fresh start with this spring semester. A lot of things are about to change and I am confident that Heavenly Father has a plan for me and that his ways are higher than my ways.

 

With that I announce on my blog that I am going to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This has been a decision I have been thinking about, trying to forget about, pushing aside, waiting on since President Monson's announcement of the age change back in October. Most people that know me will know that this decision did not come from my desire to serve a mission but from my desire to do what Heavenly Father wants me to do.

 

I am excited for this new experience and am terrified to get my blood drawn next week but I cannot wait to hear where the Lord needs me to be. It's hard to accept that everyone I know here at BYU will be graduated by the time I get back but that does not mean that we will stop being friends because everyone will write to me and won't forget me because I'm me....right?

 

And so a new chapter in my book begins. 

Easter

 

Easter happened while we were still in school so we got a group together who wasn't going home to their families and had a nice dinner. It was really fun and great. I love Easter!

 

 

I know the Savior really did rise again. He is the Redeemer of the world. Because of the sacrifice He made, we can all live again with Him and our Heavenly Father. I am so grateful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and for the knowledge and perspective that we have in regards to life, death, our purposes and so many other things.

 

Melissa leaves in less than two weeks!

Melissa Yvette Alvarado

Sorry if this sounds like an obituary, I promise it is not. I know Melissa is not dying but is doing pretty much the opposite.

Melissa and I have known each other since 6th grade but did not become real friends until freshman year of high school. We both started playing water polo and obviously we became best friends. She is wonderful and we have had lots of fun times together. I know we will have more fun times but a lot happens within 18 months but who knows what will happen to either of us within these 18 months like I could have two babies (don't worry this most likely will not be happening seeing as I will be married before I have any babies and who knows when that is going to happen).

 

We have bonded over Taylor Swift. She has a song for everything. We went to two concerts together even though one of them we were seated seperately. This song is our life. (P.S. you have to right click all the links. So just right click everything and then go to copied URL). Usually whenever one of us is sad we will listen to the perfect Taylor Swift songs and all is well again with the world.

 

 

We also just like to do really stupidly funny things together like pretend she has duck legs and I have frog legs. Not to mention Taco Bell trips, seminary, mormals, any dances actually but Mormon dances always top the list of dances. We would get our nails done, have sleepovers, get scared at Knott's Scary Farm and other stupid scary places, play at parks, have boyfriends at the same time, learn great dance moves, and other wonderful things. There are way way way too many to mention. Also Melissa when you read this you have to click on every single link. You don't have to watch the whole video on that last one but every other one you do.

 

 

And then we graduated from the glorious Tustin High School as Tillers. Because Once a Tiller, Always a Tiller. And so we seperated and thought we would die but we didn't. And so you're going on a mission and I think I will at least die because who will I text at anytime during the day or night and they will know exactly what I was talking about but maybe I won't die and we will both rejoice when we get to see each other again! It will be grand!

 

 

Our family has always included you as family and I know you will come back as a stronger disciple of Jesus Christ and your companions will love you and you will have no problem talking to anyone because you are a talker and go teach the people of Africa how Heavenly Father has a plan for each of them! You are going to be great Sister Avacado! Love you and cannot wait to hear all of your stories and experiences!

 

 

P.S. I'm very proud of myself for not crying while writing this so you shouldn't either. Also for some reason these are the only pictures on my computer. I have much better pictures somewhere but not on my computer.

Sorry this is a weird link but it was five minutes to midnight like ten minutes ago here and I can't leave out Boys Like Girls.