Serendipity

If someone would have told me two years ago where my life would be today I would have never believed it. My parents would say the same.  I guess you could say my life was taking a slight downward spiral. I had a good head on my shoulders, but the things that truly bring the most happiness to us in this life I didn't have. I didn't have a good relationship with my family. I couldn't talk to my parents, and I thought my brother was the most annoying thing on the planet.  I wasn't going to church, and my testimony was fading. All I knew and all I've ever known for certain is that I would be married in the Salt Lake City Temple, and that was enough to give me hope that I would figure it out someday. About two years ago my brother left to serve as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I remember getting in the shower that morning with a pain in my heart I've never felt. I was sad, but I was more scared.  Scared that the next time I would see my brother my life would be somewhere I didn't want to be. It was through his example I knew that I needed to change. Needless to say that I did make mistakes after that. A lot. But something in my heart was different. I think there's a time in everyone's life where you realize where you want to go, and what you want to give to this world. It wasn't until I moved out that I realized what I wanted. I made up my mind the kind of person I wanted to be. I realized how important my parents were to me.  I figured out I wasn't doomed, but I was gonna make a difference some way or another. I know on October 6th, 2012 President Thomas S. Monson's announcement of the missionary age change effected a lot of people. For me, well I didn't think anything of it. I never thought of serving a mission. Ever. My dad served his mission in the Chile, Vina Del Mar mission, my mom served in the Germany, Frankfurt mission and my older brother is currently serving the the Guatemala, Quetzaltenango mission. But being a few months shy of 19, it was no big deal.  It wasn't until I had a couple roommates talking about preparing to serve their missions that I began to think about it for myself. I don't know what day it was, all I know is I went into my roommates room and told her that that was the first day I could ever see myself actually serving a mission. I was still skeptical and worried that maybe I was only thinking about it because so many people were talking about it and getting their calls. That maybe my desires weren't for the right reasons. I prayed about it, and found that it was the perfect time for me to get my patriarchal blessing. Once I had the appointment made to get it, it was about a month away. I had no way of knowing what my blessing would say, but I was hopeful that it would give me comfort that my desires to serve were for the right reasons. I continued to pray about whether serving a mission would be right for me, and felt confident that no matter what my blessing said, that serving a mission was something I was going to do.  I went and met with my bishop a week before I received my blessing and told him that I wanted to go on a mission. That's where it all began. That was at the end of December and since that day I have never felt more certain about anything in my life. My blessing was the biggest answer to my prayers. I know that this year has exciting things in store for me. Im so grateful for my parents and all the support and love I feel from them as I begin this next step in my life, but most of all I am thankful to my Heavenly Father for giving me this opportunity and teaching me to never give up on myself. Serendipity is the only way to describe the happiness I feel. 

Serendipity

(noun)

finding something

good without looking

for it.