pretty pretty.

This morning, Adam and I got up early to go hike the Y. This hike is "the hike" that every BYU student should and has to do at least once during their time here in good ole Provo. The hike was so much fun! However...it reminded me of how badly out of shape I really am ;) Because of my incapability to keep up...we took some breaks where I was able to just look at the beautiful scenery around me.

Isn't it amazing to think that Heavenly Father loves us so much that under His direction, Jesus Christ created the Earth for OUR benefit? So that we could come to Earth to receive a body, to gain earthly experience and then to ultimately make good, righteous choices that would lead us back to the presence of our Heavenly Father? I don't understand how people can look at nature and not know that there is a God. It's too beautiful and perfect.

Love,

Liv

a week later - Utah.

I can't believe that I am already in Utah. My transition back from my mission has been completely fast. About a week ago I was still a set apart missionary...it feels so much longer! But I know that Utah is where I'm suppose to be. I know that there are great things to come here and if I just continue to trust in the Lord, everything will go according to plan. I know it will. I got to see Adam today and he helped a lot with taking my daddy to the airport and just welcoming me back home. We grabbed some dinner and just caught up from the mission. I felt like I was breaking every single mission rule imaginable being in the car alone with him. I'll snap out of it soon. I'm so grateful for good friends!

Love,
Liv

Reminiscing.

Two things happened today:

1. I got an email from Sister Quinonez. She was my last companion on the mission and she was the only companion that I had where I was able to be myself 100% of the time. I could call her a loser and tell her how annoying she was and to her, she knew that that was me expressing my love for her. We never got in a single argument and although we were only together for 6 weeks, we became best friends out of it.

In her email today I could tell that she was struggling being a new trainer and trying to know what to do with the area but I KNOW that it is helping her grow. She's understanding the role of responsibility she know has and I have complete trust in her that she knows what she is doing. She isn't the type to tell me that she loves me so it was nice to hear that she really did actually miss me :) 

2. We had the Elders over for dinner. It was so weird playing the role of the member in our dinner appointment. Dinner appointments used to always stress me out because I always found it hard to leave exactly on time from their home. Just listening to them talk about their area and what they did for p-day was so hard for me to listen. One of the Elders who is very new in the mission asked me what I miss most about being a missionary. I told him that it was teaching. I had the best last teaching appointment in my mission and I hunger for that! I even asked the Elders if I could go with them as they went to visit some less actives but nothing were set appointments tonight so it just didn't work out. I didn't realize it till tonight that I really do  miss teaching people every single day. 

Love,

Liv

homecoming talk.

Today I gave my homecoming talk! I feel like it was just yesterday that I gave my farewell talk. My talk focused a lot on the importance of families and how we can have a successful family. In the Family Proclamation it says, "Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord, Jesus Christ." Since my families baptism back in 2008, we have been able to see that promise fulfilled in our own home. By all means we do not have the perfect family because that's not what Heavenly Father expects from us. Actually, He knows that that isn't achievable in this life. However, what is achievable is success and that success comes from following the counsel from the prophets and apostles, obeying what the scriptures teaches us and having a home where the spirit can always be felt.

It was amazing to be able to see everyone that had supported me the whole 18 month journey. I felt so loved today. I know that my ward is truly my ward family. I know that Heavenly Father placed me in that ward for a specific reason and that reason was to help raise me in the gospel. I truly was born of goodly parents who raised me to the best of their abilities without the gospel and it was through their examples that when I was finally taught the true gospel of Jesus Christ, it was almost second nature to just automatically accept it into my life. I wish I had more time to say my hello's and goodbye's to everyone but...it's time for me to get ready for Utah.

{my welcome home sign from gracie girl and hunter}

Love,

Liv

It All Starts with a Seed.

Today has just felt like...a dream. I think coming home has just felt like a dream. I just can't believe that Monday night I was teaching the Gonzalez family. I was teaching as a set apart representative of Jesus Christ and now...here I am on my laptop on my bed. It just doesn't make sense to me how something could change so quickly. Today I thought a lot about my last companion. I wonder how she's doing with her new companion who is brand new to the mission. I wonder if she feels overwhelmed. I wonder if she realizes how amazing she is for doing everything that she's doing. Although today I was off doing what felt like a never ending to-do list, I couldn't get my mind off the mission.

I got an email from someone I went to EFY with while I wasn't a member of the church. I'm sharing this email that he sent me not because I'm trying to brag in any way, but because this email really lifted my spirits this evening:

"Hey Olivia, I don't know if you remember me from EFY or not I know it was a long time ago. I just wanted to share a cool story with you. I served my mission in the Canada Halifax Mission. It is on the East Coast right above Maine. In one of the areas I was serving, we were teaching a 17 year old girl named Anissa. She really wanted to be baptized however her parents wouldn't let her get baptized until she was 18 or out of the house. She came to a point where she wasn't sure she wanted to live the gospel anymore. Her logic was, well if I can't get baptized then what is the point in keeping other commandments. We were really struggling to keep her on track and coming to church. Our mission president, a month earlier, told us to start going on Mormon.org to find profiles that matched our investigators.We really needed to find someone that could relate to Anissa and her situation. That was when I saw your picture on mormon.org and I thought to myself, "I recognize this girl from somewhere." As I read your profile I realized who you were and that I knew you from EFY. If I remember right, you weren't baptized when you came to EFY. It was amazing to hear the rest of your story on Mormon.org! What you wrote on your profile really helped Anissa a lot. After we showed her your profile and taught her she started coming back to church again. The reason I wanted to share this story to you is because every day we do things that have the possibility to effect other peoples lives. Sometimes I wonder, do these things actually make a difference? Well, I want you to know that you unknowingly helped a girl all the way in Atlantic Canada gain a stronger testimony of Christ. Something I learned on my mission is that there is no such thing as a coincidence. I know that the spirit led us to your profile so that it could help Anissa."

Receiving that email this evening was such a tender mercy and a reminder to me that every seed we plant matters. That any opportunity we have to open our mouths to share our testimonies, seeds are being planted in their hearts. It may not grow straight into a tree the next day but, the seed is there and with the Lord's timing, it will begin to grow. I'm so grateful that I was able to actually hear about a seed that I was able to help plant. I know, just like my friend said, that the spirit was indeed the one to lead him to see my profile to help his investigator. Heavenly Father is aware of us and our needs, that I can promise you with all of my heart.

Love,
Liv

first day - letter to me.

Dear Olivia,
Right now, you are anxious about the next chapter of your life. You are at the airport, hesitant to talk to people because you're too busy being nervous about the future. You see everyone with their technology and reflect on how that used to be you. By all means it's not a bad thing but it's so easy to get distracted by worldly matters. It seems like since you've been a missionary that you've seen people rely even more on the letters on their keyboard to communicate rather then verbal communication.

In the city of Los Angeles, you have seen so many different walks of life. I wish you kept record of how many people you met from around the world. One thing you did do was look at everyone as a child of God. How can you continue to do that even after your mission? Never forget your purpose. As you continue to invite others unto Christ, you will be reminded that they too have been taught the gospel and they just need us to simply remind them of it.

You got to witness a small group of missionaries walk through the busy aisles of the airport. As they walked together, there was a sense of unity and power about them. Each of them have been waiting for this day to get to their mission. Some were nervous while others were excited but they really have no idea what's in store for them. They think they know how to do missionary work but what's about to happen will blow them away. As you greeted them, you told them that they were about to serve in the best mission in the world! It was something one of the departing missionaries told you when you stepped off the plane and entered Los Angeles. Eighteen months or two years probably sounds long but if only they knew how quickly it's going to go.

It is during this time where you not only invited people to come unto Christ but you yourself came to know Him more. You would worry at times about not testifying of Him as much as you wished. However, just know that through your actions and example, you testified of Him. Follow the counsel that President Baker and Weidman have given you and if you do, you will continue to progress into a strong, righteous disciple of Jesus Christ.

Love,
Sister Baeza