visiting teaching.

Today was the last day that I could go do my visiting teaching with my roommate. In Relief Society, we have something called Visiting Teaching where we are paired up with a "companion", another sister from Relief Society to be our partner. We are then assigned 1-2 other sisters to go visit and share a message with. We had visited one of the sisters last week but this past Sunday we were suppose to visit our second one. However, there were unexpected meetings that came up and my roommate went out of town so we were unable to do it on Sunday. The last day we could do it was today. With it being Family Home Evening and with both my roommate and I having late classes, the only option we had was to do it after Family Home Evening. We didn't finish till 9pm and the sister we wanted to visit wasn't available until around 10pm. So we were pretty much on call tonight haha and waited for when we could come over. The sister we visited was so grateful that we came by and that we were persistent. I almost wanted to give up and just blame it all on our "busy lives" but the voice of my mission president came to my mind on how he invited us to be 100% Home and Visiting Teachers and I knew that I needed to do it! Even though I was so sick last night, we still went over and it was a great mini lesson. 

I know that the time to serve usually comes at unexpected times when we are completely busy but if we put those service opportunities first and take the time to serve our brothers and sisters, the Lord will bless us. 

love,

Liv

only an hour difference.

I had the wonderful opportunity of talking to my second mission president today, President Weidman! I have been thinking about him and his wife and I wanted to let them know how I'm doing with adjusting back to "normal" life. When I heard his voice on the phone I immediately started to tear up. It was just so good to hear his voice! I could tell he was busy but one thing I loved about President Weidman was that he would always put you first before anything. We spoke on the phone for about 20 minutes and he was so interested in my life and how I was doing. He asked for advice and he even gave me "dirt" on what was going to happen this week for transfers. He reminded me of the type of man I should and need to marry and how to continue to live worthily. It was so fun! Even though he was only my Mission President for 8 weeks, I know that he was suppose to help finish my mission. I learned so much from him in that short amount of time and I am so grateful for it. Our conversation reminded me yet again that God puts certain people in our path for a reason! I can't wait for our next conversation!

love,
Liv

keep your promises.

This evening was the Relief Society broadcast for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Relief Society is the oldest and largest women's organization in the world! The purpose of Relief Society is to build faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and help those in need (visit mormon.org to learn more!). Once a year they have a broadcast the weekend before General Conference where women from all over the world, members of the church or not, can tune in and watch via television, internet, radio, etc. Lauren and I were the only ones home today and we decided to invite all the girls in our Relief Society to come to our apartment to watch it with us! We didn't think many would come but ten girls ended up coming to our apartment. It was a blast! We all munched on goodies and watched the broadcast intently. It was AMAZING!

Some of the counsel I received from it was this:
• covenant (a promise we make wish God) keeping is a way to show our love to Heavenly Father
• how much do we truly love the Savior?
• sometimes we don't realize we are keeping our covenants
• when we realize we are children of the covenant, we know who we are and what God expects of us
• Olivia, teach your children about the power of baptismal covenants
• do we recognize the ability of the Savior to "clean" us every week as we partake of the sacrament?
• the Lord allows us to be tried
• cling to your covenants
• listen more intently to the words being said in the temple
• seek the spirit during hard times and ask yourself, "Is this what Heavenly Father wants me to think of myself?"
• always remember the power of prayer
• how, when, and in what manner is what we can come to know through prayer
• reading and honoring the scriptures will lead us to eternal perfection
• as we take time for prayer and remember to turn to the scriptures, we will be blessed
• the love that Heavenly Father has for us never changes
• our testimony will be strong and deeply rooted as we continue to have daily prayer and scripture study

This weekend we have a special conference that is only given twice throughout the year. It's a weekend conference where the living prophet of God and his apostles and other general authorities will speak and counsel us on the things that God would want us to know. The speakers are not given a particular topic of any sort. They pray, fast, study, and pray some more to know what it is that they need to speak on that will help us. If you are interested in watching it, visit lds.org on Saturday morning at 10am (9am California time), Saturday afternoon at 2pm (1pm California time) and then the same times for Sunday morning and Sunday afternoon to view it live! I promise you that it will change your life. If you have any questions about your purpose in life, how to help strengthen the relationships within your family or anything completely out of the ordinary, I promise you that you will receive some sort of counsel next weekend. Go with a prayerful heart, listen intently, and act upon the answers you receive next weekend. Faith is nothing without action.

love,
Liv

now i know why.

it makes sense to me now why i love john mayer.

thanks for the song, appreciate it.

love,

Liv

today, i had a moment.

Since coming home from my mission, my perspective of my education has changed completely. I used to not give a single care in the world if I totally bombed a test. No emotion. I would look at that failing score on the digital board at the testing center, shrug and then text my roommate to see what the plans for the night were. I just didn't care! Well, I took my very first test in basically two years today and...I bombed it. Not an F but...basically an F haha. And I studied for this test for two and a half DAYS! No, not hours or minutes, days. I was devastated! I couldn't believe that I actually didn't get the grade I thought and felt I deserved. It didn't really hit me until I came home and Kaylee saw that I looked upset. I was looking through the fridge for some food and she asked me, "Liv, are you okay? You look sad." Here's a tip: never ask me how I'm doing when I look sad because you're asking for an automatic waterfall of tears streaming down my face. Yeah, I had a moment. I just told her how bad I felt for not doing good on my test and that sadly, it was an emotion that I had never felt in my entire life! Well, she tried to cheer me up but I knew that the only thing that would was my Ben & Jerry's ice cream (yes, I'm lactose intolerant but I didn't care at the moment), some Modern Family and an unexpected conversation with my best buddy.

I signed up for a program called the Best Buddy program through BYU and I get to be paired up with someone in the local community who has some sort of handicap disability and I basically get to serve her for the semester! I'm asked to visit with them at least twice a month and to attend activities with them. We finally talked for the first time today and she is a crack up! However, listening to her talk and just imagining the struggles she must have gone through in her life...I realized that I had no reason to cry over a test score. Absolutely no reason to be so low spirited. Talking to her on the phone healed me. Knowing that I was doing an act of service by just listening to her lifted my spirits up. I know that when we forget ourselves and serve others that we end up getting more out of it then the person we served. Isn't it funny how it always works out that way? I'm so grateful that I got to talk to her today.

So now, I'm off to the game! During my "moment" I told Kaylee that I wasn't going to go to the game because I wanted to stay home and study but that changed all because of Maureen, my best buddy :)

love,
Liv

love.

Do I think they are the best role models? Probably not. BUT! I read a post on facebook about what Brad did for Angelina while she was going through hard times. This is what he said...

"And then I realized one thing: the woman is the reflection of her man.

If you love her to the point of madness, she will become it."

-Brad Pitt

He knew how to heal her. Actually, he didn't know but figured that if he just tried to love her more and more that naturally she would be happier. It always amazes me how the little things a husband and wife can do for one another are so significant. Even when we are just in the beginning stages of dating someone, look to see if he opens the door for you, reaches out for your hand, shows you that he cares about you and just completely adores you. If he doesn't do it while you're dating, what's going to make him do it once you're married? Sure, people can change but don't always be so sure about that. Because we believe as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that marriage is for time and all eternity...it's up to us to make that relationship an eternal one. Marriage will not end at death like most people assume, it will last throughout the eternities. Good job, Brad.

love,

Liv

He's mindful.

As I was washing my hands in the sink just now, I had this sudden rush of emotion come over me. I had what was I guess a "glimpse of the future" and saw my brother walking out of the gates of the airport, coming home from his mission. I imagined myself hugging him and just telling him how proud I was of him. It felt so good to see him. When my vision came back to reality, tears formed in my eyes and dramatically fell down my cheeks. I really can't wait to see him again.

Me going on a mission was something my family already expected of me because I had talked about doing it even before I joined the church. However, Richie struggled a little and we were all unsure if he would actually serve a mission or not. When he finally made that decision on his own at age 20, my heart was full of gratitude for my Heavenly Father in awknowledging my prayers. I seriously am so proud of my brother. I miss him so much but I know what he's doing is the best thing for his life. He has changed in many ways and I can't wait to see what these next 11 months will bring him. We truly change and become more like the Savior when we serve others. 

"When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." - Mosiah2:17, page 148 in the Book of Mormon

love,

Liv

one month.

I cannot believe that it has been a full month since I've been home from my mission. WHERE DID TIME GO??? A month ago I had a set bedtime for 10:30pm every single night. A month ago I had a companion who I was with 24/7. A month ago I said my goodbyes to the most amazing sisters, senior couples and to LA. So much has happened in this month...but seriously, it's ridiculous to think how much has happened! Don't get me wrong, I love being home. I love being able to communicate with my family whenever I want, to listen to country music, to sleep in on occasion - all are good things! I just feel like my mission was a complete dream. I can't believe that I actually spent 18 months of my life away from all of those things. I can't believe that I was literally with someone 24/7 for 18 straight months. I can't believe how much I've cried in 18 months and that it was even possible to cry that much! But overall, I think that's the best way to put it - it just feels like a dream. However, when my recent converts text me to see how I'm doing and when I hear of their success...I'm always reminded that one of many reasons why I did what I did...was because of them. I know that I was sent to Los Angeles, California just for them and that I needed to teach them because I needed to learn from them. God has a plan and this truly is His work.

love,
Liv

it's friiiiiday!

Fridays are my favorite days of the week. I get done with classes by 10:50 and then go straight to the library to work on homework that's due on Monday. Since coming home from my mission I have taken my education a lot more seriously to the point where the people in the library probably recognize me now.

I got to meet with my academic advisor which was a breathe of fresh air because all of my stressed was finally lifted! The major that I'm currently in (Early Childhood Education) is great but because I'm not in the program yet til next semester, I won't graduate until Winter 2016. Umm...yeah nope! It didn't make any sense to me because I figured since I had my associates that I would finish in 2015 as inticipated. Well, I randomly ran j to a girl that I knew back at BYUI and she too just recently got home from her mission (Salt Lake City VC!!). She mentioned how she changed her major to family studies and told me what it entailed. It got me curious and so after going to the orientation for it yesterday, I realized that this was the exact major I was taking at BYUI just different names! So today when I met with my advisor, she informed me that a lot of my credits from BYUI can replace my needed credits for this major and now my graduation goal is Winter 2015 :) I'm so grateful that I talked to my friend! 

My roommates and I all went to the temple tonight. We were suppose to do a session but one of the guys had an expired temple recommend so us girls went in to do something else. It was so awesome to see all of my roommates in the temple. To know that I am surrounded by good people, who have the same goals as me and is trying to be their best just makes the transitioning process a lot more easier. They just get me. I know that the temple is the house of the Lord and it is a place where the Spirit can be felt so strongly. It's where I've been able to go and receive answers to my prayers. It's where I've been able to learn more about the plan that God has for me. Watch this video to learn why it is that Mormon's build temples!

http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=1198212594001

love,
Liv

a good sunday.

I woke up this morning with my mind feeling very heavy. Last night my thoughts were just all over the place and everything just felt like a dream. However, when I remembered that today was the Sabbath, I quickly fell to my knees with gratitude and could not wait to begin this day. Church was great. The lessons were all about service and how to be more unified. I'm grateful that my knowledge of the gospel has grown since my mission because I feel like I'm able to be more engaged in the lessons and the talks given. I was set apart today for a church calling, to be in the publicity committee. I was the last person to be set apart and I anticipated on the counsel I would receive for my calling. When the brethren laid their hands upon my head, I felt immediate love from my Heavenly Father. I was reminded of the talent/gift that the Lord has given me to love other people. It was actually mentioned about 4-5 times while I was being set apart. I was invited to continue setting appropriate priorities in my life which was something that stood out to me the most. When it was all done, I turned around with tears in my eyes, thanking them and telling them that the words in the setting apart were exactly what I needed to hear. I'm so grateful for worthy priesthood holders and to know that my Heavenly Father truly is mindful of me. 

When we came home, I decided to read my Old Testament readings that are due on Tuesday. I've set the goal that the only homework I would do on the Sabbath would be any sort of scripture readings/talks/church videos for my religion class. I got through the assigned readings in Genesis but before I knew it, I woke up to my face on my scriptures with drool on the verge of dripping on them (don't worry, my scriptures stayed in good condition!). I then merged over to my bedroom where I took my first, legit nap since being home. IT FELT SO GOOD! Later I made some phone calls to my recent converts and my mom (sister cole aka kiersten...) came to see me. She's seriously so amazing. I'm grateful that she's willing to drop whatever it is she's doing just to see me. 

In one of my readings that I had to do, I read this quote by Elder Bruce C. Hafen where he says, "Elder Maxwell once taught a group of people who lived with really hard daily challenges.  He had been watching the Olympic diving competition, where he had learned that the judges grade a dive not just by how graceful it looks to the public, but by how difficult the dive is—which only the judges can understand enough to measure. Elder Maxwell told this group that the Lord will judge their lives by the difficulty of their dive, which He understands in every detail." It brought such strength to me to be reminded that only Heavenly Father knows exactly the challenges we go through and only He will be able to "measure" them and "judge" them accordingly. As long as I face each challenge with hope, I know I can get through them. 

Tonight I decided to "socialize" more at ward prayer. I'm still pretty anti-social...I just like to be alone, people! Which is weird because I was with someone every single day 24/7 for 18 months but...maybe that's the exact reason why I like to be alone again :) I still miss my mission every day. I still haven't had my huge breakdown moment of missing it but there isn't a day that goes by where I am not reminded of the mission. Life is so good! God loves me ;)

love,

Liv

tender mercy.

I had the most awesome run in this week. Luke (Hermano Stoddard) was one of my MTC teachers and he was absolutely amazing! He taught us the importance of being obedient and it definitely prepared me for when I had my trainer and she too instilled that essential principle into my life. If you were to look through my Preach My Gospel, you would notice that everything that I write in there are basically things that he said to us in class. He was such a powerful teacher and made a huge impact on me and the type of missionary I wanted to be. Even though I didn't have the opportunity to teach the gospel in the Spanish language a lot on my mission but regardless of that, I know that he was meant to be my teacher which is one of many reasons why I was called Spanish speaking. Seeing him and just catching up on life was a huge tender mercy. I have such a firm testimony that Heavenly Father specifically puts certain people in our lives that will help us to return back to His presence on day and Luke, he is definitely one of those people in my life. 

love,

Liv 

vc reunion.

My guapa (Sister Davis) was in town for a few nights because she just came back from her trip in Europe! She stayed at my place tonight so I decided to get some VC sisters together so we could all see her. We went and got froyo (typical LA thing to do on pdays) and it was a blast! It didn't help that it was Monday today so naturally...it felt like we had night pday, just like the old days. It's crazy to think that we used to all serve together at some points on our missions. That we all had the exact same purpose: to invite others to come unto Christ. Even though these sisters don't have their badges on anymore, I can't look at them and not still see the missionary in them. The mission truly changes your life - for the better. How lucky are we to be return missionaries??

love,

Liv

i rocked the uggs today.

My entire mission I was anticipating the day that I would FINALLY meet my best friends little boy! He was born on my mission and I knew that me coming home only meant that he would be turning a year old! Well...I met this little boy today and my goodness, he stole my heart quicker then any boy I've ever known!

We became best friends instantly. I mean really, how could you deny such a face like that!? He's even adorable when he cries!!! I don't know how he does it. But it works. It was sooo good to see Sarah Peterson Reber again! She is one of my very very very best friends. She was there for me when I joined the church and was the most amazing fellow-shipper ever! I cannot imagine my first year of being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints without her! She was my rock. She was my example. She was just awesome people, okay? 

Since tomorrow is Sunday, Adam and I are going to make Sunday dinner again! We are going to try a recipe that I've never used...so I'll get to see how good his cooking skills really are. Actually, it's an incredibly easy recipe so we should be fine. I had to go to the store to get the ingredients and what not and yes...I totally rocked the uggs tonight. It was a complete rain storm earlier so obviously I grabbed my uggs so my feet could stay nice and warm :) It was worth it. 

Tonight I was well...a loser haha. But seriously. Everyone was at the BYU vs. Texas game and welp, this little girl was home. Since when do I choose to do homework over watching a football game? Clearly I'm still adjusting. Actually, my plan was to multi task (since that's what I do best) by doing my homework and watching the game at the same time but our cable wasn't working...so my plan majorly failed. But, it was a blessing because I had to opportunity to catch up with someone that I've actually known since I was in elementary school to come to think of it. We just randomly started talking on facebook, exchanged phone numbers and I had the chance to talk about the gospel with her! I invited her to read the family proclamation (which I hope she did!) and it felt so good to share my testimony to her!! I know, that as Elder Holland has said before, "I promise you that something in what they say will always highlight a truth of the gospel about which you can bear testimony and about which you can then offer more...If we listen with love we won't need to wonder what to say. It will be given to us - by the Spirit and by our friends." She's honestly a great friend and I'm so grateful for the opportunity I had to share a little bit of the gospel with her!

love,

Liv

date night.

so i've realized that coming home i've been...super lame. i don't like to do anything anymore! i just don't find anything...entertaining. so what did i do on a friday night? i started to do my homework. however...friday nights are date nights here in good ole Provo so Adam and I went on a double date with his roommate Jesse and another VC sister that I got to serve with! small world. we saw Monsters University (finalllllllly! only saw the billboard for it a billion times on my mission) and then got some froyo. afterward, we watched another movie (yes...another movie) at their apartment. Signs. last time i saw that was in theaters and i about peed my pants. remember the part when they show a video clip at some kids birthday party and the alien just walks across the screen? yeah...that part. hated it again the second time around. however, watching it this time wasn't as scary...i only got scared when adam would shake me at certain parts of the movie.

for some reason, i thought a lot about the second coming during the movie (Signs...not Monsters University). in the movie, everyone is just trippin out because well...aliens are invading the whole world! when i watch movies like it, it also brings me back to a mormon message by Elder Nelson. he was sharing a personal story where he was once on a small airplane when the engine on the wing caught fire. it exploded and burning oil was poured all over on the right side of the airplane and the plane started to spin down towards the earth. a lady on the plane was hysterical and Elder Nelson felt so sorry for that women because he was absolutely calm. even though he knew he was going down to his death, he was ready to meet his maker. the plane started to work again and no one died.

now, do i think if the world were to really be invaded by aliens that i wouldn't be scared? heck no i would be scared out of my mind! but...i hope that i too would have the same feeling that Elder Nelson had. that no matter what the outcome would be, i too would be ready to meet my maker. that i would even feel the same way Enos, a prophet in the Book of Mormon, felt when it was time for him to enter into the next life when he said, "And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest. And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father. Amen."

love,
Liv

vocal point.

I don't know why but I have been completely lazy/extremely exhausted all day today. I only had one class and took my sweet time getting ready this morning. I caught up with people after classes and FINALLY forced myself to take a nap which led to me starting my homework a lot later then originally planned. But in all honesty, it really wasn't a nap because I was stressed out the entire time. I don't know what it was but everything kind of just hit me hard today.

Usually when I'm stressed I grab my headphones and listen to music. As I did so this evening, the first thing that popped straight to my mind was "vocal point." Vocal Point is an acapella group of BYU men and the music that I have from them are hymns about the Savior, Jesus Christ. I followed that thought and I've noticed that my headache, anxiety and everything else that has been bothering me today all went away. I love how the hymns, sacred music of the Lord, are able to bring peace to ones soul. Where can we turn to peace? One way is by listening to spiritually uplifting music.

One thing that I've been stressed out about is my transition home from my mission. I feel like everyone around me has had these "major" struggles transitioning back but for me...ehh, I have my moments but it really hasn't been that bad. Since it's been a quick and easy adjustment for me, it just makes me feel like a horrible return missionary! But, I just need to remember that everyone goes at different paces just like everyone learns the gospel in different ways. As long as I am consistently reading my scriptures, saying my daily prayers, attending the temple as often as possible then I'm transitioning fine. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

I've thought a lot about persistence today and how if we want things in life...we need to be persistent! Here's a quote by Elder Richard G. Scott that I found, "The treasures of both secular and spiritual knowledge are hidden ones - but hidden from those who do not properly search and strive to find them. ...Spiritual knowledge is not available merely for the asking; even prayers are not enough. It takes persistence and dedication of one's life." Lesson of the day? Be persistent in all things.

Love,
Liv

funny boy.

Tonight I decided to make dinner (more like just throw in a frozen pizza and call it good) for Adam since he's been treating for me lately and I just wanted to say well...thanks! We decided that tonight would be the night for him to finally install my printer. You think it would be an easy process but...it wasn't. The spinning rainbow fire of death that my computer kept showing us was making him lose his patience just a tad bit... :) remember, patience is a virtue!

{almost 11pm and he we gave up}

Love,

Liv

my pday

Today was the first day of school. I remember caring how I looked on my first day but I totally rocked the "sister missionary" look wearing church clothes and my hair up for the simple fact that I was too lazy to wash it this morning. I got to have lunch with my trainer aka my mom aka sister cole aka kiersten cole...I don't think I could ever call her anything but "mom". It was so good to see her. Catching up on her life and the things that are occupying her mind made me grateful that amongst the struggles we had together...I can truly consider her as one of my dearest friends. We talked about the mission for a bit and transitioning and because she knows me so well...she could tell by the look I was giving that deep down I was struggling. I had a little breakdown with her because I just miss the mission so much. Monday's are the best because I get to hear from my old companions but at the same time it just makes me miss the work. Every time I look at the clock, I think about what my past companions could be doing. I just miss all of it. But seeing my mama and just getting advice from her helped me more then she probably thought.

Thankfully I only had one class today and it was Old Testament so I was pumped. I can tell it's going to be a hard course but I know that I'm going to be learning so much! After class I went to do a session at the temple. I love the temple so much and with it just be a few minutes away, how could I not go often?!? It was cool because I was able to do a session with a lot of missionaries from the MTC and that just brought back a flood of memories. 

Overall, today was great. I have decided that Tuesdays will be my "pdays" where I make sure to get everything done. You see, it's little things like that, choosing what day will be my pday that makes me so grateful for the decision I made to serve a mission. 

Love,

Liv

sunday's are the best.

I made the goal before my mission to make sure that on Sunday's I would try my absolute hardest to contact my recent converts, the people that I had the privilege to teach on my mission. I got to call/text a few of them today, one in particular being Dylan. Dylan was someone that I got to teach over the phone in the teaching center during my time serving in the Los Angeles Visitors Center. After knowing for himself that the church was indeed the only true church on the earth today, he made that decision to follow the example of Jesus Christ to be baptized. Before I left my mission, he was telling me how he was starting to help some sister missionaries in his ward by being a friend to one of their investigators. Well, today on the phone he told me that that investigator now has a baptismal date in November!! And if things go according to plan...he'll be the one to baptize him :)

Even though I'm home from the mission, I try so hard to keep it close to my heart. I think about my companions constantly, especially Sister Quinonez since she was my last one. I think of my recent converts and what I can do to help them continue to be converted in the gospel. I make sure that I have my daily scripture study and that my prayers are sincere and honest. But what seems to be helping the most is just reconnecting with everyone that I got to teach and help. Hearing of their success brings pure joy and only motivates me to try and be a better example for them.

Today at church I felt the spirit really strong for the first time in a while. The lessons were great and the testimonies were heartfelt. Going up there to share my testimony felt good - I miss doing that on a daily basis. I'm just grateful to know about the Plan of Salvation which is a perfect plan that God has for each one of us because He loves us. I'm grateful to know that one day, I truly can return back to the presence of my Heavenly Father again. I'm grateful to know that I don't have to be perfect in this life. All He expects of me is to follow His son, Jesus Christ and to be obedient in keeping His commandments.

Today was my first "test" (if you want to call it that) on how I would choose to keep the Sabbath day holy. Choosing to fast for a full two meals was hard, but I was able to do it. Then a walk to the temple and back with Adam just made it an even more perfect day. I really do love Sunday's and how it's suppose to be a day of rest where we can ponder on Jesus Christ and all that He truly has done for us.

Love,
Liv