Where is Selina going on her mission?

Where is Selina going on her mission?: Answer this question: Where is Selina going on her mission?

I hope they call me on a mission!

This is it!!! As of today my mission papers have been submitted to Salt Lake and all I have to do for the time being is wait..... I should get my call either on the 23rd or the 30th!

I'm going to jump OUT of my SKIN! AHHHHHH!

"There shall be no other name given": My decision to serve

As many of you know, I have decided to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am THRILLED about this opportunity!

For those of you who don't know, this is the run-down on serving a mission:

My family and I will pay for me to leave home and school for 18 months to proselyte and preach about Christ . I don't know where I am going yet but I could be called just about anywhere in the world, speaking any language.

When I told a few of my friends, their first response was "You're never going to graduate!" I just laugh this off. It's true that I probably will not get my undergrad until I'm at least 26, but I personally don't see the point in rushing through school. Anyways, the point of this rambling is that I'm not concerned about how long it will take me to get through school especially when I the things I am doing are far more important than grades and age.

But WHY?


"And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent" Mosiah 3:17





That is why. Because Christ payed the ultimate price for us to achieve salvation. Because of the Atonement Jesus Christ completed everyone has the opportunity to improve and really become something better. We can become clean. In a world that constantly bombards us with filth and things that bring us down, I want to share the light the the gospel offers. There is light, peace, and strength that comes in the gospel and from faith in Christ that cannot be duplicated. Because I have the knowledge of eternal life and of Salvation. Because we all, regardless of life situation are spirit children of our Heavenly Father and we have a divine heritage. Every person has potential to progress. I feel that hundreds of thousands of people are living day to day without a true knowledge of who they are. I want to share the greatest gift that has been given to all mankind.  The gospel is the center of my life and I know that it answers the deep questions that, without the knowledge of the plan of salvation, would plague us. I want to share the hope that Christ brings into my life and bring others unto Christ so that they can work for their salvation and experience all the gifts that God has for them. 


This decision did not come easily at first, but now that I have realized that this is what I am supposed to do I can't help but be ecstatic about it! With the exception of my testimony of this gospel I have never felt so sure about anything in my life. 

Because the sunshine is different in California

Ah.... Dear blog readers,

I just want you to know that when I have free time it is WAY easier to Pinterest than it is to blog. Sad, but true.

So I have spent the last week or so hanging out in California for a much needed break. This last semester really tried me, but I adapted and survived, THANK GOODNESS. And actually the grades just came out and I will say that they were not as bad as I was expecting.

First of all, I drove down to California with a boy that I had only met once for about 5 min. Colton was one of Ioua's groomsmen and he is one of the craziest people I've met. He was practically bouncing with energy the ENTIRE drive down. I spent about ten  hours with him and I will testify to that. Anyways, he got really excited about driving through Vegas so we drove down the strip and even stopped to walk around for a bit. I'll admit, my fear of crowds got the better of me so I stuck pretty close to him but I had a lot of fun! I also didn't expect to feel like I was back in Russia, but I found myself pulling out the "Ice Queen" face that I learned in Russia. Regardless, I had a lot of fun stopping on the strip and I don't regret it.

The "Cool" shades picture

So I maybe liked our detour adventure a little bit...

So after our little adventure we got into Yucaipa about 1am where McKay and Ioua picked Colton up from my house. I got to sleep around 2am because I had to take care of some things. The next day was my BIRTHDAY! so Launa (my sister) came over from Arizona and make me baked french toast with strawberries! yummy!

Birthday morning with Crazy Person hair:)

Dad likes it when I come home too

Anyways breakfast was SOO SOOOO GOOD! I loved it. I went to Six flags with Colton, Colton's friend Arleen, McKay and his room mate Omar. There were nearly NO lines. The longest line was for X2 and it was about a half hour long. 

longest wait of the day

"I want to go jump in the "O"!"

Epic end of the day shot

My legs were BURNING hot on this stupid bear, but you know? I don't regret it :)

We rode about 7-8 rides and repeated Goliath and Tatsu... My two favorites:) 

When I got home we had DELECTABLE cheesecake that Jed made for me:) Also topped with strawberries. My family knows how to celebrate!

22!!

Summary: My 22nd birthday ranks among my best birthdays ever! SO great!

The next few days were also fun: BBQ at my grandma's house, Brunch in Pasadena with Alex (friendship going strong after 8 years), Ioua's wedding and lots and lots of fun!

CUTE

I love America

First time grilling hamburgers

Alex and I- laughing at our attempts to take a picture of us:)

California has been incredible:) sorry this blog post was so long with so little actual stories....

Hopefully I'll update soon:)

I don't like to post some things in my facebook status...

Dear Mom,

This morning, I miss you a lot.
I am counting on the fact that in the eternal scheme of things this really will be "but a small moment".
I love you.

Forever,


your Lina

Dear Mom

Dear Mom,

Here are some things that I would have liked to call and tell you about recently....
1) I have a new favorite flower!!! It's called a Persian Buttercup. Though you probably already know what they look like I'll show you anyways:

The best part is that they come in yellow a lot!!! I made an arrangement with them as my primary flower for floral design and it's been my favorite so far.

2) We started learning how to Polka in my dance class! It was hilarious at first but soooo much fun! We were all sweating at the end of that class.

3) Daffodils are blooming everywhere and I think of you always. I miss you and I love you. See you soon!

Siempre con Amor,
Selina

Apathy

"Every little thing, is gonna be alright..." Thank you Bob Marley for your words of wisdom.

Lately, I've needed to remind myself that it's all going to be okay. I don't need to worry about the future, because even though things are hard I do know that they will be okay. When I find myself thinking this, Bob Marley tends to pop into my head. I'll be honest though, I don't really like that song. Something about it rubs me the wrong way. Today, I figured out why.
To me, the song carries with it a sense of apathy--that everything is going to be alright but that is because he isn't worried about life. It doesn't matter because what happens doesn't really matter. Not that I would include him in the Dada movement or anything but it seems very apathetic. "it doesn't matter because I don't really care what happens." Well, big surprise, I DO care what happens. I'm very concerned about what happens and maybe that is why the song gets me. Here is the difference. I know that everything really will be alright because I trust my Savior and even though things don't always seem to be going my way he will turn the tables to that "Everything will be for [my] good." Cool, huh?

For me, that is part of the beauty of the Atonement. Life is still going to happen, we are still going to have hard times, we are going to have times where things seem like they are not going our way. But the Lord, in his mercy, has accommodated for that. The "Master of ceremonies" as C.S Lewis referred to him as is at work and nothing in our lives goes unnoticed. Also, because he loves us, he is striving to have our lives be as full and happy as is possible while we are here in this mortal existence.

Everything is going to be just fine:)

Living, Learning and Loving,
Selina