God Gave Me You

"God gave me you for the ups and downs, God gave me you for the days of doubt." -Blake Shelton

Today i was at a youth fireside and they were talking about missionary work during parts of it... We watched a video of a bunch of young women who hiked 15 miles to get to the temple... This really touched me because they were willing to walk so far to get to the place where they knew they wanted to be... There were girls who had special needs, girls who were injured, etc. It was very touching to see them all working together to reach their goal... When they got there they all said that they knew that the temple was where they HAD to be... Nothing else made them happier.

Throughout this whole video I was just thinking about Kev. I was thinking about how he was serving the Lord and how he was bringing people the gospel... And how they would then be able to experience the blessings of the temple. I was also thinking about how I also know that the temple is somewhere I always want to be worthy of being. I want to be married in the temple and I would be the luckiest girl on earth to experience that with Kev. :) I know that whatever is meant to be will be.

I have been listening to the song "God Gave Me You" as well today... I have replayed it at least 10 times. Whenever I hear this song I just feel grateful that God gave me Kevin. I know that I was blessed to have him come into my life... And God really did give me Kevin so that we could share the happiness of good days, and also so that he could help me through my harder ones. God blessed me with someone who would help me through all of my doubts and push away my fears.

I am so grateful for Kevin because he has truly been my best friend and support... and it's days like today when I am especially humbled and realize that I have God to thank for everything.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlwysjDZ4c8

Lock Your Heart

"LOCK YOUR HEARTS and leave the key at home!" -Spencer W. Kimball

The quote above comes from a talk by Spencer W. Kimball about missionary work. I found this talk because my friend Felicia Campbell showed Kevin and I before he left. The talk focuses on the fact that missionaries should be focused solely on Christ and emulating his will. President Kimball proceeds to share of some unfortunate incidents where missionaries were opening up to things not of Christ, were sent home, and even excommunicated. 

As you know, this week I was "written off" and it was a very hard and confusing situation for me. I was in a bad place and I was in need of comfort and enlightenment. Well, just goes to show that when we pray to God he will always hear and answer us; I received exactly what I needed.

Elder Baldwin was able to write me and tell me exactly what I needed to hear. He apologized profusely for not explaining properly beforehand and gave clarification as to what he had meant with the previous letter. He explained to me, and referred back to this talk, that he was "locking his heart" but that he was giving me the key. He told me that this key was mine, and mine alone, to keep safe until he got home from serving his 2 years. He continued to explain that he loved me, missed me, and wanted a future with  me, but that all of that would have to be set on the back burner until he was home... This way he could focus solely on the Lord and his mission. 

Not only was this exactly what I needed to hear, but it made me so proud of him! This truly showed me what an amazing man Kevin is. He has grown so much in just the short time he has been out and I know he will continue to progress in leaps and bounds. I am truly so blessed with such an amazing man who loves and willingly serves the Lord. 

I will keep the key to his heart safe, and I will be the support he needs on this two year mission of his. :)

I will also leave the link to the talk so that anyone who wants to read it will be able to. It's a great talk, and it has blessed both Kevin and I.

http://missionaryhelper.com/talks/lockheart.html

Keep Your Head Up.

"When life gets too hard to stand, kneel." -President Gordon B. Hinckley

This week has proven to be difficult... However, whenever I feel down I just remember this quote given by former Prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley.

This week I received one of the hardest letters I've ever had to read from Kevin... In this letter Kevin wrote me off.

Now, I know that this sounds bad and you may be thinking "well how could he?!" but he has good intentions. In the letter Kevin very kindly and genuinely explained that he was having trouble focusing and that he just needed to not have a girlfriend right now. He also expressed his concerns of "holding me back." Although this letter was hard to read, and I felt hurt... I know that he loves me and cares about me still. I can't imagine being a missionary and having to deal with such huge life adjustments so I tried to be supportive and understanding. I sent him a letter saying that I can understand where he's coming from, but also asked him to pray and make sure that this was his will and God's, and not someone else's. I have also been praying fervently and have had other amazingly wonderful people praying for me, and have felt some peace and comfort come over me.

I honestly do still believe that Kevin is the man for me. With every challenge that we have ever faced, we always just come out stronger; which is another reason I only want to be with him... We are able to not only make it through, but come out improved and stronger, things that are designed to tear people apart. I know that Kev is trying to be the best missionary he possibly can be, and I admire him for it. I know with all of my heart that this is not the end of our story. I know that we have much more to experience together, and I know that I can still give him my full support.

Part of loving someone is putting their needs before your own... Because their happiness essentially becomes your own.

I know that everything will work out as planned, and that this is just another thing that we must face. I know that no matter how alone or weak I may feel, that I am truly never ever alone and that God makes weak things into strong things.

Through Christ all things are possible. Take comfort in that, and never forget it.

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