Day 10 &11 &12 &13

Day 10-13: (Mosiah 16 - Alma 10) Have you ever done something bad, and felt really terrible for doing it? I have!! I hate that feeling. Sometimes I feel embarrassed to go to my Heavenly Father and tell Him what I've done wrong and repent, but I just have to remember that He already knows what I've done and He loves me and always wants me to come to Him and ask for forgiveness no matter what I've done. There is a scripture that I really like that goes along with this and it says, "...the Lord will be merciful unto all who call on his name." (Alma 9:17) 

So this isn't part of what I read, but I thought of it as I was reading one night so that counts right? Okay weeds are very easy to spread. Either the wind can blow seeds, or seeds can get on your shoe and then get planted somewhere, or (my dad told me this one) a bird can poop a seed out and it can plant a weed. And then the weeds flourish and keep growing for so long without any care. But, if you want to remove the weeds, it takes work and sweat and you have to keep pulling the weeds or else they'll be back! But this isn't the case for good plants such as fruit, crops, veggies, etc. If you want them to grow, you have to plant them in the ground, water them, nourish them, make sure they get enough sunlight, etc. Then you have to constantly watch over them and make they aren't getting too much or not enough of one thing or another. And then, at the end of the year, you finally get your crops IF you did everything right. IF. And then you start all over the next year, whereas weeds will start back up where they ended the summer before. So in life, unless we watch over ourselves and watch what we do and say and how we act, weeds will start popping up and if we dont do anything about them, they will start spreading and taking over. So, we need to constantly be "pulling the weeds" out of our lives.

I hope that made sense. I know it was a lot of rambling, and I'm not the best writer to ever exist, but you get the gist right? Hopefully? Sweet! Well I hope you have gotten at least one bit of knowledge from my brain. This is me. :)

!!!SLACKER ALERT!!!

Okay I'm really sorry! I promise, I have been reading everyday and staying on-track, but I just havent posted anything! Don't be mad at me okay?! I am now on Day 10! Times flies doesn't it? Especially when yer counting down the days (28 btdubbs...) to when you will be in South America for the next year and a half! AHHHH!! Okay so here's what I havent told you:

Day 4-9: (2 Nephi 7 - Mosiah 16) So I could go on and on and on for ages and tell you everything that I've learned in the books and chapters that I've read, but that would be one stinkin long post and aint nobody got time for that! Can I get an amen? So what I've decided to do is pick one thing that has stood out to me the most while I was reading the past few days. I picked something that is repeated so many times throughout the Book of Mormon. Keep the commandments and ye shall prosper in the land. If I had a dollar for every time that that saying is said, I'd be rich! But that's the sad part. It is said so many times and yet, the Nephites and especially the Lamanites still cannot seem to keep the commandments. Heavenly Father has said, "When ye do what I say I am bound, but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise." So, Heavenly Father has promised us the world!! Literally, He has given us this world and everything on it, and all He asks us is to keep His commandments. And if we do, He will give us SO many blessings. More than we would even be able to count! But if we don't keep His commandments, "ye have no promise." We will no longer receive blessings from Him and our lives will be pretty rough. I know, that when I die, I want to be able to stand before my Heavenly Father guiltless and unashamed. Sometimes I am slow to keep His commandments, but I know that as long as I repent and go to my Heavenly Father with a broken heart and contrite spirit, He will forgive me and help me become stronger. And I love Him so much for that. 

People Those Days..

Day 3: (1 Nephi 17-22) Okay. I just have a titch of venting to do. That's what blogs are for anyways, right?! So as I was reading along tonight, I became more and more angry at Lamen and Lemuel. They see Heavenly Father and hear Him speak so many times in their lives and still murmur like no other! I mean, COME ON NOW! If I saw Heavenly Father just once...I would never EVER do anything wrong EVER again! I just get so confused every time I read the chapters about how much they speak against their father and brother even though they are almost killed by God so many times! Goodness...people those days. But as I was reading and thinking this, I realized that I do the same thing!!! Now, I've never seen God or heard His voice, but I've had quite a few miracles happen in my life, and I have the scriptures that have Him speaking in them, and yet, I still do dumb things and mess up all the time! What am I thinkin?? I'm not. I know that Heavenly Father has the power to do anything, I mean, He created this earth and everything on it, so He has the power to destroy it all so easily. I know that I need to be a better person. That is something that I work on every day. So here are my goals to becoming a better person:

1. No judging! I catch myself doing this all the time and it's gotta stop. Everyone is a child of God and is just as imperfect as I am.

2. Pray more. Heavenly Father wants me to talk to Him and sometimes I am "too tired" to just have one conversation with Him. Sad right? Well, that's gonna change.

3. Slow down. This world is going way too fast and I miss way too much when I get caught up in it. I'm gonna be leavin in 35 days so I need to focus on what's important and makes lots of memories while I can. :)

4. Do more random acts of kindness. Sometimes I feel like this world has become one focused on getting gain. Well sometimes, it's good to serve someone just for the heck of it.

Book of Mormon in 30 Days!

So the other day I was thinking about how short of amount of time I have before I leave for my mission. As of today, I only have 36 days left!! Crazy right?? :) Then, realization hit me. I ONLY HAVE 36 DAYS TO GET READY!!!! :O It's a good thing, but this girl has a LOT to do in order to be ready to leave America for 18 months to teach the people of Paraguay about the gospel! So, one thing that I know I need to do is re-read the Book of Mormon. I love this book sooo much and so it isn't a hard task to accomplish. BUT it is kinda lengthy and I don't exactly have much time, so I found this 30 Day Book of Mormon Reading Chart. I started yesterday so that will put me to finish on August 8th. Just in the nick of time I'd say! :) So I've decided that I will return and report to you er'y day on what I learned in reading in the Book of Mormon because even though I have read it through 4 times now, I still learn a ton every time I read it. :) Ready?!? 

Day1&2: (1 Nephi 1-16) I learned/realized quite a few things while I read these chapters. 1st, it takes a lot of faith to follow the will of Heavenly Father. Sometimes, what He wants me to do isn't exactly what I had in mind, but if my faith in Him is strong enough, I will always be able to accomplish whatever He asks of me. :) 2nd, in 1 Nephi 15:10 it says, "How is it that ye do not keep the commandments of the Lord?" All Heavenly Father wants is for me and all of His children to keep His commandments. He promises us so many blessings if we will follow Him. Sometimes it's really difficult to keep the commandments, but in the end it is so worth it because I am blessed with so much. "If you love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15) 3rd, the gospel of Jesus Christ is so simple. Just try your hardest to be your best and that is enough. Heavenly Father knows the intent of my heart and so if what I'm giving is my all and I still mess up every day, which I do, then He is okay with that. Simple right? Satan is the one that complicates everything and makes everything so confusing. (1 Corinthians 14:33) And 4th, Satan is very powerful and can convince man to do many wicked things. He has even provided a way to be able to control people here on earth by taking away their agency i.e. drugs or alcohol. But Heavenly Father is much more powerful and is able to reign over Satan if you let Him into your life. Heavenly Father will always be there for me when I need Him. He is very forgiving and will never give up on me no matter how many times I turn away from Him or mess up. I am so lucky to be able to have Him watching over me and I hope to never to do anything to have that protection taken away.

One of those Days that I'm gonna Miss..

Lately my life has consisted of work, work, aaand oh yeah! More work. It's kinda sucky, but because I know I am earning this money for my mission, it makes it a little bit easier. So since I work basically everyday, when a day off comes around, I milk it for all it's worth especially because in exactly 2 months from tomorrow, I will be on a plane to Argentina and wont be back for 18 months. So yesterday, and today too, I had off! Crazy right?? So what do I do? Spend my whole day with my sister/best friend! We got up at 8 in the morning and walked all the way to the little town of Marsing, Idaho. It's about 6 miles and we got it done in 2 hours! We had lunch at the infamous Spot Pizza and we woulda walked home but Emily got a call from the Orchard House and she got an interview so we had to have our Mom come and pick us up so that she could make the interview. (Which she nailed and got the job btdubbs..) After her interview we got all of our shopping done for our family reunion that is quickly approaching! Then the rest of the day was filled with relaxing out in the sun, spray painting sprinklers, and 4-wheeler rides. :)

To someone who doesn't know mine and Emily's relationship or is super high maintenance, probably wouldn't have enjoyed my day yesterday. But to me, yesterday is gonna be one of those days that I look back on and say, "I miss that." Emily is one amazing sister and even though I still have 2 months until I leave, I can't even think about leaving her or else I will tear up. It's bad news. Don't get me wrong! I will miss all of my family and my friends too, but me and Em have been through A LOT together and I can't remember a day when we didn't talk to each other, even if it was only a quick text. She is my bestestestest (don't worry, I asked my dear friend Weber, it's a word) friend in the world, and I will miss her mucho! Lova ya Em! 

Watch out Paraguay!! Here Comes Sister McIntyre!

Better late then never right?? Sorry I get behind and then time just gets away from me but no excuses! I'm been slackin and I will do better! Okay. So I have been called to serve in the Paraguay Asuncion Mission and I report on August 15, 2013 to the Argentina MTC. I will be speaking Spanish too so if I come back with an accent...no making fun! Deal? If you would have asked me a year ago if I would go on my mission my answer would have been, "....nah." But as soon as I dug into the Book of Mormon and really understood it, I realized that I needed to tell everyone and anyone about the Gospel and how important it is to me. So a mission is the best way I can do that. I will miss my family and friends tons but I know that Paraguay is where I am meant to be for 18 months. :) And my family and true friends will still be here when I am back. The Gospel is an amazing thing and I cannot wait to share it with the people of Paraguay.

Facts About Paraguay:

1) The language they speak is Spanish but specifically Guarani...hmm more research will be needed for that one...

2) The colonial history of Paraguay started with Spanish settlements in the early XVI century.

Asunción - its capital - was founded in 1537 by the Spanish explorer Juan de Salazar y Espinoza.

3) Population: 6,158,000

4) Exchange Rate: 1 Guarani (PYG) = 0.0001954 US Dollar...imma be rich!!

5)  Area: 406,752 square kilometers (157,048 square miles).

Imma Workin' Gurl!

I am seriously one lucky girl lately when it comes to getting jobs. I've heard so many stories of how difficult it is to find even one part time job. We all have heard those stories right?? Right! But for me that just wasn't the case. I got my first job at Office Depot a couple months ago and all that I had to do was go in and take my resume and they basically hired me on the spot! It was awesome!!! :) Then a couple weeks ago I was at JCPenney shopping and when I was being checked out the lady, who happened to be the hiring manager, was telling me how they are about to start hiring and that I should apply! So I went straight home and applied! Then a few days later I got a call for an interview and then last Monday I got another call letting me know that I got the job! :) I was screaming I was so happy! My first day was today and it went really well! The people are so nice and I got a feeling I'm gonna love this job! Especially the 25% associate discount!!! Woohoo! I will be working in the intimate apparel department..haha they told me that that's what would be the best match for me! I guess they know something that I don't! 

So now I work at both of these places! Come and visit me any time you want!! I love both of these jobs so much and I cant wait for the big bucks to start rollin in! I am one lucky girl to have two amazing jobs that I love and I know that it is because I need the money for my mission and not for selfish purposes. Imma workin gurl! :) This is me!!