My Thoughts Lately...

First off, Feliz Navidad! I absolutely love Christmas! I love being able to celebrate the birth of our Savior. I wish I could have been there and felt that sweet spirit. What a feeling and experience that must have been!

So I have been sitting at my computer for about 50 minutes, writing, and re-writing this post. There are so many thoughts running through my head right now. If there is one thing I have learned this year, it is that God is the one who is ultimately in charge of our lives. Literally everything I had planned for 2016 didn't happen. Not. One. Thing. But that's okay, because everything He had planned was much better than anything I could have planned myself. Including serving a mission. I honestly never planned on serving, and never really wanted to or had the desire to. But boy has that changed! Now I am just dying to go!

After I came home from Peru, everything I had planned fell apart. It was really hard. I have never felt so lost and confused before. Going through the temple and receiving my endowments really helped me to feel grounded. Shortly after going through the temple was when I decided to serve a mission. That whole process went really quickly up until receiving my mission call to Spain. Since then, it has been extremely slow. From the time that I got my call, to when I leave, is a period of over four months. Guys, that's a third of a year! I really wanted to be gone asap! I was hoping to leave before Christmas. That plan also backfired! haha I have really been struggling with why I have to wait so long to leave. Still don't have an answer for that, but that's okay.

I guess I'm just trying to say that I am learning to be okay with the unknown. To other people, my struggles are probably pathetic. They might be thinking, "If the only thing she has to worry about, is not leaving for Spain when she wants to, she really doesn't have anything to worry about at all." And that's okay. Because it's definitely not the only thing I'm worrying about right now, it's just the only one I feel comfortable enough to put online for anyone and everyone to see. When I started this blog, it was just to keep my family and friends updated while I was in Peru. But now, it has become a little therapeutic and a nice way to organize my thoughts.

Anyways, I'm just gonna keep plugging along in life, and see where it takes me! I am so grateful for this gospel, and its many wonderful truths! Lately I have been so very grateful that I can feel Christ's love for me. He will never leave us alone. I want to leave you guys with this wonderful quote by President Thomas S. Monson:

"Your Heavenly Father loves you--each of you. That love never

changes. It is not influenced by your appearance, by your

possessions, or by the amount of money you

have in your bank account. It is not changed by your

talents and abilities. It is simply there. It is there for you

when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful.

God's love is there for you whether or not

you feel you deserve love. It is simply always there."

Keep pushing through life, guys. You can do it! Remember, God is mindful of you. If you are ever feeling lonely, I invite you to pray to God and ask Him if He is there. His love is always there for you.

20 Things I Learned After Being the Mom to 5 Kids For a Day

I had the opportunity to watch 5 kids overnight for a day, and let me tell you, I got the tiniest taste of what it's like to be a mom. And boy, is it hard! Here is a list of twenty things I learned:

1. Putting five kids to bed is like trying to herd cats.
2. Showering is freedom, at least for five minutes until the toddler opens the door.
3. While showering, plan on having at least one child sitting outside the shower door waiting for you.
4. Also plan on having that child open the door periodically to ask if you're done showering yet.
5. No matter what it is you have made for breakfast, lunch, dinner, etc. someone isn't going to like it.
6. As soon as you are finished cleaning up one meal, at least start to mentally prepare for the next.
7. No matter what you do, food will somehow end up on the floor at meals.
8. The dishes never end.
9. Don't plan on putting on makeup, let alone brushing your teeth, until after lunchtime. There isn't time.
10. When the toddler wakes up sick in the middle of the night, it breaks your heart.
11. Naps don't exist for adults, no matter how much you want them too.
12. Moms are nurses/doctors, judges, teachers, entertainers, coaches, chefs, chauffeurs and whatever else you can think of. I'm convinced that moms have superpowers.
13. One of the best things ever is when a child snuggles up to you when you read a book.
14. You can make up a song for anything.
15. Bribing with snacks is wonderful if used in moderation.
16. Do not underestimate the power of Disney and cheerios.
17. If you are planning on going somewhere, aim to leave 20 minutes early, so that way you're only 10 minutes late to things.
18. Trying to get five kids into the car is also like herding cats.
19. I could listen to kids giggle all day long, it's infectious.
20. Watching and caring for kids is hard, but definitely worth it.

At the end of the day, everyone's bellies are full, asleep in bed, and I'm exhausted. haha At twenty years old, I am infinitely more grateful for my own mother now. She is an angel. I'm sure when I have kids of my own, I will be calling her multiple times a day with questions about everything. But for now, I will enjoy being able to shower in peace.

I'm going to Spain!!!

"Dear Sister Clark:

You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Spain Barcelona Mission.

You should report to the Spain Missionary Training Center on February 7th, 2017. You will prepare to preach the gospel in the Spanish language."

I am beyond thrilled to be serving in Spain!! I cannot wait to begin this new journey in life! I know that this is God's plan for me. I know that this is the true church, and I love the gospel with all my heart.

Thank you everyone for all of your support! I love you all!

MY CALL IS HERE!!

My mission call is here!!!! Ahhhhh!!!! I can't believe it!! I am so close to finding out where I am going to be for 18 months!

I thought that it wasn't going to be here today, because when I checked the mail, it wasn't in my mailbox. Just regular mail was in there. So, I was disappointed and went back into the house. But at 9:30 tonight, my neighbor came over and surprised me! It turns out that the mailman had put my call into their mailbox! So it really was here! I don't think my neighbor has ever heard me squeal so much! haha I just about died! Talk about the best surprise ever!

So for everyone who wants to come over when I open it, since it's already so late, I will be opening my call this Sunday (October 2nd) at my house at 6:30pm. You can facebook message me if you need my address. But, if you can't make it, that's okay! I will be doing a live facebook video so everyone can be there! I really want to share this experience with everyone. Until then, my brother, Cade, is hiding my call so I can't take a peek! haha See you all Sunday!