The Happy Life

Hello good people of the world. I hope everyone had a fantastic week. 

I discovered my new favorite quote this week. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do. 

"You do not find the happy life. You make it." -Camilla Eyring Kimball 

I just think that quote is absolutely beautiful. So this week we shifted perspective a little bit and decided to focus on making the life we've been giving the happy life. Some days are better than others. Some days are really hard and it's just about all we can do to keep going. There's the occasional moments of frustration and tears and homesickness. But the good always outweighs the bad. The great days always outweigh the really hard days. And the laughter far outweighs the tears. We make the happy life by focusing on the gospel! 

Let me share a story with you to prove this. Haha.

We had a baptism this last Saturday. We were so blessed to be able to baptize Cerament. We've been working with him since August, when his son introduced him to the church. Our very first lesson with him, he asked us when he could be baptized. Ever since then, we've been working diligently to help him prepare and understand the gospel. Saturday was finally his time to be baptized. It was a beautiful thing. His son (the one who introduced him to us) got to baptize him. They were both just glowing. I'm pretty sure there wasn't a single dry eye in the room. After the baptism, he came up to us just glowing and kept saying "Thank you. Thank you for everything." Those are the sweetest words I've ever heard. This is what matters most. It's not about the movies and music we're missing out on. It's not about the year and a half's worth of schooling we're postponing. It's about telling everyone we see the truth we know and praying and hoping that they will accept it so they can have the happy life! 

We had a meeting via skype with all the sisters in the mission all day Tuesday. It was marvelous. We got to hear from the amazing President Brown, and Elder Cornish was able to skype in. Hearing from your mission president and a General Authority in one day? Yes please. It was muy marvelous. The four of us had to do the musical number at the meeting... so yes. I sing for General Authorities and Mission Presidents. Haha just kidding it was terrifying and we all almost died. But it went okay so that was good :) 

We spent a lot of time this week helping people out. We're really trying to put an emphasis on serving... so we spent a few hours here and there washing clothes with people, scrubbing walls and floors, etc. I love doing service. It's so fun and I just feel so happy the entire time!! It's something I plan on doing all the time for the rest of my life :) 

Something that's really stuck out to me in my studies and just as we go about our days is that the Lord has a plan for each of us. There's a scripture somewhere in Ezekiel that I can't remember off the top of my head but it talks about giving the Lord our hearts made of stone and allowing Him to give us a new heart. That's another part of making the happy life... choosing not to fight against the Lord's plan but rather to mold ourselves to fit the plan the Lord has made for each of us. So I've been thinking about how I can allow the Lord to mold me into the person I need to become to fit His plan. And I've realized it's kind of like the whole good better best situation. Before my mission, I spent a lot of time doing some good things and a few things that were just a little bit better. But I'm realizing that I don't want to go home and go back to just doing the good things. I want to try to fill my life with the best things... which means I have a lot more changing to do. Everyone always told me missions are designed to show you your weaknesses... but I've realized that's what life is designed to do! When we see our weaknesses and we turn them over to the Lord, they can become our strengths. So I'll just be praying every day that the Lord will take my many, many weaknesses and somehow help me turn them into strengths. But thankfully, we don't have to be perfect to share the gospel. One more scripture for your enjoyment: Doctrine and Covenants 1:23.

"That the fulness of my gospel might be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world, and before kings and rulers." 

I'm pretty weak and simple... I have a long way to go in my progression. But I've just been so humbled to realize that the Lord will still allow me to play a little role in His bringing the gospel to all the world. And we're going to keep doing our very best to do just that... we'll talk to everyone we see and be as obedient as we can, and we are confident we'll continue to find those that are seeking the truth :) 

I love you all! Have marvelous weeks!! 

xoxoxooxo,

Sister Oman

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! And if you know me... you know how excited I am every time I see a Christmas tree. So yes, I did have to take a picture with this giant tree in the mall last Monday.

Baptism!! Cerament is the one in the middle in the picture with Sister Bailey and I. His son that baptized him is the other one in the picture... and then the other guy in the other picture is Brother Verna, the funniest man you will ever meet. Haha.