10 more days!!

At times I feel like this



while at other times I feel like this...


Or


but then I say a little prayer and I'm back to this.


and I just remember that this is how I really feel

They did!!! THEY CALLED ME ON A MISSION!!!

Alright so I have a small confession to make. I am EXTREMELY impatient. It's something that I'm working on, but lesbehonest. I am not a happy camper when I have to wait. I had all of my mission papers finished. I'd gone to the appointments, filled out the paperwork, had my interviews. All was well...as far as I knew! After an unexpected week long delay my papers finally made it to the mission office. If all went according to plan I should have my call by January 31st. However of course not much in my life ends up going according to plan...so after 3 days of my call being late I fasted for patience. I was so bummed. I just wanted to know where I was going. My dad even video taped the disappointing look on my face as I opened the mail box to another day without a mission call. I needed a little help.

Monday February 4th came around and I was scheduled to work allll day. I had a short break between shifts and so I sped home to check the mail. It was there. I wanted to scream for joy. I wanted to jump and shout. I did a happy little skip because I couldn't contain all of my excitement. The elderly man getting his mail a few feet away may or may not have been taken by surprise from the sudden movement, but whatever. I wasn't caring at all. The plan was to hide my call so my mom couldn't open it while I was at work. I was going to open it in front of friends and family the very next morning. That was the plan. I swear I wanted to wait. I couldn't though. I couldn't wait two seconds longer. I ran up stairs, slid a knife under the envelope flap and pulled it out with shaking hands. I didn't even really read it. "Dear sister Winsor...." And then I think I had a small heart attack. 

No way was that my mission call. I didn't even know where that was! "Is that in Russia? I'm speaking Russian must be in Russia. Is Ukraine its own country? How do I even pronounce kyiv?!" These were some of the thoughts racing through my mind. I was not expecting such an AWESOME mission call. I really had believed I'd be stuck in some crazy backwoods town in the middle of Thelma's way. (That's a book, "trust in Thelma's way" it's HILARIOUS) I for sure thought I'd be staying stateside at least. What a surprise! I wanted to scream and shout, I cried a bit, I wanted to tell the world.

BUT. There was that whole issue with me opening if before I was really supposed to. No one could know. I had to tell someone though or I was going to explode. I decided to write an email to my other half who happens to be on a mission in Oklahoma and she'd been out a month already. My mom came in and was standing there while I emailed her...so of course for fear of her reading it I typed a normal email. I'll go ahead and provide the email so I get my exact feelings across. 

"Sister Mele, 

I love you SO MUCH. I sent your surprise to the mission home because I had NO IDEA you'd be going to Arkansas first! So I'm sure it's made it there by now. I imagine you'll get it when you go to zone conference. I did send you a letter on Saturday though to your Arkansas address :) I miss you every single day. So i'm bummed you wont get to read this until next Monday but it's ok. I GOT MY CALL IN THE MAIL TODAY!!!! I'm so stinking excited. I'm opening it tomorrow in front of friends and family. I am super bummed that you can't be on the phone, but your family might be so that's almost close to... still not being the same thing... I miss your beautiful face. ooook my mom just left.

I OPENED IT ALREADY BECAUSE WE BOTH KNOW I'M AWFUL AT WAITING...I AM GOING TO RUSSIA!!!!!!! YOU ARE THE FIRST TO KNOW EVEN IF YOU CAN'T READ THIS UNTIL MONDAY. ELLE I'M FREAKING OUT!!!! I HAVE TO LEARN RUSSIAN. ITS REALLY COLD THERE. i want to cry but i can't cuz then everyone would know I peeked...I'm so freaking excited and scared at the same time. I can't even freak out about it!!!! I'm going to vomit. I wish you were here. OOOOOOOH MY GOSHHHHH Russian is sooo stinking hard. 

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I don't even know what to do. I'm dying here. I just realized I didn't even look at the date. Crap. I don't even know when I leave. awww dang...I didn't reseal it yet. Maybe I'll have to go look. 

HOOLLY crap I don't even know what to do right now. I love you woman. I'll let you know when I leave later. I miss you times a million. I love you

k bye.

Freaking out. Love you. "

I did go back and look and I saw June 19 and my heart fell ever so slightly. That is 5 months away. I don't think I'll ever make it. I did fast for patience though. Nothing like a lesson hiding around the corner for you to make your day huh? 

I am so excited though. I was able to pull it off pretty well the next day. I was shaking and tearing up and I don't think anyone could tell that I already knew the contents of the glorious envelope. 

I can't wait to serve my Father in Heaven through serving the beautiful people of Ukraine.

133 days to go!