We all have a destiny, we just have to find it
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Day 5, and so far I have already been called as a chair of both the music and the planning committee, then, as of today, I was pulled off to the side to be a greeter for the new sister missionaries. My task as a greeter would have to be touring them around, be with them during lunches, and help with whatever they needed. Of course, out of all people, they asked someone who is brand new herself. Hahaha. I don't even know were to find my way around the building myself! So that's what I discovered this week, a smile on my face and a determination to get things done has put me in the right place at the right time. My journey is this mission and I'm going to take it seriously and I have realized that others have acknowledged that I have. There's no mediocrity in this mission, not in my boat, nor will I take the easy road. Sure, it's not easy, but I found myself enjoying this more than anything. I haven't spent a day where I felt miserable. I have made it a game, and I enjoy smiling while I work. I tried to go beyond what I was told, not because I wanted to show off, but because I wanted to prove to myself how hard I can work. If I am to serve this mission, I am to do my best. Today I came across a Korean content error. Most missionaries would usually skip over this because, heck! They don't speak Korean. Sometimes we can just copy and paste it on Google Translate, but they took a picture, you can't copy and paste the text on that! So I took pictures and sent them to my Korean speaking brother. Bryant was able to translate and because of that, I was able to solve the content error and send it off to communications (which I may end up with it again because I'm moving to communications next week). That wasn't an easy task, yet, because I knew it needed to be done, I did it. I have noticed that our 'don't have time for that' definition kind of turns into 'I'm too lazy to do it so I'll let someone else do it' definition. Honestly, I'm very guilty of this, but admit it, we all are guilty of doing such things. What we need to understand is if everyone thinks that way, it means it will never get done. Let me show you an example; an abandoned jacket sits in the middle of a busy sidewalk, most people just go around it, others step right over. Of course, our first thought is 'someone should pick that up', but does that mean we ourselves will pick it up? Hundreds of people can pass that same jacket and be thinking the same thing, yet expect someone else to do it. Eventually, it just sits there for hours until someone finally bends over and picks it up. Suddenly, everyone who thought about it feels guilty because they realized they weren't the one who picked it up, So why don't we choose to pick it up? As I would stare into the cue of content errors, some of them had been sitting in there for days, yet nobody had touched it because the sentence was either unclear or it was in a different language. It still can be done, it just needs a little bit more effort. Our Destiny involves effort. Even if it needs to be a little bit more than you are comfortable with, but once it is done, it is more satisfying than if we chose a simple path. We can't find our destiny without effort, it's that clear! I think of the song: Mr.Mediocrity from the Ziggy Singers, where they sing about how Mr.Mediocrity just doesn't take the effort, he just takes the middle road. We don't want to be like Mr.Mediocrity. So as I finish up, I would just like to say how much I enjoy this mission so far! I have enjoyed it because I enjoy doing it, I would like to conclude with a quote: So yes! If you take the effort, you'll love doing it! That's what a journey is, finding what you love and that is how you will find your destiny.
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Since the beginning of this wonderful journey of this service-mission, I came across a realization that I am in a building full of nerds! Of course, it's right up my alley, because I will admit, I am one too. For get-to-know-you questions for the new missionaries, one of the questions they would ask would be 'what's your Hogwarts house?' or 'if you were a dragon, what would you breathe?'. So that's what a nerd question is in case you were wondering.
While I like to focus on the destiny, I would like to say how much we can still have fun to find our destiny. I first thought when entering this missionary department, it would be all spiritual and everyone would be all missionary-like and not talk about anything else but the gospel. Well... that's the thing, it still is full of the spirit, but it's still okay to have a little fun. Asking a new missionary what kind of breathing dragon they would be is totally fine. Although sometimes I would joke around, or make puns, as long as I found myself consistently working on the Lords calling, I felt the spirit as I would work. Our destiny doesn't have to be all serious. I think we all tend to find ourselves expecting a serious future one day, but even as adults you still need entertainment. Between good friends, the power of the imagination, and many other ways, we can still enjoy life. That is part of our destiny, to enjoy life and if it is all serious and boring, where is the joy in that? I don't sit at my desk and write and write and write, just because I want to be a published author. I write with excitement, I make it a game to see how far I can get with the story without tripping into writers block again (the discovery writers worst enemy). Our Destiny is our passions, our desires, but we need the fun to find those desires. This mission, even with the three days I've been there, has made me realize how fun it can be when I'm serving the Lord on a daily basis, and that was when I was around others who wanted to do the same. It's a happy environment, happier than any other workplace I have ever been in. Everyone is set on doing the lords work, and they do it with excitement and a few clean jokes here and there just makes the environment even brighter. So I'd like to say as a final note, even if you haven't found your destiny quite yet, it doesn't mean you need to be sad until the time comes. You are currently in the journey, and that journey needs to lead you to a happy destiny, but a happy destiny can't be happy unless you find your happiness first. Enjoy life right now, the present is the one thing that you can constantly change, and changing your attitude with a grateful joyous heart, can bring the pure happiness in our journey. So today I started my service-mission. We started with the simplistic training of what we would be doing and with some very nerdy missionaries. Right up my alley! From Hogwarts houses to fire breathing dragons, I already had some geeky comments throughout this day, but what I would like to talk about is the truth about the cold.
Yes. The cold. Freezing roads, snowy mountains, foggy streets, this is the true season called Utah's February. I decided I wasn't going to take the Trax or bus, so instead, I found myself walking four blocks up a freezing road. Those four blocks seemed a whole lot longer. Although, between it all, heavenly father did not want me to die. Not saying I died on the way to the church office building, but I almost did when I drove to the airport to pick up my parents on Sunday. The roads had just frozen over and my sister and I decided to say a prayer before getting on it to pick up my parents in Salt Lake. Although the roads were fine at first, as soon as we passed the point of the mountain, we found ourselves slipping. I took careful precautions, gripping the wheel, pumping my breaks and going slower than the speed limit. The weightless back of my truck left us still sliding across the Interstate. The first one was terrifying, the truck squiggling across my lane, but I was able to quickly gain control and merged to a less icy lane. Or so I thought. After just passing the point of the mountain I found myself not only squiggling, but the entire truck was starting to rotate, sliding its way directly towards the median. I pumped and turned towards the turn, gripping the wheel with my life before it came to a sudden halt just inches from the cement wall splitting the North and South Interstate. With my heart beating out of my chest, I found myself watching cars drive past me, my truck facing them (luckily pulled over). How could I turn around on the interstate? With another careful prayer, my sister and I prayed half in tears. Upon finishing, a large gap of no cars opened up just perfect for me to slowly U-turn back into the interstate. I did so and stayed in the first lane where I turned on my emergency lights and went no faster than thirty on the interstate. If they wanted to go around me, so be it, but I wasn't going to swerve again. And somehow, we made it to airport just in time to pick up my parents. Usually, my sister and I would fight over who would get the front middle seat, but we both said we were sitting in the back. We didn't want to watch that truck get back on those slick roads again, thus why I was letting my dad drive. A thought hit me today as I realized, I could've died. I could've crashed into that median and I would find myself in the hospital and I wouldn't be attending my mission today. Heavenly Father wanted me to be here, so even amidst the slickery slopes, God finds a way for us to serve him. This mission is a part of my destiny, that is why we were saved on that icy night. We were blessed with missing the median, finding enough space for a U-turn, arriving at the airport on time, getting home safely, remembering how to control the truck, and avoiding hitting any cars on the interstate. We all have slickery slopes in our lives, a moment where we think all is lost, perhaps a mixture of fear and faith, the two elements that contradict each other. My sister and I had faith we would reach the airport, but I was afraid of those slick roads. With prayer, we can be blessed to surpass our slickery slopes, but it is faith that can help us control them. Have you ever had a moment where you can't quite describe a certain feeling? You know there is a word for it, but it's not there at the tip of your tongue. There are always those certain moments. Allow me show you some examples:
- That feeling after making eye contact with someone you somehow feel you recognize, but have never met them before in your life - The beauty and peace of looking at a newborn infant as you hold them in your arms. -That feeling after stepping out of the movie theater after an amazing show -The satisfaction after smelling something in another environment, but have smelled it before from a memorial place in your past. Tonight I had that experience. At 7:00, I had the moment to sit with the stake presidency to be set apart as the service missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. My stake President said that I was the handmaid of the lord, helping him in this wonderful experience. As I sat down and I was set apart where my brothers, my dad and those who supported me, laid their hands on my head and President Isaac said a beautiful blessing for me. It was a moment I could not escape, but as we finished up, my brother asked me how I was feeling. All I could truly tell him was 'it couldn't be explained'. It was the moment of unexplained peace of the spirit of Christ. I'm sure all of us has gone through a moment where we couldn't describe a certain word. We want to, but it still can't be explained. Honestly, walking out of the movie theater with that feeling drives me crazy. I want to talk about it, but everyone else around me is in too much in awe to truly express it either. Once you get home though, the moment has passed and it's too late. Perhaps you have had moments where you felt like this! Comment below, I would love to hear what you say on moments. Perhaps this isn't the beginning of my own journey, but this is the beginning of you continuing the journey with me! To start out with, though, I would like to make a disclaimer that I will be officially starting my Service mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on Tuesday February 19th. Once Tuesday comes along, I will have a whole lot to say and add to this blog. Today is the beginning, I am getting it out now so when it does start, we are starting from day one!
Over the weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to attend LTUE; Life the Universe and Everything, a writing and gaming conference in Provo. There I was able to understand the works of publishing and editing, the difference between freelance, self and traditional publishing and what to do to prepare for that. What I didn't realize was that I was a lot more ahead than I realized. This means that I have a stronger chance of actually publishing a book within the next couple of years! Yesterday I was able to sign up to have the first ten pages of my book looked over by a professional editor. Of course I was nervous! But when the time came, she read the ten pages, gave me feedback and by the end, she gave the comment that she wanted to finish my book if there was time for it. I was so bummed she couldn't finish it, but so excited that I got a professional so excited for a work I was able to write! So you know what world?! I'm going to publish this book, and someone is going to enjoy it! What is so nice about having a service-mission is they encourage you to also prepare for your future. Because of this, I will be able to send out my books to publishers and get the process started. Man, I'm so frigging' excited to have this moment so close. Closer than I ever thought it would get. Eight years is a long time to be writing, yet have never published a single thing. I have a destiny, perhaps I don't know what it is fully quite yet, but I know god has a plan for me. I just need to keep following what my heart feels, because my heart is the key to finding the destiny god has planned for me. |
Kaylee CasuttI have been writing for over eight years now and have been both building to publish my first book and serve as a service-missionary of The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Everything I write will contribute to the journey destined I have been striving to find and build. Archives
May 2020
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