wake up & LIVE

i have this weird obsession with words... like i'll hear a line of lyrics in a song or some words from a speech or maybe just a simple quote from the radio host and next thing you know i have looked it up, stuck it on a favorite photo, set it as my phone background (& lock screen!), printed this photo out, framed it, put it by my bed, mailed it to my grandmother, and even sent it to Obama ... ok that's a little bit of an exaggeration but seriously guys... i hang on to words like they are part of my soul. maybe that's why i was always so quiet throughout high school, maybe that's why i'm not particularly a "people person" ... because words are special. and i think a lot of people waste their words on unimportant things. i'll sit in a restaurant and listen to the people talk around me. i won't give my input because i think it's just not worth the breath.

now i am sure you're asking, well brigitte what do you think is worth your breath and what's not. well i'll tell you what... this blog post is pretty worthless right now... but maybe in the next paragraph i will be able to inspire someone to do something great and courageous. to travel or to read a book you've always wanted to. my point is, if your words aren't uplifting someone in some way or working towards bettering someone else's life or, perhaps making life more enjoyable, then talk is pretty useless. 

go out. do something. travel. learn. serve. grow. LIVE. okay, so do you want to know the words i recently came across that are USEFUL, INSPIRING & i think ...... PERFECT? okay there are three quotes i found on pinterest ... here they are:

because in the end, you won't remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. climb that goddamn mountain.

and

an adventurous life does not necessarily mean climbing mountains, swimming with sharks or jumping off cliffs. it means risking yourself by leaving a little piece of you behind in all those you meet along the way.

and

i choose... to live by choice, not by chance; to make changes, not excuses; to be motivated not manipulated; to be useful, not used; to excel, not compete. i choose self-esteem, not self pity. i choose to listen to my inner voice, not the random opinions of others.

 so, in summary... whatever your dream is, or maybe it's just a little craving like you wanna read a particular book, don't let your DREAM remain just a DREAM. make it reality. go out and do it. this 'mountain' doesn't have to be an actual mountain, just a goal you have. you can do it!!!! i believe in you.

but if the adventurous life isn't for you, or maybe not alllll the time, just be sure to make your words and actions count. be the kind of person that inspires others, or at least makes them think.

& be happy, courageous, motivated, useful, have respect for yourself and others, but always stick to your heart. don't let anyone tear you down.

so these three quotes are my obsession at the moment, and i'm sure i'll find new quotes or lyrics soon, so stay tuned! you can read about my next random thought ;) oh and be sure to print off these quotes and mail them to your grandmother! (...i'd maybe stay away from mailing these to the president tho)

xoxo

Called To Serve!! :)

I have been called as a missionary of my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and will be serving in the Hawaii Honolulu Mission. As a missionary of the church, I will teach others of Jesus Christ, the gospel of His church, and the Book of Mormon. This is not a paid job, but voluntary service to strengthen my testimony of Jesus Christ and to come closer to god as I direct all of my energy towards service, love, and most importantly, Christ and His church.

So, you may ask "well, how can you become a missionary and why?"

The easy question is why, but the how question is a little more complicated haha ... At the age of 18 (men) and 19 (women), young men and women have the opportunity to go serve a mission for 24 months (men) or 18 months (women). First, they must have the desire to serve. Which means, they must have a testimony of the church and it's teachings. Then, they must be worthy of service. Which means, they must follow the commandments of God and lead a clean and worthy life. Once they have met all the requirements, (and the church is very specific on these requirements), they may start their mission papers. This is all of the missionary's information, and I mean allllll... from their birth date to their grandfather's friend's ex-wife's son-in-law's cousin's SSN... (okay, a bit of exaggeration). The church asks for medical background, emotional background, and family background ... (or are those all the same thing haha) .. school background, etc. etc. The missionary must also have a dental checkup and medical physical along with a vaccine update. Anyway... long process... some missionaries finish their papers in a week, others can take up to a couple months or more depending on any "discovery" dilemmas they encounter (wisdom teeth removal, tooth cavity fill, medical problem, etc). Once all the papers are done, the missionary meets with their bishop (their local leader). Once cleared with the bishop, the missionary goes to the Stake President (another local church leader who is over a bigger area). The stake president asks more questions that will prepare the missionary to go through the temple (Woah, let's not get into that on this blog post ... kinda a long story). Then, the papers are SUBMITTED to the First Presidency  of the church (yay!). There are specialists who looks over the medical and dental info and send the papers to the Missionary Crew (as i call it here in utah). The missionary's paperwork is assigned to one of the highest leaders of the church called a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles . The Missionary Crew and the leader sit, pray, talk ... i dunno, they do whatever they need to in order to get the inspiration of where the young man or young woman should serve as a missionary haha. And that is my whole point, WE BELIEVE THE CALLING IS INSPIRED FROM GOD. Once the decision is made, the call is mailed out to the missionary, and the missionary will have some time between the calling and leaving to prepare. From there, a missionary is sent to a Missionary Training Center (MTC)  where they will learn how to preach the gospel, how to be servants of The Lord, and possibly learn the language they will be preaching in.

wow that was a long explanation haha i apologize :)

Why do I want to serve as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? Because I love the gospel of this church. Just thinking about it brings me incredible, deep, deep happiness. I know this church and it's teachings are true. I know we have a modern day prophet, Thomas S. Monson. I know that through Christ and through living the commandments taught in the scriptures, we can reach our full potential and return to live with our Heavenly Father after this life. Because this gospel makes me so incredibly happy, I have a huge desire to share it with others! Elder David A. Bednar (a member of the Twelve Apostles) said:

"when we find a treatment or medication that alleviates pain with which we have long suffered, or we receive counsel that enables us to face challenges with courage and perplexities with patience. Sharing with other people things that are most meaningful to us or have helped us is not unusual at all." (conference address 2014)

It's human nature to want to spread good word, share good news, and build on good ideas. This is what we, as missionaries, are doing.
For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to study my book of mormon, or go to that church activity, or learn about the savior's life, but I DIDN'T HAVE TIME. Whaaattt? No time to do what should be the most important tasks?? A mission, for me personally, will be a whole eighteen months of me, the gospel, my Savior, and service. It will be hard and demanding, but it will be worth it. I look forward to relying entirely upon my Savior and doing what He needs me to be doing. I owe it to Him. I owe it to the brothers and sisters i will teach in Hawaii. I owe it because He has given me EVERYTHING. I love this gospel, and I know it is true. I am so excited to get out into the mission field. <3

i will be starting a new blog where my weekly emails will be posted. I will post the link here very soon :)