Thursday, December 26, 2013

Christmas With The Kozaks

This year Taylor and I decided we would divide the time evenly between our families.
Since my family is "complicated" we were running around everywhere it felt like haha.
But it was so much fun and so worth it being able to spend time with everyone.

Christmas morning and part of the evening we spent time with his family.
It was fantastic. I love being around all the madness the little kids bring, and just being able to laugh with them over nothing. I can't wait to be an official part of their family!

I couldn't help, but feel a special Christmas Spirit yesterday.
What a better way to remember the Savior than to spend time with the amazing people he has placed in your life.

Merry Christmas 








Keep Calm & Keep Christ in Christmas

xoxo
Carly

Monday, December 23, 2013

Be Thankful For The Good

Q: If there is a God why would he allow bad things to happen in the world?

A: (Found in 2 Nephi of the Book of Mormon)

"32 And again, the Lord God hath commanded that men should not murder; that they should not lie; that they should not steal; that they should not take the name of the Lord their God in vain; that they should not envy; that they should not have malice; that they should not contend one with another; that they should not commit whoredoms; and that they should do none of these things; for whoso doeth them shall perish.

 33 For none of these iniquities come of the Lord; for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.

23 For behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you that the Lord God worketh not in darkness.

 24 He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation."

     God has given us the guidelines to be happy (the commandments). He literally commands us not to do things that will hurt us or others. If we all followed the commandments we would live in a world that was free from murder, lying, stealing, cheating, hurting. 
    God does not wish any of us to experience the effects of bad choices. But because God loves us and wants us to chose for ourselves, he gave every man their agency. We have the privilege to choose between good and evil. Do not blame God for the bad in the world, but be thankful that He has brought good into the world. And all that is unfair about the world can be made right through his atonement :) 



Smile, and remember you're a child of God. He wants you to be happy!





When life seems unfair remember:

Keep Calm & Wait On

I promise there are brighter days ahead :)

Learn more at mormon.org


xoxo
Carly

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

'Tis the Season

With Christmas coming up, I know you missionary girlfriends are cramming for last minute gifts for your missionaries. Trust me been there done that.

So I decided to compose a post of little gifts and crafts you can add to you Christmas package.

Season's Greetings Ladies-- Happy Waiting


Letters:









Crafts:




Christmas Eve Kit


Missionary Ornament





Pictures:


Credit: Katie Mallard

Credit: Hayley Hardy


Credit: Aleigh Mellinger

Credit: Megan King

Credit: Kenzie Thornton

Credit: Ashlie Albrecht

Credit: Miranda Soria

Credit: Erica Wu

Credit: Natalie Klein

Credit: Desiree Moore


Keep Calm & Wait On

My missionary might be home, but there is no way I am leaving my girls behind :)
Shout out to all the MGs featured on here: thanks for your inspiration!

Love you all!
Keep Waiting.

xoxo
Carly 









Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Guess Who's Back

Oh how I have missed my sweet missionary girlfriends.
I am so sorry it has taken me this long to write this post. I bet you are all wondering what the heck is going on.
Well ladies a lot has changed, I'll give you an update.

Carly






So last time on the blog, I was serving a mission in Santiago, Chile.
Unfortunately after 2 months of faithful service in the field, I became very sick.
I was going to the doctor multiple times a weak, I was misdiagnosed, bed ridden, and ended up in the mission home for about 5 days. I was mostly waiting for a decision to be made about my health.
It was the hardest thing I ever went through. Finally, my mission President called me and told me to come into his office in the morning. My heart pounded with anticipation that morning. I took the bus over to the mission office, he called me in, sat me down, and told me that Salt Lake had decided that I need to go home to receive surgery. 
My heart broke into a million tiny pieces all over his desk.
How could I leave?
How could I say goodbye to all the people here?
What if they still need me?
I couldn't leave. I didn't want to. But I did because that is what the Lord needed me to do.

My mission taught me so many things, but the most important are these:
Christ is real, He is our foundation and if we have Him we have everything.
God has a plan for each of us. It is specifically customized for you and me. 

I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to serve a mission. It was the greatest experience. Even though it is hard, I know I am suppose to be home. God has a plan for me and I am trying to be who He needs me to be. 

Taylor





Well, by some sort of strange twist of events my missionary Taylor was also sent home on medical leave. In fact, he was sent home the day I flew out. I had no idea for about a month. 
He was able to serve 8 months as a full-time missionary.
He was dedicated, focused, and changed the lives of so many people.
He too understood that he needed to follow God's plan for him and come home.
While I was out, he supported me so faithfully and with out question. He never once asked me to stop serving the Lord. He was my number one support system. He knew God's plan for us and accepted it with a smile on his face.
However, it was not easy. It was challenging for him. He was sent home because he has an illness that was misdiagnosed over and over again. He still is blindly following the knowledge of doctors, praying to know what to do.
It was even harder for him having me gone.
But God had a plan and He was so merciful.

Reunited at Last








As I boarded my plane home, I was sad because I felt that my time was cut short. But I'll never forget my anticipation to see my sweet heart. It had been almost a year. With a full and anxious heart, stupid questions began to run through my mind:
What if he is too different?
What if I am too different?
What if I am awkward?
What do I say?
Should I hug him?
I was stupid. The moment my 14 hour plane ride ended, all the questions stopped. I was beyond excited. 
I practically ran off and rushed to the bathroom, because well I have a bladder problem and my nerves were not helping. I was so scatter brained I couldn't find where my luggage was.
Finally, I headed down that infamous escalator and saw my sweet heart standing at the bottom with a rose in his hand and that same sweet smile on his face. I ran down the escalator and jumped into his arms and I never looked back.
Everything was perfect. 

Since we have been home, things have been amazing. 
I have never been so happy and smitten with anyone in my entire life.
This is the kind of love they write songs about.
This is what poets rhyme about.
This is what apostles preach about.
This is the kind of love directors write scripts about.
This is what every little girl dreams about.
And I have it, and I'll cherish it, and I'll thank God every day for it.


Ladies the wait is worth it.
They do come home.
Sometimes sooner than we expect.
Sometimes in the craziest of circumstances.
But they come home.
Keep calm & wait on my loves.


xoxo
Forever a proud missionary girlfriend,

Carly