20th Birthday!!!

     I had the great opportunity of getting out of my teens just a few days ago! Yes this post is gonna be a little random and may seem off topic but to me it is very important! I turned 20 on August 5th 2012. It was kind of a weird feeling to have a birthday out on my mission. It's not even that I usually have my birthday at home, because I don't. As a matter of fact I can't even remember the last time I had a birthday at home. I think the biggest thing that was weird was that I just really didn't know too many people. I mean don't get me wrong I had an awesome birthday but it was just not the same, it was weird...haha. Okay, I think you get the picture.
     To start off my day some of the other missionaries came by my apartment and showered my apartment with balloons! That was an awesome surprise. They hung up a banner, blew some air horns, and gave me cupcakes. It was the best way to start this roller coaster of a day. After our normal morning routine of study and getting ourselves ready for the day we went out to go talk to people before church. We started riding our bikes and as soon as we left it started to rain...yes here is where the roller coaster begins. We got to where we were going and they were only gonna be able to be home for like 20 minutes so we got cut super short. We went to church with some great members. At church a few people said happy birthday to me. We had dinner at one of the members houses and we had a great time there. They had brownies and ice cream for dessert. We went to another member's house and they gave me some cake. We tried to visit some other people and nobody else was home or available at the time. When we got home, I went to open the cards and other things I had for my birthday and didn't get anything from my family which was kind of a bummer. That pretty much wraps up my day.

     Ok so here is the reason I wrote all of this: "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life." (2 Nephi 31:20). This was an easy way I could get this message across. The way we deal with things entirely depends on the way we look at it. The way I described may day made it seem like a roller coaster of a day that was a not so great birthday. In reality, It was amazing! I had a couple of other missionaries come over to my apartment in the early hours of the morning to be with me for a little bit. I was able to share the Lord's message with some people on my birthday, even if it did mean I got a little wet. People at church that really don't even know me too well thought it was important to wish me a happy birthday. A couple members thought it was important for me to have a proper birthday celebration by having me over for dinner, having brownies (with a candle) and birthday cake ice cream, and then cake (with a candle). I was able to spend time with people who like to just love people and that is awesome! I got letters and other goodies from a whole bunch of people from back home that cared enough about me to wish me a happy birthday from all the way across the country. I matter to people! Sure I may not have had anything from my family on my actual birthday but a few days later I got WAY more than I could have asked for. When we have an outlook like the second one it just makes everything better. My invitation is to look for the positive things in your life!




When you look back on your day with a positive attitude how do you see your day change?