because I have been given much

Hello all!

With Thanksgiving and the holiday season coming up, I've been thinking about living with gratitude and serving others. I found this video today and I really liked it because it reminded me to hold dear everything God has given me.

I know that I am so blessed and have so much to be grateful for. This video reminded me that I need to be expressing my gratitude more often. I want God to know every day how grateful I am. I don't want to wait until a really hard challenge comes my way before I start praising God and showing thankfulness.


This video also reminded me of a verse I read a couple weeks ago that I really liked:
D&C 42:30 - And behold, thou wilt remember the poor, and consecrate of thy properties for their support that which thou hast to impart unto them, with a covenant and a deed which cannot be broken. 

Consecrate means "to make or declare sacred; set apart or dedicate to the service of a deity." So what does it mean to consecrate of your properties for the support of the poor? I liked what the man in this video said - "live simply so other people can simply live." 

What this verse taught me is that I should dedicate everything God has given me to the service of others. I have been blessed so abundantly, and I know that Heavenly Father wants me to use the resources I've been given to improve the lives of others. What an amazing calling - to be able to show your gratitude by dedicating all that you have to the service of others and therefore to the service of God.

I am so grateful for this time of year because the holiday season fills our hearts with the spirit of gratitude, love, and service. Let us be grateful servants all the year round. Decide now to dedicate all that you have to the service of God. 

Have a great Thanksgiving! 

Love, Haley. 

living higher

What does it mean to live higher?

To me, it's about progress. It's about perspective and purpose. It's about getting outside yourself and serving God and your fellow man.

But wait - when I have so much going on in my own life, how can I possibly worry about purpose?! I'm barely able to even keep up on my homework every day!

It can be hard to make time for meaningful service and devotion to God. But here is what I have learned: you will find the time if you look for it. I definitely believe that God will help you make the time you need to serve Him if you are willing to make the effort.

I really admire the fact that this woman spends so much time working on a project that isn't easy - but one that helps so many people. She sacrifices her time and energy working on these dresses not because she gets recognition from man, but because she knows it is the right thing to do and it gives her purpose.

What a wonderful thing it is to live higher, to live for more. 

My very favorite scripture of ALL TIME can be found in the Doctrine and Covenants and this is how it reads:
D&C 25:10 - And verily I say unto thee that thou shalt lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better.

Friends, there is a better world out there. There is a better world that we should be preparing for. When I die and meet God, I want to be comfortable where He is. I want to live my life in a way that prepares me to dwell with God. It is my belief that I can do that by living a life full of service and purpose. I want to spend my entire life reaching higher and striving to be better than I was yesterday. 

It isn't easy. It takes work. But I know that the more I work hard to improve, the more I serve God's children, the more purposeful my life becomes, the closer I will be to God and the more prepared I will be to stand in His presence. I know that I am already blessed for my efforts now, but how much more will I be blessed when I choose to mold myself into something more, something worthy of a kingdom higher than this one?

My prayer is that we can all strive to carve for ourselves lives of purpose, and it is my sincerest hope that God feels like I am reaching higher. 

Have a great Sunday,
Haley

P.S. Totally got a kick out of the "I'm certainly ready to go anytime He wants me."

observe and learn from others!

Hey guys! Sorry I didn't blog last week!
Hopefully all your summers are going great… I'm leaving for pioneer trek TOMORROW and I am really excited! Anxious too, but mostly excited! :) I will be sure to post about that when I get back home.

I saw this quote on Pinterest the other day and thought it was interesting. You could definitely interpret it multiple ways, but in the moment it made me wonder how many people around me have things to teach me - to teach everyone - and yet they never open their mouths.

I know so many quiet people; people that I didn't really expect much from but have really surprised me once I've gotten to know them.

The people around you have more to teach you than you might ever believe. You can learn so much about love and compassion and hard work and true joy and sacrifice just by watching others. Can you think of someone in your life whom you have learned something from, even if they never used words to teach you?

Pay attention to others. Be perceptive. You have no idea what lessons you might learn if you watch others and ask people about their lives, especially people you don't usually talk to.

What else could be accomplished by reaching out and paying attention to people, do you think? In a regional stake conference we had a couple months ago, I heard the following quote:
"Some ask in silence because their arms are too tired to be lifted up."
Could there be people around you who need - even desperately need - help but don't ask for it?
Certainly!

I feel like I'm jumping around a bit, but I think the message I'm trying to get across is pay attention to people. Don't just go through life with your blinders on, only thinking about yourself.

There are people to help. There are people to learn from. There are people who have needs and don't make them known. There are people who could bless your life greatly if you just reached out to them and got to know them.

One thing I know about people is that they can surprise you. So be aware of the people around you. We need others to help us be our best selves. And others need YOU!

People hold their tongues. They don't always tell others what they are really thinking. In fact, they rarely do. Learn to be perceptive and understanding of others. Their life will be blessed and surely yours will be as well!



Have a great week! I'll just be trekking away!

Haley

cheer up others

One thing I've learned in my life is that service heals!
It heals the server, it heals the person being served. It heals society!

When I serve others I grow closer to God. I learn how to care for and minister to others, and I also learn about myself.

There is nothing more humbling than reaching out to others, and in the process realizing that my own life isn't too bad. I always get a better perspective on my life when I stop to cheer up a friend.

Remember that nobody can go through life on their own. Some of society's greatest problems could honestly be solved if everyone felt that they had a friend who loved them unconditionally.
I mean, how great is it to know that others love you, care about you, and are rooting for you to succeed?

How great is it to know that God loves you. That even the God of the universe is hoping you will realize your dreams!

Help others to feel loved. Help them to feel not only loved, but also appreciated and needed by others and by God.
Help others to feel joy and be cheerful.

I promise your life will be so much more fulfilling and happy if you do!

Haley


P.S. I'm definitely rethinking the Monday-Thursday blogging schedule. Don't count on that.
It's just that recently I've been frustrated because I don't really always have great ideas at the top of my head to blog about. So when Monday/Thursday rolls around, I often end up settling for a post I don't really like because that's the best I can do at the moment.
Like today. I've been sick and exhausted all day and really didn't feel like blogging. But I thought this little picture and quote was cute, so that was what I went with. Haha.
But regardless of the days I choose to post, I promise I will continue to try to be good about posting often. :)
Have a lovely evening!

serve often, judge never, love always.

I remember when I was in school in seventh grade and one of my teachers was telling the class something about how he knew some homeless people in Salt Lake City. One of the kids asked about giving them money and our teacher said "oh no - you don't give them money." He said that you would be smarter to give money to organized charities.

Well… I totally see where he's coming from. He's not the only one who thinks this, and I see why people doubt that their money is going to the right person and will be used for the right purpose.

But you know what I think? It's my responsibility to help others. God didn't bless me with all that I have just so I could sit here and do nothing.

Shipping your money off to charities is awesome. It really is awesome if you are doing that. Many people are not able to and probably even more just choose not to. I'm sure your money is doing amazing things.

Maybe I'm just selfish. I like to see people's reactions! I like to walk away from serving an individual with that good feeling that I helped someone with something specific.

But still, I see nothing wrong with giving money to homeless people.

EVEN IF they aren't really homeless. EVEN IF they are just going to buy drugs. EVEN IF it just"encourages them."

SO WHAT?

Like I said before, it is my responsibility to do everything I can to help others and serve God's children. I don't care what they do with the money; that is their responsibility, and I guess they will be held accountable for their decision.



I'm tired of judging others, of distributing my acts of service like precious nuggets of gold that I can only spare so many of.

I don't have a hundred dollars to hand out to people. Goodness, I wish I did!
BUT there is work for me to do. There are lives for me to change, even if it is just through simple acts.

And I know I should be thinking of Every. Person. I. See. the way God sees them. If I can't, I should at least pretend that I can. If you tell yourself something over and over again, you start to believe it.
Think of how you would see people - see life! - if you always tried to think the things Jesus would.


Last week we had Evening of Excellence for the young women in our ward, which is where we kinda celebrate the things the girls have accomplished throughout the year. The room and setup were darling, and there was a cute black and white picture framed of every girl in the ward on display next to some objects each girl had chosen to showcase that represents her.
Anyways, it was darling and I was just sitting there thinking how cute it all looked and how cute the pictures were and how close I feel to all those girls when this incredible feeling came over me. For just a few moments, I feel like I was seeing those girls the way God does. It was like this overwhelming feeling of love and pride at all their talents washed over me. It only lasted a moment, and I don't know how I got so lucky or what I did to invite the Spirit into my heart so strongly at that moment, but I loved it.

It made me realize how much differently I would see the world if I just thought those things on my own all the time.

I know that when I let the Spirit into my heart, try my best to serve others ALWAYS in any way that I can, and remind myself to always see the good in others, my life will be exponentially happier and more fulfilling.

I love God and I feel so blessed right now. I know that He wants me to feed His sheep and help others return to Him. So this I'll do, because I want nothing more than to be His servant.

Have an awesome week guys, and commit right now to serve often, judge never, and love always.

-Haley

everything about fiji!

I feel like I never really did a very good post about my trip to Fiji. I know I've shared a few pictures, but I wanted to document my trip on here a bit more thoroughly!

Note: I didn't take all these pictures! Our group made a Google Plus account and we have a group on Facebook so everyone has shared their pics. And pretty much everyone else's pictures were cooler than mine. So yeah, just thought I should put that out there.


AND there are a TON of pictures and it's really hard to narrow down which ones to share on here. So you will be probably getting a reeeeally long post that still has only a fraction of the pictures I could share.

Without further adieu:

DAY 1 (JULY 2):
Most definitely a day full of anticipation! And so much last minute packing! It took me literally weeks to get everything I needed to take on my trip. Oh and to get some shots. Joy.

I headed to the airport at 4pm and met some kids there who would be on my trip. We just kinda hung out at the airport before flying to LA. Once in LA, we checked our bags with FIJI AIRWAYS and met up with our entire group at a McDonalds at the airport. It was quite a wait before we had to board our flight for Fiji at 11:30, so we played cards and mostly ate food.

The flight was SO long. Well, it was like eleven hours. And I can never sleep on airplanes. So yeah, long.

DAY 2:
We got to Fiji really early in the morning - about 5am. We picked up our bags and got on the bus. We rode on the same bus to get everywhere during the trip. Our bus driver was named Reese and he was awesome. After touring around the town a bit, we headed to the docks to get on this little boat that we all barely squished in. We took a sickening two hour (ish) boat ride to this little island called Waya Lai Lai to do some touristy things for a couple of days. Gosh that country is BEAUTIFUL!

1. Packing. My backpack was all I took to Waya Lai Lai - needless to say it was stuffed!
2. Officially a passport holder!
3. Fiji airways!!
4. Waiting/meeting new people at the airport!
5. On the airplane. We must have just boarded, because those girls look happy! That airplane sucked the happiness right out of you!
6. Arriving at the Nadi, Fiji airport. Those men in the picture were playing music and singing to welcome us!
7. First view of Fiji outside the airport.
8. On the party bus!
9. Boat ride to Waya Lai Lai

Our first day on Waya Lai Lai we spent relaxing and enjoying the beach. Imagine the most gorgeous beach that your mind could ever possibly create. I was there! :) The local people welcomed us to their island and they sang - and sang and sang. Even as I fell asleep that first night I could hear them down in the village singing. It was awesome.

1. Another pic of the boat ride
2. The little bures the people lived in
3. the beach
4. hammock/the beach
5. Waya Lai Lai custom canoe!
6. After the hike!
7. Playing a game of volleyball
8. Bonfire the first night
9. Where we slept. All the girls in one room - with mosquito nets to keep the bugs away!

DAY 3:
Got up and had breakfast before going snorkeling! The ocean was so incredibly beautiful! Oh and I swam with a shark!! Whoop! Then we rode around to the other side of the island to visit the school there. We ate there and played with the kids and they showed us around their school before doing a cute little performance for us where they danced and sang songs. We gave them some school supplies and it was really cool because you could tell how much their little school needed them.
After getting back from the school, some women on the island taught us how to weave bracelets out of palm leaves.
That night, the local men and women put on a cultural performance for us. It was super fun to see them dance and sing and show us their traditions.

1. Yes, that is me on that little mountain thing. 2. Cute little starfish 3. All of us out snorkeling 4. Underwater pics! 5. Me in the water 6. Kids jumping off the rock 7. Random picture of me in the water 8. Kids at the school 9. Michelle reading a book to some school boys 10. Me with a cute kid in the classroom! 11. Kids dancing for us! 12. Cute kiddos 13. Girl looking at this cute mobile 14. Making bracelets out of palm leaves 15. Women doing a cultural dance for us 16. Us joining in on the dancing! 17. Men dancing for us 18. I wrote "fiji" in the sand! 19. The village people singing to us as we left the island for the last time.

DAY 4: 
After eating breakfast and hanging out for a little bit, we packed up and left Waya Lai Lai. What a great time we had on that island! Once we got back to the mainland, we stopped at a gas station to get snacks and stuff before making the 5 hour bus ride to Suva! The only American foods they had at the gas station were Pringles and some types of soda! I'm not exactly the most adventurous eater in the world, so after all the cultural food we ate on the island, I was so ready for some Pringles! haha!
We made it to our hotel - there were four or five to a room. Think of the hotel as the oldest motel six you have ever seen. That was kinda the quality. All the hallways and the eating place were outside, but we stayed in these little apartment rooms. At least the bathrooms were better than they had been on the island! There were no slugs in them! Haha!
It was great. We just kinda spent the night unpacking, playing games, and eating. I took a warm shower! The showers there were kinda unpredictable. Usually you might get a couple minutes of your shower to be warm. I must have gotten lucky that night!

DAY 5: 
Day 5 was a Sunday. We went to an internet cafe to email home. It was so fun. I got to tell my family all about what we had been doing, and I knew they were anxious to hear! It felt like I hadn't talked to them in forever!
After an hour at the internet cafe, we went to church. The ward actually had quite a few young women. Maybe like 15 or so, but I think I expected less. Most of the men wore sulus to church, the - for lack of better words - skirts you see a lot of the men wearing in Fiji. It was fast and testimony meeting, and there were a lot of funny stories told over the pulpit.
Oh, they speak english in Fiji. They speak Fijian too, but most of the people also know english, and that's what they spoke at church.
Also, if you say "good afternoon" or something like that to start out your testimony or talk, the congregation repeats it back to you. We should start that here!
After church we had a late lunch and then went to see the Suva temple. It was so pretty. We spent some time on the grounds just reading scriptures and writing in our journals. It started to rain, so we took shelter under a roof at the front of the temple and carried on!
We had a fireside that night and the youth of the Suva 3rd ward (the ward we went to church and did activities with) sang a bunch of songs for us.
The bishop announced that he would be showcasing his talents for us the next week and that we wouldn't want to miss it because usually his CD is really expensive! Haha! He also announced that the HEFY kids would be doing a musical number next week and that we are really good. He talked us up big time, it was funny.

Random note: The phrase "Fiji Time" pops up a lot there. It means go slow, relax, take your time, etc. I definitely liked living on Fiji Time!

1. All the girls at the church
2. the boys
3. Suva, Fiji temple
4. Me in front of the temple
5. Me with Angie and (I think) Ruth at the church, two primary girls. We had refreshments after the fireside.
6. All of the kids at the temple

DAY 6:
We finally started work projects! We split into work groups and talked a little about what we would be doing. We made the 45 minute drive to the little village of Nakawauru, where we would be working.
Because it was the first day, we first participated in a ceremony welcoming us into their village. It involved the leaders of the village, a lot of talk in Fijian, and clapping. Anyways, when it was over we were welcomed to work in their village! :)
Each of the work groups got a house that we would be building a bathroom for. We worked throughout the day and took a break for lunch and also a couple short breaks for "tea time" - snacks with the family we were working for that the women had made.
We got so dirty working. I felt like my clothes and shoes were ruined after day 1! The kids in the village were so cute and flocked to us when we offered candy and prizes!
The men in the village worked alongside us as we built the toilets and septic tanks. After day 1 was finished, we had dug out the bathroom and had a lot of cinder blocks stacked. We mixed a TON of cement by hand over the course of making these bathrooms! We also dug a hole for the septic tank on the first day.
When we got back to the hotel, we showered (heavenly), ate, then went to the store. We bought snacks - I pretty much bought a ton of Oreos and Pringles - and the boys bought sulus to wear to church the next week.
We went to Family Home Evening with the ward at the church building. We played lots of funny games. A bishopric member joked about how it takes ten minutes to sing the Spirit of God (he was right)!
After the games were over, we had refreshments, then our HEFY group went to the chapel to practice our musical numbers for church the next week.
Oh, and when we were at the supermarket, a lady saw that my shirt said "utah" and asked if I was LDS. She said she had been to Utah!

1. the house my group built a toilet for 2. random pig in the village! 3. community center where we ate lunch and gathered for other reasons 4. I think they called him David 5. tea time 6. the food we ate 7. me with Junior and Harrilea (totally made up the spelling on that) 8. lunchtime 9. working on the bathroom 10. kids chilling in the wheelbarrows 11. Junior making a face 12. me with - I can't remember his name, but isn't he cute?! 13. girls sawing a board 14. Me with David 15. FHE with the ward 16. Cute kid after he got a balloon animal!

DAY 7:
Another work day. A bunch of the HEFY kids (definitely not me) tried really hot chilis during lunch. Their faces were hysterical. The Fijians really loved the treats we brought. I think the adults asked for a dumdum sucker more often than the kids did!
The family we built for was so cute. There was a 79 year old woman named Mary. There was also her daughter, Kaycee, and Kaycee's two children. A lot of people came and went, so I'm not sure if there were more people living in that little house, there probably were!
At the end of the day, we were running a little behind, so some of the women who lived in our house came out and helped us. This was really unusual, so it was fun to see!
After getting home and showering, we went to get pizza! Reese, our bus driver, came with us.
After we ate, we went to play volleyball with the ward. After volleyball, we practiced our musical numbers again.

DAY 8:
Another work day. After working, our group went to see Despicable Me 2, which had just come out in theaters. After the movie, we went back to the hotel and played cards.

Random note: My Fijian name is Helena.

DAY 9:
After working, we played sports with the ward again. The youth of the ward love sports, and they go to the church building and play every morning from 5am-7am before school. That is so crazy!

1. peek-a-boo! 2. some of the village people 3. playing around with the huge leaves! 4. getting pizza 5. kids reaching for candy 6. hot chilis!! 7. Posing with a minion at the theater 8. seeing Despicable Me 2 9. goofing off at the hotel! 10. mixing cement - for the millionth time! 11. getting backs cracked during lunch 12. cute kiddos 13. at the worksite 14. arm wrestling during lunch 15. with Shivani at the church 16. playing sports at the church

1. Reese is a stud. 2. so cute! 3. at the worksite 4. Junior hanging upside down 5. getting some rest after a long day! 6. with some village girls 7. toilet in progress 8. with a village boy 9. admiring some of the pictures we had taken of them. They don't get their picture taken very often! 10. with village kids 11. I think this was when a boy from our group touched his eye after eating a chili. It takes ten kids to administer eyedrops! 12. Some of the locals would get rides into the city with us 13. septic tank in progress 14. random picture of the city 15. with some kids 16. we ate coconuts!

1. Devin and I working 2. Pic with Junior 3. the expressions on these kids' faces makes me laugh. 4. I'm not sure he should be playing in a septic tank! haha! 5. tea time - showing off some of the jewelry that we brought for the family to play with :) 6. Working on the roof - my favorite.

DAY 10:
We worked in the village all day - I told one of the men there that his son was so cute and I wanted to take him home with me. He said that a kid from the last HEFY group to be in the village asked him the same thing but that he could never give him up! :) After working, we went back to the hotel and showered and got ready to go to the temple. We spent a lovely night doing baptisms for the dead. The temple there is just so darn pretty! After baptisms, we went back to the hotel, ate dinner, and played cards until bedtime.

Baptisms!

DAY 11: 
Day 11 was a Saturday, so we didn't go to the village. We drove like 45 minutes to get to a member's house to go net fishing and hang out on the beach. Net fishing didn't take too long, and we certainly brought up some interesting fish! We hung out and found about a million hermit crabs. We also played volleyball and ate lunch there before leaving to go zip lining. We literally went zip lining in a rainforest. It was BEAUTIFUL.
We went to McDonald's for dinner. I seriously looked forward to this all week. I mean, Big Macs may be way more expensive in Fiji, but it was delicious comfort food for me.
After dinner, we went back to the hotel and got ready for a dance that we had with the ward's youth.
What a fun day!

 1. pulling the nets in 2. puffer fish! 3. Hanging out at the house 4. the whole clan 5. fish we brought in 6. climbing a lopsided palm tree 7. another picture of Mrs. Puff 8. hermit crab 9. with yet another really cute kid 10. so. many. hermit crabs. 11. this guy was so so strong. Seriously, look at those muscles. 12. Made it to the top! 13. About to go zip lining! 14. zip lining high above the ground 15. at McDonald's. yayayayay. 16. the church we had all our activities at.

1. with the ward missionaries 2. at the dance 3. some of the guys at the dance 4. me and Daniel

DAY 12:
Sunday again, we went to the internet cafe to email home. Sydney hacked into my college board account (didn't have the username or password - still not sure how that happened, haha) to tell me I got a 4 on the AP world history test. yay! I read emails and wrote a really long email home. It was so fun. We went to church, and the HEFY kids participated in sacrament meeting. A couple of our kids gave talks, and a couple other kids and I bore testimonies. After sacrament meeting, all the members sang "God Be With You Till We Meet Again." It was great spiritual feel-goodness. I was sad to be leaving the ward.
After church we went back to the hotel, changed into comfortable clothes, and did a few activities as a group. We passed around papers and wrote compliments to each other, and we also played a charades game.
That night, we went to a fireside at the church. We sang and some of the ward members spoke.

DAY 13:
Monday was a light work day because we did a whole lot of painting. The bathrooms were finally starting to look finished.
That night, we split into groups and went to ward members' homes to do FHE. We got there and didn't expect to have the lesson, we thought they were teaching us! Turns out we were wrong! haha! So we just shared thoughts about keeping your standards and we each shared some stories. A boy in our group shared this story about keeping his standards, but it had to do with rugby, so all the Fijians caught in the end was that he played rugby. They love rugby. The family that we had FHE with shared some interesting things with us. They said that in New Zealand, rugby is not played on Sundays at a national level because there are some really good LDS players on the teams who don't want to play on Sundays. Cool!

Random notes: the Fijians recognized just about every conference talk we mentioned. Fijians always seemed to pray really quietly. Also, the person who leads the music when we sing at church functions always sings a few bars for everyone before we start so that everyone knows what song we are singing. Yeah, I could never do that.

We also found out that it was going to cost each of the youth $30 Fijian dollars (like $20 here) to go to youth conference this year, and they were having to do a ton of fundraisers because the youth's families didn't have enough money. That made me so sad!
Later in the week, a bunch of the HEFY kids contributed a little bit of money to their youth conference fund. It felt good to help out!

DAY 14:
We completely finished our bathroom on this day! Because our group finished a little early, we were able to go over and help another group who was behind. I got so sticky with paint, and it was so hard to get off. Even after a shower, you still had paint on your skin.
Some of the villagers caught a mongoose in this little trap they made, cooked it, and ate it. It was so gross looking. I did not eat it!
We went over to a school in a nearby village to give them some school supplies. A boy in our group decided to do his eagle project while we were in Fiji, so that is what he did, he put together and organized the delivery of a bunch of kits of school supplies to bring to the school.
There were so. many. kids. And if you pulled out a sucker or something to give to one little kid, fifty more would run up and literally tackle you for whatever you were giving out. It was insane!
We went around to the classrooms - they were so cute! And we hung out with the kids some and danced with them, playing this little game they enjoy.
It was all super fun.
One of the Fijian men said something special to me this day. He said that what we were doing would go down in the history books of their village. He expressed to me how grateful everyone was, and especially how great it was that the 79 year old in our house would finally get a toilet. It was really neat to hear.
After working, we went to the botanical gardens and spent some time there, each of us sharing something that stood out to us on our trip and what we learned.
After that, we went to play sports with the ward.
After our evening devotional (we had devotionals every night and morning), we packed up most of our clothes and decided what we would want to donate to the village in the morning. It was important to remember that even though our work clothes and shoes felt ruined to us, the people in Fiji would really appreciate them.

 1. we etched our names in the finished septic tank 2. yay! about done! 3. kids at the school sitting in a circle 4. delivering bags of school supplies 5. one of the finished bathrooms 6. putting together school supply bags 7. at the botanical gardens 8. me with my name on the septic tank! 9. our finished bathroom! 10. me with Joe and a couple of his kids 11. the mongoose 12. the cutest kindergarten classroom 13. me with some of the school girls 14. group of us at the school 15. finished bathroom and a bunch of the people who worked on it! 16. boy dancing in the middle of the circle at the school

1. school kids 2. a bunch of us at the church after sports 3. Mary enjoying her new bathroom with some of her younger relatives! 4. the workers + the family that lived there - plus whoever wanted to be in the picture! haha!

DAY 15:
What a day. Before going to the village, we went to the store to get gifts for the families. They also gave us gifts in return! We were given some clothes, sulus, dresses, etc. We played some soccer with the kids with a new soccer ball they had received.
After exchanging gifts with our families, everyone went to the community center where we had a sort of closing ceremony. We ate, and the villagers sang songs for us. We sang "God Be With You Till We Meet Again" to the villagers. They have all these cool, cultural farewell songs, so it was cool that we had a song to sing for them too. No one in the village was LDS, but a lot of them were Christian. Maybe some of them had heard the song before, but I don't think so.
We said our goodbyes, and lots of tears were shed.
One of the village's leaders told us that we had represented our country well and that we represented Jesus Christ well. It was super neat.
We pretty much drove home in silence. Reese sensed the mood and didn't play any music, which was incredibly unlike him! Everyone was so sad to be leaving behind these people that we had grown to know and love as we served them.
We finished packing our bags before going to the church at seven. The ward had a cultural celebration planned for us. We danced, watched the Fijians dance, and ate dinner. They said that since we saw some of their cultural dances, now we could show them ours!
Ummm... do we have cultural dances? I guess we could have done a line dance or something! We just did an EFY dance that a bunch of us knew and called it good! :)
We had refreshments and the ward sang us one more song before we left. It was called Isa Lei, which is a traditional farewell song they have there. It was the third time we had heard it. We heard it when we left Waya Lai Lai, and it was also one of the songs the villagers sang to us earlier that same day. Now the ward was singing it?! So basically that song reminds me of all the sad moments of saying goodbye. It makes me happy too, though, because it reminds me of all the good times we had. You can listen to it here.
After saying goodbye to the ward, we went back to the hotel and stayed up really late talking and hanging out. I couldn't believe we were leaving the next day!

 1. some snacks we picked up while at the store! 2. exchanging gifts with our family 3. playing soccer - that's Reese in the green shirt. 4. necklaces made of leaves and flowers that were given to us 5. kids doing a little dance for us 6. Joe's wife (who we always just called "momma") made this beautiful dress! 7. Our work group in our cultural garb 8. closing kava ceremony 9. some HEFY kids dancing to the music. We blended right in with the Fijians in our new clothes! 10. the last supper 11. a bunch of us girls 12. Some of Joe's family waving goodbye 13. the village seeing us off 14. ward youth dancing for us 15. more ward boys doing a dance 16. another cultural dance - this one by the women in the ward. A couple girls from our group learned this dance with them a few days earlier and performed it with them (in case you were wondering why there was a blonde in the picture!)

1. a few of us starting out the EFY dance. The rest of us joined in moments after. 2. a bunch of us with Shivani 3. me with a couple of the young women's leaders 4. me with the bishop

DAY 16:
On our last day in Fiji, we went shopping for souvenirs! We went to a few different places; some things were bought at a retail store, others we bartered for at these little markets. It was super fun, I do love me some shopping! I spent so much money buying souvenirs for my family and for myself! haha! We ate lunch at the food court in the supermarket. I bought myself a huge piece of chocolate cake.
After we bought our souvenirs and crammed them into our bags, we started out the five hour drive back to Nadi. A couple of our trip leaders were staying in Suva, so we had to leave them behind! It was sad! We had great trip leaders! We were all really tired on the drive back to Nadi, but it was super hard to sleep on the bus because it was so bumpy.
When we got to Nadi, we stopped and got pizza for dinner before going to the airport. We had to wait a while before our flight left late at night. We saw a couple missionaries at the airport who were leaving to go home! Eventually we boarded the plane and made the long flight home. The timing was all super weird because even though we left Fiji really late Thursday night, we arrived in LA at about 1pm on Thursday!
The line to get through customs was really long, and we saw more missionaries there who were arriving home! Oh and I met Lana Del Rey. I don't even listen to her very often, but I know a couple of her songs so I got a picture with her. More for everybody else than for me, haha. I have a couple of friends who like her.
We claimed our bags and said goodbye to most of our group. It was sad, but not too bad because we had plans to meet up again and have a reunion!
We had to wait a few hours before our plane going back to Salt Lake City boarded. I flew home with three other people from our group. Everyone else had split off to fly different places or fly different airlines. I pretty much just ate McDonald's. yum.

At home, my family was waiting for me at the airport! We went to Coldstone on our way home! It was so fun to tell my family about my trip and give them the souvenirs I had bought them. As soon as we got home, I showed them all my pictures. I went to bed so late, even though I had been up for who knows how long!

1. one of the markets we went to 2. shopping for trinkets! 3. kava shop we saw 4. there were a lot of masks bought! 5. picture with Reese and the party bus 6. long, tiring drive 7. we felt the need to take a picture with Fiji water while in Fiji. They actually sold a lot of it there. 8. hanging out at the airport in Nadi 9. just after arriving in LA 10. me with Lana Del Rey



I miss Fiji so much! I was truly so sad to leave! I learned so much there and this experience gave me a different perspective and reminded me that I am so lucky and that it is very important and so worth it to serve others. I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to travel, also! Tell your kids to save up for a HEFY trip! (go to hefy.org!) I really wish I could go again, but I'm pretty sure I won't be able to save up again. I got lucky last year because I was working a lot and got donations from some generous friends. But whether I get to go again or not, I wouldn't trade my experience for anything! It was a truly once in a lifetime trip that I will look back on forever!

So there you have it! (If you even read this far down - I know this post is so long.) I'm so glad it's documented. And I'm so glad I got to make some awesome friends and that I have these memories.


Some of us met up about a month later. We hung out and stayed the night at some of the kids' homes before going to see Devin's farewell the next morning. He left for the Philippines on his mission only about a month after we got back from Fiji!

This was us at Devin's farewell at the end of August!

And one more thing!

If you've read all this, you have to spend a few minutes and watch the following video. Lauren, a girl on our trip, is responsible for many of the awesome pictures we have from Fiji, and she took lots of little videos during the trip and compiled them into the following video. It is so awesome! Just watch it! 

FIJI from Lauren Jackson on Vimeo.

Amazing, right? She is so talented!


Okay. This post took me literally hours to write. Wow. There goes my whole night and my good night's sleep I was looking forward to. haha, just kidding. I'll go to bed now. Hope you enjoyed! I'll be back soon, check out my last post here!

leave a mark

Whew!! Is it July 28th already? I have been gone sooo much and have been so busy!

Sorry for the blog negligence! :)

So first of all, I left for FIJI on July 2nd and it was the Most. Amazing. Trip. Ever. It was so fun and I was so sad to have to leave! The people there have so little and yet are the most content, happy people ever! And the ward there was awesome! So many fun people!

I am away from home (yet again) in California at the moment, so I won't share too many pictures. It is just a pain to upload the pictures because my internet is reeeeally slow right now! :)

Chilling on the beautiful beaches



 

Baptisms at the Suva temple

 Me with Harrilea and Junior

 

Me with village kids

 

Some of us with a bunch of the ward's youth

 

At a school in the village

 

Working on the bathroom

 

Finished toilet and septic tank!

 

Me with David

 

We had so much fun serving the people, playing with the kids, learning about the culture, swimming in the ocean, making new friends, participating in church activities, and doing other fun things like seeing a movie and going to McDonalds! Tell your kids to save/fundraise for a HEFY (link) trip!! It is the most incredible organization ever!

 

It was so neat to see such a different part of the world. It helped me to be a more rounded person and gave me new perspectives. You guys, be grateful for what you have!!!

I was also reminded how much God loves everyone.

People! YOU. MATTER!!! And if you are ever feeling down on yourself, try serving others. Be a light to other people and make their lives better. I promise you, it will make you feel important when you spend your time being an instrument in the Lord's hands.

I heard something interesting when we were at the temple doing baptisms for the dead. The temple president came to give us a little thought before we got started, and I love what he said. He read off a few of the names of people we would be getting baptized for and shared their birth dates and where they were born. He reminded us that they were real people who lived and breathed and until now probably thought they had been forgotten. He got a little emotional and pointed out that these people are probably never thought of anymore, never mentioned. Who knows - their names being spoken in the font may be the first time they've been mentioned in years and years.

I don't want to leave people forgotten. I want to feed Christ's lambs. I want to serve Him forever and ever. I want my friends to feel like I love them. I want to make sure that I leave this life having given everything I could possibly give.

I want to rescue people. I want to strengthen Christ's army. I want to leave a mark on the world - leave a mark in heaven.

This is my purpose, and this I will do.

I truly could never share enough about my experience in Fiji. But it didn't end in Fiji.

There are people here who need me. And most definitely people here who need you.

“Go forward in life with a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face, but with great purpose in heart.”  - Gordon B. Hinckley

You guys are awesome. I'm really stoked to start blogging a lot again. I'm just spending time with family here in California, but when I get home the summer should start winding down and I can get myself back into a good blogging routine!

Have a lovely day!

Haley

you've just been pep talked! (and pass on the joy!)

This little video makes me so happy. And it makes me laugh. Hard.

This is life! You've got air coming through your nose! You've got a heart beating!
And you were made to be awesome.

You are so blessed. So blessed.


“Have you had a kindness shown? Pass it on; 'Twas not given for thee alone, Pass it on; Let it travel down the years, Let it wipe another's tears, 'Til in Heaven the deed appears - Pass it on. ” 
- Henry Burton

I feel like - being so blessed with a happy life - I have the responsibility to make others feel that same happiness. I want others to come closer to God and I want to teach them to choose to be happy. 

My blessings are not for me alone. They are for others too. 
I've started trying to be more and more aware of others - maybe trying to spot out their needs. 

- Like paying for the person behind you in the drive-thru at Wendy's. It's usually only a few dollars and maybe that person was having a crappy day.
- Sending a text to someone you don't talk to a lot... maybe they are really needing a pick-me-up. 
-Send a thank you card to someone for something little. 
- Just be more patient with people... on the road, at the cash register... you really have no idea what is going on and getting impatient with people doesn't get you anywhere. Instead, try just smiling at them when they look to you apologetically... like it's no big deal. (Because it isn't.)

You can really brighten someone's day by doing really tiny things. You can be the one to give them more faith in the world. The angels in heaven are watching, and I'll bet they will commend you one day. 
"Remember that day you said [insert here] to Billy? Well, he's my son. I know it seemed like no big deal to you, but those words really helped him get through his trials. They helped remind him that there is still good in the world even though he was devastated by my death... I was looking down, so grateful to you."

Hehe. I am kinda chuckling at myself right now. That's a weird example, but do you get what I mean? 

Okay, I was trying to embed one more video to finish, but I can't seem to get it to work. Click here to watch. It's really short. 

And if you liked it, try this one, this one, this one, this one, this one... I'm sure there are more. But I'd better get to bed. :)


Just remember - they may never meet you again, but you can make the world a better place just by helping out, making days brighter, and consequently changing people's attitudes. 

And one thing's almost certain. They'll pass it on. 

help a friend. change a life.

I often wonder what sort of impact I could possibly have on the world.

There are billions of people who have died - and most of their names ends up becoming just that - another name. One little name - a few syllables among billions and billions.



The people that are remembered are the helpers. The lovers, the fighters, the thoughtful, caring people.
The people who make you rethink who you are - and make you want to be a better person. The people who make you feel like a better person just because they treat you that way.

The people who get up and do something productive. The people who try to make others' lives better.

I think everybody wants to be remembered for something like that.

Ask yourself - Do I really care about my fellow man? Really truly? What kind of person am I? What will I be remembered for?

Your actions and decisions determine which blessings you are worthy of.
The way you treat people and how much you truly care... it comes right back around.

So... don't just pray for the poor/sick/sorrowful/suffering man.
D.O. something to help them. Show that you really, truly care. Make an effort.

And people will really. truly. care about you in return.

Be the helper, the lover, the fighter. Don't forget that every little tiny action contributes to and shapes the mosaic of humanity. You can save lives. You can be remembered.

What do you guys think of the above quote/picture? What does it mean to you? And how much do you care?

empathize.

There is someone out there with the perfect words to say to you.

They are going through - or have already experienced - the same things you're going through.
And boy, could you guys support each other.
You could talk and talk and talk and become best friends.

It's nice to have someone to confide in. Someone who just... knows. 


These people are hard to come by, but they are around.
But why are they so hard to find?

I suppose that can be answered in the little poem above.
We hide ourselves.
Not the good things, of course not the good things.

We hide the bad, the ugly, the mistakes, the hardships... etc...
But those are what people need to hear!

1 Corinthians 10:13 - There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

You are never alone. Ever. Everything that you go through... someone has experienced it before you.

“If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.” 

- Regina Brett

Open yourself up. Share what you know.
A certain confidence comes with knowing.
And it takes a certain person to see what others need and have the courage to share their experiences... to fill that need.


So, for the good and happiness of everyone, be that person. Share what you know with others. Observe, then serve.

And wear your blue skin out in the open sometimes. Or maybe wear a few less layers on top. You could really bless a lot of lives.

lord have mercy

This song is incredible. 

100% of proceeds go to the Emilie Parker family fund. You can buy the video or just the song here.






P.S. Yesterday was the greatest day of my life.

what legacy will be YOURS??

"Every once in a while when we look up at the stars, we get a glimpse of the scale that's beyond the human scale, and it's fascinating and great," - Klaus Volpert


Do you ever feel... just lost in the sea of humanity?

Up until a few years ago, I never realized how big the world truly is. How insignificant I am - and how pretty much nothing is in my control.

I can see light and darkness all around me. In the people all around me.
And then - well, what am I? Who am I exactly in this sea of humanity?

And why am I here? I breathe the air. I learn from brilliant minds and I am touched by the love of others. So what do I owe the world in exchange for all this?

And God is the reason I exist. He is the reason the whole world exists.

So what do I owe him for that?

---------

"You are good. But it's not enough just to be good. You must be good for something. You must contribute good to the world. The world must be a better place for your presence. And the good that is in you must be spread to others."—Gordon B. Hinkley

----------

We only have a few short years to live this life - and an eternity to remember it.

By serving I can become good for something. I will help the people around me.

Even with small things. Because you truly never know - never have any idea - how your actions and words affect those around you.

Have you ever wondered of your legacy?

Will people remember who you are after you've died? Will they hear your name and think "I am grateful to her..."?

And what people? Many or just a few?



Do you think people might read my name generations from now and wonder if I laughed, cried, told jokes, did math... if I believed in Jesus?



Well they might not need to wonder. Could you leave a legacy that lasts for generations?


I believe that even if you touch one human heart - one of God's precious souls -

Well, what a beautiful legacy. Because not only will those people remember you, they will tell of you.


Your body may not live forever... let's face it, everyone dies.
The hope is that we will create something that will live forever.

You can continue to serve and inspire people even after your death.



So create many beautiful moments, beautiful memories, beautiful friendships, and a beautiful love of people and of God.


Because giving back is the Christmas spirit.

And by giving back, you create a Legacy. 

no. excuses.

No, this isn't a post on chastity. :)

And I love the music they use in the backgrounds of these videos. :)

Okay.

Elder Holland kinda calls out all the young men in this video... but of course, this can apply to many, many people. Not just young men who hold the Priesthood. :)

In the beginning when I first watched it, I felt all guilty and thought of what a terrible person I am... haha. But it ends happy and has a very good message.


"This is a life and death contest we're in, young men."

When I watch this video, it hits home what an important battle I am fighting... the outcome of this battle doesn't just affect my life. It affects my eternity. It affects the eternities of those around me.

And the straight path... it truly is narrow. And you really have to work if you want to achieve your eternal goals. They won't just be handed to you... of this, I am certain.

We talked a little about lame excuses in seminary today...

----------

Luke 14

 15 - And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.

 16 - Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:

 17 - And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.

 18 - And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.

 19 - And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.

 20 - And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.

24 - For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.

----------

So... we decided that "I have married a wife" was the lamest of the three excuses for why the men couldn't come to supper. :)


You know, I try really hard not to be too blunt when blogging. But I like how Elder Holland... well, he really is pretty blunt sometimes.

Because, as he said, nothing else seems to work.


To be honest, there are a lot of things I don't know.
I don't know what my future holds - or what yours holds.

But I know that my God doesn't want excuses.


He wants no more Oh I'll go to church every week and I believe everything I hear... but that's enough spirituality until next Sunday.

No more Oh I'll tell my kids the scriptures are true, but I don't need to read them. 

No more then I'll repent or I'll start praying tomorrow.

He isn't in need of hearers only.

Our God needs DOERS!!!


Think of the Conference talks we have heard just recently.

We have sheep to feed.

Lives to bless.

People to save.


We have work to do! And now is the time to be fully converted!

No more excuses.

No more hypocrisy.

(Not saying you are a hypocrite and of course I am not exempt!)

There are people out there who need you.

They need the Gospel and you are the one meant to bring this Good News to them.



So do good.

Be good.


And show your gratitude for God - and for all that He has given you.

And do whatever it takes to become truly converted so you can fight this battle.


no. more. excuses.



Because I have chosen to fight for what is right.

And I need you on my side.