Come to Listen to a Prophet's Voice...and be Fed

Wow. My life, well, has completely changed. Just like so many other young men and young women of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Saturday morning General Conference changed my life. I CAN GO ON A MISSION! NOW! RIGHT NOW! AAAH! No more waiting for another year and a half. Okay Kaylyn, put on the brakes  and let's consider what actually happened.

This week I've learned a lot about myself. I've learned that the second you decide you are going to serve the Lord, whether it be full-time on a mission or simply changing your heart to be used as an instrument in the Lord's hands, Satan attacks you. I also learned that the people in my life have helped me grow into the person that I am today, but that some of those changes may not have been for the best. And so, comes the necessary trip inside myself to determine what is really most important to me, what my goals, dreams, and desires are that no one else can touch, and that only the Lord can see. Most importantly, I learned that I'm not really falling into a total state of confusion with no vision of where I want to go in my life. I have a pretty good idea of what I want and who I want to become, it's simply remembering everything that is important to me.

One of those desires is, and has always been, to serve a full-time mission. And I'll have the opportunity to do, in about 8 months. haha I'll just be honest to dispel all rumors and speculations- I'm planning to leave on my mission after Winter Semester at BYU, in April or May. I'll be 20 years old, and will leave one year earlier than I previously could have.

I've also learned that my greatest desire in life is service- to help those that the world has ceased to love and no longer cares for. I'm not quite sure all that means yet, but I have some pretty good general ideas. Through personal revelation, I will be able to continue to gain a clearer vision of my life and determine what the Lord would have me do.

So, with that, here are some lessons I learned at General Conference, from the mouths of the prophet, apostles, and other leaders:

• "We arrived on earth trailing clouds of glory"
• Jesus Christ lived each day with a purpose, and did not go around frantically multi-tasking, but looked for the infinite value in each person He met.
• "Service is the very definition of pure religion" 
• "Taking upon the countenance of God means serving others"
• "with faith comes trials of faith, bringing increased faith" 
• "God never hides from His faithful servants" 
• "the Lord's timing may seem long, but His time is always calculated to bless" 
• "Do you remember changing your to-do list to follow a prompting in your heart?" 
• "It is the work of almighty God and it is to change the world"
• "The Lord is in the details of our lives" 
• "to become converted requires us to do and become" 
• "it is not to simply endure the storms but choose the right while they rage"