Because I Have Been Given Much

I have so much joy and happiness in my life. I can't even express fully how happy I am to be here in India. I knew that I would be happy. I knew that I would love it and it would be something so different than I had ever experienced. I had heard from others that it would change my life, that I would fall in love with the people, place and surroundings, but I did not realize to the extent that it would truly affect me. I have fallen in love with everything about this place. There is something about coming and giving myself completely to others and not worrying about anything for me and being able to help them in ways that I did not realize were possible. I need to be more Christ-like in my daily life and in my actions towards others. I need to be a better example every day and be a follower of Christ so that others can see why I am so happy. I wish everyone could have this kind of experience and spend time around these people who have so little, yet have everything in the world. They live with the bare necessities, sleeping on the ground, no A/C, no microwave, or cars, yet I sit around and will complain about things like emptying the dishwasher if I don't want to. I am just lucky to have a dishwasher and to have such appliances in my life that make my everyday living more pleasurable for myself.

Side note: I love Aubrie! She is such a wonderful example to me every day. She reads conference talks and her scriptures and writes in her journal and you can just tell she has the Spirit with her. She lives her life and has fun but is always kind, loving, and accepting of everyone around her.

How thankful I am to belong to a church that I know is so true and it is exactly the same no matter where I go. I mean I have been to church at many different buildings in random places in the United States, but never halfway across the world. I knew it would be the same church, but sometimes there are those thoughts about it being different or just I guess a fear of the unknown. I had the most wonderful time in Relief Society here, which is usually my most dreaded hour of church, learning about Elder Hollands talk about the Laborers in the Vineyard from General Conference October 2011. The gal giving the lesson was so sweet, earnest, fun-loving, and full of the spirit and a confirmation herself that the lesson was true. She had been inactive for a fair amount of time, has gotten her life back in order recently, and is now planning on serving a mission. She was so real about everything she talked about and the worries we have in life and the confusions that we all face. I am so grateful to have been able to be there for her lesson and to meet her. She will truly be a fantastic missionary wherever she gets called to.

This song has been running through my head for the last two days. It hit me at church when we sang it for the opening hymn and I just had this wave of "wow" hit me like I had never heard the lyrics to the song before. I have always known that I am blessed and need to share with others and give love and kindness but I think sometimes I get so caught up in myself and my life and forget to really give to others. I try to give service, but sometimes I don't think that I really think about it and give it my whole heart. I will forever hear this song and think of India. I will forever try to give service to those around me and to share what I have with others in my life. "I have been changed for good." I want to stay changed and not let this be a short lived experience. I want this to be permanent in my life and real. Not just a three week fantasy that I lived. I can do this. I can be better.

"I shall give love to those in need, I'll show that love by word and deed"