Counting My Blessings

Oh...I am so blessed! So very blessed! 

This year was my first year at college and it rocked! 

Going to college by myself. Blessing 1: Getting the best roommates I could have ever been blessed with. Heavenly Father definitely knows me more than I know myself!

I applied to be an RA at my apartment complex and my second semester the assistant manager quite and I was hired. Blessing 2: Assistant manager position with a fabulous boss who became my mentor.

I also applied to be an Ambassador at my university and got it. Blessing 3: Getting to know some of the most amazing people of my life and becoming a better leader.

One of my friends recommended a job opening to me and I took it! Blessing 4: Getting a job learning Spanish testing out a new Spanish learning system at the MTC. Did I mention I'm getting paid? To learn Spanish? For my mission? Booyah!

Choosing to go on a mission. Blessing 5: Working to improve my communication with Father in Heaven leading me to be in the right spot at the right time and taking the opportunities that have presented themselves.

Going to the temple. Blessing 6: This has been the best!!! Honestly, I love the temple! I love knowing I'm worthy to go there! I love learning there! I love the Spirit there! I lovelovelove it!

My family. Blessing 7: My family...is the best. For reals. I could never be in the place I am now without them. They are thee best!

Hermana McKenna Finch

My Mission Checklist

Well dang it! I thought I would be better at this blog posting thing...turns out it wasn't meant to be! Despite this post being to remind me that I still have a blog I think I'm going to make a list of everything I still need or want to do before leaving on my mission.

• Make a tulle skirt! I saw a Pinterest (I know, how typical sis mish...right?) tutorial and it looks so easy and cute and I want one!
• Organize and create a binder to help me come back to real life after the mission instead of floundering around:
• how to get back into school
• my class schedule
• housing
• plan to start looking for a new car
• plan to start looking for a new job
• financial budget
• Move all my stuff from my apartment back home
• Sell my car

Ok, I think that's it! My to do list, guess we'll have to see how it works!
Hermana McKenna Finch

Why the Savior *Does* Understand Our Temptation

While at was at my grandpa's house a month or two ago he showed me a paper. The topic of the paper was of Jesus understand the temptation people face and how He was perfect so He couldn't understand anything they had ever experienced before. I had thought about this many times before, but had never reached a conclusion on why He can understand. I had even heard other people mention it and when my grandpa gave me this paper I became so excited about the prospect of the question being answered. This little excerpt really helped me out though and I hope it will do the same for you!

"Some may contend that the Savior cannot empathize with those who succumb to temptation because he never yielded and, therefore, he could not understand the apparently unique circumstances of those who do. The fallacy of such an argument is exposed by C. S. Lewis:

"No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find out the strength of the German army by fighting it, not by giving in. You find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down. A man who gives into temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. This is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness. They have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means - the only complete realist.""

The first introductory paragraph was written by my grandpa I believe, but C. S. Lewis's statement is so accurate and provides such a perspective that I had never considered before, but I love it!! Honestly, I don't think much more needs to be said, or could be said, that C. S. Lewis didn't cover. So there it is. I hope you found this little gem as priceless and helpful as I did!

Hermana McKenna Finch

Annd the Call Comes tooooo........MADRID!

On February 9th, I was able to open my mission call assigning me to the Spain, Madrid mission, Spanish speaking. I cannot wait! I am so excited for this mission! It's unbelievable! Actually, I am quite positive that I just got called to the best mission in the whole world. It was one I had never considered, but I'm finding that the best things in life are the unexpected ones! Here are my top three reasons, I just got called to the best mission in the world:

1. It's in Europe. Europe!!!! Anybody who knows me, knows how much I have always wanted to go to Europe!

2. I'll be speaking Spanish. This will be so helpful when I come back to the states. I don't have the stats, but I think I could take a pretty safe guess in saying that it's the second most spoken language in the US. This will help with job opportunities and in getting to know people. (Yes, I know I'll be learning it with a lisp and I'll be learning the vosotros conjugation of things, but still. Spanish, right?!)

3. I already know a little Spanish! Thank you Mr. Houston for all those ridiculous Spanish conjugation games! 

So yep, guess you could say that Spain is my perfect mission.

Hermana McKenna Finch

Let It Go, and Give It To The Lord

Let me teach you how to make my bed: 1. Place the fitted sheet and top sheet on bed. Straight. No wrinkles. Even on both sides. 2. Place heated blanket. Make sure the cord is tucked under the bed. 3 Put comforter on. Make sure tag is on the bottom of the bed and there are three quilted squares on both sides. 4. Tuck everything in military style. Tight. 5. Put levi blanket on. Tuck in. 6. Place duvet comforter on top with no wrinkles. 7. Place pillows. 

My friends know that it is most likely we will sleep on the couches and floor for sleepovers because I hate it when they throw back the covers in the morning. 

My mom knows that she cannot put away my clothes for me because she will not be able to hang up my color coordinated shirts in my closet and put my pants correctly in their places in my drawers. But nope I’m not a control freak. 

I just like things my way. 

Sometimes it is hard for me to let go and let somebody else do what they want or what they think is best. Honestly it kills me. I cringe inside when working on a project and someone is bound and determined to do something  that will undoubtedly screw up the project.

Sometimes it's hard to let go and let other people handle situations, but what about letting Heavenly Father control our situation? 

What about letting the Holy Ghost guide? 

Sometimes it's even harder to let Him control the situation than people you can actually touch and feel. 

As I was contemplating my decision to serve a mission, one returned sister missionary told me 

"Let it go, and give it to God." 

Wow. Never ever has a phrase struck me and stuck to me as long as this one has. I think it's hard for many of us to let go and completely trust the path our Heavenly Father is leading us on. We know what's best for us after all, it's our life! 

But He knows us. He knows me. 

He has seen all that I can become and has placed me in the optimal position for achieving this potential. 

So here it goes. I'm letting go! I'm giving it to the Lord. 

Hermana McKenna Finch