Ahhhh...Dentists. As I've mentioned before, I
have a tendency to be pretty prideful. I'm proud of my hair, my sweater vests,
my double chins, and my overall superiority at all things extremely lame. And
most importantly, I am very proud of my teeth. I brush countless times a day,
whiten, and really spend an exorbitant amount of time admiring them. So one
would readily assume that I love going to the dentist. Well you are wrong, my
friends. The dentist is where my carefully constructed tower of pride is bowled
over with just one glance at my blasted molars. With all my primping and
preening, I still get cavities. Oh the shame!
Last October, I think I actually wept out of
frustration and let all my wild emotions loose, much to the dismay of the
dentist who had the misfortune of humbling me. Where is all this going, you may
ask? Well, I visited the MTC dentist today to see if I had cavities. I didn't
want a Tom Hanks moment from "Castaway" out in the boonies of the
Andes. I went in there, steel-faced, already very humbled and… I didn't have
any cavities! The wonderfully wrinkly old man told me that I had PERFECT teeth,
that my sweater vests were indeed wonderful, and that no one could beat my
ability of making double chins. All the missionaries in the waiting room were
accosted by my cries of delight. Such a great story to start off an email full
of great news!
"He that exalteth himself shall be
abased, and he that abaseth himself shall be exalted." (Doctrine and
Covenants 101:42)
This last Sunday was Fast Sunday. I fasted (no
food or water) for 24 HOURS. Take a moment to really understand that. It's a big deal for
someone who is constantly hangry. I just put faith into that God will help His
children who are willing to sacrifice for Him. I started the day ready to be
very uncomfortable in exchange for spiritual enlightenment and blessings for
the person I love dearly, whom was the subject of my fast. To my everlasting
astonishment, I was blessed with an absence of hunger. God accepted my
sacrifice, as small as it was, and multiplied my blessings. I know that if we
strive to follow the commandments of God, with a faithful and devoted heart, we
will be strengthened in our weaknesses. All things will be made possible
because God loves us! He desires for us to return to Him because we are His
children. What a blessing it was for me to feel that love through my 24 hours
of fasting and to also end it by consuming 10 servings of green beans when it
was over.
"And if men come unto me I will show unto
them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my
grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they
humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things
become strong unto them." Ether 12:27 (Book of
Mormon)
MOST IMPORTANTLY, I AM GOING TO CUSCO PERU ON MONDAY MONDAY MONDAY. (July 15, 2013)
I will send addresses next week and tell all
about my adventures of llamas and not being able to understand anyone! I am so
excited it is unbelievable. We were not expected to go to Peru for a couple
months because of visa problems, but a straight up miracle has occurred and
we are all going with no visas at all! I am telling you, this work is important to
our Heavenly Father!
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| We just got our travel itineraries to PERU! |
No time! Next week is going to be the best and
hardest thing of my life, so please pray for me! I love you all and thanks so
much for all the support.
Love, Hermana Alex (8
dollars richer from completing dares fearlessly)
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| Packing |
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| MTC District |
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| Straight from the horse's mouth: "The amount of planning that went into these pictures...ridiculous." |
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