Last Minute Preparations

Jeez! It literally feels like last minute preparations cause time is growing rapidly sparse. I am currently doing as much as possible to prepare. These past few weeks I've been going to Brother Warren Miller's Missionary Preparation class at the SLCC Institute Monday through Thursday from 12-12:50pm. I've been going to the temple as often as I can. We even went as a mission prep class group to the Manti Temple a few weeks ago. That's where I met Matt Baxter - a possible future companion.

He's going to the same mission as me and he's even leaving the exact same date for the MTC! We've gotten to know each other a little more as we've gone to through a few sessions together and we both hope that we are in the same district in the MTC. Aside from that, I've made it a goal to finish studying and reading through Preach My Gospel by the time I leave for the MTC. So far I haven't gotten too far, but I think I can do it.

Overall I'm getting more and more nervous as the days fly by. Although I have everything acquired and pretty much packed the pressure's building exponentially. I can't help but feeling stressed that I'm going to forget to pack something or forget to do something before I leave. The anxiety is also weighing on my friends and family who all want to get enough time to spend with me. I'm praying daily for strength and courage to leave the ones I love here, in order to go serve the ones I will grow to love in Oregon.

Mission Checklist Completed

I have pretty much collected all the necessary items for my mission! Now all I have to do is pack and wait. I have about a month left here and I am going to start working on preparing to speak on September 11th. I'm super excited, though, I don't want the time to pass too quickly 'cause I don't want to leave my friends and family just yet.

Endowment

I went through the 11 AM session in the Salt Lake Temple this morning to be Endowed. I arrived at the temple close to 9:30 AM to perform initiatories and preparatory procedures with escort, one of my best friends, Keith Wood. At around 10:30 the people I invited to the session arrived (Grandma, Aunt Margo, Uncle Mike, Greg Jensen, Mary Jensen, Lucinda Jensen, John Solomon and his wife, Mike Welch and his Wife, and Ben DeMann; Nicole Jensen performed baptisms and confirmations for the dead in the baptistry during the session).

The session was wonderful! I think it was so cool and personally I found it quite entertaining. It was so natural and I felt right at home. I loved the Spirit and the overall good feelings of the surroundings and the ceremony.
We met my parents and some friends outside the temple afterwards and went out for lunch to celebrate. It was truly a spectacular day. Definitely my favorite "Temple Day" yet.

Full-Use Temple Recommend

I have been interviewed by my bishop and my stake president, and I have been declared worthy to enter the temple and receive my Endowments. I now hold a full-use recommend which I can use to enter the temple to perform initiatories, endowments, sealings, baptisms, and confirmations. I will be Endowed for my first time as soon as I can. I am so happy and anxious to be Endowed!!!