hey everyone! Sorry I havent had time to write for my blog. there is never enough time in the day! So first off I have learned SOOOOO MUCHHH! I can teach an entire lesson in Spanish now which is prettty amazing considering I have never spoken Spanish in my life prior to three weeks ago! Iwas origanally in a trio companionship and I loveee them! Both hermanas are so sweet and are so positive all the time not to mention they are hilarious! We get along so well! Then last week we got a new hermana in our district because she finally got her visa so she got transferred from provo mtc. Shes nice, but, its super hard. I keep praying for patience and stuff and it definitely helps! `I have been learning so much in my scripture study! I feel like I am reading the scriptures for the first time ever. I love the book of mosiah right now. I just finished reading king Benjamins talk/ speech thing on the tower. I LOVE IT!! I really am enjoying my time here. My district consists of three hermanas (other than me) and (5 elders.) they are so great!
I am so thankful this oppurtunity. We went proselyting last saturday and it was one of the coolest experiences in my life. We kept getting rejected by peole but then we would have little successes. We met one guy who was super prepared for the gospel. It was so cool! He committed to going to church and was super pumped about it! I only have a few more mminutes but i will be sure to write more next time! Hope everyone is doing well!

so I want to write a funny moment on each of my posts so my first one is:

I was walking down the street during proselyting and a random motorcycler made a u turn and looked like he was going to mug us so I was freaking out! so he started coming up to us and he looked like he was going to shake my hand so I put my hand out and started introducing us as missionaries (secretly hoping he wouldnt mug us) and then all of the sudden he pulls me in and kisses my on the cheek.  (its custome here but.... not ok for a missionary haha) My teacher was there so she just laughed and told me how to avoid it next time. needless to say I will never forget that moment. My latina companion nearly peed her pants. funny stuff.

3....days....

I gotta say, Having only 3 days left till I leave for the MTC is bittersweet. In one moment, I'm sad to be leaving my family. My older sister is having a baby! I'm super sad I'm gonna miss out on the first year or so. But, on the other hand, I'm super excited to be embarking on my mission! 3 days is not long enough, yet, somehow too long!! As I am packing I am finding that Im so unsure if whether I am bringing too much or not enough, or, if my suitcase is too heavy!  It's all so stressful, yet, such a sweet joy to know that I am leaving soon for 18 months to Bolivia to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I truly do love this gospel so much and it is a sacrifie to put a few things in life on hold, yet, such a beautiful blessing that I am able to serve! I'll be posting my address and email on here so you can all keep in contact:)
XOXO
(soon to be Hermana)
Schylar T. :)

7... days... AHHHHHHH!

In exactly 7 days from today I will be set apart as a full time missionary!!! Talk about SCARY, exhilirating, crazy, tender moments!

Today has been an emotional rollercoaster. Not only have I cried tears of sadness, I've cried tears of joy, nervousness, and excitment! At the moment I am not crying, but, I am so excited! Throughout my preparation time since I got my mission call, (5 months to be exact), I've had such great experiences. Most recently I gave my farewell talk, basically saved a man's life, and had a life altering experience. 

1st- I gave my farewell talk this past Sunday (4/28/2013). I struggled and struggled. I started writing my talk two weeks in advance and apparently that is not a good idea. It only made me more nervous and anxious. I wrote, re-wrote, and then re-wrote my talk again. The night before I gave my talk I reviewed my talk. I was nearly in tears thinking I was going to make a fool of myself. (did I mention I've been super emotional lately?) I knelt down in a prayer and asked that I would be able to convey the message properly and have the Holy Ghost with me as I perfected my talk. When I started revising my talk after that prayer, it was like I was Ernest Hemmingway, or even better, Nicholas Sparks. My words were so fluid and made since all of the sudden. Quotes and scriptures from my research were finally cohesive and made sense to my subject! 

I was also very lucky to have been able to sing a duet of "Oh Lord, My Redeemer" with my mom! Turns out the Choir got scheduled for the same day:/ We were sitting up in the front at the beginning of sacrament and the Bishop leaned over and whispered, "Oh can you sing your duet after the choir sings their musical number?" I just about had a panic attack! (not really...I was actually pretty calm considering the circumstances.) The choir's musical number was absolutely beautiful. That in combination with the song my mom and I sang, truely brought the Spirit to the meeting. When I got up to talk, I wasnt even that nervous. Words just flowed and made sense (totally a first for my public speaking experiences!). I had such an incredible day! As I was speaking I noticed my Young Women's leader from a few years ago (who is in a different stake might I add). She was there to support me! It really meant a lot that so many of my family members and advisers were there to support me! 

2nd- I kinda helped a man. I was driving with my sister and we saw a man on the sidewalk who was just lying there. We pulled over and I was fully prepared to give CPR. He was consious though so I called 911 and fortunately a nurse who was on a walk came over and helped as well! Fortunately he is ok! I'm just glad we saw him and were able to help in anyway!

3rd- Life Altering Experience! So recently I've been feeling a lot of anxiety and thinking I'm not prepared to be a perfect missionary! It's been kind of getting to me:( Anyways, I was reading in my scriptures a few days ago and read 1st Nephi 20 verse 10. It says, " For, behold, I have refined thee, I have chosen thee in the 

furnace of affliction. "  I LOVEEEE this! It really helped me realize that those feelings were a refining moment 

for me. I am not perfect, but, I am trying which is something! I also read the following quote on one of my 

favorite sister missionary blogs Bella In Berlin, She said,

"I remember how hesitant I was to serve a mission.

I'm no gospel whiz, or poster child for LDS living magazine. 

I'm not a " typical" sister missionary.

But then again. Noone asked me to be

Missions are NOT scary, hair pulling, sacrifices.

They are hard, but so rewarding. They do not run you into the ground or frustrate you..

The sisters and elders believe it or not.. are NORMAL people..

Not all sisters enjoy wearing shades of gray and orthopedic shoes and not smiling..

The quicker i learned to be myself, wear cute bows on my shoes and to love the work..... it made all the difference.

6 am may never get easier, weekly planning may never be fun, doors may never open..

but God doesn't ask us to be perfect or to move mountains, he just asks us to push." 

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS!! God didn't ask me to be perfect. He asked me to try and to do my best. "God doesn't ask us to be perfect or to move mountains, he just asks us to push." Anyways. I'm babling on, but, I did want to post my experiences as they have really impacted me! Much Love:) 

So much to be thankful for!

I am so thankful for the restoration of the Gospel and for the Book of Mormon. Oh and I'm getting super anxious for my mission! I can't help but staying up late and reading missionary blogs...I may be addicted! haha! Soon enough I'll be emmersed in being a missionary so I figure the addiction will work itself out;) 2 weeks and 2 days left:)

Speechless...

There are a few things in life that truly leave you speechless. I’ve been speechless several times this week on different accounts whether they have been good or bad. (I’m going to start with the bad because I like to end with the good.)

Bad kinda speechless= that moment when you hear horrible news about a horrific tragedy that could have been potentially been prevented. For example, Monday 15^th, 2013 news of a life altering explosion came through text as my mom and I drove home from Denver. Entirely speechless. I know that Americans throughout our country felt the same pain and anguish knowing that a young boy, only 8 years old, died. Knowing that 2 others died in the blast along with another 26 year old security guard shot only a few days later by the men responsible for this horrific terror attack was appalling. I was speechless knowing that Satan riles up contention and anger in everyone, but, to take another human life as a reaction to this contention and hatred is another thing. I know with every ounce of my being that America will never forget the souls lost in this attack. In recognition of that fact I also realized part of the good kinda speechless…

Good kinda speechless=that incredible moment when you realize that the sould lost in the attack are in a better place. Knowing that Heavenly Father has a plan. A beautiful plan. A plan where we can be with our families forever. To have this beautiful gospel in my life and know that the happiness I feel is undeniable and is caused by the Holy Ghost, the ones I love, and being able to know about this beautiful plan and all that it entails. It leaves me quite speechless (in the good way) knowing that although life on this earth is short, I can live with my loved ones forever and that my future marriage and family won’t just be “till death do you part.”  If you want more info on my faith and what The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints teaches, click this link! http://www.lds.org/bc/content/ldsorg/content/english/manual/missionary/pdf/36950_the-plan-of-salvation-eng.pdf?lang=eng

On that note, I am so thankful to get to have the opportunity to serve for what I believe in. I stand in awe of the love I already feel for the beautiful people of Bolivia who I haven’t even met yet. They are my Hermanos and Hermanas and by even being able to show others the happiness I feel through this gospel will be an honor. 18 months is a long time, but, I know that every moment will be worth it in the end.  Much loveJ Schylar Tarvin! 

27 days:)

27 days!!!! ain't it crazyy!! (Its really 27 days if you don't count today, or the 8th considering I leave so early in the morning it doesnt count <3 )

Ever since I turned in my papers I've been getting this not so great feeling. The persistent nagging feeling like I'm gonna miss out on so much while I'm gone, or that I'm not good enough to teach this gospel isn't too pleasent. Obviously the adversary has too  much time on his hands because whether he likes it or not, I'm Going (and in 25 days nonetheless...tehe:)) 

When I get those feelings though, I  remember a talk I had with my Aunt Sherri (who also happens to be close friends with my mission president and his wife...coincidence, I think not!) Anyways, she and I had a talk late one night while we were visiting my grandparents. She told me a great story about a man who showed her the refining preocess of gems and stones. She then related it to life and how we should all work towards listening more intently to the Holy Ghost. 

I realize now that this feeling I've been getting can act as a refining process for me. I can never deny the incredible overwhelming feeling of the Holy Ghost when I knew I was meant to serve a mission. Everytime I tried to push it out of my mind or put it off, I couldn't. It was such a strong feeling and it clouded my every thought. 

In this moment, I know stronger, and more confident than ever that I AM GOING ON THIS MISSION. It's what I'm meant to do. I know it with every ounce of my being. What the adversary doesn't know is that this pressure and persistent nagging has only made me realize that I AM WORTH trying to drag down and keep up from going on a mission.

 I am so blessed to be able to go serve my Heavenly Father and bring others to this true and complete happiness I feel when I'm living the gospel. In the words of Sister Dibb in last October's conference, I am a Mormon, I KNOW IT, I LIVE IT, and I LOVE IT! 

29 days...

I cannot hardly fathom that in less than 29 days I will be on my way to Peru to go to the MTC. 29 days!!!!! AHHHHH!!! My entire life I've been really great with counting down to something. I always said "this situation will make me happier", or "that event will make me happier" but, with this countdown, I've really taken to heart that I should be "enjoying the journey." I've had such a wonderful oppurtunity to really build upon my testimony and to have time to read the Book of Mormon as much as I can and the experiences this time has allowed me to have is just another reason that I KNOW our Heavenly Father loves us each individually.  

People always say that you never know what you've got until it's gone...well I've definitely been feeling the importance of the small things in life recently. I know I will definitely miss my family. Thats a given. I'll miss my friends (being away from most of them for a few months already has proven that). I'll miss the little things we have in America that they don't have in Bolivia. As my departue comes closer and closer though, I know with all of my heart that this time away from the people and things I love is for a great purpose. I LOVE THIS GOSPEL SO MUCH! I wouldn't be doing this mission if I didn't.

 In this weekend's General Conference, Elder Holland said that "you have more faith than you think you do" and that he was "not asking for you to pretend to faith you do not have, but, to be true to the faith you do have." This really effected my perspective on a few things. I know that I have Faith in the Lord, and Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost. I have faith is modern day revelation and prophets. I know with all my heart that the Book of Mormon is true. I always thought that my testimony was inferior to others' but, these quotes by Elder jeffery R. Holland taught me to be true to my own testimony and faith and not to let the fact that I am  not perfect or my feelings of imperfection effect my life. Living and acting on the faith that I do have will only strengthen my testimony and guide me to the best I can be. 

With all of that being said, I really do love this church. I am so blessed to be able to go to such a beautiful country and be part of spreading the gospel. I already love the Bolivian people and know that my time, no matter what I may be doing, will be such a wonderful experience that I will most surely never forget. 

Here's your daily dose of the beauty of Bolivia! you're welcome ;) 

Time is Flying By!! Oh... and I got my VISA!!!

Hey everyone! So time has been FLYING BY!! For reals though! I have under 37 days left till I leave for the MTC and it's really hitting me that soon I will leave my family and friends for 18 months! I called a few days ago to the incredible missionary travel services to confirm my itenerary and ask a few questions and turns out that they recieved my Visa just a a little while before I called! I was so excited! So now that I'm closing in on just a little over a month left I have been doing my best to spend as much time as I can with them:) My family and I took some really cute photos over the weekend and it made me realize how grateful I am for technology(especially cameras).

(from left to right: Ashtyn, Me, and Alyssa) Funny Faces:) 

My and my beautiful sisters and our horse of a dog, Samson (or as I like to call him, Seabiscut) 

Me and Lyssa Gyssa:) 

Me and my mommy:)

My parents and I:) 

Me and Ash. Love her:) 

 As missionaries our technology is limited so we can focus on the work and service we are doing but as of recently we are now allowed to email friends and investigators (we were already allowed to email family). I also found a few new friends on Facebook who are going to the same mission I am and was able to find a few that have already gone to my mission who have been giving me tips which is really cool! I really feel like this is going to change how people look at missions and that they will be much more prepared going into the missions now that we can come in contact with those who have already served in our individual areas! I also found a video on one of my new friends' fb that hilights the Bolivia Santa Cruz mission (even though I'm not going there it offered some insight into what Bolivia is like....oh and there is a really cute monkey towards the end). Check out the video below! 

http://player.vimeo.com/video/10656361

Continuing on with technology, I have been extremely impressed by the Mormon Messages that have been realeased by the church! They have made my teaching the Young Women in my class so great and have really brought great messages and the Spirit to the lesson! I watched one last night with my family that I had seen a few times before in seminary and Sunday school a few times but it left me in tears last night! It really hit me that I'm leaving soon and will be blessed to get to work for what I believe in! It made me really sad to see his whole family in tears as he was headed to the MTC and it made me think of how my family will react.  I am getting more and more excited every day to serve the people of Bolivia! 

Check Out the Mormon Messages Video below! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEIhhTQ1w10

Chipmonk cheeks, discovery, and 40 day COUNTDOWN!

This week was...interesting. Interesting considering I slept through most of it. That's right, you guessed it, it was the week I got my wisdom teeth out. I have hilarious pictures and videos to prove it but I made my family promis not to post them ANYWHERE! Don't worry you're not missing out on much:) I did indeed get beautiful chipmonl cheeks that are finally going down after 5 days and thank heavens for Advil Liquid gels for getting me through this week! For Reals Though! 

I was lucky enough to feel well enough yesterday to get to go work an event for my dad's office (he's a chiropractor). It went way better than any other event has ever gone! Normally we have only a few people sign up and make appointments, but, we had a TON of people sign up and we have some promising leads for future events! 

I also met a really nice guy who was working a booth and we got to talking about my wisdom teeth. One thing led to another and we started talking about how I am going on a mission. Turns out he is LDS! We had a wonderful covnersation and he gave me some great tips for going on my mission:) It was when I was reading my scriptures that night that I had an epiphany in regards to how the day was going! 

I have had so many missionary oppourtunities and learning experiences that have taught me so much since I've gotten my mission call! I also didn't have better outcomes at our event because I worked more or less than normal. I had better outcomes because Heavenly Father is already blessing immensly! I have been getting so much out of the scriptures recently and I've found patience, courage, faith, understanding, and missionary moments in life every single day. It has been keeping me motivated and focused on eternal perspectives! I cannot wait to get out into the field and teach people about my faith and how they can feel such immense and expounding love from our Heavenly Father and His hand in our lives in every little moment and detail. 

Oh and last, but not least... I HAV E 40 DAYS LEFT! 

xoxo

Hermana Schylar Tarvin

It's the little things ♥

I wanted to share a quick story with you all because I thought you'd might appreciate it as much as I did! I was having a garage sale this weekend (p.s. I'm not the biggest fan of garage sales, but, was trying to have a good attitude .. ha ha) and this little Hispanic woman walked up to me to purchase something and asked me if I was LDS because I was so nice(no, really....that's word for word what she said:)). I said I was and that I was going on a mission to Bolivia. She started telling me about her daughter that was on a mission in Albania then started telling me about her conversion story. 

 She was originally from Guatemala but moved in with her sister in L.A. as a single mom. The missionaries met her on the street and she started taking the lessons. She was baptized and has been an active member ever since. She then told me that she was introduced to her husband through the missionaries and they now have been married for 17 years and have 7 children. She told me she has been trying to find her missionaries for years to thank them for bringing her to the gospel and she told me that someday someone will look for me to thank me for helping bring them to the gospel. 

By the end of her story I had tears running down my face. How could it be that I got to meet this amazing woman and hear her story on a random day (when let's face it, I wasn't in the best of moods because of the garage sale). It was then that I realized I had been feeling the Holy Ghost so strong I had goosebumps. I realized that this was not a simple coincidence that this incredible sister stopped at my garage sale and asked me if I was LDS because I was so nice. This story changed my life. It really put things in perspective for me and made me realize that even though we (as missionaries) don't truly convert people to the gospel because the Holy Ghost does, that we are tools in Heavenly Fathers hands to help convert them and bring them to the one true gospel so that they may enjoy the blessings of it. I am so blessed to have this gospel in my life and I am grateful that Heavenly Father puts experiences in our lives so that we may gain a personal account to build our testimonies and faith. It's because of experiences such as this one that I personally can say that I have a true testimony of this beautiful gospel and all of the blessings it brings:) 

I seriously am obsessed with David Archuleta's version of Be Still My Soul:) I've become a bit attached I think because it was one of the things that helped my through some of the obstacles leading up to decided whether or not to go on a mission! He has such an incredible voice and I really look up to him as an individual in this gospel! Check it out:)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p92fMgMt_Zw

Enjoying the Journey!

So lately I've been up to a lot! Now that most of the prep is done for my mission, I've had a lot of time to think about what it's actually going to be like and how I may or may not be prepared to serve the Lord, yet, every single time a thought comes to mind about not being prepared or worthy enough to teach people this gospel I instantly think of that undeniable, comforting, burning desire that I felt whenever the
Prophet, Thomas S. Monson, made the age change! As I've been reading my scriptures, studying Preach My Gospel, doing family history work, and praying more and more I've come to a realization. I can come up with a million ways I am not good enough, but, I am a daughter of a Heavenly Father who loves me and would never give me an opportunity to even have an experience such as this unless I was worthy! Having these doubting thoughts has only now strengthened my testimony in knowing that as missionaries, we are only tools. I know it's well known that the Holy Ghost does the converting and I guess for me it took an experience such as this to strengthen my testimony of that! I am not perfect, but, I know that Heavenly Father loves me and has a plan for me (and my personal ideas and timing of how my life is meant to work out isn't necessarily part of the bigger plan.) I am so lucky to have this gospel in my life and I cannot wait to serve my fellow men!

         *The beautiful LDS Mount Timpanogos Temple*
Only 61 more days and I will be off to Bolivia! So this time has actually been flying by pretty fast! I was so incredibly blessed to have a rather spontaneous trip to Utah. I got to visit my amazing family and was able to go to the Mount Timpanogos temple with several of my aunts, my mom, and my grandparents. It was such a wonderful Experience and being only my second time through I really felt the spirit as strong as I did the first time. It was such a beautiful memory that I wouldn't give up for the world! I do have to admit that leading up to our afternoon session, we had a pretty crazy day! One of my aunts wasn't feeling well, there was kind of a snowstorm (no biggie), my cousin got sick on a run so we had to go find him to take him home, and my knee got slightly jammed in a car door. Nonetheless we made it to the temple and that is all that matters! No matter what came in our way, the ultimate peace that came from being able to go to the temple just made it all worth it! So for all of you (fellow) future missionaries out there do not get discouraged. Don't let all that extra time between getting your call and arriving at the MTC get you down or let it give you anxiety. Just know everything happens for a reason and enjoy the journey:)

More Mission Prep!!

With all of my paperwork, shots, time sacrificed so far, and reading I've done in preparation for my mission, I've realized one major thing... That I truly love this gospel and know with all surety in my heart and that this is what I am meant to be doing. Although it sometimes seems that the list of everything I need to do to be ready for my mission will never come to an end, I know that " the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save He shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the things which he commandeth them (1 Nephi 3:7)."


In preparation for my mission, I've come to know a few other things.
1) Shots are always painful. It doesn't matter if you just get 1 or 4 in a row.
2) Sacrifice has taught me humility and to appreciate the smaller things!
3) Reading the Book of Mormon one time is not enough. Reading the Book of Mormon multiple times has shown me that I learn something new every single time I read it. I really never knew how much I actually LOVE the Book of Mormon.
4)Going to the temple is incredible. There is such a sweet, peaceful feeling that cannot be felt to that magnitude anywhere else.

I am so lucky to be able to serve and as I do my research on Bolivia and the Bolivian people, I've already come to know that it is where I am meant to serve:)

I came across a blog that has been really helpful to me! bellainberlin.blogspot.com
*She posts awesome mission stories and helpful lists of things many sister missionaries forget to bring and such! I really hope that as I continue on my journey I'll be able to post something as helpful and encouraging as she does!

Bolivia Here I Come!

So.. the call has been made and I received my packet a few weeks ago. I haven't posted just for lack of time to post, But, Bolivia  HERE I COME! I have been so busy with the holidays and getting stuff ready for my mission. Who knew that there are so many shots and papers that need to be done before I go! Passport...check, tdap, yellow fever, hepatitis A &B shots....check, finishing papers for visa...not check! Visa's are the hardest process it seems. I have everything finished Finally minus a letter from the Police dept stating that I AM NOT A CRIMINAL! but, apparently that takes a while. So much to do,  so little time they say, when in reality there is still 107 days until I leave to go to Peru for MTC training. I'll keep y'all updated!