Temporary Release!

Weeks 5-6 - May 23 - June 7, 2020

Sister Rex completed her online MTC training May 22 and was temporarily released until June 7 when she was set apart again. She lived life hard and had many adventures during her two-week recess.

"Maple Mountain," just north of Spanish Fork Peak (snow prevented us from getting there)

Gary and Debbie Rex Family
May 2020

Start Thinking: Words that make YOU smile

Week 4 - May 22, 2020

Alexa play "Quarter Past Midnight" because this girl can listen to music and stay awake a quarter past midnight for the next 2 weeks. My MTC experience has wrapped up and I will be temporarily released until June 8th! I GET TO GO TO KIRTLAND. When all the pandemic madness hit, I had no fear. I knew that I would make it to Kirtland. Then the church announced the closing of all church history sites and my heart froze. I remember rereading my mission call with tears streaming down my face because I wanted, so badly, to be there. Something I had been so sure of was suddenly out of reach. It seemed impossible that I would go to Kirtland.

But, my friends, we know that as we align our will with God's will that He takes care of us. What we have in mind isn't always what God has in store for us. That's the hard part, trusting that He knows better than we do. But as we exercise faith in Him, the impossible becomes possible. I GET TO GO TO KIRTLAND. I will say those words over and over again, each time with the biggest grin on my face.

In just 3 1/2 weeks of being a missionary I feel like my heart has grown 3 1/2 sizes bigger. I have loved my experiences as a missionary. But I have had my days where something is off, where something is missing or I feel like I am falling short. And it is in those times that my heart has grown, as I have turned to God and been able to find the good amidst the clouds of darkness*. It is so vital that we turn to God, that we see His hand in our lives. Whether it is a feeling that you have, a friend reaching out, being outside or really anything good, recognize that it is Heavenly Father showing you that He is AWARE of YOU and LOVES YOU. You just have to open your eyes and heart to see and feel Him there.

*Clouds of darkness sounds dramatic, I simply mean anything that isn't typically viewed as good

ACTION REQUIRED: take time today to be still. Take a moment to really open your heart and think "how have I seen God's hand in my life today?"
When you have done that, or if you are willing to do that, EMAIL ME ONE WORD THAT MAKES YOU SMILE.

Love big! Love hard!
Sister Rex

Katie graduated!!!

She handled it much better than I did #19🤟

New year, same me. Cried through her whole drive thru graduation.

Handshakes to Hugs

Week 3 - May 14, 2020

It's no secret; I'm not a hugger. It's not that I dislike hugs, I actually love them. Some of my most treasured memories are centered around a good hug. I just also am content without physical touch at times. But handshakes! I just love them. Nothing beats a solid handshake. Professional, classy, firm and at the same time they can be silly, sweet and fun. So you can imagine how happy I am as a missionary! Handshakes all day everyday!

But ever since becoming a missionary, I have received some of the best, BEST hugs.

My favorite hugs from this week: 
-MY SISTER COMPANIONS. We met up for the first time and we were all beaming with excitement as we rolled up. After getting to know and love these girls, being with them in person was so special! We ran into each other’s arms and I never wanted to let go. 
-Some of my beans! When 4 cute faces popped up on my porch I lit up! They’ve been with me through it all and it makes my heart so happy that we can now all share our missionary experiences together! I sure love them.

Something about that missionary hug. Maybe it’s because social distancing says “no touch, 6 feet” or that as a missionary you can only hug girls that now make hugs so appealing to me, but I will never forget running and holding onto my girls. It’s that Sister bond!

An image that has brought me so much comfort is found in 2 Nephi 1:15 "The Lord hath redeemed my soul... I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love." I cannot wait for the day that we will return to Him and run into His arms. His arms are full of love for each one of us!

Go hug someone you love! Tell them how much you appreciate them. For real. Go do it right now. I'm holding you accountable. 

It's no secret; I am now a hugger. 

Love big! Love hard!
Sister Rex

My companions! Sister Tuiaki and Sister Ferrell

5/7 beans (missed you Abby and Brin!)

Want What You Want #wwyw

Week 2 - May 7, 2020

"You better want what you want because you're going to get it." My mission prep teacher said this one time in class and I raised my eyebrow to it. That seemed totally wrong, life happens and you don't always get what you want. 

I stand corrected. 

How is the MTC you ask? I LOVE IT. Everything about it has been SO good, I have had so many experiences already that have strengthened my testimony and desire to share the gospel. I wish that it was longer because 2 1/2 weeks seems so short. 

Boom. Minutes after telling someone this I received an email saying that I have an extra week in the MTC due to my assignment to Kirtland. We need some extra training to apply our purpose to the Historic Sites. 

Almost 2 months ago a friend joked about how crazy it would be if he got reassigned to Bakersfield. I chuckled a little, said "I would pee my pants, no one goes to Bakersfield," and thought nothing more of it. 

Here I am peeing my pants. Because that person just got reassigned to the California Bakersfield Mission. I was absolutely shook. Sorry to anyone who lives on Cranberry Way in Springville, this was the news that caused me to yell "You. Are. Joking. I AM PEEING RIGHT NOW." (I found this to be the only phrase to adequately describe how I was feeling.) My "wants" became reality.

You heard it here first. May 7, 2020. I want to be a super fit grandma that owns a cute ranch with horses and corn fields and wrecks her grandchildren in spikeball. I will let you know in 40 years if you really do get what you want. 

Real talk. Want what you want. #wwyw Sometimes Heavenly Father gives us what we want, but we are too distracted to see it, or our wants have changed and we want something bigger and better. Want your wants when they become your reality! He knows the desires of our hearts and in the end, we really will get what we want. As you put your trust in God, everything will work out for your benefit. In the moment you may not like what you get, but there is always a lesson to be learned and you will find that God gives you what you want (even if you don't realize you want it at the time). Appreciate what you get! Look for the opportunities that arise with every situation!

I briefly mentioned earlier that I have loved everything about my MTC experience. And I will say it again. I LOVE IT. But it's not just the MTC that I love, it's the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's the people that I've met. It's the experiences that I have each day because of it. I could go on and on about the good and the light and my heart feeling like it is about to burst from happiness. But those experiences are near and dear to my heart and will mean something quite different to every single one of you. I will share them as I feel inspired to do so! All I can say is that this is a time of life that is shaping the person that I hope I can someday become. The. Gospel. Of. Jesus. Christ. Is. Amazing. It will change you if you allow it to. 

My capacity and ability to love has been the biggest change that I've noticed in myself in my 8 days as a missionary. An Elder shared with me his lack of confidence in himself. As I opened my mouth to respond, the words just came out. And then he was silent. I was scared I'd overstepped and been too bold with what I had said. Then his head tilted and I saw something click. "I have never thought of it that way." In that moment, I saw his potential and felt the love that God had for this Elder. 

Here is my weekly invitation for you. Find your own sacred grove. What would have happened if Joseph Smith hadn't acted on his desire to feel and know for himself? God is our Heavenly Father who loves you and wants nothing more than to hear from you. Find a place that is away from all of the noise of the world and open your heart to Him. What will happen if you don't? Maybe nothing, but I can promise you that if you do, opportunities that will strengthen you and those around you will come. 

Love big! Love hard!
Sister Rex

Welcome to my office. (aka the Bishop's office. This picture is for the one and only Doug Mousser.)

Running buddies! William: "That wasn't bad but I would have thrown up if it was any longer."

Lunch break views

Feeling like a real mish after biking home through the rain (the before pic because it was cuter than the end result)

THE RELIEF AFTER OUR FIRST TRC

My companion for the day :)

Calling All Anime Experts

Week 1 - April 30, 2020

Oh, this big old smile that never leaves my face? It's called the MiSsIoNaRy glow. And it's here to stay!

When I was called English speaking, communication was the least of my worries. Little did I know that my whole district would be fluent in another language: anime. If anyone knows any basic terms or phrases I can throw into their convos I would love you forever. Because right now, if we're not talking gospel, I just smile and nod at everything. I've never been at such a loss for words!

Oh and they rap too! I walked away from our group chat for not 10 minutes to come back to find one of the elders had whipped up a track and was "spitting fire," making up some good old missionary lyrics. My mouth dropped and I died laughing. I am in for a wild ride with this crew. Everyone is totally different and I love every single one of them! In all honesty, I needed that anime language barrier to be able to see these guys in their element. Listening to people talk about things they are passionate about brings the biggest smile to my face. I am learning to love each person for who they are. It is amazing how easy it is to love people when you see them as Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ do. I am blessed to have such a powerful group of people to train with! Despite our differences we all get along really well and every one of them has such a good heart. 

Being set apart as a missionary was an experience I will never forget. You can bet your bums I cried the whole time. I was overwhelmed with God's love for me and His desire for me to share His love with others. I have never been so sure that I am in the right place at the right time. Like Lehi tasted of the fruit and desired to share it's goodness, my life has been full of the goodness of the gospel and I want every person to feel God's love for them and know of their divine worth.

Speaking of Lehi. 

A GIFT: Jenica and I once had an experience with a certain crumbl cookie that strengthened my testimony of how Lehi felt after eating the fruit. Biting into this cookie brought a feeling that I had never had before. I wanted to shout to world and let everyone know how good it was. I had a desire for everyone to taste it so they could feel the same happiness that I felt. I turned to Jenica and said, "I feel like Lehi must have felt after eating the fruit from the tree of life. EVERYONE NEEDS THIS." It's all about the little things. Simple experiences that seem silly, but when you apply the lessons learned to your life, you will find that the gospel is real. As a missionary, my desire to share the joy that the gospel brings is 1,000,000,000 times stronger than my desire to share that crumbl cookie. In 1 Nephi 8:15, Lehi beckons his family "with a loud voice" to come and partake of the desirable fruit. (Most of you know I have just one volume for my voice: loud, so I thought this was quite fitting:')) With my loud voice, I invite you all to read 1 Nephi 8 and evaluate your life to see which group you are currently in. I hope that you have the desire to be a part of the group who "press their way forward, continually holding fast to the iron rod." Make the decision to follow Christ and hold fast to him. 

There's my spiritual gift for y'all. But that's not all. Heavenly Father cares not only about spiritually blessing us, but temporally as well. AND GUESS WHAT CRUMBL COOKIE FLAVOR IS FEATURED THIS WEEK. The BUTTERFINGER cookie. The very cookie I was talking about earlier. So go treat yourself, partake of the goodness of this desirable cookie while feasting upon the desirable words of the Book of Mormon. 

*disclaimer* I hadn't eaten all day and this warm crumbl cookie hit different. So if you try the butterfinger cookie and it's not all that you imagined, just remember the concept. When you experience something good, don't hesitate to share it with others! 

Hold on to the good. There will always be something that goes wrong, that scares you, that discourages you. The adversary is a strong worker my goodness! But God is stronger!!! As we remember the good and keep it close, there will be nothing that can take away the joy and peace that come through Christ. 

Love big! Love hard! 

Sister Rex

All smiles after being set apart

My cutie lil district 

First day!!!

Missionary tag! It hadn't come when I started my first class and I was a little 

bummed but it made it that much sweeter to finally put it on when it came!