For the laundry...

Currently there are four piles of clothes on my floor ready to go into suitcases. The 2 suitcases I will be living out of for the next year and a half. Oy! It is actually quite refreshing to go through all my "stuff" and figure out what I will or won't need. My sisters came and raided my closet for things that I wasn't taking on my mission that i'm sure they'd appreciate and i feel so muchless cluttered now! It makes me think I shoulda done this a long time ago...and how much I need to stop putting so much emphasis on material things. It's also given me some fun laughs going through things in my shelves that I had forgotten about. Yearbooks for one. Old journals are another. Photos, tickets i've kept, other random things that have no use except for remembering thrown in five or six shoeboxes used for shoes I don't even wear anymore! Books shoved into every corner I can find, my collection has grown into a nice library. Letters, school assignments, dance pictures, binders...It has been so fun. It got me thinking all over again how wonderful my life has been. How many wonderful friends I have, who have made such a difference in my life. My family is remarkable. I love them all so much for their love, support and guidance I've been given. I have a nice roof over my head, kept nice by my father who works so hard, delicious meals to eat prepared by my talented mother, and a great community that I grew up in. (Plain City RULES!) I have been raised in the Truth and love of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and am about to embark on an 18 month service to share it with people who are ready to hear it, who need it in their lives to bring light and peace. I would not be prepared for this had it not been for my life up to this point. Though I still don't feel fully prepared, I know God will be with me.
2 Timothy 1:7 "God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." And he will Stand by me. I KNOW that. :)What a great thing to know. Out of all the things in the world, I think I would prefer to know that the most.
I couldn't have asked for a better month of fun before I left. Full of camping, hanging out with friends, traveling, going to the temple so much and going to the airshow, it has been great. I am going to miss everyone, but I'm sure It won't be too long before i get a letter/wedding invitation or two...or ten ;-) *hint nudge*
I went to green river this past week and almost stepped on a midget faded rattlesnake and floated down the colorado river. I went to the airshow yesterday and determined once again that before I die, I will fly a plane.
It's about time to switch the laundry, so I'm going to sign of with a final goodbye from myself on my blog. While I am away, Ember, my cousin whom I love, is going to take over my blog for me. I'm going to miss you very much, but know I'm doing something great! I urge you to write me every so often to tell me how your lives are playin out. I promise to write back. Pinkie promise in fact.
thank you again for everything!

BYE

*~Mel~*

MTC address (june 10-june 30)
Sister Melanie Pehrson
Arizona Phoenix Mission
Provo Missionary Training Center
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT
84604

mission Office (June 30-Dec 2010)

Sister Melanie Pehrson
Arizona Phoenix Mission
18001 N. 79th Avenue Ste. C 50
Glendale, AZ
85308