One more week and then off to DC!! Week 6

This next week is Mariah's last week in the MTC!  I can't believe it!  I really do think that the time has flown by.  I have missed her a lot this week though. I can tell by her letters that she is in total mission mode.  Her focus is clear and she says she is just so excited to get out to Washington DC. We are so happy that we get to talk to her next Wednesday when she goes to the airport.  She sent me her flight plans and her flight leaves really early so she said that she will be leaving the MTC at 2:30 AM!  Crazy!  I don't think we will be talking to her at that time..but we will take any time we can get. She says that we will get to arrange for a time to call next week.:)

Mariah will be getting an Ipad when she gets out to DC and she will have an hour a day on Facebook for missionary stuff.  As far as I am aware, we can comment on her stuff but she is not allowed to communicate back and forth unless there is someone that we know of that could use an inspiring message.  I guess she'll give us more details about that later.

In every letter that she sends to us she talks about her temple trips.  She has been able to go every week while she has been in the MTC.  What a blessing for her! Below is a picture of her and a bunch of new people on her zone that came in this past week.

Here is something that is kind of funny.... Before Mariah left she said kiddingly, "I'll probably find the person I am going to marry while I am on my mission." Well in her recent letter to us she said this..  

"On Wednesday last week we got to skype members and talk to them in Spanish from our mission.. one of them was a girl who lives in WJ that just got home from our mission on medical release, she has been out 9 months and home for like 3 weeks so far!! It was way cool to talk to her and ask her questions!! (With a little spiritual thought at the end haha) But yeah I am super pumped and a lot more confident now that I was able to talk to someone who just served there!!

Also, one of our teachers, Hermano Wright, served in our mission like 2 years ago and he is married now, but he had our mission president and he said that he is super chill... I also met a girl from Arlington that knows our mission pres and the missionaries from out there from one of the stakes we will be serving in and she knows hermano wright and his wife! She said that our mission pres encourages the missionaries out there to get married to each other after their missions haha.. She said that there have been NINE couples so far coming out of that mission and getting married that served in her area she lived in. NINE with that president!! Wow.. crazy!.."   

Haha!  I had to laugh at that part of her letter because of what she had said before she left.  I know she won't be looking though because there will be other people that she will want to be looking for instead.  She'll be looking for those that she can share the gospel with. Funny though!!:)

I have loved getting Mariah's letters.  They are always so inspiring,  I'm not sure what Jared and I did right to be blessed with such a fantastic daughter.  I know I keep saying this, but she will be a fantastic missionary!  She already is a fantastic missionary!  I can't wait to see what the next 16 1/2 months has in store for her.

From her most recent email she ended with this...

"I just want to share something real quick that had an everlasting impact on me this week...

Elder Holland.. bless that man.. You all need to go back and just listen to everything he has ever had to say in his time as an apostle. He is amazing. I was reading one of his talks that he gave at BYU in 1999, called "Cast not away therefore your confidence." I recommend it. Go read it. My favorite part is:

"...we cannot sign on for a battle of such eternal significance and everlasting consequence without knowing it will be a fight--a good fight and a winning fight, but a fight nevertheless."

-No matter what, God will always win. In a room full of darkness, the light will always overcome it, and as we move ourselves closer to that light, closer to God, we will be able to see more clearly, and the things that are important in life will be illuminated.

This gospel is the greatest gift anyone could receive/partake of in this world. And if I can help just but one soul catch even a glimpse of the joy and happiness it brings while I am out on this mission, it will be worth it. I wouldn't be out here if it weren't for my testimony of His church. I wouldn't just "give up" 18 months of my time for nothing. I am not giving up these 18 months, The Church of Jesus Christ really is something, something that can't be explained in words until you have stepped in and felt its effect in your life.

I love you all so much!! Remember to SMILE and have fun!! Life is too short to dwell on the things that just aren't worth it! Make the best of today!!"

Mariah can't tell you enough how grateful she is for all of the love and support she has received.  It means so much to her.  Thanks everyone!:)