Sarah Cate: Big Texas Smiles

Where to begin with this past week. I am blessed to have family. I am blessed to have people who love me and support me in this world. Thanks y'all for so much. This past week was good. It was hard but good.
My birthday was awesome. Larry Lowrance from my last area CONTACTED ME AND SENT ME A TEXT ON MY BIRTHDAY! IT WAS THE BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER! I was so happy to see it. I got an update from him because he......TOOK US TO LUNCH! It was such a neat thing to see him and his wife again. He Got the priesthood this past Sunday! he is going to baptize his daughter Mandy and Mandy's best friend (that we taught but had to pass off to the elders because she lives outside of our area)!!!!!! they all want me to come back for it. Larry told me how much happier he was. He said he and his family miss me a lot. He is just fantastic. That was a huge tender mercy. I just love these people.
I am finally starting to click in this ward. Yesterday was interesting. In order to explain it properly I will back up to Saturday. On Saturday, we had Hector enter into the waters of baptism. I was so happy for him. Hector has an amazing past. He is a former gang member and spent some years in prison. He has a tear drop tattoo under his eye and all over his arms. He is a rough looking dude but has a heart of pure gold. He has made some mistakes in his life.  No...he has not killed anyone. I believe the Lord saved him from that when he sent him to prison. He is beautiful inside and out. He couldn't stop smiling at his baptism. The whole ward showed up to it so he felt very loved. It was awesome.

We have a great ward and now they are starting to get to know me and I have made some friends. I have a gift: whenever I come into the area, the dinner calendar fills. :) This is probably why I am huge. hahaha I love it though. It is a very Texas thing. Everyone eats for entertainment  around here. Well, Sunday rolls around and we receive a text from Hector saying that he won't be at church today because his family showed up on his front porch and wanted him to come to Easter with their family. (first time that he has celebrated anything with his family in 5 years) so it was kind of a big deal. He agreed, so he did not get confirmed. However, it was still a beautiful day.
My birthday was made  fantastic by Larry and others who took the time out of their day to wish me happy birthday. I LOVED GETTING THE POST  CARDS FROM BEN! THAT MADE MY DAY AND A HALF......AND YES IT MADE ME TRUNKY!!!! RRUUUUUDDEEEE!!!! hahaha I love my  brothers. I miss them a lot. I always miss y'all but if I am going to be 100% honest. I never want to come home. I'm sorry mom if that hurt you. I don't mean for it to be hurtful but I truly love it here so much. I love the people. I love what I do. I just love the feelings and I never want them to stop. I never want to lose sight of my progression but I know it happens in the real world and I don't want that. I don't want to regress! but I think its only natural when the mantle is taken from you....as is the case with me. It will be taken because I do not willingly give it up! I will not go down without a fight!  hahaha....oh pray that my heart is ever ready to take that step of coming home. I'm tearing up just writing about it so I will stop.
Life is getting a lot better. I have an Elder who has taken it upon himself to be my "trunky trainer" because he says I need to be normal when I go home. hahahahahahahahahaha uuuhhh ooohhhhhh I'M WEIRD!!! oh well. I love it. I am trying so hard to be good...and I am. I really want to be so good forever. I love good people. I love talking about my religion.  I love helping solve peoples problems through religion and I LOVE CHILDREN! They are the coolest things ever in the world. They recognize us before their parents can even blink. They are pure. They love unconditionally. No wonder Jesus asks us to become like them.  Mom, you have been saying it for years. I often think back to our hundreds of firesides and I can hear your voice saying "the kids were of one heart" and I allow myself to daydream and think and ponder on that. It's a beautiful thing.

I have the smartest parents in the world. They are so cool. They taught me eternal truths without me even realizing it. I am so blessed. So many times on my mission, someone has come to me with an amazing new discovery and all I can think in my head is "my parents taught me that through the wagon train." or "my parents told me that all the time" or "I bet my dad has that book and can really help me understand that" I just have the coolest family ever. I love to talk about my brothers and my sisters. I LOVE IT! I love to tell people that we are not a perfect family.  That we all have had our ups and downs and that life is real and people are real and that it's OK! This gospel is for everyone. Y'all are pretty popular in Texas. Y'all will need your own special private jet to come here because y'all will be mobbed with fans.
Life is a constant progression. Thank goodness for patience with yourself and the patience others exercise with those around them. Thank goodness for the patience that God has for each and every one of us.
I love y'all forever. We went paintballing last week and I have some sweet bruises. I look like I got beat. I didn't though. I kicked trash! hahah because I am SARAH FREAKIN SORENSEN! YEEEEAAAAAHHH BOY.
OK I love y'all. forever and ever. Thanks to Sister Deleon for being SOOOOOO COOOL! I LOVE YOU TILL THE DAY I DIE. Please pray for her and her family. She is so special to me.  Thank you Lauren Keller for being a best friend for life. truly. I love you and your notes. They are a huge lift.
THANK YOU FAMILY FOR MAKING MY LIFE WHAT IT IS AND ALWAYS MAKING IT BETTER. I LOVE Y'ALL CON TODO MI CORAZON.
Life is short. Don't waste it. live it. Read conference talks. Go for hikes. LOVE EVERYONE, ALWAYS!
HNA. SOOOO SILLY SORENSEN