Building up to Easter

Wow, I can't even begin to explain how wonderful last week (week building up to Easter) was! Last Sunday Traci Beagley posted on her Instagram a challenge to make a picture of Christ your wallpaper on your phone and reflect on him and the atonement even more this week leading up to Easter! So i took it on and it has been such a rewarding week having him as my background! I mean I am not a bad person or anything and usually do things that I can have the spirit to be with me, but every time I looked at my phone this week it made me think twice about the song I was listening too, or what I was thinking about and etc. So why has this week been so great you might be wondering? Well first my Belize trip is PAID for. Completely covered from the program costs, to my plane ticket, traveling fees, and etc. I owe a huge chunk of it to my wonderful Boss Gary Aller. In February I sent him my fundraising letter and he took it to all the meetings we put on and promoted my trip to all the attendees and his friends and said how grateful he was for my time here at ACE and how I have been working not only for him but all those attending and that he wants to help raise all the funds for this trip and asked 35 of his friends to donate $100  each to cover it all. I was shocked when I heard the speech and was SO so grateful for his willingness to not only donate himself but get others to help. So the monies started coming in and then last week I got my total account of how much I had raised and I was like $975 short of the program costs plus another $730 for my plane ticket. I was very happy with how many people donated and especially my boss's friends who I didn't even know! I was a little nervous that by next month after the next wave of online donations come in I still would be paying for a big chunk of it. So I e-mailed Gary and told him who of his friends had donated and how grateful I was for them and his willingness to help and if he had any more friends he thinks would donate to give one last push for it. Well the e-mail I got in return was greatest e-mail of my life! . It went like this," Not to worry on the rest, the $976.75 will be covered by a $1000 donation from CORE Construction – a really good firm that has supported ACE (and you and me) so very well over the years. I am working on the other $700 travel expense, but rest assured that it is covered – so, make your plans and all I ask is that you make this internship a very special one for you and the people of Belize". Did that give you the chills like it did for me? As soon as I read that my eyes began to well up with tears and I couldn't believe it. How can someone be so generous and kind and believe in me SO much? I am still in shock, but it just gave me even more of a confirmation that the Lord wants me to be doing this, this summer and has provided the way. I have been glowing ever since I found out this news because now my savings can continue to be there and what I live off of while I most likely take an unpaid internship in the fall. 
So next I invited my friends Brittany, Taika, and Melissa to the Easter Pageant and they all said yes! Haha Brittany and Taika are too cute and thought it was a beauty pageant just Easter themed. When I told them what it really was they were like cool we will still go! Then they thought it was going to be a small thing with a like a hundred people or so. Once they showed up and saw the 5,000+ people they were shocked! Haha it was so funny. I took Brittany Thursday night with Mcakyli and Adrian, then Taika and Melissa came Friday night! They all said they enjoyed it and it was fun sharing just a little bit of what I have a deep love for and I hope they gained a better understanding of our Savior Jesus Christ and what he did for us  and how the Atonement is real, and that he does indeed LIVE. I am just proud that I had the guts to ask them to come and they said YES! I usually get nervous to ask non-members to churchy stuff, afraid it will ruin our friendship! I am so GRATEFUL they are not like that and still love meeee :) I have to give a lot of credit to having the Jesus Background though... it seriously made me step up my game. Friday after the pageant we got Yogurtland and then I went and saw baby Claire! Oh boy is she a doll! So so precious! Courtney and Austin did good with making a cute babe. Then Andrea, Fonz, Tyler, and Kilie went to the lake and sat in the back of a truck talking and making a snap chat inception. WAY neat. Saturday I volunteered at Wingstock and had a DR. Pepper BBQ wing that changed my life! Seriously amazing! Then we did a group date & went Ice Blocking which I won almost every time... 
Then went to the Roller Derby for a double date with TJ Johnson. Crazy how that worked out, Neela set us up... but we already knew each other because our moms  were best friends all growing up and joined the church around the same time, then we used to do stuff with their families., but I hadn't seen him since I was like 10 probably. So it was a lot of fun catching up on life! The roller derby was different and I felt like I needed to be in fish net tights and underwear. But we won the minute to win it game and won vouchers to the "after party" bar. So we went there and ate lots of good food, played darts, then went and saw Wreck it Ralph. Adorable movie!
 Sunday was Easter! Woo best holiday there is. Sacrament had some really great speakers and I am so grateful for the leaders and programs we have that put such a big emphasis on reason for Easter. I know my Redeemer lives and that through obedience and the atonement I will be able to live in his presence again someday, and what a glorious thought that is!