Merry Christmas!

"Merry Christmas everyone!  And Happy Boxing Day!  I'm probably going to be one of those obnoxious people when I get back who compares everything Americans do to what people in her mission country do; I will forever be contrasting Canada and the States.  Sorry.  (Pronounced as it looks: sORry, not sARry.)

This was my second Christmas in Canada.  I started out in Edmonton, went up to St. Albert, traveled to Spruce Grove, and ended back in Edmonton with some familiar faces.  No accidents on the icy roads either.  

To be honest it didn't feel like Christmas, and it did at the same time.  I wasn't with my own family; that was a big hindrance.  I could open my presents with my matchy-matchy sweater, belt, scarf, tights combo which is so my mom it's-not-even-funny, but I wasn't actually opening it at my house with our real tree in the living room.  (At least, that better have been a real Christmas tree!)  But I did feel privileged to be a spectator for everyone else's Christmas and to see their traditions and the love they had for their families.     

It did feel like Christmas because in a small way I seemed to get it a little more this year.  Christmas is about Jesus Christ.  "Yeah, yeah, yeah..." I can hear you all chime it now.  But really, Christmas is about Jesus Christ.  And it's about God, our Heavenly Father who knew how to give the perfect gift long ago.  It's about Jesus Christ who chose to give his will to the Father and offer Himself a ransom for our infinite mistakes and heartaches and shortcomings and weaknesses and pains and trials.  It's because of this gift thatevery good thing comes through Christ.  If we learn to give as Christ gives, we will experience the joy and peace beyond our imagination.  I know that's true.

Merry Christmas everyone and Happy New Year.  Make a change that counts this year.  "

Hello to all those who still check this every once in awhile!  It's Thanksgiving in America this week!  I feel like it's redundant to say Happy Thanksgiving because giving thanks always produces happiness.  Always.  If you are in a bad mood, and you ask: "What am I grateful for?"  It's an instant Prozac.  I firmly believe in having a grateful heart.  Life is a test.  There's no way around it.  There will be hard times and sorrows even when we are making all the right choices.  This isn't because God forgets us or picks on us; it's because he wants us to be strong and to grow and to progress.  Living with gratitude helps us see things as they really are, that life is good, and that God is kind--overwhelmingly kind.  If I were to pick one thing that I am grateful for this season, it would be that: A magnificently kind and generous God. "God our Father has offered us everything he has and asks only that we give him all we have to give. That is an exchange so imbalanced in our favor that no effort would be too much and no hours too long in service to him, to the Savior, and to our Father's children."  

Think about it.  :)

(To the famous Bon Jovi tune) "Whooooooaa I'm half-way the-re....WhooOOOAA livin' on a pra-yer!!" That's right. Guess who has less time in the mission than time she's been out? Me! I know when elders (guy missionaries) reach their half-way they celebrate and burn things, but I feel like sisters (girl missionaries) just freak out with introspective questions like, "Who am I? Am I the person I want to be yet?? Why not??? Have I done all that I could???? Am I perfect yet?????" And then on the brink of implosion with the mounting pressure of questions, all you can do is eat some blended frozen *banana "ice cream" because you're on a meat-dairy-egg-soy-corn-flour-sugar-free diet because you share food with your allergic companion, and it's the closest thing to junk food that you have. Is anyone else feeling the anxiety??!!??

To be honest, I have had a couple of those rocky, soul-searching moments. Then I am reminded that I am (and YOU are) a person in process. (pronounced PRO-cess--like the Canadians say :) ) Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, an apostle of Jesus Christ, summed it up perfectly when he said:

"Oh, it is wonderful to know that our Heavenly Father loves us—even with all our flaws! His love is such that even should we give up on ourselves, He never will.We see ourselves in terms of yesterday and today. Our Heavenly Father sees us in terms of forever. Although we might settle for less, Heavenly Father won’t, for He sees us as the glorious beings we are capable of becoming.The gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of transformation. It takes us as men and women of the earth and refines us into men and women for the eternities."

I believe in this.

Everything is still awesome in the city! I've been around to witness groups of people congregating for anime conventions (lots of people in furry costumes), Folk Fest (calling all hipsters!), Heritage Days (Jai Ho! and lots of good food!). Edmonton really is a diverse and beautiful city. You should visit sometime.

*Banana ice cream is just frozen bananas blended up to a soft-serve consistency. It's delicious!

Love you all!

Hello world! I'm in Edmonton now! Like, Wayne Gretzky's stomping ground Edmonton. Did you know that Canadian money has hockey players on it? Oh yeah, and Canada actually gets warm too...sometimes.


I really love being in the downtown area. I get to talk to strangers all day about the gospel of Jesus Christ and what that can mean for their lives. I'm sure to some people I just look like a peddler or a fanatic, but I actually really care about the message that I share with people because I know it's true. People can and do change when they feel God's love more abundantly in their lives. People change their actions when they know there is a plan for them and that they have a purpose in this life. People give up bad habits to addictions when they know that Jesus Christ overcame all so that they could as well overcome obstacles and challenges placed before them. I'm not the source of change for these people, but at most I hope to be an instrument to assist people in the greatest changes of their lives.

While we are on this topic of change, I read a talk by Jeffrey R. Holland about this topic. I am heavily paraphrasing, but I hope the idea is the same. People think that change takes years and eons to do. But it doesn't. Change can come quickly if we want it to. It takes as long to change as it does to say, "I'm going to change," and mean it. No one has to be stuck with excuses like, "that's just the way I am," or "I've always been like this." We have the beautiful gift of agency--the ability to make choices and to become people who "act, and are not acted upon."

I can change. You can change. Think about it.

"So, I realize it has been awhile since this has been updated, but I just want you all to know that I'm still alive in Canadia Land. I'm still in Lacombe, Alberta, and my missionary companion is Sister Heo (sounds like Ha) from Korea! I'm really having a lot of fun with Sister Heo. I've been so blessed to have really great companions that I get along with. We eat Korean food almost every day for lunch. Gotta love kimchi! I'm really addicted to spicy food now. The spicier, the better. One time we made miso* soup with a whole green chile in it for the two of us, and it was so hot we were crying all through lunch. But it was soooo good. Now when we eat at other places I wish I could add cayenne or green chile or red pepper paste to everything. It's kind of a problem...

*For all you culture snobs, I know miso is a Japanese word. The Korean word for miso is "taenjang." I just thought miso was a more familiar term to use.

Mucho love! Be kind and work hard!"

Alberta is for [cat] lovers

People love their pets in Alberta...especially cats. The record I've seen so far is 16 cats in one house. Right now we're taking care of two crazy cats while the people we live with are gone. They fight and make noises all night, and they rattle our door to let them in. Then they roll all over our freshly vacuumed maroon carpet. I hate cats. I hate every kind of cat.

On to missionary things... Rejection gets you down sometimes, but I've learned that no matter how badly things are going, you're not alone. I know God cares about all the details in our lives, and he wants to hear from us every day.

So don't give up! Have a great week!

Mission Week #9

As I think about New Year resolutions, I am drawn to this quotation:

“I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don’t set goals in our life and learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age
and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When one learns to master the principles of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in this life.”
– Elder M. Russel Ballard

Couldn't have said it better myself. So I guess my goal this year is to learn how to achieve goals. There are lots of goals I have, but a phrase that could sum them all up is one that I got from my missionary companion: "LOVE MORE, eat less."

Sounds good to me!

Mission Week #7

"It feels like Christmas all the time in the mission. That is because Jesus Christ is our Savior every day--not just in the Christmas season. I wish you all a Merry Christmas! I could say something cheesy like "remember the reason for the season," but I hate rhyming. I think you'll get the message otherwise. Thanks for all your love and support!"

The Miracle of the Lost Cell Phone

My companion and I lost our missionary cell phone. This is a huge deal because we are unable to contact anyone without it--like most cell phones, I'm sure. Luckily we were at a conference, so we didn't need it for anything, but we knew that we couldn't get right back to work when we were finished because we had no way to communicate other than randomly stopping by places (which isn't always successful). Although it seems silly, we prayed that we would find this phone. Then we got to work by tearing apart our apartment and car. We looked at the church which was the only place we had gone that day. After hours, it was nowhere to be found. It was the end of the day, and we were just going to give up, and ask the office for a new cell phone and get in trouble for losing our old one. I half-heartedly said, "maybe we threw it in the garbage." Then it wouldn't leave our minds because that was the one place we hadn't checked. The thing is, we had already thrown our garbage in a dumpster. But we were desperate, so we drove to the dumpster, ready to get our hands dirty, and lo, and behold--our cell phone was just sitting on top of the snow on the ground away from the path we had taken.

IT WAS A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!!!!

This seems like a typical experience, but it really was an answered prayer. God cares about the seemingly insignificant things in our lives. He often requires us to exercise our faith by going to work. It wasn't until we were ready to dig through trash that our cell phone appeared. This experience might not have mattered in the grand scheme of the universe, but it taught me a lot about how God works in our lives. We go through hard times--not so that God can sit back and watch us suffer--but so that we can realize how he guides our paths. I know God is very involved in the details of our lives. It is only when we are stretched to the limit that God can help us grow and become more like Him.

Mission Week #5

Being a missionary is so hard sometimes. For example, yesterday was fast Sunday, and one family scheduled us for lunch and another for dinner. However, the lunch appointment was changed to an hour later and the dinner appointment was changed to an hour earlier. And Sunday lunch is more like dinner anyway. This basically adds up to having to eat two delicious dinners and two delicious desserts within an hour and a half. I was so full, I wanted to cry. I don't know how I fit the second dinner in, but it was definitely a tender mercy. I have it pretty bad here in Canada sometimes.

Mission Week #4

Time goes by so fast in the mission! Eventually I want to put pictures on this thing, so I hope that isn't too complicated for my mom who updates my blog.

The mission does some really weird things to you. I actually got talked into singing a solo; I rejoice when it's only 0 degrees Celsius; (almost) anything tastes good after 5:30 p.m.; I want to knock on every. single. door; I don't push the snooze button anymore. What is going on?

The only thing I can come up with is that having an attitude of happiness and gratitude in our lives changes our perception. I've really learned a lot about what is important and what is not these past couple of weeks. I've realized that God truly is loving and merciful, and if we take the time to look around, we can see that He truly does guide our paths. This journey of learning and teaching and giving is the greatest journey I could hope to have.

I love you all!

Mission Week #3

"I'm in Canada now! I don't have a lot of time today, but I just have to say that the Canada "eh" is real. I thought it was a joke, but EVERYONE uses it. And people think I have an accent here, which is cool I guess. I've also experienced the coldest weather of. my. life. This isn't even the worst of it, I hear. But I haven't complained of the cold yet! That's my goal--to not complain and to be nice in cold weather. I become the world's meanest woman when I'm cold if you didn't know. Flannel sheets are my best friend! I've actually been quite happy because teaching people about Jesus Christ gives me more joy than I could have imagined. I sleep like a rock every night because I'm so exhausted. I love being exhausted for a good cause!

Well friends, I'll be a little more thoughtful next week, but I hope you all are happy! Happiness and joy are possible in this life because of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Just know that you are never forgotten."

Mission Week #2

I'm still living the MTC life! I'm learning a lot about myself and what kind of person I want to be, which can be quite exhausting. I'm learning even more about helping and loving others. If I could say anything to anyone stumbling across this, it would be this: Believe that there is a God in heaven who knows you personally by name and who loves you. Believe that we have a Savior, Jesus Christ who is the way, the truth, and the light. Believe that through Him, we can be better today than we were yesterday.

Check out mormon.org and you can search my name under the "meet people" tab.

I would love to hear from anyone! You can email me at tanya.milburn@myldsmail.net, but leave your address, so that I can write you back! Or you can send me a letter to my Canadian address because I'll be there in less than a week!

Peace!

Mission Week #1

Hey Everyone!

I've been in the Missionary Training Center (MTC) for a week now. It has been the longest week of my life--in a good way. We have 16 hours of our day scheduled out six days a week. Pretty crazy huh? Being busy is one of the best feelings though, I think.

There are a lot of rules at the MTC, and you will be surprised that I've kept the feisty to a minimum, so I've followed all of them. If you know me, you'll know that I can sometimes be a rule-bender, but I'm breaking that habit.

I live with four girls in one room, which could be asking for trouble drama-wise or swine flu-wise. Luckily, we haven't run into either! I don't really believe in swine flu anyway...

Best Quote of the Week--

Sister Jones (while looking at the cover of one of our church/mission booklets): Why is there a Hispanic on the cover??

Me: Sister Jones, you can't just ASK that...

Disclaimer: She's not racist; she promises.

Well I love you all! And God does too! You should ask Him just to make sure though :)

Peace Out.

It's that time!

Here are my addresses for my mission:

MTC Address--

Sister Tanya Milburn
Canada Edmonton Mission
Provo Missionary Training Center
2005 N. 900 E.
Provo, UT 84604

AFTER NOVEMBER 16th:

Sister Tanya Milburn
Canada Edmonton Mission
8925 51st Ave Ste 305
Edmonton, AB T6E 5J3
Canada

I can only email my family, but if you want that letter to be forwarded to you, you can get a hold of my mom. If you don't know my mom or know her well enough, never fret! I will send her updates to post on this blog, so the benevolent stalkers can still know what I'm up to because you know it gets crazy in Canada!

My address might change when I'm in Canada, but if it does it will be posted. Just look for the "address" label on the right side and it will show you the most recent one.

Lastly, If you want to send me YOUR address via facebook or email (tanyamilburn@hotmail.com), I will keep it with me, and at some point write you a letter.

If you write me, I will most definitely write you a letter back! I guarantee it. (Is anyone else thinking of those old Burlington Coat Factory ads?)

Anyway, I love you all! Thanks for being my friends!

boots

I finally found a pair of boots to wear on my mission.

The challenge was sifting through all the pairs with heels. Does anyone believe in cute, flat shoes anymore?? I seriously hate boots with heels.

If you're most likely going to wear a certain shoe for cold weather, that means there will probably be ice at some point. And the last thing you want on your shoe is a heel at that point.

So I don't get it.

feminine

I hate shaving my legs. I think I've said that before.

The great thing about going to Canada is that I will be wearing multiple layers of tights/leggings/thermals every day. And do you know what that means???

I don't have to shave my legs for 18 months!!!!!!

I know you all are sufficiently grossed out now, but let me point out that society has made you that way. (And you thought you were a free thinker...) Who decided that being hairless was feminine? I would really like to go back in time and dispose of that person; however, we all know that didn't work for Katherine Heigl in that one Twilight Zone episode with baby Hitler...

I'm too lazy to start a social revolution, so I will remain being the awkward girl with hairy legs all by myself. BUT--

To all the males who may court me in the future:

If you notice that my legs are shaved frequently, know that I'm putting forth my best effort to attract you.

Para que sepan.

I am a stereotype sometimes

Nothing pumps you up for a mission like SHOPPING!!!!

It's actually fun to have to buy things that are nice and pretty. (And it's nice when someone else who is not affected by the economy helps to front the bill--and by "helps," I mean takes the whole cake. Thanks Mom and Dad! I'm sure it doesn't seem like cake to you, but I assure you that I will give you the best care when you are old and drooly and in diapers. Plus, I just let you have all of those Visa miles.)

I realized that my indecisive nature was cured when I wasn't the one paying. Basically, I asked myself, "Do I like this?" If the answer was anywhere from 'I guess.' to 'YES!,' it was in the bag.

Okay, I'm being exaggerative. I actually really love all the things I got. Life is too short to not look fabulous. (I fear I'm starting to sound like Carrie Bradshaw...)

Anyway, I am long overdue for another closet purge.

DISCLAIMER: I know I sound like I should be friends with Paris Hilton or some other queen of entitlement, but I actually felt a little bit of my adulthood die on this shopping trip. In reality I am an extremely frugal person--almost to the point of it being embarrassing or pathetic. In four years of college, I only went to the mall twice, and bought something once. I can talk myself out of buying anything. So that's the real me. The rest is just my creative license.

and there it was.

I just knew it would be there--the envelope for which I had been so patiently waiting. Some people wait to open it in front of a crowd of friends and family, and everyone cheers when it is unveiled, but, you see, that is just not my style. I opened it alone, so that I could, well, be alone with something so life-changing before me.

Anyway, enough melodrama. For the next 18 months I will be teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ in the Canada, Edmonton mission.

(!!!!!!)

You might be thinking: What?!

I know it's not exotic or glamorous, but to expect it to be those things is missing the point. The more that I say Edmonton in my mind, the more it feels incredibly right to be there.

I'm so excited! Now I just have to wait until October 26th to actually leave, but this will give me time to gain 50lbs of insulation, so that I don't freeze to death up there.

"Oh Canada!..."

just for you

Blog friends (following and non-following),

You get to be the first to know that my mission call is in the mail as we speak (or type...or I guess I'm typing; you're reading.). Meh, semantics.

In any case... !!!!!!!!!!! It's for real! Somewhere in the intricate mail system is a large, white envelope with my name on it containing my fate for the next 18 months. In the grand scheme of things, it really doesn't matter where I'm going as it does the message I'm going to be sharing with people, which is that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, and by following Him, we can find the greatest peace and happiness in our lives.

I'm truly, truly excited for this time in my life. And as much as I hate to admit it, I'm happy how certain things didn't work out, so that this thing could work out.

Here's to hoping for Thursday!