Who Am I? (not 24601.)

So, this is pretty much what I've decided today:
1. I'm going to Utah with one of my best friends, Alysen, so we can get missionary approved clothing (: 
2. I'm going to have a blog of my journey towards becoming a missionary, so all of my trials & little stories along the way, and anything else in between (: 

I'll start with information about me, I'm Crystal Rochelle Hayden (: Born & raised in Las Vegas, NV. Daddy is from St. Louis, MO & Mommy's from Lima, Peru (: So I got some Latino blood in my veins. Si habla Español, pero no mucho. But almost every year I spend my summers in Peru with my family & friends (: It's such a great blessing having two completely different cultures shared in my life. AND THE FOOD. ahaha. My abuelita is 99 years old! She's my favorite person I know, she's so cute & has the funniest stories. I'm heartbroken I won't be able to visit her this year ): It's too much money we don't need to spend, since I'd only be going for about a week. (Let's pray I get called to serve in the Peru Lima West mission (; haha) 

So anywho! I've been a member of the church my whole life, but I became inactive after I left my 1st ward I was apart of (Rainbow Vista Ward--Redrock Stake.) I moved to a ward where I didn't fit it, I was about 12/13 years old. So since I felt like "I didn't belong" and I didn't have a testimony I fell away for a while. My dad isn't a member, but my mom is. Sadly though, my mother felt the same way in the ward we moved to. So we slowly, but surely, stopped attending church as often as we should have. It'd be a change if I went to church more than once a month. Once I actually found friends in the ward, they were somewhat inactive like me. No testimony, just there to socialize, which isn't bad, but for me it was. Fast forward a year or two, I started High School at Mojave and attended seminary. There were probably 18 of us that were enrolled in the freshman class, 3 different high schools attending that 1 seminary. 2 of my friends went to Mojave. We just went to go. Sophomore year came, and I had a problem in seminary with the door greeter. I was friends with her daughter, & her daughter was a year younger than me (I was 16, she was 15.) Her daughter was dating a friend, and when her mother found out she blamed me calling me crude names saying I was a horrible influence on her daughter. So I stopped attending seminary, church, everything. I was done. I hated the way I was treated, so I just left. I was miserable, well, I thought I was happier, but I see now I wasn't. I finished my sophomore year at Mojave High School & ended up switching schools to Shadow Ridge High School which resulted in us moving for the 1st time (during my life at least.) We were then suppose to attend the Shadow Ridge ward--Tule Springs Stake. I had high hopes for this ward, really wishing it would be different. I went to seminary on the 1st day of school, telling the door greeter there I was a junior & just moved to the area. He went to another leader & they were deciding which seminary class I would belong to. Lets take a second here for my thoughts then "What do you mean which class...? I'm a junior. Why don't you just show me where the junior class is. Not that hard." & what I actually said was "Oh, I'm a junior...is there more than 1 school that attends this seminary?" Brother Woodruff's response (door greeter) was "No, just Shadow's. But we do have 3 junior classes." WHAT?! 3 JUNIOR SEMINARY CLASSES?! WHAT ON EARTH DO YOU MEAN? & JUST ONE SCHOOL?!?!?!? So, every class had about 20 students. I ended up having Brother Treu. I felt completely awkward & out of my comfort zone. I kept attending seminary, eventually enjoying Brother Treu, & I found out he was in the ward I was going to move into. He had 4 kids, all very young. Very sweet family, and I started to feel comfortable. I met a girl named Alina in my English class who was LDS. She then introduced me to her twin sister, Megan, who happen to be in my seminary class! I started to become friends with them & started attending seminary more regularly, also starting to attend church. Doing this, didn't exactly help my testimony though. I didn't have a desire to change. I can put it like this. I was stuck in this muck, and I was comfortable like that. I didn't want to change my ways, I didn't want to stop the sins I was committing. So I continued with who I was. I started to become involved with a guy who made me feel special & beautiful for once in my life. He wasn't LDS, but he wasn't exactly a "bad" guy either. But he didn't encourage me to continue engaging in the church, but at the same time I never expressed that I wanted him to, so he couldn't read my mind. I don't blame him. Long story short, Junior year ended, Senior began, & I didn't change a bit. Went to seminary, had Brother Herrera. He was probably the BEST seminary teacher I've ever had. But of course I didn't know that at first. (2 senior seminary classes with about 30/25 students in each) So I was in Marching Band--Color guard. I met these 2 guys, who little did I know at the time, would literally change my life, help me turn a 180, and guide me towards an eternal life. Funny thing is though that they didn't know how much they did for me at first. One did at first, but the other was just my friend. The friends I needed more than anything in the world. So anywho, it was October 2011 when the guy I got involved with & I went our separate ways. I was heartbroken, walked into seminary, & the class was sitting on the stands. I was already embarrassed cause you could tell I've been crying, I walked in late, & now the whole class was staring at me as I tried to find a seat. There was 1 open seat, I knew who this guy was but I was always intimidated by him, because of how insanely perfect he was in my eyes. You could literally see the Light Of God in his eyes. I asked if I could sit by him, he had a kind little smirk & said yes. We got our senior pictures that day, I got mine saying "Crystal Rochelle Hayden" & his name on it was "Logan S. Davis." (click on his name to read his impact on my life in detail) I was almost 100% positive his first name was Stirling though...But that was the start. His friend Eric Wilson (click on his name to read his impact on my life in detail--our story goes WAY back--surprisingly) wasn't there so that's why he had an open seat. I offered him a ride to school, since I drove & he walked to school every day. He accepted my offer, & it began from there. We started off as acquaintances, then had a friendship & it build from there. Him, Eric & I started to become friends, very good friends on that note. But from there, I gained a testimony. I knew wholeheartedly that the church I thought I was wasting time with, was 100% true. We had a loving, just, and caring Heavenly Father who has given us the opportunity to live on this beautiful earth he has created for us, while the church has been restored. We do live in the final days and need to spread the Gospel to share the happiness to others. True happiness, so they can also feel the Pure Love of Christ.

Just an picture of me, when i first met Stirling & Eric. I didn't exactly care about "modesty" because "it was Halloween & It was okay to dress like this. It wouldn't hurt anybody." but no, I didn't get this outfit. at all o.o

This was Easter Sunday After  I met Stirling & Eric (funny, Stirling & I were dating around this time...haha) and you can see the difference in just the way I take care of myself. Funny thing this gospel. Makes you love you the way you are (:

So from becoming friends with Stirling & Eric I've become strong in the church, and have made a ton of new friends who are great members (: RM's, Pre-Mish's & other active members! It's been amazing. But around September 2012 I decided I'd apply to BYU-I, and start reading the Book of Mormon. I wanted to be up in Idaho winter/spring semester, & deadline for apps were October (: I thought I'd make it, but I kept procrastinating myself with school, musical theatre, friends & church. It never really made much sense to me, but whatever, I kept doing what I was doing. I was planning on serving a mission when I became 21. It was something I wanted to strive towards more than anything. Continuing on with life I was reading the Book of Mormon, already gaining a testimony, then came October 6, 2012. The day that would literally change my life in a blink of an eye. 

October 6, 2012.

I woke up late for the Saturday morning session. I woke up in time for the closing prayer (yeah, pretty guilty....sorry, but my mom slept in too!!!) and I heard they were building a new Temple in Arequipa, Peru--which as you know, I'm Peruvian. It meant a lot to me & I was super excited because that's where my Abuelita was from! So my best friend Eric calls me about 5 minutes after the prayer. He sounded super excited & asked "Did you hear the news?! Did you?!" & I'm all excited now too! I said "Yeah!! They're building a Temple in Arequipa!!" and he said "No...the missionary age..." And I just felt the Spirit overcome me at that moment. I asked him "What happened...?" I heard a smile in his voice as he said "They lowered it! Boys can go at 18 now & women at 19." and in that very moment, I started bawling. not just little tears, NO. I was literally sobbing my eyes out because I knew in that very moment, that I was meant to serve. I didn't apply to Idaho, I had the need to finish the Book of Mormon, I had an appointment with my Bishop about some personal matters. Everything just clicked & I knew that I was meant to serve a mission. Eric & I talked a bit more, then I hung up. I walked into my mom's bedroom again, she was on the phone with her sister and I'm just a crying mess. She told her sister to stop talking & asked me what's wrong, and I said "Nothing, everything's perfect" between sobs. She kept asking me if I was okay & I kept responding "Perfect!! I'm so perfect right now!" Once I finally controlled my tears I told her they lowered the missionary age & just cried out "I'm going mom. I'm going to serve a mission. I'm going to serve a mission." She smiled & started tearing up, hugged me & told me how proud of me she was. I kept crying, she talked on the phone with her sister, & I cried for about an hour...maybe more. I cried throughout the day because I've never been so sure of anything in my life. Ever. It's just something I'm meant to do. 

I fixed my life, and had things put back together and I was happy. I had my testimony, I wanted to serve. I was ready.

This Sunday I'll be starting my papers to serve a LDS mission. I can honestly say I've never been so excited to do ANYTHING in my life. It'll definitely be the hardest thing for me to do, leave my family, my home & my friends, but it'll be the greatest blessing in my life, and my family's lives, and the fellow members I will have a chance to convert, along with their future families & ancestors. 

I'm so extremely blessed to have a mother & father who are 100% supportive of me going on a mission. My dad, who I mentioned before--wasn't LDS, is excited for me & is encouraging me to go. He's always been such a great man I look up to in my life, who I know loves me & my mom more than anything. He wants us to go to church, he woke me up & dragged me to seminary even when I didn't want to go, and now encourages me whenever I have a fireside to go to, FHE, institute, a ward missionary meeting, or a meeting with my bishop or stake president. I pray that my serving a mission could open his heart to hear the gospel, feel the spirit, realize that this is the true church and that one day he will be able to be a priesthood holder, be there when I enter the temple with my eternal companion. And what I pray for the most, is that we can become an eternal family.

So this is the story of me, & pretty much how my strange life has led me to the person who I am today--a future sister missionary. I'm so excited, as I said earlier, but I literally cannot wait to go & serve (: If i had to be at the MTC next Wednesday, I'd go.

My testimony is short, but it's meaningful. I know that I am a child of God, I know that the Book of Mormon is a true scripture, I know that Joseph Smith is a true prophet of God, as well as all of the other Prophet's called unto our church. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is true. I know we will return home to our loving Heavenly Father & Savior Jesus Christ, I know that we will have Eternal life, and I know that everyone who has walked this earth, who is walking this earth, and everyone who will walk this earth, will have a chance to hear about the Gospel.