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Thursday, November 7, 2013

...and she's back!

I am back, only to return to Houston, Texas later today to witness the sealing of an amazing family I had the blessing and privilege of teaching the restored gospel to and helping them enter the waters of baptism. That, fellow bloggers, is pure happiness. Elation? Euphoria? All of the above!


Know that there is more coming...for as soon as I get back from my cruise to...not sure where, with my family; be expecting the update of the century!

It is good to be back, at least that is what I keep telling myself to keep myself from crying when people call me Kendra. ;)

Love y'all. Until next time, (Sister) Kendra Haynie! :)

Monday, April 30, 2012

Sister Haynie

So first off, what kind of guy takes a girl out on a blind date when in less than 24 hours she will be set apart as a missionary? Yeah, I don't know either. But that is happening to me, in t minus 30 minutes. Plant a seed? I guess. It should be quite enjoyable! :)

Anyway, I wish that I could blog about all the festivities of this weekend, but they were just much too joyful to even put into words. 37 people sleeping in the Haynie hotel, 70 plus people at my house on Sunday for the luncheon and so many more in sacrament meeting supporting this new adventure I am about to embark on! I have the BEST family and friends in the whole entire world and I would not be where I am today without them. My mom is a rockstar and we cooked all week to feed the masses yesterday. I love that lady.


Tomorrow at 9 pm I will be set apart by my stake president as a full time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. Whoa. How am I feeling? I don't really know. :) Ecstatic, mostly. Hormonally emotional about leaving people and crying way too frequently. I get really nervous sometimes, and then remember, It is true. I have a testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that is what I need. Heavenly Father qualifies those he calls, and he will help me to be the best missionary I can be if I put my trust in him.

Also, for those of you wanting to be forwarded my emails, comment with your email on this blog or on my FB and my adorable and extremely delightful sister, Brianna, will forward them to you. For now, here is my MTC address if you want to write. Hopefully my FB will be updated with my current address depending on what area I am in. :) Love you all and see you in 18 months!!! Over and out.

Good bye Utah and Hello Texas/Louisiana! 

Sister Kendra Haynie
MTC Mailbox #136
TX-HOUE 0521
2005 N. 900 E.
Provo, UT 84604




Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Weakness


Every return missionary I have spoken to has told me, well, a lot of different things. But one thing that has been pretty similar across the board has been about weaknesses. It went something like this, "God, in trying to make you stronger, takes your number one weakness and really makes you aware of it on your mission. It seems to work its way into every facet of your life and you are forced, with his help, to deal with and overcome it."

So, in knowing this, I have been trying to get a jump start on my weakness. Can I do that? I am not really sure, but I have tried. We all know Heavenly Father has A LOT of different weaknesses he could maximize in my life, but what would that number one be.

I have thought about it a lot since January 19th and I think I finally came up with it...
 Vanity. 
I am an extremely vain person. Probably most of you will not actually believe this, as you know that I rarely get ready. I would go out anywhere in my work out clothes without make-up and my not hair done, and I did not even wear make-up until I came to college.

But the reason that I feel this most applies is in my skin tone. Because I am out to prove I am not white, having nice tan skin has always dictated my life. I LOVE being in the sun, I love getting tan and I DESPISE tan lines.


Can you think of another occupation I could have for the next 18 months that would give me worse tan lines? I don't think so. :)


Now that I feel I have decided upon that weakness that will be thrown in my face, I am preparing to embrace my farmer's tan line and awkward skirt length tan line, and just love them all!

No, this is not my leg. Or even close to it. But be expecting my nice tones legs to come back with skirts lines, just like this! ;)


Pray for me, that my vanity will quickly be diminished when I get set apart as a missionary! :) 

Monday, April 16, 2012

Divvying up of Assignments

In lieu of me having two weeks before I enter the MTC, I feel it is necessary to clue my nearest and dearest in on a few responsibilities they have while I am gone. ;)

Starla- Keep me updated on anything and everything BYU Athletics. Specifically; football, men's basketball and volleyball. You know what we like!

Bri- She is responsible for managing all forms of my social networking and media. She can choose to forward my emails to people, if her heart desires, and making sure that my email inbox stays under control. She can also choose to confirm or deny friend requests as well as, hack into my Facebook whenever she chooses.

Saryn- Sar is responsible for keeping me updated on all the people in our life that regrettably will probably not write me. Just like a Facebook news feed...but of the really important stuff. Marriages, babies etc. :) This is obviously her job because she is the most caring person and knows people so well. She just automatically loves.

Taryn- T is responsible for keeping a list of the good country and non country songs that come out. She knows what I will love because we have the same great taste, so it should be pretty easy. Because when I get back, we will be needing to have a dance party and I am going to need to know all the new music and such.

C-Puppy- C is responsible for keeping note of the movies that she knows I will love when I come back. Sandy ones, the highly quotable ones, and the super cheesy ones that our lives are just like! ...you're supposed to be with me! (Include Disney Channel as well...)

Shandi- Letting me know what actually happens to Henry when Psych comes back on in the fall! :)

Between this, loving me and the constant update of their lives, I think they should all stay pretty busy while I am gone. haha Everyone else reading this, it is your responsibility to write me. Not anything long, maybe even just a few post it notes, but I already know how much I will love getting mail and I hate not knowing what is going on in people's lives!


Also, I hope no one is judging me or thinking I am worldly after reading this blog post....we just all have our quirks and I felt it was important to notify them of their jobs before I leave, so they can be attending to them while I am gone! :)

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Let's go back in time shall we...

It is 2008. I was almost done with my 2nd semester of college, I had almost worked at the Key Office for a year and I was 18.

A part of my job at the Key Office went as follows: People would come in with key cards, or send them in through the mail, to get a key for somewhere on campus. Obviously we can not just let anyone and everyone get keys, so we require certain signatures. Depending on what Dept you are from or what access you need in that moment. Etc For each dept and college there are specific people that are allowed to sign for keys. We have signature cards that show who are approved signers and such.

The presidents office sent some key cards through the mail for two of their employees and I picked them up and began to issue them. Until I saw that President Cecil O. Samuelson had been the one to sign them. I  looked in my system, he was definitely not an authorized signer. But he is president of the University. Does it matter? Oh well. I will just issue them anyway and send a little note.

Those were all the thoughts that rushed through my head in that moment. So, I decided I would issue the keys anyway, and write President Samuelson's secretary a note asking him to sign the authorization form. Not a big deal right?

Well, I was 18, young and still wrote notes exactly how I talk. In this note I said, a midst other things, the following: "...even though we all know President Samuelson is a pretty big deal around here, we still need to have his signature on file. I went ahead and issued the keys and they can be picked up. But if you could send this card back after he signs it, that would be great." And I sent it to the President's office. Not thinking anything of it.

Two days later I get called into my big boss man's office... he brought me to tears and I felt sick for weeks about being "disrespectful" and "treating such matters lightly" and "how dare I take matters like that into my own hands" with the whole situation. It was awful and I thought I was going to get fired.

I have had countless opportunities to meet President Samuelson throughout my years of college. Through BYUSA and Cougar United, we have sat in on meetings together, eaten at the same table etc. Have I ever met him? No. I have avoided it like the plague. Thinking that if he ever met me and knew my name he would kick me out of the University for being so disrespectful. Needless to say, I have been scared to ever meet him in any situation.

FAST FORWARD THREE YEARS ---  My dearest supervisor at the Key Office, Shawna, is called into the Relief Society Presidency in her ward. They have a stake training. Who is the one training Shawna? None other than Chadra Kling, President Samuelson's personal secretary. She asks Shawna where she works at BYU and she tells her, "at the Key Office." Chadra replies, "Ohhh really. Oh man, have I got a story for you!!" Instantly Shawna knows what she is referring to and is getting ready for the worst, when Chadra says, "Your employee Kendra, who sent that note to me years ago...Oh my goodness! You would not believe about what a joke that has become in our office. Anytime anyone asks the President to do something he feels is menial he often responds with, 'Can't. Sorry, I am a big deal.' The note has been framed on his wall in his office since we received it. We have absolutely loved it! We frequently tell people that come in about what a 'big deal' our President is. We never thought it was disrespectful at all."

As Shawna is telling me this story I have a lot of emotions going through me. Humiliation, embarrassment, euphoria, anger (about being so sick about it for months/years!), and last of all, relief. We laughed about it, for a LONG time that day. Everyone in the office was just dying.

That was about 4 months ago and I decided that I needed to tie up my final loose ends at BYU before I leave this place for good. So I went, on a whim, and decided I was going to meet President Samuelson in his office. I walked in and Chadra asked me, "Hi, what can I do for you?"
"Uh...I would like to meet with President Samuelson please."
"In regards to what exactly?"
Well, how do I put this... "Well, my name is Kendra Haynie and years ago I wrote a note from the Key Office"
"OH! MY! GOSH! You are Kendra from the Key Office?!"
(In the mean time, two other people rush in from the other office and come and shake my hand with, "Your Kendra?!"'s going off everywhere.)

Yep, I am. Hi. This is awkward. It was then that Chadra pulled out the ORIGINAL note that I wrote so many years ago and showed it to me. I read through it, I was embarrassed. But glad to have it make such a story. She also showed me a campus memo that was sent to the President just a few months ago, referring to him as a campus entity. He was requested to respond. Across the top, just in pen, he wrote, "I used to be a big deal around here...now I am just a campus entity." and sent it back. That was all. Isn't that hilarious?

 President Samuelson then walked out of his office and shook my hand. Saying how good it was to finally meet me, the big deal joke starter, after all these years. We talked for a good twenty minutes about my life, my involvement at BYU, my graduation and my future. When I told him I was going on a mission he hugged me. And to think that I have avoided meeting him all these years! :) I asked him if we could take a picture, he said of course, and then I was on my way. Laughing and whistling to myself, as the story has finally come full circle.


I think I am officially good to go on graduating now. No more loose ends here.

Monday, February 6, 2012

107 comments...258 likes

Well...you all have probably already heard, but I got my mission call!!!!
(Yes, this blog title is the stats from status about my mission call...I was overwhelmed)

Texas Houston East Mission

T.H.E.M. or THE mission. :) Perfect for me and my humble self, to be serving in the THE mission. Pretty stoked about it.

It has now been like 2.3 weeks since I got my call and I am sorry I have not blogged about it. I never was good at this sort of thing. 

The call came to my house in Cedar, and I was in Provo subbing a second grade class. It was a looong day! :) My dear friend Jena and I drove from Provo to Cedar that evening. Everyone asks if I was going crazy or just DYING that I had to wait that long, and the answer is no. I was strangely calm and did not even really think it was real. Getting a mission call is such a surreal feeling! 

Anyway, when we finally made it to Cedar, turns out my parents were at foster care training and would not be home until 9...two more hours to wait. Helaman called me and he was coaching a basketball game for his young men...one more hour to wait. At this point, we would be opening it around 10. At least that would have been ideal. But then there was the serious issue of technology. I have nine siblings, who are all very important to me, in different places, and needed to be 'present' at the opening. As well as a lot of amazing friends that I was just sure grateful could also be there to support. So, between FaceTime, Skype, FaceTiming over Skype...and two change of locations and a lot more computer issues, we finally had everyone connected! Not to mention, Cali and Taryn and C-Puppy connected by various cell phones. 



It was rough, but ended up being a success. :) We started out with an opening song, "I Hope They Call Me on a Mission" yes...that is a completely normal thing to do everyone. And then...I opened it! Whipped it out and covered up all the words. I just knew if I did not cover it, I was going to cheat and read ahead. I read it line by line and got a little bit choked up be kept my composure. 

There is just something about reading those words... "You are hereby called to serve as a missionary..." "You are assigned to labor in the..." "You have been recommended as one worthy to represent the Lord as a minister..." that is enough to send anyone's stomach to their toes and make their hands and voice shaky. 

I did not cry...much to my great pleasure. Also, I read the whole letter...to everyone. haha Oft times, when people open their mission calls, they just read that first paragraph. Where they are going, what language they are speaking and when they are leaving. I really felt that everyone needed to hear what the rest of the letter has to say, after all, it is signed FOR REAL by President Thomas S. Monson. I thought if he had the time to sign it, everyone had the time to hear it. :) 



I am grateful for the call. I am excited to serve in Texas. Heavenly Father knew about my issue with Texans and sent me there to humble them... ;) and maybe myself. To not hate Texas pride as much, because we all know -- with how attached I get to people I am going to come back with some. But I promise, I will NOT be hanging a Texas flag in my house OR have any Texas stickers on my car. :)

Preparing to serve a mission is a humbling experience. Every day I wake up and find a flaw in myself that I know needs remedying for me to better serve the people of Texas (and Louisiana, which my mission also covers) and my Savior. Satan is real..and he has been trying his very hardest to make me feel inadequate and ask myself what good I could possibly do as a missionary. Good thing I could never believe that right? ;) 

"Things to do Immediately: Read this packet in its entirety" I was not wasting any time. 
But really, I can not wait to go! It is less than three months away and I am so darn excited to get letters from all of you for 18 months..right?

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Moving...

I started this blog post over a month ago. I hate when I get behind. It has probably taken me so long to write because I hate writing posts like this. The ones that leave me feeling a little bit melancholy. Yeah, this is one of those for me.

As of January 1, I no longer lived in Wellington 4. For those of you who don't know, I had lived there for 4.5 years. I moved into it in July of 2007, right after I graduated from high school. Before you go and judge me, remember that my dad owns the apartment and it was nice being the manager. :) When I first was going to move in, I was scared out of my mind. It smelled funny, was ugly and nothing like my home in Cedar. My mom took care of her girls and let me know she would not let me live there looking the way it did. So we went to work; we re did it. We painted the walls, did some major repairs, took out some ugly shelves and it became my home. Think about when you live one place even for one semester..four months... and how many memories and inside jokes are made. Well, I lived in dubya four for 9 semesters, 37 months...and a whole lot more weeks than that. It was awesome. Seriously, the best time of my life. While there, I got to live with some of my best friends (slash family that doubles as best friends) in the whole world!

(All the W4's in order of roommates in and out)









The most recent group of us. Slash, they all still live there with our dear friend Danielle.

As for now, I feel like I am in an awkward limbo. I go from living in the hub of socialness in W4, to Pleasant Grove (with my aunt and uncle and C-Puppy, who I love all dearly) with a lot less socialness. I am subbing pretty much every day which is really good and oh, the stories that I could tell about that. I love being in the classroom every day and GETTING PAID FOR IT. Not a lot, actually it is really a minimal pay, but it sure beats sitting at a desk every day!

That brings me to my next matter of business...my blog name. Do I need to change it?
Life of a College Girl is all I have ever known..but I am moving on to new adventures! It could eventually be... Life of a Sister Missionary eventually... But not right now. Life of a substitute? No. Life of a College Grad? No. I guess I will just keep it for now. After all, we know that I can only handle so much change all at the same time. :)

Love you all and maybe my call will be here TOMORROW! I am trying not to get my hopes up...but how can I not!