Lagoon And Camping!

Hey everyone! Sorry for another late weekly... 

My weeks honestly just kind of blur together. I've been getting into a really good, routine schedule with my services, though. It's still hard to wake up so early to serve at the temple, but literally every day I have awesome spiritual experiences there.

One day, I was really struggling to stay awake. I hadn't been able to sleep well and I was about to fall asleep while standing up. In some of the rotations at the temple, you can sit down, but I was in a place where I couldn't. Even though I was upright, my eyes would not stay open. I knew it would be really bad if I fell asleep because I was helping out with an important ordinance, so I said a very quick, fervent, silent prayer to give me the strength and energy that I needed to just get through the temple shift. As soon as I finished the prayer, my tiredness was swept away. It was such a wonderful blessing! I felt so awake and alert throughout the rest of the shift. I know that not all prayers are answered immediately, but that one definitely was. :)

I also have been praying very hard about some questions. The other day, when I was sitting in a hall at the temple, reading the scriptures, I was just overwhelmed. I said another silent prayer, again voicing my question. Then, I got the impression to open to a random page in the Book of Mormon and I would find my answer. I did it twice. The first was a bit more of a comfort verse and the second was a definite wake-up slap! It did answer my prayer, though. (I would share the references, but it was quite a personal experience.)

As the title of my email implies, I got to go camping and go to Lagoon! The camping trip was our big Howard family reunion! We went to Brian Head and had so much fun hanging out in the woods. We fished at Navajo Lake and I got an evil sunburn on my arm. Not nearly as bad as the blisters of last year, though! I enjoyed seeing cousins, aunts, and uncles again, and playing night games. :)  Ended up going home a little early with my mom to pick up Indy, and because my arm was FRIED. XD

Lagoon was fun! We went for the whole day and most of the Johnston side of the family was able to come. We got to go on all my favorite rides! Cannibal, The Bat, Colossus, Wicked, the Spider... When we went on Cannibal, a big bug hit my lip and went in my mouth. I spit it out, of course. XD  It actually hit me so hard that my lip was bleeding! XD We also went to Lagoon-A-Beach for part of the day. The lazy river was so packed! I told my dad it reminded me of nature documentaries about hippos with everyone just charging in and out. XD It was awesome to spend the day with cousins, catch up on lost time, share stories, and ride the rides. Luckily, I didn't get a new sunburn, but my arm did end up blistering a bit... oof.

Aside from that, the biggest news is that I might be able to serve at the Bear River Bird Refuge! I would love that so much! Learning about animals and sharing facts about them is one of my biggest passions! I'll keep you guys posted on whether or not that happens. 

Pictures are still giving me grief, so... none this week. Sorry about that!