Who I Am

Welcome readers, and welcome to my internet home! I guess I will start off by telling you who I am, for those of you who may have stumbled across this blog and wanted to know what's up in this neck of the woods!

My name is Svyettlana Parry. Pretty cool name right? But don't you stress, you don't have to call me that. I've come to your rescue with a nickname! Lots of people call me Lonnie.

I was born in Tucson, Arizona on December 23rd, 1997, making me 18 and 3/4. I resided there until I was about five or six, and then my family moved to Alaska. I spent most of my upbringing in a small village called Chenega Bay, Alaska. This place was awesome, Alaska is awesome, and it is totally worth it to go if you ever get a chance. It still holds a dear place in my heart. I mean, isn't it absolutely GORGEOUS??

                                  

The summer before my freshman year my parents decided that our family of seven children needed to make its way back to "the lower 48", as we called it. So we packed up all the belongings we didn't give away and moved back. I won't lie, it was a huge let down to go from what is pictured above to this:

                                   

Carlsbad, New Mexico. Not to say it isn't pretty, but to me most everything pales in comparison to Alaska. So, I completed my High School career as a Carlsbad Caveman. I did some pretty awesome things in High School, but I can say without a shadow of a doubt, High School was the worst time of my life. I was so happy to graduate when the time came and just couldn't wait to get on with life. After I graduated my parent made another decision. Can you guess what it is? Yes! They moved back to Alaska! But, this time I was given the option to go with them, and after much praying and fasting, I chose not to, for a number of reasons. None of which are super important, but God told me that I needed to be off on my own.

So, now I live in University Place, Washington with my Aunt and Uncle, and I absolutely LOVE it. I am so happy and blessed to live somewhere so awesome as I prepare to Serve my mission, and I couldn't be happier to finally bond with some people from my distant family.

It is already obvious now, but just to repeat myself again, I am a Member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or a Mormon! I love my church. The principles and ideas that I have been taught from the church have shaped me into who I am today. I have no idea who I would be without my faith, and frankly I hope I never find out. The gospel of Jesus Christ and the commandments of God have never been restricting for me. I only see how much I have been truly blessed by obeying what I've learned. Not to say I haven't made mistakes. I know better than most people the sorrow that can come from not obeying what God has commanded. But, I also know the joy that comes from learning from those mistakes and becoming a better person from them, instead of letting them tear me down. There's always another way, always a chance to come back and start anew, and I hope to share my belief in that idea with you.

For anyone who isn't a member, when a boy turns 18, and a girl 19, we are given the opportunity to serve a mission almost anywhere in the world. We go through a long, tedious process of filling out papers saying we are worthy to serve and healthy enough to go. When we are finished, we get approval from our leaders of our area and it is sent off. What makes us different is we do not get the choice of where we serve. The highest leaders of our church receive our papers and choose with divine inspiration where we will best serve.

                                

I have known from a very young age that I was going to serve. There was never a doubt in my mind about if I would serve a mission. When I was about 13, the church lowered the age that a female missionary could serve from 21, to 19. This made the opportunity for me to go even more set in stone. I have done everything in my power to help prepare me for this huge time in my life, and I know I don't know half of everything I need to know, but I am so ready to serve. Sharing the gospel with others has always been a passion of mine, and I can't wait to see how I can change others lives for the better. I will be 19 in three short months, I have finished my papers, and now I just wait to have them sent out and receive my call!

I am super excited to start this blog up and get to share my thoughts and stories with you as I prepare to serve my mission. I hope I can help someone out there with my experiences and that you all will enjoy it! I will try to post once or twice a week. Welcome to my blog, and lets have some fun!

My sister, Cambrea, and I :)