A few more New Years Resolutions (Guest Post by Madi)

It may be a while into the new year but it's never too late to set some goals! I'm excited for you to read Madi's post from our blog swap! You can read mine here (10 resolutions to bring you closer to Christ) and if you're feeling a little discouraged about all those fabulous goals you set there is a post scheduled for tomorrow all about that!

Madi is super awesome and it was super fun to work with her! Go check out her blog! You definitely won't regret it!

Hello everyone!

My name is Madi and I blog over at Madison Custer. My blog is all about my life- school, church, mission prep, friends and family. I am so excited to be working with Shelby on this post!

I thought since it was January, I'd do a nice little post on resolutions. I'm a senior in high school, so I've done my fair share of Resolutions, but this year I thought I'd do them a little differently. I tend to make lofty goals for myself, but this year I hunkered down and made some realistic ones, specifically targeting going on a mission. My projected availability date is less than 365 days away (*eek!*) and so I'm using all the time I can to get as prepared as I can.

1. Read the Book of Mormon again
One goal I have for myself is to learn a lot on my mission. Whether it's my mission language or not, I want to feel like I've learned something when I'm done. I know a mission isn't exactly for me, but since this goal can only benefit me and the people I'm teaching, I'm keeping it in the back of my brain. This all leads me to this first resolution. If I want to be able to hit the ground running, I need to have a solid backbone and testimony in the Book of Mormon, the awesome book I'm going out to teach. I want to read it again this year in hopes that I'll be able to become really familiar with it, the people and the stories.

2. Read Preach My Gospel
I really like how Preach My Gospel is formatted, and how it's different than the old missionary discussions. I know I'll learn a lot about it in the MTC and mission field, but I want to be familiar with it before I leave so I'll be able to follow along. I've heard that the information you receive in the MTC is a little bit like being sprayed in the face with a fire hose, so I want to be super prepared for that!

3. Go out with the sisters in my area
Unfortunately, I don't have sister missionaries in my ward, but there is a set in a ward that's really close to me. I've been talking to them a little bit about going out with them, but at this point I just need to find some Saturdays that aren't filled with school work and schedule something. I want some idea of what I'm getting myself into before I do it!

4. Pick up piano again
I used to play the piano, then when I was in 8th grade I quit. I ultimately did it because my teacher moved away and I had had some pretty traumatic experiences (read: panic attacks on the bench) at piano recitals, and I decided enough was enough. Oh how I regret that decision! I want to pick it back up this year and learn the basic hymns so that if I'm ever in an area where no one plays (my mom was in multiple- that's why she wants us to learn) I can step in! This one is going to be hard, but I think if I put my mind to it I can do it!

Thank you all for reading this post! I loved having this opportunity to work with Shelby and her amazing blog, and I hope you'll come check out mine in the future!

xoxo
Madi