The Great Wall of Kahana

Aloha!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Mine was quite exciting as I got to swim in the ocean for the the first time since I've returned to Hawaii! But it wasn't just for fun, it was actually for a service project. I am taking a GE class this semester called 'Local Communities' where we learn about the culture of Hawaii. This weekend we had our first field trip. We took six buses and drove to a place called Kahana. When we arrived we greeted the people there with he chant Hiki Mai as a sign of respect. We then split into groups and started to work. 

The topic we've been studying in class is ahupua'a. This is the Hawaiian word for a subdivision of land. Early Hawaiians divided each island into pie shaped ahupua'a that went from the mountains to the sea. This allowed each section to be self sufficient. One of the things the Hawaiians would do is build a rock wall in the ocean to act as a fish pond. Our project on Saturday was to rebuild the rock wall in Kahana. There were different jobs to do such as weeding, collecting rocks, passing rocks in an assembly line, and forming the wall. We all worked together as a team and got a lot done in the time we had.

My friend Kahea and I vlogged the adventure so I will add that here at the end. We had so much fun! It was a great service opportunity and I am grateful that I could be a part of it! We have been blessed to live in this beautiful world and we must do our part to take care of it. Hawaiians believe if you care for the land it will in turn care for you. 

"The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s: but the earth hath he given to the children of men." (Psalms 115:16)

♥ TTFN, KARISSA

10 reasons to smile

Aloha everyone!

What a week it has been. In such a short amount of time I feel like so much has happened. We seem to be on a boat and the waves keep taking us up and down.  I'm sure you have all seen in the news the awful things that have been happening all over the world. It has been easy for some people to see these events and say that they have 'lost all faith in humanity'. I disagree. Of course these attacks are terrible, but that does not mean there is no good in the world. Darkness cannot extinguish light. As I was reading about the news I came across this quote by Mr. Rogers.

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of disaster, I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.”

His mother's words are true. Among the articles about death and confusion there have been several posts about the people in France who opened their doors to strangers, cared for lost children, and donated blood for those that were injured. So I thought I would write this post to focus on the good. Look around yourself and find reasons to smile today.

10 Reasons to Smile

1. Family: Take some time to tell your family that you love them. 

I was so grateful to my family this week. They have been there for me as I adjust to college life again. My parents are my greatest supporters and are always there to help me do 'grown up things' when I have no idea what I am doing. I have also been blessed to have wonderful family members here in Hawaii who have been kind enough to let me stay with them while I go to school. Thank you Jordan family!

2. Peanuts Movie: Go see it!

I'm sure you all know how much my family loves the Peanuts (it was our Halloween theme last year) so believe me when I say that this movie was amazing. I was so pleasantly surprised. There was no crude or inappropriate humor, which was honestly so refreshing. It was just clean fun that had me laughing out loud several times throughout the film. The story was beautiful and had a great message. I feel like I could write a whole blog post about how perfect that movie was. I'm sure if Charles Shultz was alive it would be something he would be proud of. And just to convince you how good the movie is here is one of the songs from the soundtrack. This will be sure to make you smile (and dance!)

3. Good Food: You are what you eat!

If you are feeling down, a good snack is sure to life your spirits. Usually something sweet does the trick :) I have been having a lot of good food this week. That's just one of the many perks of living in Hawaii. Teriyaki chicken is one of my favorite foods and it is served all over the island. I got some this week with my family while we were visiting the new marketplace at the Polynesian Cultural Center. We also discovered a crepe vender which may be my downfall. I will need to resist going there everyday for a Nutella crepe :)

4. Great Customer Service: It does happen!

This was actually one of the things that inspired me to write this post. So yesterday I received an email from Spotify that my 3 month free trial had expired and that there was a problem with renewing my premium account. I wasn't surprised because I got a new card with a chip so this wasn't the first time I encountered this. I went to update my account but then I remembered that Spotify does a discount for students. I tried to sign up for that twice but it wouldn't recognize me as a student. Suddenly I got a text saying that both tries had taken money from my account even though it hadn't gone through. I sent an email to the Spotify help center about my situation. Within the hour I received the kindest email explaining what happened and an assurance that no money was taken from my account. I'm used to customer service letters being blunt and robot generated, but this was a sincere letter. It was a simple thing but it made me smile. Oh, and I did get my account update in the end if you were wondering :)

5. Friends: Catch up with someone!

It has been a bit surreal to come back to Hawaii and see all my friends again. It has been so nice to catch up with them and hear what has been happening in their lives. A lot can change in a year and a half! This week I had the pleasant surprise of discovering that one of the sisters from my mission is now studying here at BYU-Hawaii! When we first saw each other we couldn't help but call each other sister :) We went to dinner together later and had so much fun talking. So if you have a friend you've been meaning to call or you haven't seen in a while, take some time to catch up with them! 

6. Adventure: Travel somewhere near or far!

For me, traveling always brings back good memories. It was fun being able to travel back to Hawaii this week. But you don't always need a plane to travel, driving in a car can be just as fun! I love sitting in the car and looking out the window and just having time to think. Take a drive into the city or explore a part of your town that you never had before. I'm sure you'll discover something exciting! 

7. Celebrations: Yay!

Our family had a lot of celebrate this past week. First of all, it was mom's birthday on the 5th! We went into town and had a fun day at the zoo. We also stopped at a bakery and sang to her in the car as we ate our cupcakes. We ended the day with Uncle Ben, Aunt Michelle, and our cousins by eating some delicious Ted's Bakery pie. There was also a celebration this week here in Laie to celebrate 150 years of the church being in Hawaii. They had a parade near campus and the community gathered to watch. Kevin, Kenny, and Natalie had fun collecting the candy that was thrown from the floats. There was also a performance put on by the youth at night that we were able to watch. Our cousins Colin and Stephanie were in it. Everyone did a great job! If you don't have something to celebrate soon, make something up! Our family has dinosaur day that we celebrate randomly in November. A few years ago Kevin said there is a break between Halloween and Thanksgiving so we needed a holiday. I don't know if it was an excuse to have cake or not but we've been celebrating ever since. So have fun and celebrate something you are passionate about!

8. Try New Things: It's good for you!

This past week our family went to the Dole Plantation here on Oahu. We had never been before and it was a great experience! It didn't convince me to like pineapple though, not yet. Living in Hawaii got me to like coconut, but pineapple still needs to grow on me :) Kevin and Kenny love it though so they were in heaven. Dole whips galore! Speaking of trying different foods, while I am here I have been trying to expand my tastes. Yesterday while I was at FoodLand I saw this drink that was strawberry flavored so I decided to get it. It tasted nice but I should have read the small print. It had aloe vera pulp in it! That was quite a shock when I started drinking. So this week trying something new, because you never know how it will surprise you!

9. Act of Kindness: There are no small acts

I have been shown so much kindness this week. They may seem like small acts to those who helped me but I won't forget them. One happened as I was leaving the devotional on Tuesday. I was walking with my friend Suifan and she asked if I was going to get lunch. I told her I didn't have a meal plan to eat on campus. She then walked me to the cafe, used her guest pass to let me in, and ate lunch with me even though she was on her way to class. She is such a sweetheart.  Another instance happened on Thursday. I was having a rough day because for some insane reason I scheduled to have four classes that day and my head was not happy about it. I had a terrible migraine and I didn't even feel like going to my last class. I just wanted to lie down. Thankfully my last class was near my friends Annie and Adit's apartment. I stopped by and they were kind enough to give me some pain medicine. They also gave me some edamame and it was just what I needed to get through the day :) This week pray to find someone who needs your help, I promise it will make them smile.

10. Read the Scriptures: They will bring peace

I think this is an important scripture to remember with everything that has been happening recently. 

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27)

Keep smiling :)

♥ TTFN, KARISSA

Whistle While You Work

Stop. Collaborate and listen. But really if you haven't read "How may I help you?" you may want to go to that post first. It will explain what I have been up to for the last few months and the reason for this post.

As I was writing about work in my last post I started reflecting on different experiences I had. I thought they were worth sharing so here are some highlights and memorable moments from the workplace:

Rite Aid

Being robbed 

Yes, you read that right. And to make it better it was during my first week working as a cashier. It happened when this woman came in and wanted change. She did this maneuver (similar to a card trick) with her cash and when she left she ended up having more money than she gave me. The worst part was I knew that she was stealing from me. I was just so scared that I didn't know what to do. I was like "this wouldn't happen in a place like Cranberry would it?" I would soon learn that people stole all the time. We'd find empty packages hidden all over the store. It was sad, but there wasn't much we could do except be observant. And not get fooled by people wanting $20 worth of change for a $.99 chapstick.

Zimbabwe man

This is one of the weirdest things that happened while I was there. At Rite Aid we did money transfers offered by Western Union. The person sending or receiving money would pick up a phone by the cash register and get a confirmation code from WU. Then they would give us the code and we would do the rest. It was pretty easy, but this time was different. This man wearing a Dominos uniform walked up to me with his code after spending over 15 minutes on the phone and handed it to me. I typed in the numbers and instead of bringing up the option to confirm the transaction a text message popped up. It said "Ask the customer what their favorite color is. If they do not answers exactly as it is printed below do not go through with the transfer" On the screen under that it said "blue". 

Suddenly it turned into one of those mystery episodes where you don't know if someone is really who they say they are and you have to test them with personal questions. Was this going to turn into a Supernatural episode? So I turned to the man and said "This has never happened before and it may seem weird, but I need to ask you a question. What is your favorite color?" Without blinking he stared me in the eyes and said "red" *cue the horror music* I didn't know what to do then, but thankfully one of my managers was there to handle it. She said we couldn't give him the money until he had the right answer. So he left, but within a couple hours he came back and proudly walked up to me, smiled, and said "blue". He answered right so I gave him the money. I would see him occasionally after that. He would receive money and then immediately send it away again to Zimbabwe. I never asked why, but it was fun to come up with possible scenarios when it wasn't busy and I had nothing to do.

Bowing man

When he walked into the store I said "Hello!" and he turned to me and bowed and said "good evening". Then when he got what he came for and walked up to the register, he bowed to me again (in front of the whole line!) and said "how are you miss?" This was very sweet but I didn't know how to respond so being the quick thinker I am I said "good!" *facepalm* This is usually what happened when people would try to flirt with me. I would feel awkward so I would start rambling and they would end up looking at me like I was crazy. For instance their was this guy who asked for my number every time he came in the store, so I would go on about my boyfriend who lived in Australia. And because I am such a convincing lier *cough* he didn't buy it at all. So I started avoiding going to the register and waiting for my manager to help him. Great job Karissa! 

The lady who made me laugh till I cried

This is one of my favorite memories from working at Rite Aid. Ok, so to set the scene it was about 8:30 at night. I had worked at Denny's that morning, I had a migraine, and I was ready for it to be 10 o'clock so I could go home. This woman walked up the register and started making small talk. Then she asked me about this wallet that she was buying for her son, which is a perfectly normal thing to ask right? But for some reason the way she asked made me start laughing. Now when I am tired I feel like a zombie, but I act like I am fine so that people won't notice. But when I am extremely exhausted I hit this point where the smallest thing seems hilarious. 

That is what happened with this lady. When she saw me laughing she joined right in and started going on about her son and how if he wanted a wallet so bad he should have just come in the store himself instead of sitting in car. (I'm actually laughing right now just thinking about it.) So we sat there laughing until her son did actually come in the store wondering why it was taking her so long. She turned to him and asked if he liked the wallet and he said no. This just made me laugh harder. So while he went to get a new wallet his mom stayed with me and kept making me laugh. By the time he came back I was crying from laughter. I can't remember what she even said or why I thought it was funny, but she was exactly what I needed that night. She helped a half hour fly by and made me laugh which made my night ten times better. And thankfully she thought it was funny too and didn't think I had completely lost my mind. 

Last day 

My last day was interesting. It was the day we had one of the worst thunder storms we had in a long time. It was around 7:00pm and only my manager Brittany and I were in the store with one customer. Rain was pouring on the roof and we could see lightning outside. Then all of a sudden the power went out! All three of us rushed to front to get to the natural light coming through the windows. Suddenly a man and his girlfriend banged the front door open (without power they wouldn't open automatically) The man said "Can we buy anything?" Brittany told him that unfortunately, no we could sell anything because without power, the registers were down. Angrily he stormed out with his girlfriend shouting "I need to buy chapstick!" It was hilarious. The other customer left seeing that she couldn't buy anything, so me and Brittany were left in the store alone in the dark. It was like an adventure! I ,thought we'd get to go home, but our manager Steve called and told us to wait and see what happened. So we kept working on price tags by the light of our phones until two hours later when the power finally came on. It was the most exciting last day I could have asked for!

Denny's 

Adjusting from the PCC

Some of you may know that during my first year at college I worked at the Polynesian Cultural Center in one of the restaurant as a hostess. This gave me great experience and helped me with my job at Denny's quite a lot. I already knew how to seat people and what good customer service was. (In Hawaii we called it the 'Aloha Spirit') I did have to refrain from greeting customers with an "Aloha!" while shaking a shaka when they walked through the door though :)

Tip for the hostess 

This completely took me by surprise. After this man had paid, he held out two dollars and said to me "This is for you. You were a delight and made us laugh even though the line was busy when we came in. We enjoyed talking to you." It made me so happy because the only way I could get tips was from take out orders and even then people rarely left anything. I guess it is not common knowledge that you tip for take-out. (It's the hostess's job to put all the food together, including making drinks and milkshakes) 

One time I asked this lady if she wanted to leave a tip and she said "No I don't tip for take-out. It's like McDonalds." I kindly smiled and said "Yeah..." I shouldn't complain though because I worked with wonderful people like my friend Mary who would use some of her tip money to pay for my break meals whenever she worked. Also the other waitresses would sometimes give me a few dollars at the end of the day for helping them. We helped each other a lot. They knew I didn't like doing my floor so they would sweep and mop for me and I would help with their side work, like filling the syrups. That actually became bit of a joke. They all thought it was so funny that I liked filling the syrups. After a while it was pretty much my job. Whoever had it that day would say "Oh look I have the syrups today, I wonder if someone would like to help me" And then they would smile at me knowing that I was more than willing. We all made a good team. I will miss them at college. But I'll definitely be back to visit when I come home :)

Zimbabwe man part 2

Yes, he found me at Denny's. I kid you not. He came in with his daughter. We actually became friends after a while and he was sad to hear I was quitting Rite Aid. So as they say 'don't judge a book by its cover' or by the scary money transactions they do late at night that require a password. 

Cute couples

One of the sweetest things about working at Denny's is the customers. So many older couples would come in to enjoy some breakfast food together. My favorite is when sweet old men would hold their wives hand and guide them to the table. You could really see how much they loved each other. One man even pulled out the chair for his wife and then gave his coat to her so she wouldn't be cold. It was touching to see little moments like that.

Seeing friends

I did also get visits from family and friends. This goes for both places. Thank you to those that came in and visited me. It always brightened my day to see a happy familiar face!

Last day

My wonderful co-workers completely surprised me on my last day. Towards the end of my shift, one of the waitresses named Sherry came up to me and said "Karissa they need you in the back!" So I followed her back there to find the rest of the waitresses waiting for me with a cake. They also gave me a card with money they had collected to help with college. I was so touched I almost started crying. I gave them all hugs and took pictures of course :)

Do you see why I should have written about this sooner? I have so much to say and now I finally have time to write about it. I hope you enjoyed my stories. And I'll try to stay up to date with this blog, but with school starting soon I don't want to make any promises. I'll just say I'll do my best! 

Thanks for reading!

♥TTFN, KARISSA

How can I help you?

Hello everyone!

Wait. What is this? Two blog posts in the same month? What has gotten into me? No three month gap? Haha joking aside I think it is about time that I wrote this post. In my missionary suitcase entry I told you that I have now quit both of my jobs. But in my post from June I told you I couldn't get a job at all. So I suppose an explanation is due. 

Shortly after I posted about my job finding struggles I was contacted by, not one, but two employers! I interviewed at Denny's and Rite Aid and they both hired me! In fact on the day of my interview my manager at Denny's said "consider yourself part of the team!" I was ecstatic! I told my managers that I was offered a job at other places and both they said that was fine. They even said they would each work around my schedule.  Denny's told me they needed me during the day and Rite Aid needed me at night. Everything seemed to be working out perfectly! Little did I know I was taking on an incredible task. You should know whenever things like this happen, I go into the mindset that I can do any job. If people need my help I am willing to do just about anything. 

On my mission I think this drove my companions a little crazy because if we asked for service and someone told us about a project I was immediately like "Yes! We can do that! When do you need us?" And lets just say my companionship hit the service hours maximum most weeks :)

For three months I worked both jobs. I was a hostess at Denny's and a cashier at Rite Aid. I was making good money and getting along with my wonderful coworkers, so life was good. Then around the middle of August something happened with the scheduling and both places needed me to work more hours. I would work at Denny's from 8-3 and then rush over to Rite Aid where I would be scheduled to work 3-10. This only happened a couple times at first, but then it became almost daily. I was working 14 hour days and exhausting myself. When I'd wake up in the morning it would be hard to walk. I can't tell you how many shoe inserts I bought over those few months. 

It was also hard because I wasn't spending any time with my family as I wasn't home all day. I decided I had to pick which job I would quit and which one I would keep until I went to school. Although it was sad, but I decided to quit Rite Aid. I then continued working at Denny's for another month until finally quitting about a week ago so that I could focus on getting ready for school. 

I am truly grateful for the experiences I had at both places. I learned a lot about myself while I was there. At Rite Aid it confirmed to me that I love to organize things. One of my favorite things was truck day when we got to put all the new merchandise in the proper place. It may seem weird, but I considered that "fun". 

Aside from that, the thing that stood out to me the most was that I truly love helping people. I could have only learned this by having both of these jobs at the same time. Let me explain. At Rite Aid the thing I enjoyed most was finding what people were looking for. Nothing made me feel happier than someone asking where the toothpaste was and being able to say "Aisle nine, just go straight to the back!" Although sometimes I did send people on a wild goose chase when they asked about medicine. I'd point in the general direction of the pharmacy and then rush behind them to find it so I had some credibility. I also enjoyed doing the cash register. However, for the rest of my shift I was pretty bored. 

At Denny's it was a different story. I always had something to do and I loved it. If I wasn't cleaning the windows, I was clearing tables, or I was wiping and setting tables, rolling silverware, taking drink orders, doing the register, stocking items, or preparing to-go orders. I was constantly helping people whether it was the customers, the waitresses, or my managers. The contrast between the two jobs showed me that I thrive when I help other people. I guess that's how it was on my mission too. I wasn't the best at doorstep lessons or tracting, but if we were doing a service project I was full of energy. Now, don't get the impression that I love being busy. Just ask my family, if I am home with nothing to do I am content for hours. But if I have a job to do, I give my all.

I think that is what it means to be Christ-like. I'm not saying I'm perfect by any means, but it is something for all of us to strive for. If more people would focus on helping others instead of tearing then down and 'dragging' them, the world would be a better place. Jesus Christ takes our burdens and makes them light so we should in turn do that for our brothers and sisters.

There is a scripture in the Book of Mormon that talks about this. It is from the book of Mosiah when the Lord is speaking to the people of Alma.

 "And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions. And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord." (Mosiah 24:14-15)

So just like a missionary, I will leave you all with a commitment. This week pray for an experience to help someone who needs you. I promise that no matter how you are feeling or what kind of day you are having, it will make you feel better. True happiness comes from serving others :)

Have a beautiful week!


♥TTFN, KARISSA 

Missionary Check List

Hello everybody! 

I am so happy to finally be writing this.  I have had the idea for this post for months, but work and life have been keeping me busy. Now that I have quit both of my jobs (more on that soon!), I now have some time before school to focus on these types of things.

So what was my grand idea? Well recently, several people I am close to have received their mission calls to serve for our church. Seeing their posts online has made me reflect on how I felt when I received my mission call last year. I was excited but also nervous because I had no idea what I should expect. Sure, I had heard missionary stories my whole life, but those were just the highlights. Day-to-day missionary life was a mystery to me.  I had no idea what I would need to bring with me besides some skirts and my scriptures. Thankfully in my call packet there was a packing check-list which I very much appreciated, as I am a very list oriented person. (You should see the files on my computer, everything is categorized) But while the list did help, when I got to the field I realized that it contained only the essentials. I had forgotten a lot of things that I would need for the next 18 months (like pictures of my family!). As I was reflecting on this, I decided to make an all inclusive list of things to bring on a mission for those who are preparing to serve so they don't make the same mistakes that I did. 

Let's begin shall we! I tried to group the items in a way that made most sense (and being the organizer I am this was quite fun for me) and I've added pictures for reference!

Travel

Suitcases (2 large/1 carry on)

Duffle bag (for exchanges)

Clothing 

Skirts and blouses (8 - 10)

Dresses (3 - 5)

Slips (1 - 2)

Blazers (2)

Pajamas

Exercise clothing 

Sweatpants/sweatshirt

Cardigans

Undershirts (shade shirts from DownEast are my favorite)

Underclothing

Garments (10 - 12 pairs) 

Tights (cotton lined ones are great for winter)

T-shirt and jeans for service projects

Service gloves

Socks

Winter Clothing

Coat (rain and winter)

Scarf

Gloves

Hat

Boots

Sweaters

Long sleeve undershirts

Shoes

Sunday shoes

Proselyting shoes

Shower sandals (for the MTC) 

Shoe inserts (you will be doing lots of walking!)

Accessories

Watch

Necklaces

Bracelets 

Earrings

CTR ring 

Headbands

Belts

Scarves

Sunglasses

Apartment Needs

Comforter

Blanket

Sheets

Pillows

Pillow cases

Hangers

Towels (2)

Hand towel

Laundry Bag

     *If possible these can be bought in the mission field to make packing easier

Personal Care

Glasses

Contacts

Medication

Contact Solution

Make up (eye shadow, mascara, foundation, eye liner)

Make up bag

Make up remover

Face cleanser

Lotion

Vasaline 

Deodorant

Perfume

Hand sanitizer 

Bathroom Items

Shampoo/Conditioner

Dry shampoo

Body wash

Feminine products 

Razor

Toothbrush

Tooth paste

Floss

Tweezers

Blow dryer

Straightener

Curling iron

Hair spray

Hair ties

Bobby pins

Brush and comb

Q-tips

Nail file and clippers

Nail polish

Stationary

Address book

Cards

Writing paper

Envelopes

Stamps

Address labels

Colored pens

Pencils

Stickers

Tape

Scissors

Post-it notes

Scripture marking pens

Highlighters

Notebook

Journal

Shout-out journal

Spiritual

Scriptures 

Scripture case

Hymn book

Preach My Gospel

True to the Faith

Jesus the Christ

Our Heritage

Our Search for Happiness

Conference talks

Binders (for study material)

Daily Needs

Shoulder bag 

Camera

SD card

Camera charger

GPS

Tide-To-Go pen/ Shout wipes

Kleenex 

Water Bottle

Miscellaneous 

Flash Drive

SD converter 

 Flashlight

Alarm clock

Umbrella

Photo albums (pictures of family!)

Sewing kit

Sunblock 

Lint Brush

Bug spray

Benadryl spray 

First Aid kit (Band-Aids, Neosporin) 

Ibuprofen

Plug converter (for international missions)

Coin purse

Important

Wallet

Cash

Photo ID

Drivers license 

Debit card
Loyalty cards (if you want the discounts)

Temple recommend

Immunization record

Passport (if needed) 

Health insurance 

Ta da! I worked so hard on getting all that together. But it was worth it. Unfortunately I didn't get this finished in time to reach my target audience (my cousins and friends who are serving missions and are now in the MTC) but I figure that if their family members read this and see they forgot something, they can put a little box together for them. That was something that my angel mother did for me quite often on my mission. I'd email her with requests like "It turns out I do need a blazer, could you send me one please?" and "Could you send me my coat, it's actually cold here!" I even emailed my Grandpa Jordan and asked him for dinosaur hunting licenses from the dinosaur museum which he most kindly sent to me. I didn't include those in my list, but they did come in handy more than once on my mission when teaching kids :)

And even though I had them in mind, this list is not just for those serving now. I hope in the future it will help some of the youth who are preparing to go on a mission. I hope they can refer back to this list and that it helps make packing easier.  

Thank you for reading! 

♥TTFN, Karissa