Legacies

I do my best thinking in the shower. I think this is maybe owing to the combination of warm relaxing steam and drops of water cleansing every pore. Not to mention good smelling soap. I'm currently washing my hair with Awapuhi (it's a Hawaiian plant) organic shampoo and this amazing bar of African black body soap. It's a party for the senses. One day a couple of years ago, I was visiting my Tia Maria & Tio David Torres' home and as I was leaving, I caught a glimpse of words adoring the wall space just above the entryway. The words read, "Be true to who you are & the family name you bear --Gordon B. Hinckley." That phrase has stuck with me over the years and greets me everytime I open my scriptures. I've been meditating about this phrase a lot the past three weeks I've been here in the MTC. 

Sheri Dew, CEO of Deseret Book and former member of the Relief Society General Presidency spoke to us about this very topic last Sunday in Relief Society. She told us to ask ourselves the question, "Am I living up to my heritage? and then taught us how we have two heritages: our mortal heritage consisting of our parents, grandparents, ancestors, and our diving heritage because ultimately, we are all sons and daughters of God. She powerfully put it that we are offspring of the King of Heaven that we in fact have a pedigree of direct lineage to Him. I thought that was beautiful. 

I've been told before that I know, "everyone." I've always claimed that this is false. I know a good amount of people, God just has a way of making it so that I intersect paths with people I know. Sometimes he even just has me establish crazy connections with "new" people I meet. Yesterday in the MTC I saw Elder & Sis Falabella who are essentially my family. It made my day! I was eating lunch with my district when I saw them walking through the cafeteria during a tour of the MTC. I just got so excited. I ran up to them and gave Hermana Falabella the biggest hug. It was the next best thing to seeing someone in my family. This week I've also run into people from Living Legends and BYU and even my roommate from my study abroad in Mexico who I hadn't seen in over two years. Running into people is kind of my way of feeling God's love for me. 

My first day in the MTC, we met our Branch President, President Tyler. He began introducing himself and said he was from Long Beach, CA and I gasped and said, "I'm from Long Beach!" He proceeded to ask what ward and it turns out he grew up in the Long Beach 7th ward! In my mind I quickly calculated about what years I thought he would have lived in the area and said, "You might know my grandparents then, the Quesadas." There was a long silent pause, and I thought he maybe just couldn't picture who they were, but he later broke the silence and quietly answered almost crying, "very well." His father apparently served in the Enos Branch presidency with my grandfather. Later in the meeting he stopped and said with a smile on his face, "So you're a Quesada? Well, I am honored to have you in this district," and he shook my hand firmly. 

I've thought so much about that experience during these past three weeks here. Our family names have such great legacies attached to them and it is our duty to our ancestors and to ourselves to live up to them. We cannot hide from our legacies, and we cannot hide from the Lord. My time here in the MTC is pretty much over! I have loved it, and I LOVE my district. They are too sweet for words. All the elders put their money together to buy an assortment of candies and other snacks and put them in a small box along with a sweet 'thank you' card. It warmed our hearts. Hermana Giron and I surprised the elders in return with pieces of paper where we had written out acronyms or their names as well as bookmarks depicting scenes from the life of Christ. They were so happy! 

Well, the next time you hear from me, I'll be in Texas! I've so far met 6 hermanas who are headed to my same mission along with me. SIX. I'm so ready to serve and ready to love the people in my mission with all my heart. 

Con Todo mi Amor, 
Hermana Flores 

p.s. Little burst of happiness in the MTC this week, they served Navajo tacos! You know how much I love those things. :) mmmmhhmmmm.