For the better, or for good? I'll take both

Ok, I promise I haven't gained THAT much weight in Jerusalem. They are baggy clothes. 

It's ok you guys, that is just the outfit I was wearing as I passed Elder Holland on the stairs. But it turns out he's pretty nice and understanding of the fact that nineteen-year-olds living in the middle east forget what a normal outfit looks like and he asked me how I was doing anyway. 

On that note, allow me to share with you a few of the things our beloved apostle shared with us during his stay at the JC.

Well, there are actually a lot of things he shared, but I am not in the mood to copy all of my notes just now, so we're gonna skip over those and jump right to the end.

He began the conclusion to his talk with the following phrase: "Welcome to your future." 

And that, my friends, is what I needed to hear. I needed to hear that the person I became here is the person I can continue to be. So much happened while in the Holy Land, and none of that needs be undone. My life right now, my thoughts and feelings and actions, these are my future.

Don't worry, I know your next question. "How have you changed, Sadie?"

Allow me to tell you. Or, well, sorta. I'm just kinda gonna type and we'll see where it leads us. But most of my thoughts lately have had at least something to do with the topic, so hopefully we'll land somewhere in the realm of our planned destination. 

We went to church in the Galilee branch not long ago. As I sat there overlooking....

Nope. Lost that train of thought. Too many distractions in the computer lab. Namely a few good senses of humor and the mention of harry potter.

So anyway, let me cut and paste. The following is a little something I wrote for a school project here. 

"I guess it could be called an identity complex. Why be like everyone else? I wanted to be independently me. But I never really knew who that was, and I was too busy trying to get people to believe I did to actually stop and figure it out. In an attempt to define myself as impulsive and independent, I did things like drop out and home school, or head off to live in the Middle East for four months. Turns out that the latter was the best thing I ever did for myself. Four best friends and a brand new testimony later, I have a better grip on who I am now than ever before. I am quirky, I am excitable, I am loved."

Honestly? Other than that I haven't been able to quite pin-point my change, but I'll keep you posted.

I have spent some time meditating over it and I have discovered the true magic of the Western Wall: its ability to bring people together, giving hope that one day all our prayers may be answered.

This past sacrament meeting was tear jerker. Let's not discuss again how this is a big deal for me, just trust me. It was our final meeting, and the opening hymn was "Each life that touches ours for good." 

If you are not familiar with the words, become so.

I realized that my roommates have been (one of) my greatest gifts here. I am going to miss their wonderfulness. They all gave me something that I needed so much.   

I have begun to realize that it is ok to be going home. Which I guess is good, cause that plane is leaving in a few days and I'll be on it whether I'm ready or not. But I've done what I came here to do, which is become a different person. Well, no, I came to go to Egypt, but now I see that there were bigger plans in my stars, and I like to think I've followed them quite nicely. These people have changed my life, and I know that I was here when I was for a reason. 

And, just in case you were wondering, this has been my most prized possession while in the Middle East, it contains my soul.