I Almost Want the Title to Be Longer Than the Actual Post

I got to talk to my favorite brother this week.
I haven't seen him for over two years since I left December 2012 and he left December of last year. But in one more year I can see this annoyingly nerdy yet super awesome brother of mine. Hooray!

Skyping on Christmas.

Also, I'm moving this week.
Yep.
Moving.
Finally.
Back to Logan I go!


I'm excited.


That's my update for now.

*Excited Noises*

Here I am, starting off a grave shift at work on Thanksgiving (don't worry, I wanted to work). I just realized that it's technically been six months to the day that I left the mission field (although I didn't get released until two weeks later because of traveling). I honestly can't believe half a year has gone by. I really, really can't.

When I first came home I ended up becoming depressed for a bit. I don't think I realized it at the time, or at least I wouldn't admit it, but it was harder to deal with than I thought. Coming off a spiritual high and back down to reality isn't something that can be explained, only experienced.

But no matter! As you know, I got a meaningful job that I love with coworkers that I also love to pieces. I finally saved up enough and got a kick ass camera, which, for some reason, is one of my proudest accomplishments. I've lost lots of my mission weight (booyah!). Oh, the list goes on.

I tried to move to Logan in July and everything kind of fell apart. However, when I visited Logan over Halloween I had a really clear feeling that it was time to move back up. I started looking for apartments. I talked to my work office about transferring. And then I met a guy. And all of it started working out so perfectly, so wonderfully. I found an apartment. I got a position up in Logan. And I got the guy. 

MY GOODNESS I LOVE MY LIFE RIGHT NOW.

This is honestly the happiest I've been, which is saying something because I'm usually quite cheerful. And another awesome part? Today is my favorite holiday! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

New & Old.

Obligatory awesome photo of myself,

Okay, maybe it's not so obligatory...

Doctor Who Weeping Angel Costume Tutorial

Okay. This post is for all those awesome Doctor Who fans who need any help with making a Weeping Angel costume. This project was not easy and was very time consuming. That said, it was totally worth it in the end! 

I tried to keep the cost of the materials to a minimum (which both did and didn't work, haha) and I also looked for materials that didn't weigh very much, since I didn't want the wings to weigh a ton.

So here we go!

The Wings

Materials:

- Butcher paper

- Large piece of flat, corrugated cardboard (my dad works in a cardboard factory, so I was able to get this super easy and for free)

- Craft foam (I bought several sheets of both 3 mm and 5 mm thick from Hobby Lobby)

- Foam core board

- Acrylic paint

- Tacky glue (just what I had and it worked! I didn't want to weigh it down with lots of hot glue)

- Paint & foam brushes

- Thick wire (my dad dismantled a tomato wire cage and it worked beautifully)

- Small zip ties (you can get these at a dollar store)

- 2 lashing straps (I got them at Walmart for about $2 each)

I started with the wings because they seemed like they would be the hardest. And they were. It took me about a couple hours a day for three weeks to make them.

I first started by referencing the wonderful source material of Doctor Who. I pretty much watched any and all episodes involving the Weeping Angels and screenshot a lot of images. Since I decided to start with the back of the wings (the feather pattern is simpler), this was my best reference:

I grabbed a large piece of butcher paper (we have a whole roll of it at home) and sketched out the basic shape and design of the wings. I kept checking the proportions to make sure that they weren't too big or too small. Then I cut it out to use as a stencil.

Feet for size reference...

Next I traced it onto the cardboard and cut it out.
I purposely left the wings attached to the middle because I had NO clue what sort of attachment I was going to use to hold on the wings.

I flipped over the stencil and cut out the other side. I should've paid more attention to the symmetry of the wings to the fold down the center of the cardboard, because it ended up being slightly lopsided. However, it ended up not being a big deal.

Next came making the feathers! Most of the feathers were used with the 3 mm foam because it was much easier to work with than the 5 mm. I cut out the feathers and laid them out on the cardboard wings to make sure everything fit/looked good. Then I used a box cutter to put lines down the foam and cut notches to make the feathers look more real.

I glued the feathers on with Tacky Glue, starting with the inside feathers and overlapping towards the outside.

None of the craft foam I could find in stores was big enough to create the top part of the wings. I ended up getting some foam core board, which was perfect! I reused the stencil from earlier to match the curvature at the top.  I cut out a basic shape then laid it on the feathers. Then I used a pencil to mark where I needed to cut/shape it more.

Once I glued on all the feathers and the top piece of foam core, I just left it to dry overnight. Then I painted it with the medium color of gray I got. I didn't take pictures of the painting process, but I used the dark paint to create shadows and the lighter paint to create highlights, especially on the edges and tips of the feathers. I used really erratic brush strokes to make it seem more... natural? It ended up looking fabulous.

The gluing is done!
Once it dried I painted the base coat of paint.

So I forgot to mention, but since the foam core was lying on top of piled up foam feathers, I glued a strip of foam onto the cardboard so that it laid down more naturally. If you look at the picture, you can see the cardboard base, the strip of foam and then the foam core (the wings are upside down).

Once the back of the wings were complete, I flipped them over and did the front! The feather pattern was different, but it was no big deal. I used foam core for the top piece on the front of the wings, too.

By the way, I painted the cardboard before gluing on the wings just so no white would show through.

When the painting was all said and done, I hit a road block. I had no idea how to attach the wings to the straps so that I could actually wear them. I needed some support in the wings but I didn't want tons of wire, because then they would be too heavy.

We took an old tomato cage and my dad clipped off the straight wires. We used two wires-- one shaped to the top curves of the wings and the other went just straight through. I honestly should've done this WAY before this point, but hey, we're all dumb sometimes.

Using a knife, we separated the layers of the wings and fit the wires inside (see, this should have been done earlier). My dad used a drill to put holes through the wings so that we could attach the wires with zip ties. The reason we did this is because zip ties are really strong and they would for sure hold the wires in place.

One of the wires went through the front portion of the wings, the other through the back portion. My dad and I figured this would help strengthen it even more.

Fun fun! Stuffing wires into the foam was a wee bit
annoying. 

When my dad drilled the holes I fit the zip ties around the wires. It was a bit tricky, but it worked!

I definitely should've done this earlier, because now my once-beautiful wings looked not-so-great. However, the angels have yet another layer on the front of the wings, so I was planning on covering the zip ties with more foam core!

I apologize right now. I didn't take pictures of the next couple steps, so I will try to explain the best I can.

If you didn't notice, I had an excess of cardboard in the middle. We folded it down and it so that the center of the wings would have even more strength. Here's a sort of diagram thingy to show how we folded it.

At this point we already had the wires running through the wings. This was
just the best picture I had to use. 

We flipped over the wings to the back and drilled holes to attach the lashing straps. It was important that we didn't tie the zip ties too tight, or else the straps wouldn't be able to move. We also made sure the zip ties went around the wire for extra strength.

After we attached the lashing straps, I glued a piece of fabric that loosely hung on the back panel. This was to hide the straps and to help blend in with the dress.

The Dress

Materials:

- King or queen-sized gray sheet
- A pattern with the top close to the Weeping Angel's dress
- Fabric medium (Hobby Lobby, about $6)
- Acrylic paint
- A mom who can sew


If you know me, you know I can't sew. Creating clothing is NOT my forte. So, this ended up being my mom's project. We just went to a fabric store and found a pattern with the neckline that the Angels have on their dresses. I also looked for a pattern with sleeves, because I wanted to stay modest and not show my shoulders.

My mom says the dress was super easy to show. She used the pattern for the top and used the rest of the fabric for the body of the dress. My mom sewed some darts around the waist to create the illusion of folds. She also made a belt out of the same fabric and elastic and velcrow. This was so I could gather up the dress however I wanted around the waist.

On the back of the dress my mom sewed in a panel of hanging fabric to drape over the wings to hide them even more.

Here's where I come in:

I painted the dress! I used the same process for painting as on the wings.  All I did was use the same colors of fabric paint from the wings and just mixed it with fabric medium (this way it's softer and essentially becomes fabric paint). The bottle of fabric  medium cost around $6.00, but a little goes a LONG way.

Literally the only photo I took of the process...
sorry.

The Gloves

Materials:

- Pair of tights (I got thick tights, about $6 at Walmart)

- Acrylic paint & fabric medium

- Stone effect spray paint ($10, Hobby Lobby)

- Fake nails (dollar store!)

- Clear nail polish

I didn't take pictures AT ALL this time around. However, I pretty much did step-by-step of what this lovely woman did for her gloves. Seriously, her way is perfect.

Pretty much just cut out the crotch, turn the tights inside out, put the tights on your arm, place pins where your fingers are, and cut and sew. Use the clear nail polish for any runs that show up to stop them from going too far.

I had a bit of trouble with sewing (surprise, surprise), so I had to improvise and sew the thumbs as a separate piece, then attach them to the gloves. I flipped them inside out, glued the fake nails on with superglue and painted the gloves.

I personally wouldn't paint the gloves with acrylic and fabric medium. It made the gloves less stretchy, and I didn't like that. After I painted them, I decided to spray them with some stone effect spray paint. I would much rather have done that in the first place.

If you're wondering...

The wig. 

I didn't make one. I ran out of time and patience, but my hair is long and my sister can do hair. Sooooo she just did my hair and we sprayed it with gray hair spray.

And as for the face, I bought some wonderful face makeup (Starblend face makeup, $11-$13 each, Amazon.com). Seriously, it wasn't cheap, but it was PERFECT. 

I bought one in grey and one in white for blending and
highlighting.

Finally...!

Young Adulthood (Cue Dramatic Music)

Just a heads up: this was going to be like, three different posts, but I decided against it.

Young Adulthood.

Since most of my audience fits into this category, you understand the struggle. I won't rant on forever about it. Restrain yourself, Sarah!

Young adulthood is such an awkward point in life. It's like, "Oh hey, you're going to be constantly poor, confused about where your life is going, unsure of what's going on right now in your life, and whenever you make a plan it's going to get trampled into oblivion." Along with many, many other things (such as dating, which I don't even care to mention).

And I definitely didn't expect myself to be living back at my parents' house and working where I do. I am quite content with my life currently, but not with the near future of my life. I feel like I came home and put my life on pause. Which is no bueno.

And it's full of crises like this (cue dramatic music):


"Ugh."

"Yes?"

"What am I doing with myself?"

"Do you mean right now? Because you're sitting on the couch watching Sherlock again."

"No, I mean... should I live at home until next fall or move up to Logan in January? Because if I live at home I can save up enough money to travel and buy more camera gear. But then I'd be living at home for over a year..."

"No rent is possibly the greatest thing ever."

"Yes, but the longer I live at home the less I want to go back to school."

"Why?! You love school! Especially USU!"

"Why? Because even if I go to school and finally get a freaking degree what will it do to help? I mean, I'm getting an art degree. An art degree. People who graduate in useful fields can barely find jobs after college, let alone an artist."

"But by then you'll have enough skills to start a career in photography."

"Yes, but I don't even actually know what I want to do with photography. I've always dreamed of working for National Geographic, but let's face it-- that's pretty intense. I don't have a career plan at all. I am hoping that the Lord will help me figure out what I should do with my photo career, but I get all freaked out when I realize I truly don't have any sort of career plan."


(At this point I really did have a nice little freak out. I imagined myself finally graduating from college and being right back to where I am now and working slightly-above-minimum-wage jobs for the rest of my life.)


"Okay, chill. Just figure out a career plan when you go back to school."

"But what IS the point of school? Because I have a full three years left, and by the time I graduate, I will have lots more debt. And will it even be worth it??"

"Will it?"

"Ugh, I don't know."

"What would you do if you didn't ever go back to school?"

"Honestly, I'd probably just keep doing what I am doing."

"So why not finish school?"

"Because going back to school after three years sound crazy tough. I totally think I can do it, I just am not sure it's worth it."

"Well is it?"

And then I honestly spent the next couple days debating with myself whether or not school was worth it. But don't worry, I decided it was. I have always loved school and there's just no way in hell I am not going to graduate college. Especially after already completing three years.

*Deep Thinking*
"'Well, that Will Turner. He's a fine man, too.'
'That is too bold.''Beggin' your pardon, miss. It was not my place.'"


"Wait, did I just quote Pirates of the Caribbean again??"

"Sorry about that..."


And even though I super toned down what my mental state was like this week, it was honestly the perfect week for this to happen. Because this weekend I went up to Logan. And I remembered all the reasons I love school and living in Logan. And I remembered what it's like to be away from home and surrounded by great friends and awesome people (not that I don't have great friends here). And being around those people changed my mind about giving up.

Now let's see when I am going to move back up to Logan...

Gosh, I love Katy.

Both Jenna and I didn't know that the other was doing this.

sorrynotsorry

Once in a while I'll think about my blog and, with a twinge of guilt, how I haven't blogged in a while.

Sorry to disappoint, but there's not much to say. If you're wondering what's going on in my life, I can pretty much sum it up in three bullet points:

• Work
• Sleep
• The empty time between sleeping and work

That's it. But it's all good, because I like my job (even though there are some days that are quite tough) and I love my coworkers. I see my coworkers more than I see my family, and I live at home. It's been nice though, because I am just saving up money for a camera and all that jawn.

I've been trying to read more. I've never been a big reader, but I'm attempting to change that. If you have suggestions for great books, PLEASE let me know. 

I... er.... uh... went to Logan last weekend? It was an awesome weekend, and it was the first time I've really done something super exciting since I've gotten home. 

The debate over a Halloween costume continues in my mind. I really want to be a Weeping Angel from Doctor Who, but the amount of work that goes into the costume will be insane. Luckily I don't really have anything else going on in my life. We'll see what happens...

This! I want to be this!

See? Not much going on right now.

#sorrynotsorry

Things Change

There are lots of things that are on my mind lately, and I seem to be doing a terrible job at keeping you at least a little up-to-date in my life.

I had plans. I was going to come back and go back to my old job until I moved to Logan and went to USU in the fall. And there were other plans, too, but I won't bore you. Needless to say, things change.

I wasn't able to go back to my old job because they were overstaffed. And I needed a job bad. Return missionaries are super poor; more so than college students sometimes. I didn't even have gas money to get around-- I had to keep getting money from my parents. But after being home for five weeks, I finally got a job. Then my schedule was filled and I needed time to find an apartment.

I finally found the time to get up to Logan to get an apartment. The stress of getting an apartment was almost overwhelming because I didn't have the money. But I got up to Logan, and I was excited to be back. I saw USU campus and couldn't help but be happy. And when I saw the art building I almost felt a leap of nervous excitement.

But then things kind of fell apart. I went up for a specific apartment, and it got sold earlier that day. Granted, I didn't go well-prepared in case this happened, but it felt like everything went down the toilet at that point. I just didn't (and still don't) have the money for even a deposit, let alone a semester's rent. My mom tried to find other apartments, but I was in a terribly sour mood and after searching through even more classifieds, I just didn't want to try anymore. I left Logan the next day, apartmentless and more stressed than before.

That night I had the thought cross my mind to not go back to school in the fall. I mean, I didn't really have the financial means to return to school, and I just barely started a job that needed me because they're so short-staffed. My first reaction to this thought was anger. I was angry because I just wanted to go to school. I love learning. I love the college life. I love everything about it.

The next few days consisted of me struggling to figure my situation out. I prayed and studied my scriptures, weighed my options, and searched for direction. I finally made up my mind that I wasn't going back to school. The decision wasn't easy; I mean, at the rate that I'm going in school, I'm going to graduate when I'm 27-28. In art.

Aye yaye yaye.

However, Heavenly Father has better plans than we do. His plans are perfect, so when I trusted that I really wasn't supposed to go to school right away, I had a lot more hope. And not going to school provided me time to save up money and buy a nice camera all on my own-- something I've desperately wanted to accomplish since I was 14.

There was a flip side: I would have to live at home to save up for rent and a camera. I don't like living at home. This is the fourth time I've had to move back home after being out on my own. For whatever reason, I always feel like my growth is stunted when I'm living at home. And with my new hours at work, I pretty much lost my social life.

Could I really do that for a whole year? I doubted it.

Then on Sunday I was doing some menial chore I can't remember and pondering. The thought that crossed my mind was something I hadn't considered: You could move to Logan spring semester and work. It was the first time in two weeks that I wasn't confused about my situation. And it felt so good.

Now I'm excited. I totally wish I could move to Logan right now, but as soon as I save up, I'm going for it.

Things change. But always for the better.

Five Years.

Guess what? It's my blog's

Five Year Anniversary!


Also, it's Bastille day.
Normally I wouldn't mention Bastille day, but with my new found deep love for the band Bastille, I just wanted to share some things that are completely irrelevant to Bastille day:

Just look at this guy (Dan Smith)!
How can you not love him??

There are tons more songs, so you should just go to YouTube and watch them all (I recommend Icarus, Bad Blood, Pompeii, and Flaws).


Anyway, back to the anniversary deal. It's funny that I've kept up my blog for five years because it originally started out as an assignment for class. I had to go to a fiddle group and write about my weekly experience on a blog. Then when I didn't need to do that anymore I decided to scrap it and start over. And look at the mess I've made since...

I was looking on my computer for a picture of me since I've gotten home, but I actually don't have any. So, looks like you're gonna have to deal with no more pictures for another day.


Good news!

I got a job! It's at a place in Provo that works with people with disabilities. It's definitely a job field I've never come close to crossing paths with, so it will be interesting working there. I had training today and there was just so much to learn. Good thing I've got another couple days of training.

Also, I'm super tired right now because I couldn't sleep last night. You see, my parent's house doesn't have A/C-- they have a swamp cooler. I love swamp coolers, but ours is only upstairs. Normally living in the basement is nice and cool, but since the weather's been around 90-100 the past couple weeks, it just makes everything hot. At least we don't have humidity-- that's the real killer. Anyway, my room is like a roasting box all the time now.


So, question (pregunta)...

In all my years of blogging, what have been some of your favorite moments?


That is all.

I'm Back.

Hello.

Do people use blogs still, or is everyone on that blasted Instagram?

This is my first post since I've gotten home from my mission. It's been nearly a month since I got home and over a month since I left the mission field. (If you were unaware, I traveled with my mom, grandpa, and sister throughout Pennsylvania, Jersey, upstate NY, and even Boston.)

A lot of people have asked how I've been adjusting back to non-missionary life. My response? "It's easier than I thought it would be." I attribute the ease of adjusting back to the fact that I was stateside and speaking English for the past 18 months. Of course there are certain aspects I didn't jump into right off the bat, for instance, I only watched maybe two 20-minute episodes of t.v. the first week I was back.

I thought I was going to come back to a job, but with my timing and the company being overstaffed, I wasn't able to go back. I did love working there and would've loved to have gone back, but I totally understand. I have been looking for jobs, but I have this internal guilt of getting a job because school starts at the end of August.

Oh yeah, I'm going back up to USU in the fall. I love school.

The money issue could be discussed/panicked about for quite some time, but I'm trying to be positive. Let's just say a return missionary/art student is probably the poorest of the bunch.

To add to the poor situation, my mission camera broke the week before I got home and my big camera is on its last leg. So I'm kind of camera-less. Which is odd. But I trust that when I really need a camera the Lord will help me out on that one.

So what have I been up to?
Hanging out, watching movies/tv, applying for jobs, working out, swimming, sleeping...

So, not much.

I've had my share of downs since I've gotten back. I've had days where I don't want to talk to anyone. Days where I've doubted whether I can be a photographer or not. Days when I want a job, and days when I don't. Days when I don't want to go to the temple and days when I do. Days when I really don't want to read my scriptures. Or even pray. It's up and down, but for the most part, things have been great. And I really do mean that. I've just had to stick to the things I learned over the past 18 months (and longer) and to keep going.

So, really, I'm back. And I'm doing great.

Also, I'm sunburned.

The End.

"And I, [Sister Singleton], saw that I must soon go down to my grave; ... And I make an end of my writing upon these plates, which writing has been small; and to the reader I bid farewell, hoping that many of my brethren may read my words. Brethren, adieu." (Jacob 7:27)

Although the end of my mission is very bittersweet, I am so grateful for this life-changing opportunity. I testify that Jesus Christ lives, that He is the head of this Church, and that he is our Savior. I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us and know us personally. Miracles are real, and we can expect them every day. I know that the Book of Mormon has helped to bring me to a knowledge of this truth. I know that god has called a prophet, Thomas S. Monson and that he leads this church through revelation from God.

"Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God."  (Moroni 10:32)

In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

See you on the other side.

Deepest love,
Sister Sarah Singleton

ZoCo & Roselie and Octavia's Baptism!

THERE'S SO MUCH THAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK IT'S RIDICULOUS.

Looks like my last couple weeks have been keeping me crazy busy. On Wednesday I had my very last Zone Conference. It's still kind of weird to think about, and I definitely haven't been able to wrap my head around it. But it was an amazing Zone Conference! We had to travel up to Nazareth, which was farther than we thought. We were going to meet up with some other sisters early to practice a musical number. Sister Suckow and I left plenty early (or so we thought), but the traffic was so terrible. It took us over an hour and a half to drive and we showed up at 8:30 and rushed to practice it a few times before Zone Conference started.

But Zone Conference was amazing. Elder and Sister Dunn (aka Doctor Dunn and Sister Dunn) came and spoke to us. They are the doctors over 14 missions. Let me repeat: 14 MISSIONS. That's a lot of missionaries and their health to deal with. But they spoke about the body and the spirit, and how our physical health and spiritual health always go hand-in-hand. It was really amazing hearing two medical professional talk about how if your spiritual health is bad, then it directly effects your body. I loved it! There was a lot of other things we learned, but I can't remember everything off the top of my head.

The thing with Zone Conference is this-- they always have missionaries who are leaving soon give their departing testimony. The whole Zone Conference I knew it was coming, and I kept getting waves of realization that I was going home. I would get emotional all of a sudden and then it would go away (and no, it wasn't the usual emotions that women deal with...). But they called me up to bear my testimony, and I was the only one in that group of missionaries leaving. I didn't cry, no, but I was very emotional. There were so many missionaries in the room who I served around that I absolutely love, and it was hard to imagine saying goodbye to them. But I'm grateful I was able to see them again and to have the opportunity to bear my testimony about the gospel. My mission truly has changed my life, and it will continue to change my life. Never have I felt so happy and never have I had more purpose in life. The Lord is hastening His work and it will "go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done." (The Standard of Truth, Joseph Smith Jr.) And I've been able to be a part of that great work. I'm so excited for the day when the Lord will look at His Kingdom and say, "The work is done." And I want to say that I had a part in that.

Another great thing that happened was that ROSELIE AND OCTAVIA WERE BAPTIZED!!! We had a hectic 24 hours before the baptism. I got in the shower on Friday night and when I got out, Sister Suckow informed me that a lot was going wrong at that moment. Roselie went up to New York for a doctor's appointment and hadn't gotten home yet. She was supposed to be home at 4:30 to pick up her daughter, but it was nearly 10:00 and she wasn't home, nor was she answering her phone. Octavia was panicking and we were worried, too. Sister Suckow said a prayer and called Roselie again, and she answered! We have no idea what was going on, but she was still on a bus from New York. We arranged for a member to pick her up instead of a taxi. Then on Saturday morning Roselie said that her back was hurting and she didn't want to go anywhere. Both Sister Suckow and I looked at each other and were like, "We want to punch Satan in the face!" We talked to Roselie for a bit and she came to the conclusion that she really did need to be baptized that day. After that, things went smoothly.

The baptism was amazing. So many people came to support, and the Spirit was really strong there. The best moment was when Rhett, who just barely turned sixteen and was ordained a priest (giving him the power to baptize), went into the font to baptize Octavia. As he was saying the baptismal prayer, he was so overwhelmed by the Spirit that he started crying. And after he baptized her, she came up and gave him a huge hug. It was so touching! And Roselie came up out of the water and we gave her a huge hug. She said to us, "Thank you for the push-- I needed it." It was a great day. So awesome!  And the best part? It was Octavia's birthday!

Both Roselie and Octavia were confirmed on Mother's Day, and it was beautiful. The ward loves them and are so excited for the newest members of the Reading 1st ward.



And as for Mother's Day, it was great. But I want to share a story that I shared on my mission Facebook yesterday:

I was living in Logan, Utah going to school at USU. I had a particularly terrible day at school and I came home, crying. So what did I do? I called my mom. She patiently listened to me pretty much cry into the phone for 20 minutes. Then she asked a question that changed everything. "Sarah, if you didn't have to worry about all of these things, what would you most want to do with your life?"

And it hit me-- immediately. Before I consciously knew I was speaking, I heard the words come out of my mouth: "I want to go on a mission."

That moment changed my life. It was mom who was inspired to ask me that question and because of that I've had the most remarkable 18 months of my life. Thank you, mom, for your righteous love and example.


This story is so true. Without my mom, I wouldn't be where I am (literally and spiritually) today. I know she's not perfect. She may be a little crazy and off the wall at times, but I love her and I would never have wanted any other mom. I love you, mom.

Love,
Sister Singleton

Who You Gonna Call? Cat Chasers!

Hello,

I realize that a lot of the time I talk about cats. I just can't help it. But I promise I have an excellent story this week.

Like I mentioned last week, we are cat sitting for our Relief Society President for a couple weeks. Well, I was in the garage feeding the cats and Sister Suckow was on the phone in the front room. She opened up the door to the garage and at the same time I yelled "NO!!!" one of the cats dashed inside. The next 40 minutes were a hot mess. We tried to coax the cat out from under the bed, but it just growled and hissed at us until it eventually ran upstairs. I then had to poke at the poor thing until it ran back downstairs. We managed to corner the cat, but it once again got out of our grasp! Sister Suckow and I were running around the whole house, yelling "You go this way!" or "IT'S OVER THERE!!! GET IT!!!" The furious, fuming feline was eventually trapped in a laundry basket and put back out in the garage. I was so scared that the cat would scratch my face off... But we're back on good terms with the cat now.

This week we also had Zone Training, which was my last. And it was a phenomenal Zone Training, too. The Zone Leaders, Sister Training Leaders, and the Assistants all gave training, and it was very uplifting. I think one of my favorite quotes was from Sister Bradshaw (not verbatim, but I'll paraphrase):

Just because the end result isn't what you thought it would be doesn't mean that the Lord doesn't accept your work.

I thought a lot about that, especially as I'm coming to the end of my service for the Lord. But it's true! If you aren't where you think you should or are what you think you should be, it's okay. As long as you're striving to be faithful and follow what the Lord wants, then that's what matters. And the vision He has for each of us is much better than any vision we could set for ourselves. Sure, I imagined my self much different at the end of my mission than I actually am right now. However, this is what the Lord expected and envisioned from me, and that's the best for me.

The rest of the week we ended up doing a lot of different service things. We helped with the ward welfare garden again, a less active sister with stuff around her house, and then did a community clean up project in which we picked up a lot of trash. The weather out here has been splendid! Oh, I love spring and summer.

The best part of the week, however, is when Roselie and Octavia had their baptismal interview and they are set to be baptized this week! Oh, I am so excited for them! They are both SO ready, and it's been so much fun teaching them. I love them so much!

Love,
Sister Singleton

Gardening & Cats

Hello family... and springtime!

It's been super wonderful outside lately. I did hear there was snow in Utah though. But not out here. Huzzah!

This week was quite a wonderful week. On Monday we got a call from Sister Anderson (our mission President's wife). Now you see, she doesn't just missionaries out of the blue, so we were really surprised. Well, she actually called to tell us something about the #BecauseofHim blitz. President and Sister Anderson were at a Mission President's Seminar in DC over the weekend, and they had Elder L. Tom Perry and the head of the Church Media Department there (along with others, of course). Well, the head of the Media Department pulled up five random things online that best represented #BecauseofHim. And guess what?? They picked one of my photos! Sister Anderson told us that when they saw that it was Sister Suckow and I they pretty much flipped out. Haha! When she told me and Sister Suckow this, we immediately high-fived and went nuts. It was neat because of all the things they could've pulled from the internet, they pulled something from my page that was definitely inspired. The credit all goes to the Lord! 

We finished up teaching Roselie and Octavia (her daughter). We went over the baptismal interview questions and it was a riot! I don't think I've ever laughed so hard when I've asked someone the questions, haha. They are so prepared and so enthusiastic about the gospel, it's amazing. They're set to be baptized on the 10th of May, and I'm so stoked for that!

The ward started their welfare garden this week, and we were able to go help that get started. The turnout was kind of low because it got moved from Friday to Saturday because of the rain. But we helped drive in stakes, measure out rows, and string up posts (for the peas). We even had roasted marshmallows at the end. The garden is a really cool idea that was started last year. There's a member who has 10 acres of land and decided to give 1 acre up to the Church to use. They started a welfare garden for anyone in the community so that anyone who is in need of food can have some. This year they're planning on teaching people how to can, cook, and more. It's a really wonderful missionary opportunity, plus it's great to roll up our sleeves and garden with the ward members. Not to mention I really love gardening.

Our Relief Society President drove out to Utah for a couple weeks and asked us to take care of her cats while she was gone. Of course I said yes! Well, we were supposed to check on them every couple of days, but I had the impression to stop by yesterday after church, even though we weren't going to go until Monday. Well, the cats had no water, no wet food, and no dry food. The poor little things were meowing like crazy and the crazy cat lady inside me just picked them up and held them. So of course we over-loaded their food and made sure they were taken care of. You see, the Lord takes care of us and His animals.

Love,

Sister Singleton

Oh and PS, Saturday was National Pretzel Day. So we got awesome free East Coast pretzels. It was fantastic!

Sometimes this is what Pennsylvania looks like :) 

Planting seeds with that machine-y thing that looks like a bike. 

Elder Goates driving in stakes. 

Sister Suckow, Sister Bodden (our mini missionary), and me on Easter. 

We made #BecauseofHim shirts this Wednesday. It was awesome! 

"He is not here: for he is risen"

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter yesterday. I know I did!

We got a mini missionary for a couple days this week. A mini mission is where highschoolers (or those preparing to go on a mission) can go on if they're preparing for or seeing if they want to serve a mission. I've wanted a mini missionary my whole mission, so we were thrilled when we got the call saying we were going to have one.

On Thursday night our mini missionary came. Her name is Jannomys Bodden and she's from Philly. SCORE! She is awesome! She was so excited to be on a mini mission and she even spoke Spanish, which is super helpful because Reading is nicknamed "Little Puerto Rico." I learned a lot from her, especially how to be bold and to just say it! She wasn't afraid to talk to anyone or to share the gospel. We were very blessed to have her.

Last week I talked about the media blitz and about the whole #BecauseofHim thing. Well, I wanted to share my experience with it. It was possibly one of the most exciting things I've ever participated in. 

One of my favorite things was was at Young Women's on Wednesday. I had the idea that morning to make a poster that said "#BecauseofHim" and to take a picture with the Young Women. We had the Young Women write out all the things that were possible because of Him and then we took a picture of us and posted in on Facebook. Then we did it again on Sunday in our Easter dresses and with more Young Women there. It was awesome!!! We had a lot of positive feedback from members, nonmembers, and people I didn't even know. The girls were just as thrilled about using other social media sites to share their testimonies. The excitement that the girls showed for the whole media blitz was phenomenal. Throughout the week they would let us know how many posts on Instagram had the hashtag #BecauseofHim, and the last I heard it was over 27,000.

And even cooler, a lot of the ward members who didn't really use technology or social media got super into it as well. Then when we would ask them about their experiences or something cool they saw with the #BecauseofHim thing, they would light right up and tell us some cool things they saw. And the more the week went on, we all got more and more excited! 

In fact, we were so excited that Sister Suckow, Sister Bodden, and I went to the park with some chalk and wrote out a big #BecauseofHim and covered a sidewalk with different phrases that were possible because of Him. As we were trying to fill up the sidewalk, it gave each of us the time to ponder what our Savior truly has done for us. It was amazing, because then we just started sharing our testimonies through chalk. It's a pretty neat way to share a testimony. I highly recommend it.

I am so incredibly grateful for all the things that are possible because of my Savior. I am happy, I have changed as a person, I am forgiven, I can overcome weaknesses, I can develop strengths, and I have hope because of Him. I know the Savior lives, and I'm grateful for this Easter time that we've had to share our testimonies with each other and to the whole world through the internet. I will definitely not forget this Easter, because it was such an incredibly powerful one.

"And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!" (Doctrine & Covenants 76:22)

Love,
Sister Singleton

#BecauseofHim

Dear family, friends, and cats,

I am going to die in Reading. Now before you think that's a literal statement or before you think I have a bad attitude about it, let me explain: when a missionary goes home, they "die." So, there you go. We got transfer calls on Friday and found out that both Sister Suckow and I are staying in Reading. It was a bizarre moment, because at that moment I found out where I will be until the end of my mission. I didn't sleep at all that night because my mind was all over the place. But I am super excited that Sister Suckow and I are staying together! (PS, I don't think I ever told you guys how her name is pronounced. It's like "suitcoat," but without the t's.) 

A lot of our appointments cancelled this week, but we did see one really cool miracle. We were just stopping by people in Reading after an appointment fell through. I asked who was next to stop by, and Sister Suckow sat there for a minute. She responded, "We need to see Nikki." Nikki was on the other side of Reading, but I started driving to her house. As we pulled up, we saw that she was trying to walk down the steps. Well, she's pregnant and terribly sick (she has to be on bed rest pretty much her whole pregnancy). We said a prayer, got out of the car and asked how she was. She told us she was about to walk to the store to buy some meat to make dinner for her family. We stopped her and told her we weren't going to let her walk, because she looked like she was going to pass out. She insisted, but we absolutely wouldn't let her go. We told her we would go pick up meat for her instead. She agreed and thanked us. We got back in the car and headed to the grocery store, which was .5 miles away. There was NO way she would've made it there because of how sick she was. We picked some meat up for her and let a member, Elisia, know what was going on. Well, Elisia offered to cook dinner for Nikki so that she could stay off her feet. Nikki agreed and we took the meat over to Elisia's house and we helped make dinner for Nikki.

It was definitely one of those moments where I'm grateful we followed a prompting from the spirit. We weren't planning on seeing Nikki until a couple hours later, but the Spirit told us to go there sooner. So we did. And because of that, we were able to help her and and make sure that she didn't get hurt. Because honestly, she would not have made it to the store and back. The Lord knew that she would leave her house at that time and that we would be willing to stop and see her. What a miracle!

Sunday night we were able to go to "A Walk by Faith," which was a musical performance with testimonies put on by the youth in the stake. It was really great because Roselie came, which was AWESOME! We got there early to help hand out programs and it was cool because I got to see a LOT of people from Whitehall and Bethlehem (two of my past areas). The performance was beautiful and full of the Spirit. Roselie loved it! I was just so glad she came.

I'm going to switch gears for a moment-- guess what the Church is doing this week?? A media blitz! So, from yesterday (April 13) until Easter Sunday, the First Presidency and the Church media department want everyone to post things on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, etc. with the hashtag #BecauseofHim every day this week. The goal is to explode the internet with messages about the Savior. What better thing can we do for the Lord in time for the Easter season than to share it with the WHOLE WORLD?? The Church even has an ad on YouTube that will be up on Easter Sunday, and there's an amazing video on mormon.org/becauseofhim that we want everyone to see. And I meaneveryone. So throughout the week, post things on social media with #BecauseofHim with pictures, stories, testimonies, or that video. So that's my challenge to everyone-- share it every day this week. Give this gift to the Savior. And share your experiences with me! I'll share one right now:

We announced this to the Relief Society and Young Women in the ward. The Young Women were SO excited and could hardly wait to go home and tweet or Facebook something. After class they came up to us and told us that they've been trying to find something to put on the back of the shirts for the new beehives. Well, guess what they're going to put? #BecauseofHim. I nearly cried because I saw how excited they were to spread this Easter message. 

I love the internet. It can be used for so much good. Bad, yes, but it can be used for good. I didn't realize how much I loved technology until I started using it to share the gospel. 

Love you,

Sister Sarah Singleton

mormon.org/becauseofhim

PS. The youth had an awesome murder mystery night on Wednesday! The Elders and us had parts in the program, but the first part was dinner and solving clues. It was hilarious because our table was getting super into it and accusing each other like crazy. Then after we solved the murder, we acted out the scene in the Book of Mormon that the whole thing was based off of  (Helaman 9). I wish I could've gotten a picture of everyone in their costume, but it has to have been one of the funnest youth nights ever!

                            

                                                                   My current district! 

Elder Goates (the tall one), Elder Jorgenson, Sister Manson (thumbs up), Sister Cox, Sister Suckow and I.