home. for now

welp, i'll never truly be able to put into words what my mission meant to me. but here's a go at it

on june 21, 2016 i was set apart as a missionary for the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints. the next day my mission began as I entered the Missionary Training Center. it was a beautiful day. a day i had looked forward to long before i opened my call assignment. and a day I'll always treasure.
the moment i put on my name tag, i was filled with peace. "sister pratt". and below that written was "イエス キリスト", jesus christ in large katakana characters. i was a true representative of my savior, jesus christ. the days following were beautiful. well, everyday following was beautiful really. it's a special thing to have the Savior's name right beside yours and to put on that name tag each morning.
the name "ellie" was long gone and "pratt shimai" took its place. after nine special weeks, fifty of my newly best friends and i boarded a plane to japan, each of us with "イエス キリスト" written on our hearts.
my first area was miyakonojo. my trainer was sister shimauchi.
we slept on futons and ate rice every meal. we prayed on our knees together. we worked hard together. we rode our bikes one behind the other. two by two we went out to share the good news of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

it's been over a month. my heart still breaks.
i've had so much time to think about my mission. it meant so much to me. even if it was shorter than i wanted, it was what i needed. i know God tailors each mission experience perfectly for us. if I never get the change to return, I'll forever be thankful for the experiences the Lord allowed me to have.

brb gtg!

well folks,
the time has come!
tonight i'll be set apart as a full-time missionary for the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints!
over the last few days i've been freaking outtt lemma tell ya. but i feel so at peace.
i am so excited.
i love my savior and my heavenly father. i love my sweet family and friends. i love this gospel. i love the book of mormon. i love the temple. and i love japan.

bye!


sisterpratt.com ---- for all the good stuff while im getting rice cheeks in nihon!

my mission call.

i had been anxiously awaiting my missionary call when my extended family decided to take a trip to my home in washington. since my immediate family lives there, i couldn't pass up the opportunity to tag along.... even knowing my call would probably arrive while i was gone.
well it did!
i decided since i was with my family, i would have my roommates send it to washington! it arrived to my dorm on monday, and by noon on tuesday i had it in my hands!
although i didn't open it until wednsday so i could have everyone there. and let me tell ya, waiting an entire day to open it was pretty crazy. lesson of patience indeed!
BUT i finally opened it and wow.
Has anything ever felt more perfect and so right? Probably not.

I have been called to serve in the Japan Fukuoka Mission. I report to the Provo MTC on June 22nd, 2016.

I feel SO blessed.
I am so excited to not only serve the people in Fukuoka but to serve my Heavenly Father.
I know mission calls are inspired and I know Fukuoka Japan is where not only I am needed, but where I need. I love the people already and I feel so humbled to share the good news of this gospel and of my Savior with them.
I can't wait.
I love my Savior, I love my Heavenly Father and I love Fukuoka!

yup

do you ever feel like you have everything figured out?
or think to yourself "wow, i got this life thing down!".
yup....ME TOO..........
and then you would know, its right then when you get smacked in the face and reminded that HELLO no, life does not work like that.

well that is how i feel right now.



---


today is march 29th, and tomorrow my life is going to change pretty drastically. (i mean within the last few weeks it has changed pretty crazily, but tomorrow it'll be a good change!). anyways, i am opening my mission call! it arrived yesterday to my dormitory at utah state. my sweet roommate got it in the mail asap and sent it to seattle (i am home for the week visiting my dad!). it arrived today! and tomorrow i will open it! i tell ya, having it in my hands and not being able to open it kills me! i could have already opened it, but some of my family isnt here and tomorrow they will be, so i decided the wait would be worth it in order to have them there!
i am SO EXCITED. i feel so many emotions actually! all positive though!
im so glad my call came when it did, because i really needed something to make me happy and to have something to look forward to.


here is a list of things that i love/make me happy because i need a bit of optimism in my life.
being home. cold water in my new water bottle. walking around target and finding things i dont need but make me happy. missions. looking at my ctr ring while i type. my family. my new makeup. taking pictures. capturing moments via video. online shopping. my new shoes. my new shirt. sleeping in the bedroom i grew up in. the new band i found. chocolate covered cashews. old pictures of my childhood. waking up and having an email from my brother. knowing i will know where i am serving by this time tomorrow. my fuzzy blanket. the donut note cards i bought today. driving my old car around my hometown. seeing my little brothers. just taking with my dad. strawberry puree. having 90 percent battery left on my computer. my scriptures. finding quotes on pinterest that make me not so sad. seeing my friends snap stories. vsco. trees(i forgot how much i missed seattle). my dog, dan. the way my hair dries here. being able to sleep in. praying. reading my patriarchal blessing. being single? freshly brushed teeth. sports bras. clean feet. not having any zits rn. writing down my thoughts. my phone. my mom. my friends. riding in my little brothers car with him. the yummy dinner i had tonight. the cute cups i bought today. my savior. going to church. my bowling class.
ok the end

hi!!!!!!!!! and this has also turned into a jake appreciation post hhahahha hi jakob

somehow its february already (practically MARCH)! the snow on the mountains out my dorm window is pretty much gone... which is crazy cuz i feel like i just graduated yesterday.

JAKEY GOT HIS MISSION CALL YESTERDAY!

i cried like a baby. i'm just going to miss him so much. oh btw jake is my cutie boyfriend. anywayssss, hes going to PERU! lima central to be exact! peru never even crossed my mine! but it's so perfect and he's so excited, and im just so happy and excited for him and ahhh!!!!! he's leaving july 12th and going straight to the peru mtc! we have 137 days left together which is nuts!!!!!!!!!!! unless i leave before him, which i hope is not the case! oh ya i turn my mission papers in hopefully on tuesday! but i leave for hawaii on Wednesday so if i cant then it'll be when i come home! im going to hawaii to see my mom, step dad and little asian cutie bb brother. cant wait!

so ya, thats life rn!

but really i cant look at pictures of jake without crying or getting a bit teary-eyed. so whenever i look at my phone im like ah here we go (TEARS).

but lets get real for a sec.. jake is going to be such an incredible missionary. i know he will be such a force for good in the Lords hands. this past year (ya weird we've almost been dating a year whaaaat) jake has been such a light in my life. he has been an example of true kindness, humility, love, selflessness, happiness and faith. it's been so fun as together we've been preparing for our missions. together we've been reading the book of mormon- being able to experience jake's testimony of the book of mormon has been a true privilege. my life has been happier because of jake. i know he will change the lives of the people in peru just as he has mine. i'm so lucky to have someone so special in my life. i am so proud of him and his faithfulness to serve the Lord. i am so excited for the experiences and miracles jake will soon get to see! golly, i'm lucky to have you jake!

sooo yep, that is SUPER exciting! 

"LIIIMMMAAA PERUUUUU"! i yelled this at jake yesterday probably one hundred times cuz i was so pumped and still in shock hahaha. he thinks im annoying anyways so im just going to keep yelling that at him ;))))))))))

and have fun eating chicken hearts and sleeping with massive cockroaches jakey!!!!!!!!! 

"lava u lava u"
love you jake :) and thanks for being my best friend :)

here are some of my favorite pictures together over the last year :)

may 2015- we went through a mango phase haha

oct 2015- tony grove lake

summer '15- idaho camping trip

april '15- during our hiking phase ft the mangos again lol

when jake tells you to come over but when you get there he's asleep. ya goof 

dec '15- best shopping buddy

dec '15- cheesecake factory his reward for coming all the way to ikea with me :)

cute tie jake! who gave that to ya?! ;)

video (senior ball '15)