go forth and SERVE!!

CALLED TO SERVE...

"Love is of the essence of this missionary work. Selflessness is of its very nature. Self-discipline is its requirement. Prayer opens its reservoir of power." -Gordon B. Hinckley

Lately, I have been contemplating the thought about serving my mission. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and was recently converted last year on July 10, 2010. 

The mission has always been something that u admired of the Mormon faith. I must say that I wasn't the best advocate for this church or what they stood for.

Yes!! It's TRUE!!

At one point in my life, I hated this curch! Yes,

 HATED THIS CHURCH!!

    i didn't support anything this church had to offer and thought this whole religion was a SCAM! I challenged my friends about their beliefs and their knowledge about the church. I was basing my opinion of the church of how the people acted and what they did. I wasn't having anything and wasn't open to listen to what they had to say! 

It didn't appeal to me!!

 

FAST-FOWARD a couple of years and here I am!!

I'm a convert!!! One things that got my eyeballs open to this religion is meeting my LOTULELEI family out in Utah for the first time in 2007. I was introduced to a couple of my awesome neices/cousin!! They taught me what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints really stood for. I LISTENED to what they had to offer and I was liking what I was hearing!!

Was Heavenly Father trying to show me the TRUTH, or was I getting tricked into joining a CULT??

I had to ponder on this thought for a while!! About 3 years worth of thinking!! At first I just threw this thought out of my head and continue to do what I did.In 2009, I think my Heaven;y Father decided to bring this thought back to mind. Because this is the year my father decided to return back to the LDS faith. At first, I didn't care too much about his decision. He had his church, and I had mines!!! 

One day, my dad forced me and my younger siblings to go to church with him!! 

I WAS FURIOUS!!

i did not want to go at all!! I thought he respected our decision to go to our church and he go to his! 

When we got to church, my plan was too tune everything out! Not listen to anything because I was pretty sure that I was going to get brainwashed and be forced join a secret group to eliminate all of humanity on planet Earth!!

 ( Okay, maybe not that DRAMATIC!!! )

but I thought something similar was going to happen but on a smaller scale.

But the total opposite happened!!!

After sacrament, everyone left and right, came and welcomed us with such humble hearts!! This was day that pretty much changed my whole POINT OF VIEW of the LDS church. 

So where does this whole NOVEL lead me,

( if you're not zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz by now, than I thank you for staying tuned this far!! Sooo wait, THERE'S MORE!! )

As you may have noticed, this blog is titled, GO FORTH AND SERVE!! Like I mentioned before, the thought of serving a mission was something that appealed to me a lot about the LDS faith. As of now, I am preparing my papers to get ready to serve mines!!  

And I am glad to announce that my sister, 

Line Lotulelei

has received her mission call!! She will be serving in the New York, New York North Mission!! She will report to the MTC December 28th!!

  I can't express how excited I am for her!! She and her family have been there for me and have stood beside me with my decision to join the church. Not only has she been such a EXAMPLE to me, but she also has been such a great IMPACT on my life!! Love being around her and spending time with her!! 

I know that she will make a great SISTER MISSIONARY and that the people of New York will be lucky to have her!! 

GO FORTH AND SERVE, and RETURN WITH HONOR SISTER LOTULELEI :)

So as my blog comes to a conclusion, I would just like to thank all those who have been there for me through this wonderful 

journey of becoming a LDS member!!! I am THANKFUL for you all!         

with much LOVE!!

Until next time, this is Procter Lotulelei signing off :)

"and thy days shall be spent in the SERVICE of thy GOD..." -2 Nephi 2:3

TOMS ;)

TOMS :) -One for One

So here I am with one of my fashion blogs! So lately I have been hooked to these shoes. I was introduced to these shoes not too long ago when I was out in Utah. My cousins had a pair of them and I thought that these were a great pair of shoes. They are light, trendy, and most important, COMFORTABLE. At first when I was going to buy these shoes, I had doubts because I have wide feet and these shoes looked like they were made for palangi feet. LOL :) So I hesitated a bit when I wanted to try them on. The clerk brought out the shoes and I wasn't looking forward to them not fitting. Putting them on at first was a big pain in the a**. But once I squeezed the heck out of my feet into these shoes, I loved the outcome. The first few times wearing them, my feet did feel a bit snug, But what happens is the material of the shoe actually expands so that the shoe can fit better. -Unless your Tasini Lavaka, then you have no hope of these shoes fitting!! HAHA :) But ever since then, TOMS have been the shoe that I go to the most. I got rid of all my VANS and other sneakers. These are my GO-TO-SHOE! I wear it with every outfit. They add that great touch and can complete any outfit from casual to dressy. I have 5 pairs; faded denim, grey, red, burlap, and black ones, and I want MORE......... 

A reason why I fell in love with these shoes is not only the look and feel, but the cause. Take a quick look at this video!!!

So not only are these shoes a great thing to have in your closet, but they are also a shoe that can make a difference in the world. I personally fell in love with the cause before I fell in love with the shoe. A way that I can become a better person in this lifetime is by trying my best to be more charitable. I don't have the resources nor the money to constantly give away to charity, but if I combine two things that I enjoy: 1. Helping others, and 2. Shopping/Fashion, then it's a win-win situation. Every time I buy a pair, I know that my purchase is useful and that I made a life a little kid somewhere out there much better. 

I try and tell my friends to go out and buy them, but they are a bit pricey! They are about $42 dollars for the regular canvas style and go up from there according to the select styles. But I say if you have the funds and want to support the cause, the go for it. Purchase yourself a pair and see how well you like them!! Most people would rather buy $100 Jordans or $200+ Coach purses, but for me, I know where my money is going to! And think of it like this, technically you are buying two pairs of shoes. The catch is, you only keep one of them :) You also receive a sticker of the logo and a flag! For me, it's a great buy!

In conclusion, I would just like to say that these shoes are pretty much the dopest things right now! So if you want to be on top of your swagger, go out and purchase yourself a pairs of these shoes! TRUST, you won't be disappointed, unless you're Tasini Lavaka and have super wide feet and can't into them, and lose the shoe box and too late to return for a bigger size!! HAHA :) Support a great cause while you're at it!!

Until next time, this is Procter Lotulelei signing off :) 

New to this :)

New to this :)

I am totally new to this whole new world of blogging, but I am excited for the journey that awaits me here. This will be a great tool for me to express my thoughts and feelings freely and having people who will read it and relate to it. I find this as a creative way to get my stories, photography, personal thoughts, fashion, and daily thoughts out there. A way to help release all of my creative juices off my chest and out into the world. A way for me to be FREE!! 

So who am I?

I am Procter Ahononou Lotulelei. I am a Tongan-American who was born and raised in Reno, NV. I am 20 years old and plan on serving a LDS mission by December. I am a full time student at the University of Nevada, Reno. GO WOLFPACK!! Majoring in Secondary Education with an emphasis in English. I love playing volleyball. I have a tremendous passion for it and will play where ever and whenever. I am the fourth child out of six. I am the middle child and the black sheep of the family. I am different, unique, and out going. I love my family to the heavens and back, I have a mother who watches over me from above, (R.I.P Emeline F. Lotulelei) She is the reason why I am the way I am. I love being around my friends and family and I enjoy having a good time. I am a Child of God and I am very blessed to be able to praise a lord who has sacrificed so much for us. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am a convert and loved the decision I have made to be a part of a great church.. I am who I am and what you see.......................... is what you GET! 

I hope that I can learn things from myself as well as everyone else. I am excited for what's in store and just hope that you are ready to walk by my side with me through this journey!!


Love and peace to ya,


Procter Ahononou Lotulelei :)