In Mexico and In LOVE!!!

So I made it to Mexico!! I dont know how to go about writing this in an orderly manner and I dont think I have much time. But...

THIS HAS BEEN THE BEST DAY EVER!!!!!

I Love this place soooo mcuh!! Even though Ive only been here for like an hour. **sidenote-this keyboard is in spanish and Im having a really hard time typing so please excuse the lack of proper punctuation.

 

This morning I was on my own flying to Arizona. But once I got there I met up with 3 other elders and 2 other sisters. They are all the best!! I love them all so much already! Best Friends for life! I can already tell. When I got on the plane to Mexico the lady checking my boarding pass yelled at me through the terminal.--what are you going to mexico for? And I shouted...ON A MISSION¡¡¡ I thought I heard clapping but that could have been my overactive imagination.

 

Oh- another sidenote... JENNY SAWYER I met an elder jacob cullum (hes actually sitting next to me now) and he says he knows and Loves you. Well he didnt say the love part but I could see it in his eyes. He also said he was going to kill you...in a joking way of course. I think you broke his heart at one point. Anyways, hes a gem...along with  everyone else here!!!

 

Okay back to this morning. We all flew to Mexico together but were on seperate rows so we could talk to people. I sat next to this really kind man who tried to teach me spanish and told me what to do if I get held at gunpoint...he wasnt joking either. I also kept spilling water on him...I guess I couldnt hold things together all the way. Once we got to Mexico we went through customs and all that which was a breeze. A man from the MTC who spoke no english met us there.  But sadly we then had to wait 3 hours at the airport for the other missionaries. But there were about ten of us there (including kips son dad) so it was super fun! It was like a party! Except we were all pretty starving and exhausted.

 

THEN a large yellow schoolbus with CCM across it picked us up. It is really bothering me that I can tfigure out this keyboard...

We drove through the city until we arrived here. OH MY GOODNESS!!! It is so adorable!! I love it so much!! Every building is so colorful! Like really bright VIVID colors everywhere with laundry hanging out...and its just the best! Everything is in spanish too...obviously. But it makes it more fun!!

 

The weather here is great. Slightly humid with a nice cool breeze. mmmm lovely. The drive here was pretty crazy and I was feeling a little faint with no food all day and no sleep. But pretty much the moment we got here they took us to eat (or really just pointed us in the direction of the cafeteria). The food was no bueno. Tuna salad with...I dont know. That was pretty much it. But I was starving so I ate it. Maybe it was just a bad day? I heard every tuesday we get pizza so thats something to look forward to.

 

I havent met my companion yet. I was hoping to have one of my flight buddies but oh well.

 

OH!! I GOT MY NAMETAG!!! Best moment ever. I think its ripping my shirt though so Ill have to work on that.

 

They say the next three days are exhausting and I believe it. But I am ready!!!

This place is so pretty! Kind of...a different kind of pretty.

 

Oh- a word about the MTC. They call it the compound. It has huge thick walls around it. OPP Gotta go.

But I am safe and Love it!

Not sure when my Pday is.

Love you all!

 

Farewell for now!

Welp! The time is here and I must go. This will now make a nice little transformation into my mission blog. Hopefully someone will update it every once in awhile with my letters...we will see. :)

If you feel the inclination to write to me snail mail is best! (but sadly takes quite awhile)

I will be in the Mexico MTC for the first 6 weeks...so September 25th- November 6th. The address for that dandy place is....

                                                             Sister Ariah Noel Orchard

Chile Concepcion Mission

Carrerera Tenayunca-Chalmita #828
Colonia Zona Escolar, Gustavo A.
Madero
07230 Mexico, Distrito Federal 

Mexico

My Chile Address (November 6th 2013- March 2015) is...

Sister Ariah Noel Orchard

Chile Concepcion Mission

O'Higgins 940, Oficina 502

Casilla 2210

Concepcion

CHILE

And my email for quick responses...

ariah.orchard@myldsmail.net

Love you all! See you in 18 months!! 

My Heroes- Heart Camp

Camp Taylor- the happiest place on Earth! In all honesty it really is!

Camp Taylor is a camp for kids with congenital heart disease. Congenital heart disease is the number one birth defect of all children. It kills more children than all childhood cancers combined. Camp Taylor was started 11 years ago by Kim Gamino after her son Taylor was born with heart disease. She wanted to create a place for him where he could show his scar and talk about the many difficulties that accompany living with heart disease. It has grown into one of the most magical places on Earth and has changed so many lives. Including mine.
I watched camp change my sister and wanted to be part of that. But after the first year volunteering at camp I realized I wasnt helping these kids- they were helping me! I can't thank Camp Taylor enough. It literally saves lives.
Now go donate everything you have to it! :) www.kidsheartcamp.org

Emily a couple weeks after her sixth open heart surgery

 This year's camp theme was "Superheroes". So fitting for these kids. They are all my heroes! Many of these kids have spent way too much of their lives in hospitals getting poked, tested and having their chests cut open too many times. They endure teasing, stares and cruelty at school. They deal with stresses that the rest of us cant even imagine. And they smile and laugh and love with an unconditional love and acceptance that cant be matched.
Camp has a way of just enveloping you in love from the very first moment. It is filled with amazing counselors, doctors, nurses, golf cart drivers, cooks, directors and campers! The love is so apparent and beautiful it is hard to keep from crying the whole week. It's hard to express- just go and see for yourself!

This is Emily (my sister) a month old on the top and five years old on the bottom. 

Challenges and stress over heart conditions do not end after surgeries or when you leave the hospital. That is just the beginning. The emotional challenges that come after are hard to deal with- but Camp Taylor makes it so much easier! 

This is Shon. Quite the ladies man and a stellar dancer! 

Our poor campers had some sick counselors. They were angels and went on missions to bring us granola bars and water . I think they enjoyed the independence. :)
Also isn't that an extremely creative room layout? 

Jocelyn and her date Shon. :) I was so blessed to be co-counselors with Jocelyn! She has been with Camp Taylor from the very beginning and started S.I.B.S.- a group for siblings of heart campers. She is another hero of mine who works tirelessly and unselfishly for all around her! I already miss my time with her! 

Fantastic 8! Such a wonderful and sweet group of girls! Miss them all already! 

Faith- our cute boy crazy girl with endless energy! 

Friendliest cabin award!

Beauties before the dance! 

So much excitement! 

A wonderful week full of wobbling, coughing and laughing that I wished lasted all year long! I will miss next years camp because I will be in Chile- but hopefully that is the last camp I will ever have to miss! It is such a blessing to be part of the Camp Taylor family. Please find some way to help Camp Taylor! These kids need it- we all do! It is like Christmas morning for these campers when they arrive. They literally wait all year for these five days. There is no place like this in the world!

I could go on forever about how amazing Camp Taylor is- but you will just have to go see it for yourself!

Also, shout out to the amazing Alissa who some how was able to create a painting of me swinging five days before she leaves for Brazil!

Merry land**Mara-lyn**Mer-a-lyn

  

This is Alissa. Alissa lives on the opposite side of the country as me...in a tiny little state called Maryland. Alissa talked about Maryland a lot over the last 6 months. She made it sound like the greatest place on Earth. I knew it couldn't be since everyone knows Carlsbad is the greatest place on Earth. BUT I wanted to see this land Alissa loves so very much. So I went and visited.

 **Really it was just an excuse to see Alissa. 

In a nutshell it was wonderful. Dreamy really. 

THIS frazzled picture is inside the Library of Congress. A new favorite place of mine. I could easily spend my entire life here. I even got a library card--it's only good for two years though so I'll have to go back soon.
A place that holds pretty much every book ever written--heaven! 

I could lay on this floor and stare in awe at this wonder all day. Luckily Alissa promised to work her magic and paint my bedroom walls to look like this.....it made leaving a tad bit easier. 

A random fountain. I'm sure it has a name or something. 

Modern Art. One day I will understand it. This one really struck a chord with me. Black on black--who would have thought? There is so much depth here. I just know it....

This my friends is the CAPITOL. Not the White House. It happens...
WHY do they have a capitol and White House in the same place? It's just confusing!! For the record this is the one I wanted to see anyways....

Rain. Lots and lots of beautiful heavy rain. Luckily we had an umbrella to wait it out underneath. 

Mmmm.....so much wetness. Squishy squishy

My own little ray of sunshine!! 

After the storm.
You can just feel the history pulsing out of this place! It's a delight. A true true true delight! 

Gettysburg. I think a battle happened here. But once again....not sure. So many unanswered questions. 

Luke- He's pretty great as well. 

This place brings out happiness!! History=happiness

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain is a hero of mine.
 He was a general in the Battle of Gettysburg. He was given orders to hold Little Round Top. Him and his regiment held off the impending attackers as long as they could. Eventually they ran out of all food, supplies and ammunition. They had no way to keep off the coming foes and it was of the utmost importance that they not surrender Little Round Top. Practically the whole battle depended on it (and this battle ended up playing a large part in the outcome of the whole Civil War). 
When all hope seemed lost and their attackers were charging up the hill to them Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain yelled "Bayonets" and charged down the hill himself- right into the line of attackers. They were so startled by him and his accompanying regiment that were so fearlessly running to meet their death- they all surrendered immediately. 

Such a courageous man. America's history is filled with stalwart astonishing people like this. We are so blessed! 

A new friend of mine

This Temple is comparable to the San Diego Temple. It is SO beautiful! I love it so much.

                                                           

Cute little children observing the little fishies

Old Ellicott City. An adorable, precious little piece of heaven! 

Alissa's happy place. 

I followed the sunset from Maryland all the way home to California. It was breathtaking and magical.  This sight (almost) made me forget that I was in a heavy medal structure thousands of feet above ground. 

Someone said this was Mt. Saint Helens. I'm not sure if it actually is--but its a big mountain! 

The cutest little train station ever to grace our planet. It felt like walking into a place from Anne of Green Gables. I would have been happy just staying on these wooden benches all day. This place is called Dorsey. Is that not the most precious? Precious. 

California's not lookin so great anymore. 
I am trying to convince my parents to move to the East Coast now- we'll see what happens. 

Alissa leaves for her mission in 10 short days. To say I am going to miss her is a vast understatement. This girl is the sweetest. The kindest. The most thoughtful-generous-wondeful et cetera, et cetera. She is going to be one AMAZING missionary to the people of Campinas Brazil. It's going to be hard to find another person who is willing to go paleo with me or on midnight swinging trips. She's a little bundle of sunshine and I am so so blessed to be able to know her. 

A day with her is like a day at Disneyland! Thats about as good of a compliment as I can give. 
Can't wait for the reunion in two years! :)

Seems far but its actually only 11 weeks away!! :) :) :)