"...the great goodness of our God..."

I have been reading in Alma in the Book of Mormon, chapter 34 (pg. 293) where Amulek, a missionary at that time in the land of the Americas, is testifying of Jesus Christ to a group of people who had been rejected by their brethren because of their poverty. Because of their rejection that brought them to a greater depth of humility, I feel that their hearts were prepared to hear truth in it's purest form. I have read these verses many times, but this time, this verse struck me with power. There is a different verse in the Book of Mormon that talks about the power of the word of God (in preaching) having a greater effect over the hearts of men than ANYTHING else. (Alma 31:5, pg. 285) I testify that is true. I was reminded of that in reading these verses again and the feelings I felt.

So Amulek is teaching them of the plan-of our purpose here-and Jesus Christ's role in it. He teaches them of the importance of the atonement (the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and all it entails), that all of us would perish without it, because we are not perfect and sin every day. (Alma 34:9) Amulek then continues to expound further on this sacrifice, using words such as 'great and last sacrifice', an 'infinite and eternal'-emphasizing the importance and vitality of what Christ did for us.

In reading these verses, I started to contemplate how blessed I am for such a sacrifice given on my behalf. I imagined living life here on earth without being able to be forgiven for when I have fallen short and having to carry those burdens on my own back throughout my time here on earth. It was as though I could physically feel the weight of all my mistakes in my lifetime on my shoulders as I contemplated all this. I then noticed I had marked a scripture reference from this verse to another part of the scriptures in 2 Nephi 9 (pg. 73), also in reference to what Christ has done for us. This particular section contains the words of a man named Jacob who was teaching his people the words of Isaiah and sharing his own feelings on Jesus Christ.

I LOVE what he says in verse 10: "O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call death of the body, and also the death of the spirit."

Think of the evilest monster you can conjure up in your imagination. Now envsion it is looming over, you about to devour you in your entirety-when along comes someone. Someone who has the strength you lack to fight the monster. He takes that monster and ties him up with the other monsters he's taken captive. You stand there dumbfounded at how your life has just been spared, for everything you can humanly do to show gratitude to this person seems inadequate.

I know this is a feeble attempt to express something I feel so strongly, but I am so grateful for what Jesus Christ has done for me in freeing me from such a monster that could hold me bound and consume me. He DID free me from that and continues to do so. I know that through Him ALL things are possible, for which I am forever in debted to him.

Happy Birthday, Ms. Potter

I wanted to post something in celebration of today. It is the birthday of the world renouned children's book author, Beatrix Potter. (She would be 143 today. She passed away at 77 years of age.) She is most famous for the Tale of Peter Rabbit, although I have found many of her other stories to be just as endearing.

It is a story I have always loved-even now as an adult I enjoy reading it. Another one of my favorites of hers is is the story of Miss Jemima Puddleduck.
It is this sad tale of a duck who goes in search of a place to lay her eggs only to be fall pray to a very sly wolf with a hearty appetite.

I think I am drawn to this story because it reminds me of our human-ness and how we fall short and fall pray to those 'sly wolves' in our lives, and Ms. Potter managed to capture that in her story-telling. A talent I hope to master in my writing as well, as I attempt to write a children's book in the future.

Anyway-Happy Birthday Ms. Potter.

The promise

Is it possible to be able to 'see' how the Lord is blessing you so clearly, it's almost dumfounding? I had that experience today in class.

I feel very strongly as part of my observance of the Sabbath day and keeping it holy (Exodus 20:8-11), I don't do any studying for school. I do all that I need to the days before and get up earlier on Monday morning if I need to-to finish up anything that might be missing for the days assignment. I have been able to see how the Lord has helped me in many different ways from observing this, today was especially so. I think it was from keeping the commandments in general, as well leaving my studies to rest as well on Sunday.
So I got to class after a pretty rest-less nights sleep, thinking I would be in class just in body, nothing else. As we were learning the concepts and going over the homework for the weekend, I felt I was being blessed with a quickening of the mind and understanding of the concepts. Another thing I noticed is that one of the girls who is usually the one that is helping all of us understand concepts was really struggling today with alertness and being able to accomplish her work correctly. I felt I really understood all the concepts I needed to for the day and was able to help the girl sitting next to me with some problems. I packed up my things, ready to leave. It didn't all come together until after class how the Lord had blessed me so abundantly for being obedient in every way I could.

I was talking to some of the girls afterwards about getting together for a study group and the subject came up about how some girls were ready to cry (stressed about class), some were feeling overwhelmed and the one girl that is usually the rock we can all depend on could barely keep herself awake.
The thought occured to me afterwards as I listened to how they had been studying on sunday for today and they had worked yesterday-it was very apparent that in a subject I usually struggle with, I was blessed to have the mental capacity to understand the concepts as fast as they were coming at me and even though I hadn't had a very good nights sleep, I felt I was mentally alert-able to do my own work and help others.
Again, I do not say any of this to boast of myself-but only to recognize HOW the Lord can bless us, his children IF we but do our part.
What do you think? Do you agree with what I said, or do you have other opinions on how things transpired?

You never know...

I just received an interesting e-mail from our Stake Relief Society President who visited our block of meetings today. She recounted in the e-mail that after the block of meetings a young man from our ward had come up to her and thanked her for always dressing modestly. This is what she wrote in her e-mail: I just wanted to let you know that today a boy in 9th ward came up to me after the block and said, "I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate the fact that you dress modestly every single time you visit our ward....and so does the girl that was sitting in front of you in the white dress (I don't know her name) ."

I share this not to boast of myself (anyone who knows me-knows that), rather I share this with you as an example that you never know what example you are giving, whether you realize it or not.
President Spencer W. Kimball said:

“Another of the many things that lead to unchastity is immodesty. Today many young women and young men are smug in their knowledge of the facts of life. They think they know all the answers. They talk about sex as freely as they talk about cars and shows and clothes. And a spirit of immodesty has developed until nothing seems to be sacred.

“One contributing factor to immodesty and a breakdown of moral values is the modern dress. I am sure that the immodest clothes that are worn by some of our young women, and their mothers, contribute directly and indirectly to the immorality of this age. Even fathers sometimes encourage it. I wonder if our young sisters realize the temptation they are flaunting before young men when they leave their bodies partly uncovered. …

“I am positive that the clothes we wear can be a tremendous factor in the gradual breakdown of our love of virtue, our steadfastness in chastity” (Faith Precedes the Miracle [1972], 163, 168).

This whole interaction has made me want to be a better person, for which I am grateful. I feel a stronger desire to stand for what is right and find different ways to stand for modesty and help the brethren.

Something to think about....

Ever mindful

I just finished a pile of homework I had for the weekend-it was a pile! This next week is the last week of the class (4 more days) and it is down to the wire as we try to cram the rest of the information we need. I have had a crazy busy past few days and haven't been able to dedicate as much time as I would have liked to the homework assigned and was paying the price today. Do you ever have those days were the stark realization of what you need to accomplish in a short time is looming over your head? Today was one of those days. I could have managed my time better-you live and learn... I spend a good chunk of my day today working on a good portion of the assignments and then had to stop for a prior commitment I had with my cousin-knowing that I needed to finish the assignment afterwards since it was due 7:30 Monday morning-and I had decided long ago not to study on Sundays. So about 10 pm I started up again with my homework, thinking FOR SURE I would fall asleep on my books and wake up in the night with math equations smeared across my face in pencil lead. I am proud to say that I just finished the last problem of the homework. I also know that I didn't do it on my own. I know that because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ-the enabling power of the Spirit-I was blessed to be able to finish those probIems. Anyone who knows me, knows how alert I am late at night (I do much better in the early morning hours). I know that I was blessed to be able to finish those problems- I think in part because of my desire to keep the commandments (Doctrine & Covenants 82:10) and because of the Love of my Heavenly Father who is in the very details of my life. (Neal A Maxwell, Encircled in the Arms of His Love, Nov 2002 Liahona)

Knowing good from evil

I was just reading an article in the church news about the new mission presidents seminar that happened back in June of this year. President Packer spoke to the new mission presidents and their wives and it sounds like it was an amazing meeting. He shared with them a very powerful truism, when you think about it's implications when believed. He said, quoting the prophet Joseph Smith "All beings who have bodies have power over those who have not." (Teaching of Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 181)

(painting by Carl Bloch, Casting out Satan)

How true that is! Yet how easily we (I) forget that sometimes. Sometimes in the moment of temptation, I feel I am bound by that temptation and must fall to it-forgetting their is power with me more than there is against me. (2 Kings 6:16)

This draws my mind to the experience Joseph (Smith) had when he initially went to the grove to pray and was 'seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me'. (Joseph Smith-History 1:15) He used the description of 'thick darkness' to explain how he felt when being surrounded by this evil. Then he did something that teaches us what we should do when faced with temptation, in its many forms, CALL ON GOD. "Exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which seized upon me." (JS-H 1:16) 'All beings who have bodies have power over those who have not.' We have the power of God on our side to deliver us from evil. We can learn a great many lessons from this experience of Joseph Smith and all that transpired following this event, that he saw God the Father and His son Jesus Christ. He could have let the power of temptation swallow him whole, but he didn't. He called upon God, and from that experience the entire world has been blessed with a deeper understanding of the plain and precious truths.



We have come to better understand plain and precious truths, such that God knows us each individually and that He hears and answers our prayers. With Him, we can be delivered from the powers of darkness and temptation-however great they may seem and however ugly they may seem.


Going back to President Packer's counsel to the new mission presidents, he continued: "The adversary only has power over those that permit him to." He continued, "There are things that are ensnared within our lives and it seems so hopeless, but remember: "Men are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil." 2 Nephi 2:5

Words of the Prophets

I have several entries I have started and have not posted as of yet because I have been lacking the desire to finish those thoughts currently. I wanted to post something today, though, however brief it may be. I was just reading a talk given by President Ezra Taft Benson that he gave back in 1981 on womanhood (The Honored Place of Woman, Ensign, Nov. 1981). I was given the reference last night from institute class. We were actually talking about the words of the Prophets and how the counsel they give is more for us than it is for them. Our instructor used the example of Naaman (2 Kings 5) being cleansed of leprosy and the spiritual struggle he had to pass through in the process as an example of how the counsel given is more for each of us individually than for the one giving the counsel.

This talk had some great words on the sanctity of the role of women in this world and how the world relentlessly tries to tear it all down. Here are a few quotes from this talk from President Benson and a quote from an anonymous sister on the power of the goodness of women for good in this world.

"No accomplishment transcends the building of the character of a son or a daughter of God."

"Sound principles and eternal truths need to be frequently repeated so that we do not forget their application nor become dissuaded by other arguments."

(Quote from anonymous sister) “The great strength of a good woman—a Saint, if you will—is her personal testimony of the Savior and her faith in his spokesmen, the prophet and the Apostles of Jesus Christ. If she follows them, she will have the countenance of Christ for her beauty, the peace of Christ to support her emotionally, the Savior’s example as a means to solve her problems and to strengthen her, and the love of Christ as the source of love for herself, her family, and those about her. She can be sure of herself as a wife and mother and find joy and fulfillment in her role in the home.”

I know that we are lead by men called of God in our day, to help strengthen our relationship with Jesus Christ and to help us overcome the natural man. If we abide by the counsel given them, the very gates of hell shall not prevail against us. (Doctrine and Covenants 21:4-6)

Exam #2

It has been a good day today. I went to class as usual and had a nice surprise. We took our 2nd exam on Tuesday (12 pages this time)and we got our scores back today. I felt pretty good about how I did when I took the test, minus the fact that I couldn't remember a theorem to figure out a set of problems on the exam. I received an 82%, which may not call for celebration for most, but for me: that is AMAZING!!! Taking this class by itself this summer has been the best decision. I don't say all of this to toot my own horn, because I know what I am capable when I attempt it on my own. I have years of examples to chew on with that. Throughout the year here at BSU, I have come to better understand how the Spirit can teach us-each of us individually-to better understand ALL truth.

Small and Simple 2

I went on a little bike ride today. I took a route I haven't taken in awhile: it is one that is a steady incline all the way out and a ride back down on the way back. I stopped at about 5 miles out from home, and, feeling good about hitting my goal, I turned around to head back home. As I turned around to what I thought would be a smooth coast down for awhile-I was slapped in the face by a fierce headwind. I suddenly became aware of how I had been blessed with help in carrying out the first part of my journey. I thought I had climbed up that far just on my own merit-but in that moment I turned, I realized I didn't do it on my own. Now this part of the ride that I normally coast was not a challenge I wasn't prepared for. The wind was so strong that I nearly came to a complete stop as I attempted to coast down.

I was thinking about this experience as I was riding back home and I came to an understanding of what this journey on my bike was symbolic of. The entire journey was representational of my journey here in mortality with it's different challenges. The point when I turned to head back home is likened to my move here to Boise. It was a challenge I wasn't expecting in my journeyings and when I thought the road would be a comfort ride (coast) for a season, it has been one of the most challenging times in my life: it has been character building. I have become aware of how the Lord has helped me and 'carried me' up to that point in my journey, just as I was helped with a tailwind on the first portion of my bike ride. The most important aspect of my bike ride today: I made it home safely, just as I know I will make it through this challenging time with it's headwinds. All the opposition will only make me stronger. :)

I don't love the pain of affliction, but I do love the growth that occurs and the knowledge that Heavenly Father is mindful of me and has tailor-made this journey just for me. Some of you may feel I think to much about things :), which is probably true. I just feel that it is by these small and seemingly simple ways that the Lord tries to teach us the lessons we need and if we are not careful, we might miss them.

Lesson learned

I just got home from about THE worst movie I have seen in a long time. I am usually pretty good about judging movies and there content-but tonight I failed miserably.

My roomates and I went to see a movie at the dollar theatre and I just about got up and walked out it was so offensive. I am actually disgusted with myself that I didn't, as it was REALLY bad. I had my eyes closed and ears plugged through several scenes. It was 'MADE OF HONOR'. I DON'T recommend it to anyone. It had the potential of a really cute story, to bad they had to ruin it the way they did. It is a PG-13 and I think it should have been rated R: really crude humor.

I am really picky about what I watch and I hadn't remembered reading anything about it being terribly offensive, so I thought it would be a good pick for a night out with the girls. I usually don't go see PG-13's and now I remember why, especially with how the standards have been lowered in the rating system here in the U.S and in societies all over the world. I have been awakened to these realities and have been reminded I have to be more careful. This may all sound a bit dramatic, but I feel physically ill from the experience and don't want it to happen again. Some of you may have seen this movie, and may have thought there is nothing wrong with it. I just think about how desensitized we have become from our exposure through the media to all that is vile and offensive to God and how we don't even realize how numb we have become. No amount of entertainment-no matter how much you pay for it-is worth the loss of the Spirit.

There is good entertainment out there, you just have to search for it. Things that will allow you to feel at peace: peace of conscience and mind that are of no offense to God and fill you with hope. This was not one of them.

Clarify

There has been some confusion between the RLDS church that has been getting a lot of news coverage as of late and the LDS - the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Many believe they are one in the same. I had a conversation awhile back with man about this and was able to clarify the difference. I write this now and attach this link in hopes that it might help clarify it to a vastly more emmense audience. This is a link from the lds website on what the LDS church is doing in Texas in hopes that it might be distinguished with what is happening in the RLDS. (http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/church-seeks-to-address-public-confusion-over-texas-polygamy-group)

4th of July weekend

I just arrived back in Boise after a fantastic weekend with my family. I am not sure where to begin with all that has happened and been felt that I will post tomorrow the events of the weekend. :)

Okay-So, it has now been a week and I am a slacker in posting the weekends events. I was waiting for some pictures to go with it, but that looks like it might be awhile so I will just write about it and post pictures at a later date.

I went home to my parents house for the 4th weekend as all of my siblings were going to be together for the event-ALSO-any opportunity to be with my family I will ALWAYS take it!! :) My brother and his wife and son came up from Las Vegas and my sister has been visiting with her two daughters (in Utah) from Washington: along with my oldest sister and parents who already lives in Utah. The stars had aligned and we were all together!! Except I realized we have no picture of all of us together to prove it! So ironic. Anyway, the festivities began on Thursday July 3rd as my brother arrived from Vegas that evening and we met up at my parents house. My parents and sister from Washington and a conglomeration of neices and nephews from both sisters were there. We sat in the backyard and enjoyed the cool evening for awhile before we headed to bed for an early morning of activities. We started with a parade in Orem that morning-we all kind of met up on the parade route from our various destinations: Hank was already there shooting photos for work; Layne, Jayme and Payce and I came from West Jordan and my parents, sisters and the rest of the neices and nephews and Shauna came from Orem were they had met up to ride together.



We had quite the army that morning! We sat on the parade route also with Hank's mother and some of his siblings. We also sat near some family friends, the Dever's. Kiersten showed up a little while later as well. It was great to all be together. There is something you feel differently for your family than you do for anyone else. I don't know how to explain it: there is a mixture of excitement and love that sometimes leaves me speechless. (If that makes any sense?)



Lori (my sister that lives in Utah) and there family had brought food for breakfast to eat while we watched the parade. We saw some friends in the parade. It was a nice morning, except for a small scare that was my fault. Due to a ginormous huckleberry tree where we were sitting, I had managed to get them all over my pants: including my hind parts. My brother was letting me know I had stains there and I was joking that he should take a picture of it for me so I could see. Needless to say-waste of time. When he finished taking the picture, we couldn't find Layne and Jayme's little boy Payce ANYWHERE. My heart started racing and my stomach felt like I had just ingested a chunk of lead. My brother and I locked eyes and we both shook our heads in disbelief. We immediately headed off in opposite directions on the parade route and asked others in our family if they had seen him. We were on the search for him. I immediately said a prayer in my heart and pleaded that we would be guided to find him. I asked a few people as I headed down the parade route if they had seen him: nothing. Jayme had also headed of in the same direction of my brother, but she had found nothing. Unbeknowns to us, a couple of our neices had headed off farther down the route in the direction I had and had found him wandering down the sidewalk with his bagel. I cannot explain the relief I felt when I saw them carrying him-still calmly eating his bagel. My brother mentioned later he thought he was going to pass out when he started looking for him and couldn't find him. We didn't let him out of our sight the rest of the time we were there. (here is a picture of the unhappy Payce afterwards that had to be strapped in his stroller.)



Something else I remember from the parade was that one of the floats was throwing out t-shirts and my niece Jalani caught one. It was a float for the newly accredited university, Utah Valley University, and they were giving away t-shirts with their new logos. Shauna, a friend of the family who was there, is a currently a student there and Lani knew this and gave her the t-shirt she had caught. I thought that was very sweet of her to do so. She could have very easily kept it. I appreciated Lani's example of sacrifice. I'm sure everyone who was there could tell a whole slue of stories from their perspectives of what they witnessed that day. Those are just a few of the things that stood out to me that day.

We then headed back to Lori's house to relax a bit and have a bbq. We all kind of fat-dogged it (a term we use in our family when you are lounging around, usually after a big meal. usually involves napping as well. :) In case you were wondering...) for a few hours before we started BBQ-ing. We were having hamburgers and hot dogs. My mom (THE BEST EVER) even went to the store and got me some veggie burgers which I LOVE!!! That was so sweet of her to cut into her own rest time to do that. That meant alot. After we ate and rested some more, we headed back to West Jordan to all take official naps to be well-rested for the evenings events of fireworks.

We ended up meeting in Lehi-which is a town between Orem and West Jordan-to watch the fireworks. They were having a show at Thanksgiving Point, which is a venue right there in Lehi. We went up on to the Cabella's parking lot that is located up an a hillside opposite the freeway from Thanksgiving Point to watch them. It was a great spot I never would have thought of!! There were several other families that were there as well watching. The McIntire's had it all set up when we arrived: they had pulled out a bench from there van to sit on, had layed out blankets and had brought munchies to eat while watching the show.



I have the best family EVER!! They think of everything! My nephew, Payce and I went around and were watching the pre-shows as different families were setting off their fireworks.



(He calls them FIRE-BONKS. He's hilarious!!) It was neat to spend that time with him and share those experiences.

The next morning, we had planned to meet at Liberty Park to play in the water there and ride the carnival rides there. They have this interesting little repleca that is a small scale of the rivers and lakes that are in the Salt Lake Valley, all made out of cement. Only a portion of the rivers and lakes had water in them , so we played in what was there.






We then had lunch and the kids rode a few rides. My parents were leaving to go to take care of their calling as Stake Baptismal Coordinators and so I decided that was a good time to head out to as I still had to drive back to Boise that night. I was anxious to leave since I had to drive by myself and I am not a big fan of driving in the dark. As I was leaving, my niece Kiersten asked me to go with her to see her new place not to far from the park first before I left, so I went with her. It was nice to catch up with her and hear how she is doing, I don't get to do that much anymore it seems. We then headed back to my parents and saw them before they left for the church. I then took a little nap, had something to eat and headed on my way.

It was really hard to leave my family this time, almost as hard as it was to see my parents go when they helped me move to Boise a year ago. It was so great to spend that time with all of them. I am grateful Heavenly Father kept us all safe in our travels that we could spend that time together. I love my family more than I will ever be able to express with words. They mean everything to me and I am forever endebted to my Father in Heaven for blessing me so.

This life is a test, it is only a test

I found myself in an interesting position today. I had gone to the ELL Center for Refugees downtown this afternoon for a training meeting and had stopped by the store on my way home. As I was walking out of the store, I was approached by a woman. She asked me if I was from here and then proceeded to tell me of her plight. As she was telling me her situation, I had a feeling that she wasn't being honest with me. In the end she was asking me if I had any money. I usually don't carry any cash on me, but today I had a few dollars on me-the change from my recent purchase. As she told me of her situation, I wondered what I should do as I felt she wasn't being honest with me. The instant I thought that, several verses from Mosiah 4 came into my mind, particularly the phrases 'are we not all beggars?' and the part in verse 24 where it talks about if we have we should give. I also felt, regardless if she is being honest or not, she is in need. I gave her what I had in my pocket, which wasn't much. I felt guilty for even HAVING the thought not to give it to her especially since I didn't have very much to begin with. I haven't been working for this past month, so I felt I needed those dollars just as much as she did. A very selfish thought since everything I have been given is from God and if someone is in need, I should give them all that I can. I know all that thought process may seem silly to some, especially over a few dollars. To me, every life lesson I am given I take seriously and try to learn from it what I need to-regardless how small and insignificant it may seem. I feel like the situation I found myself in today was one of those. This life is a compilation of life tests such as these that test our character. Reminds me of a quote from Sheri L Dew:

"Indeed, this life is a test. It is a test of many things—of our convictions and priorities, our faith and our faithfulness, our patience and our resilience, and in the end, our ultimate desires. Yet there are times when the vision and hope of a Big Finish are dimmed by immediate demands, days when one might wish for a mortal exam that was a little more manageable.
Thankfully, our experience here is an open-book test. We know why we’re here, and we have from prophets ancient and modern an extensive set of instructions. But at the risk of sounding simplistic, may I suggest that the mortal experience is largely about vision—our vision of ourselves and our ultimate Big Finish. And vision is determined by faith. The firmer our faith in Jesus Christ, the clearer our vision of ourselves and what we can ultimately achieve and become." May 1998 BYU Women's Conference