Bullying

I love this video. I totally agree:

Return Missionary Survival Kit

OK, so I can't take credit for this idea. One transfer on my mission both of our Zone Leaders were going home so a few sisters made them survival kits. I don't remember what was in them though, so for this kit I came up with my own ideas. This kit was also for and Elder as opposed to a Sister so it would be slightly different anyhow.


First I included a small teddy bear, and I labeled it "For when you miss your companion". This one was my husband's idea.

 

Then I included a "Nerf" type gun labeled "For the girls you don't like".

Now the next piece was chap stick, on the go floss, and breath mints. Each had a label so I put an elastic around them to hold them together. When they were side by side they read "For the . . . girls you . . . DO like!" but I didn't know at the time he has a girlfriend. Otherwise it would have said "girl" not "girls".

Of course since I thought he was single I added the little black "area book".

 Then I went online a found some lists of pick-up lines. I was careful to select silly yet appropriate ones. There are some that are just not OK. 

Next I found some information on what not to say on a first date, which again I edited so it would be appropriate. And then I found 50 marriage proposal ideas. He thought these were all pretty funny.

Then some serious stuff, I put in a New England Patriots tie since he's a football player and he served his mission here in the Boston mission. AND he just so happens to be a patriots fan which is good.

Then I put in a few serious articles for him to read on his journey home. Here are the links for those:
Church News: Transferred Home
Elder Perry: The Returned Missionary
Deseret News: Don't Return From Your Mission
The Room

Lastly I had to come up with a catchy slogan for the outside of the box. Since he's a football player I wanted to relate it to that. The other Elders came up with a great one:

Here is a shot of the district. We have some great Elders.

And here's Elder D saying "Yesssssss!!!" because he just got the coolest gift ever!

Now, as I said I can't take full credit for the idea. Feel free to use any of this and tweak as necessary!

The Law of Sacrifice or Leftovers?

Many times we hear about how we need to sacrifice a bit for the Lord. Just today in testimony meeting a brother was talking about how we need to sacrifice some things that we prefer, like alcohol or cigarettes, in order to obtain the full blessings from the Lord. We hear about missionaries who sacrifice 18 month or 2 years of their life to serve the Lord. Members sacrifice their time and talents all the time in order to serve others. In fact one of our hymns, Praise to the Man, has a verse that starts out with "Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven . . .".

But when you get back more than what you put it it's not really a sacrifice, it's an investment. Just a side note to think about.

Christ asks that we live the law of sacrifice. But recently in a stake conference one of our leaders, President Monson (not the prophet!) posed a question to those of us present. He asked if we live the law of sacrifice or the law of leftovers. Meaning do we say "I will give the Lord what is left over after all else I have to do"? The word sacrifice used to mean to make someone, or something,  holy. If we are truly living the law of sacrifice we are then striving to make ourselves holy. Which would mean we can't just give what's left over, we need to put the Lord first in our lives. The interesting thing about this is when we give of our time, or really when we invest our time in doing the things the Lord has asked, He blesses us immensely. If when the Lord asks "Whom shall I send?" we then stand and answer "Here am I, send me." then the Lord will bless us. In fact in Isaiah 58:9 it says "Then shalt thou ^acall, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. . .". That last part, where the Lord says "Here I am" to us, is translated from the Hebrew word hininee. Check out what Sherrie Mills Johnson said about this:

In the book of Abraham we read of the premortal council when God the Father presented His plan of salvation to us. During that council God said, “Whom shall I send? And one answered like unto the Son of Man: Here am I, send me” (Abraham 3:27).
    The Hebrew word that is translated “Here am I” in these verses is hininee. And it means more than just “I’m here.” It is the kind of word a servant would say to a king when beckoned. It means “Whatever you want me to do, I will do. That’s why I’m here.” In the Old Testament we find the word hininee over and over again. Abraham says it to God (Genesis 22:1), Isaac says it to his father Abraham (Genesis 22:7), Jacob says it to the angel God sends to him (Genesis 31:11), Joseph says it to his father Jacob (Genesis 37:13), and Moses says it to God when God calls to him from the burning bush (Exodus 3:4). It is what Samuel said to Eli when awakened in the night (1 Samuel 3:4), and what Isaiah said to God when called to be a prophet (Isaiah 6:8).
    All these examples urge me to turn to the Lord and say, “Hininee! Here I am ready to serve and do what you want!” But there is one use of the word in the Old Testament that is different, a usage that touches my heart very deeply. In Isaiah chapter 58 the Lord chastises the people who are complaining that God has refused to answer their prayers. He tells them that the reason He has not answered is because they are not resting from their own pleasures on the Sabbath day and that they are not caring for the poor when they fast. Then He says, if you will rest from your own pleasures on the Sabbath and care for the poor when you fast, “Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here am I” (Isaiah 58:9).
    Every time I read that my heart warms. The Lord is calling to me, “Hininee. Hininee! I am here to help you. What do you want Me to do?” As Isaiah goes on to explain, “And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not” (Isaiah 58:11).
-http://sherriejohnson.blogspot.com/2011/10/here-am-i.html

The Lord is willing to do what we righteously ask of Him. He wants to bless us. His whole purpose is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man (see  Moses 1:39). He is wanting us to succeed and to come back to His presence having had the best earthly experience we could possibly have. Not everyone has the same experience here in mortality, but we are promised that if we strive to follow the Lord then all things will work together for our good (see D & C 98:3 and 122:5-7). When I look at how the Lord wants to and will bless me if I will sacrifice my will for His, it is so worth living the law of sacrifice as opposed to the law of leftovers. If we give Him only our leftover time we may find that we just get the leftover blessings!

Big Rocks

One day an expert was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will never forget. As this man stood in front of the group of high-­powered overachievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz." Then he pulled out a one-­gallon, wide-­mouthed mason jar and set it on a table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-­sized rocks and  carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is  this full?" Everyone in the class said, "Yes." Then he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel.  Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks. Then he asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?" By this time the class was onto him. "Probably not," one of  them answered. "Good!" he replied. He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?" "No!" the class  shouted. Once again he said, "Good!" Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked up at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?" One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it!" "No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at  all."

This was from a recent school lesson about time management. It's so true that if you don't put the "big rocks" in first, you'll never get them in at all. I was falling into the trap of thinking that things would just happen. Staying home most days with my children I thought, "I have plenty of time to clean, cook, spend time with my kids, study, etc." which is true, but without taking control of my time my days were slipping by and I felt I wasn't accomplishing much. After this lesson I started scheduling my days, hour by hour, even if I was home. I have had time to study my scriptures, teach my children things like how to tie, how to fold laundry, etc., clean my home, complete my homework, exercise. It isn't magic, but it feels magical because when you take control of your time you get so much more done.

It's not just getting things done either, it's getting important things done. I start my daily schedule by listing at the top my big rocks like eternal life, getting my degree, and preparing my children for school and life. Then I have to decide how those things fit into my hourly schedule. I schedule the time in for prayer and scripture study first, then I decide where to fit my homework in and lessons with each of my children. Around those things I plan the rest of my day, things like laundry, making dinner, naps, etc. It has been so beneficial and my days at home with my children are much more productive and calm.

So, what are your "big rocks"? Are you making the time for them in your life? Are you taking control of the gift of time which God has given you? The thing with time is, you can't get it back once you've spent it. Invest the time you have and be wise with it. One day we will all stand accountable before the Lord for what we did with the time we were given.

I think each of us can relate to this in one way or another. Some of us have bigger "heartbreaks" than others, but they can all be beautiful. It depends on how we choose to look at what the Lord gives us.

Companionship Inventory

When I was a missionary we did companionship inventory every week. It was a time to plan together with my companion. It was also a time to share testimony of the Savior, share what things I liked about my companion and give advice as to how she could improve. After 6 years of marriage my husband and I finally decided this was not only a good idea but a necessary tool to keep our marriage healthy in a world where the family is under attack.

Andrew had never done comp. inventory on his mission so he was a little hesitant at first. But he came around and we make time for inventory every Sunday. We plan our week, then we discuss any "business", typically financial issues, then we say what we appreciate about each other, talk about areas we could improve (if any), and share testimony. It has been great. And just recently we decided that since we do not have time for companionship study every day, comp. inventory is the time for us to choose a topic to study during the week and then the next comp. inventory we discuss what we learned and choose a new topic. I think Andrew and I had a good relationship anyhow, we're both big on communication, but this consistent planning and all other parts of comp. inventory have strengthened our relationship more than I ever thought possible. It's really been a blessing. Life gets so busy and it's easy to live this kind of parallel life where you're just passing each other by. But inventory is the time to stop, focus on our relationship, and build each other up. We focus on new goals together and we are accountable to each other for our study and progression. It's great to have a partner to work with in striving to reach eternal life. It's really an important tool for couples to use whether or not the religious aspect is involved.

A word of caution though, when suggesting areas for a spouse to improve choose just one thing and think before you speak. Be kind and humble, both parties have to decide ahead of time to be teachable. And one more thing, don't do it last minute right before bed when you're tired and not really logical. It gets kind of silly sometimes in the pointless, "Why did I even bring this up?" kind of way.

I love the gospel and I'm so thankful the Lord had provided us with the proper tools so that we will have success in all that we do. Companionship inventory is just one piece of the puzzle. For more puzzle pieces check out Mormon.org. The gospel is amazing!

Why I Am A Mormon

I am a Latter-Day Saint ("Mormon") for many reasons. One big reason is the gospel makes sense to me. Can you believe it?! Religion and God actually making sense!?! It's true. But besides that, I have felt the truthfulness of the gospel confirmed to me by the Holy Ghost. What does that mean? Well, it's hard to say. It's like trying to explain what salt tastes like to someone who's never tasted it before. You have to try it for yourself.

Learn more about the church:


and my conversion here:
mormon.org/me/3HZV/

Decisions

*Just a note: All things I post pertain to me and my own experiences. NOTHING is meant as a judgement toward anyone else. I always appreciate other points of view so feel free to post. Thanks and much love!

So I decided to go back to school to finally earn my degree. I was a Dance Performance major at Rhode Island College after I graduated high school but after 3 years of that I stopped school to serve a full-time mission for my church. Then I got married to my high school sweetheart who was in college at the time because he had stopped attending school as well to serve his mission. We had our second son a week before my husband graduated, so I didn't go back to RIC to finish my major. Instead I am studying with the BYU Idaho Pathways program. It's an online course of study, but for the first year you meet on Thursdays at a local church building with the other students in your area who are also part of this Pathways program. It's been a great experience thus far and I really love my classmates.

This past week's class was on decision making. I learned a lot. I also had a chance to reflect on my experience this past week. Having a miscarriage is no small experience. I realized I was making decisions throughout the process that I wasn't even really conscious I was making. I was proud of myself because I made the decision to see the Lord's hand in the experience and look for the blessings rather than feeling like "Woe is me". I've come a long way, I had a lot of "woe is me" experiences when I was first married. But I realized that when you're feeling sorry for yourself you're a burden on those around you because they feel like they need to put their energy into lifting you up. And you're useless to the Lord because He can't use you to serve His children if you're only focused on yourself.

The thing I learned, which I think I knew already but had never felt so strongly until this experience, is that when you decide to trust in the Lord and thank Him for your blessings even in the midst of trials, He will make your burdens light. It reminds me of a scripture in the Book of Mormon. The prophet Alma and his people are in bondage and this is what happens. The Lord said:

 14 And I will also ease the ^aburdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as ^bwitnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their ^cafflictions.

 15 And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did ^astrengthen them that they could bear up their ^bburdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with ^cpatience to all the will of the Lord.

(Mosiah 24: 15-16)

The Lord Himself invites us to come unto Him, "For [his] yoke is easy, and [his] burden is light". It really was a great experience. I know life comes with trials, that's why we're here. I know I will have more to face in my life. I hope that I can come through every experience feeling so strongly the hand of the Lord. And I hope the same for you. If we decide to continue in study and prayer and strive to have the Holy Ghost with us always, I think we will succeed. It's all about decisions.

My Miscarriage Experience

OK, so I'm awful at keeping up with a consistent blog. I just have to face the truth, I'm terrible at it! But I did want to share this experience with others and felt this was the best way to do it.

First of all I want to say thank you to everyone who sent out prayers and well wishes. It means a lot to me to have such great friends and family in my life. I really appreciate your words of comfort and kindness.

So, let's begin at the beginning. Andrew and I decided we would try for Wild baby #3 at the end of August. And we were successful, as has been typical for us. But from the beginning something didn't feel right. Not physically, I just had a feeling of concern. I asked Andrew for a blessing. For those unfamiliar with this, it's when a priesthood holder (any worthy male in our church can hold the priesthood) puts his hands on a person's head and pronounces words of comfort, guidance, healing, whatever the Lord wants the person getting the blessing to hear. So, it's as if God were standing there with you, it's the words He would say to you just through another person. Any how, in my blessing Andrew said the Lord was watching over me and that He wanted to see this through to a successful conclusion. I was told to trust in the Lord and His plan. I felt good after the blessing, it was very comforting. So I decided not to worry and kept that thought in mind, about the Lord seeing the process through to a successful conclusion.

Then a few weeks later things started to go wrong physically. Not too bad, but I could tell again that something wasn't right. I kept reflecting on the blessing I had received and felt comforted but was still a little concerned that something was wrong. But how could something be wrong if the Lord wanted to see this through to a successful conclusion? Then the thought came "What the Lord considers successful and what the world would consider successful are not always the same". Then the idea came to me that this could be a miscarriage. Bleeding that was spotty and intermittent got heavy and a little painful and I decided to got to the hospital.

At the hospital we learned that it was in fact going to be a miscarriage. They told me I was 8 weeks along, and the fetus was still very small. But I needed to know if it passed because if it stayed in me I could get an infection. It was possible I would need surgery, I had to have blood work done, I might need medication, etc. Lots of variables. They told me to go see my doctor the next day for a follow up.

That night after the hospital Andrew gave me another blessing. He said the Lord was mindful of us and still has many blessing yet in store for us. I felt very strongly that that included more children. Again, another wonderful blessing. I felt comforted and at peace with our experience thus far.

So, that brings us to today, 10/19/11. I went to my midwife's office for another ultrasound. She wasn't in the office yet though. When she got in she called me and said she wanted to check me to see if she could see where the fetus was and see how the miscarriage was progressing. If she couldn't see it I would have to go back to the office tomorrow. If it wasn't out by next week then I'd need more ultrasounds. It would be a process. So, I went back to her office late in the afternoon. I prayed all the way there that she would just be able to find the fetus and remove it for me. I was stressed out about not knowing exactly what was happening. And I was so done with the process, I just wanted it to be over. When she checked me I heard her say, "Oh! It's right here". So she just removed it and now the process is complete. I didn't experience too much pain. Some heavy bleeding but not too bad. All in all I would say it was a successful conclusion to this experience. For some reason it was part of my plan, and the Lord was with me though it.

I know that a miscarriage is not a huge deal. With all the things that could go wrong this has really been a blessing. For some reason this experience has made me have greater love and a new appreciation for those around me. Not just my beautiful boys and amazing husband, but really everyone around me. It has helped me know even more strongly that Heavenly Father knows me and is involved in my life. I know that before I came to earth He and I made a plan for me, and He will guide me and help me to follow that plan if I let Him. I know that His way is not always easily understood, but it is always the best way. 

I Am A Child Of God

I am a child of God,

And he has sent me here,

Has given me an earthly home

With parents kind and dear.

Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,

Help me find the way.

Teach me all that I must do

To live with him someday.

 

These are the words of a song commonly sung in our church, especially by the younger children. What does that statement mean to you, "I am a child of God."? To me it means I am a daughter of a King, with reasons to strive to be someone better today than I was yesterday. It means God is my literal Father, and He loves me and knows me personally. I have had so many experiences that have  confirmed to me that this is true. That God is aware of me personally, and He cares deeply about what's going on in my life. He feels that way about you too. I know He does, do you? If not, maybe you just need to ask Him if it's true, and listen for His answer. He will touch you with His sweet spirit and let you know you are His beloved child. Go ahead, just give it a try. . .

The Plan

It's so simple. The ageless questions "Why are we here?", "Where did we come from?", "Where are we going after this life?" really do have answers. The above is a diagram of God's perfect plan for us. The plan we chose to be part of well before we ever came to this earth. It is so just and yet so merciful. I love it! Questions? Post 'em here.