Tender mercies in the form of children

So at work for the past few days I have had the opportunity to see several amazing children. They [the children] ended up being amazing tender mercies in my life! There was one little girl named Eliza (five years old) that I met while I was out cleaning the dining room. As I was wiping off a table little Eliza said to me "I like your shirt." (Side note: the shirt I was wearing was a shake covered, maroon polo . . . so somebody saying they liked my shirt was quite out of the ordinary) I did a double take and commented on how beautiful her shirt was and how it made her eyes "pop". She smiled and went back to playing with the train.

Several minutes later, as Eliza was eating ice cream with her mom, I heard he yell to me "Kia has a boyfriend!" Her mom and I laughed as I had a very engaging conversation about how Kia (also five) had a boyfriend and Eliza didn't. Eliza's mom commented that Eliza wouldn't be having a boyfriend until she was thirty and out of college. I chuckled and told her that she would be older than me before she had a boyfriend. Eliza, with her big blue eyes, sincerely said to me "You should have a boyfriend." I felt bad because I started to laugh but she was being completely serious. Before she left, she made sure to say good-bye to me; it was one of the sweetest experiences I'd ever had at work.

Another experience that same day occurred earlier in the day. It was when we had first opened and so the train that runs up above the dining room wasn't going. A little boy came over and told me it wasn't on; I went over and flipped the switch but it still didn't go. He seemed incredibly vexed, so I went and asked Jan (one of the managers) if she could fix it. When she did, and the train started to move, I heard the highest pitched squeal I had ever heard! It wasn't from the little boy that had come up to talk to me, it was from his little brother. Every time the train came around you could hear his excited scream, it was quite cute!

The rest of the day I saw several little children come in, some were very out-going and loved to talk and tell me about themselves, others were very shy and would hide behind their parents and peek out occasionally. I also love seeing little babies come in. There are times when, while the parents and the rest of the family is trying to decide what to get, I get to play little games with them and I try to make them smile. That has to be my favorite part of my job, seeing children filled with joy and spending time with their families.

Here is a quote that my Mom told me about after I told her about those experiences. It says: "A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on." Carl Sandburg
I love that perspective, and how that portrays how important we are to God. Our importance doesn't diminish with age or even with wear and tear. If a baby carries that message from God and that importance then we still carry that the older we get. We are important and we are ALL children of God.

Brigham City Temple Open House

This sunset was amazing! It looked like there was a little hole where the sun was sitting in the cloud!

Welcome to Brigham City

Here's the beautiful temple!!!

This was a cool mural that they had on display after the open house.

Me in front of the Brigham city temple

I love to see the temple, I went inside today!!

I loved going into the Brigham city temple on Sunday! It was absolutely beautiful! My favorite part was going into the bride's room and watching my little sister, Anna (12), sit in one of the chairs where a bride would be getting ready and also going into the Celestial room. Even though the building isn't dedicated yet (Sept. 23rd is the dedication date) there is such a powerful spirit in there! I look forward to the day when I get to stand in there with my husband and be sealed for all time and eternity!

". . . he walked on the water . . ."

So, for the past few days I've had the wonderful opportunity to go with some of the sisters in my Relief Society to the Coomb's cabin in Dingle, Idaho (it's right there by Bear Lake). We were out on the lake on Friday from 11:00am-5:00pm and it was a blast! For the first few hours I threw a frisbee around with a few others. After I ate lunch I got back into the water and played some more. Right before we left, while I was still in the water, I started to think about Peter walking on water with Christ. I was still in the water and started pushing on it in funny ways imagining how Peter and Christ walked on the water. It was nothing short of a miracle and faith! I read that scripture today where it talked about this experience and in verse thirty it talks about how Peter saw all of the chaos that was going on around him and that is when he started to sink. He had taken his eye off of the Lord for only a second and began to sink. I started to contemplate my own life and how I can look to Christ more completely, instead of every-so-often. (Matt. 14:27-33) I also like in verse 33 when they recognize that "Of a truth thou art the Son of God.". Christ truly is the son of God, and I am a daughter of God. I know that He loves me and I'm so grateful for the little tender mercies he gives me in my life. I believe that, if the Lord desired it, I could walk on water. It's a crazy thought, but if I had the faith and looked to God and He desired that I walked on the water, I believe I could!

After that thought, I looked at the water I could feel, see, and hear music. I'm not talking about people paying music on the beach, I'm talking about music of the lake, of God. It was beautiful! All of the waves had a different pitch but contributed to the symphony of sounds that I was hearing. Every wave had an important role in the music too, even looking at each large wave I could see that there were even smaller ripples/waves in that wave. It was an incredible experience. I realized that I am one of those waves and I am important. It's funny how water can make you think something like that, but I just couldn't help but feel so overwhelmingly blessed at that moment. God has truly blessed me with so much, including His love and His son. My mind then wandered and I thought that moments in my life are like that too. All of these smaller moments add up to bigger moments and it moves me more. Or blessings in my life; God gives me huge blessings, but He also gives me little tender mercies every day of my life. I am truly grateful for the love God gives and shows me. Too often I overlook the small and simple because I want the big and great. But all of the big and great come from the small and simple.

Saturday morning, at 6:00, Melissa, Kellie, Denise, and I went to the lake to watch the sun rise. Unfortunately, I wasn't actually out on the lake as the sun rose; but I did experience a wonderful peace fall over me. Kellie and I went out and had a beautiful talk that I truly needed to hear. She shared a quote with me that goes like this: "Receiving is not about hard work; it is about willingness. It is not about making it happen; it is about letting it happen. To receive is not about labor, effort, and sweat; it's about surrender." ~Robert Holden. Maybe this is TMI, but there are times in my life when I feel that I don't deserve the love of other people. And yet I do deserve it. I am a daughter of the most high God, the creator of heaven and earth. There is no reason why I shouldn't deserve love from somebody else whether it's friends or family. I'm so grateful for the love of my friends and my family and their constant support.

This was the sunset we saw on our way to Dingle, ID

The Coomb's cabin

At Bear Lake!

I Love You!

There is a young sister in our ward fighting cancer, so we wrote this in the sand and took a picture of all of us behind it and sent it to her.

Did you ever know that you're my hero?

I've been thinking a lot about the wonderful people in my life and the wonderful examples they are to me. Sadly there isn't a lot of space to put every hero I have down, but here are a few that I admire and why they are heros to me.

First are my parents. They have both been such powerful examples of what I want to be and what I can be. My Mom is one of, if not the, strongest person I know. She's gone through a lot in her life, and yet she still holds fast to her testimony and that God loves her. My Dad has also been a wonderful example of the man that I hope to one day marry; he's a good worker who puts the Lord first in his life. Both have taught me to work hard and to love with all of my heart. They have also taught me to put the Lord first in my life, before everything else. There are times when I struggle with that, but through their testimony and experiences of my own I have learned that when I do put the Lord first in my life, He truly does bless me.

My Mom and Dad

Another hero of mine is Emma Smith. In this particular picture it is both her and Joseph (Joseph is another hero of mine, but I want to focus on Emma for a few minutes). For some reason I've been thinking a lot about Emma Smith; she was such a strong and courageous woman! I think about all of the things that Joseph, her husband, had to go through to bring about the church and how hard it was on him. Then I remember that Emma was there for a lot of it too and had other trials as well. One of my favorite instances of her faith is right before Joseph goes to Carthage jail; both Joseph and Emma know that he isn't coming back. Emma asked Joseph to give her a blessing before he left in the morning. He then asked her to write down the blessing that she desired and it would be hers. This is the blessing she wrote down:

“First of all that I would crave as the richest of heaven’s blessings would be wisdom from my Heavenly Father bestowed daily, so that whatever I might do or say, I could not look back at the close of the day with regret, nor neglect the performance of any act that would bring a blessing. I desire the Spirit of God to know and understand myself, that I desire a fruitful, active mind, that I may be able to comprehend the designs of God, when revealed through his servants without doubting. I desire a spirit of discernment, which is one of the promised blessings of the Holy Ghost.

I particularly desire wisdom to bring up all the children that are, or may be committed to my charge, in such a manner that they will be useful ornaments in the Kingdom of God, and in a coming day arise up and call me blessed.

I desire prudence that I may not through ambition abuse my body and cause it to become prematurely old and care-worn, but that I may wear a cheerful countenance, live to perform all the work that I covenanted to perform in the spirit-world and be a blessing to all who may in any wise need aught at my hands.

I desire with all my heart to honor and respect my husband as my head, ever to live in his confidence and by acting in unison with him retain the place which God has given me by his side, and I ask my Heavenly Father that through humility, I may be enabled to overcome that curse which was pronounced upon the daughters of Eve. I desire to see that I may rejoice with them in the blessings which God has in store for all who are willing to be obedient to his requirements. Finally, I desire that whatever may be my lot through life I may be enabled to acknowledge the hand of God in all things.”

"Thou art an elect lady" D&C 25:5

What an amazing blessing to have! I believe that this truly shows Emma's character and the desire of her heart. I love what is says about her in Doctrine and Covenants 25 as well; I love so much learning about her and her strength and ability to love everybody! These two women, my mom and Emma Smith, are who I want to be like. They are continually striving to be close to God, to always have His spirit with them, and to be the best they can. That is who I want to be!

The Olive Tree

Recently I was reading in the Book of Mormon in the book of "Jacob". I was reading chapter five (more commonly known as the allegory of the Olive Tree) and I had some interesting thoughts as I was reading it. Typically, the symbol of the olive tree is the House of Israel and the allegory is about the gathering of Israel. Yet, as I read it I couldn't help but feel and interpret something different. How I interpreted it suited my life perfectly where I am right now.

In a couple of the verses, the Master of the Vineyard (Christ) and his servant (Christ's followers) try to save an olive tree that is dying. They graft some good branches from a different olive tree onto the one that is growing wild fruit. When I got to verse sixteen I had a thought, it says:

"And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard, and also the servant, went down into the vineyard to labor. . ." That little bit struck me, and I had the thought that I'm never alone! When I go about my day and strive to bring others to Christ, He is there laboring with me!

A few verses later I had the thought that I could also represent the olive tree. There are times in my life when I have some "wild branches" grafted into me. That can symbolize bad choices I make or people that are (and shouldn't be) in my life. If I let them, those bad influences/wild branches can take over and I can become like them and become farther from God's presence. However, I can also take those wild branches and help them bring forth good fruit. I can be the roots (as I am the tree) and help them come unto God.

Picture found at: http://grizzlywriter.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/olive-tree.jpg

Another thing I learned is that those wild branches can symbolize experiences in my life, or anybody's life for that matter. We all have bad times and trials that we go through, we can either let those wild branches take over us or we can take them and learn from them. We can continue to bring forth good fruit and help others learn from our experiences.

Another quick thing I thought of; during this chapter, the Master of the vineyard continually asks "What could I have done more for my vineyard?" and the servant responds "Spare it a little longer." In those hard experiences, we sometimes as "What could I have done differently?" when in all reality there wasn't anything we could have done differently. Given, there are times when it is because of the choices that we make that we get into some of the situations that we do. But we also have trials because of choices of others. Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said: 

"There are many kinds of challenges . . . [they] are not evidence of lack of faith or of an imperfection in our Father in Heaven's overall plan. The refiner's fire is real, and qualities of character and righteousnes that are forged in the furnace of affliction perfect and purify us and prepare us to meet God . . . Some challenges result from the agency of others . . . Some challenges come from disobedience to God's laws . . . For those who think the trials they face are unfair, the Atonement covers all of the unfairness of life." (Ensign, Nov. 2011 p. 106)

Joseph Smith suffered so many different challenges, and yet it didn't negatively affect who he was. Whenever I go through a trial, I've started reading Doctrine and Covenants 122; there are 15 "if" statements that the Lord says unto Joseph which do, ultimately, end up happening to him. They are some of the trials that he would (and had) face(d). Then, at the end of 7, the Lord says: "know thou, my son, that all these thing shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good." If we let the wild branches, they can be for our good.

Picture found at: http://www.abruzzopassion.com/2079070472_f7af1b6dcb.jpg

Fall 2012 I've Never List

Alright, I really liked doing this last year so I'm going to do it again!

I've Never . . .

• Eaten Thai Food
• Been to a BYU Young Ambassadors Show
• Been a complete vegetarian for a week
• Jogged up Memorial Hill
• Jogged 1.5 miles in less than fifteen minutes
• Seen My Fair Lady all the way through: CHECK (Dec. 18)

Picture via

• Taken the Praxis Test (it's a test for my teaching license): CHECK (Nov. 3)
• Been in The Messiah: CHECK (Dec. 9-10)

This is me after my performance tonight!! My first solo ever!!! :D

• Seen the opera Cosi fan tutte: CHECK (Oct. 24)

• Seen the musical Les Misérables: CHECK (Oct. 27)

• Seen the play Sleepy Hollow: CHECK (Oct. 27)

• Been to a BYU Football Game: CHECK

Sept. 8; we won 45-13 against Weber!!!

• Been to a YSA Camping Trip: CHECK

Kellie and I on Bear Lake in the Red Ninja!

Heber Relief Society trip to Dingle, ID

We love the Coombs!!!

• Had a Coming to Sarah week: CHECK

Provo temple

At Bridal Veil Falls

Hopefully this list will keep growing; I'll most definitely update it throughout the fall.

Fall 2012 Goals

"And Jesus increased in wisdom, and stature, and in favour with God and man." Luke 2:52

My roommates and I used this scripture last semester (Spring semester) to set goals. Because we are "trying to be like Jesus" (like it says in the Primary song) we felt that we needed to increase in each of these areas as well. Wisdom, stature, favor with God, favor with man. I feel that, if I share these goals with people I will be more likely to uphold them. Here's the breakdown:

Wisdom:

• Less Facebook!!
• Practice voice 90 minutes a day!
• Practice piano more
• Work 40 hours a week
• Study German and French
• Teach voice lessons

Stature:

• Eat healthy food
• Exercise more (I  plan on doing that by learning new sports like racquetball, and playing more volleyball, basketball, etc.)
• Improve posture (both singing and day-to-day)
• Sleep at least eight (8) hours

Favor with God:

• Daily scripture STUDY (mini. 20 minutes)
• Weekly temple attendance
• Don't just "go to church", "go to worship"
• 24 hour fasts
• Visiting teaching!!
• Splits with Sister Missionaries
• Daily prayer (at least morning and evening)

Favor with man:

• Do something every day that scares me
• Go to YSA activities (as often as possible)
• Less texting
• Don't gossip
• SMILE!! =D
• Controle temper and emotions!
• Be yourself!!! =D

These are my goals for the Fall 2012 semester. Some of these are carry overs from last semester; but they're good to keep around! Wish me luck! It's going to be a great semester!!!