It's NOT my birthday... but I cried anyway...

I bawled today.


Nothing personal. Really. That 's probably why I cried.


I went to a fireside tonight that was... interesting. I came home grabbed The Mountain of the Lord and went down to my room to watch it. I forgot the popcorn though! Anyways... it was great. Afterwards I decided to watch a few "Mormon Messages" to you know, put the cherry on the top. 


That's when I realized that the Atlantic Ocean was slowly entering my room. The tides crept up and wham! There was water everywhere! How embarrassing. I know. Well maybe not. I was touched by all of the stories of people who I have never met but have so much to deal with in life. I thought about their situations and listened to their stories and then I cried. Funny thing about all of this is that I've seen all of them before.


It really touched me to see the faith and devotion that people have in the Savior. Because a lot of people don't have that in their lives. During Sacrament, I pondered on how we can make the gospel and Him a more important part of our lives. I know that it's important but how can we make it part of our every day lives and give it the importance that it deserves? Sometimes we don't think twice about going to church and the real reasons. I then thought of John 7:17. If you want to know why it's important then you have got to try it out and THEN you'll see why. That's how it becomes a reality in our lives- by living everyday what we believe. That's how those people got through their challenges and were able to be examples to those around them.


For good measure... I had to watch the marshmallow message about patience to cheer me up. Hope it makes you happy too! Here it is

In the Ground

The Oak Tree

by Johnny Ray Ryder Jr.

A mighty wind blew night and day.

It stole the Oak Tree's leaves away.

Then snapped its boughs

and pulled its bark

until the Oak was tired and stark.

But still the Oak Tree held its ground

while other trees fell all around.

The weary wind gave up and spoke,

"How can you still be standing Oak?"

The Oak Tree said, I know that you

can break each branch of mine in two,

carry every leaf away,

shake my limbs and make me sway.

But I have roots stretched in the earth,

growing stronger since my birth.

You'll never touch them, for you see

they are the deepest part of me.

Until today, I wasn't sure

of just how much I could endure.

But now I've found with thanks to you,

I'm stronger than I ever knew.

A few years ago Elder Scott shared this poem. I liked it! Sometimes we don't exactly know what kind of trials we can endure until they actually happen.

Not meaning that we're just ready to go! I am sure it took time for the Oak tree's roots to grow deep. Day by day we find our roots growing deeper if that's what we're focusing on. The small and simple things count! And we'll see the result when the wind blows and it feels like we have nothing left but the roots of our soul.

Just some thoughts.

Adjustments

Life is always changing. We are always changing. 

So what changed for me since I've been home?

Everything. But I'll just give the top 10.

10- Speaking in English. I had to say the prayer my first night back... in English. That probably the hardest thing I have ever done!

09- Using modern marvels. I woke up one morning to use the bathroom. I entered and glanced at the trashcan and thought, "why in the world is it so far away from the toilet?"... Yeah, you can flush the toilet paper here.

08- Not visiting people every day. Even when people were busy or didn't want to listen at least we got to talk a little bit.

07- Feeling guilt for even thinking about not exercising. I don't feel that now. Maybe I'm just lazy. I know we have to take care of our bodies and it's really important but now I can say tomorrow and feel okay about it.

06- Eating lunch with the members. Maybe some people wouldn't agree but not having to worry about who's going to make the food is a huge blessing. I loved it!

05- Getting letters! There is just something special about ripping open an envelope and reading handwritten words. It's amazing.

04- Having a set schedule and goals and plans for every day and every hour. I sure did get a lot done! Which reminds me I need to get a planner...

03- The funny things people would say like, "my dog can smell evil" or "I'm gonna call the PO-lice on ya'll!"

02- Knowing that I was helping someone feel God's love. I loved it when people would say, "I just feel better now" or "You bring a peace with you".

And last but not least...

01- My name tag. It was special time to be able to declare with boldness that I was a representative of Jesus Christ.

I know that life goes on in it's natural course. We should always be changing to have more confidence, more faith and definitely to be more Christlike. We learn and we grow and we continue. And that's something that I'll always be grateful for- the chance to have these experiences. Aren't we blessed?