Ellie pointed out that I have not updated my blog lately! I find that with a lot of my school work on the computer I lack the desire to get back on it for anything else! This past weekend we had youth conference. A friend sent the pic of Caden painting for the service project. They met at the housing authority and were assigned teams and then given jobs like painting, planting sod, cleaning out buildings, etc. The next day they met at a park from 8:30 until 10:00. I was on the food committee and what a job that was. My back was toast by the night and I was in quite a bit of pain. I went straight from 8:30 until 9:00. I thought there would be some down time in between serving but nope. We were preparing lunch and dinner for 250 and it was quite the task. Rick was the medical team so he had a much more leisurely day and pretty much took care of allergies. Caden and Blake had a good time even though they had dreaded their entire weekend being "church". They met some cute girls and that always seems to make it more palatable for them! Then a Texas sized rain storm blew through Sunday, Monday and my neighbor over by our property sent me video and pics of our property after the rain let up a bit. There normally is not a river running through. We do know that we would need to build a driveway with a culvert under it for this part of the property because you have to cross this area to get up to the area we would like to build the house. Anyway she said it was so beautiful and it really is. I love to go out there where it is so isolated and quiet. I don't know if we will ever build out there but it really is a beautiful place. I also have spent some time finding names to take to the temple and have found quite a few. I don't like to reserve too many because I only get to the temple once a month. I am hoping once the boys drive next year, I will be able to go more often since I won't have to worry about getting back to pick them up. I finished my last semester and was so happy to be done with those classes. I ended up with two a- but I had a 95 in one class but that class you needed a 96 for an A. Most classes 94 is an A! Anyway I started my next three and BYU changed the format of the learning suite I use. Two of my classes are using the new format and one is using the old version. I am like an old dog and struggle with new tricks! I am so frustrated trying to learn this new system and even after watching the million tutorials on how it works, I am still frustrated. It seems a step back and not user friendly like the other one. The old version is just so basic and easy to see assignments and when they are due and when you finished them. This version has bells and whistles but not user friendly. Why can't they just leave a good thing alone. I know that this system has caused frustration for a lot of people and I have been so glad that I have avoided it until now! I am sure once I get used to it, I will end up liking it, but change is always a challenge for me! The girls are finishing up there finals this week and are rocking it as usual. Lexi was chosen to be on the nursing student board, she is also the BLS instructor. She will be teaching basic life saving skills to classes and she gets paid for that. She also got the hospital she wanted for clinicals. She has also been earning some money tutoring in chemistry. Lexi surely has changed from the carefree girl who really didn't care about grades in high school to this driven goal oriented girl. She is coming home this Saturday for three weeks for a much needed break. She will watch the boys while we head to New York and then stay and hang with me a bit. She plans on going back and working for the summer. Morgan will be in Europe and leaves next Monday. She will be gone until the first part of June. Her trip won't be as long as Lexi's but she will see a huge part of Europe. Her job is holding it for her and that is such a blessing. It is the best job.
Rick has been busy with his calling. We just had our ward conference Sunday and so they did visits the Wednesday before and then he talked along with the Stake President. Rick's talk was entitled "how to save a life" He recounted how he brought back this lady that had flat lined by shocking her and then how he went and visited a lady he baptized on his mission and how she expressed her sincere gratitude to him for bringing her the gospel. He asked which life did he really impact and help save. He then listed ways for us to "save a life" and in the process we save ourselves. President Williams did not give us the talk he prepared but talked under the inspiration he received while sitting there. He just talked to us and it was amazing. He quoted from a talk given by Neal Maxwell in 1989 and he pretty much had the talk memorized. He said "Irony is the hard crust on the bread of adversity. Irony can try both
our faith and our patience. Irony can be a particularly bitter form of
such chastening because it involves disturbing incongruity. It involves
outcomes in violation of our expectations. We see the best laid plans
laid waste."....We come now to the last and most terrible irony of Jesus: His feeling
forsaken at the apogee of His agony on Calvary. The apparent withdrawal
of the Father’s spirit then evoked the greatest soul cry in human
history. (See James E. Talmage,
Jesus the Christ, Salt Lake
City: Deseret Book Co., 1916, p. 613.) This deprivation had never
happened to Christ before—never. Yet, thereby, Jesus became a fully
comprehending Christ and was enabled to be a fully succoring Savior.
(See
Alma 7:11–12.) Moreover, even in that darkest hour, while feeling forsaken, Jesus submitted Himself to the Father." He went on to discuss how our trials often that are not of our own making and not fair and full of irony can be for our own good and can help us become who we must become. Blake really listened to this talk and he told me that he felt that this message was for him.
After his talk the song that we sung was How Firm a Foundation and we sang vs, 1,3,4 and 7
When the congregation sang "The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose, I will not, I cannot desert to his foes; That soul though all hell should endeavor to shake. I'll never, no never forsake, they sang with conviction. It was really powerful.
Then in Young Women's the Stake YW pres talked about saving a life too. She asked if the girls had ever witnessed someone drowning and what did it look like. She said that often it doesn't look like what you think. They almost always start with eyes above water, mouths open under and they look like they are climbing a ladder trying to grasp anything. If you are not observant you would not notice the silent struggle. She said how we need to be ever watchful of those around us and look for signs that they are spiritually drowning. Now is not the time to be so concerned with having fun at the pool, but really being watchful of those around us. One girl mentioned that you need to throw them something to grab onto and not jump in with them because you might drown as well. This was a good point that we must always stay on the high ground if we are to rescue them and not lower ourselves or our standards in the rescue effort. Anyway it was a really good discussion and I am not doing it justice!
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