A Wonderful Evening

Last night was wonderful. I think that is the best way to describe it. Simply Wonderful. I couldn't stop smiling.

Last night I went to the temple for the first time and I loved it. I felt so loved and comfortable. And I loved going into the celestial room. So beautiful!

Several fun "coincidences" happened...and I don't think they were coincidences at all. I knew sooo many people last night. It was really cool. One of the workers that helped me was actually the grandmother-in-law to a friend that used to be in my ward, and my friend, Nathalie, ended up being there. Then the Coordinator was an old family friend and my youth choir director from way back in the day when I was 12-15 years old. Mom was really excited about running into her. Then I walked into the dressing room and there was my beehive leader when I was 12-13. I was friends with her son growing up and hadn't seen her in years. That was fun too. 

Then when I walked out of the recorder's office to wait to go into the dressing room, I saw a kid and his dad that I grew up with. Turns out the kid, Travis, was going through for the first time too--and it made me feel old. I'm 9-10 years older than him. Anyway, so half of my family ward showed up, including a lot of people my mom had wanted me to invite, but I hadn't. It was really awesome and really fun to see them all there. It made me feel loved.

Once I finally got into the session, I didn't have a whole lot of time to see all who was there, but after I sat down, an old dear friend, Brad, walked in...quite unexpectedly. My jaw dropped at the randomness--since he actually lives in Utah. Turns out Monica knew he would be in town this week and invited him. It was really cool. And the smirk on his face showed that he was relishing in the surprise. That was the cherry on the top--Two of my besties from high school were there.

I loved having people there that I've known at different stages in my life. Nana, Uncle Britt & Aunt Sue, of course Cait & Nick, and Mom who was my escort. Lots of my Young Women's teachers & leaders (including Travis' mom, Sister Smith), and then my friends from High School, Monica and Brad and their spouses, and Monica's parents, as well as Rich and Michelle. And then the friends I've made in my singles ward: Camie, Fallon & Kenneth, Brittney, Trulie, and my Bishop and his wife, as well as the executive secretary and his wife. 

I felt so happy and loved. It was wonderful. Truly wonderful.

Best Christmas Present

Today I got an early Christmas present.

And I love it! Seriously, I'm not sure anyone can top it.

Oddly enough it came from my Bishop.

Tuesday during FHE, my Bishop pulled me into a meeting. He usually only does that if there is some problem or issue that I need to be aware of or if there is something he needs me to do.

This time it was to give me some news that I've been waiting for for over 5 years.

He started off by doing a tithing settlement (an opportunity to talk to the bishop about tithing and the blessings of paying it, and just a general "how's life?" conversation). I responded positively to his questions. He asked, "Do you know Heavenly Father loves you?"

"Yes, most definitely," I answered.

Then he got a big smile on his face and asked me,

"If you could have one thing this Christmas, what is it?"

I was perplexed and totally awkward. What kind of question is that? Where was this conversation going?

"Um...I don't know." Was some anonymous person going to play Santa to me? My mind was spinning with possibilities and lots of questions.

"Really, what would you like for Christmas?"

My thought: A new TV? Two new tires that I desperately need?A Husband?! Where in the world was this conversation going?!

"Well, I don't really need anything so probably to have my family all together and have Erin and Jim be able to come home." (I decided that this was the most acceptable answer to give. :) )

"That's a good answer. I'm not sure I can deliver that, but how about something else I know you really want."

"Oooookay." I was really puzzled.

"Well, I talk to the Stake President today and on Sunday I'd love to have you come in during Sunday School so I can get you set up with a Temple Recommend so you can go through the temple."

It took me a moment to process what he was saying.

"That is the best present I could get," I said with a big smile on my face.

"I figured it was. It's the best present I'm giving this year" Bishop said.

"It wasn't even on my list, it didn't even occur to me to even ask!" I started giggling because I was (am) so excited.

"I know. You've been so patient. And now it's time. Congratulations!" Bishop was so proud of his present to me. It was really cute.

I really wanted to jump up and down and shout! I am so excited!

Finally! I finally feel happy and know that I'm in a good place in my life.

A year and a half ago I wrote about how I struggled with having to wait so long. I'm so happy that I don't have to wait much longer.

Best part? Well it might actually be a two-for-one deal and this might get my family to come home. I want them all there when I go through. :) So take note everyone (ERIN): You're coming home for Christmas! :)

General Conference

I loved General Conference last week. I know, I always love General Conference. I love the speakers and their messages. I always feel so happy and rejuvinated afterwards.

I found a fun blog that took some awesome quotes from Conference and put them into fun graphics. Here are a few of my favorites. Definitely check out the site for more fabulous quotes. They are free printables!

Elder Nelson said this when talking about the Big Bang Theory (the actual scientific theory--not the TV show. :) )

Elder Holland's talk was probably my favorite. And this was my favorite thing he said. It was so funny. :)



And I loved President Uchtdorf's talk too. He is so adorable. I love the way he speaks. :)

Conference was wonderful. I love having the oportunity to just sit back and listen to wise words from the Prophets and the Spirit! :)

Third Time's the Charm......Right?

I got a new calling today. A lovely calling. One that I'm pretty sure I can do. This is the third time I've had this calling.

Relief Society 1st Counselor (over Education).

I think Heavenly Father is trying to tell me something....I need to be a better, more effective teacher, or at least something like that.

Right before this, I was a Relief Society teacher. I'll miss that calling. I loved it. I love teaching in Church. I always feel that I get so much more out of it. And it's way less intimdating to me than giving a talk. Probably because I get feedback (or lack thereof) and I can better gauge the class.

At least in the Presidency I'll still get to teach every few months. I'll just miss teaching every month. Though, I do get to teach in April, on Easter! Yay!

What's cool about my new calling is the other members of the Presidency. Teela transferred into our ward last Sunday from her family ward. And was immediately extended the call to be the Relief Society President. Our current President, my friend Trulie (hi!) is "graduating" from the ward because she is turning 31 soon and so leaving the ward. And Amy is the 2nd councilor. I like her. She's always so happy and cheerful. :) And I'm excited to find out who the secretary is going to be.

Poor Teela, she had no idea what she was walking into when she came to our ward...mwuahahaha! :) Just kidding. We're awesome.

Can you imagine?! "Hey! Welcome to the Ward! We're glad to meet you. Wanna be the new Relief Society President?" Talk about serious inspiration on the Bishop's side. That'd take a whole lotta faith on her end too! I don't know that I'd be okay with being the President in a ward that I had JUST COME IN TO! I would have laughed and then ran away screaming, vowing to NEVER go back to a Single's Ward. Well, maybe.

But because Teela is apparently super awesome and has, like, loads of faith, she accepted and I got called to be her first councilor. That's what I get for being nice and introducing myself to the "new girl." :) Don't worry, I'm super excited about it. The ward is really different than last time when I was in the presidency. It'll be a whole new world, er, experience. (Can you tell I just busted into song, in my head? And now I need)

I'm so excited to get started. :)

I Deserve M&Ms :)

Why do I deserve M&Ms? Well, I had a Missionary Moment today! And it was awesome!

As way of background, I'm the only LDS person in my particular office, but the firm I work for is owned by guy who's LDS; we'll call him BossMan.

So we recently hired a new receptionist who is cute, nice, and a quick learner (yay!) and I've had a lot of time to talk to her while I've been training her.

She recently discovered that I'm LDS. So she's been asking me casual questions occasionally.

This morning BossMan gave our new receptionist a project to work on. Copying a bunch of family history information.

Working on this little project brought up several questions. Including this one, "Why do Mormon's name their kids Bible names?"

Um. I laughed when she asked me. It was cute. I told her that I figured it was probably because the scriptures are important to us and parents want their kids to be like their name-sakes. She followed up by asking me if we were supposed to. I told her no. We can name our kids anything we want (and some certainly take advantage of that!).

We talked a little about family history work and how to do it. Later she came across a 12 generation chart and asked me about how it works. I briefly explained it to her. One of my other co-workers came into the copy room and then asked me why Mormons were so big into genealogy.

For a split second I almost panicked. Sometimes I don't know how to explain things simply (have you noticed??) and so I wanted to keep the conversation casual and simple. Then suddenly I started talking before I had even thought about what to say. I explained that we believe that everyone should and does have the opportunity to learn about the Gospel and that the people that have died before us are learning about it in heaven. I emphasised that everyone has a choice whether or not they accept it, here or later. I then explained that because bodies are necessary to become members, we do work in proxy for the people that have died, and that is what we do in Temples. I again said that just because the work is done for them doesn't mean that they are required to accept the Gospel.

Both girls listened and thought that it made sense. I explained that I personally love family history for that reason and that I love learning about my family and where I came from. It was a fun conversation and I was surprised that the part about the temple went over so well. As I was talking about it I felt the Spirit prompting me and I got goosebumps. I hope they felt the same way--whether they recognized it or not.

Later, my new co-worker expressed sincere interested in learning more about her family. I told her that I could get some info about a local family history library so she could talk to someone who could help her with it. She was really excited about it.

The only bummer was that when I tried to get the info from LDS.org, I couldn't get the address to come up. :( But I'm going to find it some other way. :)

I've loved sharing the gospel with my fun new co-worker. It makes me so happy!

Relief Society Lesson/Handout

Last Sunday I gave a lesson in Relief Society out of the Gospel Principles manual. The lesson? The Final Judgment. It was such a fun topic to teach about and discuss.

So a quick recap of the lesson. I started out by summarizing the Plan of Salvation and then went into the lesson and we talked about Judgment and why it's necessary and when it's good and when it's not.

Then we talked about the three Kingdoms of Heaven, based on the verses in Doctrine & Covenants Section 76. We split into groups and discussed each one and then talked about the Celestial Kingdom together as a class. Because, really, that's where we all want to be. :)

So the fun, cheesy part was at the end when I concluded and told a story about a lesson I learned when I was in Seminary.

My teacher, Sister Grim, taught a lesson similar to this one and at the end she told us that we were all celestial material and because of the Atonement, she said that we all had the ability to live in the celestial kingdom. Then she gave us a scrap of fabric that has suns and moons and stars to remind us that we were celestial material. (Get it?!) So cute.

This was the first time that it even occurred to me that I had that potential. I figured that I never would be able to because I was a mean, angry child and teenager and didn't think that would even be an option. Becuase you have to be perfect to be there. Well no one is, and that is why we have the Atonement. :)

So I wanted to share that beautiful message with our Relief Society and so I found "celestial material" at the store and made a cute handout for everyone. I put gold star garland wrapped around the top so that I could attach the "You are Celestial Material" tag (font is called "Inspiration") I had printed to the fabric. My roommate suggested that it be an ornament so I added hooks to it. :) Thanks to my sister for helping me make them, I think that they turned out pretty cute.

So just remember that you, too, are celestial material. :)

Loomis 1st Ward

This is my ward building. I love this place. This is my home. When I think of home, I think of my family's house/property and this building. :) It defines Loomis and home to me.

This morning the kid I used to babysit gave his homecoming talk in our home ward. He just got home from his MISSION. Yes, MISSION. I feel so old. That aside, I thought a trip to the home ward was well worth getting up at 7 am on a Sunday. Yeah, this year they start at 8:30am...ewww.

So I showed up and was instantly greeted by several families I had known since I was a kid. So happy. Then I walked into the building. And I took a deep breath and smelled the building. And it smelled exactly the same as it did when I was a kid. Even the remodel when I was 12 didn't change the smell of the building. I love it. Memories swirled around me as I wandered the halls. It was wonderful. It was such a nostalgic day, you might think that I hadn't been here in years, even though it, in fact, had only been a few months.

I've always loved this building. My mom and grandparents helped build it back in the day. In fact some of the electrical was wired wrong and backwards because of my grandpa. A Bryson Boo-boo, if you will. (Oh, and I will.) Who can say that they went to Church in the building that their family helped build? No one. Ok, except for half of Loomis. Half the people still in Loomis helped build that building. People don't leave Loomis. And if they do, they generally come back. Just goes to show how awesome the town is. Especially the fact that it is still a "town."

Ok, back to the ward. I love how, despite the fact that there are tons of new people that I did not know, there were enough people there that I knew and knew me that I felt like I was coming home. Though, it was kind of funny because 1) I got introduced as Erin in Relief Society and then I corrected it and people were disappointed (You better feel special Erin!). 2) Then others didn't know that Erin had a sister older than Steven. Huh. Guess that's what I get for moving away. I kept getting, "Ohhh, that's Erin's older sister." I didn't know what that was supposed to mean. It was pretty funny.

I watched the deacons pass the sacrament and I could distinctly remember some of them being born! Ack! I had no idea who the others were.

Sean gave a great talk about Charity and showing love towards others. It was strange having Kevin sit next to me and thinking about Sean at that age. I remembered Sean being baptized and then getting the priesthood and passing the sacrament for the first time when he was 12, and then blessing the sacrament, and then his farewell talk and now his homecoming talk. 14 years flashed before me in about 5.2 seconds. It wasn't fair. Time just needs to stay still. Just for a few, let's say 15, years. My babies are growing up way too fast and I don't feel like I'm at all.

I love how kooky and quirky the ward is. I have some GREAT memories of church through the years. One time the ward chorister stopped the hymn in the middle of the song in order to correct everyone on how we should be singing it. "The hymn is joyful people! Sing Joyfully!" Awesome. Another time someone read the newspaper at the pulpit. Turns out it was supposed to be some kind of object lesson, but all I remember is that he read the newspaper. Again, Awesome. Another time some one brought LIVE lobsters to Church. My grandpa yelled out during the sacrament. That was totally awesome (and yes, we laughed outloud uncontrollably when he did!). And there have been some interesting testimonies born over the years. I'm sure all wards have funny things happen, but it seems to me that people always are amazed and surprised at things that happen in this ward. LOVE IT! My BFF and I have talked about this numerous times and always agree about the ward.

I think that what I love most about the ward is that, for the most part, I think people are trying to be good. They are trying to better themselves and their families. They are trying to come closer to Christ and they are doing the best they can. Sure, they all have had difficulties, and yes, because the ward is old and close-knit, everyone knows everything about everyone. But it's okay, because we are all one big family.

I am a product of this ward. I am who I am because of my mom, my grandparents, and Loomis First Ward. My leaders and teachers were all fabulous. The Bishoprics and Relief Society Presidencies that helped my family over the years were so great. I had the best home teacher in the world (he still goes out of his way to talk to me and make me feel that he's still watching out for me--even today :) ). I can't tell you how much I love this ward.

So that is my wonderfully quirky and perfect ward. I love it and wouldn't trade it for the world.

Love you Loomis First Ward!

***
I think it's pretty clear what I'm grateful for today. :)

The Power of Music

Today's Prompt:

"Write about a piece of music that changed your life forever. What do you feel when you hear it now?"

Um. Music that changed my life? I don't know if there is anything in particular. I can think of lots of songs that have special memories attached to them.

After thinking for a minute, I did come up with a hymn, actually, that did affect me very strongly. It forever changed how I think about the Sacrament. :) Let us flash back to 2005...

My senior year of college was my favorite. I had great roommates and wonderful group of friends. Best FHE brothers, ever. We were a little family of 13. :) So many awesome memories and experiences. Anyway...

One Sunday my FHE brothers were preparing the Sacrament as we were singing "God Loved Us, So He Sent His Son". This hymn isn't necessarily one of the "popular" ones, and the music isn't the most beautiful of the hymns. But I love the words.  I especially love the third and fifth verses. And if you'll notice, the song is supposed to be sung "with dignity." I love that. It is an honor that the Savior died for us. And we should do everything in our power to live up to that honor.

1. God loved us, so he sent his Son,
Christ Jesus, the atoning One,
To show us by the path he trod
The one and only way to God.

2. He came as man, though Son of God,
And bowed himself beneath the rod.
He died in holy innocence,
A broken law to recompense.

3. Oh, love effulgent, love divine!
What debt of gratitude is mine,
That in his off’ring I have part
And hold a place within his heart.

4. In word and deed he doth require
My will to his, like son to sire,
Be made to bend, and I, as son,
Learn conduct from the Holy One.

5. This sacrament doth represent
His blood and body for me spent.
Partaking now is deed for word
That I remember him, my Lord.

So that day, as we sang the hymn and I watched my friends prepare and pass the sacrament, I finally "got it." I understood that the Savior died for my sins and that it was immensely and intensely personal. I don't understand how it works, but I know that the Atonement is real, and that it does work, and it works for me and for you.

And so because of this experience, this hymn is one of my very favorites. It always makes me so happy when we sing it on Sunday.

***
Today I am grateful for my testimony of the Savior and His Atonement.

A New Calling

I find it interesting and facinating that most of the time I get a new calling, I know I'm going to get a new one, sometimes I even know what calling I'm going to get. This has happened to me lots of times in my life. The only time I was actually really surprised was when I was released from the Relief Society Presidency (and in that case, the Bishop was even surprised. :) )

For example, last month I was asked to substitute teach in Relief Society. I love teaching Relief Society and had missed doing it since I was released from the Presidency a couple of years ago. When I was preparing, the thought came to me that I would be called as a Relief Society Teacher. I kind of laughed it off and thought that there was no way I would get called to that because other people need that experience more than me (in a good way). There are lots of girls that are newer to Relief Society that should be able to have the opportunity to teach and lead. I've had that opportunity lots of times.

Then this month I was again asked to substitute for Relief Society. The impression that I was going to get called as a teacher came back stronger than before. It was like scrolling banner going across my mind as I was talking to the RS counselor the Wednesday before I taught. I love teaching, especially in Relief Society, and so I was excited, but not 100% if it was the Spirit preparing me for the calling, or if I just wanted the calling.

Sunday, as I was getting ready for Church, I got a text to meet with a member of the Bishopric before Church. I went early and got extending a new calling, yep, you guessed it: Relief Society Teacher! I laughed when they told me. Then I realized that wasn't the best response and so I happily said yes. And I found out that I am going to still be the Compassionate Service Leader. Apparently I still haven't learned to be compassionate yet. ;)

I love serving in the Church! I feel like I'm actually contributing to something positive and worthwhile (not that I'm not in other aspects of my life, but this is more substantial and significant). So I'm excited to study and teach about the Gospel. I always learn so much and get so much from the discussions in class.

So two callings and two jobs. Fortunately, both callings are pretty low key, particularly teaching--I only teach one Sunday a month. I'm pretty sure this is the easiest calling in the Church. :)

So anyway, back to my point...after I was extended and accepted the calling, I was talking to Trulie (the current RS President) about it. I told her that it was funny because I had known I was getting the calling days (well, weeks) before I was told. She said that they had only decided the day before I was called! She said they hadn't even thought of putting me in that calling until then. It's amazing how the Spirit works! I'm not a big fan of surprises, so I'm glad that I have some kind of "warning" that changes are coming. :)

YSA Conference 2011

A couple of weeks ago we had our annual YSA Conference. It was AWESOME! I didn't got to the activity that Friday night, but I did go to the workshops on Saturday, and the fireside on Sunday.

My roommates didn't make it so I thought I would be brave and go by myself. Which is VERY brave of me. I didn't know anyone else going. Fortunately I did find some friends once I got there, but I still did my own thing. I'm so grown up. ;)

Anyway. When I got there, I got great parking right in front of the temple and the first thing I did was take this picture:



 It was such a gorgeous day!

I was late and missed the opening talk so I snuck into the cultural hall to listen, but then saw Sister Smith from my ward's bishopric working on the quilts (which were the service project) so I went back and helped. I was so helpful that I broke a very large needle in half. I am just that good. I spent the next couple of hours quilting and by the end my fingers were swollen and painful, but it was all good because I helped finish 2 quilts! Because we were working so hard on the quilts, I missed the first workshop session. I was kinda bummed because there were a few I wanted to go to. That only left one opportunity and 5 classes to pick from. My Bishop suggested that I go to one by a former Stake President and so I did. I won't go into everything that happened, but let's just say that the Bishop was inspired to suggest it to me. It was perfect! :)

Afterwards, we had dinner and time to kill and so I walked around the temple to enjoy the beautiful evening and the quiet. And then I accidently walked in on a guy proposing to a girl. Uhhh, awkward! My bad. I snuck away as quietly as I could. I don't even know if she said yes.  :)

Saturday night was another fireside with Elder Trythall, our area Seventy authority. It was fabulous and I took lots of good notes. One of my favorite thoughts from Elder Trythall was, when speaking about being reverent in Sacrament meeting, he said, "The still small voice will not come in a text message." Brilliant!

I had told my mom that Elder Trythall was speaking so she told me that I needed to go introduce myself to him and his wife because they are friends with my grandparents. I wasn't going to, but I told a couple of my friends what Mom had said and they dared me to. So then I had to. And so I did and Elder and Sister Trythall were so sweet and asked all about Mom and Nana. I explained that I was Sybil's granddaughter and Elder Trythall said, "I didn't realize how old we had gotten. No way Sybil is old enough to have grandchildren!" I didn't tell him that she has 22 (with one on the way!) great-grandchildren. :)

Oh and after the fireside, we had a dance. And I stayed for it. Impressive, I know. 

Sunday was another fireside with President and Sister Murphy (my stake president) and they were so funny. I loved their talks.

So all in all, it was a wonderfully uplifting weekend and I felt very inspired and happy afterward. Love!

I Can Do Hard Things, Right?

I've debated on writing about this for sometime now. It's something that I've struggled with for several years and I don't like the answers I'm getting. And I'll be honest, I've been frustrated. And I don't want it to sound like I'm complaining or even really questioning anything, including my leaders, but has been very difficult for me. The issue really has come down to the Lord's Timing. Sometimes, I just don't get it.

Several years ago, I felt that I was ready and prepared to go through the Temple and receive my endowments. I talked to my mom and she agreed and so I went to my Bishop to talk to him.

Now let me take a moment and clarify something, I love my Bishop and I think that he is an inspired leader. I am not questioning that at all. Ok, with that said, I'll move on.

So I talked to the Bishop and he asked how old I was and I responded with 23. We talked about the Temple and what it means and the significance and such. At the end of the conversation, he said that he wanted to take sometime and think about it and that I should come back in a couple of months. Confident that I was feeling like I should go, I thought, what's a few more months? No problem.

Several months went by. I started my full time job at the law firm, and I was called into the Relief Society Presidency. All things that showed that I was settled and mature and able to handle things. I went back into see the Bishop and see what he thought about me going through the Temple. He said that he had talked to several other girls that were in very similar situations in my ward and that he thought that we all should wait until we're 25.

I was bummed to say the least. I kept an open mind and thought that maybe there was a reason I should wait (getting married?! Yeah, no) and so I would be patient for the next year and a half. I could wait that long right?

A few months before I turned 25, I went again to see my Bishop about going to the Temple. He said that he wanted to think about it and that I should come back in a few months. I said okay and tried to patiently wait. It was getting really hard now. I felt very strongly about going and really wanted to.

A few weeks before my birthday I went back in and the Bishop said that he looked at the handbook, talked to the Stake President, and had decided that 25 wasn't quite mid-twenties, as the handbook recommends. He recommended that I come back in a year. My heart broke, but I tried to take it in stride. I could wait another year. Right? Of course I could. I had a recommend to do baptisms so I could continue to do those. Everytime I met with the Bishop, he always emphesized that I'm not missing out on any blessings and I'm not in trouble for anything. That was reassuring, but it was still hard.

Last November I started asking again. My Bishop was so patient with me. I must have been really annoying to keep pestering him about this. But he listened patiently and said that he'll talk to the Stake President. The answer finally came back that the policy was now that single girls needed to wait till they were 30 in our stake. Even though that's not what the handbook says.

Suffice it to say, I had a really hard time accepting this. I felt mature enough, I had prayed and fasted about this and felt that it was right.

In January of this year I went back to the Bishop, I was going to turn 27 soon and I felt really strongly that this was the year. I talked to the Bishop and he said that he wanted me to be able to go. He said that there was a stake meeting in February that he wanted to bring it up and so he asked that I hang on just a little longer. I said okay. 

In mid-February I found out that Cait and Nick were going to get sealed in April. I really, really wanted to be able to be there and go with them. It would have been perfect because all of our family would have been here for it and we could have all gone together. I had been preparing myself to be able to go for the last few years and so I felt ready. The timing, I thought, was perfect.

All my family had kept asking why I hadn't gone yet. Even some thought that I had done something wrong to keep me from going. It was really hard for me to listen to their harsh judgments. It had even been suggested that I move away long enough to be able to go through the temple and then move back. My friends that knew I was trying to go encouraged me to keep after it and keep asking. I knew someone that was high up in the stake organization and I was recommended to go to the Stake President directly. I didn't feel that I should; I didn't want to go behind the Bishop's back. I knew that I needed to sustain my leaders, even when I don't necessarily agree with the answer. I don't mean to sound like I'm bitter or angry about this, because I'm not, but it was really, really hard.

I went back to the Bishop and explained that my sister and her husband were being sealed and that the timing would be perfect because all my family was coming in town for it. I felt sure that I was finally going to get the green light.

He said that he was all for it, but that when he had talked to the Stake President, the Stake President wanted to run it past our area General Authority who was in town for a meeting the next week.

At the Mid-March I finally got a chance to talk to the Bishop about it. He said that he had asked, but no decision had filtered down. A couple of weeks later I asked again. Still no word. At that point, it was only about a week and a half away from the sealing and I realized that it wasn't going to happen. I'm pretty sure my heart broke.

During this time I had a friend that was trying to go as well. We both had been asking the Bishop during the same time periods and both had been getting told no.  Again, I couldn't understand why I had been getting what seemed to be contradictory answers. After another month, my friend and I heard back from the Bishop. The direction he got was that we should wait.

Then my friend got a call a couple of days later and was called in to see the Bishop. He said that he felt very strongly that she should go. I was so excited for her! Really, I was. I knew it was something that she had worked towards for a very long time and she was so happy. She was going to be able to go with her younger sister. I won't say I was jealous, because I truly wasn't--but it did make me a little sad. Her sister was the same age as me and single, and her Bishop and Stake President agreed that she could go. It was hard to accept that I was getting told no, even though there was no reason, that I know of, that I couldn't go.

After my friend go the okay, I met with the Bishop again. I told him that I didn't understand why I couldn't go. I make the right decisions. I'm mature enough. My life is steady. And I have a very strong testimony. I didn't understand why I had to wait till I was 30. 30 isn't a magic age. It's not like anything is going to change between now and then. I didn't understand why this had to be so hard. I didn't understand why I felt a yes answer and he wasn't getting that answer.

Bishop was kind and patient with me as I cried in his office. I told him that I understand if it's a no answer, I just need to know that it's not just because of the age that I can't go. I needed to know that the timing wasn't right for me individually, not because I hadn't reached a magic age. I told him it felt like this was too hard and that I shouldn't have to work so hard to be able to go. I told him that when things were right for me, that they just seem to work out without any hiccups or stumbling blocks.   

He gently told me that I was right, it shouldn't be so much work. There was nothing wrong with my standing in the Church and that it just wasn't time yet. He again reassured me that I wasn't missing out on the blessings of the temple. And basically, that I needed to relax and wait until I was 30.

I'll be honest, I'm still not very comfortable with this answer. I still feel that I should go. I still want to cry when I think that I was told no again, and that it'll be several years before I can go. I almost want to say that it doesn't seem fair.

But I know that the Lord's timing is perfect and some day I'll know why I needed to wait. And I do know that when the time comes that I will be able to go, I'll appreciate it so much more because I've had to wait for so long. 

Happy Easter!!

What a wonderful Easter today has been!! A lot happened, so sorry if this is a long post. :)

I am feeling so very blest for the sacrifices that Jesus Christ made on my behalf . I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior. That he died for my sins. That he rose again three days later and lives today. That through him and by him, I be with my Heavenly Father again and that my family can be there too. (Now including Nick!!)

I've known these things for as long as I can remember, but it is always nice to have reminders.

I was able to go to my Family Ward (Yeah! Loomis 1st Ward!!) to visit with my mom, Nana, and my brother. It was so fun to see my leaders and Primary teachers. And hold new little babies. And I was surprised when I saw my best friend, Monica! She was home for Easter. That was fun. It felt so completely perfect. Almost like I was in high school again. Then I looked at Monica and her baby belly and remembered that we're all getting old, er, older. (ha ha ha. That was funny.)

After an awesome Sacrament meeting I was able to take a nap before my ward started--which was quite nice.

My ward was awesome! There was a whole family that was baptized yesterday and two of the kids are in our ward so they were confirmed. The other cool part was that it was a farewell talk by a kid in our ward that has some pretty significant physical disabilities. He was soooo excited that he was going to get to go on a real, proselyting mission. He is staying in our mission, but he will be a set apart missionary-just with a little bit of modifications. His talk was so sweet. He had been praying that a way would be found for him to serve a mission, and then the Stake President approached him and asked him if he wanted to go on a mission. He was so happy that his prayer had been answered. It was lovely. There was also a lot of singing today. In fact, our Relief Society sang, (well those that were brave enough to stand up sang). The practice had gone terrible, but then we we got up, it was perfect. Naturally. :) That's what happens when angels sing with you. :)

So this post is getting long already so I'll finish up today's events in tomorrow's post. But I just want to end with this video about the reason for Easter:

Happy, Happy News!

So I realized that I haven't shared some happy news!

My sister, Caitlin, and her husband Nick, are being sealed on April 23rd!! Cait and Nick were married almost 2 years ago, so this is very exciting. Like, totally.

YEAH!!!

I'm really excited for them. Maybe then they'll start having babies! That would be fun.

Anyway...I was hoping to be able to go through the temple with them, but I haven't gotten the okay (something about me not being old enough...)

And my mom and nana are coming, as well as a bunch of our family is coming in town for it. So it will be fun to see all of them. We should have a luncheon or something...hmmm....

A New Calling

Today I got a new calling. I'm now the Relief Society Compassionate Service Leader. I think that means I need to be compassionate and I need to do more service. It was like the Lord said, "Megan, you need to be more compassionate and do more service." Seriously. That is what he told me. :)

People kept saying, "Megan! That will be so perfect for you!" or "Compassion is your middle name!" or "You are going to be so wonderful at that! We're so excited!" Uh, these people were being serious, but it felt so sarcastic. I realize that sarcasm was what I was reading in to it. I don't feel very compassionate or service oriented.

Maybe that is why I got this calling. I'm actually quite excited about it. I love being released from current callings and getting new ones. To me, it feels like I've done what I need to do, and I've learned what I need to learn, and I've served they way I need to serve--and now I have a new opportunity for growth. Hopefully I feel this way because I've magnified my callings to the best of my abilities. I will miss FHE Committee, though. That was a fun calling.

And you know what is cool about my new calling? I get to be in charge of Birthdays!! I love birthdays! I love recognizing and celebrating the day of people's birth! YEAH! Oh, and I get a committee! Ha! :) The other part is that I'm back in Relief Society! I love serving Relief Society. I love helping women feel of the Savior's love and helping them realize their worth and potential!

Anyway, Yeah! for new callings!!

The Power of Women

In honor of today being the 100th Anniversary International Women's Day, I thought I would share some of my favorite quotes and thoughts about the power of women, especially LDS women.

Brigham Young said, "Now, I say the women have great influence. Look at the nations of the earth. Any nation you like, no matter which, and you enlist the sympathies of the female portion of it and what is there you cannot perform?"

Wilford Woodruff said, “I am glad there is a little spirit among our sisters, and that they dare say their souls are their own.” I love it! Its okay to be spunky!

David O. McKay said, “A beautiful, modest, gracious woman is creation’s masterpiece. When to these virtues a woman possesses as guiding stars in her life righteousness and godliness and an irresistible impulse and desire to make others happy, no one will question if she be classed among those who are truly great.”

The three quotes above were from here. I only selected a few, but there are many more!

One of my favorite things about being an LDS woman is my membership in the Relief Society. I love Relief Society!! Sister Julie B. Beck, the Relief Society General President gave an amazing talk about the purposes of Relief Society and the women in it. 

I love this statement she makes at the end of her talk, "President Spencer W. Kimball stated a number of years ago that 'there is a power in this organization that has not yet been fully exercised to strengthen the homes of Zion and build the Kingdom of God—nor will it until both the sisters and the priesthood catch the vision of Relief Society.' Relief Society was established by the Lord to organize, teach, and inspire His daughters to prepare for the blessings of eternal life. Our aim is to support the women of the Church in their individual responsibilities by ensuring that every meeting, every lesson, and every activity we undertake helps them increase in faith and personal righteousness, strengthen their families and their homes, and serve the Lord and His children."

I also really liked this talk by Patricia Holland. So inspiring!! As is this talk by President Gordon B. Hinckley.

President Kimball said the following: “Much of the major growth that is coming to the Church in the last days . . . will happen to the degree that the women of the Church reflect righteousness and articulateness in their lives and to the degree that [they] are seen as distinct and different —in happy ways—from the women of the world” ( Ensign, Nov. 1979, 103–4 ; emphasis added).

I'm definitely feeling very inspired today about my role as a woman and the power and influence I have in my life here and now.

I said something to my co-worker about today being International Women's Day and she didn't understand. I explained that it celebrates the positive influence women do have and can have on the world. Her next comment made me so sad, "We can do that?" Of course we can!! If we don't, who will?! I'm so grateful for a religion that teaches the value and roles of women and then whole-heartedly supports us. 

Happy International Women's Day!!

I Love the Temple!!

So I wanted to bare my testimony today about temples, but I didn't, so I'm going to here.

This morning I was reading my grandpa's autobiography and he was talking about the experience he had when his second son, my Uncle Forrest was born. Here is the story in his own words:

"During the summer our second son was born. Syl started labor in the middle of the night so I dressed Britt and we all went to the hospital. I entered Syl into the hospital but the staff refused to permit me to wait with the baby so Britt and I returned home and went to bed. And he even slept. Early the next morning, I called the hospital to see if Sybil and the baby were alright. The hospital attendant reported that my wife was fine, but my baby had died and I should make arrangements for the burial. Of course, I was very sad, but I had to accept what we could not change and proceeded to make the arrangements. Then I met the undertaker at the hospital to pick up the body. I approached the front desk and stated that I had come for my son’s body.

"While one nurse was busy arranging the papers, another nurse, who just happened to be passing the desk, stopped and asked what I had said. I repeated, “I came to get the body of the Bryson baby that had died.” She replied, “Wait a minute, I was on duty in the delivery room and it wasn’t the Bryson baby that died.” WHOA!! Trying to be very calm, I caught her by the arm and turned to the other nurse at the desk and stated that we were going to find out about this, like now! The hospital manager was called and we all went to the nursery and there was my very tiny baby with “Bryson” on his armband. Two premature babies had been born in that night, one had lived and one had not, and I almost buried the wrong baby. During all the excitement, the nurse who had corrected the error slipped away and I never did find out who she was. But my son and I will be forever indebted."

Salt Lake City Temple--where my grandparents were sealed.

I can't imagine what he must have thought in those few hours when he thought his son had died. What amazed me was that, while I'm sure it was difficult, he accepted it, seemingly without question. I think it was because he & Nana had been sealed in the temple and that they would be able have their son be part of their family forever.  I know that Grandpa had a great testimony of the temple as evidenced by his many, many years of temple service--even after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

I have such a love for the temple and am so grateful for the opportunity to go there often. I look forward to the day when I can fully participate in all the ordinances there.


***

In other news...Today was the first day of Spring!! Not officially, of course, but there was a tree that started blooming at the church today!! YEAH!! Spring is my favorite!!

Spring Blossoms!!!

Stake Conference Part Deux

Yeah for Stake Conference (again)! And super yeah for getting done with Church before noon!

So they split our stake today. Its a tad bittersweet. Its exciting because it only took 18 years for the stake to need to split and that the Church is strong here. Its a tad sad because now Loomis and Lincoln (including Cait & Nick) are in the new Lincoln, CA Stake. But Rocklin did get both Granite Bay wards. So now there are 8 wards in each. Roseville (who lost the Granite Bay wards) now have 9 wards.

It was funny because they were broadcasting from the Lincoln building and just when it was being announced who the Lincoln Stake President was, the sound cut out so we missed all of the presidency. Everyone gasped and laughed. Fortunately, President Deaver was in our building and so was able to announce and have President Perez sustained. I'm kinda jealous I'm not in that stake.

I'm sure this is a much more managable amount--as opposed to the 14 we had before. We were the largest stake in CA and the 2nd largest on the west coast! I imagine that it was difficult for the leaders. I think this will be good. And it will give more people a chance to serve and lead. It will be interesting to see what happens next. Lincoln doesn't have a stake center. I'm sure they will build one. The best news is, though, is that our ward is going to still cover both stakes and Granite Bay. Yeah!!

The rest of the meeting was a broadcast from Salt Lake to 67 stakes in Northern CA. I didn't even know there were that many!! It was awesome. President Eyring presided and Elder Packer was also there. The first speaker was Elder Rasband of the 70. The way he was talking about building temples, it sure sounded like they were going to announce a new temple in Northern CA. Bekah and I were postulating where it would be. My guess: Chico. But they didn't.

I think President Eyring's talk was my favorite. It was all about sustaining and following the Prophet. If we look to them with an eye of Faith, we will have the Spirit and gain testimony that they are the mouthpiece of the Lord. When we follow the Prophet's counsel and commandments, we will be safe and have peace. I know it is true and am so very grateful for it my life.

Stake Conference Part 1

I love Stake Conference. I wish I could have had a picture of all the adults that were at the adult session. It was amazing! Maybe it was because tomorrow we're having a "historical meeting" and maybe some where hoping for a juicy tidbit tonight, but still they were there. It was so wonderful. I love going and feeling the unity and camaraderie of all those that are there. Since this was the stake I grew up in, it feels so comfortable and wonderful. I love seeing people that I grew up with or from the family ward that I don't get to see very often. It feels very safe to me and that is hard to acheive in my book.

I think the take-away message, for me at least, was that no matter what may happen tomorrow--Even though administration things may change, the relationships we have with those in our stake do not--and that is what we need to focus on and remember.

President Murphy (the Stake President) was probably my favorite talk--he is so fun and hilarious! He said that he has caught a lot of flak for using the wording "historical meeting" for tomorrow's session. He said that he has heard many different opinions on what the "historial meeting"is about. A couple of the suggestions were that the Church is testing out a new "Super Stake" and that we're going to be the test stake. Another is that there is going to be a Zion's Camp 2 and we're starting it. My favorite is that our stake is the first to be called to march to Missouri. I don't know about anyone else, but I don't want to march there, I'll just fly, thank you very much! Then he simply stated that what will happen tomorrow is the Lord's will and he is very comforted and very grateful for modern-day revelation.

All I have to say to that is AMEN! :)

Why I Love my Ward

Top 10 reasons I love my ward:

10. We play three legged whiffle ball for FHE!

9. Siblings stick together--sometimes literally.



8. There is always someone to pick us up when we fall.

7. We work together REALLY well!

6. When we fail, we fail with glory.

5. Marie!!

4. We make lots of new friends.

3. We're really friendly...maybe too friendly? :)

2.We carry each other's burdens. (& yes, I did have permission to say that!)

1. And we always make it home safe, just not always First Base.

I Heart Relief Society!

Tonight we had a Relief Society activity. It was an ice cream social! Yeah for ice cream! It was fun to chat with everyone and be with women that share the same values as I do. I've gained such a great love and appreciation for Relief Society! Yeah!