So today is the first Sunday of the month which means for the Latter Day Saints it's Fast Sunday!! This Sunday everyone in my ward was supposed to fast for Kayla Hughes who is having some health issues! As my sister and I walked into to church you could just feel the spirit so strong. It seemed that everyone talks were sequenced together! I really showed that everyone right now is having a hard time, or going through a trial right now, but the one thing that is constant and everyone is relying on is Heavenly Father, the scriptures, and prayer! That is the only thing that keeps our lives consistent when everything is spiraling out of control! Brother Miller who is my all time favorite Sunday school teacher talked to us about testimony meeting. He asked each of us what we got out of testimony meeting? this is what we learned: trails, pain, self improvement, trust and faith in the Lord, prayer and scriptures are consistent, and reaching out to others not of the same faith. Brother Miller told us that the lord has set a path for everyone, which our church symbolizes as the Iron Rod. We can take two paths of life, we can either accept Gods will and become humble or we can become mad at God and fall away from the church and our Heavenly Father. Heavenly Father gives us trials in or life and hardships because he loves us! I know hard to believe right, but I kind of think about my mom who loves to ground me at the worst moments (such as going to the zoo haha) but she told me its not because you did anything wrong, its just i see that you are doing to much and will tire yourself out that i make you chill for a weekend to relax. She always says she does it because she loves me haha. But even though i don't like it i know she is right, God is the same way! Maybe that is why women have such a Divine Nature with Heavenly Father. :)
Brother Miller summed up the point of the lesson by pointing out that as we go through trials we learn humility, we notice the pains and sufferings of others and begin to help others people with their trails which is what the lord wants! He is helping us to become more like him so we can be with him again! this was my favorite quote of the day by Brother Miller "The church is a hospital of the suffering" how that is so true! With the church in our lives and the gospel that is how we get through those hard trials in our lives. We also have to think that the church "is not about the rules we don't want to follow, its about what is Gods will" and will i accepted his will and be willing to do what he asks!
I think the Testimony that really stuck out to me today was Brother Hydrics, he told us that this weekend his car broke down, so he walked over to the Wal-Greens to get some chocolate milk. When he walked out he noticed a bench on the side and there was an 80 year old man sitting there. So Brother Hydric wet over and asked if he could sit down? The an said yes and then they began to talk. Brother Hydric asked the man "so did you just walk here, or are you waiting for a ride?" the man simply turned to him and said that he walks 4 miles everyday so he will be tired enough to go to sleep at night because his wife of 50 years had died and it was so hard for him to go to sleep. The man went on to tell him that he had such a loving bond with his wife it was just to hard to go to sleep with out her! they began to kinda talk about religion after that, Brother Hydirc said that this mans church believed something along the lines of him and his wife wouldn't see each other again (i don't really remember) but how Brother Hydric told him through the bible that he will see his wife again! How sad it is for this man who has had his wife for over 50 years just to believe he would never see her again! How glorious it is to know the plan to know what happens after this life and how I can lean on my Heavenly Father for guidance and protection.
Okay so after Sunday school I had Young Women's which was on Temple Marriage (of course) haha but I love it. Sister Stutz did a great job at teaching us the importance of getting married in the temple. She showed us a picture of the ceiling room and told us what happens and who can be in there with us. Not only is it a commandment to get married but getting there is the hard part! She told us that we risk our virtue living on the edge and not being cautious of our actions especially right now. She asked the girl what we think it takes to get to the temple? We all came up with: Dress modestly, stay morally clean, date wisely, church!, fasting, going to meetings (being where you are supposed to be), scriptures, maintaining a relationship with our Heavenly Father, clean language, personal progress, clean thoughts, Patriarchal Blessing, goals, prayer, tithing, and Word of Wisdom!
One thing that is key in my eyes is if you set the goal to get married in the temple and no where else that is where you will go because that goal in life not only sticks with you but also helps you to do the things which are supposed to do to get there. Life is hard but making the right decisions will help those though times seem easier! How I am so happy that I went to church and learned these important aspects of life. It also has helped me to realize that as I go to college I will not have my parents to be there to tell me what to do, to be there for me at a split second if i need help! I will have my Heavenly Father however who no matter what loves me for me! Who cares for me through thick and thin and no matter what will be in my life through hard times and will feel my pain and help me become the person he knows and wants me to be!
Love Shanel
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