I was searching my office today for some merit badge papers that I needed to help me sign some boys off tonight. I hate it when I put things in "really good places-" my brain never remembers where they are. I came across one of my old journals. This one is a favorite of mine. I love the color and the feel of the leather type material. I'm usually a spiral bound girl so that writing on every page is easier, but for some reason this one was worth the sacrifice.
What was the very first thing I decided to pen in this lovely journal?
Jan 25, 2009
I thought it would be nice to keep a separate journal about the lessons I teach in Relief Society as well as some other thoughts. The first lesson I gave in the [ ] Ward, I was a sub and I taught it on December 28, 2008. It was on the conference talk by Marcos A Aidukaitis entitled "because My Father Read the Book of Mormon."
I especially liked when he said this; 'when you know that the Book of Mormon is true, you KNOW that Joseph Smith was called by God...you KNOW that Joseph Smith saw the Father and the Son. You KNOW there is 1 faith and 1 valid baptism. You KNOW that a prophet of God lives on the earth today....you KNOW that Jesus Christ is the Son of God...you KNOW that God the Father lives and that He loves us. You KNOW that the plan of salvation is perfect.' I also invited everyone to write down their testimony so they could lean on themselves in times of trial or doubt. Over all I think it went fairly well and it was enough to get me back into the teaching groove again.
No date for this next one
Today my lesson was on Joseph B Wirthlin's talk entitled; "Come What May, and Love It." This also was a great lesson for me because with everything going on in the world right now I have a sky is falling kind of attitude. So this as well as most of the talks were perfect for me. He talked about ways to help you make it through your trials
- learn to laugh
- seek for the eternal
- the principle of compensation
- trust in the Father and the Son
He also said that 'the simple secret is this- put your trust in the Lord, do your best, then leave the rest to him."
I also wanted to take a moment to talk about what happened to Nate and I last Saturday. It had been awhile since we had been to the temple and we meant to go to the 8 am session [I'm pretty sure I blogged about this] but we ended up sleeping in and got there for the 9 am session instead. We went in and Nate realized that he had forgotten to take himself off call so I went upstairs, got dressed, and then entered the endowment room with no sigh of Nate. After the session we ran into the [ ] family who were there for their daughter's sealing. Nate arrived just in time to see them before the sealing. Also our old stake president 1st counselor and wife were in there. Anyway, I got to give the bride a hug on her way into the sealing room and then when we got out to the car I found out where Nate had been. When he came up the stairs to the dressing rooms he saw the temple president and so he shook his hand and then the hand of a man in a suit standing right next to the temple president. He was stunned and all he cold think was that it was an apostles hand and then had to ask someone after who it was. It was Russell M Nelson and then our Bishop reconfirmed it on Sunday from the pulpit when he said that the bishops and stake presidents got to meet with thin for some training. What an awesome day that never would have happened if we weren't late.
Feb 2009
This was my last time teaching RS because I got called to be the 1st counselor in primary. It was on "Come to Zion" by Elder Christopherson. The 3 areas were: 1 unity 2 holiness and 3 caring for the poor. It was a great lesson and especially hard for me to not get into politics with #3 with everything going on in the government with the president leading us down the road to socialism at an alarming rate. I wanted to remind everyone of the war in Heaven and who's responsibility it is to feed the poor. It is up to the individual person not the gov - which is Satan's plan. People seem so confused and so willing to give up their freedoms for handouts and no accountability. It is sad that they don't see the price that is really involved. I hope we can turn things around before it's too late or I fear that this is the beginning of the end. Nate thinks it will be fun to live during the second coming and I don't think it will be very fun. I have tons to say on this whole subject, but got writers cramp and am too lazy ... :)
Anyway, I'm pretty bummed about not getting to teach RS anymore. I really enjoyed that calling. I didn't like my other calling of being the childcare coordinator for enrichment very much, but it wasn't horrible. I have been hiding from the primary since we got into this ward and I also think its' funny that I am now over Nate because he is the cub scout master. I hope it works out and I end up really loving my calling and not dreading coming to church every Sunday. My neighbor Annette told me something on our daily chats at the bus stop that I really like. She said that one of the 12 had said that if he got to do over being a bishop he would put his best people in the primary and then the youth then RS etc...because teaching the children is the most important calling in the church and if they are trained properly and their testimonies nurtured they will grow up into those other auxiliaries valiant -or something to that affect. So I am looking at this new calling as that instead of babysitting a bunch of irreverent kids in sharing time for 2 hours every Sunday. :) My old age has made me grumpy lately and I obviously need to fix that!
Today, here and now
This is what I love about journal writing. Getting to go back and remember things that impacted my life. Not remembering giving lessons on those talks. I was especially surprised that I didn't remember the "come what may" one because I have that quote in my kitchen. It makes me want to go back and read that talk again. What a great idea I had for writing about teaching. I wish I would have kept that up. That's quite impossible with teaching everyday now. What I'm most happy about is that I rarely write anything out the old fashion way...you know....so 2009 way. I have a lot more to say when my fingers can type as fast as my brain works...well almost as fast, but a whole lot faster than writing.
What is funny about those callings - the childcare coordinator (had for 2 months) RS teacher (had for 2 months) 1st counselor in primary (2 months) and then I got called to by yw president and I lasted 1 year before I got called to be 1st counselor in RS. I was bouncing all over the place. I think I'm still at 1 year limit on callings - fingers crossed that I keep my current one for a few years.
What else is interesting about those old entries? The world hasn't ended yet, but it is even closer than it was in 2009. I don't feel the same way about living through the second coming anymore. I would always get mad when someone would say that my lack of understanding was what was making me dread the day. I would always counter with being a realist and things were going to suck, plain and simple. Now, however, I think of it as pretty exciting. Why? Because I'm prepared. Do I still find it hard to plan for the future? Yes. But, whatever the future holds, I'm temporally ready for it and the Lord is preparing me spiritually more and more with each new experience and trial. This changed for me because, like the author of my first lesson talk, I read the book of mormon over and over and studied it and pondered it and have a testimony of it. Because of this testimony I now know God and because I do, I can trust Him. So now I can say come what may and love it because I'm headed for Zion.....at least most of the time- I'm still human ;)
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