Dear Who?

I was sat with my two best friends - Tanya and Alice - at Tanya's dining table. It was Friday morning and we were sat eating Toasties and nattering as we tend to do. I don't see Tanya as often these days as she is happily married and has wee baby Ben. But when we do get together we talk far too much. Anyway, Tanya and I got to talking about our operations this year. She had a C-section with Ben and I my Thyroid removal. Both were a little horrific in their own ways. But I realised how much it helped me to talk about it.

So this blog is to become my new Journal and a record of my thoughts, adventures and daily mundanes...Enjoy!

Be careful what you pray for!

At the end of last year I mentioned in some of my prayers "Please let me find a friend". After coming home from my mission I missed having a companion! That person who is there with you all the time and working for the same things you are. I wanted that again and especially with Alice P leaving on her mission at Christmas time. Well, Heavenly Father hears our prayers and sent Angi, Jelly, Angelica Alston my way! Yes that little ball of fun!

Well here are some of our adventures that we have had in our past three months of friendship (a year today!)

Our night out with moustaches

Jump Nation Trampoline fun!

Climbing Mount Snowdon

 With the MTC came our foursome. Miriam, Maria, Angi and I. I love them all! Before Miriam went home to Germany we wanted to fulfill some of our bucket lists :) So we dressed up and went out for dinner with moustaches. As per my love of Gingers I was the only one with a ginger moustache :) we got some good laughs out of Mark our waiter. We had movie nights, shopping sprees, dinners out, and then climbed Mt Snowden!

3D Cinema...Spat and snowed on in Ice age (Alton towers)

 Angi likes to make things happen in her life and in mine! I decided at the start of 2015 that this would be a fantastic year! Angi has helped make that so. Another sneaky plan of ours was Alton towers. We rode rollercoasters until we felt dizzy! But it was amazing. 13 loop-the-loops started the day off well! How brave are we!!

The strange and pointless Charlie and the Chocolate Factory experience

Sunday afternoon walk in Astley park - attack of the Goose!

We went to the Circus! "Bum, bum, bum"

Scrabble and pancakes. Jordan our dear oddball

Another friend we have gained along our way is Jordan love. He is so funny! Jordan was in our trio companionship when we trained in the MTC and we like to stick together since. Last night was one of our fun moments where Jordan decided to decorate his face with Nutella from the pancakes. Oh and  accidentally cheated at Scrabble!

In conclusion to this random post...I love my friends. Friends are the essence of my life and I am very grateful for them. I couldnt imagine in the middle of last year the blessed state I would be enjoying now!

My wee missionaries...

Teach me so much. This week I have come to a realisation. We need to be kind! We each have weaknesses. Heavenly Father tells us He gives us weakness for a reason. Each person knows their flaws. We tend to know what we are bad at. We remind ourselves of it; sometimes beating ourselves up for not being good enough. We look at others with the "I wish I was more like..." attitude. So be kind. I have had a couple of Elders I have found challenging in the start. On the surface they seemed rebellious and in my weak nature I have judged them for that. Each time I have been woken to the stark reality that they know better than I their struggles and shortcomings. They feel them keenly especially under the mantle of being a missionary. So who am I to sit and judge them. My role then is just to love them. There is no such thing as too much love. CHARITY NEVER FAILETH. If I truly love others and pray for them I will help them to become better version of themselves but will love them wherever along the path they are. 

As was said in Conference: "A Saint is a sinner who keeps on trying" Elder Dale G Renlund. So let us let each other keep trying. In fact let us lift their load and help them with a smile, compliment, encouragement or active encouragement. People are worth it. They were worth Christ's incomparable suffering and dying and so they are worth my time, effort and kindness. 

*******

My dear Inta loved this image of Jesus Christ holding the lamb. She would look at it and exclaim how she wanted to be that Lamb! So safe and at peace in His loving arms. I had never seen this picture in this way before. As my Elders taught me (as Inta) they spoke of this image and asked me as I felt as I looked at it. In my minds eye I could see Christ as the shepherd protecting his flock; his Lamb from the ravening wolves that encroached. He would protect his beloved sheep with his arms, his body as a shield. He would give his life if needed.  Christ truly is our shepherd. I could see him stood much like in this image as the wolves attacked. His only focus was this lamb. His love and motivation. All he wanted was for them to be ok, to be saved. For this he could give all that was needed. Perhaps to anyone else this would make little sense. But to me I understood just a little better the suffering of my Saviour and why he did it. In affect I was reawakened to how important I am to him.

He is Risen! He is Risen!

I am so grateful for my knowledge of Jesus Christ. I have been raised knowing that Christ is real and that the correct and happy road is to follow Him. This is something that has seemed so real to me - what is blessing!

 

 

Greg Olsen's Jerusalem

Like a great big puzzle I have been adding little piece by little piece to my understanding of Jesus Christ and all He has done for me. My Dads favourite image of him is this (above). It has been on my mind today. Jesus loved us so much! He knew us well and cared to offer himself as a sacrifice. As he prepared in his final days for what was to come he weeped over the sins of those he was to redeem. He weeped that they could not see him for who he was - and in rejecting him were rejecting his beloved Father in Heaven. In this picture my dad would tell me, Jesus was readying himself, for this moment. The task and very purpose for which he had come to the earth. At the point when the weight of the sins of me, and everyone who would ever live bore down on him he asked the Father to let the cup pass from him. Love. Love is what allowed him to go through with it. "we love him because he first loved us".

I know this is not just a story but the greatest act ever perfomed. Because of the Atonement I can be saved. I can be happy. I can change. Because of Him: everything is possible.

So, I stand all amazed. And I will try never to forget what was done for me!