Life Lately

This post is per request of my one dedicated reader - my sister. Yes, I think she is the only one that even bothers to look at this anymore for which I am grateful. I thought I'd just update her on my life even though I tell her pretty much every detail of it anyways. Here goes it.

School: Great. This semester hasn't been as bad as last semester... yet. My classes are pretty easy and I am learning a lot. But it will definitely pick up the last little bit of February through March due to four research papers (6 pages, 8 pages, 17 pages, 20 pages), 3 other papers, two powerpoint presentations, four group projects, seven tests (not including finals), and almost numerous other assignments. I'm trying to get ahead now so that I'm not freaking out later. Even though it will be very time-consuming, I'll probably enjoy the rush and pressure to do well and get things done. I think my favorite class this semester is Chem 105 which is good since I'll actually have to know it for the MCAT. Yep, love school. And BYU. It's so great.

Future plans: Yes, I am still planning on going to medical school to become a cardiac surgeon, and possibly specialize even further in pediatric cardiology. I tell everyone that cuz it sounds really impressive, but we'll see if I can actually get that far. I have another year of school left until I graduate, then one year finishing up my pre-reqs for med school, a year of doing my internship to become an RD and applying/interviewing for med school, then I finally will be there! And then another 12 years and I'll be done. Yep, here's to the future.

Roomies: Absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE! K seriously, I couldn't ask for better roommates. We all get along so well, we love each other, and do pretty much everything together. We've even started working out everyday together and eating healthier. They are such awesome girls that push me to be better. And we definitely laugh a lot. A lot a lot. Rachel and I just bust up laughing in the middle of the night at the stupidest things. Man, that girl is a hoot! We were definitely meant to be roommates freshman year so that she could light up my life.

Ward: LOVE AGAIN! Our ward is really social and outgoing, so it's fun to get to know more and more people. I've definitely attached myself to certain people in the ward (Steph, Apt 7 and 302 especially), and I don't do anything without at least inviting them. I love being with these people. They always make me happy and are just great friends who are there for me even when I may not be there for them. Again, Heavenly Father definitely directed my life to be in this ward so that I could meet these people.

Boys: Umm I'm twitterpated. (Is that how you spell it?) There are a certain few that have caught my eye, and I love them. One in particular is my favorite at the moment. We do everything together, but I am definitely still in the friend zone. Hopefully things will change sometime, but I'm not pushing him on it. He gets really scared really easily, and I don't want to lose my best friend. Patience is not a virtue I possess and I usually give up pretty quickly, but I'm in this for the long run. I'm gonna try my hardest to make this work. But if it doesn't, I still have a best friend. :)

Jerusalem: I miss it everyday. I wish I got to see more people from there, but I'm always stuck in the ESC either at work or in school. I haven't kept in touch with a lot of people, but I still love everyone like they're my family. I freak out whenever I see someone from there, and I wish it happened more often. I got to see a friend that I hadn't seen since we left in August, and I was ecstatic! I almost screamed, but we were in the library. I can't imagine my life without that experience! And to think that I almost didn't go for a boy! Psh! Not worth it.

Work: Great. I have a great boss, good coworkers, and it keeps me busy and feeds me lots of food. I really enjoy what I do and I am learning a lot of life skills that I can use later on in life. Plus the money isn't great, but it's better than nothing right?

Summer plans: First off, it needs to come faster cuz I have some amazing plans! I will be living in Provo and working at the Physics Department 40 hours a week (more $ please?). I've heard Provo is completely different in the summer and everything is just so chill. It will be nice to have a break from school since I haven't since Fall 2009. I'm going to Newport Beach in May with my parents and one dedicated reader as part of our Christmas present. My roomies and friends have also planned to take a roadtrip to the Los Angeles area in June. It will be my first roadtrip! Man, I am so stinkin excited for that. Partay! I might take a class in the summer to help me get closer to med school, but we'll see how I feel when it comes.

Random: I am on an innertube waterpolo team, and we rock. It's super awkward and embarrassing, but I have fun. I'm also on a basketball team with girls from the dietetics program which is so fun. It's good to know that we can still have fun together even though we are always together! I am going to see the 7th Harry Potter movie this weekend. A little late, but hey it's way cheaper. I am a hot tub addict. I go at least once a week, and it used to be almost once a day! It's way more fun when boys are there too.

Overall, life is absolutely amazing. For the past couple of weeks I just keep telling myself that I am so blessed! Heavenly Father is definitely shining on me right now. I'm kinda waiting for it all to fall apart, which it might, but hey at least I love life now. I couldn't ask for more (except for the boy to get a move on)!

One dedicated reader- I hope this satisfies you.

The Spirit of Christmas

So it's Christmas. That means lots and lots of finals (BAH!!!), food (gain 10 lbs), family (:D), and fabulousness in general. Too bad I'm stuck in the endlessness of finals. I feel like I can't really focus on the wonder and spirit of Christmas because all I'm doing is studying (and writing blog posts apparently). How can I get the spirit of Christmas into my life without impeding on my studying? Or do I just need to not study as much and focus completely on Christmas? Your thoughts?

A Comedy of Errors

This week has been just that, a comedy of errors. So many different things have happened that I don't even know where to begin.

First off, Hollie and Taylor (my sister-in-law and brother) had their baby on Monday! After 14 hours of labor, Cadence Alyce Irving is the most perfect child I have ever seen, and I'm not biased either. Even though she was two and a half weeks early, she is absolutely perfect. I went to see her on Tuesday night, and as I sat there and held her I realized how precious life is. I realized that this little girl just barely came from our Heavenly Father. I mean, literally hours ago she was in heaven. How absolutely crazy is that?!?! She probably still remembers Heavenly Father and everything that happened there. It also scared me because I know that she is going to lose that innocence, she is going to screw up, and she is going to have a lot of hard stuff to deal with in this life. But I know that if her parents teach her correct principles, she will make the right choices and be able to return back to Him one day.

Second, my iPod got stolen! At BYU! At work! While it was on my desk! I was completely blown away when I realized it. I mean, we're at BYU for heaven's sake. Isn't there something called an honor code? Haven't we been taught our entire lives to be honest? I mean, who steals these days? Really? Ya, I stole something when I was like 5, but honestly, we're adults now. Let's grow up. At least I have something substantial that I can put on my birthday list now... (which is in 27 days by the way.)

Third, I wrecked my car. And yes, it was completely my fault. I went to the gym yesterday morning with only half of my windshield defrosted, and I ran into a cement light pole in the Gold's Gym parking lot. The tow truck guy thinks I may have broken my axle. Great... Luckily, my dad has been an absolute GEM! When I told him about it, the first thing he asked was if I was okay, and that's all he cared about. He even offered to pay for the damage because he always says it's his car anyways. Man, my dad is the greatest for those of you who didn't know. Seriously, the greatest. So, it's getting towed up to SoJo as we speak, and I guess we'll see what the damage is in the near future.

Fourth, my family's computer completely crashed! I mean, we lost everything, all our music, pictures, files, EVERYTHING! We are going to recover it (somehow, I don't really understand how), but it will take about 3 months. But hey, at least we get it back and my dad gets the new computer he's been wanting forever!

So yes, a comedy of errors this week. But, through it all, my entire family has kept very level heads. We just laugh about all of it now, and that's all you can really do. They are just material possessions that don't mean anything really. Ya, our bank accounts are gonna take a hit, but that's life. Come what may and love it!

"I know why there must be opposition in all things. Adversity, if handled correctly, can be a blessing in our lives. We can learn to love it. As we look for humor, seek for the eternal perspective, understand the principle of compensation, and draw near to our Heavenly Father, we can endure hardship and trial. We can say, as did my mother, Come what may, and love it.'"-Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

Life is so good, and I have nothing to complain about. I know that everything will work out, and life will return back to 'normal', or whatever that is. Overall, I'd say it's been a great week. :)

Socializing and Suffering

This past month has been one crazy ride for me. I have had so many things to do that I can't keep my head on straight most of the time. Most of this craziness is due to my major. I am a dietetics major, and it is uber time consuming. It doesn't seem like there's much to do, but almost every class we are told about something new. We like to joke that we are just running - we don't really know where we're going, but if we just keep up we'll make it somewhere eventually. And apparently this is what the program is like for the next two years. Great...

Another reason why I feel like I'm running with my head cut off most of the time is because I am out socializing during much of the week. I know, for those of you who have known me for a while, this is not like me! I am usually study, study, study, study, study all week long, and then maybe, sometimes, not usually, take a break at the end of the week. Well, that has flown out the window this year. About three weeks ago, I was out every single night doing something with my friends. These past couple of weeks haven't been much different either. I am just turning into a social butterfly it seems. :)

However, one drawback to my having fun-ness is that my grades are suffering slightly. I mean, I'm not really sure how much they are suffering since I haven't even looked at my grades, but I just feel like I'm not as on top of things like I usually am. I wait until the last minute to do assignments (like two days ahead which is way late for me), I don't do my reading (most of the time), I am getting bad scores on quizzes on a consistent basis, and I just feel out of my element.

The question I pose to you, my few and faithful readers, is whether or not my new sense of adventure and fun is worth the price I'm paying in my grades. I don't really see my new habits changing in the future because I am having way, way, way too much fun to give it up now, but if my grades do drop, should I consider it? Or should I keep on the same way and screw my grades? Who needs medical school anyway?

Overcoming Life

Today was one of those days when you say to yourself, "And I fought in the heavens to have a hard life? Really? Are you sure? Promise?" So many different things didn't go at all how I planned. Work was utter craziness, I was late to class, my parents drove all the way from Park City to eat lunch with me and they ran out of food, did horrible on my in-class quiz, and I got the worst test grade that I've ever had in my life. Doesn't today just sound like a winner to you? Oh, let me tell you, it was one in a million.

I am taking Mission Prep this semester from Brother Bott, and he gave some great advice of how to overcome the downs that accompany mortal life.

Step 1: Early recognition. Yep, I recognize that I am feeling pretty crappy right now. It's kinda hard to miss.

Step 2: Have a preplan, something that you know will bring you out of your depression. For me, that usually includes some sort of physical activity. That will happen later tonight around 9:00 pm if I have time. I better have time.

Step 3: Get outside yourself and serve others. Hmm... Let me see. What can I do that will get me serving and yet still give me time to study? I need to ponder upon this one.

Step 4: Avoid all negative self-talk. Avoid all pity-parties. I am definitely struggling with this one. I know that I could have done much, much better on that test tonight. I should have rocked it! I should have been on top of my game. What went wrong? But, I know that I become what I say I am. I need to stay positive, keep telling myself that it can only go up from here, things can only get better. I know they can, I tell myself they can, I just need to believe they can.

Step 5: Go to your sacred grove, a place to get away and refocus. I haven't found my own sacred grove. Maybe I'll go explore tonight while I run. If not, I think I might just go on a drive and make that my sacred grove.

Step 6: Count your blessings. Name them one by one. Let's see... First off, my family. I was able to spend the entire weekend with my whole family, and it was glorious! We are all so close, we enjoy being together, and we have fun! I couldn't ask for a better set of parents or siblings. Second, I have the gospel. Uh, hello? Best blessing ever? I can't imagine my life without the gospel and the blessings that I receive from living its principles. Third, I got to go to Jerusalem. My life would be so different if I didn't have that experience. I am so much closer to my Savior, and I more fully understand my role in this world. Those are just a few.

Step 7: Get a priesthood blessing. That will be done this weekend when I go home. Check.

Step 8: Reread your patriarchal blessing. That will be done before I go to bed tonight. I love my patriarchal blessing, and to read it is on my list of goals for this week, so it will be a double check off. Score.

Step 9: Write a totally positive letter and then reread it a couple of days later. Hmm... I might not have time to do that, but in case I do, I will do it.

Step 10: Call the mission president if all else fails. Well, I don't have a mission president, but I do have a mother. And that is already accomplished.

So after I complete this list, I should be depression free. I'll try it and report on the results. Ready, go.

School Days

I figured that I should be like everyone else and post some sort of blog about returning back to school.

But I am avoiding school at all costs, so I refuse to even think about the subject. Even though my first class starts in two hours. That backfired a little bit eh?

I'm just not ready to get back to school. I've only had two weeks at home after having the best summer of my life, and I need more time. Please BYU, can you just give me one more week? That's all I ask. Just one more week and I will be ready. Or not. Probably not. Ya, I wouldn't be ready.

Why am I so apathetic towards school this semester? Maybe it's because I have to live 'real life' instead of 'fake life' in Jerusalem. Maybe it's because I am the only person in my family living in Provo now. Maybe it's because I have to be an adult and make important life-changing decisions. Maybe it's because I'm starting my program and I'm not sure it's what I should really do for my undergraduate degree. Maybe it's because I don't have any more countdowns in my life.

But I promise there are good things about school too. I have five fabulous new roommates who are so full of fun that a little bit of it will rub off on me. I've heard my ward is fantastic, even though I have yet to experience it for myself. I get to see my family every week and call them multiple times a day rather than just communicating through email and occasional calls. I am starting my major to become a dietician, something that I would love to do with my life. I will be one year closer to medical school and becoming a surgeon. I don't know what the future holds, and even though that scares me to death most of the time, it's also a bit exciting!

School can be crappy, but it can also be great! It's all about the attitude.

My Last Days

I’m home! Even though I came home this week, I want to share with you the beginning of my week before I left the Holy Land because it was one of the most uplifting and inspiring couple of days of my entire life. And hopefully that can rub off into this email and into your lives.

Last Shabbat, August 7, we had a program called the Triclinium. The triclinium is the way that the table was set up for the Last Supper. It’s basically a U-shaped table, so three sides and two of them face each other. Basically the program was just reading John 13-17, having 3 musical numbers, hearing our District President (who is also the academic vice president for the program) speak to us, and then personal time. I definitely wasn’t expecting any sort of drastic personal revelation or anything, but I had one of the most intimate and personal experiences with the Holy Ghost. During my personal study time I just had such an amazing experience. Here’s what I wrote I my journal afterwards: “I prayed to Heavenly Father that I would be able to fee His spirit during this experience, and I think that it worked because I’m crying (multiple tears were falling down my face) which never happens. I read my document of ‘The Living Christ’ to see if there was anything that I could add to id. I couldn’t really think of anything until I read my patriarchal blessing. I just had the strongest impression (while I was reading it) that Christ is my advocate. He will do everything in His power to bring me home to my Father. I have a feeling that it’s gonna take a lot of work on Christ’s part, but I know it can happen. I don’t know how, but as long as I try my hardest it can happen. It kinda astounds me that I had this strong of a spiritual experience after I asked for it, but I guess that’s an answer to prayer.” Basically I just had a really strong impression from the Holy Ghost that Christ is my advocate and that He will do everything in His power and never give up on giving me eternal life. I know that I have to do my part, but as long as I try my hardest, Christ will get me everything I can. I think the other really cool thing about this experience was that I asked Heavenly Father that I would get some personal revelation during the program, and it came like a flood! I was astounded at how strongly the spirit hit me, but I was so pleased and happy to know that my Father heard my prayer and was kind enough to bless me with that revelation. I just want to testify that our Father knows us. He sees what we’re going through, hears what we ask for, and wants so much to give us every little blessing He can if we ask for it and are righteous. Anyways, it was a pretty amazing program for me personally.

Sunday August 8 I went to Tel Aviv! It was one of our free days, and a big group of us decided we wanted to go to Tel Aviv one last time and play on the beach all day. So yes, I had no worries such as homework or anything, so I just sat on the beach for six hours, played in the water, slept, read “Dear Lovey Heart, I’m Desperate” (a book about a love advice column in a high school newspaper. It was pretty epic. :) ), and just had a great day by the beach. One of the best things that came out of that day was an amazing tan. When you all see me you’ll understand what I’m talking about. I got a really good Middle Eastern tan while I was over there. I am pretty dark, and it’s amazing. :) Haha. Anyways, the day in Tel Aviv was amazing. The water was super clear again, and the sand is still the softest sand I’ve ever felt at a beach. Who wouldn’t be utterly happy with that?

Monday August 9 was the first day of the Last Week of Christ’s Life. Background: in two days, we visit every place that we know that Christ visited in the last week of His life. We started early that morning in Bethany which is where Mary, Martha, and Lazarus lived. We went to Lazarus’ tomb (or the traditional site of it). We talked about how Christ raising Lazarus from the dead was the biggest and most impressive miracle that Christ ever did, and as such it started His downfall – within a week He would be hung on the Cross. We learned that the reason why this was the catalyst for the Pharisees and Sadducees to really start working on killing Christ because so many people were starting to follow Him and they were losing their power base. Anyways, just in case you wanted to know.

Our next stop was Bethpage which is where two of Christ’s apostles were sent to get a colt for Christ to ride in on. We learned that a colt is a baby donkey that has never been ridden or broken. This was significant because Christ was riding a perfect donkey without any blemish (just like He was without blemish), and it was also miraculous that He could ride an unbroken donkey. His triumphal entry into Jerusalem begins His walk to Gethsemane, Golgotha, and the Tomb, and we talked about how sometimes the hardest thing to do is just start something. But we know that our Father is looking over us, and if we just trust in Him once we start it usually gets easier. Next was the Church of the Ascension, and then Dominus Flevit which is where some believe that Christ wept over Jerusalem, but while we were there we also talked about the Olivet Discourse given in Matthew 24 about the 2^nd Coming. I can’t even explain to you how much I learned about the 2^nd Coming from that chapter on that Mount. We also read from D&C 45, so that’s another good resource.

Anyways, our lunch stop was at the Orson Hyde Garden which is run by and paid for by the Church, but we aren’t allowed to go in there usually because less-than-reputable people are usually in there and they cause some trouble with us, especially for the women. Anyways, while we were there we talked about Orson Hyde and his mission to and dedication of the Holy Land. Our teacher proposed the idea that Orson Hyde essentially started the Zionist movement and the ability for the Jews to acquire land in Israel. Okay, we ate in the garden, and then we were off to the Upper Room. We talked about the Last Supper and Christ instituting the Sacrament. We learned that breaking the bread is literally like the tearing of Christ’s flesh during the Cross by the nails, while He was flogged, etc. Our teacher bought some real bread, and each of us had the chance to literally break a piece of bread and eat it in the Upper Room while thinking about how the sacrament is so symbolic of breaking Christ’s body. Let’s just say that this day was completely amazing, and I couldn’t even imagine that they next one would be even better. Anyways, that night we had our pre-departure meeting just telling us about how to get home and how to check out of the center and stuff.

Tuesday August 10 was the rest of the Last Week of Christ’s Life. We left that morning by walking in silence down the Kidron Valley, through the Orson Hyde Garden, to the Garden of Gethsemane. While we walked we listened to my teacher’s LDS mix on his ipod. That day we had Brother Brown with us. Let me just give you a little background on Brother Brown. He is the District President and the Academic Vice President of Academics over the program. He is a retired BYU professor, and he is the most reputable man I know. He was one of the 5 editors of the Encyclopedia of Mormonism, is the foremost authority in the church on the book of Luke (he’s writing a 1000-page commentary on Luke as we speak), and did an entire film series called “The Messiah, Behold the Lamb of God” (which is actually coming out on DVD this week at Education Week). So ya, he’s a pretty amazing man to say the very least. And one of the coolest things is that he was the one who wrote the entry on Gethsemane in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism. I learned that Gethsemane literally means olive press in Hebrew. Christ came there and was pressed by the weight of our sins that it made Him bleed from every pore. (Another little random fact – olive oil is red when it is first pressed. Coincidence? I think not.) Brother Brown also suggested that the temptation came to Christ at that time to release His own life because He had that power. For us, it would be like the temptation of suicide. Christ took upon and felt EVERYTHING in that Garden so that He could help us through what we’re feeling, even suicide. Another thing we learned from Brother Manscill (my New Testament teacher and my mentor) was that when Christ took upon Him our sins, He became guilty and that’s why the Father had to step away from Him and let Him do it on His own because He was no longer ‘worthy’ to have the spirit because He was experiencing the guilt and pain of the sins. And yes, this was all taught right where it happened. Next we walked to St. Peter Gallicantu which is where most people think was Caiaphas’ (the Jewish High Priest) palace. At this place we talked about the arrest in the Garden and the three Jewish trials – first by Annas (the former High Priest), then Caiaphas (the current High Priest), and then part of the Sanhedrin (the Jewish legal court). While we were there we discussed how at least 6 or 7 things about these trials were illegal according to Jewish law, but nonetheless they condemned Christ to death. The charge was blasphemy because He was claiming to be the Son of God, even though that is completely valid and not blasphemy at all. Next we walked to the Church of the Flagellation which is where scholars believe was Pilate’s home. When the Sanhedrin brought Christ to Pilate, they changed the charge from blasphemy to treason against Caesar because Christ was claiming to be king of the Jews. Both Pilate and Herod Antipas found no fault in Christ during all three trials because Christ said that His ‘kingdom was not of this world.’ Pilate really wanted to release Christ, and he tried three different ways for the people to have compassion on Christ. First, he tried to get them to release Christ as the Passover Scapegoat, but instead they chose Barabbas. Plan B was to scourge Christ and beat Him up so that they would look at Him and have compassion on Him, but that availed nothing as well. The thing that finally got Pilate to condemn Christ was that the chief priests said basically that they would tell Caesar that Pilate wasn’t his friend. At that point, Pilate gave in and condemned Christ to be crucified. I really think that Pilate had good intentions, but when it came down to it, He couldn’t withstand the peer pressures. At that point, Christ walked with His own cross (until He couldn’t do it anymore) to Golgotha where He was to be crucified. Our next stop that we walked to was the Garden Tomb. There we talked about the Crucifixion and even more importantly the Resurrection. I learned that all of the pains of the atonement suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane were again administered while Christ was on the Cross as almost unimaginable as that is. After our discussion in the Garden Tomb there was time to bear testimony, and I definitely knew that I wanted to. This is what I wrote in my journal after this experience: “I was able to just bear testimony in the Garden Tomb. I basically just testified that I know that Christ is my Savior. As we’ve been walking the path that Christ took, the reality of the pain and suffering that He endured just got to me as I bore my testimony (I was crying again – don’t worry, this is not normal at all for me). But it was just confirmed to me that Christ did all that and suffered all that because He loves me and cares about my eternal salvation. I am so grateful for the opportunity that I’ve hd to come here to the Holy Land and learn more about my Savior and have my testimony strengthened. I think I can say that my resolve to do good and be a follower of Christ has never been higher. I love my Savior.” That night we had a closing fireside. We had 9 students speak about how they’ve grown closer to Christ or learned more about Him or something like that. The thing I loved most about this was that every single person did grow closer to Christ or learned more about Him, but what every person learned was completely different from everyone else. That just shows you the power of the Holy Ghost and how personal it is for each of us. This was probably one of the most spiritually uplifting days of the entire program.

Wednesday August 11 was our last day in Jerusalem, and we had it completely free. Jane, Jared, and I hit all of the major sites in the city. We started in Gethsemane,

then went to the Western Wall, then the Dome of the Rock, then the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and then the Garden Tomb. We also had some interspersed last-minute shopping in there. This day was great just because I was with my two best friends going to places that most people in the world would kill to see. I mean, they are the three most holy sites in Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. And I visited each of them in about an hour.

The Gummy Stand - Delicious!

The rest of the afternoon I finished packing, and that night we had a closing dinner and memories slide show. We also gave out paper-plate awards, and I got ‘Most Angelic Voice’. That made me happy because we have some great singers. :) That night I just stayed up and watched movies because we were leaving so early that it was pointless to try to sleep.

Thursday August 12 was the longest day (literally) of my entire life. We had breakfast at 2:00 am, left at 3:00 am from the Center, and our first plane to Vienna left at 7:00 am Israel time. To make it short, I traveled for 32 hours to get home, and I didn’t get home until 1:00 am Friday morning because a couple of our planes were delayed. It was a very long and exhausting day, and it felt good to be home and see my family.

These past couple of days I’ve just been trying to reorganize my life and see everyone I want to see. I thought I was ready to come home, but once I was home I was ready to go back. Friday afternoon it just hit me that it was all over. It happened SO fast, way too fast for my taste. I felt so alone because I was used to being surrounded by my 80 siblings. No one really knew how I was feeling, but they did. I miss my new family so much! Don’t get me wrong – I was completely ecstatic to see my family in SoJo, but I am just so close to those kids. Let’s just say that one good thing about school starting in a few weeks is that I’ll be able to see almost everyone again! This entire experience is something that I will remember and cherish my entire life. I can’t imagine how comparatively boring and unfulfilling my summer would have been if I didn’t go on this trip. This has completely changed me and my testimony for eternity. I have never been so fully immersed in the gospel and the spirit as I was in Jerusalem. I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for blessing me with this wonderful opportunity. It was much, much more than I deserved.

Since this is my last email, I just want to bear my testimony to you all and let you know that I know that Christ is my Savior. I know that He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane, took upon Him all the weight, sins, pain, anguish, grief, sickness, temptation of the world just so that He would know how to succor us and bless us with peace when we are going through our small, seemingly insignificant trials. I know that He endured hours and hours of pain because He loves us so much and wants to give us the chance to return to live with Him and our Father again. I know that if we will use the atonement – both its cleansing and enabling power – keep our covenants, and endure to the end, the dream of exaltation will become a reality. I know that the Holy Ghost is a true and powerful force in the world, and I know that He testifies of Christ and His mission. I know that our Father in Heaven knows each of us so personally that He even knows when seemingly bad things are the best things for us in the long run. He hears our prayers and is so willing and quick to reply if we have the faith and patience to listen. I know that Christ is my Advocate with Father, and He will argue my case until His lips turn blue because that’s how much He wants me to be with Him. I know that Christ lives, that He overcame death and sin, and that through Him we can be given all things. I testify to you all that these things are true, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Thanks everyone for keeping up with my journeys in the Holy Land. I hope that you have been uplifted and inspired by the things that I’ve shared with you. Keep the faith!