Released and Baby Thoughts

Yesterday Trevor and I were released from our calling as teachers of the 7-8 year old primary class.

I'm usually sad when I get released and this time was no different. I love those little kids in our class and I've loved teaching them this year. It was great too to co-teach with Trevor and work side by side on our lessons. I feel like I learned so much from my time in primary, hopefully lessons I can apply when little guy is born.

That is why we were released. I requested it, actually, for the first time in my life, because I figured Primary wasn't the best place to bring a little newborn--so many cute kids there but also so many germs! I guess it's back to the adult class for me now. Gosh... I haven't really been in the adult class since my singles' ward days. Everything has changed since then! It'll be interesting to see how Come Follow Me works for adults.

I am so excited for the baby to come. A few weeks back, I had a goofy dream that he was born, and we were so so happy. And then we realized that my hospital bed was actually in a horse stall in a stable, and that my doctor had tricked me into giving birth in a stable like the Christmas story. :) Before that, the dream was awesome! I was disappointed when I woke up and realized how long it would be before I could hold baby in my arms.

Other times I get a little panicked, though. We still don't have a lot of baby things--no nursery set up, and lots to do to get ready. I need to get a move on that.  I managed to buy some essential baby items on black Friday, so we should have the basics at least, and one of the wonderful sisters in my ward gave me a lot of her baby stuff so we are at least somewhat prepared.

I found us a ridiculously cheap newborn photographer who will come to our house to take some pictures (I'm a fan of studio pictures, but Trevor isn't). Her example photos all seem to feature adorable nurseries that are perfectly decorated. My goal is to have something cute set up before she comes (and ideally before baby is here!)

Right now we are taking a birthing class. So far we've only had 1 session, but in that session I was amazed how much I learned about exactly how my body works and what labor is going to look like. This week our class is taking a tour of the birth center at the hospital--I have a feeling that will make things a lot more real. On Friday I'm also heading to the hospital to get pre-registered for baby's big day.

To sum up: I simultaneously cannot wait for baby to arrive, and am terrified thinking of everything I need to get ready by then. But mostly I am excited to meet him and see what he looks like. I'm curious to learn his personality. I hope I can be a good parent to him like my parents were to me.

Timing is Everything

At General Conference, Elder Brook D. Hales of the Seventy gave an awesome talk on answers to prayer. He said that "Sometimes our most earnest and worthy desires are not answered in the way we hope, but we find that God has greater blessings in store."

That really hit me. Sometimes when our prayers aren't answered right away, it's because God has a better plan for us than we are hoping for ourselves.

Lately I've been pondering the timing of Trevor and I finding each other. I'd expected to get married a lot younger than 30. I went to BYU anxiously hoping to be a "BYU success story" and find my eternal companion. (Also, to get my education!! Despite the common assumption about girls in my major, I was not there just to find a husband, but I did hope that it might happen along the way.) Four years went by... No husband. I remember spending my graduation ceremony with a friend of mine who experienced life the way I'd hoped I would--she had a crush on a cute boy during her freshman year, she wrote him faithfully during his mission, and when he got back, he finally asked her out. Soon they were married and tackling college life together. I remember at the end of our graduation, my friend and I went in search of our families. Her husband ran up to her to congratulate her, and she flung herself into his arms. There it was--my dream, playing out for someone else. Meanwhile I had yet to find a serious boyfriend.

But what I didn't know then, what I couldn't know, is that my dream guy was four and a half years younger than me. A month or so after I graduated from BYU, Trevor graduated from high school. We couldn't be together yet then. God knew that, and so He tried to counsel me to be patient and wait for the right guy and the right time.

I didn't understand. I was so impatient. Over and over I prayed to know what I could do to find my husband. I promised that I would do anything. Most of the time the answer I got back was, "Really? Anything?" "YES! Anything!" "Then... keep waiting!" AHHHH! I hated that answer so much.

All along though, God had a plan for me. He knows the end from the beginning. He knew that Trevor and I would meet one day and have our happily ever after, but it wasn't the right time just yet. Trevor had a mission to serve, and then a couple of degrees to finish. Trevor's aerospace program was pretty grueling. He didn't have much time to date while he was studying.

Within a week of him graduating, we were dating. The time was finally right. And he was worth every second of anxious waiting. I love him so much, and I'm so grateful that we are together.

I know there are many more challenges in life ahead. I'm hoping that I can remember this lesson--trust God's timing over my own. His plans are greater than ours, and He wants what is best for us. We have to trust that His vision is greater than our own.

What Happens at a Mormon Wedding?

My husband and I were married in the Salt Lake City temple. Weddings in our faith (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints--most people call us the Mormon church) usually take place in a temple, and only faithful members of our church attend. So there are a lot of questions out there about what our weddings are really like and what we are doing inside the temple.

Our wedding ceremonies are simple. They take place in what we call "sealing rooms" (below is a pic of a sealing room in another temple).

Guests are seated prior to the marriage. The bride and groom come in together and sit together on a small couch on one end of the room. The sealer (the man who officiates over the wedding ceremony) speaks to the couple for a few minutes--he will often share advice about marriage and remind the couple of the sacredness of the covenants that they will be making.

Then he calls the couple up to the altar in the middle of the room. The groom escorts his bride to the altar, and the couple kneel across from each other as they are married. The ceremony is simple, sweet, and sacred.  The couple promise God that they will honor and love each other completely, and that they will follow the teachings and example of Jesus Christ. Once the sealing is complete, the bride and groom kiss across the altar, and if they want to, they exchange rings. Some couples opt to exchange rings outside of the temple instead. Either way is fine since the ring exchange is not part of the temple sealing. We chose to exchange our rings in the sealing room.

Sealing rooms have mirrors hanging on the walls on either side of the altar.

One way that our weddings are unique is that we are not married until death do us part. We are married for "time and all eternity"--in other words, for the rest of our lives, and forever and forever in heaven after death. We consider our temple marriages to be eternal. These mirrors symbolize that eternal connection. Since they face each other, their reflections bounce off each other. When you stand together and look into the mirrors, you see your reflections repeating endlessly (see the pic above) into eternity. For me it was a powerful moment to look into those mirrors with Trevor after we were sealed.

After that, the bride and groom usually stand at the front of the room, and as the guests leave, each one has a chance to congratulate them personally (and usually to hug them too). They go outside to wait for the happy couple to emerge from the temple for further celebrations.

In the temple, we dress all in white. This symbolizes purity and that we are all equal before God. Because of this, grooms don't wear their tuxes for the sealing ceremony. It's up to women whether or not they want to wear their wedding dress, but if they do, it needs to be truly white--not ivory or off-white, and it needs to have long sleeves (I've heard that many temples have sleeve insets they can loan you if you have short sleeves). I decided to be married in my temple dress instead of my wedding dress, mostly because I'm a romantic I guess. I knew I'd only wear my wedding dress a couple times in my life, but I'd wear my temple dress often, and I thought it would make my temple dress more special to me if I wore it during my marriage ceremony.

All of that is to say, the happy couple don't emerge immediately from the temple. I changed into my wedding dress and fixed up my hair a bit. Trevor changed into his tux. When we were ready, we came out to greet our friends and family. That's when wedding pictures start in our faith--the moment the newlyweds exit the temple. As they come out, their friends and family are there to cheer and celebrate their new marriage.

Everyone waiting for us outside

You may have noticed that there is no aisle in the sealing room. There is no processional at the start of the service. Sometimes people will still designate bridesmaids and groomsmen, flower girls and ring bearers. But they don't participate in the wedding ceremony. Their main role (at least in my opinion!) is to dress to match the wedding party and to look good in all the pictures. Sometimes they will stand in the receiving line at the wedding reception. But there isn't much for them to do--the title of bridesmaid or groomsman is really just symbolic more than anything.

Since between the two of us, Trevor and I have 5 sisters, 2 brothers, 2 brothers-in-law, and a niece and nephew, we decided that our family would be our wedding party. :)

Missing from the pic--my sister-in-law Kimber.

Of course our parents dressed to match too. :)

Sealing rooms are often not very big, and so often only close friends and family are invited to the actual sealing ceremony. We were married in a sealing room that could only seat 45, and between our extended families, we had more than enough people to fill it up (although we did manage to get a few friends in there too! :).

So in our culture, most wedding guests are invited just to attend the wedding reception. When a bride and groom have families in separate states like Trevor and I, usually the groom's family will host an open house and the bride's family will have a reception, so people in both states can celebrate with us.

Our receptions and open houses are pretty laid back. The sealing is simple, and it is also the most important part of the wedding celebrations, since it is the actual wedding! Receptions and open houses are relatively simple too so as to not upstage the sealing. We kept ours really simple--basically just a chance for people to come say hello and congratulations, and grab a bite to eat while they were there. Some receptions are more elaborate. My sister Kristie had hers at a reception hall, so hers featured all the traditional dances--the first dance, the daddy daughter dance, whatever other dances there are. :) It's up to the bride and groom's taste of course, and I guess Trevor and I are just simple people. The biggest thing we did is cut our cake in front of everyone. We fed each other with forks and were sooooo careful not get cake on our clothes. We were teased a bit for not mashing it in each other's faces, but what can I say? That's not our style. :)

Recently our church released a great Youtube video that explains more about our wedding ceremonies. Here is it if you want to check it out:

I am grateful that through temple sealings, families can be together forever. I truly believe that families are central to God's plan for us in this life and in the life to come (heaven). I know that Jesus Christ's atoning sacrifice opens the way for us to return to live with God and to be with our families eternally. I am so grateful for Him and His love for all of us. I bear testimony of Him in His holy name, Jesus Christ, amen.

Fasting From Social Media

Every April and October, our church holds a General Conference where we hear from our Prophet, apostles, and other church leaders.

This year, the Prophet extended a challenge:

1. Go on a 10 day social media fast (and fast from other media that is not uplifting),
2. Read the Book of Mormon between now and the end of the year, and mark each verse that speaks of the Savior.
3. Establish a pattern of regular temple attendance.
4. Participate fully in Relief Society.

At first I was reluctant to do a social media fast, for a couple reasons. In an effort to curb my all too real social media addiction, I had Trevor change all my passwords so I can only get on when he's around. That alone has cut back my social media use quite a bit. Also, the Prophet extended the social media challenge to the teenagers this summer (only 7 days instead of 10) and at the time my husband challenged me to see if I could go 2 weeks instead of just 1. So my first thought was, wait, I already did this. Do I need to do it again?

But.... what came to my mind is the story of Naaman--he was sick with leprosy and came to Elisha to heal him. Elisha actually didn't even come to talk to him--his servant did. His servant told Naaman that he would be healed if he washed in the river Jordan 7 times, Naaman was a bit insulted. That seemed ridiculous to him I guess--he'd expected a big dramatic healing, and he certainly thought the . In his words (2 Kings 5):

"11 But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.

12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.

13 And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?"

I'd like to think I would do something big if President Nelson asked it. Pick everything up and move to Missouri? Join Zion's Camp? Live the Law of Consecration? I hope that I would do it.

It hit me that if I want to follow the prophet in the big things, I need to follow him in the little things too. This was a small thing that he asked for--a simple thing. I needed to act on it.

And it has blessed my life! In additional to social media, we were challenged to give up other media that is not uplifting. During conference, I was prompted that I needed to give up certain news sites and advice columns and general time wasting websites that I've been spending a lot of time on, things that have filled my internet time since I cut back on social media.

I hadn't realized how much those things were cluttering up my mind. Without stressing about the news going on every day, I could focus more on my life and my husband and the things that matter most. Without spending so much time on time sucking websites, I had more time to do other things. I read my scriptures more (okay, some of that was the Book of Mormon challenge), I did some family history, I spent more time on uplifting meaningful things and I felt closer to my Savior and my Heavenly Father.

It was a successful experiment! Trevor is hopeful that I'll give up social media altogether like he has. I'm not ready for that yet, but I think I need to continue to cut back--not just on social media but on the internet in general. There's more to life!

Memories

My grandmother wanted a representative from each family to speak at her funeral, so ultimately 3 grandchildren ended up speaking. I volunteered to speak for my family since I am the oldest... we are by default the tribute children.

Here's what I shared:

               I thought long and hard about what memories to share today about my grandma. It’s hard to pick because I have so many!

               My grandma always made me feel very loved. She was always happy to see me or hear from me. I knew I could tell her anything—she would patiently listen to my childish flights of fancy, and later to my dating woes or school stresses. My family lives in Colorado so we were farther away than the other grandchildren, but somehow Grandma always stayed in the loop on our lives. Whenever I talked to her she’d know exactly what was going on in my life and she’d ask about specific details of my latest adventures and struggles. I knew she cared about me because she remembered all the little details of my life.

               She was always patient with me, no matter what. I can’t remember her ever being mad or impatient with me. I remember when we came out to visit as kids, my sister and I would sleep in the room across from my grandparents’. We would often stay up late talking and giggling, but Grandma never complained or shushed us. She told us she was happy we were enjoying our sister time.

Grandma was selfless and she would bend over backwards to serve those around her. When I grew up, I moved out to Provo to go to school at BYU. My sophomore year I moved out of the dorms and into an apartment. I didn’t have a car, and neither did any of my roommates. I didn’t have a good way to go grocery shopping. Grandma and Grandpa came every week that first semester to take me to the grocery store. It was a big sacrifice of time—I think it was at least an hour round trip—but they did it to take care of me. Figuring out what groceries I needed was a learning curve—I was so slow at first! But they were always patient with me and never made me feel rushed, and they were always willing to give advice. Afterwards they would always treat me to Burger King, and where they would listen to all my stories of life at the Y. Their service made me feel so loved. When Christmas came, they drove me all the way to the airport, even with snowstorms pending.

One of my favorite memories of my time with my grandma happened last year in February. I flew out to Utah for one of my friend’s weddings, and I stayed with Grandma and Grandpa. That weekend Grandma and I spent a lot of quality time together, going out to eat, talking about life. I was happy that my friend was getting married, but I was also sad and worried that I was still single at 29. Grandma and I had some heart to heart discussions about how she still had hope that I would find someone. She was so encouraging…. Back then I told her I was going to give up on men and go buy a house and a dog. She always told me that I could have all 3. In the end, she was right! One of the last things she said to me was, “You did! You got your husband, your house, and your dog!”

When I got married last year, she was too sick to come to the wedding, but I was able to stop by her house and model my wedding dress for her. I felt her support and love that day even though she wasn’t physically with me.

When we got the news a couple weeks ago that Grandma was going into hospice, I hopped a plane the next day so I could come say goodbye. I think all of her kids and grandkids came to see her that day. My siblings and I got to visit with her for a few minutes. We started to leave her so she could get some rest, but she called us back so she could share some spiritual experiences she had in her life concerning death. She bore her testimony to us that there is life after death, and she promised us she would be okay after she was gone. That was so comforting to me, and it’s something I’ve thought about often since. She was the one dying, but she comforted us.

I love my grandma so much! I will miss her. But I am so grateful to know that families are forever, and I know that I will see her again. I look forward to that day.

Fall like an Olympian

Have you been watching the Olympics? Our favorite event is figure skating, but we've had fun watching as many as we can.

These people are literally the BEST in the world at what they do. It's amazing what feats their bodies are capable of.

But you know? Even Olympians aren't perfect.  Sometimes they don't land their jumps. Sometimes they fall. Even the best people in the world fall some times! And when they do... they have to get right back up and keep going. No time to mourn, no chance to take a breather and feel sorry for themselves. They've got to get right back up and finish their routine.  They can't be shaken by what just happened.

That is such a great parallel for life! As we fall and make mistakes, we shouldn't beat ourselves up. Even the best people (with the lone exception of the Savior Himself) fall sometimes. We should aim to fall like Olympians--pick ourselves up and keep going. Don't let the fall shake you into doubting yourself. You still got this!

Imperfection

I've always been a bit of a perfectionist, and life as an imperfect person in an imperfect world gets me down sometimes.

In the worst moments, I get into a sort of spiral. I get discouraged by my weaknesses and failings, and I get sad, and then I feel guilty that I am being a drag to the people around me because I'm sad. When it gets bad enough I just want to go crawl into my bed and pull the covers over my head and not speak to ANYONE, because I'll inevitably make mistakes and hurt people sometimes and disappoint people sometimes. The weight of that can be immobilizing.

But I'm learning to recognize where those feelings come from. Satan loves to poke at our weaknesses. He wants us to believe that we aren't good enough, that our weaknesses reflect our inherent worth, that we can never be better than we are, so why try?

The Savior doesn't work like that. The Savior will help to identify our weaknesses and ways we need to change. Then, He helps us make that change! He helps us see how to improve. Through the power of His atonement, He heals our imperfections and helps us become better than we are today.

Ether 12:27 tells us, "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

The Savior always brings us hope, never despair. He gives us a hand up and shows us a better way. His call is a call to action.

Satan likes to kick us while we are down. He wants to isolate us and cut us off from our loved ones. One of his tricks is to get us to freeze in our tracks, to stop us from doing the good that we can do.

Elder Holland gave a great talk about this last conference. I guess it's time for me to review it again!

I need to remember Paul's words too: "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

God of Miracles

Trevor and I are taking the church's Personal Finance course (part of the Self Reliance offerings) and we are loving it so far!

This week, we studied the principle of exercising faith in the Savior. (We begin each class by studying a gospel principle, and then we connect that principle to finances.) Part of our homework was to go home and study certain stories from the scriptures, including Daniel and the lion's den, and Elijah and the widow of Zarephath.

What struck me as I read these stories is how easily we mortals can be blinded by our own wisdom. God is all powerful. He created the world and it does His bidding. He knows the end from the beginning.

But sometimes, I think we forget that. Sometimes I find myself falling into the trap of not trusting His word, because I can't see how it will come true.

I look at the story of the widow of Zarephath. Her country was in famine. She only had enough food left to feed herself and her son one last time, and there was no hope of more food coming. She was prepared to cook one last meal, and then starve.

And then Elijah came to her. I don't think she knew him before this--but he came and asked her to feed him some bread. She told him of her desperate circumstances, but he told her--go and make him a little cake first, then feed herself and her son. If she would do this, her food supply would last her until the famine ended.

How much faith did it take for her to act on his word? But she did, and that little bit of food she had left miraculously never failed. She and her son survived the famine.

I look at her example and wonder, would I have her faith in that situation? Or would I rely on my senses and my past experience and say that of course, I couldn't do this. I hardly had enough food for one last meal and nothing he did would stretch it to make it last longer. If I lacked her faith... I wouldn't have received the life saving blessing she received.

I will never know what I would do in her place, but I can do my best to follow her example in my life. I can work on trusting the Lord, even if with my mortal eyes, I can't see a path before me that leads to the end He's promised. I am ashamed to look back and acknowledge that I lost faith in His promises to me that I would find the right man eventually and get married. It took so much longer for Trevor to appear than I expected that my faith faltered. But he did appear, and I would have been so much happier if I had just trusted in God's word all along. I need to remember that for my challenges in the future! I may not see the way to get through them, but God does, and if I rely on Him, He will lead me.

Our New Prophet

On January 2 this year, the prophet of our church, Thomas S. Monson, passed away.

He has served as the prophet for the last 10 years. Before that, he was in the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He's always been a church leader throughout my entire life, and I will miss him and his beautiful talks! But I know he is happy to be reunited with his sweet wife Frances. He has been physically suffering for quite a while now, and now he is at peace.

There have been 4 prophets in my life time. I don't really remember the first one, Pres. Ezra Taft Benson, who died when I was six. My main memory is my mom reading the newspaper about his death and showing me the article. I don't remember much about Pres. Howard W. Hunter either, except for one vivid memory of General Conference (a meeting held twice a year when the leaders of the church speak to all members across the world). I was still very young and not paying much attention, but my mom told me I needed to come listen when the prophet spoke. I remember sitting down and looking up at the screen to see him. (This was back when we had to go to the stake center to watch the broadcast!)

President Gordon B. Hinckley came next. He was the prophet from 1995 to 2008, from when I was about 8 to when I was 20. He was the prophet of my youth, and I mourned greatly when he passed. It took me a little while to accept that President Monson was now the prophet. But I remember when he was sustained in General Conference in April 2008, I received a powerful witness that he was the man God had called to lead our church. I am grateful for his service and his testimony over the last 10 years!

Today I watched his funeral with my family. The final speaker was President Russell M. Nelson, the man who will soon become our next prophet. (When a prophet dies, the most senior member of the Apostles--that is, the man that has been serving as an apostle the longest--becomes the next prophet.) As he spoke, I received a strong spiritual confirmation that he is now our prophet. I love President Nelson and I know he will do a wonderful job.

The work of the Lord always moves forward!

Carest Thou Not?

Trevor and I went to what is probably our last ever institute class last night (!!!). We were studying Mark 1-7. When we got to the story of the Lord calming the wind and the waves (Mark 4:37-41), Trevor raised his hand to share an insight that really hit me (and I think it hit several other people in the class, too!).

I wish I could say it as beautifully as he did... Essentially he asked how often we ask that question in our own lives. How often when we are in the midst of life's storms and waves, when we see no end to our problems or any way to get through them, how often then do we assume that God is asleep or that He doesn't care because He's not taking our problems away? "Carest thou not that we perish?" "Don't you care how much I'm hurting? Don't you see what I'm going through right now?"

But God always cares. Always. He is with us in our trials. Sometimes He calms the storm, and sometimes He calms His child--if we let Him. We can trust that He will not let us sink beneath our trials--instead, if we rely on Him, we can learn from them and come out stronger than ever.

Back to The Future Ball

Last night was the big YSA March Ball that I'm in charge of. This year, our theme was Back to the Future! It was awesome. People came dressed in formal attire from all sorts of time periods (it was a time travel formal, after all!). I went with a 1950s dress.

It was my first time wearing a petticoat and although that was weird at first, it turns out petticoats are fun, especially when you're spinning around. 10/10, don't recommend for daily wear but I may have to pull that thing out again sometime in the future.

My friend Talaina came up with some truly epic dance decorations. The dance floor was "Enchantment Under the Sea" themed--which, for non nerds, is the 1955 Homecoming Dance in the first movie. Basically, Marty McFly goes back in time and prevents his parents from falling in love. He has to get them together by the Enchantment Under the Sea dance where they started dancing in the original timeline, or else he will cease to exist.

The other half of the gym was our dining hall where we had a formal dinner beforehand. One half was dedicated to the wild west, where Marty journeys in Back to the Future 3, and the other half was decorated like 1985 (the home base time period in the movies.) There were round tables on either side... In between we had some rectangle tables set up as a buffer, decorated with flame tablecloths leading to our model Delorean (the photo booth for the evening). Because, you see, when the Delorean travels back in time, it always leaves behind flaming tire tracks. That table featured awesome centerpieces like a box of plutonium, and gloves to protect from toxic materials.

I may add more pics later. My friend Skye was the official photographer for the evening and she got some good pics of the night in action.

We had a live band during dinner and for the first hour and a half of the dance. Then my friend Christina was our DJ. The music was epic and the dance floor was packed! We worked hard to promote things this year, and we ended up with a great turnout--200ish, I think? We even had a lot of people come down from northern Colorado, because I'm working with the Denver YSAs on planning a regional conference this year and I asked them all to promote our ball to their wards.

One of my favorite moments--we had a line dancing workshop a few weeks ago for the Mingle. I was surprised how many people didn't know the basic line dances, since I grew up going to stake dances once every month as a teenager. People were a little self-conscious about learning at the time. But last night I saw those folks out on the floor line dancing just as happily as everyone else, and when new line dances came up that they didn't know, they waded out there and learned 'em. It made me very happy. :)

Heavenly Social Media

Today has been a hard day for me.

But twice today now in the midst of my sadness, I've gone on to Facebook and lo and behold, one of the Church pages has posted something that seems like it's just for me.

Some might say that's a coincidence. But I believe in tender mercies--the Lord reaches out to us in little ways to help carry us through life. I'm sure I'm not the only one who needed these messages today, but I did need them, and Heavenly Father made sure I checked Facebook at the right moments to see them.

What is Christmas?

Today I had the opportunity to speak to my singles congregation during our church service. Here's the text from my talk:

Merry Christmas brothers and sisters! My name is Shelece McAllister, and I’m from the Mount Herman ward. Today Brother Gardner asked me to speak on a talk by President Monson from 1998 called, “What is Christmas?”

In the modern era, the spirit of Christmas is sometimes hidden under the secular, materialistic version of the holiday. The true joy of Christmas doesn’t come from Santa Claus or the gifts under the tree. Instead, the true joy of Christmas comes from Jesus Christ. In President Monson’s words, “This joyful season brings to each of us a measure of happiness that corresponds to the degree in which we have turned our mind, feelings, and actions to the spirit of Christmas.”

What then is the spirit of Christmas? There’s something special about this season of the year. Hearts are turned to focus on the wonderful gift God gave us when He sent His only begotten son to Earth. As Christmas approaches, everyone seems to become kinder and more caring and more invested in their fellow men. President Monson explains it this way: “Of course, that which prompts such feelings is the spirit of Christmas, which illuminates the picture window of the soul, causing us to look out upon the world’s busy life and become more interested in people than in things. To catch the real meaning of the spirit of Christmas, we need only drop the last syllable, and it becomes the Spirit of Christ.”

How can we increase the spirit of Christ in our own lives, not only during this time of year but all year long? In his talk, President Monson shares 4 places where we can find the Spirit of Christmas—in children, in remembering, in giving, and in studying.

First—the spirit of Christmas can be found in children. President Monson shared a story of a visit he made to the Primary Children’s hospital during the Christmas season. He was a young elder at the time, and he was there to give the children priesthood blessings. It was his first time being in a children’s hospital, and it was hard for him to see the little ones suffering. In his words, “A feeling of sympathy welled up within me as I noticed these tiny children, many with legs or arms in large plaster casts. Some were ever so weak and pale.

A young lad called out to us, “Will you give me a blessing?” Of course the blessing was given. I shall ever remember placing my hands on the tousled head of that faithful boy who was desperately ill. As we left his side, he looked up into my eyes and said, “Thank you, Brother Monson.”

We walked away, only to hear him call out, “Oh, Brother Monson, merry Christmas to you.” I could scarcely see him for the tears in my eyes. He had that glow about him that comes only at Christmastime. That boy trusted in his Heavenly Father. He acknowledged the priesthood of God. His faith was unwavering. I felt I was on holy ground. What made the glow emanate from the presence of this faithful boy? It was the Christmas spirit.”

How can we apply this to ourselves in the singles ward? Though we are not children any longer, the scriptures tell us to “becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon [us], even as a child doth submit to his father.” The world is still new to little children. They know that their parents know more than they do, and they trust their parents to teach them and guide them. We too should remember that Heavenly Father knows more than we do, and He will guide us (if we let Him) to grow to become our best selves, the people He needs us to be. The trials we face will ultimately be for our good and even our glory.

Christmas isn’t always a happy time. It can be a time we mourn lost love ones or life circumstances that don’t match the Hallmark movies. But even in the midst of all this—if we look to Christ and seek to serve Him, we can find joy. We can be like that little boy in the hospital, still finding joy in life’s hard times.

Next, President Monson says that the spirit of Christmas can be found in remembering. He shares a journal entry from a pioneer woman, Rebecca Riter, written on 25 December 1847 as the Saints spent their first Christmas in the Salt Lake Valley. Rebecca wrote, “The winter was cold. Christmas came and the children were hungry. I had brought a peck of wheat across the plains and hid it under a pile of wood. I thought I would cook a handful of wheat for the baby. Then I thought how we would need wheat for seed in the spring, so I left it alone.”

This story breaks my heart. Can you imagine not even being able to feed your children on Christmas day? During this Christmas season, we must remember those who have come before us, and the trials and challenges they faced so that we could live our lives as we do today. My family had the chance to visit Salt Lake City a few weeks ago. Now it’s a beautiful city with central heating and many food pantries to feed the hungry. But it could never have become that without the sacrifices of the pioneers. We can’t let those sacrifices be forgotten.

And, we shouldn’t take for granted the blessings that we have now. I’ve never been in a destitute circumstance like Rebecca Riter where I didn’t have enough food, and I admit I eat my meals each day without stopping to think about what a great blessing it is to have enough to eat. Satan tries to distract us from the blessings that we do have by reminding us of the blessings we don’t have yet. Comparison is a thief of joy. The Christmas season, at the end of the year, is a wonderful time to pause and think about all that we have been blessed with.

Of course we must always remember the Lord and His great love for us, every day of the year and not just at the Christmas season. Even greater than the gift of His birth is the gift of His atonement. The Savior suffered for all of our sins, sorrows, and griefs. Because of His sacrifice, we can repent and be made clean, so that someday we might return to our Father in Heaven. Above all else, we must never take that gift for granted. Remembering the Savior and His sacrifice every day helps motivate us to follow in His footsteps and walk on the strait and narrow path.

President Monson also speaks about experiencing the Spirit of Christmas through giving. He isn’t speaking of the commercialized gift giving which sometimes takes over this holiday season. In fact, he quotes Ralph Waldo Emerson’s thoughts on the matter: “Rings and other jewels are not gifts, but apologies for gifts. The only [true] gift is a portion of thyself.”

How can we give of ourselves during the Christmas season? One way is by serving as Christ has served. This year, the Church put out a social media campaign called “Light the World.” Many of you have probably watched the videos they’ve created. These videos focus on showing us ways that we can serve as Jesus did. The works He did were miracles. Miracles still happen today through priesthood power—I bear testimony that that’s true. But more often, the ways we serve are more subtle—yet still very meaningful. We may not heal the blind, but we can read to someone with failing eyesight or donate eyeglasses to a charity. We may not feed 5,000 with five loaves and two fishes, but we can feed the hungry by volunteering at a soup kitchen, donating canned goods, or even by signing up to feed the missionaries.

President David O. McKay has said: “True happiness comes only by making others happy—the practical application of the Savior’s doctrine of losing one’s life to gain it. In short, the Christmas spirit is the Christ spirit, that makes our hearts glow in brotherly love and friendship and prompts us to kind deeds of service.”

Finally, President Monson talks about feeling the Spirit of Christmas through studying fulfilled prophecy. From the days of Adam and Eve, God taught His children to look forward to Christ’s birth and atoning sacrifice. The Bible and the Book of Mormon are filled with prophecies of the coming Messiah. Isaiah, more than 700 years before the birth of Christ, prophesied, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

On the American continent, King Benjamin said: “For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent … shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay. … He shall suffer temptations, and pain. … And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary.”

And yet despite all the prophecies—many doubted. We see over and over again that believers were mocked for believing in a coming Savior.

Five years before Christ’s birth, a prophet named Samuel prophesied to the people in the American continent that the Savior would be born in 5 years, and that there would be “a sign at the time of his coming; for behold, there shall be great lights in heaven, insomuch that in the night before he cometh there shall be no darkness, insomuch that it shall appear unto man as if it was day” (Helaman 14:3). He said this sign would occur “the night before [the Lord] is born” (Helaman 14:4). In addition to prophesying of a night without darkness, Samuel told them to watch for “a new star … , such an one as ye never have beheld” (Helaman 14:5).

Five years passed. “But there were some who began to say that the time was past for the words to be fulfilled, which were spoken by Samuel, the Lamanite.” The unbelievers set a deadline for the sign to appear—and if it did not, on that day they would kill all of the believers.

I’m sure this was a terrifying time for them. They believed in God and His promises, but they feared their pending execution. The prophet Nephi prayed mightily on behalf of their people. And the voice of the Lord came unto Nephi, saying, “Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfil all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets.”

And then came the night when the shepherds were abiding in their fields and an angel appeared bearing good tidings of great joy. “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” In the Americas, Samuel’s promised signs did appear—and the believers were spared.

Christ’s birth, life, atonement, and resurrection show us that God always keeps His promises. In the end, things are always made right.

In our lives now, we are in the decade of decision. As we seek to build our lives, sometimes promised blessings are delayed. Sometimes they even seem impossible. But we must not lose faith. Just as the Father fulfilled His promise to send His only Begotten son, so He will fulfill every promise He has made to us. We need only be faithful and trust in His timing.

Brothers and sisters, I hope you all have a wonderful and merry Christmas today. May we all keep the spirit of Christ with us not just during the Christmas season but all year long. I’d like to close with my testimony. I know that Heavenly Father sent His Son to us. I know that Jesus lives, and because of His Atonement, we can become clean and forgiven for all our sins. Because of Him, we can return to live with the Father someday. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Jason is home!

Jason is home!!!

He came back home last Monday. Today in church he gave his homecoming talk. I am so proud of him. He's grown and matured so much over the last two years, especially spiritually. We've had some great deep talks on gospel topics since he got home.

It feels so great to have our whole family reunited again.

Our extended family came to Jason's homecoming talk, and of course for dinner after.

It's not for very long. In 5-6 weeks or so, Kristie and Jason head back to Provo for another semester at BYU. They're both tentatively planning on staying there for Spring/Summer, so this could be the last time all 6 of us live together.

Of course, didn't I say that about the summer before Jason left on his mission? I guess you never know what the future holds.

And no matter what it holds... we'll make sure family is always a priority for us. We'll find a way to stay close, no matter what. That's what families do.

Kristie is home!!!

Last night we picked Kristie up from the airport! :)

For the last eighteen months, she's been serving a mission for our church in Finland. We were able to email her once a week, and we Skyped on Christmas and Mother's Day, but that's all the contact we've had with her.

I am so proud of Kristie and her desire to serve. :) For the entire eighteen months, she dedicated her life to serving the Lord--to serving His children (seriously, if you ever need help with yard work or help around the house-call the Mormon missionaries and they will help you out!), to studying His word, and to teaching. For the last 4 months, she's been serving as a Sister Training Leader, which means she worked closely with her Mission President and his wife to assist in all the affairs of the mission.

She's grown so much while she's been away. :) When she left, she was a college freshman and definitely still my baby sister. Now she's a grown up adult woman who can drive in Finnish traffic and bake tons of delicious Finnish stuff. I'm so happy to have her back. I wondered if it would feel a little weird at first, but instead it feels like life is closer to normal with her around. :) Now if we can just get my brother back from his mission in Mexico (he's there until November) our family will finally be together again! Only 52 days left. (Yes, I am counting down. :)

I'm grateful to have awesome siblings that have always been best friends. I hope we stay like that for forever.

Today, in celebration of Kristie's return, the two of us went to get mani-pedis. I'd never had a pedicure before, she'd never had a manicure. It turns out it was really fun. I managed to mess up my manicure in like 5 minutes, but the pedicure lasted great. We may have to go back again!

The picture's a little shaky because apparently massage chairs make it hard to snap a pic! Pro tip. :) Also pro tip: TURN THE CHAIR OFF when they are trying to paint your toes. It took me a minute to realize that.

Week of Craziness

I think it's funny I had these grand plans to relive my Europe trip here in my blog, and I only got as far as describing the plane ride over. >< Haha, well, expect more to come out in bits and pieces now and then. There have been times I haven't let myself journal/blog about more recent things until I got caught up in writing about past stuff I wanted to record.... but when I do that, the list of things I need to write just gets longer and longer and I fall so far behind that it becomes impossible to catch up. So, this time I'll just keep blogging as usual, and every once in a while when the mood strikes me, I'll write about Europe. :)

This last week was crazy busy for me. I woke up at 3 am on Monday to head out on a business trip to Jacksonville, Florida. Unfortunately I was flying Delta, and their systems went down worldwide. I made my first flight okay, but I got stuck in Atlanta for 7 hours. They tried to switch me to another flight going out the next morning, but instead I canceled the second leg of the flight and took a Southwest plane the rest of the way.

The conference lasted for 4 days. It was great connecting with my coworkers--both members of Senior Staff were there, and I got to meet Kevin, a BYU Professor we've hired as a Local Evaluator, in person for the first time. It's always good to meet other grantees too, and I met our Federal Project Specialist in person too.

It was kind of funny--at each table during the conference, they provided Play-doh, crayons, and pipe cleaners for us to play with to help us stay focused. I had a lot of fun with those things--sometime when I'm in charge of a conference, I will copy them.

I came home on Thursday night, arriving home at midnight.

At 3 pm the next day, I headed to the church to set up for the One in Christ YSA Conference, my committee's biggest event of the year. I was there until about midnight that night--we had dinner (Brazilian, in honor of the Olympics--we tied that in to our unity theme because they are about international unity!), a wonderful fireside, and a dance. The fireside was presented by Brother and Sister Chatelain, the new seminary teacher and his wife. When they were married about a year, Brother Chatelain had an accident that has left him as a quadriplegic ever since. He was very open in talking about what a challenge that was and still is. Although his life hasn't played out as he hoped, he sees the Lord's hand in it, and it's still good and worthwhile. He shared some of the lessons he's learned from the experience. It was wonderful, and I think it helped all of us put our own problems into perspective.

The next day I was up at 6:30 to get ready and head over to the Evergreen cemetery in town. We did a BillionGraves service project--taking pictures of tombstones for their website, for later transcription, so people around the world can find their family members who are buried there. We had a decent turnout--30-40 people for that part--and I think we did over 2,000 names, although most of the pictures we submitted are still being processed, so I'm not sure. After that, we headed to a nearby park for a picnic lunch. Then back to the church for 3 hours of workshops, an awesome closing fireside by President Brock and Sister Brock of the temple presidency, another dinner, and international unity games (because Olympics is copyrighted. :) We had a better turnout for that part.

I think people had fun. I know of a couple that hadn't been to YSA stuff before who appeared at the YSA wards on Sunday. Another guy mentioned to me that before the YSA conference, he felt like he didn't know anyone, but afterwards, he felt like he'd met everyone. :) I think we did get some unity going and some new friendships formed. I'm calling it a success. And I'm a little relieved it's off my back until next year. ;)

Anyway, so that's what I've been up to of late. It made it hard to find time to blog. :) One of these days, though, I do want to go through all my Europe pictures and try to recapture that experience.

The Choice

In our church, we have a lay ministry. That means that we don't have paid clergy--instead, we all take turns doing the jobs needed to keep the church running. As part of this, each Sunday members of the congregation take turns speaking in our sacrament meeting. This week, I was one of the speakers. Below is the text from my talk.

Good afternoon brothers and sisters. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Shelece McAllister. Today the Bishop has asked me to speak to you on a great talk by President Boyd K. Packer called “The Choice.” Though President Packer gave this talk in 1980, he was speaking to those of us in 2016 as well. He noted that, “a careful account is kept of these proceedings, and through that record I hope to speak to those who are not yet born.” That’s us, guys.

President Packer opened his talk by saying, “I fear that when I have given this counsel, some will say, ‘Well, I knew that already,’ and regard it as prosaic, unimaginative, even dull. For what I want to say is so ordinary, so commonplace, that it is very difficult to have it universally regarded as important.” 

What does it mean to be successful in life? The world defines it differently than we do. If you listen to the media’s idea of what earthly success looks like, it’s easy to believe that success comes from two things: wealth and fame. A lot of people spend their whole lives chasing after these two outcomes. But in the end, neither one of these things has anything to do with happiness. It’s possible to be rich and famous and completely miserable. It’s possible to be poor and completely unknown and still be completely happy.

In President Packer’s words, “It is the misapprehension of most people that if you are good, really good, at what you do, you will eventually be both widely known and well compensated… I want you, our children, to know this truth: You need not be either rich or hold high position to be completely successful and truly happy. In fact, if these things come to you, and they may, true success must be achieved in spite of them, not because of them.”

The truth is, true success in life has nothing to do with fame or fortune. We’re not here on earth to seek money or the praise of others. We are here to be tested and tried, to grow to become more like our Father in Heaven. President Packer describes it this way, “the choice of life is not between fame and obscurity, nor is the choice between wealth and poverty. The choice is between good and evil, and that is a very different matter indeed.”

We first faced the challenge of choosing between good and evil before we were born here on earth. Heavenly Father created our spirits, and we lived with Him as His spirit children, learning and growing in His presence. But we were not like our Heavenly Father, nor could we become like Him and enjoy all the blessings that He enjoys without the experience of living in mortality with a physical body.

So Heavenly Father presented to us His Plan of Salvation. We would be born here on earth, without memories of our life before with Him. Here we would gain bodies and experience that would help us become like Him. During our lives, we would make mistakes. We would sin. But our Savior, Jesus Christ, would live a perfect life so that He could accomplish His Atonement—He would suffer for all of our sins, all of our pains, griefs, and sorrows—and through Him, we could become clean again so we could return to the presence of the Father.

But our brother Lucifer rebelled and did not accept Father’s plan. He wanted to force all of us to do his will, rather than allowing us our precious gift of agency—the right to choose for ourselves whether to do right, or whether to do wrong. Lucifer fell and became Satan.

We were faced with a choice—to choose the plan Father had for us, or to listen to Satan and follow him. A third of the host of heaven chose to follow Satan. But we—and every single person who has ever lived or will live on this Earth—chose to follow Heavenly Father instead. We chose good over evil.

The challenge of mortality is to keep choosing good over evil. President Packer said, “Our lives are made up of thousands of everyday choices. Over the years these little choices will be bundled together and show clearly what we value. The crucial test of life, I repeat, does not center in the choice between fame and obscurity, nor between wealth and poverty. The greatest decision of life is between good and evil.” End quote. Heavenly Father has provided us with many gifts to help us make right choices. Everyone is born with the Light of Christ, which allows us to distinguish right from wrong. After we are baptized, we have the opportunity to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost—his constant companionship helps us know what we should do. In D&C 11:12, the Savior counsels us, “put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good—yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit.”

Heavenly Father also sent His son, Jesus Christ, to live a perfect life. If we look to His life as an example, we can come to understand what Heavenly Father wants us to do.

Satan tries to distract us and to dissuade us from doing what’s right. One lie that he tells us is that the conditions of this test are unfair. He may tempt us to compare our lives to those around us—to people who are more successful by worldly standards, perhaps, or to people who aren’t facing the same trials that we are facing.

We must remember Isaiah 55:9, where the Lord says, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Although sometimes it may appear that the trials we face are unfair, remember that our mortal view is limited, and we don’t understand the full picture.

For example, in the world, it may seem that those who are rich and famous are more successful than those who are impoverished and obscure. But in the New Testament, the Savior counseled that “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:24). That isn’t to say that it’s impossible for someone to be rich or famous or both and still live a righteous life. But it helps us understand that people who are wealthy or famous are not at an increased advantage spiritually. In fact, they may have a more difficult time turning to the Lord than those who are in more humble circumstances.

President Packer describes our challenges this way: “Some are tested by poor health, some by a body that is deformed or homely. Others are tested by handsome and healthy bodies; some by the passion of youth; others by the erosions of age. Some suffer disappointment in marriage, family problems; others live in poverty and obscurity. Some (perhaps this is the hardest test) find ease and luxury. All are part of the test, and there is more equality in this testing than sometimes we suspect."

That last line especially touches me—“there is more equality in this testing than sometimes we suspect.” I think most of us have experienced a time when we’ve seen a loved one suffer, through no fault of their own. Most of us have gone through a time when we ourselves have suffered. It’s easy to think, “Why me?” or to lament that it isn’t fair that you have to go through this.

But President Packer’s counsel reminds me—life is more fair than we think. With our limited mortal perspective, we cannot fully comprehend the trials that anyone else is going through. Don’t compare your trials to someone else’s. Just trust Heavenly Father that through the trials you pass through, you are growing to become more like him.

Sometimes it is easy to be discouraged in our life choices. We look around us, and sometimes we see people making poor choices who seem to be better off than we are, even though we are trying to do what is right. President Uchtdorf shared a powerful story from a time in his life that he felt this way. He said:

 “Every one of us is called to wait in our own way. We wait for answers to prayers. We wait for things which at the time may appear so right and so good to us that we can’t possibly imagine why Heavenly Father would delay the answer.

I remember when I was preparing to be trained as a fighter pilot. We spent a great deal of our preliminary military training in physical exercise. I’m still not exactly sure why endless running was considered such an essential preparatory part of becoming a pilot. Nevertheless, we ran and we ran and we ran some more.

As I was running I began to notice something that, frankly, troubled me. Time and again I was being passed by men who smoked, drank, and did all manner of things that were contrary to the gospel and, in particular, to the Word of Wisdom.

I remember thinking, “Wait a minute! Aren’t I supposed to be able to run and not be weary?” But I was weary, and I was overtaken by people who were definitely not following the Word of Wisdom. I confess, it troubled me at the time. I asked myself, was the promise true or was it not?

The answer didn’t come immediately. But eventually I learned that God’s promises are not always fulfilled as quickly as or in the way we might hope; they come according to His timing and in His ways. Years later I could see clear evidence of the temporal blessings that come to those who obey the Word of Wisdom—in addition to the spiritual blessings that come immediately from obedience to any of God’s laws. Looking back, I know for sure that the promises of the Lord, if perhaps not always swift, are always certain.” 

In closing, I want to share President Packer’s take home message from his talk:  “What, then, do we want you to do? Simply this: Be good! Study the gospel. Live it! Stay active in the Church. Receive the ordinances. Keep your covenants.”

I want to bear my testimony that the commandments Heavenly Father gives us are for our own good. Even when we don’t understand His counsel, we can trust that He knows better than we do. The scriptures often tell us to become humble like little children. Little children are so humble! They know that they don't know very much yet. That's why they ask so many questions--and they trust that their parents know better than they do. We are adults here in mortality, but we need to remember that we're still little children compared to Heavenly Father. He knows better than we do, and we need to trust Him. If we obey Him, we will be blessed.

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Air Force Academy LDS Baccalaureate Service

Today was an amazing day. Shauna, Lori, and I got to be a small part of history, when we attended the first Air Force Academy LDS Baccalaureate Service, held in the Chapel at the Academy.

Elder David A. Bednar (one of the 12 Apostles in our church) was the main speaker. This morning, he came to sacrament meeting with all 3 YSA wards in the Springs (a combined meeting). He and his wife both spoke to us.

Sister Bednar spoke first. She talked a lot about the importance of keeping the Sabbath day holy. She reminded us of Jesus speaking to His disciples outside the Garden of Gethsemane, "Could ye not watch with me one hour?" Are we making Him a priority on the Sabbath day? She shared a great quote from Elder Mark E. Petersen, a former Apostle who has passed away: "Our observance or nonobservance of the Sabbath is an unerring measure of our attitude toward the Lord personally and toward his suffering in Gethsemane, his death on the cross, and his resurrection from the dead. It is a sign of whether we are Christians in very deed, or whether our conversion is so shallow that commemoration of his atoning sacrifice means little or nothing to us."

Elder Bednar directed most of his talk to a brand new convert from the Cheyenne Mountain YSA Ward who got confirmed today. He talked a lot about the importance of ordinances, like he did in his last conference talk. He said SO MANY amazing things, but here are a few highlights from my notes:

• We must be baptized both by water and by fire. Baptism by fire is not a one time thing--it is an ongoing process throughout our entire life.
• If we want to know the most important things Jesus taught, we should study the 4 gospels--specifically what comes after Jesus says, "My time is at hand." Essentially He was saying that He was about to die, and of course you share your most important messages right before you die. Elder Bednar challenged us to make a list of Jesus's teachings after that point, and also after He comes to visit the Nephites in 3 Nephi. He said we should compare the lists after and notice when things were taught in a particular order. In both cases, the first thing taught was about the importance of ordinances and proper authority (the sacrament in the New Testament, and proper authority and baptism in 3 Nephi).
• You can't come to know Christ without ordinances.
• The gospel is very simple--and that is evidence that it comes from God, because things created by human minds tend to be very complex.
• He reminded us of the scripture D&C 84:20-"Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest."
• Part of the power of godliness is the Atonement. He reminds us that in Nephi's vision of the tree of life, the tree represents Christ and the fruit on the tree represents the love of God. He said that God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son--the fruit on the tree also represents the blessings of the Atonement.
• Ordinances aren't rituals, but doorways.
• Once we covenant to take Christ's name upon us at baptism, our agency becomes representative. In other words, we should do Christ's will, not our own, and when we decide to break our covenants--to stop paying tithing or to break the word of wisdom--that's not just exercising our agency, it's denying our responsibility. It's very serious.
• The priesthood is not male. The priesthood is the authority of God. He made the analogy (I think he said he got it from Elder Oaks?) that the priesthood is an umbrella. Everyone who stands underneath it receives its blessings--it is for everyone. For some reason, in this life, men are called to hold the umbrella. They hold the umbrella, but they are not the umbrella! He doesn't like it when people say, "We'd like to thank the Aaronic Priesthood for blessing and passing the sacrament." The Aaronic priesthood didn't bless and pass, the boys holding the Aaronic priesthood did. We have to be careful with wording things that way, because then people start to think that men are the priesthood.
• Don't overshoot the mark. You don't need to go fast for 30 days ("That's not fasting. Actually, you'll die.") Just fast one Sunday a month as we've been counseled for 30 months (in other words, on a continuous basis). You don't need to read the Book of Mormon in 5 days--read it every day consistently for 5 years. Remember the principle of line upon line, precept upon precept. Often we believe that principle but somehow we don't think it applies to our own lives.
• When he was president of BYU-Idaho, they held question and answer sessions with students. One girl said she was discouraged because she was nothing like Sister Hinckley (the wife of the prophet, at that time). He said, "How old are you?" "Twenty." "Well, Sister Hinckley is 90. She should be 70 years ahead of you." Don't make those kinds of comparisons that get you down on yourself!
• Finally--we hear so much that we are a chosen generation, saved for the last days. He said, essentially, if we've saved for the last days, don't murmur about the challenges that we face in our day! If we've saved for the last days, we have a lot of work to do!

He also said that yesterday, he met with several cadets, and he asked them what they needed to hear at their baccalaureate service. One asked about leadership. Elder Bednar called up a man from the stand that I didn't recognize, someone he'd greeted enthusiastically before the meeting. His name was Ted Parsons--he was the first cadet to leave the Air Force Academy on a mission, and then get readmitted. He was a pioneer that opened the pathway for future missionaries to serve both the Lord and their country. At the Baccalaureate service, we heard a little more of President Parsons' story (he's a stake president now). The Academy told him they would not let him back in if he served a mission, but when he reapplied, they realized he was 10th in his class at the Academy, 6'7", and a great basketball player. They let him back, and he graduated number 1 in his class. Basically, he was a talented individual that I think was sent to the Academy at that time to open up missionary work for future cadets.

Elder Bednar said he doesn't usually do this, but he had all the returned missionary cadets stand up. That was a very powerful moment, looking out and seeing that President Parsons' decision as a young man had lead to this--to so many missionaries after him being able to leave the Academy for their missions. When President Parsons made his decision to serve, I don't think he realized the long term repercussions. It was very inspiring. Elder Bednar called President Parsons up to speak to us for a few minutes. He bore a very powerful testimony that if we do what the Lord wants us to do, everything else would work out.

Elder Bednar blessed us to never forget what we saw, felt, and learned about leadership from President Parsons' example.

So, that was sacrament meeting. Later in the afternoon, we went to the Baccalaureate Service. The Chapel on the Academy is gorgeous. Here's a few pics.

Elder Bednar's talk there was, of course, geared specifically to the graduating seniors. Some of the highlights:

• Memorial Day weekend--we are celebrate those who gave everything for the blessings we now enjoy, including freedom of religion.
• As we take a step into the dark, our pathway will be illuminated for our next step, and then our next.
• "With faith, everything will work out."-President Hinckley
• When Elder Bednar was president of Ricks, President Hinckley called him to say, "I've been thinking..." The prophet told him they needed to convert Ricks from a 2 year college into a 4 year university, which they would call Brigham Young University-Idaho. Elder Bednar said yes of course, what should he do? "Make it happen." He was basically on his own to figure it out. But he did. It only took 4 years--a miracle. God guided his steps, line upon line.
• There is always help from heaven. Exercise faith in Christ and trust His promises and everything will work out. If your lives and faith are centered on Christ, nothing can go permanently wrong.
• The basic test of life is: when you don't know what to do, how do you figure it out?
• Look to Nephi when he was building the ship. He'd probably never even seen a ship before. He turned to the Lord for instruction and guidance, and he built the ship.
• The US Department of Labor (I think?) predicts that today's grads (not military grads, of course) will hold 10-16 jobs by age 38. By then we'll need skills that don't exist yet. When Elder Bednar started teaching, there was no internet. Now people our age can barely remember life before the internet. Things will continue to change at a rapid clip. In another 25 years, they will be very different.
• The blessings of the Atonement are tangible, not abstract.
• Captain Moroni became Captain at 25, close to these graduating cadets' age. He's the kind of man they should strive to be.
• Do all you can do, and God will increase your capacity.

He blessed the cadets that D&C 6 "Look unto me in every thought, doubt not, fear not" would become more than words on a page to them--they will be embedded in their souls.

And he says he'll probably see them in his travels in the future, and they should come up and give him a hug (even if someone tries to stop them!) and tell him they were at the first LDS Baccalauraeate service at the Academy. :)

It was an amazing Sunday! And then Shauna and I finished off strong by going to Granny's for a Memorial Day family dessert night. Karl and Melanie and their kids were there, and Natalie, Marcia, Jared, and Summer.