Thoughts from My Little Corner of the World

Thursday, May 16, 2013

A Quote...

From Elder Jeffrey R. Holland -- my favorite General Authority (even though we're probably not supposed to have favorites):

“I don’t know how it is for everybody, but I know that in my own life, salvation is not a cheap experience. No one is going to have rich, abundant experience for minimal effort. God’s opportunity is our extremity. I don’t want that to sound depressing, I don’t want to make it sound that it always has to be hard, because it doesn’t. It isn’t always hard. You know it isn’t always hard. And there are wonderful blessings. But I do believe that there is something in this walk of salvation--this quest--that says we have to pay something for that. When we come to know the Savior, it is when we’ve been out at least in the borderlands of Gethsemane. The road to salvation always goes through Gethsemane. And it will always require a journey to the summit of Calvary.”

“If we say we are Disciples of Christ, then we walk where He walked, we feel what He felt, we pray the way He prayed, and we shed the tears He shed—at least in some proportion. At least in some symbol. The invitation always is: Come, follow me. But what we have to be fully prepared for is that some of that journey will be into at least the borderlands of Gethsemane. At least somewhere in the shadow of Calvary. I do not know any other way that it can happen. My convictions and feelings for the Savior of the world have been born in the most desperate hours of my life. … Now it isn’t always like that, and it isn’t supposed to always be like that, and we’re a little self-pitying if we act like it’s always like that. But some parts of the discipleship require that walk. Basically, His walk.”

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Happy Mother's Day!

I am grateful for my Mom, Mark's Mom, my grandmothers, and the many wonderful women who have influenced my life and the lives of my family...relatives, friends, church leaders, teachers....the list goes on and on. I am grateful for sisters and sisters-in-law who are wonderful mothers and also wonderful friends. I am grateful for dear friends who are sharing this journey and offer each other support, encouragement, a place to vent, and a place to both celebrate and cry when needed. Most of all, though, I am grateful for the blessing of being a mother myself. I am forever grateful for the two precious daughters my Heavenly Father has entrusted to my care. It truly is the hardest job I've ever had, but I know it is also the most important work I will ever do. The baby, toddler, and childhood days are over and now I find myself the mother of two teenagers -- a soon-to-be missionary (almost 19!) and a 14 year old. More than ever I find myself drawing on the strength and help found in prayer as I try to navigate these waters. I am grateful for the help that is available to mothers through the gospel and programs of the Church.

My family made breakfast for me this morning...Nutella crescent rolls with fresh strawberries and raspberries. Simple but lovely and delicious. Brie even wrote a message on the plate! Mark gave a lovely talk in church about how his mother influenced his testimony. Dinner is being prepared now...steak, baked potatoes, and roasted asparagus with strawberry shortcake for dessert.

Yes, I am blessed. And very grateful.

Sister Alyssa Gisseman...

Friday was the eagerly awaited day...Alyssa's mission call arrived!! She had been hoping for a foreign mission, preferably Central or South America. I got the envelope out of the mailbox and waited not-so-patiently for her to get home. She was only about 5 minutes behind us. She was so excited to see the envelope and immediately said she thought it was a foreign mission because of the postage amount on the envelope ($1.92, which apparently is the postage amount for foreign mission calls?).

We gave her the choice of opening her call then or later in the evening and she said either was fine but Mark said open it now. I'm glad I wasn't the only one who was dying to find out where she would be going and when!! We quickly got family on every available phone line and the iPad (FaceTime and speakerphone...wonderful inventions!) and she opened her call. She was so excited to read that she will be serving in the San Pedro Sula West mission, a new mission that will be opening in July. She will go to the Mexico MTC on October 2. We are so excited and so proud of her. She is so excited about this new chapter in her life.

She will definitely not need any winter clothes for her mission, unlike her roommate who is going to Romania! She will be in a hot, humid climate with a long rainy season, so we need to find shoes for that kind of weather. Suggestions?

The rest of the evening was spent relaying the news to family, posting it on Facebook (including a video of her opening her call -- posted on both her FB page and mine), and looking up information about Honduras. We're going to find a Honduran restaurant in DC to try. One thing that worries me is that her mission is headquartered in the most dangerous city in the world...highest rate of violent crime in the world! Even the Peace Corps has pulled their volunteers out. But I know the Lord will protect her in the important work He has for her to do in Honduras.