Category: Church

My 18 month project

Hello, friend. Thanks for reading and checking on our family adventures. Some posts I write for myself, others are a history, and sometimes I write with just you (dear reader) in mind. What can I share that will help and lift you? Today I’m writing a religious post.

Sometimes the familiar can become almost invisible. About a year ago I realized that my religious study was not feeding me. The familiar words of scripture weren’t making a difference in my life. I needed something to help me focus.

I decided to journal what I learned about my Father in Heaven as I read The Book of Mormon. At first I kept a notebook at my side, but then I found that notes in the margins of the scriptures kept my mind focused on the words more effectively. I just wrote short statements about Heavenly Father’s interactions with his children based on the stories I was reading. It wasn’t difficult. I just asked myself over and over, “What does this passage tell me about my Heavenly Father?”

I didn’t use my regular set of scriptures. I used an old copy so I wouldn’t worry about taking up too much room in the margins with my notes. I did this for 18 months (I’m a slow study). What I now have is an old copy of the Book of Mormon filled with insights about my Father in Heaven. I learned so much and I am sure I could repeat the project and wonder why I didn’t see more.

I’m not going to make a list of what I learned, but perhaps if you feel that your study of scripture has become a little peripheral this may help you to focus. I found my Father in Heaven in the words and I felt his influence in my life more fully through the exercise. If God is unchanging, these miracles and principles from the Bible and The Book of Mormon should still occur today. As I searched for principles and practices, I found that my life was rich with blessings and my mind was opened to the miracles in my life. It was a simple way to feel the power and love of God.

Here is what a few of my pages look like. Sorry some pictures are blurry. I’m in a hurry today.

 

My presidency

I’ve been a Young Women president for almost 11 months. I’ve had a full schedule and great counselors and a spunky, awesome secretary to keep me in line.

Emily is my first counselor. She is a great leader for Paige and she is so dependable and cute. She loves Paige and that means a lot to me. Emily can do anything, all while holding a baby and chasing a toddler.

Here is Susan, who just happens to be married to Bishop B. She takes such good care of the Beehives and oh, do they love her. She hosts craft parties for holidays and the girls love to spend time with her. I do, too.

This is Jen, (Lucille’s niece) our secretary who has served with 4 presidents. She keeps me laughing and the girls love her. I do, too.

 

Here is Cindy, our camp director. She pretty much saved the day when she accepted the calling at the last minute and she did an incredible job.

I love the lessons from Jasmine and Liz. They are wonderful teachers because they live what they teach and they have a great relationship with the girls.

Serving in Young Women is a nice capstone for my Arizona experience. I’ve served in the Primary, Relief Society, Cub Scouts, and music in our ward. The Young Women organization is a new frontier for me and such a joy. Oh, how I love those girls and these ladies!

(I didn’t take any of these photos. Some are from Cindy; others are from Jen and one unknown. I took the profiles and Jasmine made them into silhouettes with Photoshop.)

 

More Girls Camp pics

I knew you were hoping for more Girls Camp shots. Photos by Cindy.

Here is our camp. It’s a Church camp on Mount Lemmon, which is named after a WO-MAN. Just so you know…

Here are a few of the girls by our banner. We were the Lucky Charms.

Paige arrived after the other girls because she was on her 4th year overnight hike and had spent the morning rappelling.

If I can’t be Maria von Trapp in a musical, then I will just have to pretend that I am at Girls Camp. It’s a magical place like that.

This is such a good group of girls!

Our camp is special because it has a piano. Paige accompanied our stake in our camp theme song. On Sunday, she played it again in Stake Conference while we all sang. The girls gave her big cheers during the week because she sounded great. 100+ girls cheering for you in a room that echoes makes you feel good, although a little headachy.

We had lots of scripture time, and that was nice.

This sweet girl was my buddy. Love her!

The hills are alive… with the sound of music!

Now, go climb every mountain.

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, good night.

I got to go to Girls Camp. I must have done something good… to deserve it.

 

Girls’ Camp: check.

Shamrock Headbands seemed like a good idea at the time... (Photo stolen from Emily's Facebook post.) 😉

Pioneer Trek and Girls’ Camp are finished. I am tired and there is dirt embedded in my nails, but it’s been a good few weeks with the youth.

The smell of an afternoon rain shower is so soothing. I feel relaxed and ready to take on the next hurdle: our move to Utah.

We’re leaving the desert after 7 years and these recent experiences with the youth don’t make it very easy to leave.

If I think, “Where will we be next month?” I just have a dark space which doesn’t include our house or our friends. It still doesn’t seem real, but as I take down our photos from the walls and we begin to fill in the trampoline hole in the back yard, I see that it is real and that our mark on this house is being carefully erased. I find myself growing less concerned about the house and more concerned about the impact we have made in our little community. I hope that we have made a difference.

Remembering

This was the Ross Pioneer Trek Family. Richard and I were Ma and Pa to 7 children, ages 14-18. We had a baby we carried made from a pillowcase and dry rice.

We worked hard and we were a great team. We worked to make our journey a reminder of the past and relevant to our current lives.

We grew close to each other and stayed with our family most of the time.

This was my last pull with my family. I got heat stroke and had to be taken away for medical help.

Richard carried on without me. He was much admired for his sacrifices on the trail.

I am so grateful that a photographer kept a record so I could see what happened after I left.

I like these photos of Richard. It’s my blog, so I can post as many as I like.

They went up this steep hill with a human chain to pull on either side of the handcarts.

This man helped me when I was ill.

At one point, I looked up and was amused to see this Amish-looking man kneeling beside me. He was a great help to me also and I smiled to think that our Brigham Young actor was also an experienced paramedic.

Although the Ross Pioneer Trek family was “orphaned” they were proud to have finished the trek first, and raced to the end. Richard was there to cheer them on.

Paige did a great job on Trek. She was strong and cheerful.

She was part of a different “family” but we watched her from a distance. She enjoyed carrying her family’s baby.

It was an experience not easily explained in words, but the memories are deep and our faith has increased. And I have a nifty bonnet to help me remember.

Photos by Mr. Zollinger and Kara Egbert

Dinner Theater

Rose, our Laurel president wrote a play for the youth to perform. She directed it, prepared the set, and put up tables and chairs for the dinner theater last night. It was Laurel awesomeness.

Lady Emerald, the maid, Professor Topaz (Paige), Mr. Onyx, Aunt Pearl, Mrs and Mr Ruby were the suspects in the whodunnit thriller, Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar.

Sherlock Holmes and Watson were on hand to solve the crime.

The lights went out…thunder rumbled… and someone stole the jewel cookie!

Sherlock accuses Auntie Pearl!


Oh, the drama.

Our new Beehive shouts, “Let’s hear it for Rose!”

The kids had a lot of fun. Daniel did the lights. Paige was a great bespectacled Professor Topaz. Everyone was a star.

Record

I’ve been looking through old photographs to find a picture of my friend’s son who passed away last Friday. I found him. There he was at a Primary activity in Austin back in 1997. The children were dressed in pajamas and I was telling the children “bedtime” stories. And there he was, a member of my Primary choir at the ward Christmas party, dressed as a shepherd. I will send these to his mother who is a dear friend.

I love photos. They help to reinforce the memories of dear friends and family. When I go to a party, you can find me in the corner looking through the family’s photo albums and scrapbooks. When people come to visit, I pull out the photos and hope to find a funny one from our past for them to take home. And when someone is having a hard time I try to find a photo that will cheer them.

I hope my small offering helps my friend. It’s a record that her son’s life lives in my memory, too.