For the most part it was a pretty relaxing day. We did our annual fondue night, which the girls love.
Leading up to it, I put hearts on everyone's door each night with why I love them written on the hearts.
Here's her talk. She wrote it 100% herself:
Hello, and good morning brothers and sisters. Today I have been asked to speak about how the gospel brings me joy. My seminary teacher told us that the gospel prepares you for life because it forces you to practice public speaking. While I am not feeling that joy right now as I am speaking in front of so many people, I do find joy that hopefully I won't ever have to speak in front of so many ever again.
One part of the gospel that brings me joy is that I know that I have a purpose. There are many people I know that do not know why they are here and believe that there is no purpose in life. I have watched them struggle with their identity. I love that Heavenly Father has a divine purpose for us and that he knows what he wants us to become. In the Young Women’s theme, it says, quote, “I am a beloved daughter of Heavenly Parents, with a divine nature and eternal destiny. As a disciple of Jesus Christ, I strive to become like Him. I seek and act upon personal revelation and minister to others in his holy name. I will stand as a witness of God at all times, and in all things, and in all places. As I strive to qualify for exaltation, I cherish the gift of repentance and seek to improve each day. WIth faith, I will strengthen my home and family, make and keep sacred covenants, and receive the ordinances and blessings of the holy temple.” unquote. This young women's theme outlines our purpose. This theme tells us that we came from heavenly parents, what we need to do while on Earth, and what our end goal is. Because of this theme, we learn that while on Earth we need to stand as a witness of God, make covenants, and go to the temple, so that we can ultimately return to Heavenly Father. I have been able to find joy by following what Heavenly Father wants me to do. Because I know that I have a purpose, my life has been more joyful. I know that there is a life after death, and I know the steps to be able to make it back to Heavenly Father. One of my favorite scriptures is Moses 1:39, which reads, “this is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” I love this verse because it clearly outlines God’s plan for us. He loves us and wants us to return to him so that we can have immortality and eternal life. I know that we can return to live with Him again if we follow His commandments. This knowledge brings incredible joy to my life. I know that Heavenly Father wants me to return to Him and I will always have His support. I know that I do not have to wander through life, not knowing what I am meant to do, and this fact brings me so much joy. I am joyful knowing that I am supported. I am joyful knowing that I have a purpose. I am joyful knowing that I am loved. One of the many ways to return back to Heavenly Father and fulfill my purpose is by repenting. In President Nelson’s talk entitled, “We Can Do Better and Be Better,” he says, quote, “Nothing is more liberating, more ennobling, or more crucial to our individual progression than is a regular, daily focus on repentance. Repentance is not an event; it is a process.” End quote. I have found in my life that repentance is beautiful. I have been strengthened and liberated from sin because of repentance. When I take advantage of this incredible gift, I have been blessed. However, this does not mean that repentance is easy or a one-time event. Instead, I often find it to be a process. I have to continually repent, day after day, to be able to improve myself. President Nelson has promised us that if “we choose to grow spiritually” we will “receive joy—the joy of redemption in Him.” I have seen this joy in my life. When I repent, I know that I am choosing Christ and not the world, so that I can ultimately be redeemed by Him and return back to Heavenly Father. Another part of the gospel that has brought me joy is understanding that I can receive guidance and direction from God.
The world can sometimes feel overwhelming and confusing. There are so many decisions that need to be made, and some often feel enormous. Despite these feelings, I have been able to find joy in the gospel because I know that Heavenly Father will help me make decisions. This year in Come Follow Me, I have loved reading the Book of Mormon. One of my favorite stories is about the Liahona. When Lehi discovers the Liahona, he observes that it was a “round ball of curious workmanship: and it was of fine brass. And within the ball were two spindles: and the one pointed the way wither we should go into the wilderness (1 Nephi 16:10).” Although we are not living in the wilderness like Lehi’s family, we can still receive direction from God. Often in my life I find myself feeling lost because I do not know what I need to be doing in my life. Sometimes I feel as if I am wandering through the wilderness with no one to guide me. Despite these feelings, I know that I can receive guidance and direction from Heavenly Father. Just like Nephi, we can all be guided through our own individual wilderness. Understanding that I can be guided through my personal wilderness brings me so much joy. President Thomas S. Monson declared, “the same Lord who provided a Liahona for Lehi provides for you and for me today a rare and valuable gift to give direction to our lives, to mark the hazards to our safety, and to chart the way, even safe passage-not to a promised land, but to our heavenly home. The gift to which I refer is known as your patriarchal blessing.” I was recently blessed with the opportunity to receive my patriarchal blessing. My blessing has given me immense peace and joy. My blessing does not lay out every detail of my life, but it has been able to help guide me through life and understand my purpose a little better. I am overcome with joy that Heavenly Father wants to give us our own personal revelation so that we can be guided here on Earth. We do not need to make decisions on our own.
In closing, I would like to bear my testimony that I know that the gospel can bring us joy. I know that Heavenly Father loves us, and wants us to return to Him. I know that we can receive direction from Him. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Camille was recommended for the district honor choir. This is a pretty big deal- only a few kids from each school were recommended. They had special rehearsals, and even got to miss a day of school for a full day rehearsal (which Camille was most excited about).
She's pretty great and did awesome at the concert! She really is something special!
We finally got some good snow so I made the girls go out and play. They built a snowman and lasted about 30 minutes. I guess one are the days when they would spend hours out playing in the snow.
...is not like the other. Can you spot Audra? We went down to Castle Rock so Audra could stand by Austin as he played in the pep band at the basketball game.
Claire is really doing awesome at basketball- so much so she even got to suit up for JV when they had an injury! She didn't play, but she loved sitting on the bench with them and cheering the team on! Basketball has been really , really good for her. She is excellent at defense- she is very tenacious. But she needs to watch out for technicals!
Then, I had my middle of year evaluation which went great! It is really, really nice to be respected and valued. I LOVE my job, I love the school, I love the kids, the admin, all of it. And it's nice to know I'm doing a good job. It was a really good evaluation- I told Ben I'm the Ben Marriott of Trailblazer- they love me ;) I really feel blessed to have this job!
