Appendi....What?

My mom and sisters, Holly and Heather

You know what's important to me? My family. I love them. A lot. Our family has always been pretty tight-knit. Friends may come and go, but my family has always been there. They are my best friends. The gospel has blessed our family in many ways. I have two older brothers and two younger sisters (they are twins), and we are fairly close in age. A few years ago, my sister, Heather, had an almost near death experience. I asked her to send me her story in her own words, and how the Gospel of Jesus Christ enabled her to get through it.

"When I got back from the pioneer trek (a short reenactment of the pioneers journey across the plains), in August of 2007, I got sick. My stomach hurt really bad. It was achy, distended, and sore for about eight days. I would cry because the pain was so severe. My mom took me to the doctor's office on day five. They didn’t know what was wrong with me. They thought it was probably just some sort of flu bug. I wasn’t getting any better, so we went back on the seventh day. X-rays were taken. The doctors called after we got home and said they found a mass or infection in my stomach. They told us to go to Primary Children’s Hospital in the morning. There were many doctors that looked at me to find out what was wrong. One thought it was a ruptured appendix and that I would have to go into surgery to get it taken care of. I had waited eight days for this infection to spread throughout my body.

Me and Heather

"The doctors had to make sure it was a ruptured appendix, so they made me drink this juice stuff so when I took the C.T. scan they could see what was inside my stomach. Yes, that was it. When I woke up from surgery, I had a tube in my nose, an oxygen mask by my face, a catheter, and two draining tubes hooked to my stomach to release the rest of the infection. Later, they put a P.I.C. line in my arm to give me nutrients. I don’t think I realized how serious the situation was and I still have a hard time believing this actually happened.

"I remember on the third day I was in the hospital, my family’s home teachers (members of the church who visit different families) came to visit me. That Wednesday had been really emotional for me, because all realization of what had happened seemed to hit that day. I remember thinking, why is this happening to me? My home teacher gave me a priesthood blessing. Afterwards, I felt like everything was going to be okay and that I was supposed to go through this. Thinking about what my Savior has done for me, helped me be strong throughout this whole experience.

"Experiencing a near death situation has tremendously strengthened my testimony on prayer because I know that many people were praying and fasting for me; people I didn’t even know, and their prayers were answered. I was in the hospital for ten days, and everyday friends and family came to visit me. From this experience I have learned that my family and friends really love and care about me. I think it has strengthened my family in the same way. It truly has changed my life, and I will never forget it."

artwork by Greg Olsen

Heather's experience has strengthened my testimony as well. She is one of my best friends, and it was so hard to see her suffer through something like that. Her life was almost taken, but I know that she was able to stay strong because of Jesus Christ. We can find comfort and strength through him, "Come unto me, all ye that are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 7:28) I am so grateful for my Savior. That He has felt everything we've been through. Our families can be strengthened in the gospel, and they can last forever. I know that God's priesthood authority has been restored to the earth. I love my family and I love the gospel.

To LIVE with Him Someday

A couple of weeks ago, my companion, Sister Maneha, and I were driving down the road. We saw two younger men riding their longboards along the side of the road. And then all of a sudden, they darted across the street! I may or may not have made a comment to Sister Maneha that they were crazy (in not so few words)! I really was concerned for their safety. So I thought about it for a second, and I corrected myself. I said, "No, they are loved sons of God."

artwork by Greg Olsen

God literally is our Father in Heaven. And we are literally His sons and daughters, each one of us. We have been created in His image (Genesis 1:26-27). Because we are all His children, it means we are also brothers and sisters. And it's hard to remember that sometimes. We should always treating others as if they are our brother or sister, because they are!

There is a wonderful children's song entitled "I Am a Child of God." Here are the words:

I am a child of God

and He has sent me here.

Has given me an earthly home,

with parents kind and dear.

Lead me, guide me

walk beside me,

help me find the way.

Teach me all that I must do, 

to live with Him someday.

If you notice the second line, you'll recognize how I came up with the title for my blog. As children of God, we have been sent to earth to find the way back to our Heavenly Father. He wants us to return home to Him someday. He loves us, and misses us.

I know that I am a child of God. I know that you are a child of God. If that is something that you don't know, I encourage you to find out for yourself. Ask God if you are His child. I can promise you that as you do so, you will feel His love and you will know that you are His child.

Thanks for reading. Until next time...

Would You Rather...?

So, I've been trying to think about what I wanted to write about today. My mind has been blank for some time now. But it just hit me. Have you ever played the "Would you rather" game? It's a little game where two options are given, and you have to choose which one you would rather do. I have one for you. Would you rather...stand in the pouring rain for an hour on a stable surface like a nice, sturdy boulder...OR...stand in the pouring rain for an hour on an unstable surface such as sand? 

Wouldn't you agree that it would be better to have a sturdy foundation on which to stand in times of storm and winds and rain? Not only would it be a good idea to have one physically so we can be safe from injury, but to have a firm foundation spiritually so we can be safe from harm as well. We learn in both the New Testament and The Book of Mormon from Jesus Christ Himself, that we are to build a foundation in Jesus Christ. It is through Him that we can be saved as we keep the commandments and follow His teachings. We learn:

Therefore whosoever ^aheareth these sayings of mine, and ^bdoeth them, ^cI will liken him unto a ^dwise man, which ^ebuilt his house upon ^fa rock: And the ^arain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and ^bbeat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a ^crock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a ^afoolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that ^ahouse; and it ^bfell: and great was the fall of it.

artwork by Simon Dewey

(Matthew 7: 24-27; 3 Nephi 14:24-27)

If we don't have that firm testimony in Christ, we can be shaken by the things of the world. Don't let them shake you! Through Christ we can resist, and be strong. We can be wise as we listen to the words of our Savior. He doesn't want us to get washed away or lost at sea. He loves us too much. There's a children's song that is based off this scripture. (The Wise Man and the Foolish Man: Children's Songbook) Even young children are learning how important it is to make Christ the center of their lives.

I know that Christ lives. He is our Savior and Redeemer. He wants us to be happy. Following His example and His gospel is the way to that happiness. We will not fall with Christ as our rock. "...Remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build the cannot fall." (Helaman 5:12)

And so I ask again, what would you rather?

C is for Cookie. Is it Good Enough for You?

Let's say that a friend gave you a package of soft and chewy, chocolate chip cookies for your birthday. You open the package, and they taste okay, but you realize they are a bit dry and aren't quite as soft and chewy as you thought they'd be. You look at the expiration date and it turns out they expired two months ago! You decide that even though they are slightly old, they are good enough.  But wouldn't you rather have something better, like an unexpired package of cookies that really are soft and chewy? Or would you rather have something that's best of all, like homemade cookies that are soft, chewy, warm and chocolatey? I definitely would want the best! Not only does this apply to cookies, but to everything we do in life.



Elder Dallin H. Oaks



Elder Dallin H. Oaks, an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, gave a talk on occupying our time with good things, better things, and the best things, appropriately entitled, Good, Better, Best. There's a lot of good things in this world that we could be doing, like reading, participating in sports, spending time with our friends, etc. But even though they are good, are there better and best things that we could be doing with our time. Elder Oaks said, "We should begin by recognizing the reality that just because something is good is not a sufficient reason for doing it. The number of good things we can do far exceeds the time available to accomplish them. Some things are better than good, and these are the things that should command priority attention in our lives." He continues, "We have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strengthen our families." Those are the things that matter, reading the scriptures, serving others, eating dinner as a family, etc. 

It's good to do good things, it's better to do better things, and it's best to do the best things. Luckily, we don't have to do those better and best things on our own, we have family and friends to help us, and most importantly we have Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to help us. So the choice is yours...Which cookie will you choose?

Thanks for reading. Until next time...