-crawls out from hole of busy-ness-
These past two weeks have been hectic, and I apologize for being so suspenseful in my last post about what I did in Utah.
All that really needs to be said is it was a powerful week full of love and beauty. Love from my family, from my friends, from my Savior and Heavenly Father, and love from my brothers and sisters. It's such an amazing thing to me that a man or a woman can walk into a room full of strangers, and proclaim their love to them, sincerely. It's not a false exclamation that runs from one ear, out the other. It's deeply embedded from the heart of another. I really believe that every time a speaker at Education Week said that they loved those in the audience, they meant it. It was true. It was real. It was that exact understanding that all of those people staring back at her or him were their brothers and their sisters who love them back.
My family and friends there made the whole experience even more uplifting. The last time I spent time there with my Aunt and Uncle, I didn't really have the ability to have a meaningful conversation with an adult. It made such a difference to be able to openly talk to my Aunt Shelley and Uncle Kenny. I mean, sure, the last time they came to Florida wasn't all that long ago, but the fact that it was just us four (that includes my mom) made all the difference. I love them so much.
The time I got to spend with Abby and Hernando just...it was just so priceless. I got to go inside the Salt Lake City Temple for the first time. My mom and I got to share that with Abby, and it probably would not have been the same if we didn't get to share that experience with her. I mean, they obviously had to leave me, because I can only do baptisms, and they did a session, but just the fact that I had her face to look forward to after we were all finished was amazing.
I even got to talk to two sets of sister missionaries while I was waiting for them. I told both sets how I was the only member at my school these past two years, and about my missionary experiences. I gave them the number of my friend, Adam, who seems to have been the most interested in the Gospel. They called him, and he was busy both times, but he did say he admired how passionate the sister missionary was about her beliefs, which really increased my want to be a missionary.
My time in Utah and my being able to see Nathanael given the Melchezidek priesthood, could not have better prepared me for the spiritual things I was to experience soon after.
I'm so grateful for this Gospel and the time I got to spend in Utah strengthening my testimony of it. I'm so grateful for my family and my friends and their love for me, and those who are members' love for our Savior and Heavenly Father.
I'm so thankful that my mother proposed the idea of Education Week to me. My heart and testimony have grown so much because of it.
These past two weeks have been hectic, and I apologize for being so suspenseful in my last post about what I did in Utah.
All that really needs to be said is it was a powerful week full of love and beauty. Love from my family, from my friends, from my Savior and Heavenly Father, and love from my brothers and sisters. It's such an amazing thing to me that a man or a woman can walk into a room full of strangers, and proclaim their love to them, sincerely. It's not a false exclamation that runs from one ear, out the other. It's deeply embedded from the heart of another. I really believe that every time a speaker at Education Week said that they loved those in the audience, they meant it. It was true. It was real. It was that exact understanding that all of those people staring back at her or him were their brothers and their sisters who love them back.
[Yes, we rode a couple of lifts during our time in Utah. Haha. Once, when we went hiking in Sundance, and another time when we did the Alpine Slide in Park City.]
Utah is so beautiful to me. I've traveled a lot in these past couple of years for vacations and family visits, but none of those places had the same beauty as Utah. You can actually feel its beauty. The beauty of the people. The way the sun reflects off of the mountains as it sets. The sincere smile in every cashiers eyes as they give you your change. I really think it had a lot to do with the history of the place and those who live on through that history. I have gained a strong love and gratefulness to the Pioneers. When I'm faced with temporal sadness or struggle I'm reminded of their pains, their persecution, and even their deaths.My family and friends there made the whole experience even more uplifting. The last time I spent time there with my Aunt and Uncle, I didn't really have the ability to have a meaningful conversation with an adult. It made such a difference to be able to openly talk to my Aunt Shelley and Uncle Kenny. I mean, sure, the last time they came to Florida wasn't all that long ago, but the fact that it was just us four (that includes my mom) made all the difference. I love them so much.
The time I got to spend with Abby and Hernando just...it was just so priceless. I got to go inside the Salt Lake City Temple for the first time. My mom and I got to share that with Abby, and it probably would not have been the same if we didn't get to share that experience with her. I mean, they obviously had to leave me, because I can only do baptisms, and they did a session, but just the fact that I had her face to look forward to after we were all finished was amazing.
[These were from our first day there. I, sadly, did not get any pictures on the day we actually went inside. I also apologize for the lack of reverence shown in the third picture. Afterwards, my mom was like, "Um, maybe we shouldn't be so disrespectful/irreverent."]
I even got to talk to two sets of sister missionaries while I was waiting for them. I told both sets how I was the only member at my school these past two years, and about my missionary experiences. I gave them the number of my friend, Adam, who seems to have been the most interested in the Gospel. They called him, and he was busy both times, but he did say he admired how passionate the sister missionary was about her beliefs, which really increased my want to be a missionary.
My time in Utah and my being able to see Nathanael given the Melchezidek priesthood, could not have better prepared me for the spiritual things I was to experience soon after.
I'm so grateful for this Gospel and the time I got to spend in Utah strengthening my testimony of it. I'm so grateful for my family and my friends and their love for me, and those who are members' love for our Savior and Heavenly Father.
I'm so thankful that my mother proposed the idea of Education Week to me. My heart and testimony have grown so much because of it.
P.S. We. Love. Utah. Grass.
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