I just have to post about this right quick.

We had Ward Home Evening tonight, rather than Family Home Evening.  The activity was Capture the Flag.  It started with little unity and participation.  After about half an hour of organizing and starting to play, two guys on my opposing team were going for the jail in which their friend was in to rescue him.  These two boys collided and, right in front of me, one of them somehow broke his toe.  Like, bone-popping-out toe-point-at-a-180-degree-line-vertically broke.  It was gruesome.

Damage control was taken immediately.  About five people rushed to the nearest campus emergency call box and phoned the campus police.  While being put on hold (??) and waiting for the police to get there, the ward united.  The guys gave the injured guy a blessing and we all joined in support of worry and prayer for our brother.  After he was taken away by the police and then the paramedics, we all knelt in the middle of campus and said a ward prayer together.

It was an incredible experience brought about by something as seemingly small as a broken toe.  It was incredible.  The Spirit was felt by such a small event that we all shared together.  We all united as sons and daughters of God and brothers and sisters in Christ.

(I'll post a picture of this gore later.)

Things

Things I miss about Florida:

1) My mommy
2) My family
3) My dog
4) My high school and church friends
6) Chamblin's Bookmine (!!!!!)
5) The beach (I never thought I'd say that.)
6) Streets that do not have streaks of tar that my shoe slips on and my heels get caught in
7) The warm rain
8) The Scottish Highland Games
9) The Sarasota Medieval Faire

Things I'm loving about Utah:

1) The way the sun sets over the mountains outside my window
2) The mountains themselves
3) The lack of humidity
4) The fact that everyone here is friendly
5) The history
6) The amazing friends I have made
7) The deeper doctrine that I've been learning in my classes
8) The fact that prayers are said before my classes :DDD
9) The vast amount of things there are to do (if only I had a car!)
10) The fact that my little Mormon quirks are acceptable and mutual here (not just the standards I uphold, but things such as bursting into song and dance, Mormon jokes, etc.)

On Faith

It's an interesting concept to think of faith.  Some people describe our belief system as our "faith" and those within our belief system say we must "have faith" in Christ and Heavenly Father to progress and grow in this life.

The rough edges of life have been poking their way through to my thoughts and heart these past few days.  A combination of missing home and being upset about things there and here that I have no control over have weighed themselves on my spirit.  I realize a blog is where most people put the greatest parts of their lives front-and-center for the world to admire and desire to emulate, but I'm going to make you a little uncomfortable for this one.

I won't get into the dirty details, but it's been one of those small and significant trials of my faith.  I really just wanted to crawl into my bed and cry, but I've found that the sooner I place my trials in my Heavenly Father and my Savior's hands, the sooner I gain the strength I need and the understanding that the trial can be endured.  As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it's one of those concepts that we are constantly hearing.  You pray with faith, you can endure.  You trust in the Lord's power, His healing hands become evident in your trials.  While it may be repetitive in nature, it doesn't make it any less true. It was said in a General Conference awhile ago that the fact that these teachings are so often repeated should be a testament to us of their supernal significance.

I felt like each talk and lesson given today was specifically for my hurting heart.  It was as if my Father in Heaven was there Himself, counseling me on how to get through this, telling me He's on my side.  Through these trials, I let my faith slip for a moment.  I let the world fog my view of the Person who is really governing it all.  I allowed myself to crumble under the weight of man's worries.

In one talk today, someone said something to the effect that trials should not be seen as burdens, but opportunities.  In this view, we see that the opportunity is to grow and progress; the opportunity is to draw closer to our Heavenly Father and our Savior who took upon Himself all the pains of the world that we may have someone who understands fully what we go through and can thus forgive us and make up for where we lack.

There is no love like the love of my Savior and my Heavenly Father.  I can't even begin to repay Them for what They have done for me every day of my existence in this life, in the premortal existence, and what They will continue to do for me for time and all eternity.  Their tender mercies shine through in all that I go through, the good and the bad.

When I was visiting Southern Virginia University, my mom, grandma, and I decided to take a trip to Colonial Williamsburg because I'm a bit of a U.S. history nerd.  When we were on one of the buses to get to some location I can't remember, I sat next to this man.  He was really nice and we had a pretty good conversation.  I told him I was there visiting SVU.  I don't remember him knowing it was an LDS-based school.  He asked me where else I was planning on applying, and I told him what I told everyone -- BYU, UF, and UNF.  Upon hearing BYU, he of course asked if I was LDS.  I said yes.  An awkward silence followed.  We arrived at our destination.  We said our goodbyes, and with confidence he declared that I would "definitely be choosing to go to BYU.".  I remember being so offended by this.  I quickly informed him that SVU also had LDS-centered values, and he sarcastically said, "Ohhh okay."  As if that was my only criteria for this massive decision.  It irked to the bone for some reason.  Looking back now, I realize how offended the Lord must have been.  He had presented me with the opportunity to say, "Yep, I'm LDS and it's what defines me."  But instead I let the notion seep into my brainwaves that my religion isn't what defines me and it's not what's going to define my future. How dare I!  I hope people see and understand that my religion is what defines me.  It is who I am, what I stand for, and what I will live for through all my days in this life and the next.  I hope people know that I know I have a Savior and a Heavenly Father that know me perfectly and love me more than I will ever deserve.

Our experiences in this life, moments of joy and trial alike, are presented to us for our benefit.  They are opportunities.  They are blessed chances for us to take another step on the road to our complete and divine potential.  Trials are "but a small moment" and if we seek the help of our loving Father and the healing power of our Savior's Atonement we can and will "triumph over all our foes."  We can and will be granted divine strength and power to endure if we just trust with faith that Heavenly Father is there and so ready and willing to help.

Maybe this post was confusing, but just know you are loved far more than you can imagine by a Heavenly Father who is the Father of our Spirits.  He sent His son, Jesus Christ to atone for our sins and grant us the opportunity of forgiveness and a way back to our real home, in Heaven with Them.  They know each of us individually, and with incredibly powerful love They want to help.  They want to help so very much.

Y Chromosomes and DQ

So, I just successfully cleaned my room thoroughly for cleaning checks tonight.  Not only did I successfully complete this task five hours earlier than I expected, I also only locked myself out of my room once.  In my world, that's a sign of a good day.*

I know I said I'd write about the rest of my awesome-tastic weekend yesterday, but I need to get some work done before that infinity long post.  As a little taste of my BYU experience as of late, though, I guess I could tell you about my yesterday evening.

I was putting off doing homework like no other and I was feeling a tad bummed about certain things that will remain between my journal and me...and probably my mom since I tend to tell her everything.  I just planned on laying low and cuddling up to my book** and doing laundry that desperately needed to be done.  On my way down to the basement*** laundry room, I ran into Carolyn (my fall roommate), Vicki (Carolyn's summer roommate), a few other girls from my floor, and my RA. Judging by the giggles, the copious amounts of blushing, and the consistent use of the pronoun "he", they were obviously talking some serious girl talk.  I just passed by because judging by the bits and pieces of the conversation that I heard, it sounded like a level of boy crazy was going on that I don't really care to engage in.****

After stuffing my clothes in the drier and heading back to my room, the same group of gals were now sitting in the hallway looking like they were ready to embark on some adventure.  One of these lovely gals, Micaela invited me to tag along.  The adventure entailed Dairy Queen and oh, was I excited.  I've only had ice cream once since being in Utah and I haven't had Dairy Queen-level ice cream since weeks before I left Florida.

We made the little walk to that beautiful haven and it was just what my sore day needed.  Apparently, I wasn't the only one who was having a bad day, so it was nice to just let go of it all with other people having equally crappy days.

I don't understand why it is physically impossible for me to take a normal picture.

Our walk back included almost getting run over by a car that sped through a red light, and dancing like completely wonderful idiots to Micaela's ipod.  It was exactly what I needed.

I ended up getting back and having to do another cycle of my clothes in the drier, but that allowed me studying time.  I didn't get to bed until about 1AM, but it was so worth it.

__________________________________________

*Not that I'm constantly locking myself out of my room, but with my luck, it probably should have happened at least two more times as I made my travels to the cleaning supplies closet.

**I finished The Princess Bride!  Well, I actually finished it just before my 1pm class, but I was reading the extra stuff at the end about Buttercup's Baby while performing my even procrastination ritual.

***It's still super weird for me to say the word basement.  It's such a foreign concept to my Floridian mind.  I still think of them as something mythical like Mordor or Narnia.  Okay, maybe not Narnia.  We all know that's real.

****Not that there's anything wrong with girls that are boy crazy.  It's just never really been something I cared too much for.  Since being at BYU, though, it seems that's how girls here bond.  So, I've been somewhat more boy crazy than I like to admit, but on this particular night I was not feeling up to the energy required to giggle and scream about those who possess Y chromosomes.

Wonderful Weekend (Part One)

Holy cannolis, Batman!  This weekend was pretty spectacular.  It has been by far the most social butterfly-esque weekend since I left home.  My weekends are usually filled with me stuffing my face in a book all day, then hanging out with Miry and her roommates in the evening hours.  However, I decided to switch it up a bit this weekend.  This mostly had to do with the fact that my brain felt like mush from all the studying I was inflicting upon it.

SO, FRIDAY.

After my one class in the morning, Isabel, Mariangel, Ashleigh, Miry, and I had an incredibly delicious breakfast at the Scoreboard Grille.  I cannot express to you how amazing it was to eat a real breakfast for once.  Real, meaning not a Nature Valley bar or Trailmix.  After that wonderfulness, Isabel, Mariangel, and I hung around until our meetings with our writing teachers.  We were all pretty delirious from lack of sleep, so that was pretty entertaining.  Okay, maybe the deliriousness was just me.

After that, Isabel and I hung out at my dorm.  After about two hours of watching YouTube nonsense, we made our way to the library where we were to meet our Y group and have lunch with them.  After only four of us showed up, we decided to make our way to sustenance.  It ended up being pretty fun.  Miry showed up a little later, which was a wonderful surprise.  After feasting and conversing for quite a bit, we went our separate ways.

I spent some time with my books and then the back of my eyelids (a nap was desperately needed).

After my slumber, I texted Miry to see if she still wanted to go to the gym.  She called me and declared, "IT'S RAINING!"  Now, as a Florida native, it's kind of hilarious to me to see these landlocked westerners cease to function when a few sprinkles fall from the sky.  After a few minutes of trying to convince her that she would not melt if she went outside and made her way to the gym with me, I realized it was a lost cause.

We decided to have another movie night instead (we had one the previous weekend).  After quite some time of deciding which movie to watch, I suggested we watch She's All That.  Deanna and I were apparently the only ones who had ever seen it.  My generation sickens me sometimes.

It was mainly Ashley, Miry, and me who watched the movie with frequent visits from Maren and Deanna:).

After the movie, Lindsay, Ashley, Miry, and I talk some girl talk and then we interrupted Maren and her Skype call to her manly friend.  It was around that time that I got a call from one of my Y group leaders, Bryan.  There was a dance the next night (Saturday) and he called to ask if I wanted to go with him.  Of course I said yes:).  It was pretty nifty.

After the girlyness ensued, Deanna brought some of her guy friends over and we all played Uno until 12:30. We got in trouble, though, because boys are not allowed in their dorms past midnight (or somewhere thereabouts), so we made our way to the activity room where they are allowed until 1:30.  We continued with our festivities.  It was one intense Uno game.  One of the guys, Seth, also showed us some pretty sweet magic tricks.  After the 1:30 mark hit, the boys convinced us to go hang out outside for a bit.  It was still "raining" so that didn't last long.  We decided we'd hang out the next morning at an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet nearby.  We ended up staying up until about 3AM, so that didn't happen, but it was a fun idea nonetheless.

I ended up deciding to spend the night, but I needed to go back to my dorm to get the essentials (i.e. panties, toothbrush, etc.).  Once we arrived at my dorm, I realized I forgot everything back at Miry's dorm, which meant I had no ID card to get into my locked dorm building and no key to get into my locked dorm room.  It was about 2:30AM by then.  This is where I become the worst person on the planet.  Brace yourselves.

After trying to call my roommate, Blake about a bajillion and five times, I called Vicki (my dorm neighbor).  That wonderful gal woke up and was more than willing to come down three flights of stairs to my undeserving self.  Just as she said "K I'll be down in a second," a girl that was sitting in a car outside the dorm building offered to let me in with her ID card.  She let me in, and I felt terrible for waking Vicki up.  She deserves an infinite amount of chocolate from me.

The next step was getting my dorm door unlocked.  I called and texted my roommate a bajillion and five more times to no avail.  I knocked on the door with an obnoxious pitch of loudness that echoed throughout my dorm hall, which made me feel even worse.  After about ten minutes of the call-text-knock combo, that beautiful woman opened the door.  I am the worst roommate/human being ever.  After packing all my goods, Miry and I made our way back to her dorm, Facebook stalked a bit, and sojourned to the wonderful land of dreams.

This post is entirely too long.  I will post about the rest of my weekend in another.  I commend you  for reading all of this.  You have an incredible attention span.

How Great Thou Art

Today I went to Isabel and Mariangel's ward.  My favorite hymn changes basically everyday, but two of my old favorites were sung today in Sacrament meeting.  Those two were How Great Thou Art and I Need Thee Every Hour.  This one verse from How Great Thou Art really hit me hard, though:

And when I think that God his son not sparing,
Sent him to die - I scarce can take it in,
That on the cross my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

The love my Savior and my Heavenly Father have for me is more apparent every single day with every single little problem I face or joy I experience.  It is incredible how very aware They are of me, even if my vast imperfections and shortcomings make me less deserving of such love and care.  It's just one of those days where that testament of Their open arms in my life is just so completely apparent.  I don't know how one can live without such comfort and strength.  I wish everyone knew how amazing it is because I scarce can take it in.

Freedom is Awesome

My adventure of yesterday included me going to the gym with Miry and Ashley and then vouching for three strangers so that they could use the pool.  It was wonderfully awkward.  I'm also kind of peeved at the lack of job availability.  There are plenty of jobs, but I'm not really qualified for any of them.  So, that kind of stinks.

Anywho, I have been slacking as far as keep you up-to-date with the big events that have been taking place.  America celebrated her independence from the motherland a week ago and I have yet to fill you in on the wonderfulness that took place on that day.

I went to bed late the night before, because I went to see a later showing of The Amazing Spider-Man with Isabel and Mariangel, which was just magical in every way.  When I got home from the movie the night before, I checked my Facebook to see if Miry had sent me a message about her plans for the Fourth.  I was planning on going with her and her roommates to Kiet's lacrosse game, which also included being able to see the Stadium of Fire fireworks that evening, but I wanted to make sure she had an extra ticket.  She did and she also informed me that she and her roommates were planning on going to the Provo parade bright and early and invited me to tag along.  By the time plans were sorted, it was about 1:30am and I wanted to sleep for days.  So, it took me a few minutes to submit to my beckoning alarm clock across the room at 6:15am that morning of Independence Day.

We ended up moving three times throughout the parade, because our first sitting spot happened to be at this section of street just before where all the floats and stuff were supposed to emerge, so if we remained there, we wouldn't be able to see much of anything exciting except the pavement, and that would have been no fun.

We then proceeded to an okay spot that was farther from the front of the street, which was fine, but was not an ideal spot to play with my camera.  So, Miry and I shuffled through to the front where all the little kids were.  It was a perfect view of all things parade.

After that magic, we parted ways to do the nauseating amount of homework that all of us had awaiting us in our dorms.

My roommate was back from spending time with her visiting cousin at the parade and she, her friends, and I got some lunch, because parades are apparently appetite-boosting.  She and a couple of her pals proceeded to make "'Merica Ice Cream."  This consisted of red and blue M&Ms and vanilla ice cream...and a little bit of blue Powerade.

We then "studied" on the lawn and went to get some shave ice.  I didn't get one, but man was it hot enough to crave one.

"Studying."

After that adventurous morning/afternoon, I had dinner with the lovely Vicki.  As we were finishing our meal, a few girls from our ward came and sat with us, and amongst them was Gabriella...the answer to my prayers.  Okay, that sounds creepy, but it may or may not be the truth.  This gal is basically me, except a few inches taller with red hair.  So, basically what I sometimes wish to be.  In our table's conversation, she mentioned just about everything that ever flows through my mind -- Disney, superheroes, books, movies, the gospel.  It was beautiful.  She apparently had had a hankering to watch The Goofy Movie for the past twenty-four hours, so we decided that would be our evening activity.  I had to leave early, though, so as to not be late for the aforementioned lacrosse game and fireworks.

I rushed back to my side of the dorm building, quickly tried to look decent, and rushed over to Miry's.  We were all super excited to go and support Kiet and his dashing team members.  The only problem was we had no idea where we were going.  Nathan pretty much didn't give any directions of any kind.  ("It's the place where there's cones...There's a field.")  So, we spent almost two hours trying to find this place.  Once we finally did, we felt kind of stupid.  Towards the beginning of that little adventure, we had to decide whether to go left or right at the main intersection that included the street Nathan described.  We took a right.  We were supposed to take a left.  We ended up on the completely opposite side of campus where we asked this guy if he knew where this game was, and he just happened to.  It ended up being fine and fun.  Miry and I got to play with my camera again and she taught me her Jedi wisdom.  It was a really fun night and I wish I could see these lovely girls (and Nathan) more often.

Basically a Journal

Today had a few ups and downs.  I was completely exhausted in my 8AM class because I had not been granted a beautiful eight hour sleep for two consecutive nights.  This is my fault in every way, but I kept trying to justify that it was my birthday and I could procrastinate if I wanted to.  Only, in my mind, the procrastination would come without consequence because again, it was my birthday...

ANYWAYS, I was to take my first test today.  I was dreading it like a child eating dinner who knows she eventually has to eat the broccoli, but eats everything around it so as to prolong the time when she would have to face her fear.  I studied/lost my mind for a bit while lounging with Isabel and Mariangel after my class this morning.  We had lunch, they went to their class, and I attempted to study some more in the Wilk.

A strange person randomly sat next to me.  Well, that was my thought until I realized it was the incredible Emma Lucy.  I regret not seeing her more here.  She's such a wonderfully fantastic human being.  You have not met a truly magnificent person until you have met the lovely Emma Lucy.  I can just see her being all modest now and throwing compliments my way after reading this.  Seriously, though.  I love her and you should too.

ANYWAYS (AGAIN), after the burst of brightness to my day that was seeing and talking to Emma Lucy for a bit, I made my way to my Doctrine and Covenants class, which was as wonderful as always.  Apparently only eight people had taken the test and we only had today and tomorrow left. So, that was pretty hilarious.  It's interesting how even here, people bond over the stress of school. Everyone was talking about the test and who took it and what they studied and what other people should study and so on and so forth.  This sounds like a simple comment, but my D&C class rarely ever seems to talk or bond from what I've witnessed.  The fact that the terrifyingness of a test brings people together is kind of symbolic of how hardship brings people together, don't ya think?  Just a thought.  Maybe a mediocre one, but one nonetheless.

I finally managed the courage to walk it over to the testing center.  I turned out I walked a way that made it farther than it needed to be.  That probably worsened the nerves even more.  Once I made my way in and through the door, there were a ton of people cramming and no one seemed to be heading in a direction that seemed to be the one I should have gone to get my testing materials.  I took a tour through the testing center during New Student Orientation, but of course my mind was in complete disarray and I couldn't remember one thing I was told while being led around that massively intimidating building three weeks ago.  I ended up joining the crammers.  I plopped my tush down next to a vacant wall and commenced fake studying -- I was to that point where my brain couldn't take real studying anymore.  I waited until someone would show me the path to my demise (how to get to the things I needed to take the exam).  A of couple people went, but I waited until about the fifth person, both because I needed a moment or two to pluck up the courage, and the crammer directly across from me on the other side of the room seemed like she had that "not another lost freshman!" look on her face.

I ended up coincidentally following a girl in my ward.  She was super nice and courageously relaxed about her test, so that was kind of comforting.  I got a little disoriented when I was told to "wait for the printer" for my scantron.  Luckily the other girl in the office was quick and calmed the confusion running through my already worried mind ("Where is the printer!  Is it in the testing room!  There are too many people in there for me to go around looking for a printer!").  I'm pretty sure no one has ever been so concerned about finding a printer in their life as I was at that moment.

The test itself went fine once my hand stopped shaking.  I really don't know why I was so tense.  I wasn't super dreading it; I honestly just wanted to get it over with.  I think it was just my subconscious freaking out because it didn't know exactly what to expect.  I didn't get an A, but I didn't do miserably.  There will be an A next time, since I better know what's expected of me.

I was actually pretty bummed about my B.  I made the walk of shame back to my dorm, did some laundry, studied, took a nap or two, then went to dinner with Vicki and Carolyn.

FHE was pretty nifty.  We were going to play basketball, but we played Twister instead.  It was "too hot" for the b-ball.  There was another family "playing" basketball too.  I suggested we play kickball next week, so we're going to play against them.  One of the guys in that family had a Disneyland marathon shirt on and I decided we're going to be best friends.

During my nap, I got a text from Isabel informing me that my writing teacher finally posted the grades for the Opinion Editorial I was dreading a couple of weeks ago.  I was terrified to check my grade and waited until after FHE to check.  I'm pretty darn happy with what I got.  I'm definitely relieved.

My roommate and I watched the end of the Keira Knightley Pride and Prejudice (she watched the beginning last night) and it was magical.  Then, we went to a "meeting" because we're apparently on the dance committee for this stake dance we're having in August.

This was super long and consisted of way too much information.  I sincerely apologize and I hope your day was wonderfully magical.

Just a List

So, a bajillion posts ago, I declared with complete confidence and determination that I would start making lists.  I claimed that life was moving too fast with too many tasks at hand and that it was time to buckle down, suck it up, and make some freaking lists.

That never happened...

Now, a bajillion posts later, I will make a list and you will be a witness to that list; a listness, if you will.

Goals for the week:
1) Take that darn D&C test and rock it!
2) Hit the gym at least five times this week (you're only a two second walk away!)
3) Annotate article for rhetorical analysis
4) Write rhetorical analysis
5) Finish all homework before dinner
6) Reward self with a weekend of fun (only if the work gets done!)
7) Send that package to thy father
8) Blog more.

I think that's a pretty good start.  Now to do that studying for that D&C test that I'm supposedly going to "rock."

Also, it's my birthday.  It was wonderful and consisted of a homecooked meal, wonderful friends, and my dorm door being decorated twice.  I'd say that qualifies as a good birthday.

Conducive Productivity

You would think writing an analysis of an article about blogging would capture my attention.  It did for a little while, but then I obviously was overcome with the intense desire to catch up on all the blogs I've been neglecting to read.  THIS IS NOT CONDUCIVE TO MY GOAL OF PRODUCTIVITY.

Old Friend

For whatever reason, Florida is referred to as the "Sunshine State."  It's even written on the state's license plates.  However, it kind of rains a whole lot, especially during summer time.  A tornado actually hit my neighborhood two days before I left and it had been raining for a week prior to that.  After I left, a tropical storm even decided to rest itself on my city.  For the month or so that I've been in Utah, I have subconsciously been expecting those afternoon showers that I'm so used to. Without much knowledge about the weather that goes on outside my zip code, I asked my aunt if it ever rains here.  She chuckled a bit and informed me that it only rains a little bit in the Spring; well, a little bit as compared to Florida.  This was actually really disappointing to me.  I absolutely love rain.  It just possesses some sort of magic that can't really be described.  My favorite primary song was actually I Know When I am Baptized because of the first verse:

I like to look for rainbows
Whenever there is rain
And Ponder on the Beauty
Of an earth made clean again

I kind of still love to ponder on that beauty.  I thought I would be missing a summer filled with rain to cool the heated earth, but today has been a different story.

I was running late for my Living Prophets class.  As I opened my dorm building's door, I noticed how ominous the sky looked.  I brushed it off as probably just having to do with all the fires going on here in Utah, but then there was that smell.  It wasn't exactly the same rain smell as back home, but it was something similar and something in the feeling of the air that screamed rain was coming.  Still, I did not let my hopes rise.  Then, as I walked out of my class, I saw my old friend.  It was raining and it was wonderful.  It wasn't the same heated-cool rain as I was used to, but it was still something.  As is tradition for me and these old friends, I am going to take a nap and it will be fantastic because if there's a better time to take a nap, it's always with the rain softly hitting the ground or the roof and humming you to sleep.

After All We Can Do

“After All We Can Do”
Robbie Pierce


I had been in that hole for a very long time—
In the dark and the damp, in the cold and the slime.
The shaft was above me; I saw it quite clear,
But there’s no way I ever could reach it from here.
I could not remember the world way up there,
So I lost every hope and gave in to despair.

I knew nothing but darkness, the floor, and the wall.
Then from off in the distance I heard someone call:
“Get up! Get ready! There’s nothing the matter!
Take rocks and take sticks and build up a fine ladder!”
This was a thought that had not crossed my mind,
But I started to stack all the stones I could find.

When I ran out of stones, then old sticks were my goal,
For some way or another I’d climb from that hole.
I soon had a ladder that stood very tall,
And I thought, “I’ll soon leave this place once and for all!”
I climbed up my ladder, a difficult chore,
For from lifting those boulders, my shoulders were sore.

I climbed up the ladder, but soon had to stop,
For my ladder stopped short, some ten feet from the top.
I went back down my ladder and felt all around,
But there were no more boulders nor sticks to be found.
I sat down in the darkness and started to cry.
I’d done all I could do and I gave my best try.

But in spite of my work, in this hole I must die.
And all I could do was to sit and think, “Why?”
Was my ladder to short? Was my hole much too deep?
Then from way up on high came a voice: “Do not weep.”
And then faith, hope, and love entered into my chest
As the voice calmly told me that I’d done my best.

He said, “You have worked hard, and your labor’s been rough,
But the ladder you’ve built is at last tall enough.
So do not despair; there is reason to hope,
Just climb up your ladder; I’ll throw down my rope.”
I climbed up my ladder, then climbed up the cord.
When I got to the top of it, there stood the Lord.

I’ve never been happier; my struggle was done.
I blinked in the brightness that came from the Son.
I fell to the ground as His feet I did kiss.
I cried, “Lord, can I ever repay Thee for this?”
He looked all about. There were holes in the ground.
They had people inside, and were seen all around.

There were thousands of holes that were damp, dark and deep.
Then the Lord looked at me, and He said, “feed my sheep,”
And he went on his way to save other lost souls,
So I got right to work, calling down to the holes,
“Get up! Get ready! There is nothing the matter!
Take rocks, and take sticks, and build up a fine ladder!”

It now was my calling to spread the good word,
The most glorious message that man ever heard:
That there’s one who is coming to save one and all,
And we need to be ready when he gives the call.
He’ll pull us all out of the holes that we’re in
And save all our souls from cold death and from sin.

So do not lose faith; there is reason to hope:
Just climb up your ladder; he’ll throw down his rope.