Jerusalem

Well I made it to Jerusalem and it is UNBELIEVABLE!! It is absolutely GORGEOUS and seriously feels like I'm in a dream!! Don't have time to write right now, but I will soon enough, don't worry!!! 

Jump for joy, another semester complete!

So even though I have had some classes/days drag on slowly, and I thought they would never end, the semester is already coming to an end! I'm not quite sure where time has gone because it seems like I was just walking into my first week of classes yesterday.
This past semester has taught me a lot as I endured various things or met some influential people. My classes have been challenging, but rewarding nonetheless. One of my favorites was my religion class, where we studied the Doctrine and Covenants. One point that seemed to be emphasized throughout the class was the fact that Joseph Smith was learning as he was teaching. I found this very interesting and applicable to me as I am trying to absorb as much information as possible while I am studying here in college. In every class we are taught to question the text and information, form our own hypotheses, or try to gain deeper meaning out of it. I realize now that Joseph Smith had some of the same quests. If he had a question about something he was translating, he would ask, and try to gain a deeper meaning and understanding of it. It is through this that we have been able to receive the fulness of the gospel. Not only are we told through our scriptures and prophet today what principles and things should be done, but also HOW to do them. I think this is part of what makes the Book of Mormon so incredible. I am so grateful for this gospel and for the opportunity I have had pray and to ask my own questions about it and receive my own answers. I am blessed to have this truth in my life.

Thanksgiving

So this year we did Thanksgiving a little bit differently. Usually its the homemade rolls, the turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and one VERY stuffed stomach afterwards. This year however we spent it in Hawaii (which was awesome!). Though this meant none of those typical foods on the dinner table. Instead, we did a good second choice of Hamburgers on the grill near the beach.

It was amazing, but it also kind of made me miss the typical foods and traditions. Despite this, Thanksgiving isn't about eating all kinds of good food, but its about recognizing all the many things that we have been blessed with and that we are grateful for. As I sat on the beach watching the sun go down, I couldn't help but realize just how blessed I truly was!!! I am healthy, I go to a great school, I have family and friends who love me, and I have the knowledge of the true gospel which provides me guidance in my life.

I have been given so much but I think often times I fail to express gratitude for some of the smaller things in my life because they seem to go unseen, or I fail to express appreciation of my trials and all that they have/are teaching me. Countless times I have been carried through my trials or even carried through my daily tasks. I may have nights where I go to bed completely exhausted and not thinking I would be getting enough sleep to keep functioning the next day, but then I wake up with the energy to accomplish the tasks before me.

D&C 46:32
"And ye must give thanks unto God in the Spirit for whatsoever bessing ye are blessed with."

So for this month, I am grateful for the missing ceiling in our apartment that we had for 3 weeks. Because of it, I learned patience. I grew closer to my roommates as we continually just sat and laughed because there was nothing we could do. I became grateful that we live in a place where the ceiling isn't supposed to leak, because I know there are many around the world who have no ceiling at all, or who's ceiling is never capable of keeping all of the rain out. I'm thankful for warm beds, that allow me a peaceful sleep. I'm thankful for clean running water, so I can shower and feel clean rather than using the dirty water that may be caught on our roof (or through it!). I'm thankful for comfortable family rooms that give us a place to relax, study, grow, and interact.
The list could go on forever...

going strong in the final hour..

so time is ticking and it's only a short 4 days until the election. It will be so interesting to see what comes of the election. Although I await to hear who the next president will be, I more anxiously await to hear what is to come regarding PROPOSITION 8. This is going to be so close, and is such a contraversial topic. I figured I'd just write a few of my opinions on it, because I feel so strongly.

I don't think people realize what they are voting on in regards to this proposition. Many think that it is regarding homosexual partnership rights, but this is not really the case. All partnerships are given the same legal rights as stated in our state constitution, we are simply voting on the DEFINITION of marriage.

What eats at me the worst is to think of what could happen if this proposition ends in a majority vote of "NO", meaning same-sex marriages will be permanently legal in California. Children will be forced to learn about same-sex marriages, and the relations that come with this...and they'd be taught as young as kindergarten!! This should be the parents place to teach about these things. We saw kids being taught that a "King and King" got married, and when parents complained and wished to be notified when these things were going to be taught so they could remove their child from the discussion, they were told that they do NOT HAVE THE RIGHT to do so. These topics are being FORCED upon people, when really they should be on an individual basis, as each family feels right.

If this proposition has a majority no vote... it will be TAKING AWAY RIGHTS, NOT GIVING ANY. As we see in Massachusettes, many people lost rights because everything was being considered discrimination. Bishops/priests of specific religions could not refuse to marry a same-sex marriage, and as a result, we saw some churches tell their religious leaders that they could no longer marry anyone.

I have friends who are homosexual, and I think they are so great. They are some of the nicest people I know and I do want them to be happy. That is why I'm glad they have all of the same rights as any other couple. I just don't want to see the definition of marriage to be seen as a common agreement between any two adults. It seems like it will slowly start to lose it's meaning.

I know this is a difficult topic, and I have a hard time with it, but I feel that everyone should have their own freedoms and rights, and no idea should be forced or thrust upon anyone.

Religious freedoms is what is really at stake....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4nqtDrJI7A <-- check it if you have a chance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGnj7Rd4yQk <--I had to post the one of my my cousin :)

The MOA

Yesterday we had the opportunity to go to the MOA and to look at some of the religious pieces that they have there. The pieces were incredible! It always amazes me how well some artists can capture so much emotion on one piece of canvas. One piece that I found that I could stand in front of for quite some time was (I don't know the exact name of the piece), a painting with three bowls sitting on top of a red cloth draped across a white cloth. Each bowl contained something different- water, blood, and one that appeared to be empty but represented the spirit. There seemed to be so much meaning behind this painting and I just wished I could talk to the artist to hear what he/she had to say about it. It was a very simple painting, yet I was mezmorized by it and found that it to be so much more than what met the eye immediately.

I also really enjoyed "CHRIST HEALING THE SICK AT BETHESDA". The story as to how we acquired it was remarkable and was a miracle in and of itself. The emotion in each person's eyes in that painting was incredible. I especially liked the little child because he was always staring at you, no matter where you stood. I found this really intruiging and capturing. It made me feel like I had to know what the boy was feeling and thinking. This picture also made me reflect on my own life and what I might be doing or what I may look like if I were present for it.

I thought it was a great opportunity for us to approach the art and to learn from it and the various symbols throughout all of the peices.

Come what may, and Love it

So this month we had a chance to listen to General Conference for my church. We have this twice a year and it is always an amazing experience. The speakers were all so great and I am always amazed by their ability to pick such relevant topics to my life. One of my favorites was Elder Wirthlin's "Come what may and Love it". That quote has really stuck with me ever since.
So much stuff always goes wrong and so many different things can come up, but you just got play with the cards that you have been dealt w/...not only must we play with the cards though, but we have to make the most of them. Our attitude can change every situation.
He also talked about how everyday has its peaks and its shadows. This made me reflect back on a talk I had heard early this year about how everybody has spent time in their own liberty jail, but how when we are there we should know we are in good company. If you reflect back to the early saints of the church, specifically Joseph Smith, you can see how much they really had to endure. It is incredible. Some of his children even died as a result of the persecution. It really just makes me appreciate them and also shows that I pretty much should never complain about anything in my life. But it is comforting to know that when I find myself in the shadows of the day, or in my own liberty jail...I'm in good company....so then all I need to do is "come what may and love it"

Yes On Prop 8

This weekend I had the opportunity to go volunteer at a call center for "yes on prop 8". It was a fantastic experience. Families are so important and I feel that it is important to define marriage only as between a man and a woman. Otherwise, it I feel it loses its sanctity. It becomes a simple agreement between two adults and does not seem to have as much worth. I have nothing against people who have feelings for people of the same sex, in fact I have some friends that feel this way. When I vote yes I won't be taking any rights away from them, because they are already getting all of the same rights as any other couple. I am simply declaring what I believe the definition of marriage is. I really liked this summary of it all...

• The Issue
  California voters passed Proposition 22 in 2000 by more than 61%, saying that a marriage in California is between a man and a woman. Earlier this year, four activist judges based in San Francisco wrongly overturned the people's vote, legalizing same-sex marriage.
• The Consequences
  The Supreme Court’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage did not just overturn the will of California voters; it also redefined marriage for the rest of society, without ever asking the people themselves to accept this decision. This decision has far-reaching consequences. For example, because public schools are already required to teach the role of marriage in society as part of the curriculum, schools will now be required to teach students that gay marriage is the same as traditional marriage, starting with kindergarteners. By saying that a marriage is between “any two persons” rather than between a man and a woman, the Court decision has opened the door to any kind of “marriage.” This undermines the value of marriage altogether at a time when we should be restoring marriage, not undermining it.
• The Solution
  Vote YES on Proposition 8 to overturn the outrageous Supreme Court decision and restore the definition of marriage that was approved by over 61% of voters. Proposition 8 is NOT an attack on gay couples and does not take away the rights that same-sex couples already have under California’s domestic partner law. California law already grants domestic partners all the rights that a state can grant to a married couple. Gays have a right to their private lives, but not to change the definition of marriage for everyone else.
  
  Passing Proposition 8 protects our children and places into the Constitution the simple definition that a marriage is between a man and a woman.