You begin doing everything you know you should be doing.
You were accepted to be an RA, and feel like this is exactly where you should be right now.
You are still the DSO for the Women's Soccer Team and love it.
You were offered to be the DSO of the Men's Soccer Team and have accepted that position as well.
You know that there is a lot ahead of you this semester so you take only 12 credits.
Everything feels perfect.
July 30th you realize you have to be at the airport TONIGHT, not tomorrow night.
You hurriedly finish packing and hug your family goodbye as you leave for the airport.
Maybe this is the moment that threw off your entire semester?
Eh...
Not sure about that yet.
However, with minimal delays you arrive back at school and all is well.
You fall asleep at 6 am that first day back, and wake up at 11 am.
Not the best start but it will have to do since you couldn't fall asleep all night.
The first weeks are filled with RA training and new adventures.
Soccer begins and looks promising.
Students start arriving and, slightly overwhelmed you work to get them all moved in.
Good start.
Then classes begin.
And you feel totally and completely unprepared...
From day 1 you feel behind.
Maybe this is when it all went wrong?
Your netflix account hasn't seen any action since the beginning of August.
You are busy all day every day and it feels fantastic.
You asked to be released from your job as DSO of the men's soccer team because you aren't giving enough time to the other things in your life.
You think that will help.
However, schoolwork is now put last.
You scramble just to keep current on your assignments.
Soccer starts becoming emotionally exhausting.
Time goes on.
Soccer ends and you think now you will have all this extra time.
Nope.
That time is filled with other, equally as important things.
You are floundering.
You become further and further behind and it becomes a struggle to even attend classes.
You get sick.
Is this the moment when you should have given up on your semester?
Not yet.
Earlier on in the semester you realized that God likes you out of your comfort zone.
You learn your lesson in that regard.
You accept that being out of your comfort zone is good.
But did you realize that not succeeding is also WAY outside your comfort zone?
Because it is...
You learn lots of life lessons.
(For example, how big 8 24 inch pizzas are...)
Your testimony grows substantially.
You have a desire to receive your endowments and attend the temple.
Then you realize you are supposed to leave on a mission.
Wait what?
Planning begins.
You find replacements for your jobs.
You tell your friends and family.
You talk to your bishop and start your papers.
Finally...
You have waited so long to go on a mission and the time is NOW!
But now doesn't exactly work into your plans.
Oh well.
You trust God's timing.
The semester draws to a close.
You aren't ready to leave your friends, your life, all the good things that are finally all perfect and working and are all you've ever wanted.
You aren't ready at all.
You cry more than you are willing to ever admit.
You get a blessing of comfort and then, then you realize lesson 2 of this semester.
You can't do it alone.
Yes I can!
No. You. Can't.
You recognize that while you are amazing and have been given many gifts and talents,
You can't do everything all by yourself.
The load on your back isn't supposed to be carried alone.
Too late in the semester you give it up.
You ask for help.
You admit you are weak.
And maybe you cry some more.
Because as much as you love what you do.
As much as you are doing what you know you are supposed to be doing.
All those things weren't meant to be done alone.
You recognize all the times you have hit the bottom,
Asked for help and been lifted up,
Only to turn around and fall again.
You need help.
The semester is almost over.
It is Finals Week.
And you, you are exhausted.
Your heart is broken.
And your spirit is contrite.
And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost...
3 Nephi 9:20
You finally understand that scripture and what that feels like and what it means.
And you realize you are not alone.
That you've never been alone.
It could be so much worse.
You are grateful and promise to do better.
And you trust.
(Tender Mercy= Sam coming to visit)
Some lessons come easier than others.
Some involve failing a class and barely surviving a semester.
Some involve losing loved ones, being injured, mental or physical disabilities and a host of other pains.
But there is a lesson.
And there is peace to be found.
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
John 14:27
Life isn't supposed to be perfect.
Even when you are doing your best that isn't always enough.
That is what the atonement is for.
Christ meets us at the point that we can't continue on.
Wherever our best is, He will go and take it the rest of the way.
I've learned that this semester.
And God loves us.
He loves His children.
Even when we feel like we are failing and falling short.
He loves.
And we need to appreciate the good moments.
The friends.
The laughter.
Enjoy the journey.
And that is the third and hopefully final lesson of this semester.
This age I'm at now is the age where the most important decisions of my life are being made.
Right here.
Right now.
That is intimidating to think about.
The church leaders have said this before but my most poignant memory of this was in 2014 when Elder Jeffrey R. Holland came and spoke to the youth in Southern Alberta.
He told us the ten years of like 14-24 were where our most crucial decisions would be made and the course of our lives would more or less be set...
No big deal or anything.
Well right now I am smack-dab in the middle of that.
19 years old.
Old enough to be on a mission.
Old enough to have married friends.
Old enough to have declared a major (Politics) and be applying for internships.
Old enough to be living and working in Virginia.
Old enough to be over a group of 30 girls ensuring their safety and security.
Old enough to be booking hotel rooms and meals for my soccer team.
Old enough to be doing a pretty good impression of an adult.
Old enough to have said goodbye to my comfort zone for probably forever, with the understanding that who God wants me to be and knows I can be is not the girl who could read all day long in her room.
God has a great vision for who I can be.
Somedays I get glimpses of the woman.
A woman who is strong and brave.
A woman who is compassionate and loving.
A woman who keeps her covenants and is forever progressing.
A woman who will do whatever God asks of her, and is led far from her home and far from her plan of how her life should go.
A woman who's goal is celestial.
So what is, right now, the greatest lesson I am learning?
God likes me outside my comfort zone.
BAM.
That is it. Right there. A 7 word sentence.
One that grips my heart and fills me with anxiety.
And yet has taught me the greatest lessons and filled me with the greatest peace.
He LOVES when I'm outside my comfort zone because that is when I grow.
I have done so much growing in the past few months, and have been pushed into situations and responsibilities that I have not asked for, but are what God would have me do.
And I have learned so much.
I know that through this I am becoming the person God wants me to be.
Another super important lesson I am learning?
The gospel isn't easy.
Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is not easy.
It is progression.
It is about rejecting the natural man.
It is about the spirit training the physical body to be in harmony with eternal principles.
It is about a higher law.
A path that is strait and narrow.
I love the Lord.
And I love this gospel.
And I love the person I am becoming.
Because she is someone who will move mountains.
She is someone with unlimited potential.
Because she is someone who will do whatever the Lord requires.
(With minimal resistance and complaining I am sure)
I don't know how else to express the joy I feel inside.
I just am happy.
I'll admit I am not always happy.
Sometimes I am downright a downer.
But I am overwhelmingly overjoyed with how my life is.
I am at peace with the path my life is on.
I LOVE MY SCHOOL! I belong at Southern Virginia University.
This place is amazing!
I LOVE BEING AN RA!
On a cold January day I was talking with Kadee and she said to me that she felt like applying to be an RA, I laughed and told her that I felt the exact same way.
Together we applied when the applications came out, and I remember how at peace both of us were throughout the entire process. Even though we were both freshman and involved in soccer, basically inexperienced and busy, we knew we would get the jobs.
It was such a feeling of peace.
And look at where we are now!
Kadee and I are both RA's and LOVING IT!
I LOVE MY SOCCER TEAM!
Straight up, I was TERRIFIED to come to SVU to be the Team Manager for this team.
TERRIFIED! But it ended up being the best thing that ever happened to me.
They are my family out here.
They are the people I turn to and can trust and will celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving with me when I am homesick.
I LOVE BEING DIRECTOR OF SOCCER OPERATIONS!
It is a ton of responsibility.
It is a lot of work and extra hours.
It is a lot of stress.
But I am learning amazing things. I am independent. I am strong. I can do hard things.
I also now know what yards are!
I LOVE MY COACHING STAFF!
I LOVE BEING A KNIGHT!
I LOVE MY FRIENDS!
Seriously God puts people into our lives for a reason.
There are some people who I've met and have changed my life forever.
I am so grateful for the friends I have, both at home, at school and around the world.
Here is a pic of Squad last year.
And I LOVE MY FAMILY!
LOVE THEM! LOVE THEM SO MUCH! I miss them.
It is hard being so far from home, some days I wish I could just be home for a day.
But I know I am where I am supposed to be.
And they are doing great without me.
At the end of the day they are the most important people in my life.
They are my greatest examples.
They are my greatest source of happiness.
They are my forever...
But out of all of these things that bless my life and make me so happy I cannot neglect to acknowledge the source of my happiness.
That is my Heavenly Father and His Plan of Happiness.
I don't know who I would be without the knowledge I have of the gospel,
And without this faith in my heart,
But I know I wouldn't be happy.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is my happiness.
My Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ is my happiness.
My Heavenly Parents are my happiness.
I wouldn't be at SVU if it wasn't where the Spirit directed me to be.
I wouldn't be an RA if I hadn't felt prompted to apply.
I wouldn't be a part of the soccer team if I hadn't prayed and felt peace regarding this decision.
I wouldn't have the friends I have if I hadn't been lead into their lives, or if they hadn't been lead into mine, or if I wasn't at SVU to meet them, or prayed to meet the people I needed in my life.
And I would not understand the eternal bond I have to my family if it wasn't for what I learned at church and what the Spirit has testified to me.
Some days are really hard.
Some days I want to give up.
And some days I am just plain overwhelmed.
But then there are days like today where the joy I feel makes me feel like my chest will burst.
To preface today's post I would like to start off by saying that I love Michael McLean.
I remember being eleven years old and attending The Forgotten Carols with my Achievement Day's group.
Looking back, that was a defining moment in my life.
Listening to the music as I sat in a dark theatre one cold winter's night I felt something that previous to that moment I had felt before but until then had never recognized.
It was the Holy Ghost.
These Forgotten Carols bore testimony of Christ's divinity.
And it was then that the Holy Ghost filled me with warmth and peace.
Such that I began to cry.
I have had many experiences with the Spirit since then.
Some stronger than what I felt that day.
And some that have felt comfortably similar to that moment years ago.
But what I really am trying to say is that I love Michael McLean for being in touch with the Spirit such that he wrote the Forgotten Carols of Christmas, the tales of others who found their lives intersected that of the Savior and through this bore testimony of Him.
Now I know it was the Spirit that I felt that day.
But every time I hear the soundtrack of that musical I am reminded of how the Spirit felt and of how I recognized in that moment that I could never deny how I felt.
Fast forward to today and I still love Michael McLean.
As the years passed I was introduced to other songs he wrote, and I have a playlist of my favourites.
Some of these favourites include "You're Not Alone", "Celebrating the Light", "Safe Harbours", "Stay With Me", and especially "Hold On, The Light Will Come".
But today I want to write about a song that often plays in the background of my mind.
It is called "Ninety and Nine".
Alright, so listen to this...
And then continue to read, ok?
Alright.
I need to express how much I LOVE this song.
I am one of the ninety and nine.
And I'm not perfect but basically I'm doing fine.
I have not lost my way, I have not gone astray.
I'm just one of the ninety and nine.
The feelings captured in this song are ones that have echoed within me.
I am here in the heart of the fold.
I'm not mindless but I try to do as I'm told.
I'm not tempted to run and become the lost one.
I am here in the heart of the fold.
One recurring criticism I hear of the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is that we are sheep, blindly following our leaders.
That we are conformists.
That as a collective group numbering over 15 million people, we are devoid of individual identities.
Instead we all dress the same.
We talk the same.
We think the same.
This isn't a criticism of those criticizing by the way.
The LDS Church has worked to eliminate that stereotype through their I'm A Mormon campaign.
But as a member of the LDS Church I admit to feeling that way.
That there is a certain way I should dress and act and live my life.
And over the years I have realized that I am me.
I have a unique personality and have the gifts and talents I do for a reason, and who I am is who my Heavenly Father wants me to be.
So I live by the rules in faith, knowing I won't always understand, but studying and pondering and putting in the work necessary to understand.
And I am confident in my place.
So why is my shepherd coming this way towards me?
He's holding his arms out and he's calling my name.
Yes he's calling my name!
But how, how can this be?
These lines remind me of the Atonement.
So often people view the atonement as simply a piece of repentance.
That it is only to be used when one has lost their way and made mistakes.
But the atonement is so much more than that. The atonement is also comfort and peace. When Jesus Christ carried out the Atonement He took upon Him all the sins, sorrows and sufferings of everyone who has ever lived, is currently living, or will live.
Because of that He is there and will help us bear our burdens.
These lyrics, I feel, encompass that part of the atonement.
Where Christ didn't suffer just for our sins, where His love is only extended to those who need help.
But His love is for everyone always.
I'm just one of the ninety and nine.
I have stumbled and fallen, but I've kept in line.
I'm not one he must seek; I'm not all that unique.
I'm just one of the ninety and nine.
I don't know if anyone else has ever felt this way, but knowing of all the horrible things happening in the world, I feel that my problems and concerns are too miniscule to even mention.
I do my best to deal with what I can and survive.
I pray and read my scriptures and as silly and wrong as this is, I don't ask for help.
Until the moment I can no longer bear the burdens I buckle under, I refuse to ask for help.
Not fully understanding the Savior's Atonement, I foolishly think that there are others who need that love and peace and to have their burdens lifted more than I do.
And so I don't ask.
I keep in line.
And quietly stumble under the load I carry.
So why is my shepherd treating me like a lost lamb?
He's searching to find me,
And he's holding me now, yes, he's holding me now.
And teaching me who I am.
But in the moments when I need Him most,
And when I finally turn from the pride that has been keeping me from my knees and pray,
He is there.
Always.
And in those moments I am overwhelmed with love and peace.
The love that would encompass the lamb that has just been found by its shepherd.
In those moments I am kindly chastened and reminded that He is always there for me.
That I need not wait until I have fallen to ask Him for help.
So why am I feeling like I'm the only one here?
It's like I'm his favourite,
And he takes me aside, and he sweetly confides,
These remarkable words in my ear.
Ok, are you ready for the best part of this song?
You are one of the ninety and nine.
Have you any idea how brightly you shine? You are safe in this fold and it's time you are told,
That I know where you've been so I know where you'll be
Because all of your life you've been following me
You are more than just one of the sands of the sea
Or just one of the ninety and nine.
I don't know if you need to take a moment after reading that to just let it sink in.
But I do.
Have you ANY idea how brightly you shine? Do you know how much you are loved?
Do you?
There is a term called "Christlike love," and it means to love fully and unconditionally.
That is the love the shepherd has for his flock.
As one who has lived her whole life as a member of the LDS church
I have felt secure in my spot there.
I am safe.
I am content.
I am not without challenges or heartaches but I am safe.
But in that line that says,
I know where you've been so I know where you'll be
Because all of your life you've been following me.
In that line I find greater security and happiness than I have ever felt previous.
I have accepted the callings I have been offered.
I attended Young Women's and now attend Relief Society.
I serve and I live my life within the fold.
And that is exactly where my Savior knows to look for me.
Because I am where I am supposed to be.
And that extends beyond being in the heart of the fold.
That is in my eternal progress.
That is in the desires of my heart.
That is cemented in the fact that I know who I am.
And because of that knowledge I know where I should be, and so I am there.
You are mine.
You are mine.
You are mine.
You are mine.
So who am I? I am His. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
I'm trying to be like Jesus.
And my deepest desire is to follow His example and return to live with Him someday.
It has been a while since I've really posted anything and trust me it's not for lack of trying.
I have probably ten drafts saved.
And have spent countless hours staring at a blank screen.
Thinking of what I wanted to say.
I've felt so many things I wanted to say.
But I couldn't seem to put it into words.
And I'm sure there is more I need to say then this.
But for today... This is where I am at.
First.
I'd like you to listen to this song while you read.
Or before.
Whatever suits you...
I guess I don't know where to start.
But I guess I will just write and hope that what I feel will come out.
I live by faith.
My faith is a critical component of who I am.
It defines me.
It has shaped me into who I am.
And I know that it is shaping me into the woman I want to be.
I struggle a lot though.
As ridiculous as this may sound, I always know but I don't always believe.
It's hard to believe there is more than what is right in front of me.
It's hard to believe that for someone as flawed as I am there is always unconditional love.
It's hard to believe that I have a Savior who suffered in Gethsemane and took upon Him all the sins and sufferings of everyone who has ever and will ever live, died upon the cross and was resurrected so that I may live.
It's hard to believe that I can be with my family forever.
It's hard to believe in eternity.
But how could I doubt?
When I know that there is so much more than what I can see.
When I know that I am loved by a family I can't remember, yet remembers and knows me.
When history tells of, and scriptures preach of a Messiah, a Savior, a Redeemer, who would and did atone for my sins, and felt my pain so that in my darkest moments I would never be alone.
When I look at my family and just know that these people are bound to me deeper than simply shared DNA, but are bound to me far longer than a till death do you part or for the course of my earthly life.
When I realize that this can't be it.
That there must be more.
That there in fact is more.
And you know what?
I'm sure some readers are ready to stop reading at this point.
Are probably scoffing and rolling their eyes at this mormon nonsense.
That no one can "know" anything of the sort.
And that is ok.
Maybe I am totally and completely delusional and wrong and once I die that is it.
But I will die having treated people in the way I felt was best.
I will die having served and improved my little part of the world.
And I will die at peace, having no qualms about what lies beyond, but will go calmly and happily.
I am fine with that.
But I do believe.
And I know.
Which makes life so much easier for me.
Not easier in that I don't have trials and struggles and heartache.
Because I do.
But easier in that I can see that there is a purpose to everything.
Whether it leads me to new opportunities, or teaches me something I previously didn't understand, or simply is a test to grow my faith, there is a purpose for the pain.
And I need that.
And I know that I have Heavenly Parents who love me.
And a whole family on the other side who have lived and struggled and endured and are now cheering for me and are there for me, even though I can't see them.
I know that my life has a purpose.
Which I guess is where I am getting with this post.
And also how this song ties into everything.
Sorry for the ramble/not ramble of earlier.
Here is where I am getting to.
By believing that God has a plan for me I also believe that this plan will come to pass in His timing.
That to truly be happy I need to trust Him.
That for the greatest happiness I need to rely on His plan and its timing in my life.
Doing the right thing at the right time at the right place.
I should also mention this doesn't mean I sit around waiting.
I am not a damsel in distress.
I have a brain. I have logic.
I have talents and ambitions and dreams.
And my Heavenly Father knows that.
And a lot of those talents are gifts from Him.
He wants me to live and do what I can with what I have.
But that doesn't mean I live without His guidance.
I live.
I make plans.
I follow through on those plans. But I also stay in contact and let Him know how I am feeling, what my fears are and ask if I'm doing what I should.
It's part trust that He will make sure I'm on the right path,
Part faith that He won't let me screw up too bad before straightening me out,
and part just communicating with my Heavenly Father like I do with my earthly father and asking for guidance and direction, knowing that He knows me better than I know myself at times.
And He does.
He knows a me that I don't remember.
A me that stood up for His plan a lifetime ago.
A me that fought for what I believed.
A me that was valiant.
A me that wanted this body I have so badly that she would risk all she had for it.
A me that wanted to prove herself and prove her faith.
A me that rejoices every time I take a step forward in the gospel and as my testimony grows.
And He loves me.
And He lets me move forward without directing my every move.
But is there to point me in His direction.
Leading me back to Him.
What I am trying to say with this is I am waiting.
A good waiting. I am waiting for direction on my next step.
I have been led so many times in my life.
Led to things that I didn't want at times, but ended up making me so happy.
And I have made choices that have led me to the path I am on now.
A path I love.
There is still so much more ahead of me.
So many things I will be lead to or am being lead to.
And still some of my greatest choices lie ahead of me.
So, in my faith members of the congregation give "talks" each Sunday during our Sacrament meeting. Instead of having a pastor or other leader speak each week we have the individual members get up and speak on a pre-assigned topic.
This Sunday I am in California and have been asked by my Granddad, who is a "high councillor" which basically means a man who has served in the church as a bishop or in the bishopric ( similar to a pastor or equivalent except it is an appointed position that is volunteer, so not paid, normally for five years but could be longer or shorter) over a ward (a group of church members who all attend meetings together as determined by their geographic location) and is now a member of the stake council (a stake is a group of wards) and is assigned to a specific ward for a while. So the ward he is over is his home ward, and my sister and I have been asked to speak tomorrow.
I thought I would share my talk here.
Also, feel free to visit mormon.org or lds.org, or message me if you have any questions. :)
Blessings
of the Temple Talk
Hello
Brothers and Sisters, I am grateful for the opportunity I have to talk to you
today.
My name is Emma Atwood, I am Brother Parkin’s granddaughter from Canada.
I
was asked today to speak on the talk given by President Monson this past
conference entitled, “Blessings of the Temple.”
I
had the opportunity, along with my family and grandfather to attend General
Conference in Salt Lake City and we were in the audience when this talk was
given.
I
remember as Pres. Monson announced the new temples that would be built in the
Ivory Coast, Thailand and Haiti, and the excitement that filled the room as we
all marveled at the progress of the church such that the gospel has not only
reached such foreign locations but has thrived there enough to constitute the
building of these temples.
President
Monson spoke of the marvelous blessings in store for the faithful members in
both these areas of newly announced temples and wherever temples are located
throughout the world. He also spoke of the desire of the First Presidency that
as many members as possible have an opportunity to attend the temple without
great sacrifices of time and resources.
That
phrase has taken on new meaning for me in the past year. I grew up in Cardston,
Alberta, Canada where I lived a block away from the temple.
My life revolved around the Cardston temple.
As I was growing up my mom worked as the cafeteria manager there. I walked
across the lawn of the temple every day on my way to school. I had Sunday
School on the temple lawn every summer as far back as I can remember.
In high school the temple literally was the
center of my life as my high school was on one side of the temple, my seminary
building on another side, the church building that housed my ward was on another
side, and I lived a block down on the other side.
Even
with the temple at the center of everything, I still took it for granted. I
didn’t understand not only how blessed I was to have the temple as a part of my
daily life, but also the impact the temple had on me. Seeing it every day was a
constant reminder of the covenants I made at baptism and of my decision to one
day be endowed and sealed there.
This
past year I went off to attend school at Southern Virginia University.
It
is an amazing school, one I am very excited to return to in a few weeks. As a
predominately LDS school I am surrounded by people who share my faith and with
whom I can discuss my beliefs on a daily basis.
Even
in such an amazing environment I was startled as my first semester progressed
and I could feel a palpable difference of spirituality in my life.
That
difference was the temple.
Going
to a school with the temple now 3 hours away was a change I was not prepared
for and did not expect to be as affected by as I was.
However,
the longer I went without attending the temple the harder life seemed to get.
At first it seemed such a difficult thing to
give up a day to spend 6 hours travelling to and from the temple, most likely
with people I didn’t know very well.
But
as I recognized that what was missing was the temple in my life, I realized
that the sacrifice of time and resources, of comfort, of spending money on gas
and food, of not spending that time studying, was not truly a sacrifice at all,
but would be an investment that would bless me in all aspects of my life.
And
it truly was.
In
spite of what was happening in my life I was able to find peace through
attending the temple.
The
Savior said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, not
as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither
let it be afraid.”
As
the Savior said, the peace I needed was not found in any worldly thing. It was
found in Him, and in going to the Lord’s house in service and in prayer,
seeking for peace and leaving behind the distractions and confusion of the
world.
I
had a hard first year of school. Where, as much as I knew I was where my
Heavenly Father wanted me to be and could see the blessings all around me in my
life, it still was hard.
There
were deaths in the family. There were issues back at home. My schoolwork was
challenging. I had to adapt to living with roommates. I had a host of learning
experiences as I took on managing the women’s soccer team there.
And even though I was being profusely blessed.
Even
though I was reading my scriptures, and praying and attending church.
I
needed the temple.
In
the past year I have gained a testimony of the temple stronger than that I
gained in the 18 and a half years living a block away from it.
I know
that the temple is the House of the Lord.
I
know that there we are given peace and a refuge from the rapidly increasing
wickedness of our world.
I
know that in the temple we find a piece of heaven, and there are able to make
covenants that transcend this earthly life and continue on throughout eternity.
And
I know we have a loving Heavenly Father who guides us and protects us and cares
about us individually as His children.
I
know that the Plan of Salvation will give us true and abiding happiness.
I know
that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer and that He is the Son of God and
our Elder Brother and that through Him we will live again.
And
I know that attending the temple worthily and faithfully brings blessings.
I am
so grateful for the opportunity I have had today to speak with you and to share
my testimony of the temple. As Elder Boyd K. Packer once said, “A testimony is
found in the bearing of it.” And I truly have gained a better understanding of
my testimony of the temple and of the extent of the impact the temple has had
on my life through preparing this talk. I know this church is true.
