O Jerusalem

        I was spending the day at my Grandma's house last week and we got talking about Jerusalem and how special it is. She rummaged through her office to find a book that my brother, Andy, made after his experience at the BYU Jerusalem Center. My Grandma left me to journey through the pages of that book and as I did I felt a longing I had never felt before. This force like magnetism, drawing me to that holy place. I had heard my family tell me over and over how wonderful that Holy Land is, but I had never felt it's power until I read that book. After this realization of the love I have for this place I have yet to go to, I have resolved to do everything in my power to get there. I want with all my heart to walk where my dear Savior walked and to feel the power of those ancient walls. I can see how Jerusalem has marked my family and I want that mark on my spirit as well.
        This realization came with a yearning for travel in general. I love to experience new places and learn the history and the culture of a people. I love photographing sights and capturing feelings. My parents have always told me to not let my schooling get in the way of my education but now I know that I shouldn't. Will I remember two weeks in Jerusalem or another two weeks in high school? O Jerusalem, I long to see thee. I want to be changed by your spirit and filled with your beauty. Here is a video my sister made after her experience at the Jerusalem Center.

So today marks the day I have resolved to do everything in my power to experience all that I can, to pull back the fleshy parts of my heart and let life in.

The Big Picture

      I had Girl's Camp this past week and Trek the week before and I have been filled with a knowledge of the love the Heavenly Father has for His children. His great love is so incomprehensible, and yet we can be given a taste of His love if we just ask. Trek was a trial of faith as we hiked through the hills of Virginia. I am so grateful that the Lord sees the big picture and knows exactly what experiences we need in order to be successful in life. He knew that just a day after Trek I would be making my own trek west and using those same lessons I learned in the "wilderness". He knew that as I learned to really put my trust in Him during that trying women's pull, I would know to put my trust in Him when it felt like I was pulling that handcart alone in life. I only have the view through a telescope, but He can see the whole universe. 

       One of my favorite trials from Trek was when we were blindfolded and had to pull the handcart as a group. We had to listen closely to the instructions of our Mas and Pas and had to walk slowly so we had time to follow their promptings. That experience was really a type of life. We seem to be very blinded in this world and the only way we can get to our destination in safety is to listen to our Father in Heaven and follow his promptings exactingly. Even if we feel like we are walking blindly, we have the guidance of our Father to help us whenever we need it. This is a lesson I have learned on my own Trek west.

       The day after Trek ended I packed my bags and took a plane from Virginia to Utah. Although I did not have to endure the hardships of the trail and the physical pain the pioneers had to endure, I still felt a lot of pain and made a seemingly large sacrifice. I still had to leave behind everything I knew and loved and I had to forge the way for myself. We are all on our own journeys. We are on wilderness journeys that can sometimes feel lonely and difficult. Isn't it comforting to know that we have Heaven on our side? Even though leaving my home behind, not to mention my friends and family, was hard, I'm already realizing what God has in store for me. The spirit prompted us to move and so I knew I had something wonderful in my future. 
        Girl's camp in Alpine was one of those wonderful things that God blessed me with. He blessed with fast friends and a ward full of strong girls and great leaders. It could have been so much harder. I could have made no friends and I could have been placed in a small, struggling ward. How was I so blessed to be put in this town, in this house, in this ward, with these people? God's love is endless.
        Although moving could be considered a trial, I'm just going to count it as one of my many blessings. Leaving my life long home and close friends was not easy, but I know that because I trusted the Lord and moved forward with the prompting to "trek" west, the Lord will provide. Even though I left without my family, our house in Virginia hasn't sold, and I am living out of a suit case for most of the summer, I have so many great things to be thankful for.
       One devotional we had on Trek was about finding the good in everything, like the pioneers. To persevere and push forward with hope even when you think all is lost. This is what I am trying to do now. As I look for all of the blessings I am given, I realize just how wonderful life is and how much my Father in Heaven loves me. There are a few things to be sad about but there are many, many more things to be happy about. Oh how grateful I am for a Father who orchestrates my life so that I go on Trek and learn to endure trials right before my own great trial, who gives me friends in a place I am unfamiliar with, and who has blessed me with a positive attitude at this time when a negative attitude would be so much easier. May God bless you with that same knowledge, for it makes life so sweet.