A Glimpse into the Parable of the Ninety and Nine

I am a writer.  I write when I’m happy. I write when I’m sad.  I write to remember; and I write to forget.  I start my day off every morning with prayer, meditation, study, and journaling.  Journaling has always been something that has been a peaceful outlet for me.  Just last year I probably went through three or so personal journals, as well as a few “burn pages” for hard times.  When I write my words become an extension of me, and a way to hold onto the present, when the present turns into the future.

99% of my words stay kept away in various journals and notebooks around my house for safekeeping, in case I ever need to recall a special moment.  Every now and then I like to take out an old journal of mine and cruise through the pages to see what my life was like when I was writing.  Being able to recall certain memories with such exactness and detail in emotion is why I write.

Today when I came home, I started to think about a certain time in my life, when I met someone who greatly impacted my outlook on life.  I knew that I had detailed the experience in an old college journal.  I went to my stack of journals, and this particular one was nowhere in sight.  I searched high and low, tearing apart my entire house looking for the journal.  Finally after some time spent searching for my journal, I found it.  I was so happy when I found my lost journal; my mind would finally be at peace.

This short experience reminded me of the parable Jesus tells the Pharisees, when they condemn him for eating with sinners. 

Luke 15: 3-7

3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying,

4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?

5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.

7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

Although my journal was important to me, in the grand picture it would have made little difference whether or not I found it.  However, each of us are important to Christ.  He is continually seeking us out and inviting us to come to him; sinners and saints alike.  Each of us can be compared to the “lost sheep.”  We wander and go along our own paths, while Christ seeks us out, continually inviting us to return to Him.  When we finally find our way back to Him, He does not scold us for being lost, but celebrates our return with the angels in heaven.

I know that He is there for you.  However far you think you may have traveled away from Him, it is not too far for His love to reach you.  You are never too far from home to return back to Him.  

Socks from God

Many of you may already know, I have a younger brother who is currently serving a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  He has been out since November of last year, and is serving in the Atlanta, Georgia mission, Spanish speaking.  Thanks to the blessings of the internet and technology, I, and other family members, are able email with him once a week.  

Every Sunday night I send off my email to him in Atlanta, and wait anxiously for his reply on Monday.  When I see his responses in my inbox, I almost do a happy dance, and stop whatever I am doing to read it.  I love to hear about his work, the people he is meeting, and how his Spanish is coming along.  I have always had a special love for my little brother, so my email correspondence with him is so precious to me. 

However, I realized today, as I was reading his email, that I was being selfish keeping his emails all to myself.  His emails bring me so much joy and encouragement that I should share them with anyone who would like to hear from him.

This particular week, I received a larger group email, than in the past.  When I opened it at work, (thank goodness on my break), I was in tears within the first few lines of the email.  My little brother was showing me what the “pure love of Christ” looked like in action.   He showed me that service is love unconditionally for strangers that don’t even know your name. 

Below I have copied his own words, exactly as I received them.  I hope this inspires you to reach out and serve someone today.

“So I just want to write this email and share a experience I had last week . so we just got out of an appointment and were on our way to the car and this lady called us and we turned and saw her and walked to her and she was really having a hard time,she lives in a shed and has not much money at all and she asked us if we had any food with us and we didn't so we said no. We felt really sad and then she asked us if we happened to have any extra socks with us in our car and we then replied no again ..as we contuined to walk to the car about half way i had the impression to take off my socks and give them to her..so i thought that maybe i was just thinking crazy thoughts or something so i didnt do anything..then before we got to the car i felt the same feeling and i knew it was then the spirit telling me to do it..so i then took off my socks and my companion  did the same didnt think it was weird or anything but love for her. So we walked back to her shed and gave her the socks and she looked at us and smiled and asked where did you get these socks?? and we said God loves you and provided us with some extra socks for you..she then asked are these yours off your feet? we thought she was gonna say they stink or something..but we didnt say anything and she asked us to pull up our pant legs so she could see if we were wearing any socks. we didnt she said things like this make me want to cry. she knew for some reason we gave her socks from us. all she did was say thank you soo much now i wont have to sleep with cold feet anymore in my shed. She said i always new something was nice about you mormons and she said there was always just that love..I just then got into the car and both me and my companion thought how crazy something so simple can mean soo much to someone else. We then went over the next day and she was soo happy to see us and we gave her some food and more socks.

I just want to say that that story i will never forget the day we came home with no socks. Maybr sounds a little funny but it means alot to serve and im greatful to help out here on the mission.

Ofa Atu

Elder Taufa “

What stood out to me from his experience was not that he gave his socks to a stranger, but was that he recognized a prompting from the Lord, and followed it; no matter how strange it may have sounded at the time.  Each of us have the opportunity to figuratively provide "socks" for Heavenly Father's children. Each day God prompts us to do little acts of service for our fellow brothers and sisters.  Whether or not you heed the promptings through the Spirit is up you.

Matt 25: 34 - 40

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Too Many Lemons + Stinky Vinegar = Lemon Vinegar

I have a really good friend who has a couple of lemon trees in her backyard.  Because of this she has been giving me lemons - lots of lemons!  I decided to start juicing the lemons, to make lemon juice to freeze for later use.  But I ended up with tons of lemon rinds left over, so I made lemon vinegar, to use as an all purpose cleaner in my house.  I already use a water-vinegar solution to clean, (but not often, because vinegar is stinky), so I'm excited to use this natural solution that smells more like lemons.

Below is a basic outline of how I made it.  It's fairly simple, and easy to make.

1. Juice your lemons. Make sure the rinds are really clean.

2. Slice your lemon rinds.

3. Stick them in a glass container, that can be sealed.

 4. Fill container with white vinegar.

 5.  Seal containers, and wait two weeks for the lemony goodness to set in. After the two weeks have passed, strain out the liquid, and combine with a 50/50 mix of vinegar-lemon and water.

Enjoy!

My Heart in His Hands

Today Will and I went to church, like every other Sunday, and it was a typical service, if you could call anything typical.  Nothing out of the ordinary happened, and by all means, it could really wouldn’t be worth mentioning, if I hadn’t paid close attention to what I felt during this typical day.

It wasn’t till the second hour of church, while I was in the Gospel Essentials class (a Sunday school class designed for recent Mormon converts) that I felt a blanket of warmth and contentment wash over my soul as a sat in that small class of eight.  The lesson was on simple gospel truths that I had learned time, and time again, but as a sat there in that room, I felt a simple peace come into my heart.  

I can tell you that I know the feeling that entered into my heart was not from some frenzied religious fervor of excitement, but was from the realness of Christ’s gospel, and His love entering into my heart.  I felt my heart in His hands. 

As the lesson went on, I took the time to write a few lines in my notepad, so that I could always hold onto the special feeling, I was experiencing at that moment. 

These are my notes:

            “A Warm Heart & a Happy Soul.  Today I feel God’s love so strong in my life.  It feels as though Christ is holding my heart, and keeping it safe.  I do not feel worries, or the burdens that have been laid upon me, but a pure contentment.  My joy is simple and calm.”

What I felt in that moment was the peace that God offers to each of us.  Each of us is looking for that feeling of love in our life, but we often overlook our Heavenly Father, for the shiny things of the world.  I know His love is available for all; we need only to seek Him out, and He will not falter. 

A Road Trip, Horses, and Minions

Will's Birthday

This year for Will's birthday, I wanted to do something really special for him, because I naturally think he is a special person.  So I decided, what's more special than a surprise party?  I thought, this should be easy, because he's a laid back person, and never really wants to have a big party.  However, I found planning this surprise a bit more difficult than anticipated, because for the first time ever he wanted to plan his own party.

I was able to keep things under wrap and told him that I had a road trip planned for his birthday.  I played it off like I had this big elaborate thing planned out.  But in reality, I had no clue what I was going to do to get him out of the house so that my awesome mom and family could come over and decorate my backyard for his surprise party.  Finally, the day before the "road trip" and his surprise party, I came up with a brilliant idea, to keep us busy while the party preparations were on its way at our home.  I saw an ad for horseback riding and thought, "What the heck? Everyone loves horses, why not take him horseback riding in the Arizona mountains?"   So plans were made, and a car picnic packed for our road trip the next day.

When I finally told him about my plans to take him on an hour long horseback ride, my great idea backfired on me.  Apparently, he had had some sort of traumatic experience on a horse as a teen, and was not fond of horses since then.  Well, if I had been a good wife, I would have thought to ask him about his thoughts on horseback riding, but since I wasn't, I had already swiped my credit card and made non-refundable reservations.  So, the show went on.

Saddling up

Our road trip up to the mountains was beautiful, and so fun with Will.  When we finally got to the farm, Will seemed a little less hesitant, and more willing to go on, seeing as I had already invested a pretty penny into the trip.  The hour long ride was a great experience, and I was in awe of the beautiful mountain range.  Aside from being a little sore from the ride, the only memorable thing that stood out was that Will's horse stopped to take an unlady-like restroom break on the trail.  Poor Will could do nothing but sit there and hold his nose.

My love

When we started to head home, we still needed to burn a few hours before coming home to the surprise party.  So I tried my best to stall, by asking to stop frequently for RR breaks, etc.  I did manage to get him to stop at a rest stop, telling him that I wanted to take pictures of the scenery.  ( just looking for a way to burn time.)

Making a wish!

By the time we came home, Will pretty much knew something was up, but played along to make me happy. Family and friends were there to greet us, as we arrived home from our long trip.  Thanks to my mom, sister, and so many more family members and friends his party was a hit!  He was so happy to see everyone there for him.  My sister, even made cute Despicable Me Minion cupcakes for the party.  In all, it was a great day, and my only wish would have been that he would have been able to share it with more of his family.

Happy Birthday

The Baker and her cupcakes

Family :)

Luisa's Baptism

So this past weekend, my hubby and I took the long 12 hour drive up and back to San Francisco, for a special baptism.  The drive was LONNGGG, but definitely worth it!  Luisa, a beautiful 8 year old girl, had chosen to be baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  She asked my husband, to baptize her, and he was truly humbled to have been asked.  We were so happy for her, and were grateful to share this special day with her.

We left Friday night, and were able to make it to San Francisco by Saturday morning. Initially, Will insisted on driving non-stop from Phoenix to San Francisco without any sleeping break, as well as insisting on being the sole driver the entire trip.  Of course, I was hesitant, but decided to let him have his way, as we set off for California at 7pm Friday night.  We drove non-stop till 4am, when he decided to pull off of the road and take a quick nap in the car for an hour or two.  I must admit, I was impressed at his ability to drive the whole way there and back on his own.  I wanted to help drive, but he was adamant that he would get motion sickness if he were to be a passenger.

When we were finally able to get to San Francisco, it was worth it.  We met up with some family, and had a good time visiting.  I took the morning to take Luisa out, and had a little photo shoot with her.  I may be biased, but I think that she is such a beautiful girl, and really radiates happiness.  I love being able to spend time with her and her family.

In the afternoon, it was finally time for her baptism.  We drove down to the church building together, and there were already LDS missionaries, and so many members from her ward family there.  Everyone there was so supportive and happy for her.  After she changed from her Sunday dress into her baptismal clothes, I couldn't help but to think of the symbolism of wearing white at a baptism, and how baptism washes away all of our sins, and makes us spotless. 

The baptism program started off in the usual way with an opening prayer, and remarks from a bishopric member.  Then, Luisa stood up in the front of that small room to sing, "I am a Child of God."  As she sang she looked so pure and beautiful; so sure of her divine nature and infinite worth.  She started off strong, with the piano softly playing in the background, but as she went on, I could tell that she was starting to get nervous with the crowd watching her.

As she began to sing the chorus, "Lead me, Guide me, Walk beside me, Help me find the way..." she started fumble over her words.  Then from the back of the room, someone softly started singing along with her.  One by one, the entire audience joined in and sang with her, never overpowering her soft voice but, supporting it and helping her along the way.  As we all sang together, there was an undeniable feeling of love from God in that room.  The evidence of the reality of the Holy Ghost was so strong, that I knew right then without a doubt, that Christ's gospel is true.  During that soft hymn, sung by an 8 year old girl, my testimony was strengthened of the truth that all are children of God.  What impressed me most as I watched her, was that I could tell she could feel God's love at that moment, and that she knew that she  truly was a child of God.

Luisa, and her Mum

After her solo, she sat down, and at it was my turn to give a talk on baptism.  Seizing this moment, I turned to her, and put my hand up to my heart and looked her in the eyes asking, "Do you feel that?  Do you feel this special feeling inside of you right now?"  She turned to me smiling, and said, "Yes! I feel the spirit."  

The rest of my talk was about the purpose of baptism, and it's necessity.  Even though there was a room full of people, I spoke to her, focusing on what I knew Heavenly Father would want her to know on her baptism day.

First Blog!

My very first blog!

I"m not sure what I'm gonna write about, or even if anyone would be interested in my rambles... but in any case, this could at least be an online diary?