Last week was a crazy one. I had a million things to get done and only a short amount of time to get it done in. I was preparing for an out of town trip to photograph a wedding in another state. The bride was my husband's cousin so we were invited to the temple sealing. Since the birth of my third daughter I haven't made it to the temple (naughty!) so I needed to meet with the bishop and stake president to renew my recommend. So on the Sunday before I meet with the Bishop, check! Now to meet with the Stake President. He is at the Stake Center every Tuesday evening from 7-9 pm to renew recommends. And of course, I have procrastinated to the last Tuesday before the wedding. I had it all planned out when . . . WHAT . . . things didn't go as planned!
I had a photo shoot that went longer than expected and found myself speeding up the freeway trying to make it in time. As I exited the freeway I realized there was no way I was going to make it up to the Stake Center in time. So . . . someone crept into my mind and started saying, well I guess I just won't go in and I'll meet them when they get out, it's my own fault and I can't ask the Stake Presidency to meet me a different time due to my procrastination.
I was then prompted by someone :) to call my mother and ask her advice (being that my dad is a bishop, I thought they may know a thing or two about this subject). She said you call and you get there! She was very sure in her answer. So I said, how! She said to contact the Stake Executive Secretary . . . ummmm ok, don't know him :)
So I called my husband to see if he could find my stake directory in the pile of papers on my desk. He said he would search (what a man!) I then called my Young Women President thinking she may have the number closer. She had the number for the Stake Center Office, and just as I hung up with her, my dear man called me with the Brother's name and guess what I knew him! Yay! He was in our Ward and his daughters are in young women's with me.
So I called the office and spoke with the Brother and he decided that we could maybe have a member of the Presidency sneak out from their meeting (that they hold after the recommend interviews) and interview with me. I promised him I was good so I wouldn't take very long, he he he.
So I got there and yes, 30 minutes late. But I came to this realization . . . we can ALWAYS find an excuse not to go, a reason we aren't able to make it, BUT the important thing is we need to find the REASONS TO BE THERE! The motivation to be where we are supposed to be. He did say, "It wouldn't be easy, but it WOULD be worth it!"
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
A Perfect Baptism . . .
When my daughter turned eight we were very excited for her baptism. We had made our programs, scheduled our speakers and planned refreshments. But . . . things didn't quite go as planned. When we arrived at the church (the stake center wasn't available because the rusted pipes made the water brown) it was locked. So we waited in the parking lot for 30 minutes until someone arrived to unlock the doors. When we got there the font was empty. We had to fill up the font and the water didn't get warm until it was half way full. The closet that had the baptism clothes in it was locked and once again, no one was around to unlock it. So my hubby had to run home and grab his temple clothes so we could perform the baptism.
As time got closer to the baptism, my daughter's biological father and his family arrived. They brought friends and filled up the front four rows. But . . . no one from the ward had arrived. My father is a bishop so I asked him if he could "preside" over the baptism. He was pretty sure that it needed to be someone who presided over that ward, not just any bishop. We had heard that the relief society was having a meeting in the gym, so we snuck a peek and noticed that the Stake President was attending.
So at the last minute, my mother and I were wandering the halls trying to figure out what to do and I said, "nothing is going right". And my mother responded with, "Baptism is a big deal, Satan is trying his best". This affected me greatly. I changed my whole outlook on the situation and thought, "well I won't let him get me down!" So we found the Stake President and asked him to join us for my daughter's baptism.
As the program began I started to understand more of why things hadn't gone our way. The first four rows were filled with people whom I hadn't seen in a long time. People that had seen me at some of my worst times. People I used to call family and friends. I had the wonderful opportunity to stand before them, my family and my beautiful daughter and bear my testimony about the beauty of the atonement and the baptismal covenants that I took when I was eight years old. I was able to stand there and bear witness to them that thru the atonement and repentance I have been able to turn my life around and to enjoy the blessings of the gospel once again. No one in this world knew more of the things I had done then these people, therefore for them to see me testify of the gift of the atonement was monumental.
Then to watch my husband, my eternal companion, take my daughter as his own and baptize her in the name of Jesus Christ, I had an understanding of why Satan wouldn't want this to take place.
It couldn't have gone any better. It was a perfect baptism.
As time got closer to the baptism, my daughter's biological father and his family arrived. They brought friends and filled up the front four rows. But . . . no one from the ward had arrived. My father is a bishop so I asked him if he could "preside" over the baptism. He was pretty sure that it needed to be someone who presided over that ward, not just any bishop. We had heard that the relief society was having a meeting in the gym, so we snuck a peek and noticed that the Stake President was attending.
So at the last minute, my mother and I were wandering the halls trying to figure out what to do and I said, "nothing is going right". And my mother responded with, "Baptism is a big deal, Satan is trying his best". This affected me greatly. I changed my whole outlook on the situation and thought, "well I won't let him get me down!" So we found the Stake President and asked him to join us for my daughter's baptism.
As the program began I started to understand more of why things hadn't gone our way. The first four rows were filled with people whom I hadn't seen in a long time. People that had seen me at some of my worst times. People I used to call family and friends. I had the wonderful opportunity to stand before them, my family and my beautiful daughter and bear my testimony about the beauty of the atonement and the baptismal covenants that I took when I was eight years old. I was able to stand there and bear witness to them that thru the atonement and repentance I have been able to turn my life around and to enjoy the blessings of the gospel once again. No one in this world knew more of the things I had done then these people, therefore for them to see me testify of the gift of the atonement was monumental.
Then to watch my husband, my eternal companion, take my daughter as his own and baptize her in the name of Jesus Christ, I had an understanding of why Satan wouldn't want this to take place.
It couldn't have gone any better. It was a perfect baptism.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Pictures Testimoments
Being that I am a photographer, I want to also use this blog to post pictures that build my testimony. This first picture is one I LOVE, it's of my little girl preparing for her baptism and just speaks to me. I feel the future in the picture. This little daughter of Heavenly Father looking up to Heaven in her dress of white. From this point on when I post pictures I won't really "say" much about them, just feel what you do :)
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