Yesterday as I struggled to mow our lawn with a mower that literally stopped every 1-3 minutes, I pondered about the beautiful lawn mowing service we received by kind, Christlike souls in both Utah and here in Michigan...
Last summer, there was a week when neither Abe nor I had absolutely no time to get to the lawn. Abe was working 15 hour days, and our newborn's catnaps were never long enough for me to mow the lawn. As we left for church, I felt badly that we would be leaving our lawn looking so messy yet another day.
To our surprise, as we drove into our driveway, we found our lawn looking tidy and perfectly mown!! We were shocked! We had only lived in this house for a couple of months, so we had no idea who would even show us that kind of service! After a few days, we discovered that it was our next door neighbor. He said he enjoyed doing it, so he did it!! He made it seem as simple as that; but as we've gotten to know this beautiful couple, we have further learned of their beautiful love that they have for God. I believe it was that love that moved him to serve a neighbor he hardly knew.
A few years ago, when we lived in Utah, we had a home teacher who seemed to always come to our rescue at the exact time we needed him too.
Most male members of our church are called as home teachers. They are assigned a few families to visit, strengthen, and teach at least once a month. They are the ones we should feel comfortable enough to call first when we have a need. I am forever grateful that this particular man and his son took to heart their calling to serve our family. They served us as true representatives of Christ.
This home teacher served us multiple times... transporting manure was probably the ugliest of his jobs to serve the Mills' family, but the most inspired was at a time when Abe was out of town. I was especially nauseated from pregnancy, and some of the children had stomach viruses. We lived in an HOA, and we had to keep our lawn tidy.
Our grass couldn't go another day before it needed to be mowed. It was on my mind the whole day knowing that it needed to be done, but my day just was not going the way I had planned...
At one point, Jordan ran to the toilet to throw up- I was proud of him for making it to the toilet... but he didn't know the lid was still down! You can imagine the mess! I remember lifting the lid after his first upchuck, and then patted his back as he continued to lose everything else from his poor tummy. Because I was constantly nauseated myself, I began throwing up into the sink adjacent to the toilet at the same time as Jordan.
As we threw up in unison, the thought came to me: "There is no way I can do anything else today."
Right at that very moment, I heard a couple of lawn mowers start up... It was our home teacher and his son! They, on their own freewill and obviously inspired by the Holy Ghost, came to mow our lawn!
Our lot was the biggest one in the whole subdivision, so it was no small gesture to come and do that service. Not only did they take their calling to serve our family seriously, but the timeliness of their lawn motors revving up couldn't have come at a more perfect moment... my weakest moment of sickness and exhaustion.
I have told this home teacher that he still holds the trophy in our hearts as being the best home teacher we've ever had. Yes, he served us at miraculous moments; but he and his son also visited our home faithfully each month to teach us sweet lessons of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
... and our neighbors hold a pretty big trophy in our hearts for being so full of the love of Christ. We love them dearly for sharing that love with us.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
One Woman's Great Love
Abe was out of town, and I took all the children to Jackson's swim meet for 4 hours. It was a great meet, but an excruciating, stabbing pain in my stomach caused me to not be able to focus well on anything.
Jayden, as cute as he was, wanted desperately to jump into the pool. It was a constant struggle for hours to hold him back from the temptation right in front of his eyes. As I walked around with him, a woman, who I had only barely met, motioned to me to ask if she could hold Juliana. I nodded my approval, and I watched as she played with and amused both of my girls for a couple of hours! I had been feeling bad for not being able to give more attention to them because of my pain in my stomach and because the constant attention I had to give to baby Jayden.
This woman did not even know my need. She didn't serve me to be a hero. She was simply being who God wanted her to be... a woman of great love. With her beautiful, shining spirit, she stepped out of her comfort zone and asked to give love to another woman's children. I was and still am touched.
I didn't even talk to her more than a couple of words the entire evening because I was chasing Jayden so much. I don't even know her name; but when it was time to leave, we couldn't help but embrace each other. She didn't know how deeply she had served and taught me, but we both knew that a deep bond had taken place.
I thank God for the miracle of the beautiful people HE sends in our direction to touch lives in ways that only Heaven's Power could have directed them to do. I thank God for this woman's great love.
Jayden, as cute as he was, wanted desperately to jump into the pool. It was a constant struggle for hours to hold him back from the temptation right in front of his eyes. As I walked around with him, a woman, who I had only barely met, motioned to me to ask if she could hold Juliana. I nodded my approval, and I watched as she played with and amused both of my girls for a couple of hours! I had been feeling bad for not being able to give more attention to them because of my pain in my stomach and because the constant attention I had to give to baby Jayden.
This woman did not even know my need. She didn't serve me to be a hero. She was simply being who God wanted her to be... a woman of great love. With her beautiful, shining spirit, she stepped out of her comfort zone and asked to give love to another woman's children. I was and still am touched.
I didn't even talk to her more than a couple of words the entire evening because I was chasing Jayden so much. I don't even know her name; but when it was time to leave, we couldn't help but embrace each other. She didn't know how deeply she had served and taught me, but we both knew that a deep bond had taken place.
I thank God for the miracle of the beautiful people HE sends in our direction to touch lives in ways that only Heaven's Power could have directed them to do. I thank God for this woman's great love.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
The Weak Can Become Strong!
A few days ago, I was talking to a mother in the foyer of an auditorium during a play. She had a beautiful, special, little girl who endured multiple seizures after her birth. The seizures affected her development greatly. The doctors gave her the prognosis that she would not walk or communicate at all for several years. I watched this mother's joy as her sweet daughter- just a little over a year old- was already surpassing the doctor's prognosis by communicating the word, "Mama." The mother is in a stage right now where she believes with all of her heart that miracles can take place- that her daughter can do much more than the doctors once believed- but at the same time, she wonders what the future holds for her precious daughter.
I bore my testimony to her of the power of God to turn weaknesses into strengths.
My oldest son, Jackson, was born with a severe heart condition which required major surgery, lots of faith and prayers, and lots of trauma to his poor little body and spirit.
I often read this scripture to Jackson:
Ether 12:27
And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.
At age 3, Jackson attended special classes to aid his language and social interaction skills. For years , I had to teach him the basics of how to respond with a yes or no to simple questions and how to respond to people when they were sad or hurt. Nothing came automatically; it had to be taught and deliberately demonstrated. After attempting to talk to him, people often expressed their hope that he would talk to them too. I also hoped the day would come.
Last night we were watching the kids' football game, and a young, married man approached me and said, "Jackson is the most humble boy I have ever met." He shared with me how kind and compassionate Jackson was with both his scout instructor and the other kids at a recent activity. He said that Jackson was great to congratulate and encourage the other kids on their achievements. My heart was touched to know that what was once such a great weakness of social interaction has actually become his greatest strength... but it came because of his humility in the process.
A few years ago, we made our first annual visit to our new cardiologist here in Michigan. The lab technician hadn't read the notes on Jackson yet, but specifically commented to me about how advanced Jackson was in his language skills. I just smiled and thanked him. About 15 minutes later, the technician came out of the room in shock. He said, "Wait a minute... I just got done reading his report. It says here that he had delays in his language?? That's amazing!" I just smiled again and told him how grateful I was for God's help in making that one of his strengths.
This Friday both Jackson and Tyson will be doing something very special with the Kalamazoo Youth Civic Theater program.
This program is ranked number 3 in the nation. In order to keep such a fantastic program running, they rely on the big donors in the community. Every year the Civic has a special dinner to thank these donors. This is the first year that they decided to ask a few of the students to give a speech about their experience with the Civic. The director asked both Jackson and Tyson to give speeches at this special dinner as the youngest representatives of the program.
Once again, God was allowing me to see that this great weakness was becoming one of his greatest strengths.
When I was a little girl, I was told these stories about Heber J. Grant, the 7th president of our church. He lived from 1856-1945. His strong determination to turn his weaknesses into strengths has made him a great hero of mine ever since.
I gathered some of the details of his life from www.lds.org under
Lesson 22: Heber J. Grant—Man of Determination,” The Presidents of the Church: Teacher’s Manual, 105
*Heber J. Grant was one of the worst players on his baseball team, so he spent hours and hours throwing the baseball until he made the baseball team that won the championship in California, Colorado, and Wyoming.
*Then, Heber J. Grant was made fun of for his horrible handwriting being told that it looked like "hen tracks." He spent so many hours practicing his penmanship, that he eventually became proficient enough to be offered a position to work as a penman in San Francisco.
*My favorite story about Heber J. Grant was his determination to learn how to sing. In this link below, the story of Heber J. Grant learning how to sing is told in even more humorous detail.
I bore my testimony to her of the power of God to turn weaknesses into strengths.
My oldest son, Jackson, was born with a severe heart condition which required major surgery, lots of faith and prayers, and lots of trauma to his poor little body and spirit.
I often read this scripture to Jackson:
Ether 12:27
And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.
At age 3, Jackson attended special classes to aid his language and social interaction skills. For years , I had to teach him the basics of how to respond with a yes or no to simple questions and how to respond to people when they were sad or hurt. Nothing came automatically; it had to be taught and deliberately demonstrated. After attempting to talk to him, people often expressed their hope that he would talk to them too. I also hoped the day would come.
Last night we were watching the kids' football game, and a young, married man approached me and said, "Jackson is the most humble boy I have ever met." He shared with me how kind and compassionate Jackson was with both his scout instructor and the other kids at a recent activity. He said that Jackson was great to congratulate and encourage the other kids on their achievements. My heart was touched to know that what was once such a great weakness of social interaction has actually become his greatest strength... but it came because of his humility in the process.
A few years ago, we made our first annual visit to our new cardiologist here in Michigan. The lab technician hadn't read the notes on Jackson yet, but specifically commented to me about how advanced Jackson was in his language skills. I just smiled and thanked him. About 15 minutes later, the technician came out of the room in shock. He said, "Wait a minute... I just got done reading his report. It says here that he had delays in his language?? That's amazing!" I just smiled again and told him how grateful I was for God's help in making that one of his strengths.
This Friday both Jackson and Tyson will be doing something very special with the Kalamazoo Youth Civic Theater program.
This program is ranked number 3 in the nation. In order to keep such a fantastic program running, they rely on the big donors in the community. Every year the Civic has a special dinner to thank these donors. This is the first year that they decided to ask a few of the students to give a speech about their experience with the Civic. The director asked both Jackson and Tyson to give speeches at this special dinner as the youngest representatives of the program.
Once again, God was allowing me to see that this great weakness was becoming one of his greatest strengths.
When I was a little girl, I was told these stories about Heber J. Grant, the 7th president of our church. He lived from 1856-1945. His strong determination to turn his weaknesses into strengths has made him a great hero of mine ever since.
I gathered some of the details of his life from www.lds.org under
Lesson 22: Heber J. Grant—Man of Determination,” The Presidents of the Church: Teacher’s Manual, 105
*Heber J. Grant was one of the worst players on his baseball team, so he spent hours and hours throwing the baseball until he made the baseball team that won the championship in California, Colorado, and Wyoming.
*Then, Heber J. Grant was made fun of for his horrible handwriting being told that it looked like "hen tracks." He spent so many hours practicing his penmanship, that he eventually became proficient enough to be offered a position to work as a penman in San Francisco.
*My favorite story about Heber J. Grant was his determination to learn how to sing. In this link below, the story of Heber J. Grant learning how to sing is told in even more humorous detail.
As I pondered further upon the miracle of both my son and
Heber J. Grant's accomplishments, God opened my mind and heart to the many things that I
could possibly accomplish if I would humble myself and apply my
faith. It's a comfort to believe that my thousands of weaknesses
can become strengthened. I’ll start with one at a time believing and knowing that I
CAN DO HARD THINGS!!
Monday, May 13, 2013
Our Mother's Day Bike Adventure: Delirious, Stranded, and Blessed!!
In my previous post, I wrote about my excitement to go on an adventurous bicycle ride with Abe and all 6 kids. It would be 35 miles one way; and although it would be a challenge, this was what I really wanted to do as a family for Mother's Day.
On our way to the trail head, the rain came down hard, and the weather was very chilly... in the 40's. We were leaving 3 hours later than when we wanted. I kept telling the children that we could get really cold and wet if we still went. I asked them over and over again if they still wanted to go; they assured me that they did. I told them to pray with all the faith they had because the weather was looking pretty severe.
When we arrived at the trailhead, there were a few people who were finishing up a fund-raiser. The man in charge looked at me and said, "I have to warn you... there is some ugly weather coming in." I said, "I know, but there's no lightning, right?" He said, "No, but let me check again."
He pulled out his phone and looked closer at the screen. He looked up at me and said, "Wow! That's strange. It looks like the storm must have turned up north!" It was still drizzling at this point, but I was so grateful that the bigger storm miraculously made a turn!
I put Juliana on the seat behind me and Jayden in the cart trailing me. In the cart, I also carried gatorades, sleeping bags, extra clothes for rain, food, and emergency kits. I had at least 100 lbs in tow.
Abe borrowed a friend's bike... it was a Cruiser- just a little fyi: A Cruiser is not the kind of bike you want to take on a 35 mile bike ride! What a special memory Mariah will always have riding behind her daddy for an entire day. Jackson, Tyson, Jordan, and Mariah carried their own backpacks of extra clothes and a few of their own waters and snacks. Their bags were heavy and bulky... but they were on an adventure and acting very, very brave.
Before we left, the man gave us some parting advice:
"An adventure isn't an adventure if you know how it's going to turn out in the end, so...
Oh the surprises and miracles that would await us!
We got on our bikes prepared for the worst. Our first surprise/miracle was that the rain completely stopped just as we were getting ready to leave!!
We had brought two head lamps, but the extra batteries were left in the car. I was the only one with the head lamp that worked. Abe was the caboose and reminded the children often: "Keep your eyes on Mommy's light."
We were getting so close, and everyone anxiously anticipated each announcement of a mile conquered. "How many more miles?" was a question I heard at this point about every 5 minutes. We had already seen one set of beady, glowing eyes in the woods. We assumed it was a deer, but we pressed forward a little faster anyway.
I called the lady at our campground to tell her that I thought we were about 3 miles away.
"One of the primary purposes of mortality is to learn- to gain knowledge and intelligence. Doctrine and Covenants 93:36 states, 'The glory of God is intelligence.' ...The real value of learning is that it enables you in any situation to be resourceful- to figure out what to do when you have no idea what to do!"
On our way to the trail head, the rain came down hard, and the weather was very chilly... in the 40's. We were leaving 3 hours later than when we wanted. I kept telling the children that we could get really cold and wet if we still went. I asked them over and over again if they still wanted to go; they assured me that they did. I told them to pray with all the faith they had because the weather was looking pretty severe.
When we arrived at the trailhead, there were a few people who were finishing up a fund-raiser. The man in charge looked at me and said, "I have to warn you... there is some ugly weather coming in." I said, "I know, but there's no lightning, right?" He said, "No, but let me check again."
He pulled out his phone and looked closer at the screen. He looked up at me and said, "Wow! That's strange. It looks like the storm must have turned up north!" It was still drizzling at this point, but I was so grateful that the bigger storm miraculously made a turn!
I put Juliana on the seat behind me and Jayden in the cart trailing me. In the cart, I also carried gatorades, sleeping bags, extra clothes for rain, food, and emergency kits. I had at least 100 lbs in tow.
Abe borrowed a friend's bike... it was a Cruiser- just a little fyi: A Cruiser is not the kind of bike you want to take on a 35 mile bike ride! What a special memory Mariah will always have riding behind her daddy for an entire day. Jackson, Tyson, Jordan, and Mariah carried their own backpacks of extra clothes and a few of their own waters and snacks. Their bags were heavy and bulky... but they were on an adventure and acting very, very brave.
Before we left, the man gave us some parting advice:
"An adventure isn't an adventure if you know how it's going to turn out in the end, so...
GO HAVE AN ADVENTURE!!"
I love adventures, but my first thought was, "I pretty much know how this trip is going to turn out in the end because we have everything all planned out."Oh the surprises and miracles that would await us!
We got on our bikes prepared for the worst. Our first surprise/miracle was that the rain completely stopped just as we were getting ready to leave!!
We started down the trail, and I couldn't stop talking about the beauty surrounding us.
After riding for only about 15 minutes, it got even better...
The clouds actually opened up to blue skies!! I yelled out, "Blue skies? Guys!! Are you kidding? Do you see those blue skies?" The blue skies were actually reflecting off the water! Blue skies were definitely not in the forecast!! We knew this was surely a message and a miracle from God that HE was with us. That knowledge of God's presence would prove to be a CRUCIAL source for our faith in our upcoming trials.
After only 5 miles, 7 year old Jordan saw a sign that read, "28 miles." He shouted excitedly, "We're almost there! We've gone 28 miles!" I hated to break the news to him that we had more than 28 miles to go!!
The Wind Storm
We were traveling at a decent speed until the path opened up to farm land right at the moment when a wind storm hit. I couldn't believe how hard I had to push to barely even move a few feet.
We were laughing hysterically at how difficult it was to bike. I heard everyone yelling, "What's happening to us?" It was such a strange feeling to not be able to move.
Tyson yelled out, "The wind is defeating me!!"
Jackson shouted wildly, "What is this? Kansas or something?"
I hardly had any energy to encourage them. I had to stand and put all of my weight on each peddle to barely move forward. I was concentrating so hard on moving my 100lb trailer that I didn't see poor Jordan.
I finally looked back, and this is how I found him...
The wind had completely blown him over! He had rolled over trying to stand up again with his heavy backpack. I couldn't stop laughing! We took a 5 minute break after the wind storm to eat some snacks and to recharge all of our poor bodies.
Songs, Prayers, and Animals
After riding for a few hours, I looked over at Abe and said, "You're not smiling very much." (Mind you, he never wanted to do this bike ride in the first place- he was there to lovingly support his wife.)
Taking my comment well, my cute husband started to sing his heart out; and in turn, his bicycle tandem partner, Mariah, sang her heart out too. They sang songs from musicals, and Abe taught her some Elvis songs. They sang boisterously for several miles!!
As they sang, I went ahead and traveled alone for a while... I began to pray and to thank God for such a beautiful adventure. As I took that alone time to talk to God and feel his peace, the pain in my legs went away. The thought came strongly to me: "Even though everyone was tired, all would be ok... there were great lessons to be learned and felt."
After my time of pondering with God, I raced ahead to check on the boys... A few miles previously they had been moaning about their backs and legs that were in pain. I said, "Boys, are you tired?" They replied, "No, but did you know that if a cheetah runs more than 200 meters, it could die?"
I couldn't help but laugh. My family was doing just fine... singing, praying, and talking about animals. The babies were AMAZING!! They just talked jibberish and hummed most of the way. I traded their positions after a while and put Jayden in the seat behind me. I felt like the angels were by their sides because they were so happy... hour after hour after hour!
Delirious
At around mile 25 or so, we all started to get really tired again. We had been biking on rough terrain with heavy bags for over 4 hours.
Out of the blue, an old lady with doingy butterflies bouncing off her hat, drove down our bike path in a small motorized vehicle. She drove straight toward us, and Jackson rode his bike straight toward her. We all yelled at the top of our lungs, "JACKSON!!!! GET OUT OF THE WAY!!" He quickly swerved away at the last second. I said, "Jackson, what were you doing? Why didn't you move?" He just kept saying, "There aren't supposed to be motorized vehicles on this path!" I think he was just REALLY delirious and had entered another world of thought.
Soon after, I watched Jordan turn his wheels off the path and ride straight into the woods! I was weak from laughing. We all yelled again, "JORDAN!!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING??? " Once again, I think delirium was the cause.
We decided to take a short snack, drink, and... a potty break- Mariah was taught the ways of the forest by her mother. :-) As we pressed forward, Tyson informed me that his peddle had broken off about a mile previously. He had been riding on only the rod that protrudes! I don't know how, but he said he didn't notice he had lost it until about a mile too late. I felt so bad for him.
Exhausted, we saw a hill coming up. I yelled up to the kids, "I CAN DO HARD THINGS!!!" They yelled back, "I CAN DO HARD THINGS!!" We repeated this over and over again until we made it to the top of the hill.
Stranded
As we continued on, we were energized by the beauty of the sun setting and shadowy forests.We had brought two head lamps, but the extra batteries were left in the car. I was the only one with the head lamp that worked. Abe was the caboose and reminded the children often: "Keep your eyes on Mommy's light."
We were getting so close, and everyone anxiously anticipated each announcement of a mile conquered. "How many more miles?" was a question I heard at this point about every 5 minutes. We had already seen one set of beady, glowing eyes in the woods. We assumed it was a deer, but we pressed forward a little faster anyway.
I called the lady at our campground to tell her that I thought we were about 3 miles away.
From our conversation earlier that day, I was told that the campsite was at the end of the trail off Blue Star Highway. She told me I couldn't miss it. I was told there would be a sign pointing the way to go. She said it was 2/10ths of a mile off the trail at the end.
After we road our bikes another 3 miles and under a highway, I decided to call the campsite again. It was now 10:20pm. I told her where we were, and she said nonchalantly, "Oh you passed us 5 miles ago."
There was no way we could all ride another 5 miles! We thought we were done! Our bodies ached, and we were exhausted. We wouldn't arrive until 11:30 if we were to go back to the campground! The kids started to cry, and I told them how sorry I was. Jordan comforted me assuring me that it wasn't my fault.
The only way to the nearest hotels would be to ride along the highway. That would be entirely too dangerous, so that was not an option either.
Abe took over, put the head lamp on, and led us through a muddy passageway to get to the edge of the highway. He called hotels and taxi services trying to find a shuttle. Nobody had anything that could transport all 8 of us with our bikes!!
Then, with tears dripping out of his little eyes, Tyson said, "Mommy, this isn't a miracle."
Oh my heart broke to hear him say this; but at the same time, hearing his perspective, I knew that this was exactly where we needed to be. If everything had gone exactly as planned, there would not have been an opportunity to teach my children that God is still taking care of us even when it seems like everything is going wrong.
I reminded Tyson that God showed us blue skies when we started our journey to let us know that HE was watching us and taking care of us. I taught him that this was the perfect opportunity for him to put his faith in God, and I encouraged him to keep watching for God's miracles.
It was cold. It was late. It was dark. Coyotes howled in the distance. We didn't know anybody close by. We had been on the trail now for over 6 hours, and here we were standing on the side of the highway trying to come up with a solution... but we knew that God was with us, and we would find a way.
Blessed
One of our apostles, Elder David A. Bednar, said this in the October, 2007 issue of the Friend magazine:"One of the primary purposes of mortality is to learn- to gain knowledge and intelligence. Doctrine and Covenants 93:36 states, 'The glory of God is intelligence.' ...The real value of learning is that it enables you in any situation to be resourceful- to figure out what to do when you have no idea what to do!"
The best thing we knew how to do at this point was to pray. We gathered together as a family, and Abe gave the most beautiful prayer for our family.
I suggested that we call someone from our church. Our church has a website (www.lds.org) which gives us the local leaders' phone numbers. We did not even know the leaders here, but we called anyway. We're a worldwide family in Christ ready to help each other- members or not.
Abe called the 2nd counselor to the Branch President. His wife answered a little warily- we were calling after 11pm after all. Abe explained our problem, and they promised to come right away to rescue us.
As we waited, I felt an overwhelming love for my champion, Abe.
I was overjoyed to know that help was coming.
Happy little Jackson never complained about anything.
Sweet little Tyson's tender heart was trying to find his hope again.
Tough little Jordan rode his bike like a champ and was completely exhausted.
Beautiful little Mariah laid down to rest while we waited. She smiled knowing that help was coming.
Cute little Juliana- so cozy in the cart- had no stress in the world.
...and precious little Jayden slept ever so soundly- oblivious to the happenings around him.
After about only 15 more minutes, we saw the happiest sight! Two cars- after the hundreds- pulled over to the side of the highway. The counselor, his son, and his son's friend came to help us. The kids and I went with the counselor, and Abe traveled with the 2 teenage boys in their car to return to get a suburban for our bikes.
When the kids and I entered the hotel, the manager passed out treats and drinks to all of my children and informed us we would have a free, hot, big, all-you-can-eat breakfast in the morning... that was MUCH better than our campground had to offer! She had lowered the price of our room to be only 5 more dollars than our cabin would have cost.
Jayden, Juliana, and Mariah literally bounced around the hotel room with excitement while the older boys collapsed on the beds and floor. Abe returned shortly after with all of the bikes and the rest of our luggage, and by around 1:30am we all finally got to sleep.
The Miracles Continued at Church
I lay in bed Saturday night and mulled over all the options of how to get ourselves home the next day. I knew the kids were too exhausted to make the now 37 mile bike trip back home from the hotel after such a late and extended trip. Tyson's pedal was gone, and their bodies needed more sleep. I told Abe I could ride back by myself and get the van. It didn't think it would be as hard on the return without the trailer. He refused that idea. I considered calling friends with big vans who we could pay to come pick us up... but we didn't want to bother them on Mother's Day.
Finally, I told God that I was having a hard time asking for more help because I was the one who caused this mess. I asked HIM to help us solve our problem again. I was awakened the very next morning with a phone call from the 2nd Counselor offering a solution. He had been in a meeting already that morning with other church leaders. He wanted to take us all to church that morning and then take Abe to our van in Kalamazoo after Sacrament meeting. He insisted on helping and offered with so much love in his voice that I couldn't help but humble myself and accept his help.
We ate our wonderful, hot breakfast and all went to church in our sweatsuits. We tried to be inconspicuous in the back, but the Branch President welcomed us and asked Abe to stand. Because of Stake Conference the week before, it was testimony meeting.
Jackson, Jordan, and Mariah all walked to the front of the church in their sweats to bear their testimonies. Then, I felt the Spirit speak deep within my heart, and I knew that I, too, needed to stand and bear my testimony.
I apologized for my attire and watched the reassuring smiles from several members letting me know that they were just glad we were there no matter what we looked like. I cried as I shared the miracles from God.
During the Sunday school class, a brother made a comment that he knew we were supposed to miss our turn to the campground. He proceeded to say that there was a particular family that needed to hear our testimonies that day. They were learning about the church, and this was the 1st Sunday they had come in almost 2 months. Then, with all the faith in the world, this brother approached me privately and said, "When I said that this family was supposed to hear your testimonies, I felt the Spirit very strong, so I know it's true."
Then, the wife and children of the 2nd Counselor told me how valuable of an experience it was for their teenager and his friend to have that opportunity to serve. The friend, who does not go to church, kept asking the counselor, "Now, how did they get your phone number? Who are these people?" These boys followed the perfect example of charity that this father set as he served complete strangers in the middle of the night. And the counselor's son?? Well, he is leaving to be a missionary in Chile in only 2 short months. He will serve his Savior well.
Amazing Lessons Learned!!
On the way home, I asked each of the children what they learned from the experience:
*Jordan said, "I learned to just keep going and never quit!! Call the church! Even when you're stuck in a tiger's cage, call the church!"
*Tyson said, "I learned that God has his hands in everything, and I learned to keep going no matter what."
*Jackson said, "I learned to not mess with mother nature."
*Mariah said, "I learned to keep going; and even though I hurt, I can keep going."
Would these children have learned these lessons so deeply if all had gone as planned? Absolutely not. Was the extra exhaustion worth the opportunity that we had to exercise more faith? Most definitely.
I have learned and accepted that more often than not, things do not go as planned, but we can count on the fact that God is ALWAYS working miracles in our lives. HE sees the grander picture.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Onward and Forward
I have been wanting to bike this amazing trail ever since we moved to Michigan 2 1/2 years ago. It is a 60 mile bike ride round trip! We didn't have a bike trailer for the babies, so we never went. Last summer, some friends gave us a tandem attachment for a bike that would be perfect for our 5 year-old, Mariah; and just before winter, I saw one left-over bike trailer attachment at the store at an amazing price. I bought it and anxiously waited all winter to use it.
Then yesterday, I realized that this Mother's Day weekend would be the last time we would all be together as a family in Michigan until the end of June... possibly even July. This weekend was our weekend to go on our bike adventure! This was spontaneity at it's best, and I loved it!!
The weather would be cool and a little rainy. There would no lightning, and we would bring ponchos! I prayed about it and called Abe- he obliged (only because I pulled the "but it's Mother's Day" card.) I asked the kids if they wanted to go- they were ecstatic. I squealed with excitement and made the plans:
We would leave after swim lessons today and arrive in the evening to a nice cabin just half a mile away from the trail head. I'm guessing it will take us 6 hours to get there by bike... I guess we'll find out for sure! Our plan is to start our 30 mile return trip at 6am Sunday morning in order to arrive to our friend's house by noon. We will then take a shower at their house before racing over to church by 1pm.
It was all perfectly planned! Everyone was excited to go... (Abe was excited because I was excited.) Then, all of a sudden the thoughts of fear came last night:
"It's the coldest weekend in weeks... You're going to freeze and be stranded... There's no sunshine this weekend, so it will be a dreary ride... The babies will cry the whole way... Is it really worth the time?... You won't have time to finish everything that needs to be done for your weekend plans... You're too tired to do something like this... " I really could go on and on at the self-doubt that tried to take over my mind.
...but I made a good decision at that moment of self-doubt. I decided to say another prayer and follow the feelings of joy that I initially had.
I awoke this morning casting Satan's doubts away. I realized that even if this is a tough trip, the memories of endurance, joy, togetherness, and "roughing it" will be priceless family memories!! Satan doesn't want us to have priceless memories!!
We will pray extra hard again knowing who it is that fights against the family and move forward!!
Onward Christian Soldiers!!!! :-)
My point in writing this is that there are all kinds of wonderful things we can do as a family or with close friends... many times we let fear and self-doubt take over us so much that we miss out on wonderful opportunities! CLEARLY- Riding 60 miles on bikes is not exciting to everyone, but there are other things that bring beautiful memories and bonding experiences to our lives.
I believe that God loves for us to fully LIVE our lives- in whatever fashion that excites us!! HE gave us these beautify lives to find joy in HIM and through HIM!
I believe that miracles await!!
Then yesterday, I realized that this Mother's Day weekend would be the last time we would all be together as a family in Michigan until the end of June... possibly even July. This weekend was our weekend to go on our bike adventure! This was spontaneity at it's best, and I loved it!!
The weather would be cool and a little rainy. There would no lightning, and we would bring ponchos! I prayed about it and called Abe- he obliged (only because I pulled the "but it's Mother's Day" card.) I asked the kids if they wanted to go- they were ecstatic. I squealed with excitement and made the plans:
We would leave after swim lessons today and arrive in the evening to a nice cabin just half a mile away from the trail head. I'm guessing it will take us 6 hours to get there by bike... I guess we'll find out for sure! Our plan is to start our 30 mile return trip at 6am Sunday morning in order to arrive to our friend's house by noon. We will then take a shower at their house before racing over to church by 1pm.
It was all perfectly planned! Everyone was excited to go... (Abe was excited because I was excited.) Then, all of a sudden the thoughts of fear came last night:
"It's the coldest weekend in weeks... You're going to freeze and be stranded... There's no sunshine this weekend, so it will be a dreary ride... The babies will cry the whole way... Is it really worth the time?... You won't have time to finish everything that needs to be done for your weekend plans... You're too tired to do something like this... " I really could go on and on at the self-doubt that tried to take over my mind.
...but I made a good decision at that moment of self-doubt. I decided to say another prayer and follow the feelings of joy that I initially had.
I awoke this morning casting Satan's doubts away. I realized that even if this is a tough trip, the memories of endurance, joy, togetherness, and "roughing it" will be priceless family memories!! Satan doesn't want us to have priceless memories!!
We will pray extra hard again knowing who it is that fights against the family and move forward!!
Onward Christian Soldiers!!!! :-)
My point in writing this is that there are all kinds of wonderful things we can do as a family or with close friends... many times we let fear and self-doubt take over us so much that we miss out on wonderful opportunities! CLEARLY- Riding 60 miles on bikes is not exciting to everyone, but there are other things that bring beautiful memories and bonding experiences to our lives.
I believe that God loves for us to fully LIVE our lives- in whatever fashion that excites us!! HE gave us these beautify lives to find joy in HIM and through HIM!
I believe that miracles await!!
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Called and Chosen Part 2
Last week Tyson was working very hard on his math but was not finishing all of the pages I had assigned to him. Knowing he had given his all, I said, "Alright Tyson, go ahead and do what you want. Why don't you go outside and play." With an overjoyed face to be free from his math, he ran straight over to the couch and began reading a book about animals!! I said, "Tyson, I thought you were dying to play. You can do whatever you want to do right now." He responded, "I know... I really like reading these books." I was amazed that he chose to study more even though he was allowed to play!
Today I saw him taking little Juliana and baby Jayden on an "African Safari" through our yard. I listened for a while, and his "tour" was actually very interesting and very informative. He LOVES animals!
That was when I noticed the miracle... I believe that children have no problem listening to the Spirit and making the necessary sacrifices to become champions! There will always be some school subjects that I will have to encourage more than others, but I should trust them to follow what their little spirits are telling them.
At age 7, Jackson began studying our globe. I had no idea how much he was learning until one day we drove past a place called "Cutters", and he said, "That's a country in the Middle-East!" He didn't know the spelling of it, but he knew that "Qatar" was kind of pronounced like the hair-cutter place. Upon further questioning, we discovered that he knew every single country that we asked him- even the obscure ones!! He could tell us which countries bordered which ones, and he even knew facts about many of the countries with their accompanying flags!
He learned these things because he followed the education that his heart desired. He studied it even when friends came over to play! They would be on the trampoline while he sat on the side studying the globe. Was it a sacrifice to study so hard? Yes it was!! ...but it did not seem like a difficult sacrifice because he focused on the learning instead of the things he was missing out on. He LOVES discovering the world... who knows what and who he will become?
As my children grow into themselves, I find their desires interesting and inspiring. I want to allow my own spirit to learn more as I watch them! I am determined to allow my children more freedom to safely discover who they are and who they are to become... spiritually, physically, and mentally.
I have no idea for what grand purposes they have been sent here to Earth. I don't even know all of my own purposes! It's such an exciting time to live! I pray that my children will find and accept the path that God intended for them. What a beautiful life it would be if we could all live the lives that God intended for us.
One of my favorite stories from our late prophet, President Hinkley, is as follows:
"When I was a young man, a mere boy of 11, I received a patriarchal blessing from a man I had never seen before and never saw thereafter. It is a remarkable document, a prophetic document. It is personal, and I will not read extensively from it. However, it contains this statement: 'The nations of the earth shall hear thy voice and be brought to a knowledge of the truth by the wonderful testimony which thou shalt bear.'
When I was released from my mission in England, I took a short trip on the continent. I had borne my testimony in London; I did so in Berlin and again in Paris and later in Washington, D.C. I said to myself that I had borne my testimony in these great capitals of the world and had fulfilled that part of my blessing.
That proved to be a mere scratching of the surface. Since then I have lifted my voice on every continent, in cities large and small, all up and down from north to south and east to west across this broad world—from Cape Town to Stockholm, from Moscow to Tokyo to Montreal, in every great capital of the world. It is all a miracle."
Called and Chosen Part 1
There are many wonderful things that we are CALLED to do that give us great purpose!
One of my favorite scriptures is in Matthew 22:14.
It says: "For many are called, but few are chosen." In Doctrine and Covenants 121:34-36 it expands on that scripture that the reason that many are not chosen is...(vs 35)"Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world..."
When Abe and I were engaged, our Bishop advised us to spend our money on life experiences rather than nice furniture. We have taken that advice to heart. We have felt called to home-school our children and take them on lots of trips for their enrichment. (I realize this calling is not for everyone.) Because we have so many young children, our home has a "different" beauty right now with toys and text books as our decor.
Yesterday, there was to be a meeting in our house.
As I walked around our home assessing the cleanliness, I became frustrated as I wiped ketchup off one wall and muddy hand prints off another wall. I swept cereal and left-over salmon off the floor from the night before because the previous sweeping job had not been done properly. I put away cups and bowls that had been haphazardly thrown around the room by my little rascal. I mopped the floor; and less than 2 minutes later, little muddy footprints led a trail straight through the middle of the newly-mopped floor. My couches were ripped where children tried to "fix" little holes, and of course handprints covered our windows.
As I focused on the stains and smears and smudges, I began to think about the beautiful, newer homes that are spotless with no ripped furniture. I started to dislike my house more and more. I wanted a nicer place, and I felt discouraged that our house was so blah. Let me make this clear... it is perfectly ok to want a clean, nice home with nice furniture that is not ripped if you happen to have that... WE WILL HAVE THAT SOME DAY I ASSURE YOU!! :-)
...but it was NOT ok to negatively focus on the things I was missing because of what we chose for our lives. As I negatively dwelled on the sacrifices involved, my spirit dampened. An extended negative focus on the sacrifices involved causes us to "settle" for a lesser calling instead of accepting the greater one that God would have us perform. We even begin to forget what it is we even really desired in the beginning.
When we got married I committed to live in a hut, if we needed to, as long as we could spend lots of time together as a family. Thankfully, we have much more than a hut, but maybe if I could better remember what it was that I originally desired, the smears, smudges, and messes wouldn't be such a burdensome sacrifice.
I believe that when we are truly CALLED to do something, God places an ability and passion in our hearts to accomplish great things as long as we choose to fully accept the sacrifices that accompany that calling.
When I had my first baby, it took me a little while to fully accept my CALLING of motherhood. For a while, I was still trying to hang on to my previous schedule of sleep and freedom- thus not fully finding the joy in my calling. Hanging on to those things that were not congruent with motherhood yielded a sad heart. My first child was in the hospital a lot, and we carried around a huge oxygen tank everywhere we went for over a year. People would look at my baby Jackson and exclaim, "Oh how sad!"
I didn't want sympathy; I wanted my beautiful baby to be healthy! I didn't want the stress of worrying about him losing his life every second of every day; I wanted to experience motherhood the way I saw others experiencing it.
Once I took my mind off of the things that I was missing out on, my joys in my calling in motherhood increased 10 fold!! Experiencing joy meant that I had fully accepted my calling and pushed away the longings for the experiences that I felt like the rest of the world was enjoying. God does not want us to push away our deepest desires... HE wants us to rediscover those deep desires and apply them to what HE has called us to do!
Often people ask me: "How do you do all that you do?" I respond, "It's what I have been called to do, so God helps me!" Our efforts are amplified when we choose and accept the path to become who God intended us to become.
We are all called to do many great things!! Accepting the sacrifices involved requires great faith in our greatest supporter... Jesus Christ.
I testify that with Christ at the helm of our lives, we will be chosen by Christ himself to do a great work in every aspect of life!
What was today's miracle? I remembered that at one time I joyfully accepted the sacrifices- messes and all- in order to have the type of family I felt chosen to create.
One of my favorite scriptures is in Matthew 22:14.
It says: "For many are called, but few are chosen." In Doctrine and Covenants 121:34-36 it expands on that scripture that the reason that many are not chosen is...(vs 35)"Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world..."
When Abe and I were engaged, our Bishop advised us to spend our money on life experiences rather than nice furniture. We have taken that advice to heart. We have felt called to home-school our children and take them on lots of trips for their enrichment. (I realize this calling is not for everyone.) Because we have so many young children, our home has a "different" beauty right now with toys and text books as our decor.
Yesterday, there was to be a meeting in our house.
As I walked around our home assessing the cleanliness, I became frustrated as I wiped ketchup off one wall and muddy hand prints off another wall. I swept cereal and left-over salmon off the floor from the night before because the previous sweeping job had not been done properly. I put away cups and bowls that had been haphazardly thrown around the room by my little rascal. I mopped the floor; and less than 2 minutes later, little muddy footprints led a trail straight through the middle of the newly-mopped floor. My couches were ripped where children tried to "fix" little holes, and of course handprints covered our windows.
As I focused on the stains and smears and smudges, I began to think about the beautiful, newer homes that are spotless with no ripped furniture. I started to dislike my house more and more. I wanted a nicer place, and I felt discouraged that our house was so blah. Let me make this clear... it is perfectly ok to want a clean, nice home with nice furniture that is not ripped if you happen to have that... WE WILL HAVE THAT SOME DAY I ASSURE YOU!! :-)
...but it was NOT ok to negatively focus on the things I was missing because of what we chose for our lives. As I negatively dwelled on the sacrifices involved, my spirit dampened. An extended negative focus on the sacrifices involved causes us to "settle" for a lesser calling instead of accepting the greater one that God would have us perform. We even begin to forget what it is we even really desired in the beginning.
When we got married I committed to live in a hut, if we needed to, as long as we could spend lots of time together as a family. Thankfully, we have much more than a hut, but maybe if I could better remember what it was that I originally desired, the smears, smudges, and messes wouldn't be such a burdensome sacrifice.
I believe that when we are truly CALLED to do something, God places an ability and passion in our hearts to accomplish great things as long as we choose to fully accept the sacrifices that accompany that calling.
When I had my first baby, it took me a little while to fully accept my CALLING of motherhood. For a while, I was still trying to hang on to my previous schedule of sleep and freedom- thus not fully finding the joy in my calling. Hanging on to those things that were not congruent with motherhood yielded a sad heart. My first child was in the hospital a lot, and we carried around a huge oxygen tank everywhere we went for over a year. People would look at my baby Jackson and exclaim, "Oh how sad!"
I didn't want sympathy; I wanted my beautiful baby to be healthy! I didn't want the stress of worrying about him losing his life every second of every day; I wanted to experience motherhood the way I saw others experiencing it.
Once I took my mind off of the things that I was missing out on, my joys in my calling in motherhood increased 10 fold!! Experiencing joy meant that I had fully accepted my calling and pushed away the longings for the experiences that I felt like the rest of the world was enjoying. God does not want us to push away our deepest desires... HE wants us to rediscover those deep desires and apply them to what HE has called us to do!
Often people ask me: "How do you do all that you do?" I respond, "It's what I have been called to do, so God helps me!" Our efforts are amplified when we choose and accept the path to become who God intended us to become.
We are all called to do many great things!! Accepting the sacrifices involved requires great faith in our greatest supporter... Jesus Christ.
I testify that with Christ at the helm of our lives, we will be chosen by Christ himself to do a great work in every aspect of life!
What was today's miracle? I remembered that at one time I joyfully accepted the sacrifices- messes and all- in order to have the type of family I felt chosen to create.
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