Completing a challenge

Today I completed the Book of Mormon. I started in October as a response to President Nelson in the General Women’s session. 

Thoughts on the exercise. 

Focusing and marking the names of Jesus have made me more aware of His voice and the relationship between Him and Heavenly Father. 

I noticed that the prophets point to Jesus, He being the path back to God. 

In 3rd Nephi I noticed that Jesus constantly referenced Heavenly Father. 

After 3rd Nephi I decided to Mark all references to the Father. I think He is referenced more than at the beginning of the record. As I start again I will continue the marking pattern. 

I have resisted this challenge for years. I didn’t want to have somebody else’s marking system in my personal

Scriptures. Silly. I realized it’s still my marking, but noticing how frequent Jesus is mentioned is instructive. I also noticed as I was obedient, new impressions came and I feel I gained a lot from this reading. 

I am grateful that God is patient and gives more than one invitation. More than one chance to obey Him. 

Music Fireside

Today I got to sing the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah. I haven’t sung it in years. I lot the timing for just a bit. But I got to sing up in the rafters tonight. It was so fun. Craig and Boaz sang to. It was a sing along. 

Today Boaz was introduced to Handel’s Messiah. I asked him who his mother was that he didn’t know that music. 

Family motto

In Priesthood today the leader said they had a motto in their family the B...’s build each other up. 

Craig and Boaz were telling me about it. 

Boaz said our motto was " We tease as we please"

With a smaller family this isn’t as awful as it sounds. 

And we do have boys. I think the teasing gene is found on the Y chromosome. And boys seem to have a talent to let teasing roll of the back. If it’s done right. 

Anyway, tease as we please. 

And we just let Josh loose on the world. Poor Peru

Scripture - Moroni 9

I am in the part of the Book of Mormon that makes me so sad. I dread reading about the destruction of a people that only pages earlier enjoyed the visitation of Jesus Himself. I know the destruction comes almost 400 years later - longer than we have been a country. But it is just pages later. It seems so soon. 

I also know that Mormon wasn’t able to write a hundredth part of the things that happened when everybody was righteous. We have barely anything at all, except that there were no -ites and the people were unified. That is remarkable. Especially today where everyone seems to be jockeying for position on the oppressed scale. 

As I have been marking all (that I notice) references of Jesus and His many names, I have been surprised by one name that I really didn’t recognize before. 

One of his names is Being. And then I thought that we are all becoming. Being is the culmination of becoming. No matter where we are in our process of becoming, we are reaching for who we will be as a being. 

We have been told that our direction is more important than our location on our mortal path. 

Some things take longer in their process of becoming. The mayfly has a very short process, and an insignificant impact on the world and other organisms. A redwood has a long process of becoming and shelters many different species throughout. It has a large impact, in the forest where it grows and the world as others seek to study its size, age and influence its influence on the ecosystems that surround it and depend on it. 

So my long process of becoming, with all the storms I weather, can have a lasting influence for good on those that surround me. All my struggles in becoming can make me stronger and taller and more sure as I define the holy place in which I stand. The fires I pass through or endure ensure the new seeds sprouting. 

There are many organisms in the spectrum between the mayfly and the redwood. I get to choose which end of the spectrum (or any location in between) that I become. 

Week 5

I live for Wednesday’s. Those are email days. At least for the past 5 weeks. This will be his last week at the CCM. 

I will probably live for Monday’s for the next 22 months.  At least I’m pretty sure his p-day will be on Mondays in the field. 

He wrote that they went out into Lima and contacted people on the street. His letters are full of faith and show amazing growth. He is becoming. 

Hard

I applied to be the secretary at the elementary school this past week. 

The interview was yesterday. I felt good about my answers, but I’m always bad at asking questions. Craig briefly walked through some answers with me. But we forgot to prep for questions. I usually do very well in interviews. I was still optimistic. 

Today I got the news that they went with someone else. This is the second job I have applied and interviewed for and didn’t get at that school and with that hiring committee. I am so not used to that. 

She was nice in her message and reaffirmed I was wanted as a sub. But I want something more consistent. 

The pay probably wouldn’t have been sufficient. There are all sorts of reasons that this is a good thing. But I honestly hate rejection, and I thought I had a good chance. 

So tonight I am petulant and mopey. The thing is we live in a small town. There is not a lot out there. 

Tomorrow I go back to subbing. 

Scripture - 3 Nephi 5

This has been a favorite scripture since my mission. We memorized it and applied it to ourselves. 

This time as I read it I thought of Josh. He is doing so good in the CCM. His emails are full of faith. He seems to be thriving. He is excited about sharing the gospel and learning the language so he can.