Expressing Gratitude

This week has been great.  It was announced at this past week devotional that this coming Tuesday Elder Dallin H Oaks will becoming to speak to us for devotional.  Everyone got really excited.  What a treat we get to hear from an apostle of the Lord.  Its times like these I really am grateful that I came here to BYUI. 

On Sunday I played the piano for Sacrament because the normal pianist was out of town to visit family for the three day weekend.  The next day she came over to my apartment and dropped off a thank you card.  It was a simple and short but it was so heartfelt. 

Then on Saturday I was working in the temple in inititories and someone looked at me straight in the eyes right after they had finished doing the ordinance for the their last ancestor and said "Thank you.  Thanks for the work you do and the blessing you offer me as well as my deceased relative."  It made me feel so good inside.

Lastly when I got home I went on Facebook and I got a group message from Tom Carnehan (a less man reactivated with his family) from Huntsville from my mission.  The message was sent to me and my former missionary companion Kevin Smith.  We served together for 3 transfers and saw that family really make some great strides with the kids even going passing the sacrament and doing baptisms for the dead.  It was awesome.  This past week was (Former Elder) Smith's birthday which might have got him thinking about the experiences we all together. 

This is his letter :

2/21/14

Thomas Carnahan

I wanted to take a few minutes to thank you. Both of you help bring the gospel back into our lives. I was reading an article and a quote jump out at me and it reminded me of the great service you did for my family.
"Declaring our testimony of the gospel is good, but being a living example of the restored gospel is better. Wishing to be more faithful to our covenants is good; actually being faithful to sacred covenants—including living a virtuous life, paying our tithes and offerings, keeping the Word of Wisdom, and serving those in need—is much better. Announcing that we will dedicate more time for family prayer, scripture study, and wholesome family activities is good; but actually doing all these things steadily will bring heavenly blessings to our lives." —Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Without your strong testimony of the gospel and continued vigilance to help us return to the church, we would have stayed lost. Again, thank you for being the living examples of the gospel and exceptional young men. You showed three boys the importance of living the gospel and being a strong priesthood holder.
Elder or Bro. Smith, I hope you have a happy birthday.
Your friend, Tom Carnahan

We often underestimate the impact we make on others.  But every so often will God help us remember how much good we have done in the world by others expressing it to us.  I pray that I can help feel others the same way those 3 individuals touched me this past week.

Humility and appreciation

Last week a girl from my ward asked for my phone #.  This was a pleasant surprise considering that doesn't happen very often 2 days later we went out.  The date had gone well and I was hoping things would continue to progress.  We then went to devotional and then on Thursday I asked her out only to get her voice mail.  She texted me the next day to accept the invitation.  I had planned it for Saturday right after the ward activity.  At the closing of the murder mystery dinner she pulled me aside and said " I just want to be friends and I don't want to go out tonight".  I replied calmly yet a little confused.  She then expressed her large amounts of homework she was going to do that night.  Then she asked "Well actually what did you have in mind tonight".  I told her how I was planning on going and playing air hockey and then watch a movie.  She said maybe we could still play air hockey.  So we did for about 15 or minutes and then I walked her home.  As I was leaving I saw some my friends who lived at the same apartment complex outside.  I started talking to them.  After conversing for 15 minutes or so I hear the door open from the floor beneath us and out come two girls (one of them being the girl who said she was going to do "homework" that night).  At that time I understood that although the girl who previously said she was going to be "busy" that night probably wasn't telling the whole truth I understood better the concept of opposition.  I know that life doesn't go the way that you want it to.  There are bumps along the way.  You probably won't find that special someone right away.  Much of the time you will be humbled in the process, but I know when I find that I will find that right woman, at the right time, at right place and will appreciate her even more because of the lesson I have learned previously. 

Tender Mercies

This week was great as always.  My testimony of prayer and how God loves us and answers grew.  This week Sadie has continued to give me mix vibes.  We went stadium singing last Sunday night but her interest has dropped and I really don't know why.  I understood that this week would be the "make or break" for us.  Either something was going to happen or not.  I called her Friday afternoon and she didn't answer and then called me back about 2 hours later.  She told me how she thought I liked her more than she liked me.  I thought about that and what she said and I definitely agree.  But I pondered about relationships between family and friends and girlfriends, etc.  I learned how we get out what we put in.  If we want to have close and personal relationships we can't expect to only give ourselves a little bit and require a lot in return.  I have tried to apply this idea to my prayer.  I now try to be more open to God (even though he knows what I am going through and what I am thinking he enjoys hearing about it from me). 

On  Thursday night our ward went to place to play mini golf and laser tag it was fun and I had a good time.  After doing both for a little bit I started talking to a girl from my ward there that I didn't know.  We exchanged our names and basic information.  I then invited her to play mini golf with me.  She accepted and then we got done and it was that moment where if my heart wasn't infatuated with Sadie I would asked for her phone number.  She left wanting for more.  Then the tender mercy came in.  After about 2 or 3 minutes she came back and asked for my number (that doesn't happen very often haha).  So I got her number and then I went home. 

The next day after Sadie told me how she wasn't interested in going out anymore and I texted Talisha.  She seemed so excited to hear from me.  It was nice change.  After talking for a little bit I asked her out for the next day and she regrettably told me that she had other plans.  Still upbeat from her enthusiastic tone I went to bed shortly after to wake up early to be rested to work at the temple the next day.

After working the next day I came home, ate, and then went to do my accounting homework.  Being optimistic I thought I would finish the assignment in a relatively short time period considering the hours I worked on it the night prior.  However to my dismay I was very mistaken and I began working on hours at end.  Thankfully God sent me another tender mercy.  Talisha sent me a text and told me her ride fell through that night for sledding and told me she was still interested in going out that night.  I happily told her to come and I had something positive to look forward to after finishing my homework.

I picked her up and we went to a cello concert, then played some pool, and then we watched "Emma Smith My Story"  (which is a great movie).  It was great night and I thought again the blessings God continues to give us.