Nephi Chapter 5 :)

We have started reading the Book Of Mormon as a family. This is the first time we've ever read the Book of Mormon together. It's brought the spirit in our home. I've noticed that I can focus on what needs to get done in our home. My kids aren't so bothersome to one another, and Pulu is a lot more serious about his calling, not to say he wasn't b4, I just notice how much more passionate he is about it. Anyways so we are reading 1st Nephi and what has helped our kids soo much is the fact that they watched the Book of Mormon stories on DVD (thanks to my mother in law she has all of em) They have a greater understanding and kind of know what's going to happen all ready. Ariana is totally into reading it, and she'll notice what parts were missing in the movies. It's amazing to me how kids as young as ours can like and have an interest in the scriptures. I know when I was their age, I wasn't at all. Not saying that my parents didn't teach me well, because they did the best they could. My parents made us read the scriptures and I'm so happy they did because now I know how to teach my children how important it is to read and to know how Jesus Christ was and all the prophets before our days were. It really gives them an insight to how things were back then, and to appreciate how much agency we have today in these latter days! Hope you all can start reading. If you haven't read it, please give it a try and have an open mind. It's an amazing account of what we Latter Day Saints believe. Our goal as a family is to read the whole book by Oct. Hopefully we can get that goal, if not atleast by the end of the year. I challenge you all out there reading, to do the same!!! Happy Reading :)

p.s.

watch the video on my ipod...my all time fave talk of the book of mormon & Joseph Smith given by one of the apostles Jeffrey R Holland :)

forgiving my mom quote - Google Search

"I blame my mother for nothing, but forgive her for everything."

Realizing...

I went to a baby boys funeral recently and I was so sad throughout the whole thing. I have an 8 month old and I couldn't even imagine not seeing my baby's lil face every morning. My heart was broken at the thought of SIDS taking my lil baby away. My heart mourned for this young mother. It still does. So I have been reading this blog called Six Maile Chix it's about a young mother to six girls who lost her husband!!! I can't even imagine that! It's brought me so much more love and appreciation for the loved ones I have and hold close and dear to my life! I read something that she had posted and really pondered on it for a looong time. Something I realized and never realized or thought of b4. She wrote how lonely and how much she longed to see her husbands face. She talked about how she weeps and cries for her hubby. I was bawling my eyeballs out reading this. Then her next post she wrote how she and her daughters were mourning the loss of him when she thought how does "he" feel? Is he mourning for them? He is all alone, did he cry for them? I read Alma 40:12 and it says "And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow." My understanding of paradise is the beach. So to me I feel that they are there to overcome their sorrows and pain, all their troubles. So I thought wow they do mourn too! They are just taken to paradise to do it. It made me think of death in a different way. I always thought poor mother who lost her baby to SIDS, poor mother who lost her hubby and has 6 girls to raise alone. I have never thought poor husband who left his family behind, poor baby who left his parents, and 5 other bros and sis behind. Just a realization I learned. It makes me more hopeful and happy about the resurrection! If you guys would love a good read please follow this link http://sixmailechix.blogspot.com/ you will have a deep appreciation for the loved ones in your life. I am grateful for the ones even that much more because of her blog thank u Abby! Even if u never read this!

INSPIRED

Last night while visiting with one of my best friends I decided I would make a blog about all the Spiritual things I've learned. I have so many and I decided I should share! My faith is LDS (Latter Day Saints) some may know it as "mormon" but we are LDS. I have been a member all my life, but I gained a sure knowledge of my faith when I was 25yrs old which was only a few years ago.

Pulu (husband) and our lil family had moved to So Cal. so that he could attend college out there and play football. We knew it was right to move out there so he could have an opportunity of a lifetime. Pulu loves loves loves football so it was easy for me to support him in this dream. Needless to say it was really really hard to adjust to Cali life ; the freeways, people, family he had out there, the price!!! We were staying with his cousin and his wife and kids and I HATED staying there! I was so sad, I missed home, I felt uncomfortable, their lifestyle was waaay different from ours, it was just not good. We knew we needed to go to church to get away from this burden, we of course didn't want to attend the same church as them so we decided to try another church not too far. We walked in and were immediately welcomed! We felt like OK this is where we're suppose to be. So the bishop asked to speak to us in his office shortly after sacrament so he could get to know us, which was nice. Short time after we were in his office just talking and telling him where we were from, why we were there and it was pretty brief, then he asked if there was anything we needed from him?...pause...I blurted out "I NEED A BLESSING"! Pulu and the bishop just stared at me as my heart was pounding, it felt as if those words didn't even come out of my mouth, yet I wanted one so bad! It just wasn't like me to say something like that so quick, and straight forward like that. The bishop then looked towards Pulu and said why don't you give her a blessing? Pulu was so confused he didn't know I wanted or needed one? He then asked me why haven't you asked your husband for a blessing? I said because I didn't know if Pulu knew how to give one. Pulu said he had the priesthood but he wasn't sure how to give one because he doesn't have a father figure to teach him. It was sad hearing him say that...so then the bishop said to Pulu that he could annoint me and he will give me a blessing. He asked if I would like a comfort blessing or a sick blessing. I said comfort.

When Pulu laid his hands on my head and repeated the words that the bishop helped him with I was crying. I was crying because he was giving me a blessing for the first time, and I was crying because I really needed a blessing. After Pulu had done that part, the bishop whom we JUST met that day laid his hands on my head and blessed me. I will NEVER EVER FORGET the words he said to me. I had been going thru sooo much out there that there was just NO way he could've said all the things he said to me had it not been straight from my heavenly father! It was beautiful, it was amazing! I was crying hysterically because I KNEW at that moment that my Heavenly Father knew me by name! I knew that the Prisethood was real, and I knew without a shadow of a doubt that my FAITH was the true and full gospel on the face of this earth. When I look back on that day and think about what had brought me to that point. I know that it was because of the challenge our then Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley gave which was to read the Book Of Mormon before the end of the year and he promised that we would gain a testimony of Jesus Christ! I am so glad I read the BOM and that I gained that testimony.

I am so blessed to have been raised as a member of this wonderful Church, I am blessed to have a husband who holds the Priesthood, I am blessed to know that my savior lives and knows me and loves me! I am eternally grateful for all that I have and for wonderful patient parents who taught me to have the Lord be the center of our lives, and all else will fall into place. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.