Beginning to End

Heavenly Father knows the beginning to the end. He has a plan for us, and is involved in the very intricate details of our life.

When I think of God helping us, and having a plan for us I think of the poem Footprints. To summarize a man is looking back on his life, and he sees two sets of footprints in the sand, one is his, and the other is Gods. As he looks he notices during times of struggle there is only one set of footprints. He turns to God and asks him why he left him during his most challenging times, and God replies. "I did not leave you, I carried you."

God is not only with us during the challenging times he is there before the challenging times begin. He has a plan, and he is making sure we are taken care of.

At the beginning of July, I received a phone message from the Sister Missionaries, letting me know I was invited, along with them, to see a my church friend Steve take out his endowments on July 13th. They were wondering if I could give them a ride to the temple. I had a trial scheduled for July 15th, and was worried I would not have time to prepare for trial--typically I spend most of my Saturday in trial prep. I decided I would go, and I would find a way to get everything done earlier in the week so I would only have to work half a day on Saturday.

The Sunday following the Sister Missionaries phone call,  I received a text from them letting me know Steve had decided to go to the Nauvoo temple to take out his endowments, instead of the Winter Headquarters temple. This changed everything. It added an extra three hours to the entire trip. If I took them I would not be able to work on my trial on Saturday. I knew I was supposed to go, so I told them I would take them, and we would go to the pageant too. I gave the caveat if  things needed to change I would let them know by Monday evening. There was no doubt in my mind I would take them. I knew this was what Heavenly Father wanted, so I planned accordingly.

I asked friends and family members to pray my trial would get changed or dismissed. I also asked them to pray I would be able to get everything done I needed. Not only did I have a trial coming up, but I had two hearings, and a deposition--which meant most of my week was eaten up. My plan was to work every night until 11 pm if necessary, so I would not have to worry about prepping for my trial.

On Tuesday as I was finishing up the last preparations for my afternoon deposition I received a phone call from the county prosecutor cancelling the deposition. We then reached an agreement that moved the trial with the charges eventually getting dismissed! My prayers were answered. Now all that was on my plate were the hearings on Wednesday which would not prevent me from taking the Sister Missionaries to Nauvoo. Things were working great.

On Thursday, two days before I was to go to Nauvoo, I received information that brought me great sorrow, and many, many tears. When I was alone the tears came easily. When I was people I was able to ward them off for the most part. But Heavenly Father had a plan.

Friday evening after work I fed the sister missionaries, and then spent the rest of the night making preparations for food to take to Nauvoo. My Saturday began at about 5:00 am. I was with the sister missionaries until 2:30 am the next day. We spent the next 10 hours traveling, singing, going to the temple, and seeing the sights at Nauvoo. I had some very personal spiritual experiences, and felt peace and love from my Heavenly Father. I was not alone, and tears were much less than if I had been.

When I agreed to take the sister missionaries to Nauvoo I thought it was to help them, but it turns out Heavenly Father knew better. He knew the sorrow I was going to be faced with. He knew I needed to be with people, to not be alone, and he put that plan into action in the early part of July, long before the events that brought me sorrow came to fruition. Heavenly Father made sure I was not alone that weekend.

Recently I came across this quote from Jeffrey R. Holland:

"Somehow God can focus on every one of us personally, know the concerns and fears of each one of us uniquely. In those times of our need, it is as if no other voice distracts Him, no other need in the universe diverts Him. In those moments when we especially need Him, in times of trouble or otherwise, we are seemingly the sole object of His affection and attention." 

Not only are we the sole object of his affection and attention during times of trouble, he is there prior to those time--he is there always. Each of us are children of our Heavenly Father, and he has a plan for each of us. He knows the beginning to the end, and we just need to have the faith to move forward and trust in that plan. By doing so we will find a love that is incomprehensible.

Light and Change

In October 2009, I raced 24 hours of Moab for the first time. I did this race as a team of four. The race is approximately seventeen miles through red rock, sand, deep sand, dirt and triple x downhills. Racing as a team of four is done in relay style trading off as a rider comes in from completing her lap. 

Our team was part of several sub-teams in a very large camp. We were fortunate enough to have a cook, a bike mechanic, a charging station for our lights, and people assisting with keeping track of time, water bottles, and nutrition.

Because of the great support we had in our camp, and the fact I was doing the race as I relay, I did not have the expectation the race would be overly demanding—difficult yes, but nothing that would overly taxing.  I knew I had time between laps to eat, sleep, and prepare to go back out when my turn was up—at least 3 to 3 ½ hours; plenty of time.

The seventeen-mile lap is composed of triple X downhills, which can be dangerous. There is deep sand, which can be taxing, and of course because it is 24 hours you are riding in the dark. Now riding in the dark on a mountain trail can be fairly easy, but riding on red rock is difficult—or can be. There is no well-worn path you can see with your lights, so you have to be diligent in keeping your eyes open for the markings on the red, and hope you are lucky enough to be in a group when you hit the mesa.

What I discovered as I did the race is, I was unable to rest—sleep was difficult, and I got little if any sleep. At night it is freezing cold, between the 20s and 30s. Although it is October, you are in the desert, hence the cold evenings, and warm days. A lot of my time was spent in the kitchen and dining area, because that is where the heat was. We had tents and trailers to sleep in, but for some reason I could not sleep much. Despite having food prepared and cooked for us I struggled to get food down, and by the time I was preparing to go out on my final lap I was gagging and dry heaving when I tried to eat. My body did not understand why I was riding 17 miles, coming in, trying to eat, and then going back out again, and of course not sleeping.

By the time I was supposed to go out and do my final lap, our team was in second place.  But at this point I did not care. I was tired and fatigued. It was beginning to be the early morning hours, and I was exhausted. I no longer felt like racing, instead it became just a ride. A ride I needed to finish. I went out and began to pedal on. All I wanted to do was finish this lap.

At the first of the lap it was dark and difficult to see. At one point one of the pro riders from one of the sub-teams went by and let me know one of the teams I was racing, was going to come up and pass me. In a flat voice I said “I don’t care.” In my mind I was done, the race was over, and I just needed to find a way to somehow get to the end.

As I rode along it began to get a little bit lighter. The darkness was fading, and I was beginning to be able to see the trail and my surroundings without the use of my lights. Then little by little the sun started to peak through the rocks, and the trees. As I rode up onto the mesa. I saw the sun starting to rise in the horizon, and I began to see it’s direct light. It was so glorious, and beautiful.

And as I proceeded a little further the light began to touch me, and I felt the warmth of the light. As I felt that warmth, I had renewed energy. I started going a little bit more, and riding a little bit faster, and feeling a little bit stronger. As the sun kept rising, I kept getting stronger, and stronger, and going faster, and faster. I could feel the warmth of its rays.

After the mesa I had two big downhills with jumps, and rode through a very large sandpit. I rode as fast as I could through the downs, and actually flew face first in the sand pit. However, this did not discourage me, and I jumped up, and continued on to the trade off point (the finish line). I rode renewed. I hollered happily to my teammates. I had energy once again. I was ready to go. The sun had given me the energy I needed, and then some.

Just like my bike ride, at times, life can be difficult, and we end up trudging along. However, when we turn to Christ, he can change everything for us. Like the light on my bike ride, he is our light in life. He can take away the pain, carry the burdens, and change who we are. He can renew us. In Matthew 11:28-30 it says:

28 ¶ Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Just like my bike ride it is not always going to be easy, and there will be falls, just as when I went face first into the sand pit. But he will be there to help you along, and give you what you need to go forward.

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Please Do Not Feed the Missionaries Dessert!

Dear Ward Members,

The evening has come, and you are about to have the missionaries over for dinner. You have been anticipating this all day. You love the missionaries coming over. They bring a great spirit, and are full of fun conversation. You have planned and slaved all day to make the perfect meal--or maybe you haven't, and if you are like me you are trying to throw something together at the last minute, because you totally spaced they were coming.

They arrive and it is time to eat. Then you make your first mistake. You put food on their plate. You put A LOT of food on their plate. You know they are busy all day, and they need a good meal, and you are not sure they are getting enough to eat. In fact, you insist they should have seconds when they do finish what is on their plate.

Noooooo, this is wrong. Let them put food on their own plate. They know how much they can eat, and how much they need. If you put it on their plate they are obligated to eat all of it, because they have been told it is rude not to eat everything that has been provided. They do not want to hurt your feelings by not eating everything you have provided them. Hence, they eat everything, and them some. More than they want, and more than they need. Needless to say they end up having a little extra junk in the trunk.

You finish eating, and then it is time for dessert. STOP! Do you have dessert every day? If the
missionaries were not over would you be having dessert? If the answer is no, then DO NOT give them dessert. Honestly, they do not need it. They eat at a ward members home almost every night. So if every ward member gives them dessert they are having dessert almost every night. That is a lot of dessert! That is a lot of extra calories! That is more junk in the trunk.

Now I know you want our missionaries to be well fed, and they will be. You just do not need to go the extra mile piling on the food, or giving them dessert. Let them put the food on their plate, and lose the dessert. It still will be a great meal, and they will leave full and happy.

Sincerely,
A Missionary Mom whose daughter does not want more junk in the trunk.