Nice, warm, January

Hey Sisters. Sorry this took me so long to get up. But, at least it's here.

Natalie taught a very beautiful lesson from President Monson's Conference address.
http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/i-will-not-fail-thee-nor-forsake-thee?lang=eng#5-10791_000_46monson

Natalie: I think this is a topic we can all relate to on varying degrees.
He starts by talking about losing his wife. He’s talking about getting through that.
Of utmost comfort to me during this tender time of parting have been my testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the knowledge I have that my dear Frances lives still. I know that our separation is temporary. We were sealed in the house of God by one having authority to bind on earth and in heaven. I know that we will be reunited one day and will never again be separated. This is the knowledge that sustains me.
When the pathway of life takes a cruel turn, there is the temptation to ask the question “Why me?” At times there appears to be no light at the end of the tunnel, no sunrise to end the night’s darkness. We feel encompassed by the disappointment of shattered dreams and the despair of vanished hopes. We join in uttering the biblical plea, “Is there no balm in Gilead?” We feel abandoned, heartbroken, alone. We are inclined to view our own personal misfortunes through the distorted prism of pessimism. We become impatient for a solution to our problems, forgetting that frequently the heavenly virtue of patience is required.
Why do you think in time of trial it’s so hard to see our blessings?
Kelsey: It’s more human nature to focus on the negative. It’s hard to focus on the positive when things are going badly. You have to make a conscious decision. We all need a pity party, but you can’t let yourself spiral downward.
Natalie: My mom used to say “Natalie, bad days happen, that’s why we lick the bowl.” How are you going to get through this.
Brittany: Sometimes when you’re blessed you feel very grateful, but as it goes on sometimes it’s hard to remember because you’re used to it being so nice. We can lose the perspective because we’re used to it.
Ashley: From the BYU devotional the guy said, “god cares more about our growth than our comfort.” My parents have done that a lot to me. They could have picked me up and put me on my feet, but they let me learn the consequences. The reason we forget is because we don’t see the big picture. It’s part of our growth and progression. HF doesn’t want us to suffer, but we need to learn.
[http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=2162]
Natalie: He talks about patience and I know I’ve felt like that. Sometimes the answers don’t come right away. I have great visiting teachers. They’ve helped me see that. That was something I needed to grow and exercise my faith.
Pres. Monson says: Why me?
That’s normally the first thing I ask. It think it’s hard to ask the why question. I know that looking back, it would have been impossible to connect the dots looking forward. We need to rely on faith.
Matt 11: 28-30

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you crest. 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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

It’s in my personality to want to control my trials. I love that scripture that we really can get on our knees and give that job back to the Lord. Can anyone think of someone that has remained faithful through a trial?
Jo: Something you don’t get to feel, but you can’t feel the Atonement in their life. You don’t know how God helps them through it.
Ashley: My mom went through one of the roughest trials in her life when I was a baby. There was a Conference talk that helped her through it.
Ryan: My sister is a good example to me. Time and time again she falls back on prayer and fasting. It’s also encouraging to watch her take no for an answer. A lot of things became easier because she allowed things to work out.
Natalie: Where do you turn? What scriptures help you?
Christine: D&C 6. This is Oliver Cowdery. He’s questioning some things and Christ tells him “haven’t I told you? Haven’t you felt the spirit? Lean on those things;” the savior has helped me. I just have to keep going.
Natalie: I had a priesthood blessing and that’s one of the things mentioned to remember those experiences.
Kate: John 14:27 I find that most often when I’m struggling it’s because I’m afraid. Even when we’re struggling, we don’t have to fear. We can go through it.
Adrienne: 61: 36-39 I thought it was interesting how he calls us his children. He tells us to be humble and enter not into temptation. It’s tempting to doubt our situation.
Arianne: D&C 78:19-19 He knows the trials we have. He says don’t worry, be happy, I’m going to be there leading you along the entire way. I love knowing that he’s there every step of the way.
Natalie: I love that that scripture talks about tour potential. I love to read my patriarchal blessing. As women we’re hard on ourselves. But my patriarchal blessing helps me see myself through his eyes.
I used to hate the story of Job as a kid, but I've come to learn a lot about him.
As we ponder the events that can befall all of us, we can say with Job of old, “Man is born unto trouble.” Job was a “perfect and upright” man who “feared God, and eschewed evil.” Pious in his conduct, prosperous in his fortune, Job was to face a test which could have destroyed anyone. Shorn of his possessions, scorned by his friends, afflicted by his suffering, shattered by the loss of his family, he was urged to “curse God, and die.” He resisted this temptation and declared from the depths of his noble soul:
“Behold, my witness is in heaven, and my record is on high.”
“I know that my redeemer liveth.”
Job kept the faith. Will we do likewise as we face those challenges which will be ours?
Adrienne: The other week at work some people brought up Job. One guy said there’s never a purpose. Look at Job. God and Satan laughed at him. I said, what did we learn from that? We can learn to deal with trials. You can learn how to use faith. We can say we’re learning from it ourselves.
Ryan: We were watching the Emma Smith movie and she posed the question “why do bad things happen to good people?” Sometimes we don’t understand why trials come, but that’s when we need to lean on the Savior. He was perfect and should have had a perfect life.
Jo: Writing in your journal can give you strength to show you that you’ve endured other trials. Enduring it well is the real test. You never want to go through it again, but you’re grateful for it.
Kiersten: When I go through trials twice, I wonder what I did wrong, but for Job it was just a test. He didn’t do anything wrong.
Natalie: He will push you to your breaking point and beyond. Adrienne said What did we learn from Job? Pres. Monson talks about how we’re not alone in this. "From the beginning of the church the saints have had trials. Talking about those who survived patiently, his is what will pull us through whatever comes our way. We will still experience difficult challenges, but we will be able to face them, to meet them head-on, and to emerge victorious.
From the bed of pain, from the pillow wet with tears, we are lifted heavenward by that divine assurance and precious promise: “I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” Such comfort is priceless.
I love that. How many times have you received that divine assurance that he hasn’t forgotten you.
As I have traveled far and wide throughout the world fulfilling the responsibilities of my calling, I have come to know many things—not the least of which is that sadness and suffering are universal."

Last summer I spent in Africa with school. One Sunday in RS they were talking about trials. They started sharing personal stories of the babies they had lost. It was touching to me to see how they relied on each other for strength and comfort. We're all sent to this earth to learn and grow. To see them turn to each other and their HF and know they didn’t have to go through it alone was really touching to me.

Whenever I think of challenges, my thoughts turn to Brother Brems, one of my boyhood Sunday School teachers. He was a faithful member of the Church, a man with a heart of gold. He and his wife, Sadie, had eight children, many of whom were the same ages as those in our family.
After Frances and I were married and moved from the ward, we saw Brother and Sister Brems and members of their family at weddings and funerals, as well as at ward reunions.
In 1968, Brother Brems lost his wife, Sadie. Two of his eight children also passed away as the years went by.
One day nearly 13 years ago, Brother Brems’s oldest granddaughter telephoned me. She explained that her grandfather had reached his 105th birthday. She said, “He lives in a small care center but meets with his entire family each Sunday, where he delivers a gospel lesson.” She continued, “This past Sunday, Grandpa announced to us, ‘My dears, I am going to die this week. Will you please call Tommy Monson. He will know what to do.’”
I visited Brother Brems the very next evening. I had not seen him for a while. I could not speak to him, for he had lost his hearing. I could not write a message for him to read, because he had lost his sight. I was told that the family communicated with him by taking the finger of his right hand and then tracing on the palm of his left hand the name of the person visiting. Any message had to be conveyed in this same way. I followed the procedure by taking his finger and spelling T-O-M-M-Y M-O-N-S-O-N, the name by which he had always known me. Brother Brems became excited and, taking my hands, placed them on his head. I knew his desire was to receive a priesthood blessing. The driver who had taken me to the care center joined me as we placed our hands on the head of Brother Brems and provided the desired blessing. Afterward, tears streamed from his sightless eyes. He grasped our hands in gratitude. Although he had not heard the blessing we had given him, the Spirit was strong, and I believe he was inspired to know we had provided the blessing which he needed. This sweet man could no longer see. He could no longer hear. He was confined night and day to a small room in a care center. And yet the smile on his face and the words he spoke touched my heart. “Thank you,” he said. “My Heavenly Father has been so good to me.”
Within a week, just as Brother Brems had predicted, he passed away. Never did he dwell on what he was lacking; rather, he was always deeply grateful for his many blessings.

Natalie: I love that example because this man had lost essentially all his physical senses, but he still feels the Spirit.
I work in an emergency room. I’ve been able to see those trauma bays turn into sacred ground. I’ve seen the gospel of JEsus Christ and the power of the Atonement give people the strength to get up off the ground. I don’t think that’s a way we get to see the Atonement used very often.

This should be our purpose—to persevere and endure, yes, but also to become more spiritually refined as we make our way through sunshine and sorrow. Were it not for challenges to overcome and problems to solve, we would remain much as we are, with little or no progress toward our goal of eternal life. The poet expressed much the same thought in these words:
Good timber does not grow with ease,
The stronger wind, the stronger trees.
The further sky, the greater length.
The more the storm, the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
In trees and men good timbers grow.
Only the Master knows the depths of our trials, our pain, and our suffering. He alone offers us eternal peace in times of adversity. He alone touches our tortured souls with His comforting words:
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
“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.
“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Whether it is the best of times or the worst of times, He is with us. He has promised that this will never change.

Natalie: Think back to those trials that you’ve had and how you’ve grown.
Amber: Looking back I realize how much they’ve taught me. Then new trials, every blessing, a recurring thought comes to mind, “be at peace.”
Natalie: He concludes by saying:

My brothers and sisters, may we have a commitment to our Heavenly Father that does not ebb and flow with the years or the crises of our lives. We should not need to experience difficulties for us to remember Him, and we should not be driven to humility before giving Him our faith and trust.
May His promise ever be our watchword: “I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”

Natalie: As we turn to the lord in our times of trial I know that time and time again, I’ve been blessed for it. I testify of our saviors atonement and the ability to give us the strength to over come it.
Ashley: This is something I have a strong testimony of. I still don’t understand why people do things and why we have to suffer, but I am very very sure that they do love us and they are there with us through all of our trials. A scripture came to mind D&C 122:7. I know looking back on my own trials and of others is that I’m grateful for all I’ve learned through my experiences and how I can help others. Whenever I get broken up with I’m like, “this will be a great YW lesson!” I challenge us to look at our struggles a little less selfishly.