Hello, all y'all in the frozen land of Idaho. We here in Houston experienced a wet and overcast Thanksgiving week, but nothing too drastic. Some days were chilly (in the 50s and 60s), some days were warmer (in the 70s), and some days there was even wind. It made me shiver just a bit, but the anticipation of true Winter both makes me shiver even more (because I am afraid I've become a Texan who believes that what I'm experiencing is Winter) and warms me from the inside out (because that will also mean Idaho and YOU). It sounds like good Thanksgivings were had by both parties, even separately. And the Christmas party sounded nice, for those who attended. I'm sure the football game was just as exciting, whoever played in it and whoever won. Our Thanksgiving was very thankful. We had a brief lunch with one family in the ward, the Speckhards, who were inviting over quite a few friends and neighbors. And our real dinner was with the Davidsons who are also in the ward. We played some fun games and enjoyed not only pie but eggnog milkshakes (made with premium Blue Bell ice cream). They had the best sweet potatoes I'd ever eaten, and a secret delicious ingredient in the stuffing: pomegranate seeds.
We also went to the temple, found plenty of time for tracting, had another lesson with Pablo, sent Joseph off to California after passing his baptismal interview with flying colors ("He is very prepared," said the district leader), and learned that Sister Radin and Sister Schlauder will be training a new missionary after my departure. We are pretty sure she is from Idaho, so the balance of power will be maintained in the mission. It's becoming quite bittersweet to say goodbye, knowing how much I love my companions, my fellow missionaries, the people here in Texas, and just the opportunity to have the gospel as the only priority in my life. But I am also anticipating some wonderful things ahead. "For after much tribulation come the blessings." I really haven't had all that much tribulation. It's all been a small moment in the end. But somehow I know the Lord will bless me anyway. He already has so much. I have a wonderful family, many friends--new and old, Texan and otherwise--and a knowledge of and covenants in the restored gospel. What more could I want? Well, I guess I could think of a few things, but because I have been a missionary, I will not have to worry about those things. I know they are coming my way just as surely as the sun will rise tomorrow morning. And the next morning after that. And the next morning after that, when I am enjoying it in snowy, old, beautiful Idaho, my home.
I suppose I should tell you one last funny story by e-mail before I attempt to fill you in on all the details in person. We were teaching a lesson this week to a former investigator who has some unique health challenges, one of them being that both of her legs were amputated about a year ago. She requires some extra care because of this, which is provided by her younger sister, although both of them are probably in their late forties or early fifties. But, not wanting to be a burden, she told us, "She doesn't need to be taking care of me. This is her time to be a cougar." I was able to contain my laughter but just barely. It reminded me of earlier on my mission, in Tomball, when I said something in the presence of the Spanish elders about "not being that kind of cougar, " meaning that I was a BYU cougar and not a Tomball cougar (since that is their mascot), but they intentionally took it to mean the other kind of cougar, the kind the investigator was talking about...a lady who likes younger men. I'm not sure if I've even heard the end of that episode of Sister Sorensen puts her foot in her mouth. I saw one of the elders recently at a zone conference, and he mentioned something about it. Oh well. It was a good laugh, and the moment with the investigator wouldn't have been nearly as funny without that moment so many months ago. I love how jokes can build up like that, like loose ends being tied up. This is one of them.
I took some excellent pictures yesterday with some of my favorite people and families in the wards. I'll show you when I get home. For now, enjoy these of me with the Kleinwood ward mission leader, Brother Williams. As you can see, the sun was shining brightly and there is not a flake of snow in sight.
I think this is one of the final lines in "Apollo 13," just when the space capsule is touching down in the ocean water. I think Tom Hanks says it. Or it might be Kevin Bacon. Or it might be something like this earlier in the movie. But the point is, someone in the movie says something like this, and it's been going through my head all week, so it must be what I'm supposed to say. "It's been a beautiful ride."
Love,
Sister Whitney Mikell Sorensen
Monday, November 29, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
11-22-10 "T Minus 10 and Counting"
Well, I think it's safe to say there will be snow in Idaho in December. Wow! And I really can't wait to see Griffin playing in it. That sounds really cute. He looks good in a scarf. To be honest, I am super excited to meet this animal, and I think we'll be great friends. You may not have gotten that impression from me saying I think he's taken my place in y'alls hearts and such, but I'm fairly certain I will like him and want to take him with me to college. Except that's not possible. Speaking of dogs, remember how I told you that dog got sick on my skirt a few weeks ago? Well, apparently that dog was not just having an upset stomach. It died. I don't think it was an allergic reaction to me or anything weird like that, but how sad.
As far as the weather goes, here it is much cooler than the summer, with temperatures holding around 70 or 75 during the day and probably hitting the 50s at night. It's not cold by any means, but it usually requires a cardigan, at least when it's overcast and you might get downpoured on any minute. I must say, I'm a little nervous about not having the cold tolerance of a native Idahoan anymore....
Yes, my final zone conference was great. It was much more conversational and interactive than most. President Hansen had a time slot where we just asked questions and he answered them. Really informative and nice. We had an opportunity to practice our teaching skills with some other missionaries and pretend to have the same concerns as our investigators. We were paired with some of the zone leaders for one of the Spanish zones, one of whom was one of my friends from Tomball. Good to see everyone again, I guess most of them for the last time, at least for a while. Weird. They even had the new or departing missionaries stand up and bear our testimonies at the end. Kind of a bittersweet, but mostly sweet thing, to have a few moments to reflect and witness how much the Savior has changed me and brought me through this. My gratitude runneth over. I think it's great that Dad has become a legend in the Idaho Pocatello mission. Do you know what it takes to become a legend? Well, that is it, but, just for the record, I already knew you were legendary, Dad.
Other than that, it's pretty much been missionary life as usual. I can't really think that life on Sycamore Circle is any more or less exciting than life in the Texas Houston mission, just different in its own ways. We did a lot of tracting and had a few long-anticipated lessons with some investigators while others continue to drop off the map despite our efforts to help them find the iron rod. We helped out with a youth fireside last night in one of the wards about how to answer difficult questions about the gospel they are sometimes asked by friends at school. Someone we met while tracting told us, "If you really cared what Jesus Christ thought, you'd reject the Book of Mormon," but we just kept tracting. I know it's nothing to compare to the suffering of the Atonement, or even the trials Joseph Smith faced as Prophet of the Restoration, but sometimes it makes me think of those lines from Joseph Smith history: Why persecute me for telling the truth? Usually when people throw lines like that at us, we think of these two lines the evil guards say to Joseph and company in Liberty Jail in the Joseph Smith movie: "This faith of yours is such a waste!" and "Looks like God's forgotten you!" We realize that whatever those people are saying to us is bascially the November in Houston, Texas equivalent of one of those phrases. It makes it a lot easier to heed them not when you see them not as isolated incidents directed to personally attack us but as mockeries and taunts that have always followed the truth. Sister Schlauder even has a chant, taken directly from a line in the Doctrine and Covenants, that she made up at EFY once: Fools mock, but they shall mourn. It also makes me think of Nephi's final testimony at the close of 2 Nephi. "All ye ends of the earth, hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good. And if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye—for Christ will show unto you, with power and great glory, that they are his words, at the last day; and you and I shall stand face to face before his bar; and ye shall know that I have been commanded of him to write these things, (or share these words with you) notwithstanding my weakness. And I pray the Father in the name of Christ that many of us, if not all, may be saved in his kingdom at that great and last day." I hope that that comes across in a hopeful and loving manner, like both Nephi and I intended it to. I love these peole, and my heart aches to know how much joy they are rejecting while they do not even understand what they are doing. I rejoice that God is a God of mercy because I know He will continue to send them His tender mercies as long as it takes. I'm glad He allowed me to be one of them for so many people.
Okay, I better break away from that train of thought before I get too sentimental. On the docket for the next ten days are two trips to the temple, a Thanksgiving holiday, moving apartments, packing up all my stuff, final shopping for souvenirs for the family, many pictures to take with beloved companions and friends, and whatever else the Lord has in store that He hasn't let me know about yet. It should be a fairly typical week, minus the whole it being my last full week in Texas thing. Strange. I still kind of think it's a lie, and next week at this time someone will call and tell me I'll be going to College Station or Montgomery or Katy or somewhere else for the next six weeks. But I think it will probably start to settle in soon enough, so until then I'll just enjoy it.
Much love,
Sister Whitney Mikell Sorensen
PS Cassidy, you didn't say anything about the David Archuleta Christmas album? Do you have one? Would you like to have mine when I get home? Details, sister, details!
PPS The box I sent home really isn't that exciting for y'all. Just a dictionary and a book about the Houston temple and a few other odds and ends, plus a little surprise I found for everyone. But I still want you to wait a few more days to open it..until I get home that is.
PPPS Happy snow!
As far as the weather goes, here it is much cooler than the summer, with temperatures holding around 70 or 75 during the day and probably hitting the 50s at night. It's not cold by any means, but it usually requires a cardigan, at least when it's overcast and you might get downpoured on any minute. I must say, I'm a little nervous about not having the cold tolerance of a native Idahoan anymore....
Yes, my final zone conference was great. It was much more conversational and interactive than most. President Hansen had a time slot where we just asked questions and he answered them. Really informative and nice. We had an opportunity to practice our teaching skills with some other missionaries and pretend to have the same concerns as our investigators. We were paired with some of the zone leaders for one of the Spanish zones, one of whom was one of my friends from Tomball. Good to see everyone again, I guess most of them for the last time, at least for a while. Weird. They even had the new or departing missionaries stand up and bear our testimonies at the end. Kind of a bittersweet, but mostly sweet thing, to have a few moments to reflect and witness how much the Savior has changed me and brought me through this. My gratitude runneth over. I think it's great that Dad has become a legend in the Idaho Pocatello mission. Do you know what it takes to become a legend? Well, that is it, but, just for the record, I already knew you were legendary, Dad.
Other than that, it's pretty much been missionary life as usual. I can't really think that life on Sycamore Circle is any more or less exciting than life in the Texas Houston mission, just different in its own ways. We did a lot of tracting and had a few long-anticipated lessons with some investigators while others continue to drop off the map despite our efforts to help them find the iron rod. We helped out with a youth fireside last night in one of the wards about how to answer difficult questions about the gospel they are sometimes asked by friends at school. Someone we met while tracting told us, "If you really cared what Jesus Christ thought, you'd reject the Book of Mormon," but we just kept tracting. I know it's nothing to compare to the suffering of the Atonement, or even the trials Joseph Smith faced as Prophet of the Restoration, but sometimes it makes me think of those lines from Joseph Smith history: Why persecute me for telling the truth? Usually when people throw lines like that at us, we think of these two lines the evil guards say to Joseph and company in Liberty Jail in the Joseph Smith movie: "This faith of yours is such a waste!" and "Looks like God's forgotten you!" We realize that whatever those people are saying to us is bascially the November in Houston, Texas equivalent of one of those phrases. It makes it a lot easier to heed them not when you see them not as isolated incidents directed to personally attack us but as mockeries and taunts that have always followed the truth. Sister Schlauder even has a chant, taken directly from a line in the Doctrine and Covenants, that she made up at EFY once: Fools mock, but they shall mourn. It also makes me think of Nephi's final testimony at the close of 2 Nephi. "All ye ends of the earth, hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good. And if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye—for Christ will show unto you, with power and great glory, that they are his words, at the last day; and you and I shall stand face to face before his bar; and ye shall know that I have been commanded of him to write these things, (or share these words with you) notwithstanding my weakness. And I pray the Father in the name of Christ that many of us, if not all, may be saved in his kingdom at that great and last day." I hope that that comes across in a hopeful and loving manner, like both Nephi and I intended it to. I love these peole, and my heart aches to know how much joy they are rejecting while they do not even understand what they are doing. I rejoice that God is a God of mercy because I know He will continue to send them His tender mercies as long as it takes. I'm glad He allowed me to be one of them for so many people.
Okay, I better break away from that train of thought before I get too sentimental. On the docket for the next ten days are two trips to the temple, a Thanksgiving holiday, moving apartments, packing up all my stuff, final shopping for souvenirs for the family, many pictures to take with beloved companions and friends, and whatever else the Lord has in store that He hasn't let me know about yet. It should be a fairly typical week, minus the whole it being my last full week in Texas thing. Strange. I still kind of think it's a lie, and next week at this time someone will call and tell me I'll be going to College Station or Montgomery or Katy or somewhere else for the next six weeks. But I think it will probably start to settle in soon enough, so until then I'll just enjoy it.
Much love,
Sister Whitney Mikell Sorensen
PS Cassidy, you didn't say anything about the David Archuleta Christmas album? Do you have one? Would you like to have mine when I get home? Details, sister, details!
PPS The box I sent home really isn't that exciting for y'all. Just a dictionary and a book about the Houston temple and a few other odds and ends, plus a little surprise I found for everyone. But I still want you to wait a few more days to open it..until I get home that is.
PPPS Happy snow!
Monday, November 15, 2010
11-15-10 "Totally Out of Subject Lines in Texas"
Another week, another e-mail, and just like last week, I'm not really sure where to start, or what to say after I start. Oh well. Such is life. We've been working super hard to find new people to teach, and we've been putting in a lot of effort talking to people--tracting and talking to everyone. Your basic missionary stuff. Not too many takers yet, but a few nibbles here and there. Enough to keep us going. Plus, we've been blessed with quite a few referrals lately, so if anything, the Lord is giving us hints about where to focus our efforts. You still get the usual--dismissive waves goodbye after three words out of our mouths, a chorus of "not interested," and the occasional actual heckler with comments like "Your Bible doesn't count" and "We only become the children of God after we accept Christ"--but there are also tender mercies and good people amid them all. I choose to focus on them, at least when I've stopped laughing about the "bye-bye" wave from a sixty-year-old man who could not possibly be threatened by three twenty somethings knocking on his door and offering free eternal happiness through the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Actually, it amazes me how lazy people think the gospel is intended to be. Simply "accept Him as your personal Savior" (which is not a work, by the way) and you can know you are going to heaven no matter what you do from that point on. It defies logic, it defies reason, it defies the Spirit, and it even defies the Bible if you really read it. But, then again, "Our Bible doesn't count." Still, I love that most of Texas still respects and honors God with their defense of morality and Christlike living, even though they don't think works count for much. I love them, and I'm sure their beliefs are going a long way in preserving and preparing the earth for the second coming.
We had a strange occurrence on Wednesday afternoon. We were watching Legacy with a member in one of the wards at her house, and then we left, got in the car, and started to drive away. There was this lady running out of one of the houses in the cul-de-sac, waving her arms for us to stop. Which we did, but only after we stopped did she recognize us as missionaries. She only spoke Spanish, but we think we deduced that she is a member from Guatemala and has been in Texas for a few months but couldn't find the church. We gave her the number of the Spanish elders and also sent her address in as a referral so they can contact her if she doesn't contact them. My Spanish has come in handy here in Houston, although its not perfect and certainly far from polished, but I can use it to communicate and I understand a basic "yes" or "no" when I ask about sending missionaries. However, the lady from Guatemala also, we think, said our Spanish was about as good as that of the elders...and we don't think she meant it as a compliment. Which is unfair. I've known many missionaries with very good Spanish speaking skills, but I guess I'm not exactly the best judge of that.
Yesterday, both of our wards had the Primary program, and because the Relief Society lesson was about baptism, we ended up singing "Come, Follow Me" three times yesterday. Great hymn, but a little much for one day. I do, however, love watching the faces of the kids as they sing, and I really like that song, "I know that my Savior loves me." Really beautiful.
Love the thoughts of Eli wondering if I will recognize him. I must admit, I've wondered the same thing myself, but I also know I would know him anywhere, along with the rest of you. As for adjusting to post-mission life, I don't have many worries about it because I think that when I'm with y'all again, we'll all have so much to say that even if its random banter, we'll be able to fill in the holes of things the other party is not understanding, either me about the happenings while I've been gone or y'all about Texas things that never quite made it into e-mails.
Happy everything from your shining Houstonian!
Sister Whitney Sorensen
PS It's my last zone conference this week, and then it'll be Thanksgiving, and then we're going to the temple, and then it'll be my last Sunday in Texas and then it'll be December, and you know what happens in December... Christmas!
We had a strange occurrence on Wednesday afternoon. We were watching Legacy with a member in one of the wards at her house, and then we left, got in the car, and started to drive away. There was this lady running out of one of the houses in the cul-de-sac, waving her arms for us to stop. Which we did, but only after we stopped did she recognize us as missionaries. She only spoke Spanish, but we think we deduced that she is a member from Guatemala and has been in Texas for a few months but couldn't find the church. We gave her the number of the Spanish elders and also sent her address in as a referral so they can contact her if she doesn't contact them. My Spanish has come in handy here in Houston, although its not perfect and certainly far from polished, but I can use it to communicate and I understand a basic "yes" or "no" when I ask about sending missionaries. However, the lady from Guatemala also, we think, said our Spanish was about as good as that of the elders...and we don't think she meant it as a compliment. Which is unfair. I've known many missionaries with very good Spanish speaking skills, but I guess I'm not exactly the best judge of that.
Yesterday, both of our wards had the Primary program, and because the Relief Society lesson was about baptism, we ended up singing "Come, Follow Me" three times yesterday. Great hymn, but a little much for one day. I do, however, love watching the faces of the kids as they sing, and I really like that song, "I know that my Savior loves me." Really beautiful.
Love the thoughts of Eli wondering if I will recognize him. I must admit, I've wondered the same thing myself, but I also know I would know him anywhere, along with the rest of you. As for adjusting to post-mission life, I don't have many worries about it because I think that when I'm with y'all again, we'll all have so much to say that even if its random banter, we'll be able to fill in the holes of things the other party is not understanding, either me about the happenings while I've been gone or y'all about Texas things that never quite made it into e-mails.
Happy everything from your shining Houstonian!
Sister Whitney Sorensen
PS It's my last zone conference this week, and then it'll be Thanksgiving, and then we're going to the temple, and then it'll be my last Sunday in Texas and then it'll be December, and you know what happens in December... Christmas!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
11-8-10 "YOU need to make up YO mind!"
One morning this week, as we were heading to the gym for our workout, we encountered this couple in the middle of a mild domestic disturbance. I think she wanted him to help her load some stuff into the car, but the conversation has been a source of laughter all week, especially as we all try to imitate their accents. It went something like this: (her) "Pop the Trunk!" (him, mumbling) "I gotta go." (her) "No. You need to come ova' here and hep me!" (him, still mumbling) "It's past 6:30. I gotta go." (her, angry) "YOU need to make up YO' mind." That's all we caught, so really, it's obviously her who's the quoteable one, but you should hear Sister Radin say, "Pop the Trunk!" It cannot be recreated on e-mail.
This week was pretty crazy and normal at the same time, somehow. Don't ask me. I don't really know what I mean either. We attended a leadership meeting on Wednesday that was nice. We are still teaching Joseph and preparing him for baptism, and we had another investigator give a soft commitment to baptism this week, but unfortunately she wasn't at church on Sunday, so we still have a lot of work to do there. Still, the stake patriarch has been helping us teach her, and our member present lessons have been sensational. No contact with Pablo on our part, but he did come to a mutual activity this week, so the ward is fellowshipping him wonderfully. Now if we could just get in contact with him again. Oh well. It's in the Lord's hands, and ultimately it's His work anyway. I'm starting to realize that I'm going to leave a lot of things undone in His hands and trust that they'll get taken care of.
Speaking of which, a bit of sad news from Illinois. Our friends have fallen on hard times, and I don't have very many details, and too few to really disclose any here, but if you could keep Brigette and Allen in your prayers. Let's just say that going back to Illinois was a way of walking into many former, bad influences when their testimonies are still young and tender. Agency. It's a hard truth, but an essential one. Sorry for being so vague. I think the Spirit is softening the pain of it for me a lot by helping me learn from it rather than just feeling the sorrow of the situation. Plus, somehow I trust that the Lord's plans can overcome even the lastest tests and trials in their life if they will turn to Him. I don't know what else to report from this week.
I should be getting a box of in the mail today, but don't open it until you see me again, whenever that happens to be. It's fine that you won't be sending anymore mail my way. It'll make it easier knowing I don't have to secretly hope for mail everytime we go to the box. Anything I happen to get from anyone else will just be a pleasant surprise. In leiu of words, since they just aren't coming, I'll send some pictures. Two of last weeks trunk or treating adventures, and one of us with Joseph who said a prayer out loud this week. THAT was big.
The stone continues to roll forward without hands. (I think I mixed up some prophecies there, but hopefully you get the idea.)
Love,
Sister Whitney Mikell Sorensen
This week was pretty crazy and normal at the same time, somehow. Don't ask me. I don't really know what I mean either. We attended a leadership meeting on Wednesday that was nice. We are still teaching Joseph and preparing him for baptism, and we had another investigator give a soft commitment to baptism this week, but unfortunately she wasn't at church on Sunday, so we still have a lot of work to do there. Still, the stake patriarch has been helping us teach her, and our member present lessons have been sensational. No contact with Pablo on our part, but he did come to a mutual activity this week, so the ward is fellowshipping him wonderfully. Now if we could just get in contact with him again. Oh well. It's in the Lord's hands, and ultimately it's His work anyway. I'm starting to realize that I'm going to leave a lot of things undone in His hands and trust that they'll get taken care of.
Speaking of which, a bit of sad news from Illinois. Our friends have fallen on hard times, and I don't have very many details, and too few to really disclose any here, but if you could keep Brigette and Allen in your prayers. Let's just say that going back to Illinois was a way of walking into many former, bad influences when their testimonies are still young and tender. Agency. It's a hard truth, but an essential one. Sorry for being so vague. I think the Spirit is softening the pain of it for me a lot by helping me learn from it rather than just feeling the sorrow of the situation. Plus, somehow I trust that the Lord's plans can overcome even the lastest tests and trials in their life if they will turn to Him. I don't know what else to report from this week.
I should be getting a box of in the mail today, but don't open it until you see me again, whenever that happens to be. It's fine that you won't be sending anymore mail my way. It'll make it easier knowing I don't have to secretly hope for mail everytime we go to the box. Anything I happen to get from anyone else will just be a pleasant surprise. In leiu of words, since they just aren't coming, I'll send some pictures. Two of last weeks trunk or treating adventures, and one of us with Joseph who said a prayer out loud this week. THAT was big.
The stone continues to roll forward without hands. (I think I mixed up some prophecies there, but hopefully you get the idea.) Love,Sister Whitney Mikell Sorensen
Monday, November 1, 2010
11-1-10 "What IS the definition of sweater anyway?"
Well, according to the marquee of a local pizza joint, a sweater is a "garment worn by child when mother is cold." Yeah, we're not really sure what that means either, but it makes a great conversation when we drive past it every day. Actually, the pizza place is really good, and I like supporting them because they are not open on Sundays. They even gave us free lunch one day when we picked up an old lady from the ward who was walking there on a very busy road. Come to find out, the lady thought the lady in our ward was homeless. She's not, but we didn't know that the pizza lady had thought that until later. But they have really good pizza and salad, and it's all you can eat, but their signs are not nearly as easy to digest as their food.
In other news, we had an interesting experience with animals yesterday. I'm not sure if they could sense Halloween in the air or something, but they were nuts. First we went to visit this less-active family we'd never met. They let us right in, and their chihuahua is sitting on my lap for a few minutes, until it starts making this strange gagging noise. I somehow just knew it was going to throw up. Which it did. Right on my skirt. I couldn't get it off of me in time, plus that might have hurt it or something, so I just let it happen. Gross. But a cool story. And it totally made it so we had to stay and visit with them a little bit longer because they felt bad because their dog had thrown up on me. Not exactly a tender mercy, but maybe. And then at our dinner appointment, the sister's cat was sitting on Sister Schlauder's lap, but it would NOT let her pet it. It kept raring its teeth at her every time she would touch it until finally the member just took it. This is what happens when animals attack missionaries.
Speaking of which, I have been DYING to tell you some amazing news we got last Tuesday. We were doing some contacting when we got a call from the Assistants. They had a sister coming in from Temple Square for a few months and would we like to have her as our companion? YES! Wow! I never saw that coming! She arrived the next day, and we have been enjoying her excellent missonary skills ever since. Her name is Sister Radin (ruh-DEAN), and she is from the Philippines. She is AMAZING at asking for referrals, and receiving them. And she is so nice and personable that everyone loves to talk to her. She makes tracting so carefree almost, except that she is afraid of dogs and bascially everyone has one in Texas. She is so small though that she can easily hide behind us when the dogs are trying to get out. So far no disasters.
This week has been full of crazy surprises actually. The second one involves running into Elder Judkins again on Saturday. He was going to the temple, and we were walking around, trying to contact a few investigators. They saw us as they were driving, apparently, and he said, "Hey! Pull over. That's my cousin. I know her." So now I have a picture of us together to prove we served in the same city at the same time and by some intense celestial calculus were able to run into one another twice in less than a month. I don't know how God does it, but he works it out. I had been thinking about him all week, hoping he was doing okay with Grandma Ricks and everything, but he seemed very happy, and I was really glad to run into him again.
Other than that, this week has been filled with trunk or treating, featuring some excellent costumes. My personal favorites were Jack Sparrow and Captain Barbossa and the BEST Ms. Frizzle costume ever. Seriously. I thought she WAS her. Also, love the pictures of Eli as the Karate Kid. Very smooth. Very dojo. Very sensei. Very black hair. I'm sorry I couldn't see it in person.
It sounds like Grandma Ricks had a lovely funeral. I'm sure you did just fine, Mom, although you know I would have helped you in a second with the life-sketch. But give yourself some credit. You are an excellent wordsmith yourself. Grandparents--I haven't forgotten your birthdays. I just didn't have time to send your birthday cards/notes yet. I will get them in the mail today.
As far as who can come to the airport, I'm sort of undecided on it. It's not that I wouldn't want everyone else there, but I think it'll be kind of overwhelming as it is, and I've kind of always pictured it as just the few of us. But, I'm not making any official decisions yet. I'll think about it and let you know soon. Maybe it would be possible to have some kind of get-together at the house that evening, but I know that's hard on Aunt Anna, so maybe everyone should just come to the airport. You may know when my plane arrives, but I don't know yet, but I guess I'm assuming its not at some weird hour of the day but one that is pretty feasible for everyone. All in all, I guess my gut is saying I think it would be fine for everyone else to come as long as there's no squabbling about who gets the first hug. I remember going to see either Roger or Russell or both back from their missions at the airport, so I guess it would be selfish of me not to invite everyone to mine. And I really am eager to see everyone. The more, the merrier, they say. I think as far as opening the mission call, I think I was just overwhelmed about finally knowing and I just needed a second to breathe and think about it to myself, but this I will have had plenty of time to ponder the homecoming hugs all the way home on the flights, so I'm going to go ahead and make a final decision by saying you can invite whomever you want. I want to see anyone and everyone you think would be good. Final answer, Regis.
That's all for this week!
Much love and shining,
Sister Whitney Mikell Sorensen
PS I will use the funds wisely. That is way more than I expected to that should be just perfect. I might even send a package home this week with various things I've collected.
In other news, we had an interesting experience with animals yesterday. I'm not sure if they could sense Halloween in the air or something, but they were nuts. First we went to visit this less-active family we'd never met. They let us right in, and their chihuahua is sitting on my lap for a few minutes, until it starts making this strange gagging noise. I somehow just knew it was going to throw up. Which it did. Right on my skirt. I couldn't get it off of me in time, plus that might have hurt it or something, so I just let it happen. Gross. But a cool story. And it totally made it so we had to stay and visit with them a little bit longer because they felt bad because their dog had thrown up on me. Not exactly a tender mercy, but maybe. And then at our dinner appointment, the sister's cat was sitting on Sister Schlauder's lap, but it would NOT let her pet it. It kept raring its teeth at her every time she would touch it until finally the member just took it. This is what happens when animals attack missionaries.
Speaking of which, I have been DYING to tell you some amazing news we got last Tuesday. We were doing some contacting when we got a call from the Assistants. They had a sister coming in from Temple Square for a few months and would we like to have her as our companion? YES! Wow! I never saw that coming! She arrived the next day, and we have been enjoying her excellent missonary skills ever since. Her name is Sister Radin (ruh-DEAN), and she is from the Philippines. She is AMAZING at asking for referrals, and receiving them. And she is so nice and personable that everyone loves to talk to her. She makes tracting so carefree almost, except that she is afraid of dogs and bascially everyone has one in Texas. She is so small though that she can easily hide behind us when the dogs are trying to get out. So far no disasters.
This week has been full of crazy surprises actually. The second one involves running into Elder Judkins again on Saturday. He was going to the temple, and we were walking around, trying to contact a few investigators. They saw us as they were driving, apparently, and he said, "Hey! Pull over. That's my cousin. I know her." So now I have a picture of us together to prove we served in the same city at the same time and by some intense celestial calculus were able to run into one another twice in less than a month. I don't know how God does it, but he works it out. I had been thinking about him all week, hoping he was doing okay with Grandma Ricks and everything, but he seemed very happy, and I was really glad to run into him again.Other than that, this week has been filled with trunk or treating, featuring some excellent costumes. My personal favorites were Jack Sparrow and Captain Barbossa and the BEST Ms. Frizzle costume ever. Seriously. I thought she WAS her. Also, love the pictures of Eli as the Karate Kid. Very smooth. Very dojo. Very sensei. Very black hair. I'm sorry I couldn't see it in person.
It sounds like Grandma Ricks had a lovely funeral. I'm sure you did just fine, Mom, although you know I would have helped you in a second with the life-sketch. But give yourself some credit. You are an excellent wordsmith yourself. Grandparents--I haven't forgotten your birthdays. I just didn't have time to send your birthday cards/notes yet. I will get them in the mail today.As far as who can come to the airport, I'm sort of undecided on it. It's not that I wouldn't want everyone else there, but I think it'll be kind of overwhelming as it is, and I've kind of always pictured it as just the few of us. But, I'm not making any official decisions yet. I'll think about it and let you know soon. Maybe it would be possible to have some kind of get-together at the house that evening, but I know that's hard on Aunt Anna, so maybe everyone should just come to the airport. You may know when my plane arrives, but I don't know yet, but I guess I'm assuming its not at some weird hour of the day but one that is pretty feasible for everyone. All in all, I guess my gut is saying I think it would be fine for everyone else to come as long as there's no squabbling about who gets the first hug. I remember going to see either Roger or Russell or both back from their missions at the airport, so I guess it would be selfish of me not to invite everyone to mine. And I really am eager to see everyone. The more, the merrier, they say. I think as far as opening the mission call, I think I was just overwhelmed about finally knowing and I just needed a second to breathe and think about it to myself, but this I will have had plenty of time to ponder the homecoming hugs all the way home on the flights, so I'm going to go ahead and make a final decision by saying you can invite whomever you want. I want to see anyone and everyone you think would be good. Final answer, Regis.
That's all for this week!
Much love and shining,
Sister Whitney Mikell Sorensen
PS I will use the funds wisely. That is way more than I expected to that should be just perfect. I might even send a package home this week with various things I've collected.
Monday, October 25, 2010
10-25-10 "The Earth is on the Church Again!"
This week, I made up another funny phrase I thought you all should be made aware of. During companion study, Sister Schlauder and I were practicing teaching the Restoration, and instead of saying, "The Church is on the earth again" I said, well, I bet you can guess. It conjured up this mental image of a globe spinning a top a church steeple. But better yet, when we shared it with a member, she suggests this one: "Can't you just picture President Monson holding up the earth like Atlas?" Love it.
I suppose first things should be first. I am sorry to hear of Grandma Ricks' passing, but not entirely surprised. I had a feeling when I left for Texas that she wouldn't physically be there when I got back. Not a vision or a revelation, just a feeling. Honestly, I've been happily surprised that she made it this far and this long. What a lady! And I don't think funny is the right word for it, but just yesterday I was thinking about a random memory I have of her, and I shared it with Sister Schlauder. We were at the church building making a copy of one of our records for the ward mission leader, and I kind of tripped on the carpet, which made me think of a small moment in my life that I shared with Grandma Ricks. Once I was with her and Grandpa and Grandmother at a hotel in Layton. We were going to see one of David's sons off on his mission at the airport. So this must have been over ten years ago, because we could still go right up to the gate, pre-September 11th. Anyway, once when we were walking back to the hotel room, I tripped on the carpet, just like I did last night, and Grandma Ricks turned to me and said, "Oh good. You do that, too. I thought I was the only one." Then she smiled at me, and I can still see that image, although quite blurred, in my mind. I know I remembered it last night as a tender mercy from the Lord. He knew Grandma Ricks was finally about to be reunited with her precious husband and Sharon and Max...and so many others. And He knew that I wouldn't know until today, but that if I remembered that then, I would be okay now. And I am. I believe that tender mercies come in layers. They are set up years in advance, like this one, and then when you come to the other side of it, you look back and marvel at the tenderness and wisdom and compassion of God. Another image is coming to my mind now. I see that photograph of Grandma Ricks and Grandma McClellan as nurses, both gazing off into the futures of their lives. And it is the same look that Grandma Ricks gave me that day in the hotel in Layton, Utah. Only she was passing it on to me, inviting me to dream about my future and then live it. And now she and Grandma McClellan are reuniting and looking back on all the layers of tender mercy in their mortal lives, rejoicing in the Lord's blessings and marveling at the detail in their own personal plans of salvation. Mom, you said something to me right before I left for my mission that has stuck with me, like a layer of tender mercy in my life. You told me that the Lord wanted me to be a writer, but you knew somehow that coming on a mission was an essential part of preparing me to be a writer. I think about that now when I think about that lovely artifact of two of the most elect ladies I will ever know, a picture I have always felt was my muse. And now it can fully speak to me. Partly because my muses are now back together, but also because I have gone through (most of) this essential step to becoming a writer. I feel the calling to write more than I ever have before in my life now. I listened to general conference with a question in my heart, really wanting to know if the Lord saw writing as a good use of my talents and testimony. I received such a fervent but simple confirmation that, yes, the Lord would have me write. Having met all these wonderful people and experienced life for myself, I feel I am now ready to write. Sorry.
That paragraph started out as a tribute to Grandma Ricks and became more focused on me towards the end. I didn't mean it to be self-centered. Sometimes my thoughts just flow out that way. I don't really have time to edit them while e-mailing, so I guess you could surmise that these are my thoughts in their purest form, nearest to raw material as a writer gets. A member in Katy shared this analogy with me once, and I have come to appreciate its truth over time. Writers are like word sculptors, but unlike sculptors, they not only chip away at their marble but must create it as well. Thanks, Miss Rhonda.
Speaking of tender mercies, we experienced one this week. Well, probably several, but my spiritual eyes are not yet refined enough to recognize them all. Dad, also a long time ago, back when I was still working at the Credit Union and it was more than two minutes from our house, I remember you saying something to me that was very prophetic. You told me that you saw great things in me and you could envision generations of people who speak Spanish one day thanking me for sharing the gospel. I remember at the time thinking to myself, I don't think so, Dad, because I don't know if I'm even going on a mission. That moment was when I was probably a sophomore in high school. But for some reason the memory has stuck with me. I ponder on it periodically, wondering how and when that could be fulfilled. Well, one of those moments of periodically happened this week. We have been increasing our finding efforts, and for some reason we decided to try a group of apartments in our area. We knocked around, and most people spoke only Spanish, but at one of the doors we met a young man who said, after we shared our brief schpiel about having a message about Jesus Christ, "Is that it?" Obviously, he wanted to learn more. We set up that we would return on Saturday. Which we did. He is from El Salvador, and a junior at the local high school. When asked about his beliefs in God, Pablo said, "I just want to know the truth. There are so many different ideas that I get confused." Later, we asked him if he had ever prayed to know something, and he said, "Yes. Often at night, I pray to know where we go after this life. I am asking God to tell me why I am here on earth, why we came here." All the time I am hearing this sincere seeker of truth talk to us, I am also hearing Dad's words in my head again, and I'm wondering, "Could this be him? Maybe I came to find him." Now, I'm not trying to be dramatic or say that he is or that I was sent to find him and he'll soon be a stake president and generations will call me blessed. It's not about all of that. It's about him finding the truth his heart has been seeking, ever so humbly. But at the same time, a father's words sure motivate me to think about what a difference the message of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ could make to generations if Pablo chooses to embrace it. I pray he will.
Now, as for Sister Tetreault, I will be sure to send a letter her way today. I have been incredibly busy, but she has been on my mind a lot. Thank you for sharing her lovely words with me. She is my best Texas friend, another layer of tender mercy in my life. The earth is truly on the church again. And it should come as no surprise to you that the Rangers defeated the Yankees to enter the fall classic. God lives in Texas. Duh.
Love from the Lone Star sister,
Sister Whitney Mikell Sorensen
PS I'm attaching some photos of us at the temple with a member from Katy who received her endowment on Saturday. What a blessing to be able to share it with her!
I suppose first things should be first. I am sorry to hear of Grandma Ricks' passing, but not entirely surprised. I had a feeling when I left for Texas that she wouldn't physically be there when I got back. Not a vision or a revelation, just a feeling. Honestly, I've been happily surprised that she made it this far and this long. What a lady! And I don't think funny is the right word for it, but just yesterday I was thinking about a random memory I have of her, and I shared it with Sister Schlauder. We were at the church building making a copy of one of our records for the ward mission leader, and I kind of tripped on the carpet, which made me think of a small moment in my life that I shared with Grandma Ricks. Once I was with her and Grandpa and Grandmother at a hotel in Layton. We were going to see one of David's sons off on his mission at the airport. So this must have been over ten years ago, because we could still go right up to the gate, pre-September 11th. Anyway, once when we were walking back to the hotel room, I tripped on the carpet, just like I did last night, and Grandma Ricks turned to me and said, "Oh good. You do that, too. I thought I was the only one." Then she smiled at me, and I can still see that image, although quite blurred, in my mind. I know I remembered it last night as a tender mercy from the Lord. He knew Grandma Ricks was finally about to be reunited with her precious husband and Sharon and Max...and so many others. And He knew that I wouldn't know until today, but that if I remembered that then, I would be okay now. And I am. I believe that tender mercies come in layers. They are set up years in advance, like this one, and then when you come to the other side of it, you look back and marvel at the tenderness and wisdom and compassion of God. Another image is coming to my mind now. I see that photograph of Grandma Ricks and Grandma McClellan as nurses, both gazing off into the futures of their lives. And it is the same look that Grandma Ricks gave me that day in the hotel in Layton, Utah. Only she was passing it on to me, inviting me to dream about my future and then live it. And now she and Grandma McClellan are reuniting and looking back on all the layers of tender mercy in their mortal lives, rejoicing in the Lord's blessings and marveling at the detail in their own personal plans of salvation. Mom, you said something to me right before I left for my mission that has stuck with me, like a layer of tender mercy in my life. You told me that the Lord wanted me to be a writer, but you knew somehow that coming on a mission was an essential part of preparing me to be a writer. I think about that now when I think about that lovely artifact of two of the most elect ladies I will ever know, a picture I have always felt was my muse. And now it can fully speak to me. Partly because my muses are now back together, but also because I have gone through (most of) this essential step to becoming a writer. I feel the calling to write more than I ever have before in my life now. I listened to general conference with a question in my heart, really wanting to know if the Lord saw writing as a good use of my talents and testimony. I received such a fervent but simple confirmation that, yes, the Lord would have me write. Having met all these wonderful people and experienced life for myself, I feel I am now ready to write. Sorry.
That paragraph started out as a tribute to Grandma Ricks and became more focused on me towards the end. I didn't mean it to be self-centered. Sometimes my thoughts just flow out that way. I don't really have time to edit them while e-mailing, so I guess you could surmise that these are my thoughts in their purest form, nearest to raw material as a writer gets. A member in Katy shared this analogy with me once, and I have come to appreciate its truth over time. Writers are like word sculptors, but unlike sculptors, they not only chip away at their marble but must create it as well. Thanks, Miss Rhonda.
Speaking of tender mercies, we experienced one this week. Well, probably several, but my spiritual eyes are not yet refined enough to recognize them all. Dad, also a long time ago, back when I was still working at the Credit Union and it was more than two minutes from our house, I remember you saying something to me that was very prophetic. You told me that you saw great things in me and you could envision generations of people who speak Spanish one day thanking me for sharing the gospel. I remember at the time thinking to myself, I don't think so, Dad, because I don't know if I'm even going on a mission. That moment was when I was probably a sophomore in high school. But for some reason the memory has stuck with me. I ponder on it periodically, wondering how and when that could be fulfilled. Well, one of those moments of periodically happened this week. We have been increasing our finding efforts, and for some reason we decided to try a group of apartments in our area. We knocked around, and most people spoke only Spanish, but at one of the doors we met a young man who said, after we shared our brief schpiel about having a message about Jesus Christ, "Is that it?" Obviously, he wanted to learn more. We set up that we would return on Saturday. Which we did. He is from El Salvador, and a junior at the local high school. When asked about his beliefs in God, Pablo said, "I just want to know the truth. There are so many different ideas that I get confused." Later, we asked him if he had ever prayed to know something, and he said, "Yes. Often at night, I pray to know where we go after this life. I am asking God to tell me why I am here on earth, why we came here." All the time I am hearing this sincere seeker of truth talk to us, I am also hearing Dad's words in my head again, and I'm wondering, "Could this be him? Maybe I came to find him." Now, I'm not trying to be dramatic or say that he is or that I was sent to find him and he'll soon be a stake president and generations will call me blessed. It's not about all of that. It's about him finding the truth his heart has been seeking, ever so humbly. But at the same time, a father's words sure motivate me to think about what a difference the message of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ could make to generations if Pablo chooses to embrace it. I pray he will.
Now, as for Sister Tetreault, I will be sure to send a letter her way today. I have been incredibly busy, but she has been on my mind a lot. Thank you for sharing her lovely words with me. She is my best Texas friend, another layer of tender mercy in my life. The earth is truly on the church again. And it should come as no surprise to you that the Rangers defeated the Yankees to enter the fall classic. God lives in Texas. Duh.
Love from the Lone Star sister,
Sister Whitney Mikell Sorensen
PS I'm attaching some photos of us at the temple with a member from Katy who received her endowment on Saturday. What a blessing to be able to share it with her!
Monday, October 18, 2010
10-18-10 "wiki, wiki, WISDOM"
I have been thinking since Wednesday what I was going to say in this e-mail, trying to come up with the perfect way to share the news, but then I got the box from Mom on Saturday and since then I haven't had to wonder how to tell y'all since you already know, apparently. But, yes, it's official. I will be home in December 1st. I loved the descriptions of various reactions to the news. I hope people in Rexburg can still hear. And I hope Eli can contain just a little bit of his excitement so I can see some of it, too. But shame on you for your bad textiquette. I have a reputation to uphold as an English major. Actually, when I found out myself, it quite frankly caused me some severe insomnia for two nights in a row, I was so anxious to tell you, but you probably found out the same day I did, so I lost sleep for nothing. I've caught up, however, so no worries in that department.
Now, other than that we had a pretty good week followed by a fabulous session of stake conference on Sunday. That is the third stake conference I've been to in six months, and while I don't want to say it was the best, it probably was. The visiting general authority was Elder Marlin K. Jensen of the First Quorum of the Seventy. Both he and his wife shared lovely and inspiring talks. Hers was about not judging others. She told this story. Their house is up in the hills or the mountains somewhere, not just in a regular neighborhood. They had a neighbor who moved in and started playing music very loudly and put his horses in his front yard behind an unsightly fence and always had not the best looking kinds of characters coming over. Every time she would drive past the house, she would comment to her kids about how disgraceful/shameful/sad/etc. it was to have that in the neighborhood. Eventually, she was called to go visit this man because, unbeknownst to her, he was a less-active member of the church and a quadrapalegic. She had to go visit him because he'd been without food or care for over a day and she was the closest member of the Relief Society presidency to his house. She made up a plate of food and went to help him. He told her that she probably didn't like how loud he played his music, but it was one of the few things he could enjoy from his wheelchair. And he also loves horses, but he can't see them when they are in his backyard, so he had to put them in the front. Plus, it's hard to find good help so he had to take what he could get. I thought it was a beautiful story with an important lesson. She also used an analogy she got from Elder Maxwell. Life is like watching the Olympic diving competition. To the untrained eye, they all look good, but we don't know the degree of difficulty of certain dives, so we shouldn't think we are capable of judging others by their choices and experiences. Only Christ will be the judge because only He understands all the factors, the degree of difficulty of each life. That was such a comforting truth to learn. Often because of my pride I think Heavenly Father will condemn me for not being as strong or as good or as righteous as others, or I think that my life circumstances and experiences make it unfair for me to be judged by the same standards a others, but I guess I need to believe more strongly that Christ really is totally just and merciful. He knows the degree of difficulty of each of our lives and will bless and reward us accordingly.
Elder Jensen's talk was equally good. He shared three ways that we can come to know things--scripturally based ways of having knowledge. We can judge things by their fruits to know if they are good. This is the method of observation. We can experiment upon the word, come to know by doing. Or we can have truth revealed to us by the power of the Holy Ghost. As an example for the last point, he told about being a young missionary in Germany. He had a bold companion, but he himself didn't feel he knew the language at all or had a super strong testimony of the gospel. After working in one town for several months, the local Lutheran minister advertised a meeting about "the Mormons," which his companion decided they should attend. The minister stated that the Mormons have a book other than the Bible and Joseph Smith instead of Martin Luther, so no one needed to bother with them. They are just nice American boys. He then asked if anyone else had anything to say about the Mormons, so the companion got up and said, "Yes, we have the Book of Mormon, but we also love the Bible. Yes, we have Joseph Smith but we also believe Martin Luther to be inspired. What he started Joseph Smith finished." And then he invited Elder Jensen to speak. He said up to that point, he'd tried to be cautious and not say "I know/Ich weiss" about things he didn't really feel like he knew. But in this moment he had to say something so he "ventured into the dark," as he put it, and said, "I know" about the Church and the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith and the Savior--all of it. And in that moment, the Holy Ghost told him, and he DID know. It was so powerful. He said, "I've staked my life on it." Such a pure, powerful testimony.
That got me thinking about knowledge and wisdom. What is the difference betwee the two? I spent my whole personal study this morning pondering it. So far it feels like I've learned that knowledge is something you learn after the fact, after the experience. Your conclusions or truths or observations you draw from whatever it was. But wisdom is the application of that knowledge before the experience. Knowledge means putting on your hindsight and reflecting on what happened, but wisdom means having clear foresight that you use while you are learning and experiencing and experimenting. Sometimes you don't even have to experience things to have wisdom; Heavenly Father can just reveal it to you. All the commandments are that way. Heavenly Father tells you how to act so you can avoid having to put on your hindsight knowledge goggles for things that He would rather you just avoid altogether. Think about it: the word of wisdom tells us how to act and what to avoid to keep our bodies and minds healthy and receptive to the Spirit. And He gave that wisdom through His prophet before anyone learned it by experimentation and observation. Or Joseph Smith's experience. "If any of you lack wisdom (or the knowledge of how to act, say, what church to join), let him ask of God." And the great thing about revealed wisdom, is that we can still experiment upon it so that it becomes both knowledge and wisdom to us, but after a while of doing this, our faith that God's wisdom is pure wisdom will become stronger and stronger, so we will be more and more willing to venture into the dark because we KNOW that the marvelous light of God will be there eventually, no matter what happens during the experimenting phase. After all, He "giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not."
Phew. I just really liked those insights and wanted to share them with someone, maybe selfishly so they will remain with me more strongly. Anyway, we also went to the temple this week, and got transfer calls on Saturday night. We are both staying in the area, so Sister Schlauder will be my last companion and this will be my final area. Weird to finally know that for certain. I can really feel the loose ends starting to tie themselves up, but I'm glad I still have these next six weeks to work and be a full-time servant of the Lord. I suppose I'm starting to put on my hindsight knowledge goggles a little, pondering the lessons I've gleaned along the way so that I will have faith and wisdom for the future. I'll keep you posted on what I come up with.
It sounds like everyone is having a great Idaho autumn. Eli's birthday party sounds really fun, and I can't tell if Cassidy has purple hair in that picture or not. As long as it's not an honor code violation at BYU-Idaho, I bet it looks fabulous. As for the other picture, it cracks me up, but I'm not 100% sure the thought occurred to them that if they really were farming pot, that would be illegal, so they shouldn't advertise it. Maybe it's affiliated with the Psychadelicatessen, which is modeled after the Partridge family bus, featuring one of TV's favorite moms, Shirley Jones, but not TV's favorite mom, June Cleaver, who I am glad you told me passed away but also slightly sad to hear. Who'll keep the Beaver in line now? And who will listen to Eddie Haskell's smooth talking lies? I'm sure someone will take the opportunity, but who?
Love and Shining,
Sister Whitney Sorensen
Now, other than that we had a pretty good week followed by a fabulous session of stake conference on Sunday. That is the third stake conference I've been to in six months, and while I don't want to say it was the best, it probably was. The visiting general authority was Elder Marlin K. Jensen of the First Quorum of the Seventy. Both he and his wife shared lovely and inspiring talks. Hers was about not judging others. She told this story. Their house is up in the hills or the mountains somewhere, not just in a regular neighborhood. They had a neighbor who moved in and started playing music very loudly and put his horses in his front yard behind an unsightly fence and always had not the best looking kinds of characters coming over. Every time she would drive past the house, she would comment to her kids about how disgraceful/shameful/sad/etc. it was to have that in the neighborhood. Eventually, she was called to go visit this man because, unbeknownst to her, he was a less-active member of the church and a quadrapalegic. She had to go visit him because he'd been without food or care for over a day and she was the closest member of the Relief Society presidency to his house. She made up a plate of food and went to help him. He told her that she probably didn't like how loud he played his music, but it was one of the few things he could enjoy from his wheelchair. And he also loves horses, but he can't see them when they are in his backyard, so he had to put them in the front. Plus, it's hard to find good help so he had to take what he could get. I thought it was a beautiful story with an important lesson. She also used an analogy she got from Elder Maxwell. Life is like watching the Olympic diving competition. To the untrained eye, they all look good, but we don't know the degree of difficulty of certain dives, so we shouldn't think we are capable of judging others by their choices and experiences. Only Christ will be the judge because only He understands all the factors, the degree of difficulty of each life. That was such a comforting truth to learn. Often because of my pride I think Heavenly Father will condemn me for not being as strong or as good or as righteous as others, or I think that my life circumstances and experiences make it unfair for me to be judged by the same standards a others, but I guess I need to believe more strongly that Christ really is totally just and merciful. He knows the degree of difficulty of each of our lives and will bless and reward us accordingly.
Elder Jensen's talk was equally good. He shared three ways that we can come to know things--scripturally based ways of having knowledge. We can judge things by their fruits to know if they are good. This is the method of observation. We can experiment upon the word, come to know by doing. Or we can have truth revealed to us by the power of the Holy Ghost. As an example for the last point, he told about being a young missionary in Germany. He had a bold companion, but he himself didn't feel he knew the language at all or had a super strong testimony of the gospel. After working in one town for several months, the local Lutheran minister advertised a meeting about "the Mormons," which his companion decided they should attend. The minister stated that the Mormons have a book other than the Bible and Joseph Smith instead of Martin Luther, so no one needed to bother with them. They are just nice American boys. He then asked if anyone else had anything to say about the Mormons, so the companion got up and said, "Yes, we have the Book of Mormon, but we also love the Bible. Yes, we have Joseph Smith but we also believe Martin Luther to be inspired. What he started Joseph Smith finished." And then he invited Elder Jensen to speak. He said up to that point, he'd tried to be cautious and not say "I know/Ich weiss" about things he didn't really feel like he knew. But in this moment he had to say something so he "ventured into the dark," as he put it, and said, "I know" about the Church and the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith and the Savior--all of it. And in that moment, the Holy Ghost told him, and he DID know. It was so powerful. He said, "I've staked my life on it." Such a pure, powerful testimony.
That got me thinking about knowledge and wisdom. What is the difference betwee the two? I spent my whole personal study this morning pondering it. So far it feels like I've learned that knowledge is something you learn after the fact, after the experience. Your conclusions or truths or observations you draw from whatever it was. But wisdom is the application of that knowledge before the experience. Knowledge means putting on your hindsight and reflecting on what happened, but wisdom means having clear foresight that you use while you are learning and experiencing and experimenting. Sometimes you don't even have to experience things to have wisdom; Heavenly Father can just reveal it to you. All the commandments are that way. Heavenly Father tells you how to act so you can avoid having to put on your hindsight knowledge goggles for things that He would rather you just avoid altogether. Think about it: the word of wisdom tells us how to act and what to avoid to keep our bodies and minds healthy and receptive to the Spirit. And He gave that wisdom through His prophet before anyone learned it by experimentation and observation. Or Joseph Smith's experience. "If any of you lack wisdom (or the knowledge of how to act, say, what church to join), let him ask of God." And the great thing about revealed wisdom, is that we can still experiment upon it so that it becomes both knowledge and wisdom to us, but after a while of doing this, our faith that God's wisdom is pure wisdom will become stronger and stronger, so we will be more and more willing to venture into the dark because we KNOW that the marvelous light of God will be there eventually, no matter what happens during the experimenting phase. After all, He "giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not."
Phew. I just really liked those insights and wanted to share them with someone, maybe selfishly so they will remain with me more strongly. Anyway, we also went to the temple this week, and got transfer calls on Saturday night. We are both staying in the area, so Sister Schlauder will be my last companion and this will be my final area. Weird to finally know that for certain. I can really feel the loose ends starting to tie themselves up, but I'm glad I still have these next six weeks to work and be a full-time servant of the Lord. I suppose I'm starting to put on my hindsight knowledge goggles a little, pondering the lessons I've gleaned along the way so that I will have faith and wisdom for the future. I'll keep you posted on what I come up with.
It sounds like everyone is having a great Idaho autumn. Eli's birthday party sounds really fun, and I can't tell if Cassidy has purple hair in that picture or not. As long as it's not an honor code violation at BYU-Idaho, I bet it looks fabulous. As for the other picture, it cracks me up, but I'm not 100% sure the thought occurred to them that if they really were farming pot, that would be illegal, so they shouldn't advertise it. Maybe it's affiliated with the Psychadelicatessen, which is modeled after the Partridge family bus, featuring one of TV's favorite moms, Shirley Jones, but not TV's favorite mom, June Cleaver, who I am glad you told me passed away but also slightly sad to hear. Who'll keep the Beaver in line now? And who will listen to Eddie Haskell's smooth talking lies? I'm sure someone will take the opportunity, but who?
Love and Shining,
Sister Whitney Sorensen
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