Happy Mother's Day to all

My heart has been so tender today as I have thought of all the women who have influenced me in my life. I am grateful for the righteous examples of the wonderful women who have loved me and cared for me. I am thankful for each of you.

I am so thankful for the miracle of motherhood, and that I get to become a mother soon. I am more grateful than I can express. It feels like these 5 years have been a long time to wait to become a mother, as this has been my greatest hope and desire, but I know there are those who have waited much longer. I was in tears a lot today thinking of those who don't get to enjoy Mother's Day so well, for I have felt the loneliness and heartbreak of unfulfilled righteous desires and dreams. You are not forgotten, and I know that Heavenly Father loves you and remembers you.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles affirms that the roles and blessings of motherhood need not be exclusive to those with children of their own: “To the women within the sound of my voice who dearly want to be mothers and are not, I say through your tears and ours on that subject, God will yet, in days that lie somewhere ahead, bring ‘hope to [the] desolate heart.’” Elder Holland promises “ultimately ‘no blessing shall be withheld’ from the faithful, even if those blessings do not come immediately.  In the meantime we rejoice that the call to nurture is not limited to our own flesh and blood.”

“There is no role in life more essential and more eternal than that of motherhood,” says Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.  “While women live in homes under many different circumstances—married, single, widowed, or divorced, some with children and some without—all are beloved of God, and He has a plan for His righteous daughters to receive the highest blessings of eternity.” The Eternal Role of Mothers

God bless all you mothers, and those who will yet be mothers, but who have mother hearts and reach out to lift the hands which hang down and strengthen the feeble knees.

25 Weeks Pregnant

Sorry, this picture is pretty late (like 5 weeks late), but this was me at 25 weeks :)

Easter Tidings

I love the testimony of our prophet, President Thomas S. Monson. He said, "I believe that none of us can conceive the full import of what Christ did for us in Gethsemane, but I am grateful every day of my life for His atoning sacrifice in our behalf. At the last moment, He could have turned back. But He did not. He passed beneath all things that He might save all things. In doing so, He gave us life beyond this mortal existence. He reclaimed us from the Fall of Adam. To the depths of my very soul, I am grateful to Him. He taught us how to live. He taught us how to die. He secured our salvation." (At Parting, Apr. 2011 General Conference). I echo President Monson's declaration.

His Sacred Name - An Easter Declaration (3 min. video)'In our hour of deepest sorrow, we can receive profound peace from the words of the angel that first Easter morning. "He is not here, for he is risen."'

I believe the words of Emily Harris in her poem, "Empty Linen," (New Era, Apr. 2011, 49.) describe for me the joy and peace brought by Jesus Christ's Atonement and Resurrection.

"The linen which once held Him is empty.

It lies there,

Fresh and white and clean.

The door stands opened.

The stone is rolled away,

And I can almost hear the angels singing His praises.

Linen cannot hold Him.

Stone cannot hold Him.

The words echo through the empty limestone chamber,

“He is not here.”

The linen which once held Him is now empty.

It lies there,

Fresh and white and clean

And oh, hallelujah, it is empty.1"

I know that because He lives, we too shall live. Every sorrow and every disappointment will be made up, and we can have eternal happiness "through the great Mediator of all men" (2 Nephi 2:27). As we choose to follow Jesus Christ, we can have peace, comfort and joy during our time in mortality. We can have the assurance that He loves us, and He will help us.

Happy Easter to all, with love. For life is truly happy because of Christ's Love.

He Lives! - easter.imamormon.org

An Apostles Easter Thoughts on Christ(4 min. video) - "One of the great consolations of this Easter season, is that because Jesus walked such a long lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so."

Come Listen to a Prophet's Voice

This weekend is the General Conference of our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In this bi-annual conference, the living prophet and apostles, and other church leaders speak to us to give us guidance and direction and hope for our lives. My prayers have been answered so many times as I have listened to the messages in conference; I have been so uplifted and have felt the Lord’s love for me, and that He knows me personally.

General Conference is always a time of reflection for me. It helps me want to be a better person, to be more loving and kind, more like Jesus Christ.

A modern-day apostle has taught that, “The heavens are not sealed. God is not limited. …God hasn’t shut the door on His children. He loves us today just as much as He loved those who lived anciently, and He is just as concerned about us as He was about them. What comfort that sweet assurance provides in a world filled with confusion and discouragement! What peace and security comes to the heart that understands there is a God in heaven who is our Father, who knows us and cares about us -individually and collectively- and who will communicate with us, either directly or through His living prophets, according to our needs.” ~Elder M. Russell Ballard, Our Search for Happiness, p. 41-42 (Also See Ephesians 4:11-14). I am glad to know that, and general conference is one of the greatest evidences to me that this is true.

To find out more about what general conference is, click this link

If you are interested in listening to the messages, you can watch them live or afterwards if you go to www.lds.org/general-conference.

General Conference Infographic

We're Having a BOY!

Well, our good news is that we are having a baby boy, due July 23rd (my dad's birthday). I'm 21 weeks along, and we are so grateful and excited! The doctors say everything is going well and that our son is healthy and on track for growth. I can feel him wiggling around every day now, and it is a great comfort to me, and now I don't feel as much like I need to have an ultrasound machine to make sure he's ok. :)

We haven't decided on a name yet. We feel we just need to see him first, so we'll all have to wait until July to find out.

I have been feeling very ill and exhausted for most of the pregnancy, but I am doing better than I was in the first trimester. Eating (and keeping fluids down) has been a great challenge at times, and I am excited for the upcoming warm weather and produce that's in season. I only lost 3 pounds in the first trimester though (which is a miracle when I contemplate how much food actually stayed inside my stomach and how much did not...), and I have gained it back, and about 4 pounds on top of that, so that is great news.

(P.S. Since this will be our first baby, people love to give unsolicited advice to me and to tell me horror stories of pregnancies they have had or have heard of. - While I do often have questions, and will ask them when I want to, usually the advice I haven't asked for is not very helpful....such as the lady on the airplane who told me "You should stop drinkin' soder. It's not natural. You need to drink gingerale because that's all natural. And you should drink pickle juice to help with the nausea." That one was the most interesting. Also, people, when they find out that I have been sick, they love to tell me pregnancy horror stories about women who were sick for the whole time every time, so sick that they had to get IV's at the hospital, etc. Although Seth tells me that people say these things to try to help me be grateful for my situation, I have found that they are more frightening than comforting - So please, no horror stories. But, I do know that everybody means well and that they just want to relate to me. - So I will try to smile and not worry too much. - And I won't be drinking any pickle juice. That is certain.)

I've got 7 more weeks left of teaching ESL at Cleveland State University, and then I will be taking probably 2 semesters off. We have been very blessed because I've been hired for an online job grading the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). I can work from home and choose when and how much I want to work. It is just what we need!

We feel that the Lord has blessed us abundantly, and although it has been difficult, we know it is worth it, and it is what we want. We are so excited to be parents. Seth has been an angel throughout this whole time. He has mostly taken over all the shopping, cooking, and most of the cleaning while I have been sick. He has waited on me, hand and foot, and has never once complained. I am so thankful for him, and I know he'll be the best dad ever!

A Miracle and The Book of Books

"What The Book of Mormon does is it makes me want to share it with as many people as [I can]. I want this book to fill the world!" - Chris Cook in Mormon Message: "A Book of Mormon Story."

I feel the same way he does. I love The Book of Mormon, and my testimony of its truthfulness is growing every day. Earlier this year, I committed to re-reading The Book of Mormon by the end of this year. This has been a powerful experience for me.

Mary, a sweet sister, whom I visit teach, is a convert of a few years to our faith. She hasn't yet read The Book of Mormon, and she has said that she has trouble understanding it. Recently, she has started to read it every day, and this has brought me so much joy. I can see her changing, and I can see more happiness coming into her life. As I find out about Mary's experiences, and as I study The Book of Mormon myself, I am learning that “It puts forth the doctrines of the gospel, outlines the plan of salvation, and it tells men and women what they must do to gain peace in this life and eternal salvation in the life to come.” – Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

On Wednesday night last week, I was studying The Book of Mormon. I had my study journal by my side, and I was writing down impressions and ideas that I received as I read. It became late in the evening, and I do not usually ever like to stay up late, but I didn't want to sleep, and I had a strong desire to continue to read. "Sleep was a burden when night came, for I preferred reading to sleep." (Parley P. Pratt)

A love for this book washed over me like great waves of the ocean, and I was filled with joy and peace. I knew that if I would continue to search, ponder and pray about this book, that for the rest of my life, I would have the strength to face every trial and pass every test. I prayed with all my soul to thank the Lord for giving me this marvelous book to help me on my journey back to Him. I prayed in all earnestness that I would always try to share this joy with anyone who would listen. I promised the Lord that if He would help me to find someone, that I would share The Book of Mormon with that person the very next day. After I prayed, I got a new copy down from the shelf and wrote my testimony and my phone number in it, and I put it in my bag to take to work in the morning.

On Thursday (the next day), I went to teach my classes, full of faith that the Lord would help me know whom I was to share The Book of Mormon with. Half the day passed, and I got into my routine. Because I was running late in the morning, I parked in a different place than normal, that was closer to my classroom. This made it necessary for me to go out and feed my parking meter between classes. I went to do that and called my sister to chat with her as I walked. When I hung up I felt cold, so I stopped on the path to put on my gloves and scarf. Then, just after I began walking again, someone on the other side of the path called out to me.

It was my friend and former student, Ruth, from Ethiopia. I was so surprised to see her because I hadn't seen her in months, and we had lost touch. I felt full of gratitude because I knew it was no coincidence, and that the Lord was giving me this opportunity to fulfill my promise to Him. After Ruth graduated from the ESL program I teach in, I tried to build a good friendship with her. I also ordered a copy of The Book of Mormon in her native language, Amharic. I told her about the book, and asked for her address, but I never got it. That was almost a year ago, and I didn't know if that Amharic book would always sit on my shelf unread.

Not so. Its pages were meant to be read, and in my visit with Ruth we planned to get together soon, and I told her again about the book and she gave me her address. I went home and marked some of my favorite passages in and English copy and included my testimony and sent her The Book of Mormon in both languages.

I don't know if Ruth will read it, I can only pray that she will. But I am so grateful that I could at least share it with her. Through this experience, my testimony has been fortified that God hears and answers every one of our prayers. This was a miracle in my life, and I know He granted my prayer because I asked in faith with the intention of acting. I am and will be forever grateful for

The Book of Mormon.

“And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, ... and they teach all men that they should do good.”

2 Nephi 33:10

I Love this Little Pumpkin!

This is James, one of our adorable nephews. I wish we lived close enough to visit, but at least we have Skype, and pictures!