A Tribute

As all of you should know at this point, there were 20 kids shot and killed at an elementary school in Connecticut. This is a video I found in tribute to those who died on this tragic day in America's history.

If the video doesn't work above, click HERE to watch it as well.

I know that there are many suffering at this time because of the lives lost in this horrible act of violence, but I also know that there is peace available to those who are suffering. Through the Jesus Christ we can find peace and forgiveness in this hard time. I know that the children who died were welcomed into heaven with warm embraces and much love, and that they are at peace there. I hope that we can all find peace and forgiveness in the wake of this trial. May God watch over those families who lost loved ones and may we all be mindful of those who are suffering around us, and keep them in our prayers. 

Mission Call!!

I definitely should have posted this earlier, but here it is anyways. I got my mission call about a week and a half ago! When the President of the church announced that the mission age was being changed for woman to be able to go on a mission, I just knew that now was my time to share the truth of the gospel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I'm so excited.
Well, drum roll... I'll be going to the Baltic mission on March 27!! The Baltic mission has four countries which are Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, and Belarus. I will be speaking Latvian, so I will probably spend most of my 18 months there in Latvia! I'm excited and spend most of my free time now learning about the area and what it is going to be like!! Here is a map of the countries in relation to Russia and Poland.

Change is in the air!!

Well, I have big changes in my life coming up. I'm sure most of you have heard how the mission age for the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints has been lowered. So, men can now leave at 18 and women at 19. Well, I'm 19! So, I'm taking a leap of faith and going on a mission! I'm almost done with my papers. I've done my part of the papers and had my final interview with my bishop. All I need now is my final interview with the stake president and he'll submit the papers to the church headquarters where they will decide where I'm going to go. I'm hoping to have my mission call by Thanksgiving, but we'll see how behind they are with the many papers of other people they have gotten so far.
The first thing people ask me when they find out I'm going to go on a mission, is where do I want to go? I always tell them I'm willing to serve wherever I'm called. But in all honesty I would love to go somewhere French speaking, whether it is Canada or France or some country in Africa. It doesn't have to be French speaking, but I would love to be fluent in such a beautiful language. So, I'll post it on the blog when I know where I'm going, but if you feel so inclined you are welcome to post a comment with where you think I will go. :)

Meeting President Monson!

I shook President Monson's hand!! I know, it is something that doesn't happen often, but I shook his hand. President Monson is the prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is an amazing man who has become my role model over time. He is big on promoting service and compassion. He is someone who I look up to as someone that I would like to become like. If I could be even just a little more like him, then I would be pretty set in life. Well, anyways, back to the experience. I was at a viewing for the father of a member of my ward. I didn't know the guy personally, but I really look up to his daughter who is our neighbor. So, I went with my grandmother to support her. Well, just as we were about to leave, we were talking to her husband when in walked President Monson. He shook everyone's hands and then went into the viewing. So, even though I didn't get to talk to him, I did get to shake his hand. He really is a prophet of God! I know that God talks to him and directs him how to run his church. Below is a picture of President Monson:

The Moments That Matter Most

I have to thank my good friend Kristiana for inspiring this post. I read her post which got me thinking. Do we go through life too fast? Do we savor the moments that are most important? Honestly, I don't think I spend enough time enjoying the most important things in life. I'm busy with three jobs and sometimes I forget that there are important things besides the jobs. Well, anyways. Here is a video clip that shows many of the great joys in life that we get to experience and look forward to experiencing.

Photos

 So, I went to the Mount Timpanogos temple. I have never been to that temple before and it was really great! Here is a picture of the temple when we arrived.

Below is a picture of me and my roommates from left to right it is me, Kristiana, and Brittany.

The temple was a lot busier than it usually is, so by the time we got out it was night. Here is a picture of the temple all lit up.

Well, the temple was so great and I am glad that I sacrificed the time to go. It was so much fun and I felt the spirit stronger there than I have in a long time!

What a great day!

Today was just a really great day! I enjoyed myself a lot. I went to all my classes and had my homework done on time and understood everything we learned in my classes. It was so great! I especially enjoyed my church history class today. We are talking about all the great doctrine that was revealed in the Nauvoo period of the church. There was a ton that was revealed during this time, and it was crazy how much there was revealed.

Also, today I got my clicker! I am so excited that I get to finally start my new goal. I'm so happy that I already have 31 clicks and I only have had it for about five minutes. I really challenge everyone who is reading my blog to look into doing this challenge. It is so easy and so much fun! I already am so glad that I chose to do this and I haven't even been doing it for that long. For those who  may have missed the previous blog about this, the website that talks all about the clicking challenge is www.billionclicks.org. Also, my blog post that has a video about the clicking challenge is http://sarahleigh-corner.blogspot.com/2012/03/i-hate-waiting.html. I hope you decide to join me in this great endeavor!

The last thing that has really brightened my day was being able to go to the temple with my roommates. I haven't been to the temple since I came to school and I really regret this. I'm glad that I get to go now. It will be a big blessing for me, and I am so grateful that I live so close to so many temples. I have the Provo Temple walking distance away, and several other temples just a short drive away. Today we are going to the Mount Timpanogos temple. I'll share some pictures later, but in short, I'm excited to be alive, and I am so grateful to be where I'm at in life. I love life, and I love myself. I know I am a daughter of God, and I know that He loves me and I love Him. Enjoy your day and I know that you can have a great day if you put your mind to it! Here is a picture of the Mount Timpanogos temple.

Offered Only At BYU

As I have come to find out, BYU offers quite different experiences. You really have some good opportunities both academically and spiritually. Classes at BYU really challenge me to think and not only learn facts, but apply the facts. My American Heritage class does this the most, which is what makes it such a hard class. It really takes a lot to learn how to apply knowledge learned.
Not only do I have a lot of wonderful experiences in my academics, I also have a lot of great spiritual opportunities. First of, I find that I learn a lot from a young single adult ward. It is really great to go to church with people who are all in the same place in life as me. I really learn a lot because they have all experienced the same stuff as me. I love sacrament meeting because it is super quiet and it is really great! I love families, but I really like quietness, where I can feel the spirit more. I love being able to fill the Holy Ghost as I listen to the talks and take the sacrament.
Another great opportunity I get is to listen to general authorities. I have gotten to listen to five up to this point. I have listened to Elder Oaks, Elder Andersen, Elder Ballard, President Packer, and President Monson. So, I have also been in the room with Elder Perry, Elder Cook, and Elder Nelson. It really is incredible to be in the same room with such amazing roll models who have such an incredible spirit.I have learned a ton of just simple concepts by listening to them. They really talk about the basics of prayer, love, and scripture reading a lot. They talk about a lot of topics, but they always talk about the basic topics as they talk about this and tie it all together. So, overall I am loving  life at BYU and love the experiences I am having.