Reflection

The other day in my Small Group Communication class, one of my group members asked if everything was alright with me. Russell asked if I was contemplating my existence. My teacher walked by at that moment and said it was a good idea to contemplate such a question. I gave Russell a quizzical look and voiced, "Why would I contemplate that?" My teacher then went into a discussion of how I would never have contemplated my existence because I've grown up LDS and have been told my whole life what the meaning of my existence was. Needless to say, a religious discussion ensued. My teacher is not anti-LDS but he did voice that he didn't like the fact that books of scripture come from the mouth of men, etc etc. I was looking at him as he talked, wanting to be a missionary and trying to discern from the Holy Ghost what I should say. Nothing came to mind besides asking him how much he knew about the LDS church and if he'd ever listened to the missionaries. Upon further listening, I decided against it because a thought that my dad had often pointed out came to mind; unless people are truly interested in learning about our church, they will not be humble enough to receive the  message. My teacher was definitely not open to hearing the word. The point of this story is this, through this experience, I was led to test my testimony. Have I been indoctrinated my whole life? Have I been brainwashed and told what to believe, what to feel? Should I live somewhere outside of Utah in order to gain a more clear perspective?
I prayed that evening and subsequent evenings after that (as I've been taught to do) and my testimony was reaffirmed through thoughts that came to mind. Specifically, President Monson's image came to mind and a talk given by Elder Holland entered as well. His talk on the divinity and truth of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith by extension came to mind. The power and emotion he spoke with caused me to completely stop taking notes that General Conference and just stare in awe as he delivered his heart-felt talk. I remember the power he spoke with entering my heart and striking me with force. These men volunteer their time and talents to progress this work. Beyond this, I cannot forsake the multiple experiences I have had on my own that has brought me closer to my Savior. Brainwashed. I guess I'll never know. Indoctrinated? If I have, it's been to my benefit. In short, my faith was not shaken by the words my teacher spoke. No sir, I do not question my existence merely because I have been told my whole life why I am here, I do not question it because I have seen the hand of the Lord in my life multiple times and I know He has my life in His hands.

As sisters in Zion :)

A bonfire...not so successful!

A MAZE of fun!

 2 weeks ago, Bethany and I decided to get a group together to go to a local corn maze.

 Bethany and I with our roommate Ryanne and her cousin, Karen. 

Saturday after the corn maze. Halloween dance at the Institute. Beth=pumpkin. Bre=COWGIRL! Super fun night! 

Three Cheers for Family

 Wedding dinner at the Cantina. All siblings minus Brenton were at the same table. 

 Brenton decided to grace us with his presence and photo bomb the picture. 

 What would the dinner be without a signature look from Bre and Beth? :)

 Cheese it Brenton, cheese it. 

 All siblings...in order...before Leatherby's 

 At Leatherby's

 Bethany and I babysat nephews and cousins while everyone was in the Draper Temple.

Horrah! Our brother is finally married and although it was sad to realize that he couldn't go to Brother Leppink's Sunday School class with us for a long while, Bethany and I were so happy to celebrate this milestone with him. Thank goodness for the blessings of the Temple which allows families to be sealed for Time and all Eternity. Bethany and I do not know what we would do without the many laughs that Brenton so effortlessly inspires. The Lord has it all figured out, and this weekend was a joyous reminder to us that the Temple is our destination.

Swig and Salt Lake

Our 3rd ride home to Salt Lake. Fall Break finally came and we were off to Salt Lake for Brenton's wedding. Our good friend Jesse surprised us with a Dirty Dr. Pepper from Swig for the ride home. I guess that's what we get for letting him use Bethany's communication book :) It was Kailie's first time home since school started and she slept for half of it. We had to turn around 20 minutes in for Breanna to grab the pair of cowboy boots Ryanne, our roommate was going to let her use. We made it home safe and had a blast!

RICE CRISPIES

So...Bethany and I have fallen in love with Rice Crispies while we've been down here. Especially when they soggify. No joke, every time we go grocery shopping, we need more Rice Crispies. We always had to buy the small boxes though. We were at Lin's on a Monday night this time, walking down the cereal aisle. Bethany found this big bag of our FAVORITE CEREAL. She became really excited and exclaimed, "This makes me so happy!" I turned around and after seeing the object of her happiness, laughed and decided we needed to take a picture. Thank you Lin's, for making all of our wildest dreams come true....
P.S. don't mind the red cheeks, Beth and I had just finished walking/running around the DSU track.