So long to the Alexandriana Ward

In September, our ward (church congregation) dissolved and we were asked to join another congregation. There were rumors of changes coming, but I seriously thought they would just realign the boundaries and allow more to join our ward. However, that was not the case and our ward got dissolved along with boundary adjustments. This was a hard reality for our family and for many in our ward.

Our ward (which felt like a branch at times) was a very special one. Yes, it did lack enough people to help in various auxiliaries but my goodness -- Logan and I have never served as much or as diligently as we did in the Alexandriana Ward. It was a special season in our lives to be able to serve "Alexandriana style" and be able to work with some incredible people. We will miss it! With that, I was released as the YW President after 8 (short) months (and Logan released from the Elder's Quorum presidency). I'm grateful I had the opportunity to serve the youth. It was a wonderful blessing in my life!

We are now in a much bigger ward (our boundaries are HUGE) and we are making new friends. It's been an adjustment, but one that we know is part of Heavenly Father's plan for our little family while living here in Charlotte.

This was our last joint activity for the youth -- Pinewood Derby! 

So much fun! 

Hudson was able to participate as well with his dinosaur car. He got 3rd place and "the fast and furious" award. :)

Last activity with the YW.

We finished a sewing project and had a Chik Fil A dinner.

My two counselors (Laurelyn & Chelsea). I love these women and how much they have supported me the past several months. 

Last Sunday in Young Women's together

Hudson and his amazing Sunbeams teacher (Sis. Steele). 

The Alexandriana Ward

(Gastonia, NC stake)

  

10 years

September 3, 2015 marked 10 years since being baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 

All summer I had been waiting for my sunflowers to bloom, and finally the week of this special anniversary -- my velvet queen sunflower finally bloomed! It was a sweet reminder that God is, in fact, in the details of my life. The decision 10 years ago to join the church has brought me a happiness and peace beyond measure, and has allowed me to feel God's love in a more personal way. It has been the best 10 years and I know it can only go up from here. 

A little background (since I'm not sure I ever wrote it on this blog) about my conversion story and how I joined the church....

I was in my senior year of high school. At that time, I had known about the Mormon church through family and friends. My mom had joined the church when she was about 16 years old, but it never really stuck and she quickly went inactive. My dad had never showed interest in the church. However, my dad's sister (Martha) and her family were active members of the church ever since I was little. I remember visiting them and going to church with them often. I remember how much happiness and purpose I saw in their family life as they attended church and various events within the church. 

During that senior year, I had a English class assignment. It was a research paper, and one we could choose. Our teacher asked us to research something that would mean something to us -- that we really wanted to know more about. Religion had always been intriguing to me. My parents practiced Buddhism, but I knew little about it (it seemed more of a cultural thing for me). My friends were different religions -- Catholic, Protestant, Mormon, Lutheran, etc. I was surrounded by friends and family that believed different things. I didn't know what I believed, and so, I decided to do my research paper on different religions to find out their beliefs. The more and more I researched the different religions, the more I felt a strong connection to the Mormon church. A great friend, Sarah, invited me to church with her and to her house for dinner one night. I began talking to the Mormon missionaries and having discussions at Sarah's home (her dad was the bishop at the time) soon after.

The rest is basically history... I got baptized a few months later on September 3, 2005 in a packed room filled with my family, friends, and supportive church members. I will always be grateful for how supportive and loving my family (especially my parents) were then and even more so now. They have been great examples to me of how to love others with different beliefs.

I also shared my testimony in public for the first time that day with tears streaming down my face because in that moment I had felt so much joy. I could feel Heavenly Father's arms around me and holding me up as I proclaimed my love and gratitude for Him. Here is an excerpt of my journal entry from my baptism day, 10 years ago:

"I will always remember this day and the wonderful warmth and spirit I felt today -- it's such an incredible feeling. [...] I just hope that the feeling I have felt today at my baptism will never go away! I hope to "go forward with faith" in all things that I do. I know that the church is true and that Heavenly Father loves me along with those around me -- I have gained that testimony because of the spirit I have felt and the answers I have received from scriptures and prayer."

I will say that the feelings of that day have always stayed with me. "Going forward with faith" can be a tough thing and definitely easier said than done, but I know it is so worth it to press forward in the trying and difficult times because God really is in the details. He is there. I will forever be grateful for the plan Heavenly Father has for me and the joy that comes from following His son, Jesus Christ.

That simple choice all those years ago to be baptized has been the biggest blessing and best choice of my life, but I think the harder/more rewarding choice was staying grounded in the Gospel of Jesus Christ then (and even now). I just kept showing up for God in prayer, in scripture study, in serving others, in my church callings, and in the way I live. More than anything, I kept being obedient. I kept doing what I knew to be right. Doing those things brought me blessing upon blessing, and it continues to be the same way today. 

Girls Camp

Beginning of August, I went with the young women in my church congregation to a week-long camp. As a leader, it was so fun to be with these sweet girls for a whole week and get to know them better. It was a hot and humid week, but we made the best out of it. Camp Wayfarer is awesome!

I was in charge of second level girls (meaning the girls who were here at camp for their second time). This camp was run by many amazing women from my church congregation. It was wonderful to see everything come together. It was also wonderful to see these girls for a week (without their phones, make-up, and distractions). I loved camp for that reason. I loved how we got to leave the "world" for a week and just focus on our testimonies of Jesus Christ, developing talents, and creating friendships. What more could you ask for? It felt so much like a safe haven for the week -- a place where the girls were accepted, loved, and cared for. It was amazing to witness and be part of it!  

The camp theme for the week was "The Game of Life: Decisions Determine Destiny" and each day had a separate theme (choose to be happy, choose to be obey, etc). Board games were, of course, incorporated into camp: Operation, The Game of Life, Candyland, to name a few.

Here are some pictures from the great week:

Dancing! 

We did a lot of dancing at camp. 

Candyland (where the girls learned everything for First Aid Certification)

The Game of Life

Testimony meeting (where girls were able to go up and share their experiences/testimonies) 

Operation!

Some of the great women I got to serve with!

Each day we got 30 minutes of D.A.R.E (drop everything and read) time. It was a time for us to read the scriptures. The whole camp is quiet during this time and it was a very sacred part of the day. 

Videos below: This is when I tried to blob. So fun! 

(One of my YW is named Abbie and she was the one who sent me flying off the blob.)

My parents were so awesome to watch the kids for us in VA while I was at camp and Logan had work. They had Ma & Pa camp filled with DC trips, the zoo, playing mini-golf, and fishing.

YW activities

A few posts back, I talked about how I got called to be the Young Women's President for our church congregation (see here). Being a youth, but especially a Mormon youth is busy. There are dances, activity nights, service projects, temple trips, and lots of other spiritual, fun experiences. I had no idea just how busy these girls were; they definitely kept me on my toes and helped me to really prioritize my time so that I could be present when I was with them.


Mormon Prom: I drove youth to Mormon Prom (yes, there is such a thing). It was awesome to see all these youth dressed up. They are such a fun group! Somehow I ended up driving the boys and that was quite an adventure (see video below).

Video: We stopped at a gas station. I turned around and the boys were dancing in the parking lot. 

Crazy kids, but they are so so fun! 

Camping Trip: We took all the YW on a camping trip at Lake Norman. It was 9 youth, 5 chaperones/leaders, 2 husbands, and my 2 kids between 4 campsites. It was a lot of prep, but it was a wonderful weekend getting to know these girls and seeing their camping skills.

Of course, my family had to come to! No way I could do the camping experience without them (they would have been really sad to miss it -- these kids and their daddy are such nature enthusiast). 

Playing volleyball in the middle of the street.

Amelia followed these girls around the whole weekend as you can see. 

My husband was a trooper!

He stayed up super late driving Amelia around the campsite because the girl would NOT fall asleep (she's a sleep in her crib kind of girl) and then the next morning I saw that Hudson totally pushed his way over to Logan's side in the middle of the night. You bet we all took naps when we got home!

5 mile hike

Beauty & the Beast play: Two of the YW (they are also sisters) got cast in the Beauty and the Beast play at their high school, so we all went to watch them. They were incredible!

One of the girls was Belle! 

She was amazing, and her mom made her stunning dress! 

Roller Skating: As a joint activity with the Young Men, we took the youth roller skating. This was super fun and my family was able to join us too. It was Hudson's first time on skates and he rocked it.

Service Project (Yard Clean-Up): We did a service project helping a few families in our church congregation with yard work. The youth worked really hard and we all had a great time working together to get projects done.