I am very happy to share that I have been called to serve in the Relief Society as a teacher, again.

I am not sure yet what Sundays I will be teaching. It is important to know because that will determine what lessons I will be preparing, learning, and sharing. I will find out soon enough though. In the meantime, I am grateful for this opportunity. I have figured out that the best way to learn is to teach.

When you teach, you have to prepare the lesson first. This means reading the lesson from the manual, or the talk from the Ensign  and even research the topic farther using multiple Church resources.

Something else I would like to share about today. Being the first Sunday of the month, our Sacrament Meeting was a Fast and Testimony meeting. This means that members have the opportunity to share their testimonies about the Gospel.
It was a great meeting. Members, and even nonmembers, shared their belief about the Gospel, about the Savior, about their growth in the Church.

One thing that stood out to me the most, because it has been heavy on my heart, was the answer on how to find peace in a world that has totally gone mad.
And the answer is that I need to rely on Christ and Heavenly Father. They will bring peace as I study the scriptures, pray, serve others, and attend my  meetings.
As I fortify my family and myself by doing those things, I can trust in Them and the promises They made of comfort, peace, guidance, and eternal life.

I am still here! I know I have not posted in a while, but I am still here :)

So, in the last post I mentioned how I was going to talk about teaching Relief Society. Well, it just so happened that today I had the privilege of teaching the sisters about the "Parable of the Sower."

This Sunday, I was just subbing... yes, we have "substitute teachers" even in the church. If a teacher is not there that day, someone else steps in and teaches the lesson. It happens in every single organization within the church. However, in years past, I actually was called to teach the sisters. And I loved it!

It is always a great experience when I teach because I learn new things. I get to really study a lesson, share it, and learn from my study as well as from the comments the sisters make during the lesson.

As with lessons in the past, today's lesson was eye opening for me. It gave me the opportunity to analyze where I stand. Of the four types of soils (hearts) mentioned in the parable, which one is mine?

I have realized that in our lifetime, we all experience at least three of the four. We all may go from a rich soil to a soil overcome by thorns and then back to a rich soil. We all have times we struggle and the seed (the Word) either shrivels under the hot sun (shallow roots), it's suffocated by thorns (cares of this world and deceitfulness of riches), or is able to produce a bountiful harvest in spite of the struggles.

The most important thing to remember is that wherever we are in our life, we can always do better. Thanks to the Atonement, we can all leave behind our shallow roots and thorns and become the rich, fertile soil that brings forth good fruits.

Another thing I was reminded of today was that we all shake during an earthquake (events within the Church that make waves in the world, such as the last statement that was released about ordinances for children of same sex couples) but that the depth of our foundation is what will either keep us standing after the shaking is over or will allow us to topple over.

How strong is my foundation? How strong is my faith? Do I look at the big, eternal picture? I am glad I can answer that, so far, although I have shaken, I am still standing tall with no cracks on the walls or foundation.

I look to my Heavenly Father and my Savior for guidance, support, and answers. And the Holy Ghost bears witness to me of their teachings.
One never goes wrong when turning to Them.