February 7, 2016 Centering our lives in Jesus Christ will bring happiness

Have you ever had "one of those days?"

"The world in which we live is putting great pressure on good people everywhere to lower or even abandon their standards of righteous living. However, despite the evils and temptations that surround us each day, we can and will find true joy today in living a Christ-centered life."
                                                                      Elder Richard J. Maynes

 Six more weeks of winter???

Gong Xi Fa Cai!!!

On February 3rd our Mission Leadership Council feasted on fried rice, sweet and sour chicken, and egg rolls-to commemorate the Chinese New Year! 

 Idaho Boise Mission Leadership Council-Pictured, but not listed in any particular order (we are still learning their names) Assistants to the President, Elders  Hann and Cortez, Zone Leaders: Bowler and McGaughty, Vance and Stoehr, Morgan and Peterson, Anderson and Richard, Bird and hatch, Patterson and Henstrom, Monroe and Masten, Sister Trainer Leaders: Brown and Ray, Petersen and Hallums, Rabello and Schulte, Palmer and Anandan

How grateful we are to be serving with these valiant young men and women in the Idaho Boise Mission.  We continue to learn so much from them.

Yours truly, Sisters Sorenson, Winder and Hodgkin

(Sisters in Zion)

If our lives are centered in Jesus Christ, He can successfully mold us into who we need to be in order to return to His and Heavenly Father’s presence. The joy we experience in this life will be in direct proportion to how well our lives are centered on the teachings, example, and atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

On Saturday we took a road trip to:

McCall Idaho, Snow sculpting capital of the Northwest

2016 Theme-Beyond Tomorrow

 Spacey Cakes

 Future Frontier with George Jetson and dog, Astro   

 R2D2, C3P0 and BB8

 Minion Invasion

 Max's Wild Kingdom

Payette National Forest

Woodsy Owl, Smokey the Bear and Tebow

 In the 23rd Century-Third Place

 The Hovering Timber Truck

 The Millennium Falcon

 X-Wing vs Tie Fighter

 The ice sculptures were magnificent! 

We can only imagine the long hours that it took to create such beautiful works of art.

The weather was a brisk 36 degrees and yet with the touch of many inquisitive hands and the effects of the warmer weather the ice sculptures were already beginning to melt and would soon be but a faded memory much like today and "beyond tomorrow".

On Sunday we had the privilege to attend our very first Stake Conference in Meridian, Idaho with Elder Alan C. Batt, of the 5th Quorum of the Seventy presiding.

 "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."

     2 Nephi 31:20

 "Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly and remember the covenant wherewith ye have covenanted one with another."

                                                                                 

Doctrine and Covenants 90:24

The solution when you are having "one of those days" is to remember:

"Mortality is a period of testing, a time to prove ourselves worthy to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. In order to be tested, we must sometimes face challenges and difficulties. At times there appears to be no light at the tunnel’s end—no dawn to break the night’s darkness. If you find yourself in such a situation, I plead with you to turn to our Heavenly Father in faith. He will lift you and guide you. He will not always take your afflictions from you, but He will comfort and lead you with love through whatever storm you face."

"Things do work out in the end if we trust the Lord. We cannot control some events that cause us great pain, but we can always control how we respond to them. We have no lasting power over another’s agency, but we can control our own for eternity." 

                                                                   President Thomas S. Monson

We can all gain great hope and comfort from these words from the Lord:

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you;

And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours.

And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more." 

                                                                     Doctrine and Covenants 78:17-19

Wishing you better days ahead!