Monday, May 21, 2012
It's Monday...again
So, I walk into work this morning and there is a huge sign on the fridge saying that we shouldn't use it because it is broken. I opened it up and turned it on...oh boy! Truth is, I cleaned the fridge on Friday and forgot to turn it back on. Oops. The super comical thing about this is not the fact that I left the fridge on. It is the fact that multiple people tried to "fix" the fridge over the weekend and none of them could figure out what the problem was. Hmmm...I work in an office with smart educated people who have their master and doctorate degrees, and none of them thought to see if the fridge was turned on. This was a common sense intelligence test, and everyone in my office failed...oh boy!
Friday, May 18, 2012
18 Months and a month extention later...
Oh my goodness. I am back in America but I am nowhere near home! I miss Latvija with all of my heart! WOW! If someone asked me to serve again in that tiny Baltic Country I would go again in a heart beat. I wish that I could share with you all everything that I experienced, but there is no possible way. I figured that my first blog entry back would be a good one to do a top ten list with. They for sure help things stay more organized in my head...(My mission by the way did not solve my randomness, nor my inability to focus...I am still a work in progress!) sorry that it has taken me so long to get back on here...truth be told I forgot my Gmail account name and so... I had to do some searching. But I am now back and ready to rock your worlds! HA!
Ten of the reasons I loved my mission:
1) I now understand that God our loving Heavenly Father. He loves all of us so much! He would do anything for us and has given everything for us. We are his work and his Glory! We are the reason he exists and truth be told, he needs us as much as we need him! Without us he would be without a job!
2) Go to church every Sunday to renew the covenants that you have made with our Heavenly Father. The sacrament is what it is all about, it is how we retain a remission of our sins! Go to church and start your week with a clean slate! That is a gift that was given to us if we will just go to church and do it!
3) Whoever said repentance was bad thing was a bad person. Repentance is the best! Oh my goodness! It is a blessing from our Heavenly Father and Savior to us. We will never be perfect and you know what? That is okay! Because our Savior, Jesus Christ already paid the price for our imperfections, so we don't need to carry around that burden! We have the amazing opportunity to give it over and try again. Does this mean we will be perfect and never do that same thing again, Ideally? Yes. Realistically? No, Sorry, but that is okay. Repentance is real! We need to be using it everyday! Not repenting is like not driving the Porsche you have in your garage, if you aren't going to use it, why did you buy it? USE IT! Just like driving a Porsche feels so good. (I am just imagining here, I unfortunately have not had this experience.) Repentance feels so good!
4)Read your scriptures everyday! Most of us have smart phones now, down load the Gospel Library and Read them on the go! You can read them during your lunch break at work, or during the commercial break. Honestly, the blessings you receive from this simple request from Heavenly Father will far surpass the plot in the T.V. show.
5)Say your prayers! We have this amazing privilege given to us, we get to talk everyday to the man who created the Earth, ummm, hello! Wouldn't most of us rearrange our schedule if the President of the United States wanted to talk to us, or if we were told we needed to call him everyday, morning and night and give him and update of our lives. I think that most of us wouldn't miss a morning or night. So, realize that God has given us the same invitation. He loves us and has commanded us to call him at least morning and night! Most of us have become far too casual in our relationship with God. We have pushed him to the side and turned him into a burden in our lives. Prayer is not a burden it is a privilege! USE IT! we can communicate to our loving heavenly Father through, and he longs to communicate with us. Morning and Night, on your knees, just do it!
6) A smile can go a lot farther than you think. People have told me that I am a generally happy person and that I smile a lot. I never really thought about it honestly until I moved to a country where people were not generally happy and smiling was out of the norm. I stuck out like a cow in a burger joint! I also realized that smiling can bring someone from the depths of despair to the surface of hope. Everyone wants to know that there is at least one person out there who cares. 7) All you need is love! The gospel of Jesus Christ is all about love! So shouldn't we be all about love to. Don't be afraid to tell your family that you love them! I know it might be weird for some of you. (Oh trust me it was weird for some of the Latvians when I would just bust out with "Es Tevi Milu!" I love you! They thought it was way weird!) But, you know, did anyone of them have to question if I loved them or not? No! Because I told them! They knew it because they heard it and felt it! love can make all of the difference so love yourself, love your spouse, love your neighbor! But most of all love our Heavenly Father.
7)Sometimes, life is hard. No matter what kind of life you have, life is just plain hard! Everyone has trials and challenges. No one has the perfect life. So, just have faith, keep being a good girl or a good boy, remember your covenants and everything will work out for your good. (This is called enduring to the end.)
8) The temple is the house of God a place of love and beauty, a place where we can derive strength beyond our own! We are so blessed in American to have so many wonderful temples so close to us. The temple is in another country, across the Baltic sea in Latvija, and you know what? The members still went. They recognize the blessings that come from the temple and they know that they can't live without them. We too can learn this lesson and feel the sustaining strength of regular temple attendance.
9)Follow the promptings of the spirit! One time, Sister Kerr and I were knocking a dome (That is what the apartment buildings are called over there. It is Russian for house.) And it was just going horribly. I had never had so many people in one dome threaten to call the cops on me!It was crazy. I kept getting the feeling that we didnt' need to be there...but the thought of going outside was killer, it was so cold! BAH! so, we finished it and went home feeling horrible. So the Next night we were planning for the next day when I said to Sister Kerr "I'm sorry about that dome, I was starting to wonder while we were knocking it if we should have even been there." She looked at me and said " I had that exact same thought!" WHAT!? REALLY!? We could have saved ourselves so much heartache and sorrow if we had just listened and talked to each other about it. The spirit knows all things what we should do!
10) Last of all I learned to love a people and a country and a language that I didn't even really know existed two years ago. (I mean I am sure that I learned about Latvija in some geography class at sometime in my life...) There is not a day that goes by where I do not think of my family there, where I do not long for the country and the rain and the rivers. I want to speak Latvian again. (Okay if you are Latvian and reading this, I know I need to get a skype account...I am working on it!) I want to teach the Gospel all the time again! I learned what it meant to lose yourself in the service of others and I loved it! I loved my mission! I am so grateful that I went! Never did I think that it would mean this much to me and never will I forget how much it has changed and impacted me. Ar milestibu, Helena
1) I now understand that God our loving Heavenly Father. He loves all of us so much! He would do anything for us and has given everything for us. We are his work and his Glory! We are the reason he exists and truth be told, he needs us as much as we need him! Without us he would be without a job!
2) Go to church every Sunday to renew the covenants that you have made with our Heavenly Father. The sacrament is what it is all about, it is how we retain a remission of our sins! Go to church and start your week with a clean slate! That is a gift that was given to us if we will just go to church and do it!
3) Whoever said repentance was bad thing was a bad person. Repentance is the best! Oh my goodness! It is a blessing from our Heavenly Father and Savior to us. We will never be perfect and you know what? That is okay! Because our Savior, Jesus Christ already paid the price for our imperfections, so we don't need to carry around that burden! We have the amazing opportunity to give it over and try again. Does this mean we will be perfect and never do that same thing again, Ideally? Yes. Realistically? No, Sorry, but that is okay. Repentance is real! We need to be using it everyday! Not repenting is like not driving the Porsche you have in your garage, if you aren't going to use it, why did you buy it? USE IT! Just like driving a Porsche feels so good. (I am just imagining here, I unfortunately have not had this experience.) Repentance feels so good!
4)Read your scriptures everyday! Most of us have smart phones now, down load the Gospel Library and Read them on the go! You can read them during your lunch break at work, or during the commercial break. Honestly, the blessings you receive from this simple request from Heavenly Father will far surpass the plot in the T.V. show.
5)Say your prayers! We have this amazing privilege given to us, we get to talk everyday to the man who created the Earth, ummm, hello! Wouldn't most of us rearrange our schedule if the President of the United States wanted to talk to us, or if we were told we needed to call him everyday, morning and night and give him and update of our lives. I think that most of us wouldn't miss a morning or night. So, realize that God has given us the same invitation. He loves us and has commanded us to call him at least morning and night! Most of us have become far too casual in our relationship with God. We have pushed him to the side and turned him into a burden in our lives. Prayer is not a burden it is a privilege! USE IT! we can communicate to our loving heavenly Father through, and he longs to communicate with us. Morning and Night, on your knees, just do it!
6) A smile can go a lot farther than you think. People have told me that I am a generally happy person and that I smile a lot. I never really thought about it honestly until I moved to a country where people were not generally happy and smiling was out of the norm. I stuck out like a cow in a burger joint! I also realized that smiling can bring someone from the depths of despair to the surface of hope. Everyone wants to know that there is at least one person out there who cares. 7) All you need is love! The gospel of Jesus Christ is all about love! So shouldn't we be all about love to. Don't be afraid to tell your family that you love them! I know it might be weird for some of you. (Oh trust me it was weird for some of the Latvians when I would just bust out with "Es Tevi Milu!" I love you! They thought it was way weird!) But, you know, did anyone of them have to question if I loved them or not? No! Because I told them! They knew it because they heard it and felt it! love can make all of the difference so love yourself, love your spouse, love your neighbor! But most of all love our Heavenly Father.
7)Sometimes, life is hard. No matter what kind of life you have, life is just plain hard! Everyone has trials and challenges. No one has the perfect life. So, just have faith, keep being a good girl or a good boy, remember your covenants and everything will work out for your good. (This is called enduring to the end.)
8) The temple is the house of God a place of love and beauty, a place where we can derive strength beyond our own! We are so blessed in American to have so many wonderful temples so close to us. The temple is in another country, across the Baltic sea in Latvija, and you know what? The members still went. They recognize the blessings that come from the temple and they know that they can't live without them. We too can learn this lesson and feel the sustaining strength of regular temple attendance.
9)Follow the promptings of the spirit! One time, Sister Kerr and I were knocking a dome (That is what the apartment buildings are called over there. It is Russian for house.) And it was just going horribly. I had never had so many people in one dome threaten to call the cops on me!It was crazy. I kept getting the feeling that we didnt' need to be there...but the thought of going outside was killer, it was so cold! BAH! so, we finished it and went home feeling horrible. So the Next night we were planning for the next day when I said to Sister Kerr "I'm sorry about that dome, I was starting to wonder while we were knocking it if we should have even been there." She looked at me and said " I had that exact same thought!" WHAT!? REALLY!? We could have saved ourselves so much heartache and sorrow if we had just listened and talked to each other about it. The spirit knows all things what we should do!
10) Last of all I learned to love a people and a country and a language that I didn't even really know existed two years ago. (I mean I am sure that I learned about Latvija in some geography class at sometime in my life...) There is not a day that goes by where I do not think of my family there, where I do not long for the country and the rain and the rivers. I want to speak Latvian again. (Okay if you are Latvian and reading this, I know I need to get a skype account...I am working on it!) I want to teach the Gospel all the time again! I learned what it meant to lose yourself in the service of others and I loved it! I loved my mission! I am so grateful that I went! Never did I think that it would mean this much to me and never will I forget how much it has changed and impacted me. Ar milestibu, Helena
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Pushing through when the hole is too small...
IS sometimes the only option. I leave on my mission in twenty days! AHHHHH! I can feel the opposition of the adversary in my life growing stronger every second of everyday! I know that a mission is where I need to be right now in my life. I am so excited to go and spread the Gospel to the people of Latvia! YAY! Life is an adventure. I am just trying to enjoy the ride!
I am so blessed that I grew up in a home where my mom stayed at home with us. Where I learned to cook and sew. Where, every fall, we all put on cut off sock tops and peel balanced tomatoes. So that the amazing creation of Italian stewed tomatoes can be made! Oh man! I love canning time! I am super glad that I got to be home during it one more time. It seems to always help with family relations!
I am so blessed that I grew up in a home where my mom stayed at home with us. Where I learned to cook and sew. Where, every fall, we all put on cut off sock tops and peel balanced tomatoes. So that the amazing creation of Italian stewed tomatoes can be made! Oh man! I love canning time! I am super glad that I got to be home during it one more time. It seems to always help with family relations!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
You are who you choose to be...
I just got done watching the Iron Giant. Which is just a good movie! I love it!
It is a good one to help us remember that we are who we choose to be. There is no set destiny for any of us. Our choices and decisions are what define who we are and who we will become.
Isn't it funny how we can apply everything in our lives to the Gospel? I can't help but think that this is what agency is all about. WE make who we are. WE make our own choices. Which is the way the Lord wanted it to be! I love agency, it is the greatest gift that out Father in heaven has ever given to us. I am so grateful that I know I get to choose. I get to decide how my life is going to play out. My goal in this life and in the eternities is to have everlasting joy. I know that it my Heavenly Father's plan for me also!
I love life and I love the Gospel! GO TEAM! I know that with the Lord's help all things are possible and with him by my side I am undefeatable! Muwahahahahah!
Keep the faith! :) Love you all! Hels
It is a good one to help us remember that we are who we choose to be. There is no set destiny for any of us. Our choices and decisions are what define who we are and who we will become.
Isn't it funny how we can apply everything in our lives to the Gospel? I can't help but think that this is what agency is all about. WE make who we are. WE make our own choices. Which is the way the Lord wanted it to be! I love agency, it is the greatest gift that out Father in heaven has ever given to us. I am so grateful that I know I get to choose. I get to decide how my life is going to play out. My goal in this life and in the eternities is to have everlasting joy. I know that it my Heavenly Father's plan for me also!
I love life and I love the Gospel! GO TEAM! I know that with the Lord's help all things are possible and with him by my side I am undefeatable! Muwahahahahah!
Keep the faith! :) Love you all! Hels
Saturday, August 14, 2010
"And I will be found of you..."
I was reading in the Ensign the other day when I came over the sweetest article that hit home. It was exactly what I needed to hear right now, at this time in my life. The article is talking about Jeremiah 29: 12-14. Most specifically the first line of chapter 14 when the Lord promises to the Jews that if they will "Search for [him] with all of [their] heart." he will be found of them. The article went on to describe how this young dad used to play Hide and seek with his young children. He wanted his kids to search for him, to seek after him. But he wanted them to find him easily, he wanted them to know that he was there, that when they went looking they would for sure know where he was. He said that he would sometimes hide in the same place, or leave a foot sticking out so they could obviously tell where he was hiding.
He likened this to us and our Lord. He wants us to come to him, to find him, to seek after him. We learn that as we look we will find him easily. He will be found of us. He is there for us to help us through our every trial and struggle. He loves us so much! I am so grateful that I have this knowledge!
There is a quote by President Hinckley that I love, I have it right by my mirror so I can read it everyday before I start my day it says
" It isn't as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out. Don't worry. I say that to myself every morning. It will all work out. If you do your best, it will all work out. Put your trust in God, and move forward with faith and confidence in the future. THE LORD WILL NOT FORSAKE US...If we will put our trust in him, if we will pray to him, if we will live worthy of his blessings, he will hear our prayers."
I love that quote and I know it is true. We are all Daughters and Sons of loving heavenly parents. Their love for us is infinite!
Love you all,
Hell Belle
He likened this to us and our Lord. He wants us to come to him, to find him, to seek after him. We learn that as we look we will find him easily. He will be found of us. He is there for us to help us through our every trial and struggle. He loves us so much! I am so grateful that I have this knowledge!
There is a quote by President Hinckley that I love, I have it right by my mirror so I can read it everyday before I start my day it says
" It isn't as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out. Don't worry. I say that to myself every morning. It will all work out. If you do your best, it will all work out. Put your trust in God, and move forward with faith and confidence in the future. THE LORD WILL NOT FORSAKE US...If we will put our trust in him, if we will pray to him, if we will live worthy of his blessings, he will hear our prayers."
I love that quote and I know it is true. We are all Daughters and Sons of loving heavenly parents. Their love for us is infinite!
Love you all,
Hell Belle
Sunday, August 8, 2010
EXPRESS!!!
Have you ever noticed that all Chinese restaurants are all about the EXPRESS! They are definitely capitalizing on America's need for speed. They also have a lot of buffet style restaurants, once again capitalizing on America's need for large quantities. Those Asians are so tricky! No wonder they are all wealthy. (Which is of course a generalization. I don't know if all Asians are wealthy, but a lot of them seem to be doing better off than I am!)
I know that was random, but it was a thought that I had while driving home from the design fabric store. I saw like twenty EXPRESS Asian food places. They all want us to know that they are really fast! YEAH! GO TEAM!
I know that was random, but it was a thought that I had while driving home from the design fabric store. I saw like twenty EXPRESS Asian food places. They all want us to know that they are really fast! YEAH! GO TEAM!
Friday, August 6, 2010
Random!
I'm back in Utah...which is good I suppose. My life is weird. I don't know. I went on this adventure the other night with a guy from work and he told me how he went on a date with this girl from Texas. Well, as it turns out, I was looking at his pictures on face book and it was Cammie Jo's cousin Paige! WHAT THE HECK! How random is that? Cammie Jo and I have had a pretty good laugh about the whole thing. What are the chances of that happening?
Anyway, that is my quick little story. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I have.
Hels.
Anyway, that is my quick little story. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I have.
Hels.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)