Bednar's Social Media Address

A few weeks ago, David A. Bednar gave a powerhouse talk at BYU Education Week about using social media to share goodness. It was an amazing talk that can be seen here.  I loved it so much that I watched it a few more times afterwards and picked up new things.

We live in an incredible time today, with powerful tools of communication. He emphasized to use these tools to 'sweep the earth as with a flood' of good messages, upliftment, and peace. It left me thinking of what I like to do online; share things on Instagram and Facebook. I thought about the huge, vast amount of people who may see the things I share. Who knows what things I share may help one person, at least one person, find peace and draw closer to the Savior. I hope so.

The hashtag #sharegoodness has been recommended to be used when sharing things online through Instagram and Facebook. I imagine when posting something good, and using the hashtag, that it sends a ripple effect out into the online world. I love it. Missionary work now comes in all forms, and a large amount of it is online. Lifting, loving, and helping others can be done in small and simple ways.

I am a busy mom homeschooling my kiddos, running a photography business, and balancing life, but I want to use these tools more effectively like Bednar counseled us to. I love the gospel so much. I've seen lives with the gospel, and lives without. I love the peace it brings. I want to help in some small way share that goodness with others. I'm so thankful for this talk that rocked the world. I searched on Instagram under the hashtag 'Bednar'. There are loads of pics from people who were at that address, all ready to go and start sharing goodness, with a great attitude of 'let's do it'. How stinking exciting.

The church put up a great page on how to share goodness from this address. Check it out, and share something uplifting to help someone today:)

PS: I made a simple little printout of Bednar's guidelines HERE. Feel free to print off and hang it somewhere to see often:)

A Great Ward

Just a few pics from our journey in Washington:) 

Definition of an LDS ward: ward is the larger of two types of local congregations (the smaller being a branch). Wikipedia 

I have lived in many wards. Burbank first ward and Carpinteria ward in CA, Desert view, Mountain Shadows, San Destin, and a few more in Las Vegas, Kamiah first ward in Idaho, Parkland ward in Tacoma, Wa, Lecanto, Lake city, Jacksonville, Williston in Florida, a Provo student ward in Utah, and a handful of student wards in Rexburg, Idaho. 

I have seen a lot. Each ward had their own flavor and great gifts to share. I want to take a moment and talk about the last ward I lived in, the Salmon Creek ward in Vancouver, Washington. 

The very first Sunday in September that we came, I immediately saw that this ward was quick to laugh. There was a sweetness and kind feeling that was felt in the sacrament meeting. I loved it. Here's why being quick to laugh is so great; your heart is more open. Not so closed up and wrapped in your own stuff. More quick to embrace and love others. It is such a great trait. I saw our family be embraced and loved instantly. I'm forever grateful. 

Gospel Doctrine class: 

This class was amazing. Nothing short of a CES fireside, meaning extremely rich in content, teaching and participation. Hardly an open seat, and I always wanted to sit in front row. Took notes like a mad woman. Everyone talked! Wonderful thoughts were shared. More laughter. I could tell that people had lived in this ward for a long time, so classes at times were more like a family reunion with jokes and such shared directly at times with others. I loved watching it happen. I hung on to every moment of my last gospel doctrine class there, knowing that my next ward might not be the same as this. 

Relief Society, women's gospel doctrine class: 

Relief Society was a riot. When you get a bunch of ladies together and everyone's laughing, it's a great sound. One time we all sang the opening song. Hardly any of us knew it, and it didn't come out sounding the prettiest. Our relief society president made a funny face and said 'yea, we're done'. The whole room erupted in laughter. So great. Everyone there had their unique gifts to share, their touch of kindness, and beautiful testimonies to impart. I gained so much from them. 

Ward choir:

The first time I went to choir, they immediately made me feel welcome and a part of the gang. It was held in the choir director's home, with beautiful windows that showed the forest of trees outside. I kept getting distracted gazing out the window while we rehearsed. 

The first time the choir opened their mouths to sing, I was blown away. I thought, 'Holy crap! This is not a ward choir. Mini mormon tabernacle choir.' They loved music, blended beautifully, and captured emotion. They are very, very good.

The choir director was so familiar to me, because there is a Las Vegas version of him directing my stake's choir right now with the same passion for music and same darling sense of humor. Because of his love for music, he helped the choir soar musically. Such a blessing to sing with them. 

Ward email chat:

I'm sure other wards have something like this, or I hope they do. This chat was a great tool to help unify the ward through many opportunities, mostly service. Sometimes, it's hard for us to serve. We're not sure what we can do, scared to get out of our comfort zone, whatever. This chat gave many opportunities to serve and get to know each other. One time a mom was locked out of her home and needed help with the garage. She wrote for help on the chat. I saw about 30 minutes later she got help. Pretty neat. The ward chat was great. 

My family and I were so lucky to live in this ward and experience it's sweetness. I will never forget the smiles and love of those members. I try to carry it with me.

Now, I've had the unique opportunity of moving back into a ward we lived in 5 years ago. It's not every day when people are delighted that you move into their ward and your one of the topics at ward council. That was nice. It's a small ward, with tiny boundaries, almost feeling like a branch.

My first Sunday back, I thought 'Well, it's not the magnitude of Salmon Creek,,but it's ok. Now, what kind of good can I do here?'. Since then, I've been put to work with my music. It's been wonderful to see old friends who have never moved out of the ward, and make new friends. There are some great people in this ward. I love meeting good people everywhere. 

To the dear Salmon Creek folk who are reading, thank you so much for loving us, and for sharing your testimonies, love of music, and kindness with me. Please go to Lewisville park for me and have John Denver moments in the river, soaking up the beauty. I've traded tall trees and moisture for magnificent skies and breathtaking desert sunsets in Vegas, but I now hold a special place in my heart for Vancouver:) 

The Last Sunday

This picture was taken about a week before we left. We loved this river, even with the water being a tad chilly:) 

My last Sunday in the Salmon Creek ward of Vancouver, WA was very special. When you know this is the last day somewhere, everything is sacred and tender. I hugged people tighter, looked at everyone, and hung on to every word said. I watched people greet others and tried to memorize their smiles in my mind. 

In the Gospel Doctrine class, I took notes like a mad woman. The teachers were amazing. I savored the laughter, and the sweet joking between the teacher and people in the class. 

I went to my dear young women's class for the last time, and it was such a treasure. They spoiled me with sweet gifts that I have on display in my home. So thoughtful. 

I then experienced one of the greatest blessings ever when one beautiful girl brought her guitar out, and sang a song she wrote for me. It was such a turn of the tables for me, as I'm always the one who is writing songs for others and singing it to them on my guitar or piano. Countless times I have done that, but rarely has someone written one for me. It was the sweetest, most sincere and loving act of kindness ever. 

Church was over. We got the kids and made our way out to the car. A dear couple drove by us, stopped and called out their goodbyes. I thanked the choir director for one of the best choir experiences ever. We drove home, and my heart was so full of thanks, sadness, and love for the dear, good people of that ward, thinking 'I sure was lucky to experience that'. I'll never forget them. 

Upcoming posts; one for my young women, and one specifically about the neat things that ward did:)

Why we came back home

Well, I don't have internet on my laptop yet, so this will be short and simple. Hard to write a post on phone. 

Last year in September, we sold our home in Las Vegas and moved. Just felt the need to. Can't explain why. We had a wonderful 10 months in Vancouver, Washington. 

We learned and experienced a lot. It's another planet up there! A different kind of beautiful. As some of you good friends saw from my Instagrams, we explored a ton. A great way to live. 

We lived in one of the best LDS wards ever. A gift that I will explain in more details on a future blog post. 

I was blessed to serve the young women at church, and loved them all, especially my 5 dear Miamaids. Another whole post coming up on that:) 

We struggled and grew from it. Cost of living is a bit higher in WA. We wanted to afford our bills again, and survive financially while going through Nursing school. One reason to move home. 

While the summers there are beautiful, they're actually not hot and long enough for us. We learned that we actually do prefer the desert summers, imagine that? 

The trees were hundreds of feet tall and beautiful, but blocked out any horizon views. Coming home last week and seeing a sunset was a gift. 

The day we arrived home was a day of many emotions. We'd been waiting since January to come home, but in the meantime we lived it up in WA. It took three months of online job hunting for Vegas jobs. No interviews. Test of faith. Finally, a phone interview came which turned into a job, our ticket home. I have learned again that Heavenly Father knows best. He saved the perfect CNA job for Shaun, and we had to learn patience while we applied to dozens of jobs. He knows our needs and wants to bless us. I have seen his blessings in our lives since we left last year, and before. 

It's bittersweet. While it has been wonderful to come home and hug old friends, I left amazing new friends in WA. A piece of my heart is left there. There are good people everywhere, and it was lucky to meet some of them, and experience a much different way of life. Beauty abounds. I used to despise the desert, no joke. Now, it couldn't be more beautiful to me. Isn't that funny? I see things now like the sky, clouds, sunset and huge, vast horizon that I didn't see before. Funny how life does that to you:)

Since 1991, this is the fourth time I have moved to Las Vegas. I just think that's hilarious. You have to live here to know why it's great. It's so fun to live here. 

More blog posts to come, but that's it for now. That was a lot of finger tapping to get this out:) 

Dear Salmon Creek friends; thankyou for blessing me life, and sharing your kindness with me. I feel like Audrey Hepburn on 'Roman Holiday' when she said at the end, 'I will cherish my time in Rome for as long as I live.' My thoughts exactly about Vancouver:)