#genconf

Nope I still haven't seen women's session. We are (hopefully) planning on seeing it this week. This week was one of those different and crazy kinda weeks. We feel like we got nothing done...but in all reality we did get stuff done.

This week we went to college station twice , had exchanges, watched general conference, and judged a scarecrow contest. I'm amazed that we happened to get a lot done.

Sister D and I made it a goal to take pictures this week...of us that is (not of cows). We managed to fail. miserably. We got pictures of the scarecrows, but that's about it. haha. So, y'all must forgive me for no pictures this week.

...but none of this is important.

My heart goes out to the Brown family. On Sunday, Brother Mark Brown entered the realms of the next life. His son, Elder Brennan Brown, and I entered the MTC the same day. As I thought about this and cried, I realized that Mark is just on the other side serving along side his son, both doing missionary work, teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, and helping others come closer to Christ so that all of us may return to live with our Heavenly Father. 

Elder Neal A. Maxwell said right before his death, "I go on the remainder of my journey, short as it may be, through the process of dying, with a calmness and with these reflections. Some anxieties are understandably common to life's exit routes leading to death. Later, when we look back after the trip through the veil, our anxieties will turn out to be naïve and perhaps even amusing. After all, in Gospel grammar, death is not an exclamation point, merely a comma." Nevertheless, dying is a new, individual experience. For those Paradise bound, what seemed to be the grim ballet of separation, with but one pirouette, turns out to be a resplendent reunion." 

My mom shared with me Amy Brown's post. Thank you Amy for strengthening my testimony. Amy added, "Death is not a period or an exclamation point, , but a comma... Mark has just reached that comma..." 

How many times do we, as human's, get our skirts caught in a blender (you get my point) when the Lord decides to put some punctuation in our life. Punctuation is what makes the writer a sense of direction and the reader sense of living it. It gives motion to a story.

Our Lord loves us enough to give us trials. He knows what we can handle.

But remember this...

The Savior knows exactly what you are going through.

He has felt the joy and pain that you feel.

betrayed

   forgotten

      lost

         heartbroken

            lonely

               broken

                  rejected

                     despised of men

the list could go on...and he's felt it all for you.

JUST for you. and JUST for me. and JUST for each individual.

The Atonement is not just for the sinner. It is meant for the saint as well. For the mother who was hurt by her child. For the man who does great at his job, but lost it. Even for Sister Amy Brown. The Atonement is just as much for her as it is for you.

Remember that...Remember John 3:16. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

"that whosoever believeth in him"...It was for whoever would look to him as a Savior...but even more importantly it was for those who wouldn't and would never look to Him. We must faithfully believe in ourselves as well as others.

The first thing that we teach people is that "God is our loving Heavenly Father". Do you know why?? Because everyone needs to know that before you can truly help them to understand why there had to be a Restoration of Christ's Gospel.

These trials that you are go through here on the journey of life are only there to make you better...so don't become bitter. You are capable of achieving greatness. You are a LITERAL child of a LOVING Heavenly Father. He created everything and can command all things. All you have to do is accept the challenge of hard things...

...because it's the hard things that make life worth it.

I would talk to you all about this week...but that's not important. The important thing in life is to be centered on the Savior. So, as it was said in General Conference,"What thoughts come to mind if you had a personal interview with the Savior one minute from now?" (Click here to see the inspirational message)

His talk is one of my favorites. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did this weekend. I am grateful for the opportunity I had to hear from my leaders, to be encouraged, edified, and uplifted. I pray that each of you will take the time to think about the punctuation that the Lord has placed on your journey of life. Most of them turn out to be blessings if we allow them to. As we live the gospel, we will further come to realize that "the gospel is not weight, but it is wings" (Here for the full talk).

I know that what i am doing here in the great state of Texas is the Lord's work. I have been called to serve Him here in these final last days in the hastening of His work. I say all this in Jesus name, Amen.

Have a blessed day, y'all.

--Sister Carling