Friday, September 26, 2014
3. Reflecting Back...
Surprisingly, I kind of enjoyed writing this paper. I have an undying love for Les Mis, so writing a paper about my favorite book and musical wasn't as stressful. Reflecting back to the process of writing this paper, there is a lot I could have worked on to improve the quality of it. First, I am going to start off with procrastination. I did not wait until the very last night to complete my paper, but I also didn't space out the work with all the time I've been given. It's important to start early and use all the time I have, because writing can always be improved. I also should have had more people review my paper. Hearing other opinions and perspectives helps open my eyes to different possibilities I would not have thought of myself. One of my strengths was the interest I had for the topic. I believe that the passion I had for this speech could be felt through the words in my paper. Over all, there is always room for improvement, but it's important to acknowledge what you're good at and do it again the next time around.
Sunday, September 14, 2014
2. How Much Do You Know?
"The more children knew about their family's history, the stronger their sense of control over their lives, the higher their self-esteem, and the more successfully they believed their families functioned."
This statement from "The Stories That Bind Us" sums up the importance of knowing our background and better understanding who we are. I really enjoyed this article, because until now, I never really pondered the importance of knowing the joys and struggles my past ancestors went through to create such a wonderful life for me. My favorite stories such as how my parents were converted, then how they met have shaped who I am and my testimony in the gospel.
Being a sucker for a good romance story, I'm going to share the time my parents met. This story has been told so many times, and surprisingly, it is a story I don't and won't get sick of, even though I roll my eyes every time they share it.
My dad was a loud dropout from New York before the missionaries knocked on his door at the age of 26. He then turned his life around and was able to serve a mission in the Philippines at the age of 28!
My mom was a shy Filipina, who had just moved to America and was introduced to the gospel by her friend Mimi. My mom is the youngest out of nine children, and she had the courage to accept the gospel and be baptized, even when her family protested against it. When my dad came back from his mission, the missionaries decided to play matchmaker. They told him all about this gorgeous Filipina who just got baptized. My dad then got her number and called her up. My mom was obviously freaked out and didn't bother giving him the time of day, but my dad was very persistent and did not let this stop him. He then went to a party that he knew she would be at. My mom finally gave him a chance, and naturally my dad took her out for pizza as their first date.
They continued to go on a few more dates, and it started getting serious. My dad had my mom over for dinner and Beauty and the Beast, and this was when my mom left the letter. She told him to read it when she was gone, and he did. It was a "Dear John" let's just be friends. My dad was so heartbroken, he went to his bishop for a blessing, and that blessing revealed to him all he needed to win her over. In the blessing it said "grow closer through the gospel, use scripture study." My dad then asked my mom to meet at the library, and these two fairly new converts spent hours on end searching and pondering the scriptures. Their yearning to learn brought them closer, and the Spirit manifested unto them. My mom finally realized that my dad was who she wanted and needed to spend eternity with.
I love this story, because I can understand how the gospel changed both of their lives and prepared them to come together. My parents are huge examples to me. They are both the only members in their families, and if they had chose to listen to their families and ignore the spirit, I would not be here today. I'm forever grateful that they listened and were sensitive to the Holy Ghost. Seeing how the gospel brought them together has strengthened my testimony and helped me better appreciate the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
This statement from "The Stories That Bind Us" sums up the importance of knowing our background and better understanding who we are. I really enjoyed this article, because until now, I never really pondered the importance of knowing the joys and struggles my past ancestors went through to create such a wonderful life for me. My favorite stories such as how my parents were converted, then how they met have shaped who I am and my testimony in the gospel.
Being a sucker for a good romance story, I'm going to share the time my parents met. This story has been told so many times, and surprisingly, it is a story I don't and won't get sick of, even though I roll my eyes every time they share it.
My dad was a loud dropout from New York before the missionaries knocked on his door at the age of 26. He then turned his life around and was able to serve a mission in the Philippines at the age of 28!
My mom was a shy Filipina, who had just moved to America and was introduced to the gospel by her friend Mimi. My mom is the youngest out of nine children, and she had the courage to accept the gospel and be baptized, even when her family protested against it. When my dad came back from his mission, the missionaries decided to play matchmaker. They told him all about this gorgeous Filipina who just got baptized. My dad then got her number and called her up. My mom was obviously freaked out and didn't bother giving him the time of day, but my dad was very persistent and did not let this stop him. He then went to a party that he knew she would be at. My mom finally gave him a chance, and naturally my dad took her out for pizza as their first date.
They continued to go on a few more dates, and it started getting serious. My dad had my mom over for dinner and Beauty and the Beast, and this was when my mom left the letter. She told him to read it when she was gone, and he did. It was a "Dear John" let's just be friends. My dad was so heartbroken, he went to his bishop for a blessing, and that blessing revealed to him all he needed to win her over. In the blessing it said "grow closer through the gospel, use scripture study." My dad then asked my mom to meet at the library, and these two fairly new converts spent hours on end searching and pondering the scriptures. Their yearning to learn brought them closer, and the Spirit manifested unto them. My mom finally realized that my dad was who she wanted and needed to spend eternity with.
I love this story, because I can understand how the gospel changed both of their lives and prepared them to come together. My parents are huge examples to me. They are both the only members in their families, and if they had chose to listen to their families and ignore the spirit, I would not be here today. I'm forever grateful that they listened and were sensitive to the Holy Ghost. Seeing how the gospel brought them together has strengthened my testimony and helped me better appreciate the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
1. "All of these Advancements are Part of the Lord hastening His work in the Latter Days."
I love Elder Bednar! He is such a great speaker, and the two talks we were assigned to read really got me thinking about how we are using technology. Technology is a great tool that we can use to share the gospel, do family history, and other positive works, yet if we are not careful, it can also be used against us. I know I often go on the computer to start my homework, but then realize about an hour later that I got sidetracked and wasted time reading about an unimportant event such as "Kourtney Kardashian is expecting a third child!" It is so easy to get carried away and waste the precious time we have on this earth solely through the useless substances of the internet.
Technology is also replacing the opportunities we have to interact with different people on a daily basis. A rule I have set for myself is to never take my phone out when I'm at a social gathering. It is so easy to avoid real life interactions when we are so set on staring at our phones the whole night. While we are on our phones we could be meeting new people, developing friendships, and strengthening relationships. Although, it is easy to get lost in this cyber world, we are blessed to have it in this day and age. We must know our limits and use it as a resource to share the gospel to people everywhere.
As members of the church, we know of the fulness, and it is our responsibility to share the happiness we have with those who are still seeking. We need to build up the Lord's kingdom, and we can speed up this process and "sweep the earth as with a flood" through technology.
Technology is also replacing the opportunities we have to interact with different people on a daily basis. A rule I have set for myself is to never take my phone out when I'm at a social gathering. It is so easy to avoid real life interactions when we are so set on staring at our phones the whole night. While we are on our phones we could be meeting new people, developing friendships, and strengthening relationships. Although, it is easy to get lost in this cyber world, we are blessed to have it in this day and age. We must know our limits and use it as a resource to share the gospel to people everywhere.
As members of the church, we know of the fulness, and it is our responsibility to share the happiness we have with those who are still seeking. We need to build up the Lord's kingdom, and we can speed up this process and "sweep the earth as with a flood" through technology.
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