Tonight was the first night I was able to attend a real institute class (other than Friday Forum, which is just guest speakers). The class topic is Church History. Now, you'd think that since I don't like most kinds of history that I wouldn't like this class, but I love it! The teacher (brother Reid) is so funny and he really knows what he's talking about. There was one thing he said tonight that I felt he was inspired to say directly to me. He said everything that had happened to me and what I am feeling right now, it was really interesting. The fact that he said those things, makes me think that I'm not the only one who felt impressed to come out here. I realize that I haven't shared why I came out here in the first place, so maybe this is the time to do so.
In August of 2007 I was working in Fort McMurray, Alberta and I had about 2 weeks left before I was supposed to start school. I wasn't enrolled in all the classes I was supposed to be, I felt hesitant to live at home again and it just didn't feel right. I remember that I was sitting on my bed in camp, thinking about school when this thought came to my mind "you're not supposed to go back to school". I shrugged it off and thought, why not? I have to finish school so I can get a job. "Don't go back to school" the thought came stronger this time. I felt so conflicted and knew that I'd be upsetting some people by doing so, but I finally prayed about it and felt that it was the right thing to do.
I dropped out of the few classes I was enrolled in, I asked my foreman if I could stay on until October and then I did the hardest thing of all, I called my mom. She didn't understand why I wanted to take the year off and all I could say is "it's what I'm supposed to do". So, I went home, got my car and headed back out west to work. When I came back home at the end of October, I prayed about what to do next. No answer came so I just did what I thought was best. I got a job in Ottawa, I applied to transfer to another university (Lethbridge was the only one that came to mind and the only one I applied to) and just lived my life. I got my acceptance letter on Christmas eve and my plan was set for Lethbridge.
Once I knew I was coming here, I kept praying and asking for confirmation that it was the right thing to do. Still no answer, so I continued with my plans and not until the week before I left did I get my confirmation. I went to get a priesthood blessing, like I usually do before school starts, and so many things were promised to me about coming out here. It said that there were people out here waiting for me and people I need to help. It promised that I'd excell in my classes and that the Lord would be with me every step of the journey. There were other things too, but they're a little personal.
So with that blessing, I came out here knowing this is where I'm supposed to be. I'd been feeling down lately because nothing has happened here yet, and what Brother Reid said was exactly how I was feeling and the circumstances behind me coming out here. If he was saying that to more people than just me, then there is definately a reason we're here. It's the impatience that's driving me nuts, because I want some kind of indication of what is to come. I just need to have faith that my priesthood blessing will come to pass, but in God's time and not mine. For now I need to "...excercise faith in the redemption of him who created [me]" (Alma 5:15) and remember that "the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them to accomplish the thing which he commandeth them" (1 Nephi 3:7).
Working on a change of heart,
-J
Thursday 23 October 2008
Monday 20 October 2008
Wedding Madness!!
Well, it wasn't my wedding( haha, that would be a shocker!), but if was Mike and Lydia's! They're both so awesome it was great to get to be with them on their special day. We got some really great pictures, which you can browse on facebook. If my desire for a temple marriage wasn't strong already, it was definately strengthened when I saw how happy those two were when they came out through those temple doors. It may sound corny, but there actually was that twinkle in their eyes. 
I'm so glad that these two are happy together. It was a really great weekend full of decorating, running errands, speeding to get places on time, last minute touch ups of cake, makeup, decorations etc. But we had so much fun taking pictures and dancing the night away at the reception. Overall a really great time. Congrats Mike and Lyd! You're the best!
-J
Monday 13 October 2008
Thanksgiving in Leader
So my weekend started out with driving to Medicine Hat to meet Nath before heading to Leader. We had so much fun at Nath's that we ended up staying the night. We played rock band and sing star on their playstation and had such an awesome time.
On Sunday we went to the dunes and got some sand for Lyd and Mike's wedding centrepieces. Again, a lot of eating and laughing (a LOT of laughing) and lots of wedding plan discussions.
Saturday morning, Nath had the great idea that we all carpool in the limo to Leader. It was a great time. Lyd and I spent the whole ride there singing along to cds in the back of the limo. We got to Leader and heads turned as we drove down the street. I'm sure there's never actually been a limo in a small town like Leader. haha
We spent the evening eating, laughing and having a super dance party in the living room. 
On Sunday we went to the dunes and got some sand for Lyd and Mike's wedding centrepieces. Again, a lot of eating and laughing (a LOT of laughing) and lots of wedding plan discussions.
We played games and had so much fun. Overall a great weekend. :)
Until next time,
-J
Thursday 9 October 2008
Conference Overview
Since my last post went on a little long, I needed to separate my thoughts into two posts. In this one, I want to share what particularly impressed me in conference this weekend.
I felt the overall themes of conference were the importance of missionary work, hope, optimism, and courage. From the saturday and Sunday morning sessions, 4 talks were on missionary work. Even the prophet asked us to pray to the Lord that those countries where the Gospel is not allowed to be preached, may be opened unto us that our work may spread to all the corners of the earth. When the prophet asks you to do something, you do it. That's my philosophy anyway.
The various themes I mentioned can be summed up in a few short, but meaningful phrases.
"You don't know everything, but you know enough" (Neil L. Anderson of the 70)
you may not know everything there is to know about God's plan, or about the Gospel, but more often than not, you know enough. Faith is not only a feeling, it is a decision. We need to choose to have faith before that faith becomes real.
"the infinite power of hope" (Dieter F. Uchtdorf 2nd counsellor in the 1st presidency)
Hope is not knowledge, but abiding trust that God will bless us. Hope has the power to fill our lives with happiness. You have two different types of hope: hope in something and hope for something. You hope for future events (maybe completion of an education, finding a new job, getting married, having kids, travelling etc). You have hope in the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Atonement, the goodness of God, the manifestations of the Spirit, and that God will answer our prayers. The brighter our hope, the greater our faith.
"A great day of unity is coming" (Henry B. Eyring 1st counsellor in the 1st presidency)
Families need to pray together. In doing so, they knit their hearts together in unity and oneness of purpose. We need to meet together often in those places God has provided for us. Revelation is the only way to know how to follow the will of the Lord together. Be humble, pride is the hinderance of unity. Speak well of one another and be generous in your judgements.
"nothing is as constant as change" (Thomas S. Monson President of the church)
Our lives are always changing. If you keep putting off something until tomorrow, your life will be filled with a lot of empty yesterdays. Find joy in the journey NOW! Rather than dwelling on the past, look forward to today. "They do not love that do not show their love". We need to tell those we love that we love them on a regular basis. Whatever God gives to you, whether it be trial or blessing, take it! and with happy heart. "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." -1 thessalonians 5:18.
These are what stuck with me and I hope that you are inspired to look up the full talks and read them. They will be available on lds.org tomorrow.
Until next time,
-J
I felt the overall themes of conference were the importance of missionary work, hope, optimism, and courage. From the saturday and Sunday morning sessions, 4 talks were on missionary work. Even the prophet asked us to pray to the Lord that those countries where the Gospel is not allowed to be preached, may be opened unto us that our work may spread to all the corners of the earth. When the prophet asks you to do something, you do it. That's my philosophy anyway.
The various themes I mentioned can be summed up in a few short, but meaningful phrases.
"You don't know everything, but you know enough" (Neil L. Anderson of the 70)
you may not know everything there is to know about God's plan, or about the Gospel, but more often than not, you know enough. Faith is not only a feeling, it is a decision. We need to choose to have faith before that faith becomes real.
"the infinite power of hope" (Dieter F. Uchtdorf 2nd counsellor in the 1st presidency)
Hope is not knowledge, but abiding trust that God will bless us. Hope has the power to fill our lives with happiness. You have two different types of hope: hope in something and hope for something. You hope for future events (maybe completion of an education, finding a new job, getting married, having kids, travelling etc). You have hope in the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Atonement, the goodness of God, the manifestations of the Spirit, and that God will answer our prayers. The brighter our hope, the greater our faith.
"A great day of unity is coming" (Henry B. Eyring 1st counsellor in the 1st presidency)
Families need to pray together. In doing so, they knit their hearts together in unity and oneness of purpose. We need to meet together often in those places God has provided for us. Revelation is the only way to know how to follow the will of the Lord together. Be humble, pride is the hinderance of unity. Speak well of one another and be generous in your judgements.
"nothing is as constant as change" (Thomas S. Monson President of the church)
Our lives are always changing. If you keep putting off something until tomorrow, your life will be filled with a lot of empty yesterdays. Find joy in the journey NOW! Rather than dwelling on the past, look forward to today. "They do not love that do not show their love". We need to tell those we love that we love them on a regular basis. Whatever God gives to you, whether it be trial or blessing, take it! and with happy heart. "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." -1 thessalonians 5:18.
These are what stuck with me and I hope that you are inspired to look up the full talks and read them. They will be available on lds.org tomorrow.
Until next time,
-J
Conference and Music
First off, some really exciting news! 5 new temples are going to be built in the near future! One in Calgary Alberta (woo!), on in Argentina (I forget where...), Kansas City, Phillidalphia and Rome, Italy! The last one is super cool. I hope they do a really cool design for the architecture there.
Secondly, for those of you who aren't LDS, there was a world-wide general broadcast for all Latter-Day Saints this past weekend. It was broadcast from Salt Lake City, Utah (church world headquarters) via satellite, internet, cable and radio to countries all around the world. It is something we only do twice a year; the first weekend in April and the first weekend in October. During this conference, various leaders of the church (apostles, seventies, the prophet, and others) prepare talks about subjects they pray about and deem to be appropriate.
So, that being said, I went to two sessions of conference (broadcast to the church) and watched a third online. There are five in total (one is a priesthood session). I always take notes, even though I know the talks will be transcribed, just so I remember what impressed me when listening to it. I also always write down the music that is sung. From the two sessions I watched at the church, these are the hymns that the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sang:
High on the Mountain Top (one of my favourites of theirs)
Redeemer of Israel
Oh, May my soul Commune with Thee
Come ye Children of the Lord
Do What is right
O, Thou Kind and Gracious Father
I need Thee Every Hour
Now Let us Rejoice
I know that My Redeemer Lives
Oh What Songs of the Heart
I Feel My Saviour's Love (a personal favourite)
Rejoice the Lord is King
(and I missed the last one...)
The fact that each hymn is about 4 minutes long, and they sing 6-7 hymns per session, that works out to about 24-28 minutes devoted to music, not including music and the spoken word the half hour before conference. 1/4 of our general conference is devoted to music. If that doesn't say something of its importance, I don't know what will.
I'm not just saying this as a music major, I really believe that music is something that can express what words fail to do. One of my favourite sayings about music is "Music is a Universal language". I love that quote because it's so true. You can communicate feeling with music, even if there aren't any words.
I had to go to a voice masterclass today (a masterclass is where 5 people each sing one song and then the voice teachers critique their performance and work with them each for 20 minutes trying to improve their sound and anything else they deem necessary) and even though 3 of the 5 performers weren't all that great, seeing them really connect with what the teachers were getting them to do and really having their sound improve was so exciting to me!
I was literally on the edge of my seat and waiting for the beautiful sound to come through. It put me in such a good mood that I haven't been able to stop smiling all evening. So, in conclusion, I just want to say that seeking after music that uplifts and is pleasing to the ear is something that will raise your spirit and make you happy, if you let it.
I have the tendancy to be so involved in the emotion behind the music that I feel so exposed when performing because I'm showing emotion that I normally wouldn't. Music is a release of those feelings and a safe place to let them show through the medium of another character. Music is an amazing thing and I'm so grateful that I'm in the program I am. Lastly, I want to close with a quote that Elder Dallin H. Oaks said in his conference talk, he said "the song of the righteous is a prayer unto the Lord". Think of that the next time you feel the urge to break into song.
Until next time,
-J
Secondly, for those of you who aren't LDS, there was a world-wide general broadcast for all Latter-Day Saints this past weekend. It was broadcast from Salt Lake City, Utah (church world headquarters) via satellite, internet, cable and radio to countries all around the world. It is something we only do twice a year; the first weekend in April and the first weekend in October. During this conference, various leaders of the church (apostles, seventies, the prophet, and others) prepare talks about subjects they pray about and deem to be appropriate.
So, that being said, I went to two sessions of conference (broadcast to the church) and watched a third online. There are five in total (one is a priesthood session). I always take notes, even though I know the talks will be transcribed, just so I remember what impressed me when listening to it. I also always write down the music that is sung. From the two sessions I watched at the church, these are the hymns that the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sang:
High on the Mountain Top (one of my favourites of theirs)
Redeemer of Israel
Oh, May my soul Commune with Thee
Come ye Children of the Lord
Do What is right
O, Thou Kind and Gracious Father
I need Thee Every Hour
Now Let us Rejoice
I know that My Redeemer Lives
Oh What Songs of the Heart
I Feel My Saviour's Love (a personal favourite)
Rejoice the Lord is King
(and I missed the last one...)
The fact that each hymn is about 4 minutes long, and they sing 6-7 hymns per session, that works out to about 24-28 minutes devoted to music, not including music and the spoken word the half hour before conference. 1/4 of our general conference is devoted to music. If that doesn't say something of its importance, I don't know what will.
I'm not just saying this as a music major, I really believe that music is something that can express what words fail to do. One of my favourite sayings about music is "Music is a Universal language". I love that quote because it's so true. You can communicate feeling with music, even if there aren't any words.
I had to go to a voice masterclass today (a masterclass is where 5 people each sing one song and then the voice teachers critique their performance and work with them each for 20 minutes trying to improve their sound and anything else they deem necessary) and even though 3 of the 5 performers weren't all that great, seeing them really connect with what the teachers were getting them to do and really having their sound improve was so exciting to me!
I was literally on the edge of my seat and waiting for the beautiful sound to come through. It put me in such a good mood that I haven't been able to stop smiling all evening. So, in conclusion, I just want to say that seeking after music that uplifts and is pleasing to the ear is something that will raise your spirit and make you happy, if you let it.
I have the tendancy to be so involved in the emotion behind the music that I feel so exposed when performing because I'm showing emotion that I normally wouldn't. Music is a release of those feelings and a safe place to let them show through the medium of another character. Music is an amazing thing and I'm so grateful that I'm in the program I am. Lastly, I want to close with a quote that Elder Dallin H. Oaks said in his conference talk, he said "the song of the righteous is a prayer unto the Lord". Think of that the next time you feel the urge to break into song.
Until next time,
-J
Thursday 2 October 2008
Onto new ground
I had a quiz in music history today that I was freaking out about and it turned out not to be that hard after all. People had said that Brian gives really hard quizzes, but this was fine! As long as you went to class and took notes, there was no way you could fail. All I did was re-read my notes this morning and I think I only got 2 questions wrong. Big relief.
As for my social life, I'm actually starting to spend time with people! Tonight I'm supposed to hang out with Lydia and Mike, maybe go mini-golfing and have some dinner. I also have a friend from work (she is one of the ones who quit, but we keep in touch) who wants to do an Anne of Green Gables marathon, since she got all the dvds for her birthday last week. Totally awesome.
I'm looking forward to the weekend because we have General Conference. It feels like it's been so long since I heard the prophet speak and I feel like there's something I need to hear. There always is, but this time is different. I'm really anticipating it and am excited. Anyway, that's all for now, I'll let you know if I find anything out during conference!
Until next time,
-J
As for my social life, I'm actually starting to spend time with people! Tonight I'm supposed to hang out with Lydia and Mike, maybe go mini-golfing and have some dinner. I also have a friend from work (she is one of the ones who quit, but we keep in touch) who wants to do an Anne of Green Gables marathon, since she got all the dvds for her birthday last week. Totally awesome.
I'm looking forward to the weekend because we have General Conference. It feels like it's been so long since I heard the prophet speak and I feel like there's something I need to hear. There always is, but this time is different. I'm really anticipating it and am excited. Anyway, that's all for now, I'll let you know if I find anything out during conference!Until next time,
-J
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