Semana 30

Dear Elder Lutze, 

A very busy week... I spent Tuesday with the Young Women in a pre-Trek activity we learned about how to research ancestors. Did you know we're related to 4 European royalty  directly and 7 Mayflower voyagers? Wow! We also ate Johnny Cakes and made butter in a jar. Wednesday I met with our Emotional Resilience group. I love these ladies and the support we give each other. Thursday I spent time with two of my college roommates. Cheryl and I are going to set Rachael up on a blind date with her son Zack. PRAY! ;) Friday Rachael and I worked almost all day on planning our trip. I went to the temple in the morning. Saturday Hannah, Dad and I worked in the yard - mowing, fertilizing, etc. before all the storms coming again this week. In the afternoon, we attended Ross and Tricia's sealing in the Mount Timpanogos temple. I'm so happy for her. We went out to eat afterwards with the Roetkers and Hayes. I'm so grateful for the gospel and the friendships it brings. My thoughts for the week...

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin (1917–2008) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles applied the message of the parable of the lost sheep  when he taught about why people stray from the Lord and Church activity:

“Some are lost because they are different. They feel as though they don’t belong. Perhaps because they are different, they find themselves slipping away from the flock. They may look, act, think, and speak differently than those around them and that sometimes causes them to assume they don’t fit in. They conclude that they are not needed. …

“Brothers and sisters, if only we had more compassion for those who are different from us, it would lighten many of the problems and sorrows in the world today. …

“Some are lost because they are weary. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed. With all the pressures and demands on our time and the stress we face each day, it’s little wonder we get tired. Many feel discouraged because they have not measured up to their potential. Others simply feel too weak to contribute. And so, as the flock moves on, gradually, almost imperceptibly, some fall behind” (“Concern for the One,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2008, 18–19).

While serving as provost of Brigham Young University, Elder Bruce C. Hafen similarly explored the application of the parable of the lost sheep, explaining that at certain points in our life, each of us might be like the lost sheep and in need of help:

“The lost sheep are not just the people who don’t come to church. … The lost sheep is a mother who goes down into the valley of the dark shadows to bring forth children. The lost sheep is a young person, far away from home and faced with loneliness and temptation. The lost sheep is a person who has just lost a critically needed job; a business person in financial distress; a new missionary in a foreign culture; a man just called to be bishop; a married couple who are misunderstanding each other; a grandmother whose children are forgetting her. I am the lost sheep. You are the lost sheep. ‘All we like sheep have gone astray.’ (Isaiah 53:6; emphasis added.)

“The times of feeling lost are not always times when we have wandered from the straight and narrow path. Not at all. We may be precisely where the Lord would have us be” (The Broken Heart: Applying the Atonement to Life’s Experiences [1989], 60).

I know this to be true and it goes hand in hand with what we were discussing today in Sunday school about core laws like Keeping the Sabbath Day holy and fence laws like no TV on Sunday or wearing church clothes all day. etc When we keep core laws we are showing our love to God and others. Sometimes fence laws hinder that if we're not careful and even may lead to lost sheep like Natalie. I feel like she's stuck on fence laws. 

I love you! Keep working hard. The Lord loves effort!

Mom