A Slice of Zion

Amazingly, I have somehow survived my first four weeks of college. I nailed my first exam and am proud to say I'm sporting pretty much all A's. But, to be honest, it's been a whirlwind of stress, late night Walmart runs, numerous calls to my mom about laundry and classes, and ice cream. Thankfully, one thing has remained constant in my life and that is the gospel. I am so thankful for the restored gospel in my life. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten to read as much scripture as I like, but I am slowly learning to tear myself away from my work and dedicate some time to the Lord each day. College is a whole lot different. There is no mom or dad to remind that you should probably stop doing homework and eat something. Despite all the hard work, it has also been a lot of fun. My suite-mate and I get along really well. My roommate is nice. My boyfriend came and visited me and this past week and then him and my parents came to my college for Parent's Weekend. And of cour...

A year and a half ago, I was baptised and confirmed into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Sister Stratton claimed that I was overdosed on the Spirit. However, I have come to know of the huge importance of baptism by fire. In Matthew 3:11 it says, "I indeed baptise you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptise you with the Holy Ghost, and with  fire."  Often, baptism is referred to the cleansing of our spirits. This allows our souls to be worthy vessels of His Spirit. Receiving the Holy Ghost completes the sacred covenant of baptism in my mind. It is our baptism by fire. The fire of the Spirit is often likened unto a refiner's fire. By receiving the sacred gift of His spirit, we are able to be more aptly shaped and guided by His will. His Spirit confirms and testifies of our identity as beautiful sons and daughters of a gracious Heavenly Father.  When you think about...

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats  is a special book. I mean, it is  an international best seller, but that's not the only reason why this book is a diamond in your library. I honestly feel in classrooms 20 or 30 years from now this book will be a topic of discussion. At least, I hope very hard that it will make it that far. This novel has two stories going on. One is of Julia Win who travels to Burma to try and find out why her father disappeared from her life. The other is the tale of Tin Win, Julia's father, told by U Ba. Julia is shocked by the things U Ba tells her: her father used to blind, he had another lover named MiMi, and much more. While on one hand I wanted to be upset with Tin Win for just up and leaving his father in New York, his life story brought me to tears. A basic overview is that when he was born, he was born on a Friday in December. To his mother, this was a bad sign. After repeated "bad luck" such as the chickens dying, his superstitious moth...