The Real Easter Message

We have 1:00 Church so we haven't been to hear the choir and sweet messages about our Savior and His Atonement yet although I am sure it will be excellent.

However I did attend the General Women's Broadcast with Jena last night at our stake center and it was a perfect way to spend the night before Easter.  First they had a choir representing over 50 different countries--that immediately made me tearful to see so many people of color in the choir and to listen to them singing together.  That is truly what Heaven will be like--all people united under their Heavenly Parents and also our Savior.

The messages centered on Christ and following his example to reach out and help and serve those around you.  "I was a Stranger and you took me in....". They talked about the over 60 million refugees throughout the world, over a half of them children and looking for ways to help them settle in a new place with a new language and new customs. They spoke of the early Saints who were comforted and fed by people living in Illinois as they were banished from Missouri and that we need to do likewise.

If you know me at all, you know that this is a message that is near to my heart.  My mind was filled of memories of the many "strangers" we have shared our lives with--both as "strangers" who lived with our family and others which we have served.  What a richness they have all brought to my life and the life of our family.  How true the message is that as we serve our own lives flourish and grow. Certainly we all yearn to be the Master's hands on earth to comfort, give aid, and love to those around us.  There was a call to action to get involved--to find our niche to help our families, our neighbors, and perhaps those across the town from us who are the strangers from a strange land.  There will be exciting times ahead for the sisters of the Church and for me.

I think what made this meeting even more sweet was just this past week, one of those I worked with at LDS Family Services came into a meeting as a foster parent of one of our young boys.  How great it was to see her and her husband.  I haven't seen her in over 7 years.  Later she wrote me a sweet note about our connections in the past.  One day we were strangers to each other and now we have a relationship which will connected us for eternities.

And that is the message of Easter--of Christ's perfect love for each of us and His willingness to suffer and surrender His Mortal life for us and then take it up again.  He was risen and He lives.  Follow Him and He will take us home to that Father who created us all.  This is my testimony this Easter day. In his name. Amen.

Happy Easter

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO OUR MYSTERIOUS NEIGHBORHOOD EASTER BUNNY! Thanks for making a stop at our house.

Early this morning as we were waking up Gary commented that he wondered with the new ward boundaries if the Easter Bunny would still be stopping by. I had to get up and go check. Happy to report he did.

 And yesterday Tosha sent these pictures from the Air Force base Easter Egg Hunt in Japan.

I love his little airplane basket.  Tosha reported that he spent the first part of the hunt watching the other kids run around and collect eggs but then he got into the idea of putting some into his own basket.

So even though he is half way across the world, it is good to know that he is having a bit of America in his life, too.  Just over a month until I get to see him and his parents in PERSON!  I am so excited.

School Project

halfway done....

Our five lesson plans....

 and the almost completed kit.

Our project is a kit to help parents of young children with disabilities to teach their children about body safety and what to do if they feel someone has been inappropriate with them.

Next we have to do a presentation to our five "fake stakeholders" to see if we can get funded.  Then the formal paper.  A month to go and then I will be done with five of my nine semesters and my first year internship at Division of Child and Family Services.

I love school and I have really enjoyed my internship but sometimes it is a lot of work!

#HappyWorldDownSyndromeDay-3.21.2016

March 21 is World Down Syndrome Day

because of the 3.21

There are 3 copies of the chromosome 21.

World wide people wear crazy sox but Jena isn't into that.

This year we had arranged with Cold Stone's for a free ice cream for a person

with Down syndrome all day.  So we went....

Her friend joined us as well

 Hugs good bye as friends head off in different direcitons.

It was a fun ice cream stop.

We headed to Centerpoint Theatre were Jena was assigned a new task for the day.  She had to take all of the white men's shirts and divide them into dress shirts and "tuck" shirts with tucks on the front.  She did a great job.  Here are some of the tuck shirts.

This is what the costume closet looks like.  This was our first time to work in this room.  Can you see Jena way down there with the white shirts?

 FINISHED!

That night we got to stay and see "Beauty and the Beast" which is one of Jena's favorite Disney musicals.  Meantime 30 miles north Gary took his mother to see Nikki, Jena's cousin, perform in her high school performance of "Cinderella".  Both were excellent.  We just wished we all could have seen both.

Still haven't made it to see "Zootopia" yet but hoping to do that soon.  We hear it is very funny.

Hey, I think that I am got up to today. Nice.  I actually fertilized the yard today with pre-emergence and it isn't April yet.  That is a great accomplishment for me.

Enjoy your Real Easter Day this week!  Happy Easter to you all.