Written for Our Day

The cycle of wickedness came to my mind the other day. So many times in the Book of Mormon we see that a prophet was born to raise up a righteous people, who are then blessed with prosperity and abundance in all things and they dwell in happiness; THEN their hearts become set on the prosperity, they become proud and maybe take personal credit for the abundance, willfully rebelling against God--and then they fall. They lose their happiness and all of the other blessings from God. 

Many people blame the prosperity for the wickedness of the people. To me, this makes no sense; it's counterproductive for the Lord if you think about it. If His purpose is to bring about the immortality and eternal life of man, why would He bless them with something that inherently will curse them and cut them off from eternal life? No, the wickedness comes from the pride of man. If we don't stay plugged in to our foundation, even Jesus Christ, and keep Him in our hearts at all times, we are in danger of cutting ourselves off, for whatever reason, be it pride from riches or envy of riches or whatever choice we make to steer us away from the straight and narrow path.

So then I began to wonder how people can be so quick to forget where their blessings come from and turn against God so readily. Of course no one reason is all inclusive, but I had a realization that often times this change of heart arises within a new generation who maybe wasn't around during the times of struggle or whatever else brought them to total dependence on The Lord. Maybe the ease of the life that was handed to the new generation by their parents who were happy to give their children a blessed life--one better than their own--created a disconnect between them and God because they lacked the insight that comes from situations that are sometimes needed in building a testimony. This natural cycle comes in part, then, from this imperfect world where we live, mixed with a sense of entitlement that comes from not really understanding opposition in all things. 

This thought then led me to a question: the young generation of today, we have been told, is a chosen generation, saved for this time to lead this world in preparation for the Second Coming of the Savior.  This generation has also been born into a time of great prosperity--probably the greatest this world has ever seen--and it really is no secret that they have a tendency to be very entitled. We don't have to look very hard to see that God is being edged out. So how do we as parents and leaders keep this cycle from happening to our youth? If it has happened over and over in history, what is it that we are to do to keep it from happening in this all important time of our time on earth. It's basically our last chance to "get it right" and prepare a world that is worthy for the Savior to come, and the responsibility seems to lie upon our youth!!I don't believe that avoiding prosperity or denying these blessings from God to our children is the right answer--I believe denying blessings from God is a form of being offensive to God. 

I almost felt a sense of anxiety as I thought about what seemed to be a huge Catch 22. 

But then... 

the peaceful thought came to my mind, "Teach them about history" to which I replied, "HOW??!!!" 😫😫

 It actually took a day or two for the answer to come as I was explaining this "awful realization" to my friend after we had done a session together in the temple. THE BOOK OF MORMON WAS WRITTEN FOR OUR DAY. 

I've read this, known this, and thought I understood this for such a long time, but I guess I hadn't really internalized the real life actual truth of what it meant. 

In my family, we have read (slowly) through the Book of Mormon about 12 times with our kids. It is a huge part of our family routine and tradition. But have we really taught our kids the truth of all of the principles taught therein? Do our kids know that they have the power because of these histories that have been written about the cycles of wickedness and of prosperity to choose to change this cycle? It's a CHOICE!!! And knowledge brings the power to choose righteously. This is a huge blessing and a relief to my heart. It is also a huge responsibility. 

Two-thirds of kids are grown and "past the point of parental teaching" but with the last two, we still have a chance. But even with the other three, has the opportunity truly passed? I'm not saying the other three haven't learned or understood this already or that they won't figure it out later on if they have not, but I need to remember my responsibilties as their mother to do all I can through example and testimony and love to help bring them to a realization of the power they each hold to lead this world to God. Knowledge is power. 

Our Book of Mormon Reward Trip--A Caribbean Cruise

We got off the ship at 7:30 this morning. We are sitting at the Ft Lauderdale airport. I wasn't sure how long it would take to get off the ship and get to the airport, so I booked a later flight to avoid stress. We were off lickety split and have several hours to wait at the airport before we can even check in!!!! Sounds like a fun way to end the trip, right? haha. That's just how I roll...

Here's a picture of Mady surrounded by luggage, content to have wifi and iMessage... 

We flew out of Las Vegas on August 1 at 4:50 pm and landed in Ft Lauderdale just after midnight. Arielle flew out of Nashville and landed in Miami at pretty much the same time we did. I booked our hotel online via Priceline and while I did well to make sure there were enough beds for us all to sleep comfortably AND to get us a great price for this room, I did not pay much attention to the LOCATION of this hotel. Arielle had a 40 minute shuttle ride (not counting stops for other passengers) and we had a 20 minute ride via taxi to the hotel. Other than requiring extra money for transportation and getting to bed really late, this didn't end up being as much of an inconvenience as I thought it might be. Everyone was just too excited for the cruise to care! 

We have taken one other cruise as a family--5 years ago--and the boarding process was a nightmare! Very long story short, I didn't realize Curtis misplaced his birth certificate when registering for football until the morning we were to leave. It was a holiday, so the health department was closed leaving no chance to obtain an official copy. A telephone call to the cruiseline told us that the photo copy that I somehow had would be sufficient, but the lady at the cruise line counter told us otherwise--she was not going to let us board. BUT lots of prayers and creative angles led to a desperate phone call to the Dixie Middle School secretary (who was on summer break,) who selflessly went to the school, found Curtis' file (which she told us afterward was not filed where it was supposed to be,) and faxed the copy she had to the cruiseline, which for some reason suddenly made it all valid and they let us on the ship--with maybe 10 minutes to spare!!!! (This is reminding me that I never thanked the school secretary with a gift card like I had planned... it is now on my TO DO LIST for this week!!!) 

I tell you this stressful story to explain why boarding this cruise ship seemed like such a miraculous breeze. It was fast and easy, and (almost) without a hitch.

Side bar: I would be lying if I didn't add that word "almost." While Mady was in Missouri this summer, I was somehow reminded of the fact that a Caribbean Cruise actually requires a passport--neither Mady nor Karter had one. Mady got home from Missouri 2 weeks before we were to leave on the cruise...we paid for expedition and sent the applications off with a prayer, called 5 days before we were to board the ship to learn that the photos were not valid (red eye--we did them at a professional passport photo place to avoid such problems, but I guess the Walmart photo counter should never be considered professional,) rushed to Walgreens to take new photos, overnighted them with another batch of prayers, and got the passports back the day before we left... To make it even more interesting, I had noticed online as we were still anticipating the passports that a birth certificate would actually be accepted, which allowed me to relax--until we got the passports back AND THE BIRTH CERTIFICATES that we were required to send with the application... My stomach couldn't help but sink a little at that point...  I guess I like to keep things exciting...

The Norwegian Getaway was a really fun ship! Brand new this year, it had all the latest and greatest amenities: a zip line, water slides, arcade, rock climbing wall, miniature golf, basketball court, mini bowling alley...I don't know if I've named it all, but it was really amazing! The girls really enjoyed laying out, while Karter wanted to do everything active that he could. This helped Dave and I realize that any future out-of-the-ordinary family adventures need to also include a friend for Karter. It took him awhile to dare to do things alone, but after a couple of days he realized that when mom and dad were not willing to engage in 10 year old adventure, he could go up to the sports court and find some friends to play basketball or soccer with. He also discovered that he could easily swipe his card at the arcade--and racked up quite a tab in doing so--but it was worth it to see him enjoying himself.

The ports are always my favorite part. We visited St. Martin (French side)/St. Marteen (Dutch side.) Here we took at taxi tour of the island with Tony. He stopped at several sites for us to take pictures and/or explore (including a nude beach, which he was very excited about but which obvioulsy a little uncomfortable for us...) and then he dropped us off at Dawn Beach to spend a few hours until it was time to go back to the ship.

In all the Caribbean cruises Dave and I have done with Heritage Makers, one of our favorite islands was St. Thomas. I was especially excited to spend the day at St John island, but when the shuttle driver explained the time it took to get there and the extra transportation expenses, we decided to take his suggestion for another simple tour of the island and a few hours at a nice beach on the main island. We shopped around as we waited for the tour to start, and Karter was invited by two native island boys to play basketball with them. They didn't have a hoop, so they shot the ball through some branches in a tree. Very creative! Karter loved it1  I enjoyed the tour--I love seeing sights and learning more about the culture of the islands--but I didn't enjoy the beach as much as I had enjoyed St. John. The sand was "dirty" and rocky (another example of how much of a "princess" I have become in my older age) but the water was clear and the sun was warm. Karter, Dave, and Mady snorkled, Arielle slept in a beach chair, and I sat on a rock at the edge of the water and just enjoyed the waves (once I got over the "ugly" beach) as they splashed around me. Karter also made friends with an iguana while we were at the beach. All the adults around were afraid of the huge lizard, but Karter worked up to actually petting it, showing all the adults that their fears were unwarranted.  The time passed way to quickly and soon it was time to go back to the ship.

Our last port was Nassau, Bahamas. It seems to be a little more modern, and the streets near the cruise ship port are full of shops and shoppers. We may or may not have lost Karter in one of the shops for a little while, but he was smart enough to stay where he was until I found him. We booked this final excursion through the ship--a day at the Blue Lagoon, which is a private beach that the ship has partnered with to allow its passengers to visit. It was a 30 minute ride on a catamaran over to the island. This beach was more my style! I went snorkeling with Dave and Karter while the girls layed out (and they had wifi, so they were in heaven)  and they served us lunch, and then it was time to go. I thought it was a perfect way to end the cruise.

One last side bar: I wanted to be able to tie the Book of Mormon into this vacation as a reminder of how personal scripture study provides blessings in our lives and if we dedicate ourselves to searching them, we will find hidden treasures of knowledge. I used symbolism, like the boat could be likened to Lehi's journey to the promised land and gave them sandals for the journey; a sweater for the girls and shorts for Karter were likened to the armor of God (I had also given the girls one piece swim suits before the trip, hoping they would choose to bring them, but I guess that is yet to come;) and little treasure cheats with CTR jewelry and pearls earrings (sunglasses and a tie track or Karter) as a symbol of searching the scriptures for that pearl of great price.  I hope someday they will remember this part of the trip, as now they pale in comparison... 

Summer 2014--Missouri

Dave and I were invited to Missouri by our friends, Dave and Sivi Helsel, when we went to Cancun with them back in February. They wanted Dave to do an Isagenix Super Saturday in July--and they wanted me to tag along. I have been wanting to come to Missouri with him for a long time, so I was happy that it actually happened!!! Dave became friends with the Helsels quite awhile ago through his Isagenix team in Missouri. He often stays with them when he travels out there, and he always comes home with stories of their amazing personalities, spirits, and home; I had met them a couple of times at Isagenix events, but I only recently became acquainted with them when they invited us to Cancun. They seriously are amazing people!!! I love meeting new life-long, like-minded friends.

Here are just some photos of their amazing home on several acres of beautiful Missouri farm land:

Hay fields

View from their deck

Side view of their home with their barn in the background

Don't you love this stairway? Man oh man!

Their basement looks like a cabin.

The first morning we were there, we drove to Smithville Lake to go for a walk/run. (I am the one who added the walk/ part. I am not yet up to running several miles. Dave (my Dave) and Sivi were kind enough to walk with me. We did a team call as we walked--it was pretty cool to be included in that. Dave and Sivi are already dynamic leaders. I am working my way in slowly as my life is changing and allowing for more opportunities to do so.

 Isn't this a breathtaking trail??? This was just one spectacular view along our 5 mile walk. 

I could do this every day!

Here is the group: The two in the middle are Bill Andrews and Molly Sheridon. They are ultra-marathon runners, but today they just did a short run (20 miles;) On the far right and Dave and Sivi Helsel. Dave went on a bike ride with their son, Coldin (he's taking the photo,) and Sivi came with us.

On the second day, Sivi took us horseback riding. I haven't ridden a horse since I was in elementary school--maybe jr. high--in Shelly Buchanan's coral. It was so much fun! The horse I rode was named Domino. Sivi called him "bomb proof," which I soon learned that meant that nothing could shake or spook him. He moseyed along at his own sweet pace, trotted if he wanted (which wasn't often,) and took the path of his preference. We got along great! :) 

Later that night we went into Kansas City to meet with some of Sivi's team. They were doctor-science-smarties and wanted to talk technical with Dr Bill about the science of telomeres and Product B. We let them chat away while we enjoyed really yummy Mexican food. I also became quite fascinated with Kansas City and need to go back so I can explore...


Super Saturday went wonderfully! I got to meet and connect with lots of Isa-peeps that I've only "met" on Facebook. I can't even explain how welcome I felt there. It was like I had been friends with these people for a long time. I was overwhelmed with gratitude. It was a really great day. We finished with dinner at Hereford's before we headed to the airport for home. Yummy food, great company, good times!



These photos are out of order somehow, but they're actually a really great way to finish this post. Quotes like the one above are found all over the Helsel home, and there is an amazingly strong spirit of God throughout. I think I was most touched by the obvious foundation of faith in their kids--they truly put God first in their lives. I'm not sure what religion they are, but the Helsel family confirmed to me that the Stripling Warriors of the latter days will not just be members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I was reminded of the duty I have--along with all of us who "have been given much"--to build the Kingdom of God on the earth and to prepare for the 2nd Coming of our Savior. I am also reminded of my own role in helping the youth of our church (starting with my own kids) to understand their eternally important mission as the Great and Noble ones who were saved for the last days to bring the world His truth.

The time is NOW!