"The scriptures encourage us to keep a history of all things that transpire in Zion, And also their manner of life, their faith and works." (Doctrine & Covenants 85:1-2).
Again, I have failed to keep up with my blog and family history and am feeling rather guilty! I received an email from our Branch President the other day requesting a recount of the year in Relief Society which I was very unprepared for! It's my own fault, I need to learn to record these things when they happen as it is so easy to forget them. Particularly the spiritual experiences. As I reflected on the past year, I was feeling immense guilt over the fact that I probably should have done more. As I pondered the past, I remembered the talk President Dieter F Uchtorf gave at the last General Conference. Here is a snippet.
The more we devote ourselves to the pursuit of holiness
and happiness, the less likely we will be on a path to regrets.
Of Resolutions:
One day we will take that unavoidable step and cross
from this mortal sphere into the next estate. One day we will look back at our
lives and wonder if we could have been better, made better decisions, or used
our time more wisely.
To avoid some of the deepest regrets of life, it would
be wise to make some resolutions today. Therefore, let us:
- Resolve to spend more time with those we love.
- Resolve to strive more earnestly to become the person God wants us to be.
- Resolve to find happiness, regardless of our circumstances.
The path toward fulfilling our divine destiny as sons
and daughters of God is an eternal one. My dear brothers and sisters, dear
friends, we must begin to walk that eternal path today; we cannot take for
granted one single day.
To assist in the preparation of the Karratha Branch History for 2012, I had to help Olea record her thoughts and feelings about being baptised. We worked on it together, and this is what we came up with.
The Most Special Day
On my birthday, I had fun opening presents and eating cake and ice cream, but I could hardly wait for the best present of all—I was going to get baptized today! My Dad thought it would be a good idea to be baptised on my birthday, so I would always remember the date. My Dad was baptised on his birthday too. It was an extra special day for me because I had my grandparents visiting us in Karratha.
After school, I went
with mum to pick up my dress from Moon’s house that she had kindly made for me.
That afternoon, Sister Winter came over to our house to talk to me about my
baptism. She gave me a journal so I could record my thoughts and feelings and
she wrote her testimony in it. She also baked me a birthday cake and showed me
two special dresses that meant a lot to her. It was her baptismal dress and her
temple dress. I thought they were very pretty and I want to have a pretty dress
like that when I get married in the temple.
Thinking about going
under the water made me a little scared since I didn’t know what to expect, but
I knew I could trust Dad. Dad and I practiced how to stand, and I knew that
Jesus would help me be brave. I just didn’t expect the water to be so cold
though! I chose Papa to give me the gift of the Holy Ghost and a blessing, and
my brothers, along with Anne-Marie, gave the talks. My brother Jacob played “I
am a child of God” on the guitar with one of the missionaries while I was
getting changed. I really wanted to hear him play because he practised so hard,
so I made sure I was extra quick to get dressed back into my church clothes. My Nanna played my favourite hymn, “The
baptism Song” on the piano. I listened to this song every night before I went
to bed for two weeks because I was so excited.
After the baptism, my family took me out for dinner. I was
allowed to go anywhere I wanted, so I chose McDonalds. When I got home, a
special present was waiting for me. It was a special baptismal bracelet Sister
Pilkington gave to me. I will never forget my special day and how it made me
feel.
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