the power of forgiveness

forgiveness...what an interesting thing. here's an interesting quote i found out of the manual the Relief Society (group for women in the church ages 18 and older), Teachings of Presidents of the Church - Joseph Smith on page 392:

"One of the most pleasing scenes that can occur on earth, when a sin has been committed by one person against another, is, to forgive that sin; and then according to the sublime and perfect pattern of the Savior, pray to our Father in heaven to forgive [the sinner] also" -originally found in A History of the Church 6:245

i've just been learning lately that not being able to forgive someone is/can be a form of sin, especially after the other person has repented of their issue and has begun/tried to make restitution. as i was reading through the lesson the RS went through on sunday during our meeting, a thought went through my mind that really had me think, and still is.

about early 2006, my next door neighbor peeked in our bathroom window one late evening when i was preparing to take my shower before bedtime. as i sat on our toliet seat taking my socks off before i got in, i looked over at the window and saw his face close to the screen...watching me. i screamed, slammed the window shut, and ran out crying to my mom. we called the police, etc..he was originally on house arrest as part of his sentence from a previous DUI charge in the next county over. however, his parole officer didn't even bother herself to come down to his house, and measure the different distances so his ankle bracelet could be programmed. that's how he was able to come onto our property and peek in on me in the bathroom. the window wasn't even open anymore than 4-5 inches!

ever since then, i've struggled a lot to even begin to forgive him for what he did to me. i'll still a little afraid to go into the bathroom late at night, or even early evening or any other time of day, and still push the window down shut, put a towel over the entire window and OVER the curtain, etc. sometimes i even have to step into the shower completely dressed, undress inside the shower and throw my clothes out by the edge of the tub...

so, that lesson yesterday in RS started making me think again about that. a sister also added to the conversation that she still has trouble forgiving her father for some things he does to her, etc. and it's still a struggle for her. that made me feel almost normal. i know this will be something i'll need to work on until i can forgive this neighbor, and after so long, i'll have to pray to Heavenly Father and just put it in His hands in order to fully move on...

taking one step at a time....all i can do is give my best :)

the ultimate gift of love and sacrifice

i was finally baptized on saturday and confirmed on sunday as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!!!

i have had 3 missionaries who played a major role in getting me where i am today. Elder Corneilison from Idaho, Elder Henrie from Utah, and Elder Cardenaz from Reading, California. all 3 are amazing young men and very valuable assets to the church.

saturday was so amazing. i was so nervous right up until the bishopric member dismissed everyone to go into the font room, and had the Elder and i leave first so we could get ready. i went back and forth about whether to wear my ear plugs that I have to have, which I finally did. Then i saw the Elder start to go down into the water, and this incredible wave of peace just washed over me, and stepped in. the water relaxed me even more it was so warm, and perfect. before they pulled back the curtain door, Elder Henrie and i quickly went over the hands and knees drill, and he just kinda patted/rubbed my shoulder and said he was so proud of me and not to be nervous, which meant the world to me. next thing i know i heard the clicking of the curtain door being pulled back, so i closed my eyes, he raised his hand, and started calling out my name. by then i had entered a peaceful zone but yet heard every word of his voice. when he brought his hand to my shoulder and started to lean me back, i bent my knees and didn't close my eyes until my head hit the water, as i wanted to take everything that i could in all at once. i almost didn't want to come out of the font. as i stepped out of the font, i felt so heavy from the water dripping off, but at the same time i felt light as air. i kept peeking back around the door's corner to look at the font again before i changed. then again as soon as i was dressed, i looked back in, and all the water was gone and the light was turned off :( i wanted to touch it one more time....i also didn't want to let go of my wet dress, or put it back in their rack. i wanted to take it home with me and keep it for the rest of my life! maybe one day i'll learn how to sew, make a nice one that's the same size, and exchange it :P

time to get ready

i'm starting to get nervous about tomorrow....i'm starting to try and pack everything up, and i feel like i'm forgetting something. i have to leave earlier than i originally intended because i forgot to ask someone if they could bring cookies and punch. i'm going to try and burn two youtubes i'm using during the service tomorrow onto a CDR to see if it works. if not, then i'll have to leave even earlier so i can pick-up a DVDR and pop it in my computer to it can burn on my way to the church.....

so nervous...so much has gone wrong the past couple of days. first, my second speaker on the Holy Ghost never even bothered to email me back with even a simple yes. then, the person who was supposed to give the opening prayer had his father-in-law pass away yesterday, which is nothing he can control. then i see that i don't have any blank DVDs...i just wanted everything to go well and off without a hitch.

but, there's not much i can do now the night before except to get u early and just pray for the best...wish me luck!!! pictures will be up tomorrow!!!

website of the week - LDS.net!

every week i'm going to choose one website and highlight it as my website of the week. it can be anything from my new favorite blog, a website i frequent, or a trich-related page, whatever my mood may be!



this week's spotlight will be on a forum that i visit MORE than i do my facebook! it's called LDS.net and it's absolutely amazing. it was established and is ran by the More Good Foundation, who are dedicated to helping members of any and all religious faiths find ACCURATE and TRUTHFUL information about the Mormon faith. everyone and anyone is welcome to stop by, have a great time/relax, and feel free to discuss Mormonism in a positive environment, as well as their own religions. there are a wide variety of forums, and here's a few just to give you a taste of what we have to offer: Current Events, How Do I Do..? (how to do certain things around the site, such as adding pictures and music to your profile for example), Taste of Cultures, Sports, and Family History. a couple of my favorite threads or topics, are located in the General Discussion forum. both are game themed, such as where someone gives a song and their artist, and then the next person who replies has to find another song by anyone that starts with the last word of the previous song. sooo much fun!!!!!!!

the people there at LDS.net are great as well, and i couldn't ask for a better group of online friends, especially going through this time as a new convert and getting ready for my baptism this Saturday (!!!). everyone is generally laid back and a bunch of fun to talk to. the staff and moderators put in so much work behind the scenes to help the site run the way it does, like a well oiled machine, and it's beyond amazing.


i go to LDS.net and actively participate not only because of all the fun, but also because it does help dispel some of the common misconceptions people may have about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, at the same time while being a common ground for people all over the earth to share their love and faith in Jesus Christ.


so! go there, you'll love it. if you do, be sure to add eternalpromise516 as a friend (hint hint: me!)



http://www.lds.net/

rain or sun, make up your mind!

the weather has been beautiful today. as i'm sitting here writing this, the dining room window is open and there's a wonderful breeze blowing through the curtains, i feel rather spoiled :D

at the same time i'm working on gluing the ribbons to the invite/announcement cards i printed out last night for my baptism this saturday. i'm joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. sunday morning i will be officially confirmed a member of the church. i'm sooo excited!! i know without a doubt that this is the right thing for me, and i've never been happier. plus, anything giving me a reason to be crafty and creative is fine with me :P especially as it helps me to take my mind off anything i may be worrying about. once the final product presents itself, i'll be sure to take a picture and post it here for all of you to admire haha.

i have to leave in about 2 hours for a community band rehearsal. it's a lot of fun, especially seeing all the people representing different communities and a variety of ages. we have a concert next wednesday evening, and we're playing a lot of great music...such things like a My Fair Lady themed work, West Side Story, Oliver, and some more traditional band music. should be cool, keeping my fingers crossed that everything goes well.

An Introduction

Hey everyone :)

Welcome to my blog. My name is Laura, and I'm a college student here in Ohio, majoring in Music Education. I'm also a new convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Besides that, I also like to cook. I'll be blogging mostly on my day to day life, but also about the Church and anything else that suits my fancy!

So!...sit back, relax, and enjoy your time here.