A True Disciple

Dear Life,



Church was amazing today.

Ah-maze-ing


The topic was "Becoming a True Disciple of Christ".  Elder 

Daniel L. Johnson spoke about this topic in the October 2012 

Conference.  

You can read it HERE.



Talk after talk spoke to me in different ways. 

I thought about Sofi.  

About our reasoning for adopting...and not only adopting but

 adopting a special needs child.

Because we all know that having five boys and one with Spina 

Bifida can be challenging.

I am definitely busy.

We already have a lot of obstacles and trials.


But on the flip side of that, we have witnessed miracles.  

We have been on the receiving end of so many wonderful 

blessings.

We went through the most difficult trial so far last year with 

Kumaka.

After a bilateral hip surgery, two leg breaks, and a repair of 

one side of the hip, Kumaka was in a cast longer than he was 

out of one.

We saw more time in a hospital last year than any other part 

of his life.

And through it all, he smiled.

He endured.

And although I personally thought it was the longest six 

weeks of my life to have him in a body cast,

In retrospect...that time was fleeting.

But the lessons learned are still burning in my heart.

Towards the end of last year, Stuart and I were talking and 

asking ourselves "what can we do to give back...after having 

received so much?"

Many people helped us last year, many people reached out to 

our family...whether it was a meal, a playdate, or a prayer, we 

were enveloped in love.

And we knew that somehow, we needed to give back.

We prayed.

We searched.

We realized the most perfect way we could serve the Lord, 

and be as Christlike as we knew how to be would be to adopt.

Although we are sometimes stretched thin, we know how to

 care for a child with Spina Bifida.  

And once we saw Sofi's sweet face, we knew we could never

 turn our back on her. 

A child with no hope, no family, no love. 

God has never once turned His back on us.

Now is not the time to turn our backs on His children.



"Becoming as the Savior is not an easy task, especially in the

 world in which we live. We face obstacles and adversity 

virtually every day of our lives. There is a reason for this,

 and it is one of the primary purposes ofmortality. As we 

read in Abraham 3:25, “And we will prove them herewith,to

 see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God 

shall command them.”  Elder Daniel L. Johnson



I also thought about my boys.

I thought about the many ways I could be a better 

mother...and a better wife.

I thought about the gift of repentance.  

And as one speaker said so wonderfully "repentance means 

repeating...doing it again but better"

Because of the sacrifice of our Savior, we have the 

opportunity to have a do-over.

What a gift.

Because I don't know about you, but I mess up.

A lot.

Love.

That is what being Christlike means to me.

It's what has always been important to me.

It's what I am always striving for.

I am in no way perfect.

I am continually having to repent...asking God for a do-over.

Boy am I glad to have that opportunity to talk to Him, and to

 turn to Him with a humble heart, and ask for forgiveness, 

and try again.



"I testify that as we obey His commandments, serve others,

 and submit ourwill to His will, we will, indeed, become His

 true disciples." Elder Daniel L. Johnson