I Feel For You

Now I don't know if you would call this an opportunity, but it was definately an experience!

The other day I worked with this new guy at work. He is not normally from my store so it was the first time we had ever met.
So being social, we we're asking the usual, "where are you from? What do you do outside of work? What are your plans for this weekend?"
And that is where the conversation sparked.

He refused to believe I was a Mormon.
Like flat out refused.

So I asked him why he was finding it so hard to believe (mind you EVERYONE else at work knows I am, hence no work Sunday and we play a game called "pick the Mormon" ). His answer was one I have never heard before.
"You don't act like one, like you use electricity."

Sorry, what?!?!?! Electricity? Most of the western population uses electricty at some stage.
"Ah, I think you may have us confused with the Amish."

"No, no I don't. I know the Amish. "

"Ok, but I am yet to meet a Mormon who is against electricity. "

"So prove to me then that you're a Mormon. What do you believe?" What is this guy's problem?? Pretty sure if I'm a Mormon, I would know if I'm ok with electricity or not, far out!

"Well, we're Christians. We believe in Christ, God and the Holy Ghost. Except we believe that they are 3 seperate entities and that they are also one entity called a Godhead.
We don't drink alcohol, coffee, tea, do drugs, no sex before marriage and all that stuff."

"So you've never drunk alcohol?"

"No." I am so sick of this question! My entire life, I am so sick of this question! Nevermind the coffee statement, let's focus on the grog.

"Ever?" I don't know if No means something else where you come from, like maybe, but to me it means no.
"No. Never, except for like vanilla essence and medicine." Thankfully that got a laugh :)

"Do you believe in The Bible?"

"The King James Version yes, as far we know that it is translated right."
And this is where it all fell apart. Apparently he has no belief in the bible, in Christ, in God in anything.
He finds everyone that believes in religion to be stupid. Especially those that have "strict rules".
The more he ranted to me, the more I felt bad for him.
I didn't even try to argue, I stated my beliefs and left it at that whilst he continued to aggravate himself.
I thought to myself "How sad that you can't see the good in religion, in having beliefs and a moral compass to guide your decisions." I didn't feel anger at him for belittling my beliefs, I just felt sad that he'll miss out on some amazing things. How sad to believe that this - life - is it!

Later that night as I was telling my husband about, I realised the clear difference in my life and his (my co-worker). All he has is a casual job, a half finished degree and drinking every night, "for fun", by himself or with his housemate.
I have a wonderful husband, I have hobbies beyond work, like sewing, blogging and clothes design, I can remember what I do for fun and a clear direction I want my life to go.

I hope this guy finds a slice of happiness soon, because I really feel for him and how sad he must really be.
And I am grateful that The Church has given me my life and direction. It's influence has affected my whole life, and no where can I point to a time where it has been a negative impact. I need to remember that more often - The Church and it's teachings have only ever been a positive impact on my life. Ever.

Why Be Modest?

Just a quick link to my post on my fashion blog about being modest and why it's more than just a religious guideline - It's a way of life (I now religion is a way a life, but you know what I mean) xx
http://www.all-yours-styling.com/why-modesty/

So I know it's been a while... I've had so many times recently when I have thought to myself "I so need to blog this!" and then I get sidetracked = Not Cool -_-

But this is way important and quite impactual on my life.

I moved to Queensland halfway through May this year and I spent the next Month trying to find a job. There were two very promising jobs that I found and surprisingly I was rejected for the first one (I came second in choice) just before my interview for the second job. The interview went amazingly well, he interviewer pretty much gave me the job on the spot and the choice of a new store or an old one - whichever I wanted.
And then it happened.
I confirmed the work hours.
Bum-bowm.
I had to work Sundays, albeit occasionally, I can't.
I had made the decision to find a job that didn't require me to work Sundays so I could go to church. When we discussed this in the interview it pretty much halted the conversation and ended my potential in that job.
Chris and I started our drive home and I was feeling extremely deflated and a bit depressed about everything... 2 hours and 2 knock-backs. It was a huge blow to my self-esteem. I was praying silently on the way home that I would find a job soon because I showed that I was committed to not working on Sundays.

A couple of days passed and I just couldn't find the motivation to look for more jobs or apply for anything - I was so blergh! I was killing time and avoiding the situation online and looking at clothes and shoes that I had no money for to make me feel better. I was checking my emails and noticed one from a company I had applied for weeks ago. On the application it stated that if after two weeks I had not heard I was unsuccessful so it was a bit of a surprise to see it there after four weeks.
It was a simple one line "Hi Jac, I have a position at _____ if your still interested."
Of course I jumped at!
Had the interview 3 days later and started work a week from receiving the interview. I don't have to work Sundays, I get a decent rate of pay for the industry and commission on top of that too! I also have options to progress further if I want or if I want to study I can do that. It was perfect!
The store where I am placed is fantastic, I love working there and actually look forward to going to work each day too.

Bottom line: I had to prove that I saw the importance of not working on Sundays to be open to the right job for me. Heavenly Father needed me to act in faith to be blessed. And blessed I am.

Want To Hear Some Great News?

Do ya, do ya, do ya?

I thought you did, so here it is!

WE ARE GETTING CLOSER TO BEING SEALED IN THE TEMPLE!

Now with me moving states on Thursday (ACT to QLD) things are a little choppy, but essentially we are meeting with our Bishop on Tuesday, C will receive his Melchizedek Priesthood soon and when we are both up north we will have our Temple Preparation Classes then we can go receive our Endowments and be married! YAY!

I know for anyone not LDS, or newly LDS there may have been a few words above that make no sense to you, and I'm sorry, but contacting your local missionaries can help you understand them. :)

I am so excited! It's one thing to be married here on Earth "till death do you part" but what about after death? I would really love to be with both my family (brothers, sisters, mums, dad etc) as well as my Husband! I mean, if you are going to make the commitment to someone, to give yourself completely to them in the bonds of marriage why wouldn't you wish to continue that relationship with them? Why does death need to be a barrier or a stop sign? It doesn't, and personally I would think that striving to maintain an Eternal Marriage is the ultimate show of Love to your partner - proving that you are in it for the extremely, forever-long haul.

As well as being with Chris for all time (sucks to be him, haha), I really love that our children will be exposed to an Eternal Marriage from day one. My parents were sealed in the temple before I was born so it was all I knew until I reached school and discovered that not everyone is a Mormon! (No seriously, I had no idea about Catholics and was confused why Christians didn't call themselves Mormons too)
To me it makes sense that our Children would be given the best opportunities to learn and grow in the church. Something that I had to clarify with Chris when we were dating was the topic of kids, and how/what way they would be raised/taught in regards to religion (he was inactive, STRONGLY inactive at the time), and thankfully he replied with "no, I want our kids to be raised Mormon. It teaches them good values and made me a good person." I will never forget that conversation. Ever. I remember the feeling of dread and fear being lifted from my shoulders. I am scared to think what could have been if he had said he didn't want his kids involved in the Church... let's not even go down that path.

Back to what I was originally saying in that last paragraph, I have seen kids that have been born into the covenant and I have seen kids that haven't been... and I'm not judging, I'm not criticizing anyone or their situations, I'm just merely stating my hopes and dreams for my kids, but the differences are striking. I 100% want my kids born into the covenant.
I know it is one reason I have turned into the person that I am.

So, that's our happy news... We are walking down the path towards the Temple and I am just an uber-keen-bean for it!

:D Awesome blessing to have come this far in the time we have :D

Well to day was a little emotional, but not for the reasons you might think.
It's Mother's Day(well, at least it is for the next 7 minutes) and yes I sadly lost my mother when I was younger but I like to think I have come to a peace with that. The reason it was a little emotional is because today was my last Sunday teaching my little Primary Class.

I went in a little unsure on how it would go, would they care? Will they be upset? Will they be phased? Do they understand? Will they all be there?
It was a good size class, all but 3 came today and we ate fruit and jelly, had a scavenger hunt and got stickers! All the fun things you like as a kid.
A few of the kids I knew I would see again, like my niece and the surrogate niece (She is the grandchild of the people who own the house where I currently live, and my little sister is about to live, as well as being the niece of my sister and brother-in-law... so basically family!) Some of the kids I wasn't sure if I would because I'm not sure if I'll be visiting the Ward much, if at all.

Well, the goodbyes for most were fairly painless, most of them I didn't really get to say goodbye too, but got a cute bunch of hearts from them (The whole Primary) in Closing exercises, 2 of them I am seeing tomorrow/today and the last little man... As much as I shouldn't say this, I will miss him the most. I want to keep up with him but my track record at doing that has been extremely unsuccessful. He just came up to me whilst I was talking to another member, wrapped his arms around my hips and just stood there hugging me whilst I talked. He is a sweet kid. I am fairly certain he is the reason I was called to that class.

I was lucky enough to have dinner with him and his family last week and it was great to see his excitement and energy without the whole "reverence, we are in church" tag on it.
He helped me with my Angry Birds efforts too, haha.

So I guess the reason today was emotional is because I'm leaving this awesome, enthusiastic, creative spirit behind.

I pray his new teacher/s continue to encourage his vibrant personality.

What is enough?

Some people manage to do their callings with so much enthusiasm, devotion and creativity! Those people are shining examples of going above and beyond expectation.

I want to be able to be like that, I do... But I think I put too much pressure on myself to do it.

I teach Primary, little kids. Specifically I have the kids turning 6 this year. There's a lot!
I guess because these kids are so impressionable, I'm worried.
Worried that I might say the wrong thing, neglect to say the right thing, etc. I mean you try to have fun with them and make it interesting for them but it's hard. How do you keep kids interested week in and week out?

I feel I'm putting more pressure on myself because one of the kids mum's are now my assistant. I really appreciate the help, I do, but I feel like I could cause problems if I say or do the wrong thing with her kid.

At the end of the day though, indeed to stop putting these pressures on myself, I need to stop worrying about perception and just do. Do my calling. As long as I am doing what I can with the Lord's help, that is enough.

The question is...

Do I have the mental capacity to be able to walk in through those doors, smile when said hello too and answer "I'm good" when asked how I am?

I'm not good. I feel horrible. And I don't want to smile, I want to scream and yell and cry.

If I walk in there and pretend everything is alright I am letting myself become what my husband hates do much. A hypocrite.

You see, I told him about 1/2 an hour ago that he doesn't have to be fake at church, people shouldn't come to church pretending they are all peachy perfect. That's not what it is for.
I read a really great quote the other day "church is not a museum for the perfect, it is a hospital for the broken."

That's what I was trying to get Chris to understand; we should go there when we least want too because that's when we get the most help.
Obviously, I'm not the best at explaining myself in the moment as he didn't get what I was trying to say.

But my immediate dilemma is: if I go in there and pretend, I'm doing exactly what I told him he shouldn't have to do.

DPCON12

I know I've really neglected this blog recently, and I'm sorry. I guess I was just waiting for life to fall into place!
Guess what? That is not going to happen!

This past weekend really helped me to see that. I went to Melbourne with 2 of my sisters. It coincided with a blogging conference and the youngest sister's 18th birthday last week or so.

Experience #1: Delayed Plane
This will forever be a new saying for us and it means "God just blessed me and I'm grateful for his help" or "He just touched our lives and we are recognising his hand".
What happened was we were running pretty fine on time, in fact my older sister and I got to watch the train to take us to the airport chuff away as we ran down the stairs onto the platform.
We immediately all prayed silently that if we were to go on this trip we would make it.
We caught the next train, did alot of power walking and jogging, and when we got go the airport and our gate... our plane had been delayed!
Thank you Heavenly Father!!!!

The saying makes sense now hey?

The entire weekend we had delayed plane moments, such as delayed busses, taxi's driving past at perfect moments, no charge on lost cards, my little sister not being abducted when I left her alone, stumbling upon the best markets ever, having enough money to last, sales and discounts, not getting blisters from insane amounts of walking, not getting sunburnt, being escorted through construction safely, night walking and bring kept safe, going till 3pm on no food and not fainting or feeling fatigued or hungry, people holding lifts for us, the list is endless...

Experience #2: Bee Yourself
I know President Gordon B Hinckley taught this years ago but it's meaning just hit me this past Friday.
The blogging conference we went to was both eye-opening and eye-closing. It was, well, Boring! B O R I N G!
It started with using social media for good, like working with charities etc, and that was good, so was my sister when she spoke on her blog being a gateway for her book.
But most of it was crap. There was no defining information, or impactual differences in people's stories. Most people just seemed to be clones of each other - mummy bloggers focused on the $$$$ and drinking...
I was ashamed to be considered in the same group as them with the way they behaved this year to PR reps about sometimes working for free and of last year, again to the PR reps about no swearing on your blog.

Furthermore, I approached one blogger (she is the lead in Aus for our industry) and had a very brief conversation with her as she palmed me off to talk to my older sister. Granted my sister is a blogging celebrity (seriously, it was weird seeing people react how they did...) but she didn't even make up some excuse or anything, just fobbed me off. It was clear I had nothing to offer her and she was uninterested in me because of it.

After that it became VERY clear to me that I have got to stop, take a deep breath, and make a change.
I have to change the way I see myself.
I'm not going to try to impress them (Aussie bigger bloggers) or whatever. After this weekend I don't care for them. I am going to blog how I want to blog, write what I want to write and be who I want to be.
Bee Yourself... Have the confidence in yourself, what you do and what you believe to make your life happy. Others won't bring you that happiness.

Experience #3: Free Agency means I have the choice to prepare or to fail
It's in no one else's hands but my own, and whilst we were shopping on Saturday, Heavenly Father decided to remind me of that with my living example of a sister.
We found this one stall at the markets with story chain necklaces. One charm read "luck is when opportunity meets preparation"
It rang true of my sister who had been preparing for all options and circumstances so when a chance presents itself, she can take it. One potential business opportunity (which we also believe God planted in our path) was literally the market stall 2 down from this one!!!!
Things aren't working how I want right now because I'm not preparing myself for them to work. So I need to stop procrastinating and get moving!

Big weekend with big lessons!!!