Uncharted

Dear Kalli,
No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit. – Helen Keller

Uncharted: by Sara Bareilles

 

 

For your work with the little ones:

The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery. – Mark Van Doren

Last Sunday, Amy Beth gave an awesome RS lesson. She led us through considering the Savior as each participant in the Nativity scene, for example, how is the Savior like the angels? or the shepherds? or the wise men? or Jesus’ parents? Like the angels, the Savior brings warnings, comfort, and announces the Father. Like the shepherds, He leads us, seeking the one, being humble, and spreading the good news of the gospel. Like the wise men, He is the wisest of all, He is the King of all Kings, and He left all of his personal pursuits to fulfill the Father’s will. Like Jesus’ parents, He wants the best for us, He loves us more than we can imagine, and He sacrifices for us. There are many more participants and connections we didn’t have time to pursue – what resonates with you?

The Savior’s birth brought man into uncharted territory – He is here!!!!

Can’t wait to see where these uncharted travels take you =)

We love you!

Love,

Sarah H and US

Joy In NEW

Dear Kalli,

Walt Disney said, “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”

Christopher McCandless posited, “The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.”


From E. Bednar’s talk, “Ye Must Be Born Again” (April, 2007):

“Alma declared: ‘Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters; And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God’ (Mosiah 27:25–26).

We are instructed to “come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny [ourselves] of all ungodliness” (Moroni 10:32), to become “new creature[s]” in Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:17), to put off “the natural man” (Mosiah 3:19), and to experience “a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually” (Mosiah 5:2). Please note that the conversion described in these verses is mighty, not minor—a spiritual rebirth and fundamental change of what we feel and desire, what we think and do, and what we are. Indeed, the essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ entails a fundamental and permanent change in our very nature made possible through our reliance upon “the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah” (2 Nephi 2:8). As we choose to follow the Master, we choose to be changed—to be spiritually reborn.”

I hope the new you are experiencing is joyful!

We love you!

Love,

Sarah H and US

Small Beginnings

Dear Kalli,

A blogger from Excellence Training wrote, “Do you remember the new beginnings within your life? They are the moments where change begins to take root, and you grew a new part of yourself?  A new version of your life? Perhaps they took the form of your first day at a new school, or a new job, the first time you fell in love, when you learned how to paint, create music, dance, or run. These are the epiphanies that send us into new patterns of thought, or the life changes that catapult us into a new state of being. To become the person you are today, you have experienced a multitude of beginnings. Some of them have been more memorable than others, but all of them are important parts of who you are. ‘Do not despise small beginnings’ – Zechariah 4:10″

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In April 1975, Sterling Sill said, “And I thought that inasmuch as this is a season of so many new beginnings I would like to talk to you about birth. However, I don’t mean the birth of Jesus, nor the resurrection, nor the reawakening of nature. I mean your own birth and the great possibilities involved in our own human reawakenings.

Henry David Thoreau, an early American philosopher, once said that we should thank God every day of our lives for the privilege of having been born. And then he went on to speculate on the rather unique supposition of what it might have been like if we had not been born. Just suppose that you had never been born or that your parents or your brothers and sisters or your children or your friends had never been born. Just think of all the excitement and blessings that we would have missed as a consequence. But what Mr. Thoreau may not have known was that one-third of all the children of God never were born and never can be born because they failed to pass the requirements of their first estate.

We remember the unembodied spirits who appeared to Jesus in his day who preferred the bodies of swine rather than to have no bodies at all. (See Matt. 8:28–32; Mark 5:11–13.) And I am very sure that if we could go today while we walk by faith and stand where we once stood when we walked by sight that we would be willing to crawl on our hands and knees through life for this tremendous opportunity which we presently enjoy.

William Wordsworth said that our birth is a sleep and forgetting. There is one distinguishing characteristic about the moment of birth in that it is an unconscious moment; that is, no one ever realizes while he is being born that that event is actually taking place. Sometimes we don’t discover that we have been born until quite a long time afterward. Sometimes we never do find out that we have been born.

I heard one man say about his friend, ‘He doesn’t know he is alive.’ Frequently that strikes very close to the truth. That is, sometimes we don’t know why we were born. We don’t know where we came from. We don’t know the purpose of life. We haven’t any very definite program for just what we are going to do about our eternal destiny.”

I love the thought that there are no endings, just new beginnings, and that each beginning helps us become who we are today.

We love you!

Love,

Sarah H and US

Sending Wind To You

Dear Kalli,

The beginning of your journey had me thinking about Mary today. How might have Mary felt as she left Nazareth headed for Bethlehem? She must have been filled with anxiety and fear, anticipation and faith … and many other feelings.

Upon Leaving Home – by Stephanie Russell
“I left my quiet harbor
In favor of another—I know not where.
But first,
there are seas to cross
and storms to brave.
How could I prefer the foreign deep
to the encircling arms of my bay?
Because
some things
can only be learned
at sea.
Yes, my craft is watertight.
I can navigate the unknown,
And O, the wind that fills my sails
blows from home.”
Christine C gave an amazing talk today about gifts. She said each member of the nativity scene brought a gift: the kings, gold, frankincense, myrrh; the shepherds, spreading the word of Jesus’ birth; Joseph, incredible faith; Mary, love and sacrifice (I think). She talked about recognizing gifts in others, and how we need to see these gifts in both ourselves and in others. She said we should never doubt our own gifts, for we have them to bless and serve others.
Matt M also gave an amazing talk about the three-holiday season: Thanksgiving, for being humble and grateful, Christmas, for sharing and giving, and New Year’s, for implementing change. He talked about this natural progression through all three, that when one has humbled themselves, and served, then they desire to make changes to be more like the Lord.
Hope you are loving South Africa! Sending wind from us to you…
Love,
Sarah H and US

The Birthday of ALL Birthdays

Dear Kalli,

Happy Birthday on the birthday of ALL birthdays! The birth of a new chapter. New learning. New experiences. Today is the day you leave for a most incredible adventure. Is it not Bilbo that, when asked where he was “off to,” shouted as he ran by the questioner, “I’m going on an adventure!” Not only is this a once-in-a-life opportunity, it’s like a once-in-ten-lifetimes adventure!!

In the spirit of new adventures, Elder Holland said, “‘The best is yet to be’ is an important matter to consider at the start of a new year—and every day ought to be the start of a new year and a new life. Such is the wonder of faith, repentance, and the miracle of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The poet Robert Browning wrote:

Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made:
Our times are in his hand
Who saith, ‘A whole I planned,
Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!’ 2

Some of you may wonder: Is there any future for me? What does a new year or a new semester, a new major or a new romance, a new job or a new home hold for me? Will I be safe? Will life be sound? Can I trust in the Lord and in the future? Or would it be better to look back, to go back, to stay in the past?

To all such of every generation, I call out, ‘Remember Lot’s wife.’ Faith is for the future. Faith builds on the past but never longs to stay there. Faith trusts that God has great things in store for each of us and that Christ truly is the ‘high priest of good things to come’ (Hebrews 9:11).

Keep your eyes on your dreams, however distant and far away. Live to see the miracles of repentance and forgiveness, of trust and divine love that will transform your life today, tomorrow, and forever.”

Full talk at: https://www.lds.org/ensign/2010/01/the-best-is-yet-to-be?lang=eng

As you are traveling, we will be sending you messages, pictures, recordings, updates, and love from the US. =)

We love you! Please share and post your experiences somewhere so we can be there with you.

We are praying for you!

Love,

Sarah H and US