Ether 12:3

It seems like as soon as I feel like everything is going right, God dumps a load of trials on my head! haha

It really is ridiculous all the stuff I am dealing with right now. My roommate is anti-social who almost always has her 20" Plasma TV on, and since she is a non-member it's not always the most uplifting thing. (She's here on a full-ride scholarship because she's on the gymnastics team.) I'm STILL waiting for my financial aid to come through, and now I have a hold on my BYU account so I can't add or drop any classes until my financial aid gets processed. Which is kind of bad because the counselor I saw today told me that I should drop 3 of my 5 classes. And there are other little difficulties I will refrain from boring you with. Yeah, I'd say this is getting ridiculous.

But when doors like this are closed - or slammed shut - the Lord always opens windows. I am amazed yet again by the peace He is giving me to get through these trying times and how my faith is being strengthened. I think that the peace God gives is one of the sweetest feelings in the world.

My best friend Brian came back to BYU on Saturday. I cannot describe how wonderful it has been to have him so nearby. In the last couple days we have had wonderful evening walks and been able to support each other through the anxieties and stresses of moving away from home. I was able to receive a priesthood blessing from him in one of my darkest moments. That blessing has dispelled my fears and calmed my troubled heart. It helped me to remember the countless times that the Lord has pulled me through seemingly impossible trials, and how each of them was a stepping stone, just as these current trials will be.

I have many other wonderful friends here who love me and are keeping me busy! I can't wait for my other roommates to move in so I can make more new friends. I hope that all of us can find a way to compromise with our non-member roommate and keep the Spirit in our home. I have incredible parents who are great about listening even though I call about twenty times a day! They are such good examples to me and are truly my heroes. Thanks mom and dad. :]

I also have the scriptures. Today I decided to read Ether chapter 12 to help bolster my faith, and I was particularly struck by verse 3. "For he [the prophet Ether] did cry from the morning, even until the going down of the sun, exhorting the people to believe in God unto repentance lest they should be destroyed, saying unto them that by faith all things are fulfilled." I realized today just what this verse means. Because good men have faith, they receive the promptings of the Spirit and act on them. Faith motivates us to obey the Lord's commandments, and those actions, even though we may not understand their purpose, fulfill His promises. For example, when Nephi was commanded to go back and get the brass plates, he had no idea that those records and his later writings would become scripture and change the world more than 2,000 years later. Nephi's faithful obedience fulfilled the Lord's promise that He would bring the gospel to all the world. When Joseph Smith translated those plates and recorded the revelations he had received, he also helped in the fulfillment of that prophecy. I cannot understand yet why Heavenly Father wants to me go through these challenging experiences, but I do know that He loves me and that as I act in faith, the blessings He has promised me will be fulfilled.

I know without a doubt that my Savior lives and will make things work out for me in the end. As difficult as my trials have been, I would never give them up because they have helped me to know Jesus Christ better. He truly is my best friend. I look forward to seeing Him work miracles in my life and sharing those miracles with you.

Much love,
Tasha