Turning A New Chapter In Life. . . . .

Taken outside of our new place before dropping Hoko off @ the airport to head back to Michigan :(

Today was our first Sunday attending our new ward here in Ogden. And I am feeling tremendous blessings from a loving father in heaven who I know, knows me by name. :D

When we arrived at church, I walked the older kids to primary n while I knew they were nervous, they walked in with a such a reverence that would make any parent proud & I held my breath as I turned & walked the opposite direction towards the nursery to drop baby Hoko off there. My brave little man of the house, as his dad refers to him & reminds him of his title/responsibility here at home while he's away. He was a little quiet & shy as he met his new teacher & then was shown to the toys where his eyes lit up & he happily forgot that he was in a new ward. :D This only left Savou & I. We wandered the halls in hopes of finding the relief society room, but I was distracted at the ward bulletin board in the hallway. It was filled with upcoming events, including the ward Christmas celebration this Saturday, the ward temple night this Wed, employment classes being taught to the unemployed as well as the under-employed, marriage classes being offered on a weekly basis to young married couples, young adults, & then also married couples in general. I was amazed!! While I was reading up on all these things, the Bishop approached me & introduced himself. I did the same & we talked a little bit. Then he showed me to the RS room & I was shocked. There were so many sisters in there. I quickly took my seat & was immediately overcome with such a strong spirit whose presence was in the room. The lesson was on being more Christlike & forgiving. Being more mindful of others. It was great. Then the RS President got up to close & she bore testimony of visiting teaching. She said how there are 269 sisters in the ward & only 170 heard the message last month. She pled with the sisters to please share the message with their assigned sisters this month so that everyone could feel the love of Christ this holiday season. Her testimony was so touching. Was so sincere. She had such a Christlike spirit & it has motivated me to really focus on what this Christmas season is really about. Service to others. Compassion to others. Forgiveness of others. I am truly thankful for this gospel & the examples of those around me.

There was a sister sitting next to me that introduced herself to me afterwards. Come to find out, we live on the same street & her husband works overseas so she's home with her kids as well. She gave me her number & addy in case I need anything. And then another sister stopped & introduced herself as well. She also lives on the same street & wrote her number & addy down as well. With Hoko working out of town most of the time, I sat there & was overcome with such gratitude to such a loving father in heaven who understands wholeheartedly what I go through day in & day out as a mother of six, struggling to teach my kids 'righteous principles' in hopes that we will ALL return home & continue to be an eternal family.

I was passed the attendance folder to sign my name & was in awe of the different tabs in there. When first opening it up, there was a sign up sheet for this Tues night between 7-8:15 pm for free babysitting services at the church so that parents can go do Christmas shopping. And the page after that had an email address written down asking for favorite recipes that will be put in a book that one of the sisters is putting together for the RS sisters. How awesome is that?? :D I am so EXCITED to be a part of this ward & feel so blessed to be amongst such wonderful members.

While it's always so nerve wrecking, exciting, tiring, frustrating & much needed when turning a new chapter in life. . . . .there's always the reassurance of continuing in faith believing that no matter what, if you focus an unwavering life with Christ at the center, you will always succeed. I love my husband & am so grateful for his sacrifice in providing for our family so that I can be a stay at home mom to our kids as well as a full time college student. I love him for loving me despite my weaknesses & for his continuous support in all my endeavors. He says that he doesn't know what it is about Ogden, but that he LOVES living out here. WOW!! Lol. That's definitely something to be excited about. Life is looking a little more like Christmas around here & may we all remember the reason for the season. :D Happy Holidays. :D