Category: Uncategorized

To Do:
D&C memorize and read
WHC reading and essay
Prac piano and steel
talk to Eliza
email Bro McArthur

So I just got this idea to post a typical conversation at BYU Hawaii. And this is a one-sided conversation because I thought that would be a lot easier. If anyone likes it enough, they could consider doing the same thing on their own blog.

1. Hey, I don’t think I’ve met you before. I mean, I see you everyday (along with everyone else), but I don’t think we’ve ever been formally introduced. In other words, what’s your name?
2. Sorry, say that again?
3. Oh wow. Um, could you spell that for me?
4. That’s such a nice name! I’m Amber
5. So, where are you from?
6. Dang, that’s really cool! So what brought you here?
7. No way! When did you join the church?
8. Alright! That’s fantastic!
9. So, what’s your major?
10. Accounting? I guess that means you’re really smart, yeah?/ ICS? That’s great! This is the perfect place for you to be!
11. Well, it was really nice to meet you! I’m sure I’ll see you around every day from now on, and I’ll certainly smile and say hi.

This term, I’m taking a Western Cultures and Humanities class, and then second half of the D&C. Both are great classes with incredible teachers. The coolest thing is how well they fit together. I just finished reading Plato’s Republic and the Apology of Socrates and a bunch of other philosophy (so interesting!), and I’m amazed at how well the D&C answers so many of the questions these philosophers– Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, and pretty much the entire human race since the Fall– have been asking.

Get this– There was this boy named Joseph Smith. He was a poor farm boy, and he wasn’t really able to go to school. But despite his lack of schooling, he was a very thoughtful boy, and became interested in the great wonders of the cosmos, including the meaning of life and the purpose and nature of our existence. So, being the thoughtful boy that he was, he decided to take his answers to God. And guess what? He came back with absolutely no one else, as educated as they were, ever had. He had the answers! Directly from the Father. Oh, and did I mention he was 14 at the time?

And then it goes further. As he grew older, his wisdom increased, and he began asking more and more questions. (Enough to fill an entire book. We like to call it the Doctrine and Covenants.) For example, D&C 131:7-8 answers literally all the questions of the nature of God and our existence. Or see D&C 101:37 for enlightenment on On the Soul by Aristotle.

Not only does this help us make more sense of life, it really strengthens my testimony of the prophet Joseph. I absolutely know (through the Spirit, not just scientific evidences) that Heavenly Father and Jesus appeared to him and restored the true and living gospel on the earth today.

And I’m gonna be able to share that in 16 short months!

Today I’ve been thinking about my Mama… And these are some thoughts I’ve had:

1. My mama is probably the closest to the Spirit it is possible to be on this earth if you aren’t the prophet. And you know that scripture in Alma (Alma 56: 47-48) when he talks about the Stripling Warriors and how their moms had taught them? Yeah. I could never doubt that my Mama knew it, because she is a living example of a Christ-centered life and bears her testimony through all her actions. In fact, I think this scripture is a perfect description of her. So much so that I’m going to write it:

Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it.

2. As an education major, I’m learning a lot about teaching strategies and the most effective and helpful ways to teach, and I’m realizing what a good teacher and example my mama was/ is to me. I want to be a teacher/ mom like her someday.
3. I can’t even express how supportive she was during my surgery and recovery. First of all, she stayed in the hospital with me the entire time, which really means more than I can say. Although I wasn’t awake or conscious for a lot of it, she was there, sleeping on a chair and taking care of me.
4. She also made covers for my ice bags that matched my pajamas, and she froze all the ice I needed and brought it to me at all hours of the day or night.
5. And all those hours of driving to and from Timpview, for seminary and cross-country, and all the other things that happened… She was so supportive of everything we did– concerts and races and everything else. That meant a lot.
6. My mama keeps the fridge stocked with at least 5 gallons of ice cream at all times.
7. Packages. She understands what a big deal it is for me to get a package in the mail, and because of that, she sends them regularly. One time I called her and told her I was hungry. Soon thereafter I got a huge package with enough food to last a whole semester. Even in Hawaii she takes good care of me! Also, when she and my daddy dropped me off here in the Fall, they left me with a whole box of wrapped presents to unwrap each night for a month. I can’t even express how comforting that was.
8. I didn’t really fully appreciate her cooking until I left for college. Mmmm my mama can cook! I especially miss the oatmeal chocolate chip cookie dough we used to have on Sundays. And I remember that she used to always make after-school snacks for us. That was so great! I want to do that for my kids! That’s the deal– my mama is the perfect example of the mom I want to be someday.

And there’s so much more! I can guarantee that I’ll come back to this post and add more the more I think about my wonderful mama. THANK YOU MAMA! I love you!

As long as I’m thinking about mothers, I thought I should honor the other “moms” in my life. Because no one could raise a kid like me alone.

(Some people just don’t have enough pictures on facebook!)

Today is my best day so far.

I’ve tried to dedicate as much of this day as I can to thinking about the Savior and His life and all that He’s done for me, which should of course be a constant thing. But I tried extra hard today, and that’s why it’s been my best day so far. I was able to have a really excellent scripture study, wherein I studied the different accounts of the Atonement and Resurrection, as found in Matthew 26-28, Mark 14-16, Luke 22-24, and john 18-20. I also studied The Living Christ, which bore powerful testimony to me today of the life of Christ.

The interesting thing about today is that the more I studied and learned about His life and what happened that week, the more my love and appreciation grew. It’s hard to imagine how love can grow so much in one day, but there more I learned, the more I understood, and the greater love I had. I was absolutely amazed at Matthew 26:45, after His apostles keep falling asleep when He needs them most. He says to them, “Sleep on now, and take your rest; behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed to the sinners.” What complete forgiveness and compassion! And He knows that He’s already been betrayed by one of His closest friends.

This is a song by Kenneth Cope about the life of Christ and what we need to do because of what He did. I totally cry ever time I listen to it, but it was perfect to watch right after reading the scriptural accounts. That’s what I’ve gained today: a greater desire to do what’s right because of what my Savior has done for me.

It’s because of this that today is my best day so far. I still can hardly comprehend the Atonement, and I know I won’t ever be able to fully understand it, but I do understand that He did it because He loves us. As it says in the new Primary song that I love, I know He lives! I will follow faithfully. My heart I give to Him. I know that my Savior loves me! And as the apostles say at the end of The Living Christ, God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son.

“For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others;
for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness;
and for poise, walk with the knowledge that
you are never alone.”
-Audrey Hepburn

I just evaporated, and now I’ve reached the SUN! That period of precipitation was rough, and the time I almost drowned in the tempestuous ocean was a bit of a scare, but the cycle continues, and I have a bright future. I anticipate the time of condensation, and I do know that rain/ snow/ other precipitation is ahead, but I say that tsunamis are more exciting than many other natural disasters.

Exceptional Children

This is the link to the project I’ve been working on all semester for my Special Ed class. Whew! What a beast! I pretty much sold my soul and several hours of sleep for it. (When I say several, I mean SEVERAL.) So go ahead and view it and learn what you can. I may still edit it, but at least it’s done! It should be really educational. I know I learned a lot from it.

My Special Ed class is one of the best classes I’ve ever taken, and I’m really starting to think about that. I’m going to write more about that later, but for now, I’m amazed at what kids have to go through. This is a really fantastic video, and I’m putting it one the Exceptional Children website I’m building.