Where's Jesus, Matty?

I am so excited!! So whenever Matty fusses at church, I take him out in the hallway and look at paintings of Jesus there. And I always say things like...

Is that Jesus, Matty?
Does he love you?
Does he love mommy and daddy?
Does he want you to be good?

Every week for the past 4 months or so, I have been doing that at church.

Well, Sean and I got into a routine with Matthew at night. We go to bed a little late at night. So Matt's night night time is around 10.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I can hear you all gasp!
Anyhow, Sean and I take turns to put Matty in bed and every night, we read Matty a book (usually, we check out about 15 books from a local library every other week for Matt), pray together, and look at all the pictures of Jesus in his room. There are three pictures of Jesus in his room. One with baby Jesus and Mary, one with Jesus with two little children, and one with Jesus and missionaries. I am sure you have seen all these pictures before. Every night for the past month, we have been pointing at Jesus with Matt, telling him who Jesus is, etc.

(Consider the Lilies by Simon Dewey)

And tonight, when we pointed at the picture of Jesus with two little children, Matt pointed and said "Je-us" over and over again. We thought maybe it was a coincidence but we brought him out in the living room and asked him where Jesus was, he pointed his finger toward his bedroom and said "Je-us". Sean and I were surprised that Matt was already starting to learn about Jesus. I took Matt back into his bedroom and asked Matt where Jesus was, he pointed again at his favorite painting of Jesus and said "Je-us" again. It was the cutest thing ever!

It is amazing how much Matt loves Jesus already. Whenever he fusses or cries, I show him pictures of Jesus and almost every time, he calms down and smiles big. I wonder if he recognizes him from heaven. Little children are so pure, I bet they can see or feel things that we adults can't. I love being able to teach my baby about Jesus. It brings me such great joy.

Looking back...

Tomorrow, I will have been a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints exactly for 10 years. I was baptized in Korea on January 16th, 1999, just before I turned 18. Unfortunately I don't remember what exactly happened minute by minute but I do still remember the way I felt that day.

I always believed in God, even when I didn't have any religion. I went to a Catholic school for three years where I learned about Jesus Christ and his crucifixion. I loved the Catholic religion. I prayed before I ate even though I didn't really understand how to pray. But it broke my heart every time I watched the same video about Jesus' crucifixion every month. It was uneasy for me to watch the pain and suffering that Christ went through. I used to go to the chapel at school to meditate and pray.

I remember praying every night before bed. My prayers back then were very simple but sincere. I didn't exactly follow the prayer patterns that our church teaches. I just let it all out, whatever was on my mind. I loved to pray. I used to pray for a happy family. When that didn't work out, I stopped praying. I spent years crying over my parents unhappy marriage, all the abuse, and alcohol, pitying myself. I was not a happy person at all.

That's when I met the missionaries. Two of the greatest missionaries helped me understand the true meaning of happiness and how I could change myself, my attitude towards life. When I learned about Christ's atonement (I had not truly understood this until the missionaries explained it to me.), I nearly cried. When I read about Alma's affliction, I knew that I wasn't alone and that there was a way for me to overcome my negative feelings towards my family. That is when my journey of healing began.

About a month after I started meeting with the missionaries, I was baptized to be a member of the church. It was a very special day for me. My heart was filled with joy and love... the kind of love that I had never felt before. Not too long after I was baptized, I got back in touch with my mom (I hadn't talked to my mom in years). I love my mom. I am nothing without her. I am so glad that I didn't stay angry at her. It took me longer to get along with my dad. But I am almost there. I love him so much. I am so grateful for the changes that he has made in his life. He's a different person now. And my brother, he graduated from college in computer graphic design and works at a company that pays him to do what he loves doing. He is a very talented artist.

Joining the church completely changed my life. I don't know where I would be without the gospel. I truly appreciate all the great changes and blessings that it has brought in to my life. Heavenly Father has always been there for me through good and hard times. Sometimes I feel like I don't even deserve the blessings I receive from Him. People say being a member of the church is hard. But I think being a member of the church has made everything a little easier for me. I know we face trials and oppositions in our lives because of our beliefs but I know we become stronger and happier as we follow the commandments of God.

The last 10 years have been the greatest years of my life. I had an opportunity to serve the Lord as a missionary in Mesa, Arizona. I met some of the most amazing people there. I will never forget the feelings I felt during some of discussions and the visitors' center tours. God was there with me, leading me to His children. I also had an opportunity to go to the greatest school ever, Brigham Young University-Idaho. I learned not only Sociology but also the way of life I should live for the rest of my life. I met and married the most amazing guy, Sean, there. I used to pray for a kind, thoughtful, and cheerful husband. Well, Sean is all those things. I love him dearly so very much. Now, we have a beautiful and somewhat crazy baby boy in my life. I wouldn't trade him for anything in the world. I think I understand when people say "I could die for my children".

I know I am not perfect. There are so many attributes that I need to acquire throughout my life. That's the beauty of the gospel. It makes you want to be a better person everyday.

What Christ means to me...

Christmas is probably my favorite time of the year. I love all the Christmas carols and saying "Merry Christmas" to everyone. I loved buying gifts for Sean and Matt for Christmas this year. I know Christmas isn't about gifts but trying to figure out what they will like and what their reactions would be like was a lot of fun. More than anything though, my favorite part of Christmas this year was our little Family Home Evening on Christmas eve. Sean and I came home early from a family dinner at Mimi's Cafe to have our own FHE. We invited Sean's parents to join us, too. We sat down and read from Luke 2 and watched "The Nativity" together. I am so grateful for Jesus Christ and His everlasting love for every one of us. Sean made an interesting comment about the movie that I never thought of before. He said it is interesting how Jesus was born among the poor whereas the rich people had to travel far to see and worship Him. His birth is an humbling event for everyone, for the poor, for the rich. I hope I don't have to travel too far to become to know Him. It is sad that many people are forgetting what Christmas is really about. Many people now write X-mas instead of Christ-mas. They want to get rid of anything that emphasizes Christ. There was a park near Pismo Beach and it was called "Christmas Park" but because the name of the park contained "Christ" there was a big lawsuit and they changed the name of the park to something else. Jesus Christ means so much to me. He changed my life. I am thankful for His love for me and my family. I pray that He will show His love and mercy to you. Just look around and see what you have. What you have is a blessing. You just have to allow yourself to recognize it as a blessing.

Faith in every footstep

I have been going on Youtube to find good videos and I found the song "Faith in every footstep". I love the song. It reminds me of my mission (not just because we sang the song so much, but because of the Spirit that the song brings). (The Mormon Tabernacle sang this song.)

General Authorities' Broadcast on Proposition 8

To watch clips from the broadcast, go to..
http://www.newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/church-readies-members-on-proposition-8

The articles from Church News...

At the request of the Protect Marriage Coalition, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is making arrangements for them to call friends, family and fellow citizens in California to urge support of the effort to defend traditional marriage. The coalition has asked members of the many participating churches and organizations to contribute in whatever way they can to the effort to pass Proposition 8, including by phoning.

“It is a combination of two things,” said Elder L. Whitney Clayton of the Church’s Presidencyof the Seventy. “We are looking at options to fulfill a request from the coalition to help with phone calls to encourage support of Proposition 8. We’re also responding to the many requests we have had from students and others who want to help. Making phone calls is something they can do.”
Elder Clayton said that no decision had yet been made by the coalition on whether to activate any phone volunteers outside of California.

Although many Church members other than Californians have expressed a desire to help, the out-of-state effort will stay focused on Californians for the time being. No calls have yet been made from outside of California other than a handful of calls to test the system.

In addition, in a satellite broadcast that took place tonight for Californian Church members, Elders M. Russell Ballard, Quentin L. Cook and L. Whitney Clayton addressed the Church’s doctrine of marriage and participation in the Protect Marriage Coalition.

Proposition 8, on which Californians will vote on 4 November, defines marriage in California as between a man and a woman.

I will not yield. I can not yield.

Today is one of those days that I feel so, so, so blessed to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have been struggling lately with all the affairs that are happening in the world. I had been worried about what's happening all around the world and felt like the world was coming to an end. In Relief Society today, the lesson was on "We will not yield. We can not yield!" It was really a great lesson that I needed to hear. The teacher quoted Joseph Smith's "Standard of Truth" where it says "no unhallowed hands can stop the work from progressing". That really struck me. She's right! No unhallowed hands can stop God's work from progressing. As long as we do our parts, Heavenly Father will not allow unhallowed hands to stop his work here on earth. That was very comforting for me, especially with prop 8 and other political crap going on right now. We also talked about Lehi's dream about people in the great and spacious building. The people who were in the building were rich and well educated and they mocked those who were holding on to the iron rod to reach the tree of life. One sister commented that some of us Mormons also belong to the people in that large and spacious building by judging and mocking others as well. I mean, we shouldn't hate the sinners but hate the sin. I got a lot out of the lesson today. It gave me a whole new perspective on how I view the world right now. I will not yield, I can not yield!!

Just a thought..

I was just watching a news show on 9/11 and thought about the pride cycle in the Book of Mormon. When 9/11 happened 7 years ago, all Americans were united and prayed for the innocent people whose lives were sacrificed for the "sacred" mission of the secret combination in Afghanistan. When they reunited, America was stronger than ever. The world was moved by their sincere prayers and prayed with them. Now, 7 years have passed, America is falling apart again, the world is falling apart.

I don't mean to sound so negative and pessimistic, but people don't fear God anymore. The same people that prayed so sincerely for the sake of others now have forgotten how to pray. They believe that 9/11 have passed and something like that will never happen again because their government would never allow it. Strangely enough, during the tragic times like 9/11 back in 2001, people united in harmony, remembering that America was founded on the principles of Christianity, prayed together all night in tears. Now only 7 years have passed, people are putting God on trial, trying to destroy his doctrines and principles of morality.

I've heard others say that Satan has gotten so powerful these days but I think it's people that have gotten weak and wicked so it's easier for Satan to take over their minds. We, Mormons, are fortunate to know that we have a prophet in our day to guide us through righteous paths. Sean told me about the law that passed in Colorado how men may be allowed to enter women's rooms and locker rooms and there is simply nothing women can do about it because they can get sued. Sometimes I wonder if people are seeking their rights because they want those rights or if they want to sue others and get money off of them.

In California, they are voting on proposition 8 (the traditional definition of a family). If it does not pass, many churches won't be able to refuse to marry homosexual couples. I don't believe in homosexuality. All the awful things that are happening in the world are designed to destroy our families. Strong families build a strong community, later a strong nation. It is frightening to think that our children might grow up thinking that gay marriage or homosexuality is just a normal part of life and that they can choose either to become a homosexual or a heterosexual. Sean told me the other day about an article that he read on the newspaper. A teacher in a public elementary school in Messachussetts read her kids a story of a prince and another prince. Basically there was a prince who decided that he didn't like any princesses, so he marries another prince from a different country. They kiss in the end and live happily ever after. I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT!! Our children will be exposed to this kind of teachers if we do nothing about it. I don't know what this world is coming into...

The Priesthood Blessing

Matt went in for 4 month check-up the other day. He now weighs 17 lbs 6 oz and measures 27 inches. He's at around 66 percentile. He got those immunization shots and amazingly enough, he didn't cry at all. I was pretty amazed by this. He's a pretty strong boy.
Well, he did get sick though. He had a fever of 101.4 degrees for about a day and a half. We gave him tylenols but didn't really help. He was really fussy last night. He couldn't sleep too well so I woke Sean up and asked him if he would give Matt a blessing. I sat Matt up in our bed and Sean put his hands on him and gave him a beautiful blessing. It was incredible. I choked up because I was so grateful to have the priesthood in our home. After about 10 minutes he received his blessing, Matt finally fell asleep in my arms and never woke up until about 5 a.m. to eat. His fever was also gone by this morning. I feel so blessed to be married to a worthy priesthood holder.