Oh, the places you'll go!

This has been a packed week! Lots of new and exciting things, as well lots to do. Here's just some of the fun! 

I went to Andrea Bai's baby shower... I opted out of the "drink root beer as fast as you can out of a baby bottle" contest for what I think are obvious reasons....

Chad bought us "Wicked" tickets for my birthday!! He noticed it was on my bucket  list and bought them the next day! 

Chad and I went over to a friend's house for a campfire. Chad loves his marshmellos "well done."

Took Nike to the vet.... And let the wind blow in her hair.... 

Do you have flat arches?

We forgot hiking shoes, water shoes, a laptop cord, our river rafting reservations, matching Sunday socks, glasses holders for the river, water bottles, a backpack, an extra pair of garments... and utensils. But we were extremely creative! Chad here demonstrates how coffee straws can be used as chopsticks... chopsticks that shovel microwavable mac n' cheese into one's mouth after the cup has sufficiently cooled. We also used pieces of cardboard on which to microwave hot dogs. When we ran out of toilet paper (Chad doesn't trust the maids, so the "Do not disturb" sign hung on our front door for four days), we ransacked Chad's car and as miracles would have it, we even found an extra roll.

I was too slow to catch the cow in the middle of the road on our way to Canyonlands, but my finger made it in the picture just fine. 

The time spent in the motel was full of "constructive" activities...  like building a house of cards. 

And of course a rambunctious game of Solitaire for me while Chad watched the NBA Playoffs.... I take after the Utah Jazz... I lost before I even started... I'd like to blame it on the fact that I realized partway through that I didn't have a full deck...

Double Arch in Arches National Park. From our final drive through before we left Tuesday morning. 

The view from Dead Horse Point. Luckily no horses today.

 My new friend Manny. 

 We're so happy, we're "glowing!" Taken from the Dead Horse Point overlook.

 Us being silly in the motel before hiking Delicate Arch Saturday morning. Chad tried to help me "fix" my hair. Turned out lovely...

Window Arch in Canyonlands on Sunday. Beautiful. 

If you look really close between the two people on the right, you'll notice that Chad and I are not in this picture. That's because we have neither a waterproof camera, nor a way to be in a raft and on the shore taking pictures at the same time. We did, however, go through a Class III rapid at the beginning of our half day river run on Monday afternoon. They even let us out half way through and fed us some BBQ'd food at a lodge for the extremely rich. It was a very windy day, and had we not paddled, we still would have been in the same place we started.

To whom shall ye go?

Will ye also go away? That is a question we are asked everyday as disciples of Jesus Christ. The main thing I got from General Conference this April is that things are going to get harder... way harder, and the only way to combat the trials that are coming is to be a disciple. The people that went away claimed, "it was a hard saying," the things Jesus taught them. They came seeking bread. Just like he had provided only a few days prior. They wanted manna. They wanted Moses. They wanted a physical deliverance from the Romans. Instead Jesus was telling them that he was going to give them the bread of life, the Redeemer, and spiritual deliverance from Satan and death. It was too hard. It was not what they wanted, and so they left. How many times in our own lives have things not turned our how we planned and we turned away from God. When in reality God is trying to give us something better.

The thing He is trying to give us is a life of Discipleship. The question then is how do we become a disciple that doesn't leave? One must know what a disciple is and what a disciple does. General Conference was filled with more then 40 references to disciples or discipleship.

Regardless of what Satan would try to persuade us to think about who we are, our true identity is that of a disciple of Jesus Christ. 

- Sister Burton 

Living the Lord’s pure religion, which means striving to become a true disciple of Jesus Christ, is a way of life and a daily commitment that will provide divine guidance. As you practice your religion, you are letting your faith show.

-  Elders Oaks

Focusing on serving out brothers and sisters can guide us to make divine decisions in our daily lives and prepares us to value and love what the Lord loves. In so doing, we witness by our very lives that we are His disciples. When we are engaged in His work, we feel His Spirit with us. We grow in testimony, faith, trust, and love.

-          Elder Rashband

Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is not an effort of a week or once a day. It is an effort of once and for all.

- President Uchtdrof  

 To rationalize disobedience does not change spiritual law or its consequences but leads to confusion, instability wandering in strange paths, being lost, and grief. As Disciples of Christ, we have a cared obligations uphold His laws and commandments and the covenants which we take upon ourselves. Obedience makes us progressively stronger, capable of faithfully enduring tests and trials in the future.

-          Elder Hales

The best way to strengthen a home, current or future, is to keep covenants, promises we've made to each other and to God. That’s what disciples do!

-          Sister Burton

In addition to teaching, encouraging and cheering people on (that is the pleasant part of discipleship) from time to time these same messengers are called upon to worry, to warn, and sometimes just to weep (that is the painful part of discipleship).Be

-          Elder Holland

Be strong. Live the gospel faithfully even if other around you don’t live it at all. Defend your beliefs with courtesy and with compassion, but defend them.

-          Elder Holland

Shoeless in Arches

 Window shopping on Main Street in Moab... Whose teeth look better? Or at least, less freaky?

 Chad's good eye spotted us several big green frogs!

 I am so outta shape...

 Chad saw Delicate Arch before me because he peeked through this one first....

 A nice lady from Cincinnati took our picture in front of the arch. 

The country store has a lot of great items, including gym shoes and water shoes (I forgot both and Chad forgot his gym shoes), but I'm thinking maybe we should stay away from the maple bars.... That is, unless you like licking the frosting off the bottom of the box!

Nike wants a tan

Is Nike.... Dead?? Nope :) just sun bathing!! 

Sacrament and Sacrifice

I taught a lesson this last week on the fulfillment of the Law of Moses (3 Nephi 9, 15) and then on the introduction of the sacrament (3 Nephi 18). We watched a seminary video on animal sacrifice and I had some cool thoughts about the sacredness of the sacrament.

Here are some of the basic steps that took place in the law of Moses when someone offered sacrifice:

1. Pick out an animal that symbolized the Savior (male, unblemished). It could have been a dove, a lamb, a bull, or even loaves of bread.
2. Purchase the animal
3. Take it to the tabernacle because that is where (a) the priests worked and (b) the Altar of Sacrifice stayed.
4. Dedicate the animal for sacrifice by putting your hands on its head and transferring your sins to the animal.
5. The priest would hole the animal while the person who brought it would kill it (or the priest would do it in behalf of the congregation).
6. The priests would keep the blood in a bowl and sprinkle it on the altar.
7. The meat of the animal is burned on the altar.

Similitude means to "look forward to," so after the sacrifice of the Savior the people no longer had to do that. Instead, he instituted the sacrament to remember His sacrifice. 

The sacrament is very similar to animal sacrifice.

1. Bring in a humble heart and contrite spirit before the sacrifice is made
2. Go to church looking forward to the ordinance.
3. Priests break the bread and offer the water on the sacrament "altar."
4. Christ "transfers" our sins to Him through repentance and the ordinance.
5. Our sins are "burned" on the altar  when we do the ordinance correctly.

Studying animal sacrifice has really helped me focus on the Savior during the sacrament. 

Here is a link to the throwback seminary video: https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2011-03-050-sacrifice-and-sacrament?lang=eng