Fun with Apartment P2

So life is good. Ya know, this summer started out a little rough as I settled into my new circumstances, but golly...things are so awesome now! I am realizing everyday why Heavenly Father (or the manager of Old Farm) put me here in P2 with these girls. This is a picture of my wonderful roommates! (Emily, Andrea, Jennie, me, and Leslie) We have such a blast.

My roommates and I have a ton of fun! It gets a little bit tiring since we stay up until 1 am like every night laughing and talking. But it's worth it. I've got them doing gymnastics at night and I'm teaching them to play the guitar. We started out with just my guitar in our apartment and now we have five! Woo hoo!







Last week we went wakeboarding with a friend. These are some of the pictures we took. It was a little chilly...but the rain only lasted for a little bit :) And a little chilly weather's not going to stop us from wakeboarding!






On another note...we bought a toilet at a garage sale last week. Yes, a toilet. And it was only two bucks! Leslie thought it'd be fun to paint it and give it away. So that's exactly what we did! We wrote a nice little poem and gave it away. Hopefully it makes its way around Old Farm!

Aah...good times.

Fondue....or should we say "fun"due

Tonight was a blast! I had such a great night. I spent the evening with my roommates, and Richard and Amber. We made cheese fondue and dipped bread in our delicious creation. Then we topped it off with some dilectible chocolate fondue and various fruits. It wasn't just the activity that was fun...I just felt happy...my heart was joyful.

We played Curses, a game that makes you make a fool of yourself. We laughed so hard all night together. I had such a great time. I haven't laughed so hard in months! I was rolling on the ground. I guess I am writing this blog just to express my happiness and gratitude.

I am realizing more and more every day why Heavenly Father put me here in P2 with these girls. At first I felt lost and alone, but I know that I have such great friends here. They have been here for me from the start. A couple of them have been answers to my prayers on several occasions. They are in-tune with the spirit and are there for me when I need them. How grateful I am. Ya know, I always know that Heavenly Father will take care of me. Over and over again He sends me the people that I need in my life, and just at the time that I need them. Wow. I am happy.

Trials

I have come to understand that life is never going to be easy. That doesn't mean that you can't be happy or that things aren't going well. But it seems that life is really going through a series of endless trials. You make it through one trial and then once you feel like you have conquered that one, another trial comes. Some are bigger and more challenging than others, while some are almost unnoticeable. Meanwhile we can still be happy. As members of the church we have even more reason to be joyful amid hardships. Heavenly Father gives us trials because he knows how much they help us grow. He knows exactly what experiences we need to become the person that He sees within us. Sometimes people say, "Why did this happen to such good people?" Trials can cause many people to lose their faith and turn away from God. While others going through the exact same experience may choose to turn to God for help and, in turn, strengthen their faith and sharpen their character.

Trials come to everyone. God does not send trials to punish us. He sends them because He loves us so much and He knows how they can refine us and help us grow. Think of Joseph Smith and the early saints. Joseph Smith was the prophet of God, and yet, he experienced trials far beyond what any of us have to go through. Heavenly Father wants to see what we will do when faced with tribulation. Where will we turn?

Our Father in Heaven knows us. He knows us better than anyone else. And He knows that if we turn to Him while in our moment of weakness, He will make us mightier than we ever could have become on our own. Our trials are given to us so that we can become more Christlike.

This verse of How Firm a Foundation exemplifies how our trials will make us holy, or sanctify us.

When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
the rivers of sorrow shall not thee o'er flow.
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.
-How Firm a Foundation, p. 85, vs. 4

How thankful I am for my trials!