You may or may not recognize that as a Shakespeare play, but it is and I am going to be in it! That is the play we are doing for my local home-school school's Shakespeare class. (Did that make sense?:)) I think it will be really fun, and I am so excited! The problem with our class is that we only have three boys in it and twelve+ girls. So, we had to change almost all of the boy roles to girl roles. The only parts that are staying boys are the the three guys that get married. We are also doing the play as an Island/ship theme, so it will be really fun! If you have read or seen As You Like It, you might remember that there are the two dukes that don't get along, and that one was banished. Well, I am playing the banished duke, named Duke Senior. Except since we are doing an island/ship theme and we changed it to a girl, I am Captain Sonia. I am so excited! I was so nervous waiting to find out who I am playing, I probably checked my email every twenty minutes on Monday afternoon when we were supposed to (and did) find out who we were playing. I am also happy because I have ton of friends in the class, so I will get to see them a lot! Well I am really excited, and rehearsals start next week so I'll be busy, but having fun!
BTW: I think this will be my first post for that school blogging I said I was going to do a while ago. Finally!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Books! (Again!)
Books I have Read or Finished this Winter (From the 3rd Week of December to the 3rd week of March)
I obviously I cant keep up with the start/finish dates very well. I read the books to fast:)
The Mysterious Benedict Society#3 12/25-29
Peter and the Starcatchers abt.12/28-1/3
Under the Lilacks 1/4-1/6
Uncle Toms Cabin (I listend to it, not read it though) (For School)
Romeo and Juliet (by Shakspeare) (For School)
As You Like It (by Shakspeare) (For School)
Macbeth (by Shakspeare) (For School)
Harry Potter book 5
Harry Potter book 6
Harry Potter book 7
Across Five Aprils (For School)
The Swiss Family Robinson
The Lightning Thief
Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters
Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse
Percy Jackdon and the Battle in the Labrith
A book on Abraham Lincoln (For School)
D'aulaires' Book of Greek Myths
Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian
I obviously I cant keep up with the start/finish dates very well. I read the books to fast:)
The Mysterious Benedict Society#3 12/25-29
Peter and the Starcatchers abt.12/28-1/3
Under the Lilacks 1/4-1/6
Uncle Toms Cabin (I listend to it, not read it though) (For School)
Romeo and Juliet (by Shakspeare) (For School)
As You Like It (by Shakspeare) (For School)
Macbeth (by Shakspeare) (For School)
Harry Potter book 5
Harry Potter book 6
Harry Potter book 7
Across Five Aprils (For School)
The Swiss Family Robinson
The Lightning Thief
Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters
Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse
Percy Jackdon and the Battle in the Labrith
A book on Abraham Lincoln (For School)
D'aulaires' Book of Greek Myths
Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian
Sunday, March 14, 2010
My Talk
I gave my talk today in church! I think everyone liked it! The stake president liked the story about the boy who went surfing on Sundays (you can read it in my talk below) that he asked me to email it to him! I thought the hard part was writing it, and the easy part was giving it. I was unfortunately sick today, so I was coughing a lot before and after, but luckily not during my talk.
Here's my talk!
Dear to the heart of the Shepherd,
Dear are the sheep of his fold;
Dear is the love that he gives them,
Dearer than silver or gold.
Dear to the heart of the Shepherd,
Dear are his “other” lost sheep;
Over the mountains he follows,
Over the waters so deep.
Dear to the heart of the Shepherd,
Dear are the lambs of his fold;
Some from the pastures are straying,
Hungry and helpless and cold.
See, the Good Shepherd is seeking,
Seeking the lambs that are lost,
Bringing them in with rejoicing,
Saved at such infinite cost.
Those are the first and second verses of the hymn Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd. In the first verse of this song it is saying that the “sheep of his fold” or the righteous members of the gospel, are important and loved by Christ and Heavenly Father, but it also clearly says that the people who do not belong to the church and less-active members are loved just as much by them. In the second verse, it talks about how some people are straying from the gospel, and that if we help them come back to the gospel, there will be much rejoicing in heaven. When it says “Saved at such infinite cost”, it is speaking of the atonement, and how even if we wander from the gospel, we can always come back to the church.
The parable of the lost sheep is in Luke, chapter 15. It starts out with Pharisees complaining to Jesus that a man had been letting sinners come to his house and dine with him, and that he should be judged. Then in verses 3 through 7 of the same chapter Jesus answers saying, “What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance”
In this scripture, it is saying that if you had one hundred sheep, and you lost one of them, wouldn’t you go and search for it until you find it? And after you find it, wouldn’t you be very happy and carry it home and tell all of you friends and family that you had found it? The scripture then says that there will be the same happiness in heaven as the happiness you feel after what was lost is found.
In verse four of the scripture I just read, it said “What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? The Joseph Smith Translation of this scripture is very different from the original scripture, and it reads : “What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine, and go into the wilderness after that which is lost, until he find it?”
President Howard W. Hunter once said the following about that scripture and its translation: “That translation suggests that the shepherd leave his secure flock and go out into the wilderness—that is, go out into the world after him who is lost. Lost from what? Lost from the flock where there is protection and security. I hope the message of that parable will be impressed on each of us who has priesthood responsibility.
In the August 1990 copy of the Ensign, there was this quote by Elder Alexander B. Morrison Of the Seventy on the joy felt when a less active person comes back to the church. This is what he said:
The scriptural reminder that “the worth of souls is great in the sight of God” (D&C 18:10) takes on new meaning to those involved in finding lost sheep and helping to rekindle faith. The joy felt in heaven when a precious lost child is found and brought back is echoed in the hearts of faithful under-shepherds. They speak of the growing realization in the hearts of the many who have left the fold that life without Christ is like a life of perpetual twilight; of prayers by loving parents that someone would find a prodigal son or daughter; of tears of joy and gladness at rediscovery; of a reawakened desire to sup again at the table of the Lord. Such returns are a great miracle.
Here is a story from the May 2004 issue of the Liahona, by Mervyn B. Arnold. As a member of the branch presidency in Fortaleza, Brazil, Brother Marques with the other priesthood leaders developed a plan to reactivate those who were less active in his branch. One of those who was less active was a young man by the name of Fernando Araujo. Recently I spoke to Fernando, and he told me of his experience:
“I became involved in surfing competitions on Sunday mornings and stopped going to my Church meetings. One Sunday morning Brother Marques knocked on my door and asked my nonmember mother if he could talk to me. When she told him I was sleeping, he asked permission to wake me. He said to me, ‘Fernando, you are late for church!’ Not listening to my excuses, he took me to church.
“The next Sunday the same thing happened, so on the third Sunday I decided to leave early to avoid him. As I opened the gate I found him sitting on his car, reading the scriptures. When he saw me he said, ‘Good! You are up early. Today we will go and find another young man!’ I appealed to my agency, but he said, ‘We can talk about that later.’
“After eight Sundays I could not get rid of him, so I decided to sleep at a friend’s house. I was at the beach the next morning I saw a man dressed in a suit and tie walking towards me. When I saw that it was Brother Marques, I ran into the water. All of a sudden, I felt someone’s hand on my shoulder. It was Brother Marques, in water up to his chest! He took me by the hand and said, ‘You are late! Let’s go.’ When I argued that I didn’t have any clothes to wear, he replied, ‘They are in the car.’
“That day as we walked out of the ocean, I was touched by Brother Marques’s sincere love and worry for me. He truly understood the Savior’s words: ‘I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick’ (Ezek. 34:16). Brother Marques didn’t just give me a ride to church—the quorum made sure I remained active. They planned activities that made me feel needed and wanted, I received a calling, and the quorum members became my friends.”
Following his reactivation, Brother Araujo went on a full-time mission and has served as bishop, stake president, mission president, and regional representative. His widowed mother, three sisters, and several cousins have also entered the waters of baptism.
Another kind of lost sheep are people who have never been baptized into the church. We have missionaries to help find these people, but we should also do our part to help bring them to the gospel. President Gordon B. Hinckley once said “When you save a girl, you save generations." This is true with all people, though. When you save one person by bringing them to the gospel, or bringing them back to the church, they will teach there children the gospel, and then there children will teach there children of the gospel and on down the generations. When you help convert a nonmember, you are bringing someone to the fold of Christ.
My mom is a convert of the church. She joined the church when she was 15 because of the friends she had that taught her and set a good example. She now teaches my family how to live righteously in the gospel, and when my siblings and I are adults, we will teach our children how to live righteously in the church.
I would like to close with the last two verses and the chorus of Dear to the Heart of the Sheppard:
Dear to the heart of the Shepherd,
Dear are the “ninety and nine”;
Dear are the sheep that have wandered
Out in the desert to pine.
Hark! He is earnestly calling,
Tenderly pleading today:
“Will you not seek for my lost ones,
Off from my shelter astray?”
Green are the pastures inviting;
Sweet are the waters and still.
Lord, we will answer thee gladly,
“Yes, blessed Master, we will!
Make us thy true under-shepherds;
Give us a love that is deep.
Send us out into the desert,
Seeking thy wandering sheep.”
Out in the desert they wander,
Hungry and helpless and cold;
Off to the rescue we’ll hasten,
Bringing them back to the fold.
Amen.
Here's my talk!
Dear to the heart of the Shepherd,
Dear are the sheep of his fold;
Dear is the love that he gives them,
Dearer than silver or gold.
Dear to the heart of the Shepherd,
Dear are his “other” lost sheep;
Over the mountains he follows,
Over the waters so deep.
Dear to the heart of the Shepherd,
Dear are the lambs of his fold;
Some from the pastures are straying,
Hungry and helpless and cold.
See, the Good Shepherd is seeking,
Seeking the lambs that are lost,
Bringing them in with rejoicing,
Saved at such infinite cost.
Those are the first and second verses of the hymn Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd. In the first verse of this song it is saying that the “sheep of his fold” or the righteous members of the gospel, are important and loved by Christ and Heavenly Father, but it also clearly says that the people who do not belong to the church and less-active members are loved just as much by them. In the second verse, it talks about how some people are straying from the gospel, and that if we help them come back to the gospel, there will be much rejoicing in heaven. When it says “Saved at such infinite cost”, it is speaking of the atonement, and how even if we wander from the gospel, we can always come back to the church.
The parable of the lost sheep is in Luke, chapter 15. It starts out with Pharisees complaining to Jesus that a man had been letting sinners come to his house and dine with him, and that he should be judged. Then in verses 3 through 7 of the same chapter Jesus answers saying, “What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance”
In this scripture, it is saying that if you had one hundred sheep, and you lost one of them, wouldn’t you go and search for it until you find it? And after you find it, wouldn’t you be very happy and carry it home and tell all of you friends and family that you had found it? The scripture then says that there will be the same happiness in heaven as the happiness you feel after what was lost is found.
In verse four of the scripture I just read, it said “What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? The Joseph Smith Translation of this scripture is very different from the original scripture, and it reads : “What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine, and go into the wilderness after that which is lost, until he find it?”
President Howard W. Hunter once said the following about that scripture and its translation: “That translation suggests that the shepherd leave his secure flock and go out into the wilderness—that is, go out into the world after him who is lost. Lost from what? Lost from the flock where there is protection and security. I hope the message of that parable will be impressed on each of us who has priesthood responsibility.
In the August 1990 copy of the Ensign, there was this quote by Elder Alexander B. Morrison Of the Seventy on the joy felt when a less active person comes back to the church. This is what he said:
The scriptural reminder that “the worth of souls is great in the sight of God” (D&C 18:10) takes on new meaning to those involved in finding lost sheep and helping to rekindle faith. The joy felt in heaven when a precious lost child is found and brought back is echoed in the hearts of faithful under-shepherds. They speak of the growing realization in the hearts of the many who have left the fold that life without Christ is like a life of perpetual twilight; of prayers by loving parents that someone would find a prodigal son or daughter; of tears of joy and gladness at rediscovery; of a reawakened desire to sup again at the table of the Lord. Such returns are a great miracle.
Here is a story from the May 2004 issue of the Liahona, by Mervyn B. Arnold. As a member of the branch presidency in Fortaleza, Brazil, Brother Marques with the other priesthood leaders developed a plan to reactivate those who were less active in his branch. One of those who was less active was a young man by the name of Fernando Araujo. Recently I spoke to Fernando, and he told me of his experience:
“I became involved in surfing competitions on Sunday mornings and stopped going to my Church meetings. One Sunday morning Brother Marques knocked on my door and asked my nonmember mother if he could talk to me. When she told him I was sleeping, he asked permission to wake me. He said to me, ‘Fernando, you are late for church!’ Not listening to my excuses, he took me to church.
“The next Sunday the same thing happened, so on the third Sunday I decided to leave early to avoid him. As I opened the gate I found him sitting on his car, reading the scriptures. When he saw me he said, ‘Good! You are up early. Today we will go and find another young man!’ I appealed to my agency, but he said, ‘We can talk about that later.’
“After eight Sundays I could not get rid of him, so I decided to sleep at a friend’s house. I was at the beach the next morning I saw a man dressed in a suit and tie walking towards me. When I saw that it was Brother Marques, I ran into the water. All of a sudden, I felt someone’s hand on my shoulder. It was Brother Marques, in water up to his chest! He took me by the hand and said, ‘You are late! Let’s go.’ When I argued that I didn’t have any clothes to wear, he replied, ‘They are in the car.’
“That day as we walked out of the ocean, I was touched by Brother Marques’s sincere love and worry for me. He truly understood the Savior’s words: ‘I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick’ (Ezek. 34:16). Brother Marques didn’t just give me a ride to church—the quorum made sure I remained active. They planned activities that made me feel needed and wanted, I received a calling, and the quorum members became my friends.”
Following his reactivation, Brother Araujo went on a full-time mission and has served as bishop, stake president, mission president, and regional representative. His widowed mother, three sisters, and several cousins have also entered the waters of baptism.
Another kind of lost sheep are people who have never been baptized into the church. We have missionaries to help find these people, but we should also do our part to help bring them to the gospel. President Gordon B. Hinckley once said “When you save a girl, you save generations." This is true with all people, though. When you save one person by bringing them to the gospel, or bringing them back to the church, they will teach there children the gospel, and then there children will teach there children of the gospel and on down the generations. When you help convert a nonmember, you are bringing someone to the fold of Christ.
My mom is a convert of the church. She joined the church when she was 15 because of the friends she had that taught her and set a good example. She now teaches my family how to live righteously in the gospel, and when my siblings and I are adults, we will teach our children how to live righteously in the church.
I would like to close with the last two verses and the chorus of Dear to the Heart of the Sheppard:
Dear to the heart of the Shepherd,
Dear are the “ninety and nine”;
Dear are the sheep that have wandered
Out in the desert to pine.
Hark! He is earnestly calling,
Tenderly pleading today:
“Will you not seek for my lost ones,
Off from my shelter astray?”
Green are the pastures inviting;
Sweet are the waters and still.
Lord, we will answer thee gladly,
“Yes, blessed Master, we will!
Make us thy true under-shepherds;
Give us a love that is deep.
Send us out into the desert,
Seeking thy wandering sheep.”
Out in the desert they wander,
Hungry and helpless and cold;
Off to the rescue we’ll hasten,
Bringing them back to the fold.
Amen.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Blog Anniversary
This Thursday was the one year anniversary of my blog! I was going to post this on Thursday, but I was so busy I forgot:( Anyway, that's all, I was just surprised I have been posting pretty consistently since then. Yaaaa!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
What I did today
My mom is going to have a "Home School blog carnival", so I thought I would participate after I saw my friend Marianne's post.
-Woke up at 5:35am
-Lay in bed for 10 extra minutes
-got dressed under my blanket because I was freezing
-Got ready for seminary
-Woke my dad up so he could take me.
-Had fun watching the temperature drop down to 36 degrees while driving in my dads car
-Went to seminary
-Said goodbye to my dad before he went to work
-Lay down on my parents bed (under the blanket:) because I was still cold
-had 2 home-made blue berry muffins while checking my email and my friends blog
-Did my hair in about 7 different ways before I decided on one
-Practiced piano for 35 minutes
-Looked at and edited my Shakespeare and my Civil war class papers that I wrote (mostly) yesterday
-Put tonight's dinner in the crock pot
-Made a fried egg and ate it
-Emailed Marianne for help on a paper
-Played a game with my sister in exchange for me to be able to wear her hairbands any time I want without asking in the week.
-Ate most of a small can of corn
-Did more school work
-Ate some Carl's Junior that my mom got on the way home from somewhere
-Wrote all of the above on my laptop at the kitchen table while eating Carl's Junior
-Played fetch with my dog Molly (um, in the kitchen actually...)
-Did more schoolwork
-Did math
-Researched for my talk on Sunday
-Read another great talk that I'll put up a link to sometime
-Re-discovered how nice it is to do schoolwork while laying on the couch with your dog as a foot/leg warmer (hey, she is the one that chose to lay on me:)
-Emailed Marianne back and forth about school a few more times
-Discovered how painful it is to completely change the side of your head your part is on for the first time in forever, braid it very tightly, then undo the braid 7 hours later
-Wrote this
-Did some laundry
-Made Pasta and a salad
-Ate a yummy dinner that was Chicken with egg noodles and a salad
-Killed a spider
-Took a shower
-Read a little bit from Little Pilgrims Progress
-Tried to publish this post, then the Internet died so I couldn't
-Fell asleep on the couch for an hour, the woke up at 11
-Put the rest of dinner away
-Put the clothes in the dryer
-Went to bed!
It was busy but fun day!
-Woke up at 5:35am
-Lay in bed for 10 extra minutes
-got dressed under my blanket because I was freezing
-Got ready for seminary
-Woke my dad up so he could take me.
-Had fun watching the temperature drop down to 36 degrees while driving in my dads car
-Went to seminary
-Said goodbye to my dad before he went to work
-Lay down on my parents bed (under the blanket:) because I was still cold
-had 2 home-made blue berry muffins while checking my email and my friends blog
-Did my hair in about 7 different ways before I decided on one
-Practiced piano for 35 minutes
-Looked at and edited my Shakespeare and my Civil war class papers that I wrote (mostly) yesterday
-Put tonight's dinner in the crock pot
-Made a fried egg and ate it
-Emailed Marianne for help on a paper
-Played a game with my sister in exchange for me to be able to wear her hairbands any time I want without asking in the week.
-Ate most of a small can of corn
-Did more school work
-Ate some Carl's Junior that my mom got on the way home from somewhere
-Wrote all of the above on my laptop at the kitchen table while eating Carl's Junior
-Played fetch with my dog Molly (um, in the kitchen actually...)
-Did more schoolwork
-Did math
-Researched for my talk on Sunday
-Read another great talk that I'll put up a link to sometime
-Re-discovered how nice it is to do schoolwork while laying on the couch with your dog as a foot/leg warmer (hey, she is the one that chose to lay on me:)
-Emailed Marianne back and forth about school a few more times
-Discovered how painful it is to completely change the side of your head your part is on for the first time in forever, braid it very tightly, then undo the braid 7 hours later
-Wrote this
-Did some laundry
-Made Pasta and a salad
-Ate a yummy dinner that was Chicken with egg noodles and a salad
-Killed a spider
-Took a shower
-Read a little bit from Little Pilgrims Progress
-Tried to publish this post, then the Internet died so I couldn't
-Fell asleep on the couch for an hour, the woke up at 11
-Put the rest of dinner away
-Put the clothes in the dryer
-Went to bed!
It was busy but fun day!
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Getting Worried
Today very normal, but very crazy (for me at least) Sunday. After sacrament meeting, the first counselor in our wards bishopric came up to my mom and I, and told me he had an assignment for me. Naturally, I started getting worried as soon as he said that. He asked me if I could give talk next week, and I said yes. That wouldn't be so bad, except that next week is our ward conference, so I will be speaking along with the Bishop and the Stake president. I'm already getting scared. I must confess that I didn't pay as much attention in Sunday school because of that. After Sunday school was finished, I walked out with the three other kids in my class (yes, I only have three other kids in my class, which is pretty small compared to the 13+ I had last year). As soon as we stepped out of the room a member of the bishopric pulled each of the three girls in my class (including me) aside. Once again it was the first counselor that pulled me aside, and his first words to me were "I have another assignment for you" My first thought were "what do I have to do now?!?" (but of course I didn't say that out loud:) He told me that I was being asked to be the first counselor in the Mia Maid class. I of course said yes, and then I went into Young women's with a million things going through my mind. So now I have a new calling, and the scariest assignment of my life, all in one day. My life just got a lot busier.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Civil War Poem
I had to right a poem for a Civil war class I am taking, so I thought I'd post it. Here it is!
Did the Die in Vain?
By Me
Did they die in vain,
To keep the free from the pain,
Of permanent separation?
Fighting across the nation,
Lincoln’s emancipation,
Two countries fighting each other
Brother against brother,
Weeping tearful mother,
The Battle of Bull Run
The North won,
The South was out run,
Did God lend a hand?
Together we stand,
One nation, one land,
In God we must trust
Did the Die in Vain?
By Me
Did they die in vain,
To keep the free from the pain,
Of permanent separation?
Fighting across the nation,
Lincoln’s emancipation,
Two countries fighting each other
Brother against brother,
Weeping tearful mother,
The Battle of Bull Run
The North won,
The South was out run,
Did God lend a hand?
Together we stand,
One nation, one land,
In God we must trust
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)