Heavenly Father's Plan Gives Comfort

Even though we are far away from our home, we keep up to-date with the stories from the United States.  We were sadden to hear about the school shooting that left 17 dead and several others injured in Florida.

 The content for this post is from an article from LDSLiving.com.  The article and more pictures can be found by clicking here.

At least a dozen Latter-day Saints were at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School when a gunman opened fire on February 14, killing 17 and injuring another 14.

Among them was 14-year-old Alaina Petty, who was killed when 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz allegedly opened fire on students in Parkland, Florida.

After the passing of their daughter and sister, the Petty family released the following statement:

We are heartbroken by the loss we feel in the tragedy that unfolded yesterday at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Our hearts go out to the families of all impacted by this tragedy, and our prayers are for their comfort and healing. We wish to thank our family, friends, and the community for the love and support demonstrated to our family.

It is important to sum up all that Alaina was and meant to her family and friends. Alaina was a vibrant and determined young woman, loved by all who knew her. Alaina loved to serve. She served her community through her participation in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas JROTC program and her countless hours of service as a volunteer for the "Helping Hands" program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Alaina was part of hundreds of volunteers that rushed to the most heavily impacted areas of Florida to clean up and help rebuild the lives of those devastated by Hurricane Irma. Her selfless service brought peace and joy to those that had lost everything during the storm. While we will not have the opportunity to watch her grow up and become the amazing woman we know she would become, we are keeping an eternal perspective. We are grateful for the knowledge that Alaina is a part of our eternal family and that we will reunite with her. This knowledge and unabiding faith in our Heavenly Father's plan gives us comfort during this difficult time.

Over the past 24 hours, our family has been touched by hundreds of acts of service. Words cannot convey the gratitude we have in our hearts for each of those acts. We wish to thank the staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School for the bravery that we understand they showed in protecting and ultimately saving many lives. We would also like to especially thank the first responders for their courage and bravery by running toward harm's way and for bringing an end to yesterday's violence.

____________________

Other comforting words at a time like this  comes from a talk Elder Cook gave a talk in the October 2011 General Conference titled, "The Songs they Can Not Sing".  Among other things he said:

...Sometimes tragedies are very personal. A son or daughter dies early in life or falls victim to a devastating disease. A loving parent’s life is taken because of a thoughtless act or accident. Whenever tragedy occurs, we mourn....We lament the things that will not be accomplished and the songs that will not be sung.

Among the most frequently asked questions of Church leaders are, Why does a just God allow bad things to happen, especially to good people? Why are those who are righteous and in the Lord’s service not immune from such tragedies?...

...While we do not know all the answers, we do know important principles that allow us to face tragedies with faith and confidence...

His talk continues as he teaches the principle of eternal life which brings  me comfort and peace.

Click here to read the whole message or watch it below.

Christmas in Belize!

I just realized that I didn't mention that we had Rachel, Lisa and Sam visit us here in Belize for Christmas.

I wrote a detailed post about their visit on our mission blog.  You can read about our our Christmas time adventures by clicking here.

You Can Do Hard Things

I saw this video on Elder Quentin Cook's Facebook page. Elder Cook said:

I want to assure you that you can do hard things.

Elder John B. Dickson, a marvelous Seventy, now emeritus, who served with distinction all over the world, demonstrated this in a fun and unusual way. Elder Dickson was called to serve as an LDS missionary in Mexico in 1962. Before he departed, he was diagnosed with bone cancer in his right arm. He was not expected to live more than a month. However, 10 months later he left to serve his assigned mission, having had his arm amputated.

I will never forget how he taught missionaries at the MTC that they could do hard things. He invited four missionaries to come up to the stand and compete with him in a tie-tying contest. Dickson defeated all four of the missionaries using his teeth, his shoulders, and his chest in a marvelous way.

Please know that you can overcome adversity and do hard things.

You can also see the video by clicking here

In the October 1992 General Conference Elder Dickson talks about his experience of loosing his arm just as he was called to be a missionary.  You can  view and read his talk by clicking here.  

Elder Cook gave a Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults on the same topic on September 11, 2016 -- “Fear Not … in Me Your Joy Is Full” (D&C 101:36)   You can read and view his talk by clicking here.