Nobody's perfect

At Temple Square with the Williams family

Family & friends -

So we went to temple square this week with the Williams family - as you can see from the picture. We watched the "God's Plan for the Family" presentation ... for those of you who haven't seen it - you NEED to. It's so good. Especially when Amanda May (friend from home, just returned from her mission at temple square) does your tour.  It's based on the family proclamation to the world and it's just fantastic ... Lindsay (wife) started coming back to church when Boston (son) got baptized a few months ago. She bawled through the whole presentation and I felt bad, but it was awesome. The spirit was so strong and it killed me because I know how she must have felt ... like she wants to be sealed to her family so badly but she can't force Nick to do anything. Afterwards, we asked Nick what he thought of it and he said "I think I'll get baptized in June." Me: "Okay ... why June?"  Nick: "Well, so next June we can take a cruise to Hawaii and get sealed in that temple." Uh.... haha, okay, I guess we'll take it? After talking to him a little more I think we figured him out. He feels like the church (especially in UT) is perfect and everyone has perfect families and perfect lives ... He has had some addiction problems and is a little rough around the edges and he probably doesn't feel like he fits in ... nor does he want to!

We ran into this similar problem with someone else I love in this area... Natalie Delight. She was raised in the church. She got pregnant at 17 with TWINS. Then she married their dad and it was a terrible marriage and didn't last. A few years later, she got married in the temple to a guy, had 2 more kids. Then long story short, he was terrible to her and left her for his secretary or something. So now she's divorced. She is SO gorgeous ... like perfect in every way. She has a great successful job and wears classy clothes (not like that matters) but the past few years she's been totally inactive and kind of partying. When I got to this area, the sisters had just reactivated her and baptized her 2 youngest kids. I thought she was solid because she's technically been coming to church every week. We get along real well so I was talking to her yesterday ... she said she only comes to church when she has her kids and then leaves after sacrament meeting and picks them up after Primary. She really wants to do what's right but doesn't have a testimony at all. She doesn't feel like she fits in or like she can relate to anyone. It breaks my heart. Her oldest son is on a mission right now (don't ask me how; I don't know) and he wants her so badly to get it together. But it's true, the ward is kind of singling her out without trying to. I love her so much and she's such a good example. I feel like she's my best friend... haha, but what I learned - the gospel is for EVERYONE and church is not for perfect people. If it was- no one would be at church!  That's what I learned this week. Now to help the people we teach see that!

Sister Shields

I got to go back to SLC for Christian's baptism!

Pioneer YSA reunion! AP's (Elders Tapia and Steed), Christian, Sister Tranchina, Me, Sister West (replaced me). It's too bad my leg warmers fell down and you can't see them because they are so cute... they're lacy at the top!