Fifteen years ago my beautiful little sister, Mariah was born. The first night she spent at home she struggled breathing, so my parents rushed her to the hospital. She spent several weeks in the hospital and underwent many surgeries. Mariah received a priesthood blessing from my dad and was placed on an ECMO machine. The machine had tubes that went in through her neck and down to her heart to circulate the blood. The doctors told my parents that she had a 13% chance of living and that she would likely have brain damage, hearing loss, and other side effects. During this time all of our extended family lived far away, but we were united in prayer and fasting for Mariah.
After many weeks of prayers and through the grace of God, Mariah began to recover and was finally released from the hospital. She not only lived, but years later she is still a beautiful, spunky, and happy young woman. To this day she hasn't suffered from any of the side effects that the doctors had predicted. She is a living breathing miracle and I'm grateful to be sealed to her and my family forever!
Though this time in my family's life brought great hardship, we found peace and hope in our Heavenly Father's plan. No matter what happened, we knew this life was not the end and that everything would be all right.
Prayers are answered and miracles happen everyday!
Keep shining!
Names were changed. Mapleton, Utah
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Thursday, April 17, 2014
The Source of All Hope
There is no greater source of hope then our Savior Jesus Christ! God knew we would need help in this life because we each would mess up, we each would make mistakes, and we each would fall short. That is why Jesus Christ came to earth! He came to lift mankind out of their darkness into the light of His love. Because of Him we have:
Hope for a better world!
Hope for eternal families!
Hope that death is not the end!
Hope to be happy!
Hope to be clean!
Hope for forgiveness!
Hope for love!
Hope for life!
Because Jesus Christ loves us we can find hope in our lives everyday, no matter what storms we are facing! I know that Jesus Christ loves each of us perfectly and that I have hope because of Him!
Keep shining!
Hope for a better world!
Hope for eternal families!
Hope that death is not the end!
Hope to be happy!
Hope to be clean!
Hope for forgiveness!
Hope for love!
Hope for life!
Because Jesus Christ loves us we can find hope in our lives everyday, no matter what storms we are facing! I know that Jesus Christ loves each of us perfectly and that I have hope because of Him!
Keep shining!
Saturday, April 5, 2014
We Must Know God
Katelyn lives in Florida with her family, her guinea pig, cats, fish, and whatever other critters decide to come and visit for the day. She is always smiling and looking for ways to make people laugh. She loves animals and weight lifting and wants to be a vet when she grows up. Katelyn also has depression and anxiety and has climbed a lot of mountains to get to where she is today. Many things in the past have threatened to hold her down, but she chooses to look forward to her bright and beautiful future!
Katelyn said "[In the past I] felt like I was in a dark, lonely place. I woke up not knowing who my true friends were. Not knowing were I belonged and wondering if I [would] ever be good enough."
Names changed for privacy purposes
So how did this girl who felt lost, worthless, confused, and depressed become a vibrant, beautiful, confident daughter of God? She turned her life to God. Personal progress was one of the first things Katelyn and her sister started as they began their journey to come closer to God. They read scriptures, prayed, and did service in order to complete their personal progress projects.
Katelyn has also has found great strength in prayer and in reading the scriptures; both the Bible and the Book of Mormon. She treasures the answers she has received through prayer and scripture study. Before she began this quest to come closer to Christ she claimed to be an atheist. She had been exposed to small parts of a multitude of religions and concluded altogether that none were for her. That all changed when she chose to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it. She described several sacred and spiritual experiences when she felt of God's love and knew for herself that God was not only real, but He was there and aware of her and her needs.
She says, "...sometimes life proves to be a challenge, but we must stay strong no matter what. When others put us down we must know that we are beautiful no matter what others think or say... [we] must know that God has a purpose for each and every one of us."
With Katelyn I add my witness that Heavenly Father loves each one of us because we are His children. He knows exactly what we are going through. He rejoices when we do what's right and weeps with us when we are sad. He knows us perfectly and loves us perfectly.
We find hope in knowing God.
Katelyn has also has found great strength in prayer and in reading the scriptures; both the Bible and the Book of Mormon. She treasures the answers she has received through prayer and scripture study. Before she began this quest to come closer to Christ she claimed to be an atheist. She had been exposed to small parts of a multitude of religions and concluded altogether that none were for her. That all changed when she chose to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it. She described several sacred and spiritual experiences when she felt of God's love and knew for herself that God was not only real, but He was there and aware of her and her needs.
She says, "...sometimes life proves to be a challenge, but we must stay strong no matter what. When others put us down we must know that we are beautiful no matter what others think or say... [we] must know that God has a purpose for each and every one of us."
With Katelyn I add my witness that Heavenly Father loves each one of us because we are His children. He knows exactly what we are going through. He rejoices when we do what's right and weeps with us when we are sad. He knows us perfectly and loves us perfectly.
We find hope in knowing God.
Keep shining!
Names changed for privacy purposes
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Waiting for a Lung
This darling couple has been through it all and a little bit more. They are incredible examples of endurance and optimism despite life threatening challenges.
John learned he was in dire need of a lung transplant after never missing a day of work in 30 years. He applied for an organ transplant only to be denied several times. They told him it wasn't worth the health risks and it was going to cost a fortune. That didn't stop John though, he applied again after sorting things out with the insurance and other obstacles and was finally accepted onto the waiting list.
Organ donations can be tricky. The recipient and donor have to "match" before the organ can even be transferred. Leon has -O blood, which meant he had to receive an organ from another person with -O blood. Other matches had to be made including: size, the type of tissue, and the health of the organ. The odds weren't looking good. On average 18 people pass away every day because of failure to receive an organ transplant. Shirley, his wife, said, "we even began to make arrangements at the funeral home. We didn't think he would make it into the next month."
Late one night Shirley and John were getting ready to go to bed when the phone rang. Because it was so late they let it go to the machine. It rang again and again they ignored it. The third timeShirley picked up the phone and the woman on the other line said "Hello, would your husband be interested in a lung?" It was a miracle! They immediately left for the hospital and spent the next six long hours waiting to see if everything matched up for John to receive the lung. Miraculously everything matched up perfectly and John was able to receive the lung. Even more miraculous was the fact that their insurance completely covered the cost of the transplant, which totaled near one million dollars.
Doctors gave John a five year guarantee with his new lung. He has beaten the odds for five additional years and counting. Through it all though John has stayed optimistic even though he can't do everything he used to do. He has a lot of health restrictions, but John doesn't let that get him down. He would often tell the doctors, "I just believe I'm going to live to be 85 years old."
When asked what gave he and his wife strength, John responded that they "did a lot of praying and read the bible." It really is as simple as that. When we allow the Lord into our lives, He gives us hope and light. It doesn't come from us or the world; hope comes from God.
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
John learned he was in dire need of a lung transplant after never missing a day of work in 30 years. He applied for an organ transplant only to be denied several times. They told him it wasn't worth the health risks and it was going to cost a fortune. That didn't stop John though, he applied again after sorting things out with the insurance and other obstacles and was finally accepted onto the waiting list.
Organ donations can be tricky. The recipient and donor have to "match" before the organ can even be transferred. Leon has -O blood, which meant he had to receive an organ from another person with -O blood. Other matches had to be made including: size, the type of tissue, and the health of the organ. The odds weren't looking good. On average 18 people pass away every day because of failure to receive an organ transplant. Shirley, his wife, said, "we even began to make arrangements at the funeral home. We didn't think he would make it into the next month."
Late one night Shirley and John were getting ready to go to bed when the phone rang. Because it was so late they let it go to the machine. It rang again and again they ignored it. The third timeShirley picked up the phone and the woman on the other line said "Hello, would your husband be interested in a lung?" It was a miracle! They immediately left for the hospital and spent the next six long hours waiting to see if everything matched up for John to receive the lung. Miraculously everything matched up perfectly and John was able to receive the lung. Even more miraculous was the fact that their insurance completely covered the cost of the transplant, which totaled near one million dollars.
Doctors gave John a five year guarantee with his new lung. He has beaten the odds for five additional years and counting. Through it all though John has stayed optimistic even though he can't do everything he used to do. He has a lot of health restrictions, but John doesn't let that get him down. He would often tell the doctors, "I just believe I'm going to live to be 85 years old."
When asked what gave he and his wife strength, John responded that they "did a lot of praying and read the bible." It really is as simple as that. When we allow the Lord into our lives, He gives us hope and light. It doesn't come from us or the world; hope comes from God.
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Since receiving the lung John has had many more battles, but has faced them with optimism and hope. His wife said that she was usually the one who was falling apart and feeling hopeless. "He's the one who always stays positive." John said "Ain't no use being angry, because I would have died ten years ago without [the lung]."
What a wonderful example these two are to me and to the world. They never gave up even when things were falling apart around them. Relying on the Lord was the key to having hope!
-Keep shining!
Names were changed
Since receiving the lung John has had many more battles, but has faced them with optimism and hope. His wife said that she was usually the one who was falling apart and feeling hopeless. "He's the one who always stays positive." John said "Ain't no use being angry, because I would have died ten years ago without [the lung]."
What a wonderful example these two are to me and to the world. They never gave up even when things were falling apart around them. Relying on the Lord was the key to having hope!
-Keep shining!
Names were changed
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