Tornado? Wall Cloud?

Last Tuesday morning around 12:35 a.m.-Sister Katie Koford and I woke up to horrendously loud winds outside of our duplex in Murray Kentucky.  The week prior, the tornado sirens had gone off twice.  We thought it was just another bad storm.  I looked out the window and could see nothing.  Sister Koford mentioned that our alarm clock was not on.  "Our power must be out."

As I looked out of the window again, I saw that the Lightning lit up the sky, but I still couldn't see to much other than shadows.  Then I began to see flashlights and said to Sister Koford, "What are our neighbors thinking!  They're all outside with flashlights!  Don't they know it's a storm?"  She and I joked about it a little bit, watched our neighbors for a few more minutes, and went to bed.

The following morning, we understood why they were outside with their flashlights.  Our power was still off, and debris littered the ground.  With winds as strong as 100 MPH, roofs were torn off, windows shattered, limbs and branches of trees were whipped around, and trees were uprooted from the ground.

Our street was hit pretty badly.  Our next door neighbor had a very tall tree fall and knock off the side of his roof, and bash in the side of his car.  A few houses up, the front door to our neighbors home was blocked off by 3 different trees.  Our house remained untouched.  Everyone in our neighborhood had some kind of damage-or at least large limbs in their yard to clean up.  We, however, had just a few twigs in our yard.  As we drove around that morning, we began to see how awful the storm had been.  People explained that it was a kind of wind that hit straight down on the ground and bounced back up into the sky.  Others said that it had to have been a tornado with the amount of damage that occurred.

Still, I don't know exactly what the storm was, but I am so grateful we were protected.  What a miracle! As we talked with other people in the area, trying to help them clean up, we realized how truly blessed we were.  There were no deaths, no injuries-just property damage.  We met one man who's car had been totaled when a tree had crashed through his garage, crushing his car.  When we asked him if he was doing alright he replied, "Oh me?  I'm fine!  It could've been worse."  And with a smile, "I'm happy it landed on the roof over my car instead of the roof over my bed!"

The car that was totaled after a tree fell through the garage.

Though there was a lot of damage, we feel blessed in this area to be so protected.  As I have learned about the other deadly tornadoes throughout the south, I pray with gratitude that we have been blessed with so much safety here in Kentucky.

My heart goes out to those who have been injured by those deathly tornadoes.  I pray for the families of those who are suffering the effects of lost loved ones and lost homes.  May God bless them.

Here are a few of the pictures from the storm that ripped through Murray...

This is suppose to be 14th Street

This is a driveway to one of our neighbors homes.

This power line fell into a tree-causing a fire.  Behind it, a huge branch from that tree fell on this woman's (Kathy)  house. 

The wind was 100 MPH-so strong, that leaves were plastered to cars.

I took this picture in front of someone's home. 

Another street blocked by Tree Limbs

The grass was literally yanked up by strong winds pulling this tree.

Power lines were twisted and crushed by trees.

This is our neighbors house.  Three trees were blocking the front of her home for days.

The Flat

Clint and I at the Bowling Alley

I began my freshman year for my undergrad away from home.  For many people that's a great way to start out your college career.  For me, however, it wasn't what I wanted.  I ended up moving back home, but almost all of my friends had moved away for school.  I found myself pretty lonely.  I was thrilled when they moved back for the summer-but as soon as August hit, my friends again began disappearing as they moved back to school or went away on LDS missions.  I had joined a singles ward, but had not made too many close friends there.  I desired a group of friends that I could bond with, laugh with, cry in front of, and feel comfortable being myself.  Then November came.  I met this guy in my singles ward, and he took me to a place he called "The Flat" to meet his friends.  Upon first meeting his friends I wasn't sure what I thought.  But I would occasionally go and hang out with them when I was invited by the guy who had first befriended me from the singles ward.  They seemed like a nice enough group-but they were all guys, and I didn't know if they'd want to be my friend.  Over the next few weeks, I began to find myself wanting to go to The Flat on my own.

Two of the Flattigans-Scott, Clint, and Me at a Real Soccer Game in Utah

Scott, Jason and Clint carving pumpkins

     As time progressed, I began to spend more and more time over there.  They brought out a side of me that I hadn't even known I'd had!  I learned more about myself when I was around them than I ever could have otherwise.  They were a great group of gentlemen, and they cared for nothing more than to have a good time and be happy.  They'll probably read this and tease me for being so cheesy-but I don't care.  I love them all the same.  We did a lot of things together, that, prior to meeting them, I had no desire to do.  Some of these included eating at Rock Creek Pizza, going bowling weekly, and playing video games.  That's right-video games.  But my favorite thing to do with them was just sit and talk.  I'm sure they'd much rather be fighting zombies and bowling turkeys than sitting and talking with their friend girl, but that time I spent with them has had a huge impact on my life and a huge impact on my heart. 
Spending time with them helped me to recognize my strengths and build on my weaknesses.  I love those boys.  Before I keep going, I'll introduce them so it doesn't get confusing looking at all these pictures!



Ammon and Jason were both living at The Flat when I first met them.    Jason has always been able to tell me how it is.  And though he's been really blunt with me at times-his honesty has helped me grow and mature.  I can always count on Jason to make me laugh!  He pulls these bizarre maneuvers when we bowl together. 
Jason went through the temple right after I left-I'm so happy for him!  The blessings that he will receive for the temple work he has done are incredible!  He is such a wonderful example to me-"Be thou an example of the Believers."  He's a believer alright!  I have seen Jason's Faith in Jesus Christ grow so much this past year.  The challenges in life he has overcome are many-but he continues to do so with faith and diligence.  He's a hard worker-he may appear stern at times, but only because he is always looking at things from a greater perspective. 
 




Ammon--oh Ammon!  I love that man.  From his beard to his bowling skills-I love him!  He taught me how to play a game called Little Big Planet (or something) and has just been my buddy.  I've always felt badly, because one of the first times I hung out with Ammon alone, I ended up leaving early to go hang out with some other friends of mine.  Those other friends were incredibly shallow, and poor for my self-esteem.  The spirit was not present, and I will always wish that I had spent that weekend night hanging out with Ammon.   
"The end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart," (1 Tim. 1:5)  Ammon has always had such a pure heart.  I have recognized in him so many qualities that I hope I can find in future friends, and in future friends on my mission.  

Clint moved into the flat during this last summer.  He's one of the most likable people I've ever met.  He was always there to give me counsel and advice.  Countless times he's been there to guide and comfort me.
Clint is very selfless.  If I were to ever ask him for anything, he'd be right there to help me, support me and uplift me.  I often think of the scripture in Doctine and Covenants:
 "Wherefore, be faithful; stand in the office which I have appointed unto you; succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees."
Clint has always stood in his office of being my support and my friend.  I'm grateful for his love, and miss his always positive attitude. 

Scott playing a video game at The Flat

Scott is the Flattigan that introduced me to them all, and took me bowling with them for the first time.  (I've since bought my own bowling shoes, and look forward to bowling with my dear Flattigans again in 2012!)  Scott has been a good friend to me.  Though we've had disagreements, he's always been able to be a firm believer in Christ.  I know his faith is build on a solid foundation.  Christ told us in 3 Nephi 18:24   "Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up."  Scott has been a strong and faithful Latter Day Saint.  He has tried diligently to hold up the light of Christ.  He served a mission in Italy-and even one of the members he befriended there told him he "needed to be a doctor-a doctor of the soul!"  Scott is a giving person-and shares the light of Christ with many.  I am blessed to have been able to learn about and love each of these men.                                                                                    

Playing games at the Flat (Note the Pirate Flag!)

My testimony changed a lot while I was with them.  They became my solid crutch that I could lean on when life became difficult.  I remember many specific times that I came there just to cry.  They never asked what was wrong-never pried.  They cared enough to give me a place that I could be emotional-like girls are- and let my frustrations out.  So many times they've cheered me up.  All it took were a few gummy worms and a video game or movie.  Sometimes they'd take me out to eat, or go shopping with me.  They shared their inside jokes with me and included me in every aspect of their lives.  They were true friends who helped me bloom.

When I decided to serve a mission, they were among the first I told.  They were excited-and a little shocked.  During the long 4 months leading up to my mission, they coached me through every doubt I had.  Time and time again they helped me to realize that I was truly a daughter of God.

None Were With Him

The Atonement of Jesus Christ has power beyond measure.  I am so grateful for the influence the atonement has had on my life.  I'm grateful that I know I don't have to suffer anything alone-that the Lord, my Savior-Jesus Christ is always on my side.

The Temple

    Close to where I live, there is a temple that sits on the side of a mountain.  It is beautiful.  I was able to make sacred covenants in that temple.  It is a place that I miss very much, and hold dearly to my heart!  This temple overlooks the city, majestically standing as a standard for the surrounding community to look at.  I love the location of this temple.  Even on a cloudy day the temple still shines through the storm towards heaven.  I am so grateful for the blessings that have come to my family because of the temple.

     Because of faithful ancestors, I am able to be sealed to my parents, my grandparents, and many other generations.  I am so happy to be a part of this gospel-and part of this wonderful eternal family.  I am grateful to be a "Valentine".  And I hold myself to a high standard-because I have a strong desire to live up to the legacy and the name I have been given.  The blessings of the temple are real-and they are eternal.  I will always be grateful for the blessings of this great gospel in my life.

Time

On my mission, I've noticed that using time efficiently is the key to successful and productive work.  Missionaries wake up every morning at 6:30.  They exercise for 30 minutes, get ready, and begin studying by 8.  At 10:00 they leave their apartments and work until 9:00 pm.  There are only a few prime hours we have each day to meet and talk with people. 

This week I've been thinking a lot about how I can use my time more effectively during these hours.  There have been times when I felt like the day was melting away and we hadn't accomplished much of anything.  I often wondered, "How can I learn everything I need to learn in such a short amount of time?  How can I get everything done when I have such a limited amount of time?" 

Sometimes we try to manipulate time, or distort it with too many activities.  We must be smart with the use of our time.  It's important to get the essentials done-but we have to be careful when multitasking.  We do not want to miss the Spirit's promptings because we are simply too busy to listen. 

My father is a prime example of productive time-use.  He is a Pediatric Doctor and the Bishop of our ward.  I've been thinking a lot about the ways he uses his time.  He takes notes and makes lists of the things he needs to accomplish each day.  He prioritizes these and separates them into categories until he has one perfectly concise list.  He then proceeds to plan his day out with the activities and errands that are of the most importance first.  This is something I'm going to try to implement into my busy missionary schedule.  This will help me to be more productive in the work and more organized!  Now, when I feel like the clock is ticking the day away, I won't feel like such a mess because I can look back through my list and see the things I've accomplished. 

Yesterday I had my first interview with my mission president.  Our zone met together up in Paducah, and we listened to a spiritually directed lesson by our president's wife, Sister Hutchings.  She talked to us about having the desire to have faith and to work.  She said the secret to work was working smart!  What a simple but profound statement!  When we work hard and smart, we will become the most effective missionaries the latter days have seen.

It doesn't matter who we are, what our job is, what we do, where we live-we must learn to prioritize and work smart.  I know that the Lord wants us to be a happy and productive people.  When we work towards developing the Christ-like attribute of diligence through our effective uses of time, we will be blessed in all aspects of our lives.   

Making Lemonade

When I was a kid, we would go every Easter to my grandparents house in California.  Outside of their house they had this big beautiful Lemon Tree.  I remember one time my aunt and uncle told us we were going to make lemonade from the lemons.  I was so excited!

We carefully selected our lemons and squeezed all of the juice out of them to make our lemonade.  I remember looking at my glass of lemonade before taking a sip.  Growing impatient, I took a big swallow-then I spit it right back out.  It was so sour and tart!  My grandpa looked at me and laughed,  "You can't enjoy it unless there's sugar in it!"  I learned a lesson that day that if you have lemons, you can't just squeeze the juice out and call it lemonade-you have to do something to make it sweet.
My grandparents have since moved away from that cute house with the lemon tree.  I've thought often on that experience every time I hear the common phrase, "When life hands you lemons, Make Lemonade!"

The past little while has been tough.  A lot of people have decided not to listen to us-which breaks our hearts!  We love talking to people about Jesus Christ.  He is so important to us, hence why we're out here!  Along with that, and other challenges I have been facing back at home, I felt like I'd been handed a sour part of life.  I didn't want to deal with the trials and struggles I was facing.  I wanted to take an easy way out.  I quickly learned, however, that there was no easy way out.  Life's lemons were just sour.  The best thing I could do was take the lemons I'd been handed and make lemonade.

Upon this realization, I thought, how can I make life's trials sweet?  When everything is going from bad to worse, and tough to ridiculously hard--how in the world can I have a positive attitude?  The first thing I needed to realize was that my problems were my problems.  I couldn't change anything immediately.  The things I was frustrated about were all out of my control.  I can't make people choose to accept the gospel.  And I can't fix my problems back at home-why?  Because I'm not at home.  I'm serving a mission.  It took a lot of faith, and I'm still on this grand realization, that if I just trust the Lord, he will show me what I need to do, where I need to go, and who I need to be.

I'm still trying to sweeten the lemons.  So far, I've tried to sort out the problems.  I've squeezed out all the juice from those lemons-I just need to find something to sweeten things up.  The first thing that I've found to sweeten life up is work. The more I focus on working and serving those around me, the happier I am.  The second thing I learned is to laugh.  Sister Koford and I laugh every day-it's our medicine to the stresses that come along with being a missionary.  We joke, "You either laugh or cry at this point!"  Laughing always makes the day go by better and faster.  She and I have drawn mustaches on our fingers, just to spice up the day.  We've also done other silly things, like gone puddle jumping in the Kentucky Rain, bought matching shirts, and just other random things to lift our spirits.  I love her and am so grateful that she's my friend.  I'm also grateful for a loving family and great friends back at home.  They make life's journey more eventful-but also much sweeter.

My grandpa was right that day-not just about lemonade, but about life.  You can't enjoy it unless you put some sugar in it.  Find something to sweeten up your life.  And when you find it-TELL ME ABOUT IT!  I love talking to people about the different ways they over come their trials in life.  We're all in this together-so lets have a lemonade party!

The Heart's Prayer

Alright, so with this post I'm trying something new.  Read the following, and answer the questions in the comment box below- then, everyone that reads this, please, copy the URL address, and post it either on your facebook wall, or send it to someone through an email.  Then, after you've posted a comment and sent this message to someone else, then write down your thoughts about the following scriptures. But please don't just write your comments on here... take time to write them in a journal, or on a separate piece of paper.  Write down the things that you feel, the frustrations you've had in life.  I know the scriptures are the answer to most of our prayers, and when we take the time to write our thoughts down about the scriptures, and sincerely study them out, then we will find comfort and peace and more love than we were originally looking for.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on prayer.. I know it has helped me so much through great times of trial.

Romans 8:18
"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."

First question to answer-  What does this scripture mean to you?  How can it help us in times of trial? 

Romans 8:24-25
"For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.  Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not ought: but the spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."

How can having hope help us overcome life's obstacles?  How can the spirit help us in "our infirmities"?  How can it help us to know what to pray for?

Then finally, verse 31:
"What shall we then say to these things?  If God be for us, who can be against us?"

How does this give you courage and strength?  Has there been a time in your life that you felt the world was against you, but God was there to carry you through your trials?

I know Jesus Christ is our savior.  I know these comforting scriptures were written for us during times of hardship so that we can see how having faith and hope in something we cannot see helps us fight the darkness in our lives.  I know that the Lord is always on our side-no matter who we are, where we are, or how deep the water is in which we swim.  He will always be there to guide us back safely into his loving arms.  I know that when we pray, we are encirled about by the Lord's angels. 

So please, if life has you down, pray.  If the world is confusing and things seem unfair, pour your whole souls out to the Lord.  He is ready to hear you, and ready to lift your weary heart.
God bless...

Beacon

I'm grateful for the Gospel.  I'm so grateful to be a member of this simple church.  The Lord always guides and directs us down the path that we need to go when we obey His voice.  There are so many things I have learned over the past few weeks--particularly in this past week.  Unfortunately, sometimes in order to learn the lessons necessary to become better people, we must take on a difficult task.  I am just grateful for the opportunity that we have in this life to learn.  The best lessons are usually learned during great times of heartache and trial.  Being on a full time mission, away from my family, everyone and everything that I love, I felt as though my life was full of trials.  But the important thing I needed to remember were the lessons I could learn and the amount that I would grow.  I have grown in so many ways...I know my heart has grown being out here.  I have learned to love in a way I didn't know I could before.  Today, for example, I met some incredible people whom I love already, though I've had just brief conversations with them. 

Gratitude for life's lessons is the beacon of hope that we have amidst trials and struggles.  I know that when we turn to God, he makes life's troubles easier to bear.  He doesn't always take away the pain, because sometimes we need to learn-but I know that we can find hope--we can find that beacon of light that the Lord is shining down upon us.

Light