Final blog?

I have really enjoyed keeping and posting in my blog. It was a bit challenging at first but once i got the hang of it, l grew to love it. I no longer saw it as an assignment but more like a spiritual journal i kept. Most of my entries were spiritual and recorded how l have grown spiritually.I still have a long way to go, a lot to learn especially spiritual growth. There is always room for spiritual growth which is why this is not my final blog. I will keep posting the many spiritual experiences l am yet to encounter.
I am thinking about going to serve a mission so.......be on the lookout for that. In a few months i might be posting my mission call!

Tender Mercies

I have oft felt grateful for that knowledge that there is a loving Heavenly Father out there. He truly is mindful of us and our needs. I am grateful for the tender mercies that i get. That call from a friend , a message from an anonymous girl in the ward just to say hi Rose, a smile from a stranger all brighten up my day and make life worth living.
Unexpected, timely help from both friends and kind strangers really remind me of the Savior's love for me. When He says He is there watching over us and is mindful of us, He means it. I am thankful for that each and everyday. From the amazing family to the wonderful friends I have made here at BYU l am thankful. He truly does know who we need and when we need them. I believe there are angels among us, send down to us from heaven above. They come to you and me in our darkest hours to help us get by. These angels are really there if we really take the time to stop and look out for them. They don't wear white clothes or are in the from of Heavenly beings but are human just like you and me. 

Life away from parents

I remember when i was in High School when me and my friends would discuss about how we could not wait to move out of our parents house. We always felt like we didn't have freedom and refereed to our homes as 'jail'. we would always talk about how excited we were to go to college and do all the things we couldn't do whilst at home. We could stay up late as much we wanted, go out with friends whenever we wanted and never have to ask for permission. We thought that was really living and enjoying life and couldn't wait. The further away, the better, we thought.
Well, to my horror l hate living away from my parents. It is not as great as i imagined it to be. I miss my mom's cooking and family activities. I miss my Dad's blessings whenever i got sick. I miss my little sisters whom i always fought with. I miss my little brother whom i always thought was annoying. I miss just going back home from school to see my mom happy and smiling and anxious to hear how my day at school was. I miss it all.
Distance makes the heart grow fonder. It is true. I only get to see them twice a year which is not bad. I always look forward to visiting them and spending time with them. Life away from my parents is not that great after all for with each day, i miss them more and more.

My Parents

When i was a teenger, not very long ago actually..haha i made it sound as if that was a long time ago. Anyway, I remember there were times i felt like my parents did not want me to be happy. They always restricted me from doing "fun" things. In High School, i wanted to be a cool kid and that involved going to all the dances at school and the parties of the popular kids. The parties would be all the kids would talk about weeks after school, and so i felt left out a lot and i blamed it on my parents.They always used to say they are doing it for me and they have my best interests at heart but i never saw how this could be.

Looking back now, i must say that i am glad they did that. If it wasn't for them i don't think i would be where i am today. They truly had my best interests at heart and l feel blessed to have them. I couldn't have asked for any better parents.I love them deeply and that love will continue to increase especially now that i am so far away from home. I love my parents and all that they have done for me. I feel ashamed sometimes when i think of the times i got mad that they didn't allow to me what everybody else was doing. I will definitely follow their example even when l have my own kids.

The Eternal Blessings of Marriage

I loved all the general conference talks and felt the spirit testifying to me that it was true in each of the talks. The talk i loved the most and felt that it spoke to not only me but everyone was by Elder Richard G Scott. He is one of my favorite apostles and i just love him. I have always loved and noticed how with each and every talk he talks about his wife, Jeanene. I feel like i know her from the wonderful stories of her that he has shared.He misses her dearley. I would also love to have my husband miss me that much and talk about me all the time like that if i pass on before him.
I liked his talk becauses it encopmasses a large crowd. It was as if he was speaking to EVERYONE because everyone can relate to atleast one thing he mentioned in his talk.Firstly, he talked about temple sealings that allow families to be together forever after this life. Those that have had their loved ones pass on where reminded that they will be together again forever as long as they were sealed in the temple.
Secondly, he talked about Fathers and children. Many men have demanding jobs that require them to be away from home for a long time, they too were reminded to spare some time for the family and play with their kids.
Thirdly, he talked to the young men that are still not married: "If you are a young man of appropriate age and are not married, don’t waste time in idle pursuits." Many returned missionaries are still not married and he encouraged them to get on with their lives and get married. A few of them i know from the ward really listened and took that council. There were 5 engagements in our ward after that talk.
Fourthly, those that have not yet served a mission were told to go forth and serve. Young men in the audience were reminded of their duty to go forth and serve.
Next, he talked to those already married:"If you have found someone, you can form an extraordinarily wonderful courtship and marriage and be very, very happy eternally by staying within the bounds of worthiness the Lord has established."
He also talked about brethren leading family home evening and scripture study in their homes.And tell their wives often how much they love them.
But wait a minute Rose, you said he talked to EVERYONE how about the sisters.oh yes he did talk about the sisters.He promised the sisters that have not found marriage to continue living worthy of that and then in the Lord's time, they would also recieve those blessings:"All things are possible to the Lord, and He keeps the promises He inspires His prophets to declare." Those that are married were encouraged to continue seeking for opportunities to serve and love their husbands and children as well.
I loved this talk and i felt that it was a very effective speech.It had all three of the rhetorical triangle things.When he refers to his wife it increases his ethos.He shows us that he is trustworthy, he doesn't just speak about eternal marriage,but his wife is included. It also had pathos, many people were touched by his crying and wonderful stories that he shared about his wife.He really creates an emotional appeal that reaches to the crowd.Many people can also relate to this.It also had logos as every time he would make a fact, he would refer to his wife. I really loved this talk.

Conference Weekend

Wow! Conference weekend was amazing. I managed to attend both Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon sessions. We drove up to Salt lake with my friends from Zimbabwe. It was such an awesome experience and we were all glad that we had the opportunity to be there. We took lots of pictures around temple square but most importantly , we took good notes too. The conference center is such a wonderful place filled with the spirit. Everyone is nice and has a smile on their face.
I couldn't help but notice how clean it was. As i thought about how clean it was, i remembered the story my english professor had shared with us in class. The Young Women and Relief Society in her ward had an activity where they volunteered to clean the conference center. She told us how they had to clean EVERYWHERE including the screws on the seats and floors. This is ridiculous one might think but, as she expalained it is the Lord's house and must be clean. If the spirit of the Lord is present in the buliding then in must be clean.
I enjoyed all the talks especially Elder Richard G Scott's talk. I love how he always talks about his wife. He misses her dearly and loved her very much. It is visible in all his talks and each time he shares a story about her.i feel like i know her. With each and every talk, i grow to know more about her. I also loved Elder Holland's cocluding remarks. He is one of my favorite apostles and i am grateful for the opportunity i had to meet him when he came to Zimbabwe. He came home for diner as my Dad is the Mission President and he is such an awesome man.
He reminded each of us how much we should be grateful for our prophet and all he does for us. I love President Monson and for the revelation he recieves for us today. We are truly blessed to have him.
Although it snowed really bad soon after conference, it was totally worth it. It was hard to drive back home in the snow but all of us never regretted going. We simply drove really slowly and carefully and shared with each other the wonderful experience we had and how we had felt the spirit.

Final Personal Narrative

It was on that fateful Friday the thirteenth that I felt my world was coming to an end. My dad had told the family that we were moving. He hadn’t told neither where, nor why. All he had said was it is where the Lord would want us to be.” Really? That’s all you are going to say?” I had thought to myself angry and confused as to why we had to move. I was so angry that it was hard for me to concentrate and listen to the talks being given that Sunday morning.

 “Do you really have to move Rose?” Nyasha my best friend since second grade asked me with tears filled in her big brown eyes. I could see her tears through the huge spectacles she had won since first grade and everyone had made fun of. Even in to her teens she had decided to keep them I always wondered why. Maybe she didn’t care anymore because High School kids were too mature to make fun of someone glasses. Her mother probably couldn’t afford too as she was a single mother with 5 children to take care of, Nyasha being the oldest.

  “I could ask my mom and you can move in with us. We are like family and you know she won’t mind” This was probably the twentieth time in counting Nyasha had said that to me ever since I told her my family would be moving 2 months ago. It was becoming kind of annoying because I kept telling her over and over that it just wasn’t possible and plus I was just too sad to think about it.

“I told you before, dad won’t let me. We have to move in and live together as a family. That’s the whole idea, I already talked to him and he won’t let me.”  I said forcing back tears. I could feel my throat tighten and tears blinding my eyes. I had hardly talked to my dad ever since he informed us about the move. I felt like he was just trying to ruin my life. How could he? Why now? And why won’t he tell us where we are going?

I still could not believe this was happening. It was the most tragic thing ever! Everything was going well both in the neighborhood and in the ward. I had managed to convert my best friend and her family and they were now strong in the gospel. The cute guy in my ward whom I had had a crush on for as long as I could remember was finally beginning to show interest in me. We had been on a couple of dates and each time I got back home, I would be in the most cheerful mood ever! Tatenda was tall and handsome. Every time he called my name, I thought I would melt. I had just been called to be president of the mia maids in young women. Things were perfect and now we just had to live that all behind and start all over again?

“Rose, it’s time to go home” my sister yelled from the family car.

 We had had that car for about 3 years and we all just loved it. It was a great improvement from the small car we had had before. The four of us children would have to be squashed in the back like melons. We would scream at each other the whole way and my brother would find ways of annoying us to tears. My little sister would find this as an opportunity to share with us her not so interesting stories of her fifth grade class. This car had so much space that if you wanted to isolate yourself from these tragedies, you’d simply sit in the back and listen to your music.

 “I will call you tonight” I quickly said as I hurried to the car with my cheeks all covered in tears. The family was impatiently waiting for me as we had to hurry home and finish packing. I   rushed to and sat in the back in attempt to hide my tears from my little brother who would find this as a wonderful opportunity to laugh at me and make me feel so bad about crying. He always found joy in seeing me cry and upset and I must admit, I felt the same way when he was upset too. That’s the way we communicated and got along I guess. We had all worn our best Sunday attire as this was going to be our last Sunday in the ward. The Bishop had allowed some time for me and my family to bear our testimonies and say our goodbyes, even though it wasn’t a Fast and Testimony meeting.

“You bore beautiful testimonies everyone, I am so proud of you” my mom said in her low sweet voice. “Rose” she continued, “do you know who is going to take over your calling?” I simply kept quiet. I was really having a hard time leaving. I seemed to be the only one who did not want to move. Both of my sisters were extremely excited and my brother too! I figured it’s because they didn’t have anything good going for them in the ward that’s why they didn’t care.

Tears flooded my eyes as I looked out the window at the neighborhood for the last time. Memories came flashing back. This is where I had grown up. This was home. I hated change so much. I hated having to make new friends and start all over again. I was comfortable where I was. After what seemed like the longest drive home ever, we finally pulled in the driveway and I ran to my room. I kept thinking about Tatenda and how he had not even managed to come to church that Sunday. He said it was going to be painful to hear my last testimony in the ward.

“I don’t want to move” I yelled as I heard the door open. “Why not?” I looked up as I saw my little sister Edith walk in. She had just been recently baptized and was a sweet, understanding girl for her age. “Why don’t you want to move? It won’t be that bad. You will have me” I wiped my tears and squeezed her really hard. She was looking really cute in her white dress with pink flowers.

“Let me break it down to you, Edith.” I said as she sat next to me on my bed. “Moving really sucks. You live all your friends behind. You have start all over again and it’s tough. I don’t even have any friends in that ward, we don’t even know anyone in the neighborhood” I poured out my heart to her and how I didn’t want to leave Tatenda. She was really attentive as she listened to me going on and on.

Her simple reply was, “But Daddy says that’s where the Lord wants us to be. We must listen to him.” My mother walked in the room shortly after, calling us to eat lunch. She had worn her favorite purple African Brocade attire and looked really nice. It consisted of a white hat with a matching cloth she put over her shoulder. She also had on a purple Dashiki top with black embroideries on the neckline and, a matching purple skirt. My mom had always been one of my best friends. I shared with her everything, from school work to the crushes I had on the cute boys in my class. She was never really amused to hear me go on and on about boys but, she must have felt it was her duty to always listen to me. She didn’t want to push me away and loved the fact that I considered her my best friends.

“I will be out in a second” I replied. My little sisters’ words really got me thinking. Her two sentences continued to echo in my mind. I started feeling ashamed of myself. Clearly, I had overreacted. I had not even given a single thought to it that, this is where the Lord wanted us to be. I had been selfish. All I ever did was think of how much I would miss my friends and how miserable I was going to be. I did not understand why we had to move. All my dad ever said was, that’s where the Lord wants us to be. Why not here? We were happy weren’t we? I just did not understand and that’s why I felt so angry.

“You really have to consider what dad is going through, Rose. You won’t even talk to him or give him a chance.” That was my sister Rachel. Although she was two years younger than me she always acted like she was the big sister. She always knocked sense into what she called ‘mud filled’ head of mine. She was like my mentor and kind of my role model. She always got good grades and never got in trouble. She listened to our parents and never complained or found anything wrong with anything they said. I simply ignored her and she left the room.

Whatever, miss perfect. I thought to myself as she left. Why won’t you be a normal kid for once in your lifetime? I had come up with that as her nickname but never dared say it to her in her face. I always used it in my mind though. There had been times where I had wanted to go to the school dance but dad would only say yes if she was going too. No matter how much I begged to agree she would say no, it made so mad. I never understood why she didn’t want to have fun and be like other normal cool kids.

Edith’s words still continued to echo in my mind. Maybe I should give him a chance. I don’t even know where we are going. Maybe I will find myself liking this place. What if it really is where the Lord wants us to be? I started feeling bad. Everyone in my family were content and never complained. Why was I? It was then I decided to change my attitude. I was going to not only give my dad a chance but the Lord too. But how will I walk in the room. I have been a jerk for such a long time. I am even embarrassed to look at my Dad. How do I walk in the room? Oh why was I behaving like this? I hate myself.

“Are you going to join us for lunch?” my dad’s deep voice interrupted my thoughts. “Your mom and I have something to tell the family” I simply nodded my head and followed him to the dining room. At least I felt less embarrassed to go now because he called me. I sat at my usual place, next to my brother. He always found joy in teasing me. Ever since he could talk, all he ever seemed to do was make fun of me. It was our way of communicating I guess. Here we go again, I thought to myself. Again with the we are moving but not why we are moving. Maybe he was just doing this to make me suffer, clearly he could see I was having way too much and no Father wants to see their child happy I thought.

“The reason why we have to move is because a few months ago I was interviewed and found worthy to be called to be a Mission President. Your mom and I were asked to keep it from everyone including you guys, until we received a call as to where we will be going. We got the letter this morning and haven’t opened it yet, we wanted to open it when the family was there.”

What? Wow! My siblings and I were really shocked. We did not see this one coming. In the midst of our shock, my dad came back to the room with a letter in his hand. “Open it!” we all shouted. We were all anxious to find out exactly where we would be moving to. Random, places started to race in my mind.  He opened the letter and read “Zimbabwe Harare Mission” The room was filled with cheer and relief. It was good to know that we would still be in our home country. We would still have to move, but it was only an hours’ drive away from our home. That is where the mission home was located. I would still be able to visit Tatenda and Nyasha once in a while.

“Rose, I bet you just feel so bad right now” my brother turned to me and said in his teasing voice. I was about to say something mean to him and my dad said, “She just has to work on trusting the Lord and having faith just like Edith. She was okay with moving the very moment I told her it was where the Lord wanted us to be”

“Oh ye of little faith”, my sister who is two years younger than me teased.” You had nothing to worry about after all.” I felt bad, I had over reacted, maybe if knew it was because of a calling I would have been okay with it. I smiled and apologized to the family.

“Now come on” my sister whispered “Let’s go and talk about how great it will be to be around all those cute missionaries in my room” We talked about fun it was going to be meeting the missionaries, feeding them and being around them. We even started arranging cute outfits we would wear.

I was now very excited to move and could not wait.