Sun Dogs

Dear Emmia and Kirk,
You know those mornings where you have to wake up really early and you don't think you could ever be in a happy mood all day until God does something to blind you with His brilliance and put a smile on your face?

Well this week we experienced just that. A couple days ago we were driving to the Peter Whitmer Farm for our shift early early EARLY in the morning. (did I mention it was early?) The east horizon was just starting to lighten as we pulled onto the road. As the sun rose, the temperature dropped. 8 degrees. 6 degrees. 3 degrees. 0 degrees. this is when we started taking pictures of the car dash board where the temp. registers.
 -1.    -3.   -4.    -6.   -8

Both the temperature and my mood were in the negative. I don't like morning. I don't like the cold.

But God put something in my path to change my view.

As we drove I noticed a rainbow on each side of the rising sun and it was so amazingly brilliant. I had never seen that before.

A little while later we actually drove through the rainbow:)


(picture from searching "sun dogs" on Google images)

I felt so loved in that moment. God knew I was having a hard time that morning following Him and being Christlike. So he gave me my first glimpse at one of His phenomenons, sun dogs, to help me see that morning from His point of view.

If it hadn't been the crack of dawn we wouldn't have seen the rainbow around the sun.

If it hadn't been that cold we wouldn't have seen it either.

Sometimes life is hard. Sometimes we make it hard. And all the time God is trying to tell us that He loves us and gives us hard things so we can see the beauty in it.

"He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light." (John 5:35)

When I follow the Light of Jesus Christ I am happier. I'm definitely not trial-less. My life isn't perfect and rainbows and sun dogs all the time because I follow Jesus Christ.

But with Jesus Christ I can smile through the 8 below weather. I can climb up all my trials with His strength and help. I can overcome my flaws and imperfections and on this journey back to Him and Heavenly Father I can help other people come closer to Christ's light.

Mathew 5

14. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

15. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

16. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Shine for Jesus Christ and your Heavenly Father and you will see His Light in your life.

It happened to me :)

Love,

   Ryn

Puzzle pieces

Dear Emmia and Kirk,
 I love to do puzzles. My mom and I could zone out for hours in front of a 5000 piece puzzle. We do one every year for New Years. One time we did 7 (varying from 250 to 5000) I was dreaming in puzzle pieces :) Whenever I see this:

I think: Challenge accepted.

I've learned a lot of life lessons from puzzle doing.

 #1: Frame comes first!

When you start working on a puzzle always ALWAYS work on the frame first. If you don't it will take you SSOOO much longer to complete the puzzle and its pretty much chaos. You'll get more frustrations, anger, and puzzle piece throwing than enjoyment and accomplishment out of the puzzle if you get the frame done first.

In life you should start with the frame also. For me my frame is Jesus Christ, His teachings and His restored gospel and church. When I frame my life with Christ and His simple commandments my frustrations, anger and tantrum throwing are less and the enjoyment and accomplishment of my life increases.

No matter what you frame is work on it improve it make sure its a good frame and structure your life in that frame. It will make you so much happier :)

#2: Take the dark with the light.

If you look at an individual piece of a puzzle you its a mini representation of the force on Star Wars. It has a dark side and a light side. And those little individual pieces make up a whole picture of complementary light and dark.

Life has dark days and light days. and those individual days make up a whole life of complementary light and dark.

In the Missionary Training Center one of our teachers Bailee then Brinkerhoff now Morris, pointed this picture out to us that was on the classroom wall.

She pointed out that if it wasn't for the dark places the focus point (where Joseph Smith is) wouldn't even be the focus. The painting wouldn't have focus. She related that to our missions that if we made this painting into a puzzle and each piece was a day of our mission then one day might be filled with dark: everything going wrong, nothing going right, bad hair day and you just want to kneel down in fetal position and cry. But some days would be filled with light: smiling like the barbie at the end of Toy Story 2 but you don't ever want to stop. and most days will have both but they all come together to make an epic picture; a picture of a mission that you will be proud of. I've realized that's not just an analogy for my mission but for my life.

2 Nephi 2: 11

"For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility."

#3: Follow the blueprint.

Doing a puzzle without a picture of the end product its harder to complete just like life! If you don't have something for reference you lose the way and even motivation to finish.

One time my mom and I couldn't find the reference picture to a puzzle. (puzzles usually come with them) We had lost it and when we didn't have it the puzzle slowed down. We actually stopped working on it for about a week before we finally found the reference picture in the depths of the couch.

If I don't have a reference picture or blueprint for my life I can lose my way and sometimes lose motivation to continue. In Junior High I had lost the blueprint of my life. I wasn't building my life at all on any blueprint. I was lost and I wasn't happy. But as soon as I found a  blueprint to follow in my life I could move forward to building my life and put together all the small things because I have the big picture.

#4: Life is a puzzle.

    Sometimes when working on a puzzle you lose a piece or you think a piece should go where you think it goes. . . but it doesn't.

Sometimes when going through life I lose things: people, things, places, etc. or I have a plan for my life and I'm positive it will go the way I want it . . . but it doesn't. Which is probably a good thing. With God's plan for my life I can focus on fitting in the pieces. God has already made the puzzle; designed it, created it and worked it all out. All I have to do is put it together.


#5: Cherish the small things.

My mom and I whenever we got a piece of the puzzle in we would do a high five or pound it. Sometimes a mix of both (hahaha:)

That taught me to cherish the small accomplishments. You got out of bed this morning? WOOOHOOO!!! congratulations:) Those small little moments make up a whole day. that small little day makes up a whole life and that life is a puzzle that when completed can be a gift to my Heavenly Father.

1 Nephi 21:16

Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

My life and puzzle is in His hands. He has given me everything I need. There are so many more lessons I have gained from the life time of doing puzzles but I hope you can take this pieces and apply them to your life puzzle.

Love,
   Ryn

My Brothers.

Dear Emmia and Kirk,
  Meet my brothers!!!!:)


This is Josh with Sarah, the love of his life (and his favorite hat.)
 


Cordell! my brother-in-law with the love of his life, my sister Aubrey.

And finally. . .

 Jesus Christ, my Savior and Redeemer.

My brothers mean a lot to me.

Josh was the one that read Harry Potter and every other book I wanted when I was too young to read. We would sit on his bed for hours while he read and then when I was learning to read we would take turns. It must have been annoying to him sometimes but he never showed it. We would play lacrosse together, have chess battles(he won basically most of the time), and he helped me learn how to ride a bike. Through all these I have learned and grown. Josh taught me never to let anyone win, always be yourself no matter what and that I am loved no matter what. The only thing that separates us is 8 years age difference.

Cordell loves my sister. He treats her right and is her other half. He's given me a lot of advice and funny memories from his past while Aubrey slept talked beside us. Even though I haven't known him long he truly is a solid guy that cares.

Josh and Cordell know how to love. They show me shining examples of how women are supposed to be treated and being their sister has taught me so many things. They are both examples of my Brother Jesus Christ.

Despite the 2000 year age difference between us I know Jesus Christ loves me. He has taught me so many lessons on how to be a better person through the scriptures, prophets of God, and life lessons from the examples around me.

This is to my mortal brothers and to all my other spiritual brothers (and my sons who will be brothers to there siblings) out there. Be His Example. Jesus Christ knows you; your weakness and trials and things you have problems with. He still loves you. He knows your joy and smile and happiness. He still loves you.
He loves you no matter what.
And guess what? I love you too.

Love, Ryn.