A Place to Write

This week's Come Follow Me lesson was about listening to parents. Brendon showed a video of a little girl who wouldn't stay buckled into her carseat--until her grandma explained why it was important to stay seated. To stay safe because I love you. We asked the girls why it's important to listen to parents. They got stuck on safety for a while but then we mentioned cleaning. I told them we ask them to clean so they can learn now how to keep their house clean. Kaybree: Yeah cause if you become a grown up and never learn how to clean it would be a disaster! Eisley: Does _____ not know how to clean? I know I shouldn't judge others but I died laughing at that. I hope she doesn't go ask that person directly. I explained most adults know how but sometimes struggle to find the time to clean so that's another skill we have to work on while young--finding time to clean. Both girls bore their testimonies on Sunday. Kaybree wrote her testimony down on a piece of pa...

I love to travel. I love experiencing new things, seeing new things and stepping outside of my every day. To me it's a slight adrenaline rush. You never know what could happen but I feel confident following the example of people who have gone before me. If a place is generally safe for most people, I feel comfortable going there and I enjoy every second of it. It's not the same for J. You'd think a child who has lived with more families than he can count would have no problem adjusting to new cultures or people--yet he hates travelling out of state. Street smarts don't transfer, he explained. That only leaves him one card to play--physical strength--if he gets into any trouble. He's assessing his risks in a very different way than me. His survival instincts tell him to stay in his safe zone. Stay where he knows the laws, the culture and the general rules. Stay put. He told me last night his life has gotten a little boring and he's not sure how he feels a...

I have to teach a lesson to all the young women on Wednesday about modesty. I’ve already written about why that’s a tough topic for me. I don’t want anyone to be ashamed of what they are wearing or judge anyone for wearing something else. Brendon and I had a long conversation about how to teach this concept and the possible pitfalls. Modesty really should have nothing to do with men. The actual definition of modesty is decency. It’s a church cultural thing that ties it so closely to the way we dress. But being modest really means being a decent human being and our clothing should reflect that. We should wear clothes that make us and those around us comfortable. As I fretted over how to teach this we sat down for lunch and asked Kaybree what she had learned at church today. She said she learned her body is a temple. When we asked what that means at first she said to avoid drugs and things that would cause harm to our bodies. I asked “what about what we put on the outside of our bodi...