COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS, NAME THEM ONE BY ONE...

Sometimes the Lord catches me off guard... It's quite interesting! I guess I must report here. Maybe this will lift some people up, if not myself. And think that a couple weeks ago I was living in the middle of HELL. With the death of Billy and other issues that came along, I was feeling very desperate and hand-tied at the same time. You know when motivation doesn't come to you and you just want to give up? Give up on what? School, life, all sorts of things. And there was my mom to lift me up. Whoever knows her really well and for a long time, knows that for many years she has been inactive in the Church. Well, the picture changed about a year ago, when she decided to come back for good due to things that I was going through while I was living in Washington. I have been recovering from a hard heartbreak. Sometimes I still think about it, but more as a lesson than anything else. Anyways. coming back to mom, she came back to Church and has been active. Probably more than me. But she has taught me some valuable lessons.

During those hard days for my family, I took a lot of time to reflect on my life and to ask the Lord to give me some direction concerning my academic life, as well as in other aspects. I was still a little hesitant, but amazingly, in the course of two weeks things seem to be falling into place. I decided to go to school during the Winter Semester instead of going off-track. Being almost 27 and not done with my Bachelor's Degree is something that bothers my parents, especially my dad. So with his support, I am going to be able to complete Winter Semester and hopefully in December 2009, prepare yourselves because there is Graduation!!! Yay!!! 

Mom and Dad getting Willy was another blessing, They got him yesterday but are completely IN LOVE with the dog. Dad called me tonight and we were talking, and when I was about to ask him about Willy, he went off saying how he is SO CUTE and how he eats so much hehehe... The Dog is 70 days old and already weighs about 9 pounds... HOLY COW!!! He's a little big though, but I don't think he'll grow a whole lot more. He's the new king of the house. Of course, I was talking to Dad about Billy and asking him if they missed my little Billy and he said: "yes, we still miss him a lot, we compare him to Willy (in a good way), and it has been hard on us, but at the same time we are excited about Willy. He will be another distraction for us."

Also, whoever knows my Dad and has known him from the past, he was a very hard person to deal with. My mom said though that he changed completely. He is extremely serene and in my opinion he's getting faithful in the blessings that Heavenly Father has poured upon our family. One day he will be baptized, I am so sure!

I miss my family a ton. But at the same time, I know I have a purpose for being here. As Elder Bednar once said, all the students that are at BYU-Idaho HAVE a purpose for being here. We are not here by chance, and I can tell and testify: this is a disciple-builder institution. I am living proof of that. I have grown SO MUCH in these past seven months. I am privileged and honored.

If I am to count my blessings I will spend the whole night here. So, just to end, I just encourage everyone who reads this post to be grateful! Be grateful for the challenges that make you grow, for the pain and suffering that you go through, and for the blessings that come as a result of being obedient. I love this Gospel. I love my Savior, and I know I don't deserve many of the blessings that I have. But through His mercy, He makes everything possible.

Count your blessings, name them one by one... Count your many blessings, see what God has done! (Hymns #241)

Uma a uma, dize-as de uma vez... E veras, surpreso quanto Deus ja fez! (Hinos #57)