One week down and it has already been an adventure.
Things we have learned about Zürich:
1. Parking is horrific.
If you need to rent a car, be sure to ask for a blue parking pass. You can also pick one up from the local Kreisburo or the Police. Without this pass you will have to move your car every hour regardless of the time of day.
2. Double check when stores are open.
Most stores and banks close at 6:00 pm Saturday evenings and will not be open on Sundays. Also, bike stores are closed on Mondays.
3. Always have cash on you.
Not every store accepts credit cards. Most small places only accept cash. And don't fill up your cart with a kitchen full of groceries and expect to pay with a credit card, especially when the store and the bank are closing *see point 2*.
4. Prepare for sticker shock
Zürich is one of the most expensive places to live in the world. Everything is expensive. Food, clothes, toiletries, housing.... it all rings up high. A big-mac at McDonalds is 11 CHF (~$12). Stephen and I were prepared for this, fortunately.
5. Everything is walkable
You might have tired feet by the end of the day, but walking is the best way to get to know the city and see the different neighborhoods.
We have been loving our time in Zürich.
The ward is going to be awesome. We have 2 sets of missionaries!
And we can't believe the luck we had finding our apartment.
*divine intervention*
We are excited to start classes in a couple weeks,
but for now we are hitting the German books :)
We feel so blessed to be here and are looking forward to many more adventures.
"When making decisions, God expects us to pray, trust,
and be believing and then not give up, panic, or "jump ship"
when something doesn't seem to be going right."
This week, we had a similar experience.
Driving home from work on Tuesday, our car broke down.
Unfortunately, Stephen had to drive his boss to the airport
so he couldn't pick me up.
It took me 3 hours to get home when it should have only taken 20 minutes.
As it turns out, we need a new transmission.
Yay.
As terrible as the situation feels right now,
perhaps the Lord made it possible for us to go down a bad road quickly
in order for us to get into a better situation faster.
We have a lot of trips planned for this summer,
and it would have been horrible to break down
hundreds of miles away from home.
And,
because Stephen took his boss to the airport,
we now have his car to use until our repairs are done.
Last weekend, Stephen and I traveled to Northern Utah to visit the Logan, Brigham City, and Bountiful LDS temples. As we sat in the Celestial rooms at each of these temples, I was overwhelmed with a sense of majesty and grandeur. The exquisite crown molding down to the tiniest piece of crystal on each magnificent chandelier made my heart melt. Stephen and I saw half a dozen impressive castles while in Europe a little over a month ago, but none of them compared to the beauty and majesty of these temples. Temples are the house of the Lord on the Earth, His "home away from home." We, as His children have the opportunity to inherit ALL that He has. Every single piece of it. Can you imagine? If these temples are His Earthly homes, can you even imagine what His heavenly home must be like? He is the greatest being in all existence, far greater than any Earthly king. His kingdom is glorious because there are no peasants, only royalty. Every single person on this Earth can be an heir to His kingdom. If we obey His commandments and do as He has requested, we will be given this most precious gift. Can you even imagine?
It was said in church once that,
"It's either true or it's the greatest fairytale that's ever existed. Well, I quite think it's both."
And I agree. Knowledge of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and our living Heavenly Father are the greatest truths in all existence. They are pivotal in understanding our purpose here on this Earth, and our potential for the eternities. I am so blessed to have this knowledge and the opportunity to learn and grow every day. I want to share my testimony with every person I come in contact with for I truly believe with all my heart that this Gospel is true, and we, as children of a loving and perfect Heavenly Father, are given all the tools necessary to inherit all that he has.
I am so grateful for this knowledge, this gospel, the Savior's atonement, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. My life would be incomplete without it.
This school year has been one of the most difficult times in my entire life.
While this time has made me question myself,
a few things I now know more certainly than ever.
1. Trials make us stronger.
2. The Lord has perfect timing.
3. I am married to the most wonderful man in the entire world.
4. The temple can bring you more peace than any other place on Earth.
5. Daily personal prayer and scripture study are a key to happiness.
My trial is not over by any means. Right now the only benefit I've received is several answers to the classic interview question, "Have you ever failed at anything?" I do know that eventually I will overcome this trial, and I will be stronger for doing so.
The Lord knew what lay ahead of me this year. He placed Stephen in my life so I would have someone to lean on through these tough times. My marriage has not encumbered my trial, it has lightened the inevitable. I am so grateful for the Lord's timing in giving me Stephen. I am more grateful to Stephen for being the best support, study buddy, friend, inspiration and example I could ever dream of. He is my rock, and I would not have made it through this year without him.
Stephen and I made a goal to attend the temple weekly. I can truthfully say that since we have been married, we have missed less weeks than I have fingers on my right hand. Even when we didn't think there was time in the world, we went. Those precious hours in the temple were a source of peace and strength to me.
Most nights, when all I wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep for the few hours I had left, I got on my knees and said my prayers instead. We would read scriptures and talk about what could be learned from our readings. To be honest, there were not many days where I saw a direct correlation between what I read or prayed for and the answers I received. But this I do know, the spirit has been with me each and every day. And if there is one thing I have succeeded in this year, it is reading my scriptures and saying my prayers daily, for the first time in my life.
Trials are hard.
I pray everyday that I will see the purpose in mine
and be able to overcome it.
I am grateful that the Lord has blessed me
with my family,
Stephen,
and this incredible gospel.
They have brought me closer
to my Heavenly Father,
who loves me with all his heart
and is preparing me to be the best I can be.
"The Lord shall fight for you and ye shall hold your peace."
If the Lord gives us challenges so that we can be stronger,
at this point I should win an Iron Man competition.
Except I don't feel that way.
In these moments of weakness, when the Lord asks you to muster up the strength to keep trying, Satan works even harder to make you feel inadequate.
It is in these moments that you have to somehow step back and remind yourself what an incredible person you are. You are talented, smart, beautiful, very much needed and very much loved. If you can't see those things right now, at least remember YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD. He loves you with all of His being, and only wants to see you succeed and be happy.
He wants you to come home to Him, but you must first be challenged. You must be made perfect through trials. He gave you a way to be made perfect again, through the Atonement, the sacrifice of his son, Jesus Christ. He will not give you a challenge you cannot overcome with his help.
He knows YOU, better than you know yourself. He knows your hidden strengths. What you may think is a weakness can become a strength.
Do all that you can. Ask for his help - HE WANTS TO.
Don't Quit
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow–
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor’s cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out–
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit–
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.
We have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strengthen our families.
- Elder Dallin H. Oaks
My list of things to do in life is miles long. Recently I have realized that it may not be possible to finish. There is absolute truth in Elder Oak's statement. Sometimes, we have to give up dreams in order to pursue others. And while it is sad to see those dreams float away, we look towards the future at the bigger and better things that await us, and smile.
If there is one thing I have learned this semester, it would be the importance of friends.
Friends come in many forms.
Best friends.
Girl friends.
Boyfriends.
Moms.
Dads.
Scriptures.
Brothers.
Sisters.
Jesus Christ.
Heavenly Father.
Patriarchal Blessing.
The one thing they all have in common,
unconditional faith in you.
They support you.
They trust your judgement.
They believe in you.
They know you.
True friends will be there for you through the thick and thin,
through good and bad.
True friends love you.
I have the best friends. My mother and father, older brother and baby sisters; they are my rock. My eldest brother, Jesus Christ, is my Savior. My Heavenly Father believes in me. My best friends and girlfriends support me, trust me, uplift me. My boyfriend inspires me. The scriptures guide and enlighten me. My patriarchal blessing encourages me.
My friends are what keep me going through the day. They are what makes my life worth living.
I will always love them and be there for them in return, to give them the attention they deserve.
My hope is I can be as good a friend to them as they have been to me.
Do you remember when you were younger, Christmas and your birthday were the two greatest days of the year. You could hardly sleep because you were thinking about the presents, delicious food, and fun that was going to come the next morning. When the sun rose, you would jump out of bed and run into your parents room begging them to get up so you could open presents. It was the most joyous, wonderful, marvelous time of year. As you grow older, birthdays become less and less exciting and they often sneak up on you. Christmas stays exciting, but becomes more and more important. We more fully understand the true meaning of Christmas and significance of the birth of the Lord, Jesus Christ. We recognize the importance of that sacred day when the Savior was born.
This Christmas has been a little different for me. One of my pet-peeves has always been attitude changes during the holidays. I LOVE the spirit of Christmas, but I don't like how that spirit dissipates when the season is over. I wish the world were benevolent, loving, and joyful all year long - not just during December. This year, as the holidays approached, I found myself frustrated with church lessons on the Spirit of Christmas and Thanksgiving. I would scowl inside when comments were made that began, "especially this time of year..." I was almost rebelling about feeling the spirit any differently during the holiday season. If I didn't already have the spirit with me all year long, then why should I be privileged to have it now. Instead of being grateful for the spirit that I had, indeed, been carrying with me all year long, I had been driving the spirit away. I didn't realize until now, why this Christmas didn't feel like Christmas.
There is a reason the world seems brighter during the holidays. We are brought back full circle to the purpose of life, and why we are here. We are reminded of the Savior, Jesus Christ, who sacrificed his life for us so that we may live again. We are reminded of his mercy, his love and kindness, and of our responsibility to treat others with that same kindness. We are reminded of the humble circumstances through which he came, and are grateful for the conveniences and luxuries of our lives today. Unfortunately, the world doesn't always remember the true spirit of Christmas. After the presents are opened and the parties end, many people go right back to their individual lives. I wish the spirit of Christmas would last all year long. But instead of feeling bitter about the world's lackadaisical attitude, I should be doing my part to keep the spirit of Christmas alive. I should be reminding myself constantly of the blessings I have been so generously given. I should be sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and helping others to feel the spirit, just as I do. I am truly grateful for the Savior, Jesus Christ. He is my Lord, my redeemer, my brother. He has provided me a way to return to our father in heaven. He loves me with all his heart. The Spirit of Christmas is the Spirit of Christ. And it is my hope that I never again let the spirit of Christ(mas) dwindle within me, "...especially at this time of year."
Do you ever walk into a room full of people you know, and feel like a complete outsider? Everyone else is engaged in exciting conversations, and you're left standing there?
Thats how I feel.
Every day.
I say I enjoy sitting back and listening to other's conversations,
people watching is one of my favorite pasttimes,
but I would like to be included in the conversation every once in a while.
