One Voice Can Still Be Heard

Best Friends, The Feeling Of A Loved One Returning, Comparative To Our Savior's Feelings & Missionary Work... What a blog post.

Best Friends: When you think you've lost someone you love, there's no feeling more exciting and rewarding as getting them back in you life. This has happened countless times. From the third grade drama where you give back your half of the "best friends" necklace, middle school when you are called the "b-word" for the first time, post-graduation break-ups when it hurts to much to stay friends... life throws all sorts of problems at you and your relationships. It hurts, it stings, there's anger and harsh things said, but when it comes down to it, re-uniting with that person is one of the greatest feelings that exists. Losing someone you love... having hardships and overcoming them to get them back in your life... that's one of the hardest obstacles worth fighting for... and it really makes you feel like a winner when accomplished.

I dedicate the first part of this post to one of my best friend Matt Carr. I'm dumb and I lost this guy for a while, but when I had him he was the best friend I had in my first semester of college. We did weird things like dress-up, Hon raps, hot-tubbing, moans and there were a lot of silly things about us that we could laugh about. Then there was also the trust that came from late night games of ten fingers, sad movies reflecting our depressing days, deep talks, loyalty... everything that best friends were. I could tell him anything and likewise.

Then I messed up.

 (I know that sometimes when you lose someone and get them back it won't always go back to the original relationship you had, but any friendship with Matt is worth it to me.)

Loved Ones Returning: Today, I saw Matt. I hugged Matt and he smiled. Seeing him smile when he saw me was like drinking cool lemonade on a boil-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk-hot kinda day... just pure feelings of relief washed over me. We were friends again! I teased him trying to make it look like we were dating during sacrament meeting even though we aren't. I need to make that really clear for him, because he hates it when people thought we were. WE AREN'T DATING. Though, I loved pretending with him and laughing with him again... and telling him things, getting him cake...etc.

I've been happy lately with all my friends, but when I even have one missing, I feel like a big chunk of my happiness can't even be found.

So me today? Happiest. girl. ever.

Comparative To Our Savior's Feelings: That got me thinking about someone else. If I'm so happy to have this best friend... then lose hold of him for a while and then INCREDIBLY HAPPY to get him back... how must our Savior feel when this happens?

We were all in the pre-existence together. We all made the choice to follow the Savior's plan and we came here to earth. We were given bodies and families and circumstances to test us. To learn to love the gospel and live the gospel here on earth and return to live with Him again.

Sometimes we just think about it from our point of view. Yeah, that'd be awesome to have this friend with me in the Celestial kingdom... yeah I can't wait to live with Him again... Now think about how it would make Him feel.

We were all His friends, all brothers and sisters. We were sent to earth and some of us lost our way from Him. And some are still lost. 

And when we come to Him again... there's no happier feeling for our Savior. He died for our sins, he suffered for our pains, he feels our sorrows and fills us with the spirit. He LOVES us. Each of us. He knows each of us... He has a relationship with each of us. 

And sometimes we are like that lost best friend to Him. Will we come back? He loves us all, but He wants us to ALL come back to him... not just some. And how great He will feel when we do come back.

Wow, I can't even imagine. Right now you can look around the world and before they've had the chance to go learn in Spirit Prison, we see so many "lost best friends." That is a sad feeling. 

What do we do about it? Missionary Work:

That is exactly what missionary work is.  We all know the feeling of getting someone we love back in our life, to share trust and love with them... that's what the Savior wants, and He payed the ultimate price so that that can even be possible.

In institute we heard about those mission who had wrist bands that said "No Seat Left Empty." The Savior saved us all a spot in the Celestial Kindgom with him. We all have a place and are all wanted there...

Quick scenario: You plan a giant part and expect 100 of the people you absolutely love to be there... friends, family, teachers and so on... then only 50 show up. You are so glad that those 50 people could be there and love those who came, but your heart will also ache for the 50 you love that weren't there.

We need to help get the rest there. They are ALL around us.


Songs I love:

"There are refugees among us

That are not from foreign shores;

And the battles they are waging

Are from very private wars.

And there are no correspondents

Documenting all their grief,

But these refugees among us all

Are yearning for relief.

There are refugees among us.

They don’t carry flags or signs.

They are standing right beside us

In the market check out lines;

And the war they’ve been fighting

It will not be televised,

But the story of their need for love

Is written in their eyes.

This is a call to arms,

To reach out and to hold

The evacuees from the dark.

This is a call to arms,

To lead anguished souls

To safe harbors of the heart."

-Safe Harbors, Michael McLean

"I am just one voice, but one voice can carry far

Rising through the noise, of a world so deaf and dark

Shining bright and clear, to those with eyes to see

Honest hearts will hear, the truth that lives in me

One but not alone, a thousand voices sing

Praises at the throne, of our master and our king

With one voice

One voice

He was just one voice, but one voice that changed the earth

Teaching love and peace to a lost and weary world

I am just one voice, but one voice that will be heard

I have made the choice to seal my witness with my word"

-One Voice, Tyler Castleton

I have a testimony of missionary work. I am so proud of my full-time missionary friends who are out there and preparing to go out there and teach. Amazing young men who come back even more amazing! 

Second one over on the left top is Elder Guinto, one of my oldest friends :)

Along with Kyle there's Billy, David, Nick, Nate, Taylor, Jacob Klumker, Travis, Jeff, Cam, Quinn, Ryan, Colton, Jed, Andrew, Isaac, Chase...all these wonderful boys I know are out there or getting ready to go right now. And there are SO many more calls on there way. I'm proud.

We can all be missionaries no matter where we are. It's so important that we share this truth... and that we make the Lord happy.