There Can Be Miracles If You Believe....

Once upon a time Katie and I sang that in like 3rd or 4th grade. It was supposed to be a duet and the choir was supposed to come in at the end, but before they could, the guy in charge of the music stopped it. It was a wee bit awkward.

But that's not the point!!
The point is that miracles do happen. And I don't just mean in the past. I don't even mean in the way the sun rises and spring (eventually) comes. I mean, real, true miracles occur. God hears our prayers, our pleas in the middle of the night. He knows our sorrows, and counts our tears. And sometimes, if it is His will, He sees fit to completely show His hand in our life.

I shall now illustrate this point.
1. 9th grade. 9th grade was both a really bad and a really good year. I had just moved up from Arizona, and started going to school in a state where I literally didn't know anyone outside of family. I was terrified. I wanted to go back to Basha, or even *shudder* Hamilton ;).  But as my parents were deciding on whether to let us stay in AZ until the house sold, or move up to Utah and move in with my grandparents, my mother felt prompted that we needed to move. Bless my amazing Dad, he didn't even question the prompting, and we moved. I was so mad at them for a while. Furious. We moved in with my grandparents and Katie and I were back to not only sharing a room, but sharing a bed.
We had a month with my grandparents before my amazing grandfather passed away. I got to spend a month living with him, laughing with him, and making memories. I still remember, we were sealing the deck after the annual pool-closing party, and as I was running up to the gazebo to put something away, Grandpa turned the hose on me and totally soaked me! As furious as I was with mom and Dad, I wouldn't trade that month for anything in the world.
Granted, 9th grade, as previously stated, was not a good year. I got bullied, ruthlessly, by a group of kids that ended up in one of them flat out punching me in the face. I cried a lot. I had to experience my first real winter. But I also had the chance to make several very good friends, which surprisingly enough, I have more of my friends from 9th grade up in Logan than I do friends from high school. The Lord knew what was best for me in the long run. It wasn't what I wanted, but it was an absolute miracle. It wasn't coincidence that I got to spend that last month with my Grandpa.

2. Mission call. The whole mission process was a miracle. In the summer after I graduated from high school, I felt like I should really study out of Preach My Gospel. My entire life, I had felt like I was going to go through the temple earlier than 21. Sure enough, October came around, and President Monson made an announcement that changed my life. Absolutely and completely. I know knew why my friends and I had been preparing as if to go on a mission. Because we were going on missions.
I was nervous about my call. Everyone thought I was going to Russia, to be honest. I knew I'd go stateside, simply because of some medical and emotional issues that I won't discuss here, but I was really worried I'd open my call and be disappointed in where I was going. I wasn't even sure this was the right decision. Plus, after I broke my wrist I was angry and upset and scared it would alter my report date. Every single one of those concerns was washed down the drain as I read my call. Louisiana. Practically a different country. July 24th. My wrist would be fine by then (actually, it's almost fine by now). Most importantly, I knew that this is where the Lord had ALWAYS planned for me to go. It was a miracle in timing, and a miracle in placement. This mission has changed my life already, and I'm not even on it yet!

3. I am not going to relate my entire LDV story, as it's been stated before. But Latter-Day Voices is a miracle. Absolutely. 100%. The people I've met, the things we've done have been perfectly and exactly what I needed in life. It didn't make the problems go away, but it certainly made them easier to bear.

There's another one still in progress right now, but it's one I have been praying for for almost a month now. He HEARS us! He knows us and only needs us to ask before He pours out blessings upon us! Every cry is heard. No matter if it's simply "I can't find my car keys" or "I really need to accompany this song well" or "I need to find a person's name to take to the temple today." Even if it's "I just need someone to smile and say hello" or "I just need to know there's someone listening." Ask, and ye shall receive. And He will answer in a way that is the best for OUR needs. This isn't just a generalized formula for output of blessings. This is an ISP--and individualized salvation plan. He's our Father. He knows EXACTLY how we need to receive blessings. Sometimes it's the 2x4 method, I can testify to that. But once you learn that, you will see that miracles are everywhere. Even big miracles are everywhere.

Guys! this is the GOOD NEWS!
AMEN till next time!
<3Cass

Stahp!!!

Today was a remarkably good day. I don't know why, but it just was happy and funny and I was in a really strange mood. I had an unusual amount of energy and was cracking jokes and just being very not what I'm like most Thursday nights.

As I was walking to go check my mail at 9:30 this evening, the realization hit me.

This moment will never happen again.
This year, this part of my life is entirely unique and unrepeatable.

It literally stopped me in my tracks. After 22 days, I will never be in these particular choirs again. Sure, I'll be in Chorale and LDV, but not with these groups, with these people. I will never be a freshman/sophomore/junior music student all at once ever again. I will never room with these roommates again. After 104 days, I will never be a premish again. The next time I come back to school, I will be a return missionary.

It was a strange thought. I feel like so much of the time I am rushing about, excited for the weekend or to get to the end of the day. I feel like while we're in the moment it feels like it will never end. It feels like we are suspended in Jello. Time's not moving and you want it to move forward. Get to the next thing! Oh, I can't wait for the weekend! I can't wait to master this song and move on! I can't wait for my mission!

But then you look back. And those moments you thought would never end are months and years in the past. I graduated from high school, a moment I never thought I would get past. I was stuck in the high school Jello flavor forever, it seemed. Yet here I am, nearing the end of my first year at Utah State. I thought I would never get through both of my friends leaving on missions. But here I am, doing remarkably well, most of the time (I have my bad days when I am halfway through a text to either of them and I realize they won't answer). I thought I'd never get my call, I'd never reach the day I'd go through the temple for myself. Yet here I am.

I want it to slow down!! Of course I want to serve my mission. Of course I want life to move forward. But I just want to stop and hit the pause button for a bit! I want to sit and just be in the moment. There's no pause button in life, unfortunately. We have to move on to bigger and better things. Man, I can't wait for the eternities when there's no end. But even then! I love this life! Everything we say is "I can't wait, I can't wait!" But so often, I know I am so focused on ahead and the next thing that I pass by the happy things going on right now.

My happy list for today included:
Going to the temple
Meeting a girl on the bus who knew one of my friends in San Bernardino
Failing miserably at trying to get a "referral" from a "member in the area" in mission prep
Talking to Sara during our trek across campus
Learning to march with a bass drum in percussion
Completing a lengthy assignment in Computer Apps
Finding out I apparently talk to myself out loud sometimes in voice lessons
Laughing and finally finding out the name of the boy I sit next to in Psychology, because we realized we never actually did that
Chatting on the phone with my lovely mother about life
Latter-Day Voices in general. Being silly. Making people laugh. Talking with Adrienne about how cute certain couples are. Watching our incredible dancers. Lamenting over things that could have been yet weren't.

All of these these things just make me want to cry STOP!! I don't want this to end! I don't want this part of my life to be over in a blink of an eye! Yet life moves on. We can't stop time, as much as we want to. So live in the moment. Remember eternity, remember and plan for the future, but don't let your thoughts of the future interfere with the joy of the present. I'm not going to quote the cliche, but seriously. The present is a gift. Don't take it for granted because soon, in a matter of seconds or minutes or hours, it will be the past. Live every moment.

Love y'all! Firm and true 'till next time!
<3 Cass

I VOLUNTEER! I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!

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No. I'm not going to Panem, thank goodness.

I'm going to Baton Rouge, Louisiana! I know, everyone thought I was going to go international, but as I opened my call letter I knew but at that moment that the Lord has been the one who issued my call, and therefore that I was where I needed to be. As I read the words "Louisiana Baton Rouge  I knew it was right. The most powerful sense of peace I've ever felt in my life came over me and I knew that that confirmation was assuring me that the Lord approved of what I was doing, and that he said he would send me somewhere where I could touch the lives of others that maybe others couldn't touch. I already love the people, and haven't even met them yet! I report July 24th, 2013. Pioneer Day!

It hasn't been an easy route to this call. The week before I got my call was one of the worst weeks my life. It seems to the adversary was trying to throw everything he could at me to discourage me from accepting a call that the Lord had extended. Monday, my sister-in-law miscarried her baby. Is a huge blow to the entire family because we'd been praying so hard for her to keep it. I know that my pain was nothing compared to hers, but it was still hurts me as her sister-in-law. Tuesday, I found out one of my acquaintances up at Utah State has passed away after a series of illnesses. He was blind and had a wonderful seeing eye dog named Huck, and we had just really hit off our friendship before we broke at the semester. I wasn't really super good friends with him, but the blow took me by surprise and also really hurt.I felt like I was constantly in danger of losing my temper, and I could never really find any peace. Except for when I was at the Temple. I was always comfortable there. Finally, I was over hanging out with some friends at the Sports Academy and jumping on a trampoline when I jumped off and landed on my hand. I broke my wrist--snapped at the head of the radius. I spent 3 hours in the emergency room. They had to set the bone and now I'm stuck in a splint until tomorrow when I get it casted. This was the final hardship of a horrible week. 

All of this happened to the week my call was made. I understood something that week. The Lord does not permit the righteous to suffer adversity because He enjoys watching us in pain. He permits us to suffer because he knows we will grow. Rest assured, the pain does not come from Him.

Sometimes, the pain is because he needs someone else at home. Sometimes, it's that the timing isn't right. And sometimes, the pain comes from your own willfulness to do things you're not prepared to do. But I promise you: any pain you suffer, the Savior has already suffered. He will be with you every step of the way. He will not flee nor fail you.

Elder Bednar spoke tonight at a CES devotional about letting your will be swallowed up in the will of the Father. We have to have the faith to accept His will, regardless of our desires. I really encourage you to go watch it on lds.org. it really is a powerful talk given by an authorized servant of the Lord.

 I am so grateful to have the friends I do. Its hard at this age to be committed to the gospel, yet the people around me are incredible examples of just that. I feel like I could go on for hours of what I've learned from them, But I won't. But I love being around worthy Priesthood holders and righteous Daughters of God. I love that my friends are in tune with the Spirit or working to be. I just love my friends :)

 Well, that's all for tonight. It's taken me a while to type this, being one handed. God be with you 'till we meet again.  

Call and Answer

Hi Everyone!
I'm starting this pre-mish because why not? I've been waiting, praying, hoping, and waiting even more for the Lord's plan to move forward for me. And now the day is here! Well, not quite.
What I mean is that my call has been assigned, officially, as of today!

I got a phone call this afternoon from my incredible mother that she had just talked to the Bishop and he said the status on my papers had changed from "Processing" to "Call Assigned." However, she started crying during conversation, before she told me this, so I thought someone had died. This was much better :)

Can we just take a moment to realize how truly incredible the mission call process is? I'm not going to go into too much detail, because I'm no expert, but here's the basics.
 
1. You do your part, decide to serve, talk to your parents (who have direct authority over you).
2. You talk to your bishop (your presiding Priesthood authority in your ward family) and he passes you on to the
3. Stake President. Now we're getting into the upper keys of the Priesthood. You sit down and talk with him, and he clears you to go. Now he's in charge of you and the entire stake, but he sits down and takes the time to make sure you are worthy to be a servant of the Lord. He's the one who eventually sends in your papers.
4. Your papers go to a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. How incredible is that?!? You are individually considered by one of the Lord's chosen servants who are in charge of the entire church. They look at your picture, read your information, and through the Lord, they assign you to where you need to go.
5. Finally, your papers and assigned call go to the Prophet. The President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints reviews every single mission call. By this time next week, President Monson will have seen MY face and approved my call individually. The signature at the end of the letter I will recieve is not a copy.

The Lord knows each of His children, and He has made sure that His mouthpieces on the Earth also know who you are. He takes special care to make sure no one is sent somewhere they shouldn't be. Every mission call is from the Lord. He knows where you should be, and where you personally will be the most effective instrument in His hands. Just trust Him, and everything will work out!! Even if I end up going to Provo, I will be serving where the Lord wants me.

To those starting their papers--I can tell you right now it's going to get a LOT harder from here on out. TRUST ME. This week, until today, has been HORRENDOUS. The adversary is going to be working overtime to get you to slip. Don't give up, and try your hardest to not get discouraged. Try to get to the temple often. Feast on the words of Christ. Trust in Him and know that He is always there. Pour out your heart in prayer--your Heavenly Father hears you and is mindful of your needs. He will give you the experiences you need to grow and become the person you eventually want to be.  (That isn't just for those thinking about going on a mission!) He will help you bear your loads. He won't necessarily take them away, but you never have to bear them alone. Put your trust in Him.
Love you!
Cass

Also. Guesses are accepted at this point. I refuse to guess because I am a horrible guesser. Always have, always will be. Deposit them here or email (c.chey.steele@gmail.com) or text or Facebook.