[what a sad day!]

(Art by David Bowman)

I feel like I have to apologize for the blog post I posted earlier today. I did it before I heard the news about the elementary school shooting in Conneticut.

I know my blog is not a serious blog but it is hard not to say anything when things like this happen.

Today I can’t even imagine posting anything on my blog ever again. Yet life has to eventually continue normally, I know that. But something like this stops you completely and it’s hard to imagine being able to just keep living life lightly and worry free.

My heart is aching so badly for anyone involved in the effects of this shooting.

Oh to be able to take anyone affected by this tragedy, or any other tragedy in the world, into your arms and comfort them!

The only solace for me on days like today is my faith.

I know those children and adults who died are ok right now. They are in the arms of the Savior and surrounded by family and friends.

I know that a day will come when all sorrow and heart ache will end. I look forward to that day with more and more eagerness the more I hear about the horrible events in our world. They have always happened and they will continue to happen until the day when all is set right.

I’m so grateful for my faith on days like this. I don’t know how people without faith can go on when things like this happen. How can you understand life and tragedy without having faith in a Supreme Being who is loving and has a plan for all of human kind? I don’t think I could find enough hope without the gospel. It is so comforting to know that it will all be made ok in the end and that one day people actually will live in peace and love.

I’m so grateful for the scriptures and the knowledge and understanding they give me about life and why things happen. I’m so grateful that I have my faith. I can’t say it enough.

May those people affected by this tragedy (and any other!) have people around them to weep with them and to share their love with them.

Nothing else than the atonement will ever heal their aching hearts completely. I’m so grateful that one day their hearts will be healed by the One who suffered all the pain and suffering of the world and has the power to heal it all and make things right.

For those of you who might get offended by this post: I’m sorry. I just had to do this.

For anyone interested in understanding the gospel (which literally means “good news”) better, I am available to share my thoughts with you. The more knowledge you have of God’s love and plan, the less anxiety and fear you will feel on days like today. Feel free to e-mail me (sansku.etsy@gmail.com). 

The gospel truly is the source of peace and joy! Doesn’t take the hurt away but at least there is peace and hope!

[vaisakhi nagar kirtan]

There are many East Indian people in Canada and these are some pictures of an annual Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan (a Sikh parade).

Here is some info about the Sikh:

* Sikhism started in 1469 in Punjab, India.

* The first Guru was Guru Nanak Sahib.

* In 1708, Guru Gobind Singh Sahib proclaimed Siri Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh Holy Scriptures. It is a compilation of the original hymns containing the teachings of the Sikh Gurus.

* A Guru is someone who imparts spiritual enlightenment.

* There are three requirements a Sikh should do: meditate on the holy name of God, make a living through honest means and hard work, share earnings with others less fortunate.

* All males have the surname Singh, meaning lion for courage. All females have the surname of Kaur, meaning princess for dignity and equality. (I think that’s for the baptized members. I’m not sure.)

* The Khalsa (baptized Sikh) must have on their person five articles of faith at all times: uncut hair (Kesh), small wooden comb (Kangha), specially designed underwear (Kaccha), iron bracelet on right wrist (Kara), and a sword (Kirpan). It is also mandatory for a baptized male Sikh to cover his head with a Turban and a female Sikh with a Dupatta (long head-scarf).

* The Khalsa is viewed to be the holy army of the One Supreme Creator God.

* Saadh Sangat = Sikhk religious congregation.

Information taken from a pamphlet given to me at the parade. It is always good to know more about other cultures/religions!

I was chatting with a woman and her daughter who was five. I mentioned I was from Finland and the little girl asked me what language I speak. Then she said "I was born in Winnipeg (which is here in Canada) so I speak Punjabi. Priceless! :D 

{jaeson ma - love & joululauluja stadin slangilla}

ja sitten jotain paljon kevyempaa (sori, ei oo a ja o pilkkuja, oon jayn koneella).

tanne olisi pitanyt ehdottomasti paasta:

Snygeimmät joulubiisit Kallion tsyrkassa

keskiviikko 15.12.2010 klo 14:00


Hinta: vapaa pääsy


Lisätietoa: "En tsögaa valtaa glamurii..." Snygeimmät joulubiisit stadin slangiksi. Yhteislaulutilaisuus Kallion kirkossa...

:D

suurkiitos pikkusiskolleni suville joka tilasi mulle slangijoululaulu cd:n. paasisitpa mun kanssa pitamaan slangi karaoke bileet. :)

{my church}

   ♥    ♥    ♥    ♥    ♥   

{andrea bocelli & david foster & the mormon tabernacle choir - "the Lord's prayer"}

Y Y Y Y Y

{california vacation, day 4, san diego temple}

day 4, december 23rd

what can i say? the san diego temple is

g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s!

Y

like a piece of heaven dropped on earth.

jay's mom took care of sienna (they toured the temple grounds and took pictures etc) while the rest of us went to a session and toured the temple inside.

there were two large nativities on the temple grounds.

yesterday i looked through my latest dwell magazine and to my surprise they wrote about the san diego temple! this is what the article says about it:

"Perhaps the strangest building in town (san diego) is the Mormon church near the freeway. It's straight out of Narnia.

The San Diego California Temple along Interstate 5 is definitely an interesting building. I like that a local, relatively unknown architect was used to design it and that he wasn't afraid to address a major freeway where most buildings turn their backs. I appreciate the level of care and detail that went into the church, unlike the trend in many Southern California churches to look more like movie-theater complexes. The Mormon temple harkens a fantastical, contemporary structure that I'm sure is inspiring to its members and to many in the community at large. It's a building that people either love or hate - which is great for architecture."

the architect who wrote about his favorite places to visit in san diego is aaron anderson. our temple was #4 on his list.

other stuff we did on day 4:

quick visit to our church's bookstore.

jay and sienna swam in the hotel pool and soaked in the hottub.

went shopping at a mall.

ps. there are legolands in denmark, england and germany too if anyone in europe is interested in going.

www.legoland.com

{inside lds temples}

washington dc temple at christmas time

san diego california temple. one of my favorites.
pian paasen vihdoinkin itse nakemaan sen! tuskin jaksan odottaa.

what the ancient solomon's temple looked like

the jerusalem temple

a baptism font in a lds temple.
latter-day saints perform baptisms for their ancestors in their temples. we believe that everyone needs to be baptized in order to go to the highest of God's kingdoms - the celestial kingdom. many people died without having a chance to be baptized, for example. we perform baptisms for them by proxy. they get to choose whether they accept the baptism or not. no one is forced.

1 Corinthians 15: 29 "else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?"

other christians don't seem to know what this scripture is about. we do.

the twelve oxen represent the 12 tribes of Isreal. i'm a benjamite, by the way, but i have some manasse in me too. but that's another totally different discussion. ;)

ps. apostle paul was of the tribe of benjamin too.

a celestial room. a wonderful place to go to. no outside noise. you forget earthly troubles and stresses. you get a break from every day life. our edmonton temple is right next to a busy highway, yet no noises are heard in the temple. you go here to pray, to ponder, to meditate, to seek for God's guidance in your life. you feel renewed when you leave.
Y

more celestial rooms

a sealing room. this is where lds couples go to get married. they are sealed for "time and all eternity". we believe that families are supposed to last forever. children born to those parents who have been married in the temple, automatically are sealed to them. we took sienna to be sealed to us when the adoption was finally legal. she was 13 months old. a very special experience.

Y

i think this is a sealing room in the salt lake temple.

if anyone has been to a lds chapel, our church building, you know that they are very simple, plain structures. our temples are built to highest standards. everything has to be done perfectly. the temples are cleaned thoroughly daily by volunteer church members. everything is cleaned, even when it already looks clean.

everything in the temple is symbolic of something in the gospel. it's a beautiful way to learn the gospel deeper.
i have never been anywhere in the world where i have felt more at peace and closer to heaven. it feels like home.
Y

this is what the lds bible dictionary says about temples:

A temple is literally a house of the Lord, a holy sanctuary in which sacred ceremonies and ordinances of the gospel are performed by and for the living and also in behalf of the dead. A place where the Lord may come, it is the most holy of any place of worship on the earth. Only the home can compare with the temple in sacredness.

Whenever the Lord has had a people on the earth who will obey his word, they have been commanded to build temples in which the ordinances of the gospel and other spiritual manifestations that pertain to exaltation and eternal life may be administered. In cases of extreme poverty or emergency, these ordinances may sometimes be done on a mountaintop. This may be the case with Mount Sinai and the Mount of Transfiguration. The tabernacle erected by Moses was a type of portable temple, since the Isrealites were traveling in the wilderness.

From Adam to the time of Jesus, ordinances were performed in temples for the living only. After Jesus opened the way for the gospel to be preached in the world of spirits, ceremonial work for the dead, as well as for the living, has been done in temples on the earth by faithful members of the Church. Building and properly using a temple is one of the marks of the true Church in any dispensation, and is especially so in the present day.

The best known temple mentioned in the Bible is that which was built in Jerusalem in the days of Solomon.

{david archuleta sings be still my soul at church}

why, oh why, can't this kiddo be in MY ward?
this song, be still my soul, is composed by jean sibelius. he's a famous finnish composer. i love this spiritual version of the song.

(spiritual stuff included in this posting but it's about scrapbooking too :)}

I can't sleep for the life of me. I think it's because my nose is totally stuffed up. Or maybe because I'm still wired from the Heidi Swapp event today. My very first scrapbooking seminar! Yesterday I thought I wouldn't be able to go. I couldn't even move, I was so sick. I had literally zero energy. Couldn't even shower. I was crying as I was so disappointed about the thought of not being able to go to this event. I had hoped Jay could have given me a priesthood blessing (worthy men in our church hold the priesthood and they can give blessings to sick people or if they are in some other need) but Jay has been so busy with work, working late every night. I was desperate yesterday so I called the elders (male missionaries) to come and give me a blessing. Just so you know - not every time you get a blessing when you're sick you get healed. You have to listen carefully to the words if they even promise you healing. Most of the time the blessing promises you comfort to endure and you feel emotionally & spiritually strengthened during your illness/trial. There is a reason why we need to be sick in this life. It would frustrate God's plan for us if we were healed every time. I have only been healed once before even though I've had many blessings while sick. I was praying hard that Heavenly Father would allow me to get well enough to attend this special occasion. When the elder said "comfort AND healing" in the blessing and that I would be able to do all the things I need to do, I knew I'd be able to go. Prior to the blessing, I was freezing even though it was +24C. I had a long sleeved shirt on and everything. Right after the blessing, I got really hot and knew that my fever was gone. All of a sudden I had energy. It was like night and day. So now I can say I have been healed twice while sick. Well, this time partially. I still have a stuffed up nose and a bit of a cough. But no fever and I have energy. What I needed.

You readers don't need to believe this or anything. I mainly wrote this down for myself. I always want to remember how I felt Heavenly Father's love for me and how I was able to attend this event only because of Him.
I don't have my own pictures uploaded yet so I got these pictures from Heidi's blog. These are all the products we received. Lots & lots. All in a cute shiny silver House of 3 bag. We made an "energy journal" and also five layouts using distress ink. I still have to finish my projects before I can show you pictures. I did the main things but left the decorating part to do at home when I can think better how I want to decorate everything. The last picture in this posting shows a peak of the layouts done with ink. Mine won't look that good so you might as well just look at those ones. :) Inking isn't my forte by any means.

Special part for me was when I sat down for lunch with Karly, Talia & Kim (who were helping Heidi with the seminar) and Heidi and her friend sat down with us as well. She told us about some of her personal experiences and it was really touching. I felt special to be able to share in that experience.

Jay & Sienna & Robin spent the day getting training wheels for Sienna's new bike. And a helmet and I guess she wanted knee pads too. :) They also bought a kite and went to fly it. Sienna's a bit sick still too. Hope we'll both be 100% soon so we can start enjoying summer again.

Still wide awake. What am I going to do to get to sleep?

If you haven't checked out Heidi's blog yet then please do. I must say that her projects look even better in real life. She brought some of them for us to see and they were gorgeous. She's THE bling bling girl. :) Even her beautiful flip flops were bling bling. :)

*heidi swapp

*house of three

{religious posting - skip, if not interested}

***

I once again haven't forgotten about this "Purpose of Life" posting I started back in September 2008. It's been on my list of things to do since then (somewhere at the back of my mind). Better late than never to finish what you start, right? Parts I and II can be found here: September 28/08 & November 16/08 postings. Or just click the label "religion/lds" and you'll find them. They have this same picture.

***

So, we're on the #4 & #5 "already".

Once again, such a vast topic (what happens after we die) but I'll try to be as short as I can.

***

It was never meant that we live in this world forever. Obviously. We all die. This world is actually not a very nice place to live. It is a "fallen world". It is such to provide us opportunities to learn and grow & to choose between good/bad (more about that in the previous posting).

When we die, our spirit separates from our body. The body returns to the earth (#4). It is dead and becomes "recycled" to the earth. Our spirit, however, still lives. Our spirits are eternal and cannot die. They go to a place called "the spirit world" (#5). Much could be said about this but I just say that it's divided into two parts: "paradise" and "spirit prison". Depending on how we have lived our lives, we go to one or the other. Spirits that go to "paradise", get to rest from all their troubles. But that is not all. Many righteous spirits will go and teach the unrighteous ones in the "spirit prison" and the people who have never heard of God's teachings (the gospel). They all get to choose whether they accept the gospel or not.

In the Bible, it says that no one can enter into God's Kingdom, unless that person is baptized. It is the sign that shows that we accept what God wants to give us.

What happens to all those people who are not baptized in this life? Millions & millions of people?

In the church, we perform "baptisms for the dead" in our temples. We are baptized on behalf of a deceased person. It is proxy work. They cannot be baptized in the spirit world as they have no bodies anymore. We do that ordinance for them and then it's up to them to either accept the ordinance or reject it. I know this sounds "weird" but it really isn't. Everyone has to be baptized. God has provided this simple way to offer that baptism to those who weren't baptized in this life. They still get to choose. It is not forced on them. There is a scripture in the New Testament that talks about this temple ordinance: 1 Corinthians 15:29. I don't know what other churches believe about that scripture or if they even understand what that scripture talks about.

Many people believe that it doesn't matter if you're baptized or not (I met many people on my mission who thought that) but it really does. Jesus showed the example to us by being baptized himself. He taught baptism and people who don't believe it, don't follow the Bible.

I don't know if this makes sense at all. Maybe it's one of those things that you first have to understand the gospel more to understand this part but I felt I should still explain it here.

***

I think I'll try to finish this whole thing tonight so I can forget about this finally. It might take me another year before I'd be done with this otherwise.

***

So, #6 is the Resurrection. In short, this means our spirit is given an immortal body, never to be separated again. We will never die again. We will never be sick again. We will never be tired again. The body we will receive will be AWESOME. I can't wait! We will appreciate these bodies only because we have gone through some misery in this life with our mortal, imperfect bodies (sickness, hunger, tiredness, death...).

***

#7 is the Judgment. I totally believe that our brains store every memory and every thing that happens to us in this life. Our thoughts, our actions, EVERYTHING. When it's time for a judgment, we'll see a perfect recall of our lives and we will know that God's judgment will be right. God loves us perfectly and more than we could ever even imagine. He follows eternal laws though. He will try to give us as much as we are willing to receive from him. We will not be judged for our actions only, but also for our thoughts and desires (most of us are weaker than our desires for good, for example). He sees our hearts. He will know how to judge us perfectly. He will be both merciful and just.

***

The best place to go to after Judgment, is God's Kingdom, of course. The place where He lives. The place of perfect love and goodness. In our church we call it the Celestial Kingdom (#8). The glory and goodness of that place is symbolized by the glory/brightness of the sun. People who accept EVERYTHING God wants to give them, will go here. People who have faithfully followed God and tried to live the gospel.

The second best place is called the Terrestrial Kingdom (#9). The moon can symbolize it's brightness/glory. Very good people receive this glory but they might not have accepted all that God wants to give them. But they are the ones who have been good people in this life.

The third place is called the Telestial Kingdom (#10). This is symbolized as the stars. There are many different degrees in this kingdom, just as stars defer in brightness. Almost all the rest of the people will go here. Bad people, really bad people, evil people (those who have never repented of their bad/evil deeds, there is always an opportunity for people to repent which means to turn to God and to change their ways to become better). They will receive this glory after they have paid the price for the evil things they have done.

Our church is so different from other religions when it comes to this teaching. Most religions just have hell/heaven. If you don't believe in a certain way, you go to hell. Our church teaches totally differently. We believe that God is our Heavenly Father which means He is the Father of our spirits. He loves each and every one of us. He wants to give as many blessings to all of us as we are willing to accept from Him.

Here's a quote that I love so much:

"...explains clearly that the lowest glory to which man is assigned is so glorious as to be beyond the understanding of man. It is a doctrine fundamental in Mormonism that the meanest sinner, in the final judgment, will receive a glory which is beyond human understanding, which is so great that we are unable to describe it adequately... The Gospel is a gospel of tremendous love. Love is at the bottom of it. The meanest child is loved so dearly that his reward will be beyond the understanding of mortal man." Y

(The Doctrine & Covenants Study Guide, page 166)

We have to remember that those people will pay a price for their sins/evil deeds in the spirit prison. But after they have paid that price, they receive a wonderful place from God.

(See 1 Corinthians 15: 40-42, if you want to read a Bible scripture about the three different kingdoms)

***

But there is still one place left, #12, the "outer darkness". This is where Satan and His followers will go. It is not a kingdom of glory. Only people who openly and knowingly fight against God are sent here. They have to KNOW that they are fighting against God. The reason why they can't receive any kind of kingdom of glory is that they won't accept it. They want nothing to do with God. They won't accept anything from Him.

***

So, I'm sure this is "too much info" and most of you will say "what?!!". But I wanted to finish what I had started and explain what I believe. Once you get this "whole picture" (with all the details that go with it, I have only scratched the surface), it makes you understand life and it gives you so much peace. You know GOOD WILL WIN IN THE END and that we don't have to put up with evil things forever. You know that God has a plan and that there is a reason for things. Getting to know God is worth ANY EFFORT you can put forth to find Him and to get to know Him.

***

I know this is a long posting (ok, marathon long :)) but I'd like to finish with few more words. These are words that bring me the most comfort as I think of a possibility of separating from a loved one because of death. These are by President Brigham Young and he said these words in someone's funeral in the year 1874:

"I would like to say to you, my friends and brethren, if we could see things as they are, and as we shall see and understand them, this dark shadow and valley (=death) is so trifling that we shall turn round and look about upon it and think, when we have crossed it, why this is the greatest advantage of my whole existence, for I have passed from a state of sorrow, grief, mourning, woe, misery, pain, anguish and disappointment into a state of existence, where I can enjoy life to the fullest extent as fas as that can be done without a body. My spirit is set free, I thirst no more, I want to sleep no more, I hunger no more, I tire no more, I run, I walk, I labor, I go, I come, I do this, I do that, whatever is required of me, nothing like pain or weariness, I am full of life, full of vigor, and I enjoy the presence of my heavenly Father, by the power of his Spirit..."

And one more quote by him:

"Mourning for the righteous dead springs from the ignorance and weakness that are planted within the mortal tabernacle... No matter what pain we suffer, no matter what we pass through, we cling to our mother earth, and dislike to have any of her children leave us. We love to keep together the social family relation that we bear one to another, and do not like to part with each other...

It is true it is grievous to part with our friends. We are creatures of passion, of sympathy, of love, and it is painful for us to part with our friends. We would keep them in the mortal house, though they should suffer pain. Are we not selfish in this? Should we not rather rejoice at the departure of those whose lives have been devoted to doing good...?

***

I love those quotes because when I read them, I realized that we are sad because we are separated from our loved ones. But they are in a state of peace and happiness. We really should be happy for them. Of course we'll miss them. But we have a most wonderful reunion to look forward to. Y

***

I love the gospel! Y

***

Yey, I'm done with this "purpose of life" posting. :)

Please feel free to ask questions, to comment, to say what you believe happens after we die...

This is what I believe and I just wanted to share in case it makes sense to someone or if it lights a spark in someone for the desire to get to know God. I'd love it if we'd get a great discussion going on this topic but at the same time I'm not holding my breath as I know from previous postings that I never seem to get a good discussion going. :)

I'll just be happy if anyone even read this. It was tons to type and my wrist is sore. :) So if you took the time (the LONG time) to read this, at least let me know you read it. It'll make me feel better. :)

***

{warning: a very religious posting, feel free to skip if you don't want to read tons of religious stuff}

Now I feel the right Easter spirit. We have been watching our church's general conference on tv (I still can't believe that here in Canada I can watch it on tv instead of having to go to church and watch it via satellite). Every year, during the first Saturday and Sunday of April and October, our church holds a general conference that is broadcast to all the world. It is like a spiritual feast and afterwards you can't help but feel uplifted, edifyed and nourished spiritually. I so love these weekends! A wonderful spirit fills our home. It seems like the troubles and stresses of the world disappear for a moment and we get to think higher thoughts and see brighter views. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ so much. I am not ashamed to declare that to the whole world. I know it's not a popular thing to say nowadays. The world in general seems to have little regard for God and anything to do with religion. But I can't help but tell all that I love the gospel. I know that Jesus Christ was a real person who lived on earth and taught the way back to our Heavenly Father. I know that He is God's Son. I know that He organized a church and chose His twelve apostles to lead it with authority from Him. I know that due to persecusion and the state of the world in those days, the church crumbled and a great apostasy occured. People started to fight about doctrine, apostles were killed (and with them went the authority), people only relied on their own knowledge to understand the things of God. Many centuries of confusion followed. Look at the things that were done in the name of Christianity and you can't help but acknowledge that that is true. The pure knowledge of God and the gospel as Jesus taught it had been changed into human wisdom and human understanding. Often religion was only used to gain power and money. Then came the reformation times. Martin Luther and other very religious people noticed that the churches of their day didn't match the teachings of Christ in the Bible. They tried their best to "clean" and to "restore". Finally, in the 1800's, the world was once again ready for the fulness of the gospel. In America, people believed in freedom of religion. There was great new interest in religion. Many churches held meetings to sway people to join them. In Palmyra, New York, there was a humble farming family, the Smiths. Joseph Smith was at the time 14 years old and wanted to know which church to join. He went to various meetings and read the Bible to try to figure out what he should do. He was confused as all the churches taught so differently even though they all read the same Bible. One day he read in the Bible that if someone needed knowledge, they should ask God (James 1:5). He decided to do that. One spring morning, he went to a grove of trees and knelt down to pray. He wanted wisdom to know which church he should join. What happened surprised him and he would have never thought that he would get that kind of answer to his prayer. God and Jesus Christ appeared to this unlearned, poor farm boy. They told him that the church of Jesus Christ was not on earth at the moment. Many things happened after that. Shortly put, through Joseph, the original church of Jesus Christ was restored back to earth. Joseph was ministered by angels (no, they don't have wings, they are people God sends to do His work in this world). He was tutored, taught all he needed to know. He was given the priesthood which is the authority to teach the gospel and to perform the ordinances of it. He was told that there is a record hidden in a hill not far from where he lived, that contained the dealings of God with a people who used to live in the Americas (south & north). Joseph eventually translated that record and it's now called the Book of Mormon. It stands as a second witness that Jesus really is who the Bible tells Him to be: a Son of God, our Savior and Redeemer. It shows that God loves all His children and has shown a way to live that will bring them happiness and joy in this life and eternal life with Him in the next.

I hadn't planned to write all this. It all just came. Sometimes I just can't help but want to share what I have found. I truly, honestly believe that I belong to Jesus Christ's church. That the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is led by Jesus himself through a living prophet and apostles. The gospel is the same gospel as when He taught it to people. Many things that have been lost due to the apostasy, has been restored.

I know some people don't like it when a person shares religious beliefs. But I can't help it. The gospel has brought so much joy and happiness to me. Peace. Understanding about why things happen in the world and in my own life. Knowledge of who God is and why He put us here on earth. Knowledge that there really is a plan in progress. There is a purpose to all this we call life. Hope that this life and it's many miseries (illness, death, suffering and trials of any kind) is only temporary and that we learn from it all. After this life, there is much to look forward to. One day there won't be any more suffering. Good WILL win in the end.

I love the gospel. I love my Savior, Jesus Christ. I love prophet Joseph Smith and how humble he was and how willing to suffer for the gospel's sake. He was persecuted, imprisoned, mocked, harassed, beaten and eventually killed because he claimed what he claimed. I love the fact that I know that we have a prophet in our day who receives inspiration from God to teach us. I know that God lives. I know that He is the Father of our spirits, the soul that is in us. I know that He wants us to be happy. I know that because of what Jesus did, I can overcome death and sin and return back to Heavenly Father's presence one day to be forever with my family. I know that even though at first, some of the commandments that Jesus taught, seem restrictive, really aren't - they are meant to bring joy and happiness to us in this world. I know that each Sunday as I go to church, it helps me become a better person. I know that true, lasting peace is only possible when people turn to God. I know what it feels like to feel the Holy Spirit, the third member of the godhood. Words cannot describe those feelings and the joy that comes when you feel His influence in your life. I know that God listens to prayers and wants to guide us. I also know that we don't always see as God sees. He sees EVERYTHING, we only see this life and NOW.

I have written before how I found the gospel. You can find my story by clicking on the religion label. It's there somewhere in an old posting. I never in my life would have dreamt that I would become a religious person. Religion never interested me much. Now I realize that religion is fascinating and amazing. Learning more about God and His plan for us is exhilarating. If I could, I would want to share what I have found with every single person on this earth. I really would. When you have something precious, wouldn't you want to share? If you don't have a desire to share something, maybe you haven't found anything worth sharing yet. The gospel really can make you happy. That is why so many religious people want to share what they have found. Me included.

If you want to know more, please go to:
www.mormon.org (the basics of the gospel)

www.lds.org (church's official web site)
You'll find more of these uplifting "mormon messages" here:
mormon messages
If you want to listen to the church's general conference, go here:
April 2009 General Conference - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

The gospel might not make sense right away, but give it a chance. It's like putting a puzzle together. You need many pieces to finally "see the picture". Don't give up. To get to know God is worth any effort and sacrifice you can make (time, looking foolish...).

s a n s k u :) loves the gospel and loves the fact that she loves the gospel. :)

So there. Now I'm sure I can go on for a bit again without mentioning the gospel. :)

ps. The video is part of one of President Gordon B. Hinckley's talks. A very uplifting story. President Hinckley has passed away. I so love him! He has been one of my favorite prophets of all time. His sense of humor, optimism, the way he loved his Marjorie (his wife)... When 9/11 happened it was him who cheered me up and helped me to have hope. His message brought me peace in the troubled world. I love him! He was a sweet, sweet man. And more than that - a prophet of God. God's humble servant.

{finnish easter traditions}

***

I'm still thinking of Easter. I thought I'd share some Finnish Easter traditions here.
***

***
Vintage Finnish Easter cards.
***
***
In Finland, people eat this gross looking stuff called "mammi" (there should be dots above the a) during Easter. It's made of rye flour, malt, syrup, etc. I never warmed up to mammi myself but many Finns love it.
***
***
Kids grow this fast growing grass and decorate it with little chicks.
***
***
Birch and/or pussy willow branches are decorated with colorful feathers. The birch branches are picked ahead of time and when you place them in water, they start to grow young green leaves.
***

***
On Palm Sunday, little kids are made into "Easter witches" and they go door to door in hopes of receiving Easter eggs or other candy. They say a certain poem, waving the branches, that asks if the person is going to give them a chicken or an egg. Don't ask. I don't know how these traditions form but it's just what you do, ok. :) The origin of the door to door tradition stems from Eastern orthodox traditions. The witch part, which was probably some pagan tradition, comes from Sweden. Somehow the two traditions melted together and you get Easter witches.
***

***

Aren't these girls cute? :) All of these pictures are from the internet as I didn't have my own pictures.

***

Kotilieden artikkeli virpomisesta:

"Virpominen on vanha itäsuomalainen, ortodoksisuuteen liittyvä palmusunnuntaiperinne. Virpoja heiluttaa pajunoksia virvottavalle ja lausuu virvontalorun. Virpoja ojentaa sitten vitsansa ja saa palkakseen makeisia tai rahaa.
Virvontaperinne ei liity sinällään millään tavoin noidaksi pukeutumiseen. Trulliksi eli noidaksi pukeutuminen on ollut täysin erillinen, länsisuomalainen perinne. Ruotsista rantautuneen perinteen mukaan noidat kiertelevät ovelta ovelle toivotellen hyvää pääsiäistä.
Kun Karjalan siirtoväestö asutettiin muualle Suomeen, virpomistapa levisi heidän mukanaan. Pian itä- ja länsisuomalaiset tavat alkoivat sekoittua keskenään yhdeksi perinteeksi: noidiksi, jotka kiertelevät virpoen ovelta ovelle. Yleensä pienten virpojien suusta kuulee tällaisen virvontaluvun: ”Virvon varvon tuoreeks terveeks tulevaks vuodeks. Vitsa sulle, palkka mulle.” Vitsoista annetaan palkaksi karkkia, kuten suklaamunia, tai rahaa."

***

Me aina sanottiin: "Virvon varvon tuoreeks terveeks tulevaks vuodeks. Annatko munan vai kanan?"

Muistuvin virpomismuisto joka minulla on kun kaytiin virpomassa pikkusen serkun kanssa. Serkun eka kerta. Me isommat ensin naytettiin miten se tehdaan ja sitten oli serkun vuoro. Ovi avautui ja pikkuruinen serkku yritti loytaa rohkeutta virpomiseen kun akainen ukko sielta huusi etta "taallahan ei virvota!" Itkuahan siita tuli ja karsea ensi kokemus.

***
I've been:

*Taking Robin to an eye exam and to get new glasses. He was excited to get the kind of lenses that turn into sunglasses in the sun.

*Cleaning cat puke off our bed and carpet.

*Paid $75 for a certain follow-up doctor visit (first visit was $250!). You don't usually pay for doctors here but this doctor knows he's the only one doing "bioidentical hormones" here so he can charge whatever he wants. Needless to say his work place is FANCY.
*Walking about like a zombie. Sienna's been sleeping terrible again lately and I feel like my head's in a fog. I'm too old to handle it gracefully. (read: cranky pranky!)

*Watching American Idol and trying to decide who I like the most.
*Reading book #6 in the Work & the Glory book series. Wondering how on earth those early church members got through all they had to go through. Mob violence. Killed and harassed due to their religion. Having to move from place to place seeking for a peaceful place to live. Church leaders prisoned in inhuman condition for bogus charges. Amazing miracles too among them. They must have had such strong faith. I'm so loving reading these books again for the second time. Yesterday I found out that one of the stories in the book is about my friend's ancestor! He was an old man when a mob came to harass and kill the church members. He was sick in bed, too sick to try to get to safety. A mob came in his house and shot him because he couldn't leave his house. Thank goodness the bullet barely hit him in the head and he survived. I couldn't believe it was my friend's ancestor. I got chills as she told me about him.

One story was about a woman who's one child was shot to dead (yep, the mob killed children point blank too!) and another was shot in the hip. A big part of his hip was missing. There was no doctor. The woman prayed in faith and she got inspiration to know what to do to help her son. She used ashes and water to make a lime solution. Cleaned the terrible wound. Then they got slippery elm roots and that helped the wound heal even more. It was a miracle that the boy didn't die. He always had a huge hole in his hip but was able to walk normally.

Anyways, many touching true stories and I have been so thankful for those early church members for sticking it out and staying faithful. I'm yet to read the worst parts though. How they had to leave Nauvoo, Illinois (a city they had built out of a swamp, tons of hard work) and in the dead of winter start treking towards the Rocky Mountains. That's how the mormons got to Utah. They were driven there by a mob. Many died on the way as they were not allowed to take the time to prepare themselves for the harsh journey. Children sometimes walked barefoot in the dead of winter. Their feet would bleed and often had to be amputated. Many starved to death. After leaving home after home due to mob violence, they finally got to Utah and started to settle the Salt Lake valley. Again they had to work real hard to build homes and farms as it wasn't a very good land for farming. They made many desert places bloom and flourish. They hoped they finally could be safe and live in peace but even then, trouble came. An army was sent against the mormons once again. For no reason. More harassement. Eventually things finally got more peaceful.

I'm lucky to live in a time when for most part we can live in peace. Yes, I've been abused verbally due to my church membership. Sometimes even still some of our church members are killed though. In Ireland, a missionary was killed by a 19-year-old. There's so much prejudice and fear towards our church. That's why I try to sometimes let people know that our church is not as weird as people think. We are Christians and we just try to live good lives. I try to teach a bit about our church in hopes that some of those prejudices about our church would finally start to disappear. So bear with me when I sometimes mention the church or something about it. It's not meant as shoving anything down on anyone's throat. It's just to spread knowledge and understanding.

I've heard about how couples who get married in the Salt Lake temple come out of the temple and people throw mud on them or shout insults. It's supposed to be the happiest day in their lives. I can't understand how someone can be so mean to do stuff like that.

I will continue to bring the church up every once in awhile. Please be understanding.

I live in hope that one day differences will be tolerated and there won't be any kind of hate or prejudice anymore. You gotta hope.

Ok, I hadn't planned to say all this. It just came. I just had Easter on my mind but sometimes things just come out that you hadn't planned for.

***

I know this is a long posting but I thought I'd add one more thing. Some reasons why the early church members were harassed and hated:

*they didn't believe in slavery and spoke on behalf of the black people, even helped them, this was a very touchy subject back in those days

*many religious leaders started to speak against them as their own congregation members left them to join the mormons

*the church was growing so rapidly, people feared the saints were starting to become too powerful politically

*lack of knowledge, people just totally misunderstood the church and it's members

*many people in the "west" (Missouri was the western region of USA then) were outlaws or people who were rough and tough, they were easy to excite into action against the mormons, many people coveted the mormons' property and got it for free as the saints were forced to leave their homes and farms

***

{it's all about families}

Gotta love our church's "family commercials". :D

{do da charlie brown dance :)}

:D Sienna's having her lunch so I had time to sneak in two more. :D

{this one's even better :)}

Love these elders! :)

{JFK liked mormons - the real reason he was assassinated? :)}

Okay, some of these linked videos are good.

{why can't mormons send flowers?}

Ok, this was really funny! :D
"Some people you just can't discuss religion with!" :D

{mormons exposed - who are they really?}

Love this guy's accent! Reminds me of my time in Northern Ireland. I thought this video was fun. There are so many misconceptions about our church out there that it's not even funny. It would be nice if people would turn to our church's resources (www.lds.org or www.mormon.org) to find out who we are and not listen to anti-mormons or people who don't like us. If you work for Mac computers, you don't want people to go to Microsoft to find out what you are about. My wish is that people will get real information about our church and leave sensationalized "news" alone (I sure don't believe all I read in papers/see on tv now that I know how much garbage they say about our church).

I flinch every time we are called Mormons too. Not that it's a bad word or anything, even many of our own church members call us that, but it just doesn't describe who we are. Mormon nickname was given to us by church haters. Because we also believe in the Book of Mormon, not just the Bible. In fact, we believe there's lots more scripture out there to be found, not just the Bible & the Book of Mormon. The Bible isn't complete unlike most Christians believe (the Bible itself mentions scripture that are lost from the Bible). All of the scripture go hand in hand (means they don't contradict each other) and testify of Jesus Christ and tells us of God's plan for us. The Bible was written by Jews and Christ's apostles, The Book of Mormon was written by people who travelled from Jerusalem to the new world (first South America and then spread to all of the Americas from there). One of these days we'll have even more scripture. Well, we already have more than these two (the book of Abraham, for example). The Book of Mormon is called that because there was a prophet called Mormon who abridged all the scripture of his day into one book. In a way, then, it is an honor to be called a Mormon. He was an amazing man, a man of God. But it's so misleading to be called that. I prefer to be called a "latter-day saint" (or even a Christian). Church members in the early church were called saints (totally different from the Catholic church's definition of a saint) and now that it's the "latter days", we add the latter-day to it to distinguish us from the early church.

Anyways, I hadn't planned to write all this. I was browsing You Tube and happened to find this video too. Knowing about stuff is good. The more you know, the less you judge/fear/hate. So there's your "little nugget of LDS info". :) You never, ever have to agree with me or believe as I do (free agency!). Just bear with me when I want to share little nippets to clarify who we are. Thanxxxxx! :)

ps. Please don't watch the videos that are linked to this video (I hate when You Tube does that). They are the "wrong stuff" about our church. Ridiculously wrong.

{the purpose of life}

***

I haven’t forgotten about continuing to explain the “Plan of Happiness”. I have been putting it off as the #3 in the chart is such a vast topic and to be honest, I’m not sure how to tackle this one. How do you explain shortly the purpose of life and why we’re here? Exactly. That’s been my dilemma. Two blogs I read have mentioned the topic of death and it gave me the push to keep going.

The part one was posted on September 28th if you missed it. Wow, time flies.

So, the purpose of life. Why are we here? Wish me luck.
***
One reason why we needed to come to earth is to get a body. Our Father in Heaven has a glorified, immortal body. Not a mortal one like we do. But gaining a mortal body prepares us to receive an immortal one. We get experience in what it’s like to have a body. I won’t go into more details about that. Just so you know getting our bodies is part of the whole mortal experience and very important to us.
***
Because of the mortal bodies we have, we can experience additional things to that experienced in pre-mortal life. We can experience both good and bad with our bodies. Because our bodies here are mortal (we all get sick, we all die), we will be able to appreciate the immortal bodies afterwards (no more sickness, no more death). Think about it, how else could you appreciate that amazing gift (immortality) if you first didn’t experience the opposite. There is no other way. We must have opposition in this life (health/sickness, death/life, success/failure…). All the misery in this life has a purpose. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to appreciate the good things to come in the next state of our existence. Our trials and tribulations here guarantee our happiness in the next state. It’s mind blowing when you finally figure that out. Ponder about it and it’ll start to make more and more sense.
***
Experience. That is another reason why we’re here. We needed to come here to be on our own, without Heavenly Father’s presence. To try our own wings, so to speak. To live by faith, not by sight. Then we could really be free and to be able to choose what we wanted. Free agency is so important as I mentioned earlier. God will never force anyone to Heaven. He will let us choose what we want. This life is a school as well as a test. Once again, having good & bad here is essential. How else could we choose? So many people blame God when bad things happen in life. They say God doesn’t care what happens to people. Otherwise He would interfere. Well, He won’t because “all these things will be for our good and for our learning”. He does guide certain things in this life but mostly He is just allowing all of us to have this mortal experience “as is”. Bad people get to be bad in this life. Bad and good people get their “rewards” (“test results & grades”) in the next state (see Malachi 3: 13-18). Here’s an awesome quote by President Spencer W. Kimball: “If pain and sorrow and total punishment immediately followed the doing of evil, no soul would repeat a misdeed. If joy and peace and rewards were instantaneously given the doer of good, there could be no evil – all would do good and not because of the rightness of doing good. There would be no test of strength, no development of character, no growth of powers, no free agency…” I could go on and on about this topic. It’s one of my favorite topics actually. I finally know why we go through so many heartaches and trials in this life. But suffice it say that in this life there will always be both good and bad. The test is which one will we choose.
***
I know there are other things to talk about too in this category but this posting would be miles long if I explained it all. Let’s just mention one more thing though. If there is to be a punishment for evil deeds and rewards for doing good, there has to be a law. God’s laws are eternal, they don’t change. All of us have been given the light of Christ (most people call it the conscience) that will lead people to do good and warns them when they are about to do what is bad. You can “kill your conscience”. The more you choose to go against it, the more you silence it and eventually “kill it”. If you follow your conscience, you are led towards more and more goodness and “light”.

***
I think I’m going to have to do a part “B” for this posting still. I do need to explain few more things before I move on to what happens after we die. So more to come. Stay tuned. Or not. :) Your choice.

Once again, feel free to comment or ask questions. Feel free to add your own thoughts on the topic (why we’re here). These of course are my own views and if I have explained them properly, then they'd be the views of the church I belong to as well.

***

I get sort of homesick sometimes

For the home I had before my birth

For my other Father and Mother

That I left to come to earth.

I miss all the heavenly peace

Of that place where no pain can be found.

Where there is no hurt and there is no hate

But only love around.

'Till it's time to go back home

There's one thing to do it's clear:

I'll try with my hands,

I'll try with my heart

To make a Heaven here.

(lyrics of a song I love)

***