Ia Orana, eaha ta outou huru? (Hello, what is your state of being?)
Well I'm on the downhill slope of this roller-coaster, 4 weeks and 1 day until I get on a big plane.
I feel like I've kept my emotions pretty caged for a long time to allow myself to change and focus completely between different lessons. I do think it's possible that I'll have a breakdown at some point when I let my gratitude and joy just overwhelm me, not super sure when that will happen. My eyes well up with tears frequently for others, but it stops there.
There is a scripture that is really intriguing in 1 Corinthians 2:14 which I read in French but the meaning in English is generally that the natural, instinctual part of us is not receptive to spiritual insights. We call that "the natural man" in the scriptures. Animals are driven and motivated by their instincts, their appetites. The reason for our existence is to learn from the choices we make. We must make the choice to control our appetites and learn self-mastery. Self-mastery enables us to savor and appreciate things that are good. If we love Nutella, appreciate the spoonful. Don't binge and make yourself sick. When you date someone with whom you want to spend the rest of your life, marry them before having children. Self-mastery enables us to receive the blessings of obedience and it limits our feelings of guilt and shame. (There's a lot of other meaning in this verse but you and I haven't the time to analyze right now.)
Does anyone besides Ashley Alvarez know that song "There's a party in my tummy! So yummy, so yummy!" ? :) I found the guy, he's a Mormon. http://www.mormon.org/amos
How cute is Nadia? I am so excited to get back into Arabic studies at BYU, the Arabic cultures are beautiful. http://www.mormon.org/fra/nadia
Keep calm and carry on,
Soeur Carter
