Trip Down South

The Weekend before school started, we decided to head South and visit our cousins Ryan and Andy and their five children.  It was just a short trip where we drove up Friday night, stayed Saturday, went to church with them on Sunday and then left for home around 2 pm.

On Saturday we went to the San Xavier Mission.  It is a beautiful piece of workmanship and has been restored since I was there in the early 90’s.  The tour guide stated that this mission is known as the “Sistine Chapel of the United States” I think it’s because of the amount of workmanship that went into it and the style it is as well.  It’s no wonder that the Catholic church made such a huge impression on the Natives when this building had to have been so incredibly different and elaborate than anything else in their life experiences to that point.

The tour was very interesting and I’d love to go back and listen a little better.  It was so hot and stuffy inside that it was very difficult for Vivian and Christian to behave so we only made it about half-way through the tour.  It was much cooler outside than in.

Isn’t the workmanship amazing?

The rest of Saturday was basically spent hanging out at Ryan and Andy’s house.  They had an amazing monsoon with lots of lightening.  The not so awesome thing though is their house got hit so they had problems with their A/C, their phones and their oven not working after that. :(  Thankfully though, they were able to get their A/C back on later that night.

On Sunday we went to church with Ryan and Andy’s family at 7:30am.  I am so glad I visited their ward, the speakers/teachers in the classes said exactly what I needed to hear.  In sacrament meeting the speakers where a returned couple who had served in Ohio, I believe.  The husband’s talk in particular struck me when he mentioned that it’s our memories of places and “how things were” that distracts us to a point where it’s very difficult to accomplish things.  When we sit and stew about how things were it skews our perspective into thinking that we just want to go back instead of looking forward in our life.  I know this has been a major reason why I’ve been having a really hard time since we moved out here to the desert.  I keep remembering the last ward we lived in at the University married student housing and how though it wasn’t perfect, there were so many women that I could talk to and who would reach out with a hand of fellowship.  I really felt a sisterhood there.  All of the sisters in that ward were on the same page, for the most part, financially so that no one looked down or even up their noses at the “haves” and “have not’s”.   I felt needed there and in the ward that we lived in prior to that ward I felt needed as well. 

I think that the three basic requirements for humans to be happy in a situation is to feel 1. needed 2. wanted and 3. loved.   It is possible to survive a situation where one or the other of these factors is not present but it’s not necessarily pleasant.  I think that’s why President Hinckley said that members need a Calling (needed)  a Friend (wanted) and to be Nourished by the word of God (loved).  I’ve been so stuck and frustrated with my current ward and feeling the lack of these things because I was so blessed with them previously that I have been allowing myself to be side-tracked by the lack of fellowship I feel.  Instead I need to be the giver of these things and not expect others to give them to me.  It’s easier said than done, but I’m going to try.

In Sunday school I really enjoyed how the brother who gave the lesson (the same lesson actually I had in Sunday school the week before but totally different) about the Savior’s crucifixion and how Peter denies Christ three times.  The week before the person giving the lesson kept talking about how Peter failed and we all fail and then Peter became better because of that….etc.   But this teacher brought up a point of view that I’ve wondered at many times that when Christ told Peter that he should deny Him three times, what he was really was doing was giving Peter instructions that he needed to deny Him three times.  Because where and when Peter denied Christ, Peter may not have been able to complete his own mission if he hadn’t.  Perhaps when Christ looked at Peter as He was marched through the courtyard it wasn’t a look of “How could you?” it was more a look of “Yes, I understand”.  Who really knows the thoughts of another’s heart anyway? and there is so much that is lost in translation as well as body language.

In Relief Society, I had the most refreshing experience because though I sat down and no one knew me, someone sat down on either side of me and introduced themselves and would comment to me during the lesson.  It was lovely.  I haven’t felt so included in a meeting for quite a while.  I realize that the saying “the church is true, even if it’s members aren’t” really is what I need to remember.  Those who are too busy caring how they look or how their behavior is looked upon or that they are too caught up in their own world to be friends to others who may not be like them or look like them or have the same income as them, really need help and understanding and I need to be more patient with them and just be friendly.  If they never choose to be friendly with me and get to know me, then that is their loss.  I am really grateful that I got to get away and just visit a different ward and experience  the sisterhood in their ward.

It was also nice to have church so early so that we could get the kids there on time and then have some time to play and/or visit with cousins afterwards.      Harley, Christian and Max Harley and Christian with Ryan in the background 

Ryan, Christian and Vivian hanging out in their loft.

We were pretty reluctant to leave, we had such a pleasant trip visiting with our cousins (even with our lightening adventures).  But we headed home around 2pm and got home in about an hour and a half.   I was happy that Vivian took a nice nap in the car on the way home.   

Christian before he fell asleep ;)

My view of Jared on the way home.

I’m so glad that we got a chance to get away and enjoy visiting with family.  Thank you Ryan and Andy for putting us up, the delicious meals, the good conversation, and a super fun, and relaxing trip!