Learning

I am just so grateful for all the experiences that going back to school has provided for me already. I have learned so much more than what is being taught in my class! I have thoroughly enjoyed learning what is taught in the classroom though! I have been able to invite a fellow student to church, have talks with people about politics, happiness, and religion. Today however I am most grateful for what I have learned in my ASL class. I have been assigned to Visit Teach a Deaf woman in our ward, and I have been able to communicate with her because of my schooling. We just had her and her husband (both Deaf) over for dinner and it was so much fun! Even Ben and the kids were involved and trying to learn to speak to them. They were so patient with us, and so willing to teach us and try to understand what we were saying to them. They are interesting, funny and so kind. I really feel that I would have missed out on knowing them had I not gained the courage in my class to approach them. I wonder how many things in life we miss out on because we don't have the courage to try. Or that we limit ourselves just because. I had a talk with one of the cute 11 year old girls in my class today, telling her that she is just as capable of Enos of having an amazing experience with prayer, and in fact she already has. She was asking why all the people in the scriptures are able to do amazing things, and we just aren't now. I assured her that amazing things are happening every day. And it is true. We have had several baptisms in our ward in the last couple of months, one of which was a whole family! Another family is investigating the church now, and I know that their 11 year old girl (in my Primary class) wants to be baptized. If that is not just as amazing as some of the things in the scriptures, I don't know what is. All these amazing things that are happening around us I think are the result of courage. Whether it is that a member finally has the courage to talk to their friend about the church, or whether a stay at home mom finally gets up the courage to go back to school, or whether the school aged kid has the courage to stand up and choose the right. There are exciting things happening all around us, and all it takes is just a little courage.