The Making of Me (Mica)

When I began my journey into parenthood in 2005, I wanted to create a mission statement or goal for myself.  I pondered over this idea for a few months and one day, I felt prompted with what I should strive for. I needed to prepare my children to launch from my home as competent individuals who knew and loved the Lord.  As I discussed this idea with the Spirit, the word MTC came to my mind and that it should be my standard and example.  It gave me specific ideas about what we would do in my home.  I shared this idea that our home needed to be an MTC and that we need to train our children to launch with my husband and we began to pattern our home after the MTC. In October 2012, President Thomas S. Monson announced that the ages men and women could serve missions would be lowered to 18 for our young men and 19 for our young women.  I was floored! My sons both turn eighteen during their senior years, my daughters turn nineteen in the summer right after they gradu...

My husband, oldest daugher and I in front of the Salt Lake Temple on our daughter's 12th birthday This week we focused on perseverance.   The trick to enduring is having a vision.   We read amazing talks by Patricia and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. We read the testimony and journey of our prophet Thomas S. Monson in his first address as a prophet at General Conference.  In his address, Elder Holland shared the vision the early saints had for the Salt Lake Temple and how it sustained them as they endured countless trials.   It was so powerful that I want to record it here I’ll copy the text here and also share a link. At one point, he quotes Brigham Young as saying, “Can you accomplish the work, you Latter-day Saints of these several counties?” he asked. And then in his own inimitable way he answered: Yes; that is a question I can answer readily. You are perfectly able to do it. The question is, have you the necessary faith?”   My husband and I are at the ...

A man with leprosy, picture taken on my last visit to India with Rising Star Outreach This semester has flown! I cannot believe we're halfway done.  I am learning so much and enjoying myself immensely.  I am making changes because of this one class.  It is helping me to begin to draw an outline of what my life could be in a couple of years.  For fun, I'm also going to share some pics from my last trip to India and I'm excited because I just booked my flight to go see my "kids" in India this coming February.  Darling Student in his uniform at the Rising Star Outreach campus This past weekend Phil and I traveled to Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire for a board meeting for Rising Star Outreach.  Rising Star provides help to leprosy affected individuals and their families in southern India through a variety of methods.  My husband has been on the board for the past six years. It was a very thought provoking weekend. Previous board meeting...

This year's "Standard of Truth" or "Armor Up!" In Alma chapter 46, verses 12-13, we read about Moroni.  He was the captain of the Nephite Army and he created a mission statement f or the Nephites. It reads, " And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it—In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children—and he fastened it upon the end of a pole. And he fastened on his head-plate, and his breastplate, and his shields, and girded on his armor about his loins; and he took the pole, which had on the end thereof his rent coat, (and he called it the title of liberty) and he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren, so long as there should a band of Christians remain to possess the land—“ Each year on back to school night, we have a fancy dinner and my husband Philip gives the children a Fa...