No Brett for Me

Jorja talked in church today. It was also Isaac Johnson's mission homecoming. Riley and Ella came to watch Jorja. Jake was also there, but he is in our ward anyway. Jorja was so happy they came! Sacrament meeting is now broadcast over zoom, so Jorja's friend Giselle watched that way too! Even better, Brett and his family watched, Matt and his family watched and my dad watched. How cool is that? Brett sent me this picture while Jorja was talking with the caption 'Watching Jorja'. Home church is awesome!

Marie, Grace, Eve, Mina, Brett

Jorja did great. She had notes, but rarely looked at them. I found her notes she printed out, so I'll put them at the end of this post. Jorja is such a confident speaker, and she just keeps getting better and better.

Jorja, Riley, Jake, Ella

We were supposed to have dinner at my dad's today, but with Max's corona diagnosis I didn't think we should go. I was so sad. I decided to make masks for their family, to at least keep myself busy. I cried the entire time. My brother lives in Ohio. He drove two days to get here and I can't even see him. Mike saw how sad I was and said maybe I should just go. I couldn't. How could I not let Jorja go to many things she wants to go to, but the first time it is a big sacrifice for me I give in? I did watch the World Series while I was making masks, so at least I was able to communicate with my brothers through group me. Dodgers won. Crazy the Rays tried to steal home. Lucky for the Dodgers they were not successful. We didn't finish the masks until pretty late. I drove to my dad's house twice today. Once after church where I left the hamburger buns we were supposed to bring to dinner on his front porch. This time I put the masks on Matt and Sam's old door and texted Rachel when I was home. Jorja was surprised that I didn't knock and say hi and stay six feet away. I told her I would have probably just cried. Plus, how would I be able to say to Grace and Eve to stay away from me if they wanted to give me a hug? I just couldn't do it. Corona's stupid. Anyway, here are the notes from Jorja's talk.

Hi, good afternoon brothers and sisters. It's so weird to be standing back up here again but I'm so happy we have this opportunity to come back to church again after these past months. Alright, so before I start, I just want you all to think of one scripture story that has changed your life. And I want you to kinda keep that story or that experience in your mind as I talk today and in just a little bit I'll share mine with you but first I want to take a second to talk about how the scriptures can change your life.

Before the scriptures can change your life, you have to be willing. Willing to ponder the scriptures, willing to seek out that truth. You have to continuously put forth effort in your scripture study before you can see those life changing results. One of my favorite scriptures that mentions this is 1 Nephi 10.

I'm not the best at this. I usually come home from a long day at school and tell myself I'm gonna take time out of my day to ponder over a chapter or two but then the homework comes and I wanna hang out with my friends and before I know it the day's over and I'm exhausted. And then I end up grabbing my scriptures and flipping to a random page and I read one verse and it's like Jesus wept and I'm like ok great and then I go to bed and forget about it and life goes on. But every couple of months I get so inspired to really focus on my scripture study and I make a real effort to actually ponder over scriptures that I sometimes might just skip over when I'm tired and wanting to go to bed. And I promise you that life is so much happier and you receive so much more inspiration when you make a real genuine effort to increase your spiritual learning. As you set your personal time aside for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, I promise you will grow closer to Him and more fully be able to understand his love for you.

Alright now coming back to that scripture story I wanted you all to think of, I want you to remember that experience you had or that moment when you realized you were receiving inspiration from the scriptures that could change your life. Mine isn't really a story like David and the lions den or like Nephi building a boat, it actually started from my patriarchal blessing. I received my blessing when I was 15 and in probably the darkest stage of my life. My freshman year was hands down the hardest year of my life. I was just starting school as a big kid, and I was having a really hard time with friends. And it got to a point where I was just genuinely scared to come to school and I felt so lost and alone and it was almost like I was unable to feel loved by anyone. And I got my blessing and I'm actually embarrassed to say this, but I was just mad. Because it didn't answer the one question I thought I needed in order to keep going I had been fasting for a specific question to be answered and when it wasn't, I kinda withdrew myself from the scriptures and the gospel because I was just mad. And that is SO embarrassing to say now, because now I realize I heard something that I needed a lot more. Once I got my printed copy of my blessing, I was reading through it again, and I was still mad so I wasn't really paying super close attention to it but there's one line that I've just never forgotten.

I bless you, Jorja to be an example to others. Let your light shine, in your own way, and you will light the way for others. You will set an example for them to follow, to draw strength from you and the way you live your life

I read that, as I was in the darkest most dreadful time in my entire life and I just started crying. I didn't understand how I could be a light for others when I wasn't even happy myself. After I read that, I started marking every single scripture that talks about light or being a light or an example to others and I don't know why it is, it could be the most random scripture ever, but I'm just drawn to it now. Which brings us to my favorite chapter of scripture in the book of mormon. And that's 3 Nephi 12. Before I read a couple of my favorite verses from this chapter, I'm going to ask each of you to close your eyes and just think of that person who is your light in your life. Someone who just has the light of christ within them and I just want you to think of that person as I read. 3 Nephi 12.

That last verse, 16, about letting your light shine to all others so you can be an example unto them, has just always impacted me so much. And I don't know what it is, but something about being a light of christ just stands out to me so much. I hope that all of ou have met someone who reminds you of 3 Nephi 12:16, and if you haven't yet I promise you will.

For me, my person who just fills me with light is my best friend Ella. She doesn't know it, but she's been my number 1 example my whole life. We didn't actually become close friends until this year, but I've known her basically my whole life. Even when I was a loser and the shyest person ever who never talked to anyone, I just wanted to be exactly like her. And I probably didn't realize it when I was little, but that's because she's just always had the light of Christ with her. She's the kindest, most genuine persons I know and she has changed my life more that she could ever know.

I'm not just saying all of this because she's sitting right there and I want her to know how much I love her, but because I know that every single person here has the light of christ within them. And you may not realize it, but I know that every person here has been that light for someone else to draw guidance from. I promise that as you truly ponder over the scriptures and grow closer to your Heavenly Father, you will feel of his love and it will be made known unto you that you are his sons and daughters and you are truly lights of the world. I challenge each of you to live your life as the light of this world, and to put forth an effort to being that light and I promise you will change someone's life. I know that the scriptures are true and we can draw strength from them everyday and they can genuinely change your lives. I promise that he loves you and has provided the scriptures as a way for you to grow closer unto him. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ amen.

Those were Jorja's notes. She didn't say things word for word, but followed the basic outline. She did fantastic. Also, the things she said about Ella are true. Ella was in the Chinese program with Jorja through elementary and middle school. Jorja has always thought highly of Ella and several times mention positive things about her. I remember her telling me how Ella was one of the nicest people she has ever met. I'm so glad they have become such good friends this year.