Thoughts from Dane

by Dane Stevenson

Institute has provided me with the opportunity to understand the scriptures on a deeper level. With a busy school schedule I noticed that I don't take the time to dive into the scriptures like I had in the past. Sometimes I will read just a little to maintain the daily habit of reading, but this only does so much. Receiving instructions from teachers and other students has helped me to have a deeper incite on spiritual topics, allowing me to strengthen my testimony in the scriptures and the power they have to point us to Christ.

A good example of this comes from a class I took last quarter on the Book of John. It was amazing to learn and see how John builds upon his testimony to teach us about Christ, and to help us remember this; we were constantly referred to verses 30 - 31 of John chapter 20. In these verses John tells us the reasons why Christ performed the miracles he did and why John chose to write them down. Each of the 7 miracles that John testifies of teaches us about different ways we can apply Christ's atonement in our lives and he lays them out in order of importance. Of course, the last miracle that John teaches us about is the resurrection.

With out the class room setting I probably would have never taken the opportunity to dive that deep in to one book of scriptures.

*PS. He's graduating Institute along with many others on June 4th at 6 pm!
If you wish to attend please email us at williamsd@ldschurch.org, or call us 206-633-2955, because space is limited and we want to get the right amount of food for this nice dinner. If you have already reserved a seat but find that you are unable to attend after all please cancel your reservation so we can open your seat to someone else. We must have RSVPs by May 27th, 2011.

It's going to be fancy and great with Seattle Temple President being our feature guest speaker.

Understanding Mormonism

by Kendahl

This week I was asked to prepare some words on the Church's Humanitarian efforts for our Understanding Mormonism that was being held. In preparation for this I took some time to read my scriptures and search lds.org in order to understand what it was I was supposed to discuss. As the day approached the lesson on the Book of Mormon ended up taking longer than expected (which was totally fine for it was for a good reasoning-trying to help a nonmember understand its principles) But afterwards I walked out with a guy who was interested in discussing more on the principles of the church. I got to experience a missionary moment and help someone come to understand what we as Latter-Day Saints stand for. I know its because of the Lord's help that I was prepared to discuss this topic with him because of my efforts in preparing for my other lesson. I am very thankful for being able to talk to this young man about our church, it helped strengthen my testimony of the gospel and gave me a chance to share the gospel that I love!

the marriage class

Amit & Marinda

Last quarter we had a chance to get personal marriage counseling at the institute. For some reason, 8:30 in the morning during the middle of winter is not a popular time for institute class, so when we took Book of Mormon 2 and Church History 3 with Brother White (at 8:30 Mon-Thurs) it turned into our own private marriage class! We can’t remember exactly what the lessons were supposed to be about, but ended up learning valuable life lessons from those classes. For example, we learned about not ‘keeping score’ in a relationship, where you do things not so you can say ‘you owe me because I did this’ but because you truly have become unified as one, and lifting your companion’s burden is equivalent to lifting your own.

A lot of people think that institute is for when you’re single. But we can tell you that taking institute classes together was one of the best things we did to get our marriage started off on the right foot. We feel closer as a couple from studying the scriptures and from standing in holy places together. We can also feel a positive spirit in our home as we’ve strived to center our lives around Christ and the scriptures. We love institute and we plan to keep coming until they kick us out!

Preparing for Easter

by Maggie Brown

This quarter I'm taking Book of Mormon: 1st Nephi-2nd Nephi with Sister Harwood and Sister Anderson. I love this class, usually there are only four of us- the two sisters, another student, and me- which allows for some really good conversations. This week we talked about the first few chapters of 2nd Nephi and the prophecies about Christ that are made there which was a great preparation for Easter. The best part of the whole class was hearing the testimonies of the sister missionaries about Christ. Sister Anderson shared the words to "I Stand All Amazed" and we sang "I Believe in Christ" and for the fifty minutes in class I felt this great spirit of unity between the four of us. Even though we are all in different stages of life, it was great to share testimonies together and be joined by that. It was definitely the highlight of my day, and one of the things that makes me look forward to this class. I'm grateful that Institute this week could help me get ready for Easter!

Parables of Jesus Institute Class

by Carole Stoddard

On Wednesday, I was in the Parables of Jesus class and we discussed John 10:1-42. Something that I always think of when I am at the institute is the fact that I always feel the spirit. In this lesson, we went in depth with what we thought were the important items in the verses. These include the shepherd, the sheep, the thief/robber, strangers, pasture, sheepfold and the hireling. Brother Knowles talked about the sheepfold being the pre-mortal existence. From the chapter, I understood that it was about how Jesus would lead his sheep, and that he put down his life for us in the atonement, like the good shepherd. I had never thought of it as he literally led us out to pasture so that we could learn and grow. It was something that I knew, but hadn't thought about it. Going to classes isn't so much the learning about the scriptures, it's about the personal revelation that I receive in the class.

Brother Knowles had us sing Hymn 221 "Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd." In verse 4 it says "Make us thy true under-shepherds; Give us a love that is deep. Send us out into the dessert, Seeking thy wandering sheep." In the allegory in John 10, the hireling is mentioned. The hireling cares not for the sheep, s/he is only in it for gain. We are supposed to be true under-shepherds, caring for the sheep and searching for them. We are all called to love our fellow brothers and sisters and that class reminded me of that. I'm going to try to be a better under-shepherd in my family, in my calling and in my life. I hope that those of you who read this will decide to do so with me.

Cinnamon Rolls

by Mike R.

Lans Drake is awesome! After his mission prep class he made some cinnamon rolls for all of those who were in the library diligently studying (Russell, Colin and I). We had fun chatting and eating rolls. It was a good break from studying. Things like this happen all of the time at the institute. Small get-togethers happen spontaneously. There will be more to come!!!

Mission Prep

 

 by Lans Drake

Yesterday I had a good experience in my Mission Prep class. I learned that I need to work on establishing common ground before explaining new ideas and understanding with people I share the gospel with. I know applying this is going to help me become a greater missionary.

six months and still strong...kinda

Contributor: Angela

It's been a little over six months since I moved here to Seattle. I'm a transplant from Happy Valley, Utah (ie Provo). Like many graduate students, I had shining hopes of finding my dreams in the Emerald City. I can only speak for myself, but it's been less than dreamy.
Who knew how hard it would be to move to a new place? No wait. Who knew how hard graduate school would really be? I feel like it's a mission. You know it's gonna be hard, but you don't know how hard until you're on one.

Even though I'm in my mid-twenties, I still have this yearning to belong somewhere and to be a part of something. It's been half a year, and I find myself still searching. Sometimes I want to give up, and just isolate myself. It's easy to do that here in Seattle. I find people are independent in this unique "Seattle-ite" way. You know what I mean by that? Anyways, though it seems simple to mainstream myself to soloing it out here, shying from conjugal laughter and merriment, something won't let me completely hide myself.

I need people in my life. People who encourage me, who ask me how I am (and actually are waiting for an answer). I need that hug and definitely that smile. I need someone to make me laugh and remind me that I'm helpful.

I don't think I'm alone in this feeling. I decided that I needed to stop waiting for people to reach out to me. Surprisingly, when I reached out, I found that many have echoed a similar sentiment of loneliness. Especially for so many who are trying to find their niche out here. It surprises me as I discover how many incredible people there are out here. Why are we hiding from each other? So let's make one together. Let's be there for each other.

Making Changes

by Katie and Cassie

As Institute wrapped up its Winter quarter this week, it was time to get down to what our classes here are really all about: progress.

In Book of Mormon this week, we learned about the experiences of Alma the younger, and of the process of repentance. With a visit from an angel, he was finally brought to realize the wrongs of his actions, and to truly convert to the ways of the Lord. For him, repentance was prompted by a single event-- however, experiences like Alma's are not the norm. Repentance is usually a result of progress; of self-evaluation and resolution. Only after making changes to their own lives could he and the sons of Mosiah spread the gospel to the Lamanites.

Only through faith in God and the righteousness of his commandments may we come to know our duty here on Earth. The Lord's gospel is one of progress and charity: it is our responsibility to assess our own lives and see the changes that we must make. Then, we can help others.