Institute: It Makes a Difference!

Hi! Since I’m sure most people reading this blog have no idea who I am, allow me to give a brief introduction. My name is Lisa, I graduated from UW in 2008, and I’m a convert to the Church. I was baptized during my senior year of high school and moved to Seattle in 2005 from my hometown of Chehalis, WA. (If you know where it is and know how to pronounce it, serious props to you.)

While I was going to school, Institute was a huge part of my life. The best parts of my day were spent in that building, going to classes and committees early in the morning, eating a cheap and delicious lunch on Fridays, and singing in the choir on Wednesday evenings. It was a great place to hang out with friends or study for school in between classes. The thing that drew me to Institute and kept me coming back was the amazing spirit that radiates there. It is a haven from the stresses of the college world, a place I could recharge my spiritual batteries between Sundays.

Since I didn’t join the Church until I was 18 years old, I felt like I had a lot of catching up to do in the way of Gospel knowledge. Institute offered a variety of classes and teachers with amazing experiences to impart wisdom and guide me to a stronger testimony. I grew to love studying the scriptures rather than just skimming them. If I had questions, Brother Knowles and Brother White had the answers. Most importantly, I knew that when I was at Institute, I was doing exactly what Heavenly Father would want me to be doing right then. I felt His love and His blessings through the Institute program.

Oh, and I also met my husband there, so that was just a big bonus.

-Lisa Draney

Getting Better Everyday

This week in institute we received the an assignment for our final exam on the teachings of Brigham Young. In it we were encouraged to find eight quotes from our readings of his teaching that have inspired us and helped us to want to become better. As I took the time to think and reflect on that prompt I really was impressed by the principle of eternal progression illustrated in this quote
 " If you say that you want mysteries, commandments, and revelations, I reply that scarcely a Sabbath passes over your head, those of you who come here, without your having the revelations of Jesus Christ poured upon you like water on the ground."
As I thought about that I remembered many of the things that I have been taught while listening in church, or in institute, and how it was something that I had never even thought about previously. But the best part is that the same thing can happen every single day if I keep applying the things that I learn and becoming better every day. I know that through the power of Jesus Christ that is possible and that thanks to him one day I can be my very best self.

-Ryan Larsen

More new faces!

Meet the other half of our wonderful CES missionaries--Sister Cooper! Thank you to the star interviewer Katie Dempsey. Without further ado...

SISTER COOPER

          Sister Janet Cooper, born in California on July 1^st, 1938, grew up with her brother and three sisters. She was baptized at eight years old in Santa Clara before moving to Utah. She went to college at Sequoias in California, received her BA from San Jose State, and then moved on to complete grad work in botany at BYU and in Arizona State. The thing she misses most about home is the people, but she loves Seattle for its environment: it is very green, and is full of beautiful scenery. She and her family love to gather and sing together whenever she is home, and when she is away she loves to listen to the words of the apostles. She cannot choose a favorite, because they are all her favorites Out of the entire year, her favorite day is the longest day, right at the beginning of summer. Still, she loves Thanksgiving in the Fall, and the vanilla ice cream that comes with it.

**Sister Cooper is like the grandmother we all wish we could have. She has a very kind and gentle demeanor and when she talks you feel like she has the most wisdom a human could possibly have. We are so blessed to have her at the institute! If you have not met Sister Cooper, you need to re-evaluate this coming weeks schedule to do that!

Cocoa

Hot chocolate. Toasted marshmallows. And of course, savory chicken soup. In this transitional phase from autumn to winter, it is undoubtedly getting colder and colder, but I am glad that I can go home in the evening to one of these small mood-boosting delights of life. Likewise, I see institute as one big bowl of chicken soup or one huge toasted marshmallow, a place where I can warm my soul from the stress of school, and maybe even the greater stress that comes from other aspects of life. I am grateful for  institute and the people there- they constantly remind me of the gratitude I have for our Heavenly Father's love and his creations, including something as simple as hot chocolate.
Yuyen

New faces!

This year, the Seattle Institute was blessed to receive two new CES sister missionaries and a new instructor! They are incredible and have already contributed so much to the institute. Come by the institute, and take one of their classes to get to them better. In the meantime, members of the leadership committee put their interviewing skills on the table for all of us to get to know them better!  Thank you to Alex, Katie, and Kendhall for their creative interviewing approaches!! 

Sister Iskenderian the Fantastic

October 2011

In the words of Alex

If I could change my name to anything that I wanted I would be named Sierra.

I was born on 18 June 1942 and baptized in 1950. But I know I don’t look that old.

Of course my favorite day of the year is today, and especially if today is Thanksgiving.

If I could be anyone from the Book of Mormon then I would be Jacob. Why you may ask, because he was a young and handsome young man steadfast in the gospel. He was a quiet man, not always in the limelight but steadfast nevertheless.

I love Earth, it is my favorite Planet.

What do I love about Seattle? The waterways… water is cool! And also, of course, the young adults of the institute. However, I do miss my grandchildren.

Speaking of my grandkids, if I were to describe my family I would say that we love to have fun and laugh, but we also have our share of drama.

I went to college at the College of the Sequoias in California.

My favorite family tradition is the fact that we celebrate everything. Whether it’s Christmas or Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we will celebrate.

In my future novel my main character will be a Captain Kid (probably not a pirate) and his quest would be to travel the world rescuing children from ail and every injustice, joining his motley crew of justice fighters. (Captain Kid and the Lockness Monster coming in 2012)

My favorite apostle is President Eyering because he is so tender and soft spoken, but very serious about the gospel and his love for it. He’s in the forefront of the church but was not self-appointed but simply accepting his call from God.

**We are so grateful to have Sister Iskendarian at our institute! One of her greatest gifts is her ability to reach out and personally connect to others. She is a living example of love and charity . 

Great interfaith experience!

This week I had the opportunity to go with a few other Institute students to the weekly meeting of the UW Interfaith group, Bridges.  The topic of the meeting was the relationship between religion and culture and we discussed things like "Can religion exist without culture?" with about five other people from various religious backgrounds.  I was really impressed by the amount of truth that was shared by the students from other faiths, especially the insights of one student on the purpose of religion and faith which he summarized as bringing about a change within ourselves for the better.  It was a humbling experience to remember that truth can come from anywhere, not just church-sponsored meetings and activities.   I would encourage any interested Institute students to come to the Bridges meetings! They are held on Thursdays from 5:00 to 6:20 in Savery 131.
-Maggie Brown

Meanderings...

So, institute has been pretty fantastic thus far this school year. I have been fortunate enough in my schedule to take the class on Teachings of Brigham Young and also Pearl of Great Price. Both have been incredible experiences full of learning and inspiration. My favorite, though, has definitely been delving into the Pearl of Great Price, studying and learning more about the creation, where we come from, and the purpose of our own creation. I have loved being able to feel the spirit more in my life, which has in turn led to more success in the academic field.

Also, last week here at institute we had the TURKEY BOWL! Pretty much my favorite event of the year. Imagine, thirty two teams playing in a double elimination flag football tournament under the lights in Husky Stadium. Remember that scripture that says "stand ye in holy places"? Welll, I am pretty sure that this qualifies. Hats are off to the team from U3 otherwise known as "The Dawgfathers", as they won the tournament for the third straight year.

Long story short, this place ROCKS! Come join my institute class at 1:30, Monday and Wednesday, as we need more people.

Thanks for reading!

Bryan Briggs