The world around us is a beautiful place, and god created all this, for us. We should take the time to appreciate the wonderful creations that have been placed around us. In Seattle we have some of the best parks, trails, and mountains around. Be grateful. Utilizing these creations is a great way to show our appreciation for them. Also express our gratitude to our heavenly father in our prayers.

I have been a runner my whole life. Finding new trails to run on is the most exciting thing! Since coming to UW I have spent the majority of my days on the Burke Gilman trail or at Greenlake. Still every time I run I seem to find a certain flower or the way a tree is growing that just amazings me! When I have the opportunity to run at some new trails I feel overwhelmed with the new beauty that is in front of me. We need to take the time to appreciate what is in front of us on a daily basis but also go explore the world! See new things so you can appreciate it with a greater appreciation! And while you are exploring the Burke Gilman come up a block or two to explore the institute too! 

-Kristina Cordy, Student at UW 

Sweet Meet

We had such a great time at this year's annual Sweet Meet!

Sweet Meet from Courtney Shaeffer on Vimeo.

The passing of a loved one is never easy.  Sometimes it comes unexpectedly, sometimes there is ample time to prepare.  Sometimes it's a relative that loses a long battle with cancer, and sometimes it's a friend that's taken in a tragedy.  No matter the circumstances, all involved are left to ponder the frailties of life and mourn the memories left from that special person.  We tend to hold our loved ones closer, spend more time with our friends, say those things that we never said or do those things we never did.  We begin to realize just how great of a blessing it is to live on this good Earth.

How great it is to know that our loving Heavenly Father sent us here with a purpose.  How great is the blessing to know that there is a life after this one, that death is not the end but only a necessary door that all must walk through to return to live with God.  And how penetrating is that question that was asked by the angels at the tomb of Christ, "Why seek ye the living among the dead?" (Luke 24:5).  As Latter-day Saints we know that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, all men shall live again.  He paid the ultimate price for our sins through His selfless sacrifice that we will resurrect even as he and be partakers of eternal life if we would repent of our sins and follow His righteous example, receiving all the ordinances of salvation and exaltation.  "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 15:55-57)

How great and comforting are these things to the mourning soul!  But how many people in this world don't know of this good news?  How many people think that death is the end and that the flickering light of a person's life blows out with death like a candle to the wind?  This is our message to the world, that Christ lives and that through His Gospel, all can reap the eternal blessings he has prepared for us.  "Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise." (2 Nephi 2:8).  This responsibility is ours, both to the living and to the dead.  We've been instructed of the Lord to construct temples, to seek out our ancestors and to help all those that have come before us to receive the same ordinances that we've received.  Temple work and missionary work is the exact same thing, just on different sides of the veil.  So let us be dilligent in our duties.  To all those that mourn the loss of a loved one, to all those that stand in need of comfort and seek the truth, and to all those that have gone before us without a knowledge of the Savior.  Elder and Sister May teach a class at 6:00-8:00 on how to do family history through familysearch.org.  If you're not familiar with this site, they will help you to find your ancestors and procure for them the blessings that they're waiting for.  

-Brian Hart

Where is home?

I want to tell everyone a story. I remember my first few days at the University of Washington, ready to start my first year of college. It would be my first time living away from home, my first time being my own boss, deciding my own curfew, making all my own decisions. Most eighteen year olds love this kinda stuff - I was petrified. My mom and dad helped me move all my stuff into my dorm, make my bed and buy my first groceries. All the time I joked with them and laughed, trying not to think about the knot twisting in my stomach as I thought of the prospect of being left here all alone. Suddenly it was time to go to Husky Stadium for the freshman welcome shebang and as we drove towards the stadium I played out in my head how I was going to say goodbye to my parents. I would hug my dad and still be able to keep it together, but then I was sure that I would hug my mom and just melt down and cry, making a scene in front of all the other impossibly cool freshmen who were actually excited at the anticipation of their newfound freedom. Not me. I wasn’t ready. I needed a few more days, or maybe years. The cutting of my umbilical cord was long overdue. So as I contemplated this dramatic scene, we came to a stoplight almost across the street from Husky Stadium. My mom turned around in her seat, looked at me and said, “Why don’t you just get out here?”

I stared at her. “You’re kidding.”

“Nope. Go on, get out. We’ll see you at Christmas! Love you!”

Without even really registering what was going on I was unceremoniously turned out of the car onto the sidewalk without even so much as a hug from my mom. Ok, she gave me a kiss on the cheek. But still, she didn’t even give me the chance to have my meltdown. Then my parents were gone. (I guess she couldn’t bear a drawn out goodbye. She broke down in tears as soon as they drove away. Served her right for leaving me like that!)

So anyways, I fought back my tears, found my way to the stadium and participated in the festivities. I made some friends, had a little bit of fun, but I still made my way back to my dorm that day feeling empty and lonely and scared inside. As I walked, I prayed. I didn’t have a good habit of praying, but I prayed hard that day for Heavenly Father to comfort me. Comfort didn’t come to me right away, but I remembered that my mom and dad had taken me to church at the Seattle Institute of Religion the Sunday before. I still remember the first time I walked into the institute by myself. Sister Williams was at the front desk. I was on the verge of tears as I explained to her that I was a new freshman and really didn’t know what I was doing. She showed me the institute class registration form and the classes that were available. I calmed down a bit. I recognized the Spirit. And for the first time away from home, I felt at home. As the school year progressed I made room for institute in my life and saw a huge difference in my happiness the more I participated.

The institute has helped to build my testimony of the church more than almost anything else - except the Book of Mormon. This is because it was here that I learned that home is not where the heart is, home is where the Gospel of Jesus Christ is. Every dedicated church building is blessed with the presence of the Spirit, the world over. It doesn’t matter where we are or what we are going through, we can find peace, comfort, and our home in the Lord’s houses. I know that my most treasured memories and greatest friendships happened here, as I grew closer to Christ and I know that as we make institute a priority in our lives, we’ll find our way home. I would invite everyone, no matter how old or young you are, college student or professional, married or single, to come to institute. Give Heavenly Father a chance bless you even more.

- Natalie Jex-Landoe, senior at the University of Washington

Bonjour mes amis!

Oh, pardon, I meant “Hello friends”.

I was lucky enough to spend last fall in Europe! I know, way cool! I studied literature, culture and film in Paris, and enjoyed all that London and Dublin had to offer on the way! I learned a lot about other people, other cultures, and myself while I was out, but two of the most important lessons I learned are these:

1.       My Heavenly Father wants me to be happy, and the church is designed for that. For reasons I can’t explain, I got it stuck in my head that in order to be a faithful member, I had to ONLY do things that fit what I thought was the “perfect Mormon mold”. ie. If I am not delivering someone cookies or studying better homemaking RIGHT NOW, I wasn’t good enough. Unsurprisingly, I really enjoyed myself on this trip, and I was able to strengthen my testimony that He knew what I was doing, He was watching over me, and He was even happy that I was happy, even though I wasn’t studying my scriptures every single second, and sometimes I missed church because I was travelling. This doesn’t just apply to me or travelling, however. He knows all of us, He knows what we thrive on and what makes us smile, and He wants those things for us! We can live a full life on this earth and be faithful members at the same time. Sounds pretty obvious, huh? It wasn’t for me, and I can tell you it was a total game changer.

2.       The happiness I can get from travelling the world doesn’t even come close to the happiness I can feel from the gospel. In fact, the joy that I can receive from the gospel is so powerful and far reaching I’ve discovered that it IS actually possible to be happy even when you have to get up at 5 am in the Seattle rain every day for work. Astounding! But in order to access that happiness, I have to be connected to the gospel, connected to the spirit, more than just learning how to say “I’m a Mormon” in a different language! Temple attendance is a great way for me to strengthen that connection, but what is even easier to access is Institute. I LOVE going to institute. An hour spent diving into the scriptures in a room full of others all seeking truth has an AMAZING impact on my week, and I find myself looking forward to institute more than anything else in my schedule.

There have been times in my past when my institute attendance was far more driven by guilt than a desire to learn, and I can’t tell you what an incredible difference it has made for me to go with a new perspective.  I urge and invite you to listen to President Monson and make institute a priority; if it can help me be as happy here on a cold Monday morning walking to work as I was walking through Paris on a sunny afternoon, who knows what it can do for your day!   

Pure Blood

I read this story the other day and it really made me think. . . As we approach this Christmas season, let's try to "comprehend the great love He has for us," and find ways each day that we can honor Christ and His gift to us.

Pure Blood

The day is over, you are driving home. You tune in your radio.

You hear a little blurb about a little village in India where some villagers have died suddenly, strangely, of a flu that has never been seen before. It's not influenza, but three or four fellows are dead, and it's kind of interesting, and they're sending some doctors over there to investigate it. You don't think much about it, but on Sunday, coming home from church, you hear another radio spot. Only they say it's not three villagers, it's 30,000 villagers in the back hills of this particular area of India, and it's on TV that night. CNN runs a little blurb; people are heading there from the disease center in Atlanta because this disease strain has never been seen before.

By Monday morning when you get up, it's the lead story. For it's not just India; it's Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and before you know it, you're hearing this story everywhere and they have coined it now as "the mystery flu".

The President has made some comment that he and everyone are praying and hoping that all will go well over there. But everyone is wondering, How are we going to contain it? That's when the President of France makes a announcement that shocks Europe. He is closing their borders. No flights from India, Pakistan, or any of the countries where this thing has been seen. And that's why that night you are watching a little bit of CNN before going to bed. Your jaw hits your chest when a weeping woman is translated from a French news program into English: There's a man lying in a hospital in Paris dying of the mystery flu. It has come to Europe. Panic strikes. As best they can tell, once you get it, you have it for a week and you don't know it. Then you have four days of unbelievable symptoms. And then you die.

Britain closes it's borders, but it's too late. South Hampton, Liverpool, North Hampton, and it's Tuesday morning when the President of the United States makes the following announcement: "Due to a national security risk, all flights to and from Europe and Asia have been canceled. If your loved ones are overseas, I'm sorry. They cannot come back until we find a cure for this thing." Within four days our nation has been plunged into an unbelievable fear. People are selling little masks for your face. People are talking about "What if it comes to this country," and preachers on Tuesday are saying, "It's the scourge of God."

It's Wednesday night and you are at a church prayer meeting when some- body runs in from the parking lot and says, "Turn on a radio, turn on a radio." And while the church listens to a little transistor radio with a microphone stuck up to it, the announcement is made. Two women are lying in a Long Island hospital dying from the mystery flu. Within hours it seems, this thing just sweeps across the country. People are working around the clock trying to find an antidote. Nothing is working. California. Oregon. Arizona. Florida. Massachusetts. It's as though it's just sweeping in from the borders.

And then, all of a sudden the news comes out. The code has been broken. A cure can be found. A vaccine can be made. It's going to take the blood of somebody who hasn't been infected, and so, sure enough, all through the Midwest, through all those channels of emergency broadcasting, everyone is asked to do one simple thing: Go to your downtown hospital and have your blood type taken. That's all we ask of you. And when you hear the sirens go off in your neighborhood, please make your way quickly, quietly, and safely to the hospitals. Sure enough, when you and your family get down there late on that Friday night, there is a long line, and they've got nurses and doctors coming out and pricking fingers and taking blood and putting labels on it. Your wife and your kids are out there, and they take your blood type and they say, "Wait here in the parking lot and if we call your name, you can be dismissed and go home." You stand around, scared, with your neighbors, wondering what in the world is going on and that this is the end of the world.

Suddenly a young man comes running out of the hospital screaming. He's yelling a name and waving a clipboard. What? He yells it again! And your son tugs on your jacket and says, "Daddy,that's me." Before you know it, they have grabbed your boy. Wait a minute. Hold on! And they say, "It's okay, his blood is clean. His blood is pure. We want to make sure he doesn't have the disease. We think he has got the right type."

Five tense minutes later, out come the doctors and nurses, crying and hugging one another - some are even laughing. It's the first time you have seen anybody laugh in a week, and an old doctor walks up to you and says, "Thank you, sir. Your son's blood type is perfect. It's clean, it is pure, and we can make the vaccine." As the word begins to spread all across that parking lot full of folks, people are screaming and praying and laughing and crying. But then the gray- haired doctor pulls you and you wife aside and says, "May we see you for a moment? We didn't realize that the donor would be a minor and we need...we need you to sign a consent form." You begin to sign and then you see that the number of pints of blood to be taken is empty.

"H-h-h-how many pints?" And that is when the old doctor's smile fades and he says, "We had no idea it would be a little child. We weren't prepared. We need it all! But-but...You don't understand. We are talking about the world here. Please sign. We- we need it all -- we need it all!"

"But can't you give him a transfusion?"

"If we had clean blood we would. Can you sign?

Would you sign?"

In numb silence, you do. Then they say, "Would you like to have a moment with him before we begin?" Can you walk back? Can you walk back to that room where he sits on a table saying, "Daddy? Mommy? What's going on?" Can you take his hands and say, "Son, your mommy and I love you, and we would never ever let anything happen to you that didn't just have to be. Do you understand that?" And when that old doctor comes back in and says, "I'm sorry, we've-we've got to get started. People all over the world are dying." Can you leave? Can you walk out while he is saying, "Dad? Mom? Dad? Why-why have you forsaken me?"

And then next week, when they have the ceremony to honor your son, and some folks sleep through it, and some folks don't even come because they go to the lake, and some folks come with a pretentious smile and just pretend to care. Would you want to jump up and say, "MY SON DIED! DON'T YOU CARE?"

Is that what GOD wants to say? "MY SON DIED. DON'T YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I CARE?"

"Father, seeing it from your eyes breaks our hearts. Maybe now we can begin to comprehend the great Love you have for us."

Author Unknown

Institute Reflections

As a freshman at UW I started my Institute adventures by taking a single class. I took Book of Mormon with Brother Knowles. I enjoyed it but didn't throw myself into Institute involvement. By my senior year, four years later I had come a long way. The institute and therefore the gospel was completely incorporated into my daily life and I am grateful for that. 

The Seattle Institute became the place where people knew they could find me. There were a group of us "Institute Dwellers" who spent time there daily. It wasn't always for classes, and in fact, I spent more time there not for a class than I did for a class. Aside from classes, I would go there to eat lunch between my school classes, meet up with the missionaries for member lessons, study in the library, or meet up with friends. The spirit of the Institute became more than just the spirit of the gospel, though being the house of the Lord obviously does contribute to that. 

But the Institute is so much more than that. In classes we learn about the Savior and our Heavenly Father. We learn gospel truths and we learn how to incorporate them into our lives. We apply principles by studying the scriptures and the words of prophets. We learn how to become better Saints by learning the parables that Jesus Christ taught. We study General Conference talks to better fortify ourselves in these Latter Days. The teachers teach by the Spirit which is consistently felt. They and the other wonderful Institute staff teach with love and the examples that they serve as are inspiring. Institute classes help us bring the gospel into our lives. Get to know your Savior by attending class. 

I consistently visited the Institute library to study for my school classes. It is a quiet (usually- sometimes we get off task and chatty) place of learning that combined with the Spirit makes an irreplaceable place to learn and grow. Some of my best papers were written in those cushy blue chairs and some of my most quality test preparation happened there. Utilize the resources that the Institute offers and increase your secular education. 

So many of my experiences at the Institute were service oriented. Whether it was serving ward members at FHEs or helping out with Friday Friendship Feast (FFF) the Institute is a great space to serve. Most notably was Friday morning committee meetings. Seven thirty is early (especially in college) and often much needed sleep is sacrificed. However, the blessings that come from attending Friday morning committee meetings are wonderful. Seriously, you get to help make decisions regarding the institute like activities, you get to eat a delicious homemade hot breakfast, and you get to spend time with wonderful people. Attend Friday morning committee meetings and be blessed for your service.

This brings me to another reason that the Institute was such a big part of my daily life and another reason that I miss it. The people at the Institute are quality people that you will not meet anywhere else. My best friends and my favorite teachers have come into my life because I attended and participated at the Institute. Where else are you going to find your contemporaries getting up early to serve the Lord and His people? Where else are you going to find teachers that love and know you like those of the Seattle Institute do? Make life long friends by getting involved. 

You cannot replace the experiences you will have that are similar to the ones I had at the Institute. Without the Institute I am sure that my testimony would have still grown, I would have still done well in my UW classes, and I would have had great friends and great people in my life. But the experiences would not have been nearly as sweet or productive. The Lord knows us and He knows what we need. I know that He has given us every tool that we need to be happy in this life and to learn and grow so that we can return to Him. I know that the Institute, both classes and otherwise are tools for us to gain that eternal joy. They are imperative to our well being and we should incorporate them so that they become so intertwined with who we are that we cannot separate them. So this is my shameless plug for the Seattle Institute of Religion. Please, find a class and get involved. I promise that you will be edified and your life will be fuller.  

-Tayler Thompson