A Week of Renewal

I went to Provo, Utah last Tuesday to attend education week at BYU. To be honest at first I was having a hard time shifting gears from leaving all the busyness of home and focusing on spiritual things. I wasn't sure I should have even gone. Our crazy busy lives sometimes keep us from focusing on the most important things in this life. Just like the ten virgins in the bible who were to busy to fill their lamps with oil.  By Wednesday night I was starting to mellow. I attended a class by Brad Wilcox entitled No Other Name. The Spirit was very strong. One statement he made really stuck with me, "If Jesus had failed and not completed the atonement, we would have all been destroyed." We would no longer exist after this life. We owe everything to Him, absolutely everything! From that point on I was so excited to be there and loved every minute of it. I left Friday night with my lamp full.

I made new friends this week. Carol on the right and her husband Bill were our hosts in Utah. They shared their home with us. They have such a Christ centered home with a beautiful garden in their back yard and a back drop of beautiful Utah mountains. I wish I had taken a picture of it.  It was such a joy to be there and get to know them. I always love being with Arlene and here sister Barbara, they are very special women in my life.

Friday morning Arlene and I did a 20 mile run as part of our marathon training. We ran through Hobble Creek in Mapleton, Utah. It was one of the most challenging runs to date but cooler weather made it doable. The first 10 miles were up hill most of the way at times we had to walk up some of them. Arlene was nursing an ITB problem so for the first 6 miles she wasn't sure if she should turn back. We had been praying for her to be able to do the run. By mile 7 she was feeling better and was able to finish. The Lord blessed us both with beautiful scenery, cool weather, clouds and the ability to do it. He also blessed us with an escort for the first 4 miles named Jordan. He is 28 and was such a good sport to run with two older slower women. What a sweetheart! 

I am so blessed to have so many wonderful people and the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life!