Letters

Dear Kristen Herrscher and Rachel Munayn, You guys are AWESOME for amusing me by listening to me talk about my life at work every day. Five high!

Dear Heavenly Father, Being reminded of my insignificance today was very humbling. It makes me even more astonished at the fact that you know, love, and care about me. Thank you for taking me as I am and for loving me perfectly.

Dear Paul, Thank you for Romans 8. Today is the second time I have found lots of personal meaning and help in it. You were awesome for sacrificing so much for a people so far in the future. I hope that I can serve and inspire people the way you do.

Letters

Dear Ward, You ALL are fantastic! I'm so blessed to be able to have fun with and to serve such a wonderfully amazing group of people. Keep being awesome.

Dear Sarah Porter, Your "nice note delivered in person" was so meaningful and thoughtful. Thank you for all your support and love. I look up to you. Really. And for some time, too. Good luck with the music for Arabian Nights! I'm so excited to hear it's amazingness when I go see the play in a month!

Dear Agent Altair, Sorry for spelling your name wrong last time. Won't happen again.

Dear Morgan and Lauren, Thank you for all your lovely visits. Seeing you guys always brightens my day (like sunbeams--the light kind and the kid kind). Please continue.

Dear Jarrett, Thanks for the pictures and the walk and the bread and the talking and the optimism and the amazingness and, above all, for your example. Being around you makes me want to be a better person. Good luck getting done all your homework tomorrow! You can do it!

Dear Amelia, I am amazed that Heavenly Father loves me enough to let me live with someone as strong, brave, understanding, down to earth, intelligent, beautiful, and wonderful as you. Please keep being your amazing self. (And thanks so super much for all your AMAZING bread! You are so talented!!!)

Letters

Jarrett, me, Kendrick, and Meka at the top of Little Rock Canyon!

Dear Jarrett, Going hiking with you in Little Rock Canyon this morning was stupendous fun! From climbing up rocks to strategically picking up trash to cleaning cuts to talking about things that matter--all of it was pretty much the best. I can't wait for our next adventure!

Dear Kendrick and Meka Bradshaw, Thanks for being Jarrett and my hiking companions. You two are awesome!

Dear Jordan Liau, I can't believe that you were over at my apartment to claim some cookies near seconds after I offered them on the ward facebook page. Gold star for making me laugh.

Dear Joseph Scoville, Your message meant a lot to me. Thanks for being so superly fantastic.


Dear Eric Johnson, Yea for you moving into our ward!!! I never thought that when I did early morning custodial with you for 3 semesters that I would one day be lucky enough to be in the same ward as you! This spring and summer are going to be 10 times more amazing because I'll get to share them with you!


Dear Rachel Munyan, I'm so glad that you came over to watch Neverland (well, at least the first half...we kinda drew the line when we found out that Captain Hook was Peter's dad and made up our own happy ending) and to color with me tonight! Next time we hang out, we will have to do something even more epic!

Dear Aunt Janet, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE YOU!!! Your email absolutely made my day, week, month, and life. I can't wait for our next  "rocking" movie, late night campfires, marathon shopping spree and giggles too. Having your for an aunt is better than . . . pretty much any and every thing. It lets me know that Heavenly Father watches out for and cares for me. Thanks for being your awesome self.


Dear Heavenly Father, Nothing feels better than knowing that you used me to help someone else out in their time of need. Thank you for using me. Thank you for trusting me.

Letters

Dear Minhnhat, Morgan, and Chris, Thanks for playing badminton and then going to the Malt Shop to get shakes with me! I had so much fun!

Dear Agent Octear/ Chris, Playing pretend super secret agents with you all the way home from the Malt Shop was the best ever! I'm convinced that you and I could save the world super secret agent style if we needed to.

Dear Jarrett, Your message was hilarious. Best phone message I've ever gotten in my life. I'm excited to go hiking with you tomorrow!

Dear Alexis, Thanks for letting me run with you for a mile or so even though we are total strangers and will probably never see each other again. It was fun and extremely nice to have someone to run with. Good luck on your half marathon next weekend! You'll do AMAZING!

Dear Bed, I'm super excited to join you in a few seconds. HERE I COME!!!

Dear Heavenly Father, You are so good. I think I'm the luckiest person in the world to have you as my Father (along with all the other billions+ people in the world. They're lucky too.)

Letters

Dear Abby, Thanks for talking to me on the phone today for half an hour about boys and dating and school and reading and birthdays and normal days and friends and church and life. You're the best second to youngest sister I've ever had. For reals. Happy 14th birthday! I LOVE YOU!!!

Charity

“Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls.”  -Alma 37:6-7

"Brothers and sisters, may I reemphasize that the most important attribute of Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son that we should desire and seek to possess within our lives is the gift of charity, "the pure love of Christ" (Moroni 7:47). From this gift springs our capacity to love and to serve others as the Savior did . . . Like the small flecks of  gold that accumulate over time into a large treasure, our small simple acts of kindness and service will accumulate into a life filled with love for Heavenly Father, devotion to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and a sense of peace and joy each time we reach out to one another."  -M. Russell Balard, Finding Joy through Loving Service, April 2011 General Conference

Being charitable does not have to be a big thing. In fact, it should not be a big thing. It should be many small, little things (though really no act of service is ever small). It's uplifting those who need uplifted. It's enlightening those who think they're of little worth. It's befriending someone who needs a friend. It's visiting someone who's alone. It's listening to someone who needs to talk. In short: it's loving people that need to be loved (just a hint: that's everyone). True charity is learning to love and treat people the way Christ would were He here. It will transform us so that we begin to not only act as the Savior would, but to think and feel the way He would too. It is essentially what helps us become like Him.

And I really do mean it when I say it's the small and simple things that count. It's not so much the act itself, but the fact that someone was thoughtful enough to act that makes service meaningful. We don't need to throw huge philanthropically themed events in order to do this. We can take five minutes to send someone an uplifting text message or to drop by and say a genuine 'Hi!' Five minutes of the day, people. Out of 1440. That's 0.35%. God has given us life and eternity. We can afford 0.35% of our days to help Him serve His children.

Let's all start being the super awesome people we are by getting up on our feet and going out to serve each other. Let's make Heavenly Father's day by choosing to be happier, kinder, friendlier, thoughtfuler, givinger, awesomer people. Service is awesome, and we are all awesome people, so let's put the two together by living with more charity today than we did yesterday. We can do it. 

Letters

It's the first time I've ever caught something on fire in the kitchen. An accomplishment...?

Dear Amelia, You're really good at rescuing people. I would know. Yesterday afternoon you saved me when I was making kettle corn and the towel I was using caught on fire and the oil in the pot starting attacking me and the popcorn started burning and the burner was still on and I was freaking out. You're pretty great.

Dear Tiana Cole and Elise Meiners, I'm so excited to have you guys as my new roommates! Remember our goal: to be super sad when you guys have to leave for the summer. Good luck with classes today!

Dear People Who Came to our AWESOME Tuesday Movie Night, Watching Pirates of the Caribbean with you was better than watching five armadillos speed race the backstroke. Not that I've ever seen armadillos speed race the back stroke. But still! Let's keep it up!

Dear Kendrick Shepherd, Jarrett Lever, and Ben Johnson, Going to Macy's for our adventure on Monday night was super much fun! Thanks for letting me tag along so that I have enough food to make it though the week.

PS World--Today let's all be SUPER AWESOME! Okay? Deal!

Letters

BYU rugby is AWESOME!

Dear Chris, Going to the rugby game with you yesterday was more fun than slip-n-sliding down a super long hill head first. I can't wait to go to the next game with you in May!

Dear Morgan, Lauren, (and soon to be Whitney), The apartment is really empty without you guys. And I'm not talking about the lack of bedspreads, books, pots, and pans. Please come back to visit often.

Dear Spring Semester, It's going to be great. I'm so excited!

Thoughtlits

Tonight I was sitting and pondering and the thought came to my mind: "Where is God?" After pondering over it for a moment, the answer came to me. He is here. Right here. With me. Over this past semester I have more obviously seen His presence in my life than ever before. As I have striven to prove myself, He has proved Himself as well. When I gave my all--to the point that things got so low and so exhausting that all I wanted to do was to give up--He stepped in and rewarded me for my efforts. There were times when I would look back and realize that He had answered a prayer before I had even realized I needed to utter it. He knows so perfectly exactly what I need and I am amazed by how liberally He gives it to me.

I cannot describe to you the humility and gratitude that this makes me feel. I am overwhelmed that He would care so personally and perfectly enough about me to play such an enormous role in my life. He is the best part of my life.

Letters

We took this picture the last day of finals when we went up into the canyon to have foil dinners and to celebrate John's birthday

Dear FHE Family, You. Are. The. Best. I have never associated with a group of people as fantastically fun, righteous, and trustworthy as you guys. Our next FHE group has BIG shoes to fill.

Dear Ryan, Chris, and Kap, Thanks for "tucking me in" when I was laying on your living room floor and for then reading me "Oh the Place You Will Go" for a bedtime story. You guys will be awesome dads someday.

Dear Morgan, Thanks for your stroke of genius in planning the ultimate Frisbee game. Best idea EVER!

The first few players...many more people came to join us later!

Dear Frisbee Playing Buddies, You were all amazing. And my body is super sore/exhausted/tired/dead. I haven't had this much fun the in the longest time. I'm excited for the Spring and Summer so that we can play even MORE!

Dear Finals, It's been fun. Almost goodbye.

Letters

Dear Holly, Today I found the planner I used in 12th grade. You had written me a note inside it. It went like this:

5-20-10

Dear Lindsey,


I think you are fabulous. seriously. Even in 3rd grade when you told me all about religious people being tarred and feathered, I still thought you were fabulous. And a little scary. And super genius-like. And pretty.


I still think all of these things. Except for the scary part. Except for sometimes. :)


In conclusion,
You are fabulous and I love you and you only scare me sometimes :) .


Love, Holly

I don't even remember telling you that story. Especially in 3rd grade. Sorry for scaring you.

Oh, yeah: and you're awesome.

Letters

Some of the Ward before heading off to the activity!

Dear Ward, Thanks for the awesome closing social last night! Good food + good company ALWAYS = a good time!

Dear AnnaLisa, You are one of the sweetest, most thoughtful and loyal friends I have ever had. Good luck on your finals this week--you can do it!

Dear Finals, You are going to be AWESOME! I can't wait to show off my stuff to you!

Dear Ryan Porritt, Thanks for always asking and listening and talking. I feel like I can talk to you about anything. Thanks for being there.

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for all the blessings you poor into my life. I'm sorry for not being as diligent lately as I should be. Starting tonight, that's going to change!

Letters

Rabbit food left for me from AnnaLisa on Thursday!

Dear AnnaLisa, Thanks for leaving rabbit food for me in my apartment on Thursday, for talking with me on Friday, for making and eating super yummy omelets with me with morning, and for all the encouraging, awesome texts in-between. I love you!

Dear Family, Seeing you both Thursday and Friday was the best finals survival kit EVER! Thanks Emily for going with me to classes on Thursday, to all my sisters for eating pizza, frozen yogurt, goofing off at the park, and watching 17 Again with me Thursday night, and to everyone for hanging out with me at Aunt Martha's house yesterday. There's no doubt: I have the best family in the world!

Dear Me, High-five for being so super awesome and productive today! Today, you rocked it!

Letters

Watching General Conference with the fam!

Dear FHE Family, Having yummy German apple pancakes together on Saturday morning and delicious curry Sunday evening all while watching conference in-between was the best!  You guys really are my family away from home. Thanks for being so super awesome.

Tara (Audrey's roommate), Audrey (Pister's sister), Pister, Emily, and I around the fire

Dear Ward Friends, Bonfire Saturday night + talking 'till 2am + sleeping on gimongous bean bags + waking up to the smell of Piste's wonderful cinnamon rolls on Sunday Morning + watching Sunday morning conference together = the break from life that I needed. Eliza--thanks for letting us all bombard your house for the evening/morning. It was the best.

Dear General Conference, Thanks for the uplift, promptings, reassurances, love, and all-around awesomeness. You're just as good as Christmas.


Dear Sabrina Sears, Thanks so extremely super much for calling me when your ward was on campus yesterday. Hugs were just what I needed at the moment, and I got a million of them from you guys. You totally turned my disheartening day into an happy one.

Dear Daniel, Thanks for inviting us over to play mafia last night. I really needed a break from homework.

Dear Heavenly Father, The best part about yesterday wasn't that it went from bad to good, but knowing that it went from bad to good because you answered my prayers and care. Thank you.