Sunday, December 28, 2014

A merry Christmas indeed

Another December 25th has come and gone in a matter of hours. Can you believe it!? Well on the bright side we got 11 more months 'till the next. This Holiday really stood out to me because the gifts I recieved were small in size but large in value. Here's my top five.

5. Telus World of Science passes for 2015

4. Several books 
- A reference book on doctor who and a graphic that features a crossover with the Star Trek Universe
- A magazine on Hockey's greatest rivalries
- A history of science fiction
- The Guiness Book of World Records 2015 (actually that was a gift to Grayson)
- America Again by Stephan Colbert

3. A $25 Cineplex gift card to see Battle of the Five Armies (and Mockingjay pt 1)

2. And 2 Wii U games
-Monster Hunter Tri Ultimate
-Assassins Creed 3 (It was rated M but the imdb parents guide to care to that.)

1. But the real prize was...
A second iPad, just kidding, it's an android the JXD S8700: designed specifically for gaming. But this beauty can play RETRO GAMES!! I already got Contra, 3 old Legend of Zelda titles, and the first six games in the mega man series. There's more to come as Google Play allows emulators so I can play more classic titles!

Anyway I had a great Christmas, and who knows what my birthday on Jan 3rd will offer.

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Sweet Victoria

Apologies for the delay. This post is about my wonderful trip to Victoria for the thanksgiving week (Canada.) After a pleasant flight across the gorgeous wilderness we arrived at the wonderful place otherwise known as Vancouver Island. We took a tour of Sidney, (not a Aussie wannabe by the way,)  posed at some attractions, and visited the local aquarium where we admired ocean dwellers such as jellyfish, trout, sea cucumber etc. And a anemone tried to devour my finger and dissolve it. Soon after we ate the five and dime restaurant, and headed over to fisherman's wharf (the Canadian one) and watched the seals get free lunch in the harbour. We then arrived at a nice apartment (nicer than where I live but more expensive) and slept cozily through the night. The next day we had a little shopping spree at a farm that was growing pumpkins then headed back to Sidney where my mother happily found sea glass every foot or so, caught eye of some pinnipeds, (Grayson said they were orcas) and I struggled to get a decent photo without me being so squinty. Then we headed over to my Grandpa Bahir's house where we talked, had KFC and my family was happy to receive a few gifts from them.

After we visited with them, we did some sightseeing around town, helping ourselves with chocolates at Roger's chocolates and doing some browsing at Monroe's books. But not before we got a glimpse of the awe-inspiring Maritime Museum. My favourite parts of the museum was seeing the detailed models of the ships and then learning about Canada's own version of the Titanic: The Empress of Ireland. On another day we visited the Royal BC Museum. Some of the main highlights was the exhibits on theVikings, the Natural World and a history of Canada in that region. One of our favourite places was the Victoria Bug Zoo. They had everything including stick insects, cockroaches, spiders, scorpions and a whole colony of ants. It's been there for 15 years and they still can't find the dang queen. When we left, I watched my brother help himself to a packet of deep fried mealworms ( BBQ flavour) . And to think this is a guy who doesn't like tomatoes.

Later we wandered through some other streets and found another bookstore as well as Chinatown. The Chinatown in Victoria is the oldest Chinatown in Canada and the second in age to San Francisco's Chinatown.

The next day we returned to the spectacular Butchart Gardens. We admired the flora and fauna which comes from varying parts of the world including Italy and Japan. After the gardens we had lunch at the SeaHorse Cafe along a dock and the headed to the Butterfly Gardens. Seeing every dazzling species shows that God must have been in a good mood when designing these creatures. There was even a collection of all the cocoons that they emerged out of. There were more than just butterflies, but also tortoises, flamingos, birds of paradise and even poison arrow frogs. We then took a walk on the BC coast then headed back to the apartment for the night The final day we did some sightseeing along one of the channels. There were a number of highlights, from a diving board foundation to jumping fish, and even two seals, or as our guide calls them a 'seal' of approval. Speaking of, we went back to Fisherman's wharf to feed the ones that hung out there. After that we headed to Odgen Point Breakwater, where we walked down the pier and was mercilessly soaked by the waves. The next day we said goodbye to Grandpa Bahir and later Victoria.

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Back to Seminary

Hello everybody, I'm back. Now my topic for today is seminary. An inspirational talk in church today gave me the idea to do this post. It starts out with me being jolted up by my alarm clock faster than the time when I foolishly put my finger on a plug that was partially through the plugin. I wake up at 5:45 AM so getting a full 8 hours of sleep is a hit or miss. We drive for a few minutes then I arrive at the church. What used to be sleeping on the chairs before class is now listening to my friend Tyler perfect his piano skills. Oh, and for some reason even though it's September he thinks christmas is around the corner and wants to play hymns having to do with it. Just because the icebox-like weather is so soon doesn't mean a winter holiday is. Also on some occasions because my teacher Brother Law uses an a projecter with an iPad to show lessons with it, we use it to play apps on it to, from Flappy Bird to Fruit Ninja. Honestly I should bring my iPad Air to Seminary, I got an assortment of games my classmates will love. Another game we love to do on Fridays is play Mafia, except we call it body-body. I could tell you what it is or you can just google it. The most interesting thing I learned is when Christ was crucified, and arose into the spirit world he organized a mission there to teach souls who never heard the gospel then went out the door that said "Employees Only."
My day at seminary is ended freezing to death at the bus stop before it comes. Don't worry I always live to tell the tale.

Sunday, September 21, 2014

High School: First thoughts

Just recently in September I started High School at McNally. I was terrified at first about what would happen but that all vanished on the first day. My timetable was more exciting than in Grade 9. The courses I'm starting include Forensics, with my favorite part is watching Forensic Files (as mentioned In the last post) on some days; Psychology; and photography. Language Arts in more enjoyable as we're doing short stories, novel and graphic novel studies, Shakespeare and film studies (including Almost Famous, the Breakfast Club and V for Vendetta.) We're doing Globlaization in social studies and I'm finding math to be a lot easier. Speaking of, I won't have ANY MATH CLASSES IN SEMESTER TWO!!! I just recently joined the Smash Bros. club there and let me tell you, it's a ton of fun! I have a 45 minute lunch break where I head over to my aunt's house where my loving Grandpa is waiting for me to sit down and eat while watching the Colbert Report together. I've also gotten used to taking the bus to and from school and it's a lot more manageable than I expected and it's very convenient. That's all I have to say really. See you 'till the next post.

Sunday, September 7, 2014

The ULTIMATE California vacation

SO sorry I'm late, i've been caught up with summer holidays, and in case if you're wondering what I've been doing, this post will help out. It started out with a 3 hour+ flight to Los Angeles. Nothing really happened except for some *ahem* smuggled scissors in Sophia's bag. We arrived in L.A. and we were soon awaiting out shuttle and my Dad called the company that would takes there, but when it dropped us of we found out it was the wrong one because the guy we called was from LAS VEGAS! So we did eventually found the right people and we were off. We arrived at Uncle Jonny and Aunt Carrie's home and it was magnificent. The only downside is no basement and the cold water part of the tap wasn't even cold.
The next day we ventured out to San Francisco. But before we even got out we bumbled in to some snail pace L.A. traffic (honestly I will never complain about traffic back home ever again.) Oh, and to add insult to injury it was on the INTERSTATE. Turns out there was an accident down on the road. It only takes one nincompoop to screw everything up! We did see a shortcut and we got out. We took some time to enjoy the nice scenery and the farmland. I also saw dozens of distribution centres and a feedlot (Which was repulsive literally and figuratively.) We arrived at the hotel, ate at Trader Joe's and watched the Forensic Files. A true crime show which explains how certain cases were solved. Which has convinced me to take it in high school. The next Sunday we headed out to the Oakland temple, and believe me it wasn't that far at all. The temple  was truly a sight to behold with glistening fountains, beautiful palm trees, a spectacular view and a neat visitor center with an interesting message about families (I'm still having that postponed for me, 'TILL THE NEXT LIFE!) .





After that we headed down to the Golden Gate Bridge and the Fort which was located below it. I enjoyed looking at the old artillery and also being splashed by the oncoming tide. 















After that we headed out to drive across the Golden Gate Bridge. It felt very thrilling to go across one of the modern wonders of the world. 

We drove around the city a bit then stopped at a park where we enjoyed the botany and watched a favourite national pastime: baseball, or a mutated form of cricket.





Before we took an evening swim we took a stop at Bevmo (a beverage shop) and in recognition of Pride Week we got a rainbow assortment of pop. 


Man, you thought that was eventful try the next one. Because the day after that we headed to Alcatraz, (duh, duh, duunnnnn,) followed by a catchy slogan "It's criminal not to be here." The place was very interesting and the audio tour done by former guards and inmates made it better. 





There was a ton of events there that intrigued me, such as the battle of acaltraz which got the navy involved, the infamous D block, completely dark and total isolation for the worst prisoners, and a riot over the cafeteria running out of spaghetti.




 And the best part of being stuck here, they had a recreation yard, good food, AND A LIBRARY!!(What, I'm a book lover.) We had a nice drive back to L.A., The best stop was by far the Monterey Bay Aquarium (which ironically was a fish cannery) where I loved seeing the wildlife. Just let the photos do the talking. 







Amazing, right!?
An scenic drive with more sea animals led us to our next stop: a hotel next to an elephant seal colony. There we admired God's creations, and I discovered the comedy fest known only as the Colbert Report. We got back to Jon and Kerri's house where I enjoyed even more of Colbert and a 4th of July spectacular. It got even better arriving at the west's summer home near Seal Beach. Most days was hanging out at the home, swimming and walking around the pier, but the best part was the fishing trip. It was quite the experience, encountering seal, sea birds and reeling in fish as they go. I didn't catch anything though, (I could've been the first but a sea lion pilfered my line of my prize, but to do that he had to play *ahem,* hooky) but the best part of that wasn't the thrill of fishing at all, it was riding back to port alongside a pod of dolphins. It tore my heart apart when we left, until now when looking at a literature site called Goodreads, I saw a quote by Dr. Seuss that said... "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."

Sunday, July 27, 2014

Trek 2014 -- Day 3-5

Day 3
The next day we awoke to a dry warm tent (thank goodness since it never happened before.) and my first helping of oatmeal (seriously,  it was my first.) When were hiking along we came across a family attacked by a mob of heathens and they mother's husband was taken captive (what a bunch of water-frackers) and later a wagon which has been ripped apart by the same mob (ACID-BATHS,) and we had to take the families' children up a hill the made the past ones look like a tree root. We arrived at the campsite and later we had a hoedown (or as they called it "pioneer idol." We played games stuffed ourselves, and sang and danced. There was a light rain but what else could screw up. Boy that question was answered! So there I was brushing popcorn kernels out of my teeth we all the sudden I laid my eyes upon some horseback riders. At first I thought they were just performers at first but they weren't. IT WAS THE MOB!! Two members and three non-members (and I'm guessing they got a lot of pleasure out of the raid [and ruining the hoedown].) Even without the high powered weapons, foul language, and father-of-lies driven bloodlust, they were still intimidating. So we id what any saint back then would do; rush to the tent, grabbed our stuff our stuff and legged it (with our own legs.) Thankfully our refuge wasn't that far and we settled down, and had some hot cocoa. And with a few prayers the night was 'vampire bug' free and by the time the drizzle turned into a monsoon, we were safe in our tent.

Day 4 and 5

That morning we woke up to fresh biscuits and thankfully, no mob. While trekking through the pristine meadow we came across a couple digging a grave for their dead child. We first came across them since day two when the infant was severely ill and requested mustard. We couldn't give them any but they got it, however it was insufficient. So after listening to their inspiring words, we headed off once more. Later on all the men were gathered to witness the women's pull, an event where all the women and girls had to pull the handcarts on their own. We weren't allowed to help or cheer them on ( it's not sexism, it showed that they were as capable as men at doing the job). (And no, it's not feminism either.) It also shows that just because men and women aren't the same that we are still equal. We just have different capabilities, opportunities and responsibilities. It really plucked my heartstrings during the women's pull, to see them show so much strength and determination and so much resilience.
Now, onto the brighter stuff. One of them was when we were approaching our destination when all of a sudden under our feet was a garter snake!! After one of our family members screamed like a girl ( and no, it wasn't a girl, it was one of the guys)  we got to get a closer look and even hold it for a bit. But because it was wounded we had to let it go. We arrived at our destination, settled down, ate dinner, and had our fireside. All of the families got to show what talents they had to offer. Some people got to speak about how well we were doing and we bore our testimonies. With some faith and inspiration from Jeremy Kristensen, President Kristensen's son, I got up there and bore my testimony myself. Mine was analogy of the bog, from Day 2, and repentance. Picture this, pretend you are going down a trail -- that's life. You are trying to get to Zion. You are going along and you come along a trail that's very tempting to go through. Once you head through you realize too late that it's a bog that's sinking you down the longer you stay in. That represents sin. And the fact that you are carrying a wagon, representing all the burdens and tasks you have in life, can only weigh you down even further. However, you know how I said that I got around the bog doing some island hopping on some chunks of ground? If you can realize it, that represents the Holy Ghost who will stop you from going in the bog and provide you an alternate route. However, if you are already stuck in, just like there were other people who would push and pull and help you to get out of the marsh, that's like the Saviour helping you out of the marsh of sin, representing repentance. My final words were," there is no thought , no habit, no transgression, no addiction that can possibly take the Lord's mercy away from you. God loves you all. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

The final day was an exciting one, as it marked the final walk to Zion. There was a downpour when we woke up -- but was that going to stop us??--NO WAY!! Nothing eventful happened, except, when we got onto the open pavement, there was a herd of cattle and when we were nearing our destination we were greeted by the sounds of cheering people. It was so relieving to make it to our destination but to get a taste of what the pioneers went through. After taking some family pictures we were able to go into the church and partake of a delicious meal of strawberry cake, roast beef, salad and orange juice.

It was so relieving to overcome this great challenge and I'm so glad for all the people who made it possible for me to participate.

trek 2014 - Day 1 &2

Sorry I'm late. I got caught up with the holidays (again.) From June 15-19 I was on a pioneer trek to have a small taste of what my ancestors went through. While on it I recorded it in my journal. This is what I wrote in it.

Day 1
I arrived at the stake centre after a long drive. I had initial doubts about my well being but I was sure I could make it. We organized in to groups, had a dinner of beef, salad and buns, walked a bit then after that, camped for the night. The worst part about the day was my group taking forever to start a fire, and you can say I was burnt up about it.

Day 2
I was supposed to awake to the sound of a cannon, but I managed to sleep through it. After enduring the damp cold, I was greeted by the smell of pancakes and sausages, we ate breakfast and headed off. before we entered the woods we came across someone's home and a family standing on the balcony, but the people weren't cheering us on, they were NAYSAYERS! They also shot fireworks at us, and to make things worse, we stopped in the middle of it when some other families halted their progress. That was the least of our problems. When we reached the edge of the woods we were told to beware of stinging nettle (thank goodness we weren't in New Zealand [go look it up]) in the foliage (as if the persecutor's rhetoric didn't sting enough. Not only that, we encountered dozens of roots and stones that hindered our movement, and then to make it harder, the sun escaped the cloud cover, which made the heat hard to endure, and don't get me started on the mosquitoes. And to make it worse the ground was land mined with cow pies. We had lunch eventually but it did little to help. I desperately wanted to cool off and I got the chance but not the way I had in mind. On the trail we had to wade through a marsh of mud and water. many people got soaked up to their waist. ButI played it safe by doing some 'island hopping' on chunks of ground on a part of the bog. We reached the campsite, had a broth made from beef (which didn't taste good for me) and settled down. Thank goodness that we got over with  the day with the most walking.


Sunday, July 20, 2014

Top 10 funniest Honest trailers

Ahhhh the honest trailer: one of youtubes most viewed content ever! Created in Feb. of 2013 to mock/satirize on the 3D release of Star Wars Episode 1, this became an internet phenomenon and put the channel screen junkies on the map. So in honor of their work I've made the top ten funniest honest trailers ever! With links below. I lied, you can just find them on any search engine.

10. Divergent 


9. Home Alone


8. Man of Steel


7. Home Alone


6. After Earth and The Last Airbender


5. Iron Man 3


4. Harry Potter


3. Independence Day


2. Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones


1. Pacific Rim

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Everything's going "Uphill"

This post is about our most recent trip to Jasper National Park. It all started out with a quite 3 1/2 hour drive, and a stop at Subway. The silence ended with a competition to find the first wildlife with the prize being $5: Mom got first grabs when she saw a coyote despite numerous objections, but then Sophia stole it when she spotted deer. The hotel is the exact same one as I went to last year; a Best Western Motel with fireplaces two floor rooms and a swimming pool with a hot tub which we swam in later on, then we settled down for the night. The next morning we awaked to the sound of cable TV  and family eager to greet us. Soon after we got skis, and ski gear then headed for the mountain. When we got there, to my own discontent I left my mitts at the shop, so I had to borrow some from my relatives. When we set foot (or ski) we were greeted with a load of rough terrain which allowed my sister to do a bit of 'gymnastics.' The next few times before lunch we went up was just up to mid-mountain. We traveled up the the top once but when we got there it was a total whiteout. After that we ate lunch where I helped myself to some onion rings, french fries, a burger, and a chocolate milk. We did the same thing over again until we went inside when my joints were starting to ache then did some more runs. When we got back, I relieved myself of the pain by sitting in the Whirlpool back at the Hotel, but I left earlier due to sensory overload (it was crowded and noisy, two of my least favourite things.) The next day we took things even further on the mountain. We went as high as we can go on the chairlift and took different runs. I was doing the same speed and technique until lunch, that is where thing changed for the better. When inside my father criticized my slow pace (I was fastest on the Old  Road Run but anywhere else was a bit of an issue.) He explained that because I kept using the 'snow plow' move (where you put my skis together to make a triangle) it was the reason my legs were killing me. Believe it or not, the message got through to me and my technique and speed improved drastically. After skiing we headed with the family to L&W, a greek restaurant to celebrate my brother's 13th birthday (*insert dramatic tune here*) The day after that we dropped off all our equipment then did some window shopping where my brother got a fascinating piece of bismuth. On the way back we had another game of "Spot Some Wildlife" as I like to call it where this time I took the $5. (I spotted a heard of elk.) It was a great trip but there was one minor issue. Can my parents take me sometime when I'm not learning economics in social.

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Venturer Winter 'Camp' 2014

Recently I got back from my camp in Nordegg, and believe me it was quite the experience. It began with a ride in the Motorhome, the only stuff that happened were us engorging on mom's signature cinnamon buns and playing games of Slap and Snort. Before we arrived we got stuck in a ditch and the elders vainly tried to get out, but soon a truck came by and noticed us, and towed us out. Soon enough I became transfixed in the National Geographic Magazines they had to offer. Later we played games of Foosball and after dinner we had other round of Slap and Snort and I was introduced to Liar's Dice. The next morning we did the priority objective of the camp, our FOCUS, (or Leadership training.) We went over things such as what makes a good leader and causes of stress. The minute that was out of the way, we went snowmobiling. We we set off, believe me they were 10x as fast as the quads in Barrhead. I wasn't driving even though I never get distracted on the quads, and besides it's a whole new machine. After a quick drive we stopped, set up a fire and roasted smokies, and on the way back we hit a jump. It was like this for the next day before we left. And it's something I'll never forget.

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Road Rage

Now, I said in the last post about the false alarm with the fire department. As if things couldn't get any worse, another incident happened last monday. I was going to get a game for  my Wii U that I got for Christmas. So there we were driving on Ottewell road the direction we take to the church when all the sudden we spin out of control and scathe a small pickup truck. And my parents say i'm going to screw up on the road. The left side of the van was dented and the headlight window was broke. Thankfully the driver we hit wasn't as mad as he should've been. Then he took us to his insurance company which was less than 2 blocks away; By that strip mall with IGA. Once that was done we headed over to the police station where we should've gone in the first place. Mom called Dad the minute we hit and he advised we should go to the authorities. Once that was settled we headed home; and I was disappointed we didn't enjoy the day like we should've had. Speaking of driving, you know how I have been begging for a learner's permit or even the driver's book. Well, my parents say I going to have to learn I'm not permitted to drive their vehicles when I get a license.

Sunday, February 2, 2014

All fired up

Okay, now this post may be short but it's something to do with last Thursday night. My mother was cooking dinner when she accidentally spilled oil on the pan. Inconveniently the smoke alarm was nearby and it wailed for about 2 seconds before mom shut it off. She was expecting a call from ADT (our alarm brand company) but they didn't call due to issues with the smoke alarm which went off in the first place. Then aunt Suzanne called saying she got a call from them, and told her they called the fire department. Pretty soon they arrived, as the police and mom was outside saying there was nothing to see and she was sorry(I'm glad they didn't break the door.) After that they left and word spread to my aunt Alisha who got pictures of the incident. It was quite eventful and a bit hilarious. Oh, I wish it could've been the police, then I could've turned my brother Grayson in for physical assault and repeated scarring (for life.)

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Indescribable Indexing

Recently last week I started Indexing.  Now I started FamilySearch way before that but it wasn't until last week I started. It all began with one simple practise with Brad, and since then I have been really into it, doing at least a batch a day. My first major project were Pennsylvania Obituaries. Brad warned me it was going to be very difficult but I made it through. Now the interesting thing about it is finding out how they died, which I discovered after one of the Obituaries says about a man who committed suicide. It also warned it wasn't for children or the tender-hearted. Because I kept my sadness silent, Mom called me hard-hearted (not the sinful kind.) Other projects I did included Jamaican marriages, Massachusetts births and London Registers of Electors. If you haven't started indexing, try it. It's a wonderful service completely worth your time.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Our Saviour's Love

I AM SO SORRY! I WAS CAUGHT UP WITH THE HOLIDAYS AND NEW YEAR THAT I NEARLY FORGOT ABOUT THE BLOG!!! Anyway Here's my first 2014 post. The Sunday after Christmas, I was asked to do a talk, and for those who missed out, here it is

Our Saviour's Love


Today I have been invited to speak to you about the saviours love. I’d like to share one of my favourite examples of seeing the Saviour’s Love in the world. 

One of my favourite parts of general conference is watching the World Report in between sessions: and one of my favourite parts about the World Report is hearing about the Church’s humanitarian service. 

Around the world the church and it’s members share the Saviour’s love by providing aid to the victims of natural disasters. Some of the examples in the last year include Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, support to Syrian refugees and help with the floods in southern Alberta. 

I watched a video that talked about some saints in the Philippines. They had experienced death and devastation but they still had faith. One man said they experienced so much destruction but had faith, and felt hope. God answered his prayers and his family
 was spared. 

Its like the words in the hymn Our Saviour’s Love

Our Saviors Love
shines like the sun with perfect light
As from above
It breaks through clouds of strife
Lighting our way
It leads us back into his sight
Where we may stay
To share eternal life 


An example of the saviours love is found in 1 Nephi 11: 8 - 25 (better known as the story of the iron rod.) Here, Nephi is learning about his father’s vision of the tree of life. In says in verse 25 … “And it came to pass that I beheld the rod of iron, which my father had seen, was the word of God which lead unto the fountain of living waters, or the tree of life; which waters are a representation of the love of God.” This verse means that our father in heaven loves us so much, he sends prophets, so that we may grip the iron rod and guide ourselves to the tree of life, so we can live with God once more and avoid temptation. 

Also in D&C 20:31, it says… “And we know also, that sanctification through grace of our Lord and Saviour is just and true and all those who love and serve God with all their might, minds and strength.” 
He loves so much that he sent his only beloved son down to Earth to perform miracles; Curing leprosy and all manner of diseases, even causing the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the dumb to speak, the lame to walk, cleansing sinners and even raising the dead. Later he atoned for all of our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane where he sweated drops of blood, and then later betrayed, where back in Jerusalem where he was condemned by his own people, and was mocked, beaten, reviled and later crucified on the cross, and risen from the tomb after three days so we may live again.

It’s a good thing to call yourself a member of the Church of Jesus Christ, but it’s a better to show your a member of the church by showing the saviours love to others. 

Our prophet recently spoke of the love of our saviour.  President Thomas S. Monson said “Our celebration of Christmas should be a reflection of the love and selflessness taught by the saviour. Giving, not getting, brings to full bloom the Christmas spirit. We feel more kindly one to another. We reach out in love to help those less fortunate. Our hearts our softened. Enemies are forgiven. Friends remembered and God obeyed.

One way our family has experienced the Saviour’s love in our lives is through the adoption of my new sister Maylia. The adoption wasn’t easy and took many years. Over the years we prayed, fasted, and hoped, and finally just before Christmas my parents brought her home. 

Maylia came from an orphanage in southern China. She was found by the police as an infant. She had some health problems including a hole in her heart . We don’t know why her mother left her but we don’t think it was because she wasn’t loved, but because her mother loved her so much and just couldn’t take care of her.  

It metaphorical terms Sometimes this is like us. Sometimes we might feel abandoned or alone. But, in fact the saviour loves us very much, and wants to fill all the holes in our hearts.

She also adapted well to her new environment a lot better and quicker than we thought, and we’re grateful for it. I think it’s really exciting to have a new sister and I love he very much.

I like to bear my testimony, I know god loves us no matter what, I know that we can live with him again, I know Joseph Smith restored the gospel. 

In the name of Jesus Christ, 


Amen