This past weekend and week I had the pleasure of spending time with my cousin and her family and yesterday was the day to say my goodbyes. I learned a lot during my stay with them, especially from my cousin’s little son. Her son, one morning, decided to paint my laptop with the Chapstick I had laying next to my computer. I awoke to him in the middle of his masterpiece and once he realized he had done something he was not supposed to have done, he ran away down the hall. Eventually, he came near to where I was and I motioned to him to help me clean up his artwork from my computer. There was no permanent damage done to my computer and I thought the situation was pretty funny. On another occasion, my cousin’s son threw my hat down the stairs and then refused to go and retrieve it. After a short while though after asking again he did go and get the hat. My cousin’s son often resisted brushing his teeth and taking a shower, and he would become frustrated with having to do these things. Yesterday, when I was leaving, my cousin’s son did not want to say goodbye and instead went to do something else. After I had left, however, he called me with his mom’s help and wished me a safe trip. My interactions with my little cousin reminded me of our relationship with Heavenly Father. Our Heavenly Father is willing to forgive us when we make a mistake and often will help us make amends for our decisions just like my cousin was able to clean the Chapstick off of my computer. Sometimes we may not be willing at first to change or make amends, but our Father in Heaven is patient with us and will forgive us as we repent. The things our Heavenly Father asks of us are good for us and if we do not get things down the first or 490th time, our Heavenly Father is just a prayer away with the help of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Another major activity we did was paint my cousin’s basement, and at some point we decided to try to use a paint sprayer for the last coat of paint. Long story short we had technical difficulties, but we also had miracles left and right.

1. One of my cousin’s friends took time off from work to show us the ropes with how to use a paint sprayer, and he arrived at the exact moment that we were struggling with getting the sprayer hooked up.
2. A kind worker at Home Depot helped my cousin’s husband and I to fix the leaky connector that was throwing paint out of the sprayer.
3. My cousin was able to see the difference between the white primer and the white paint.

Like my cousin testified to me, the Lord is aware of us and he always blesses us and helps us in our moments of need!

On my way to Texas I met with many kind people along the way and had fun serving them and learning about them. Three such persons were three sisters from Minnesota. After assisting them with charging one of their phones, I had the opportunity to hear about their families and how one of them had been married for over 40 years. They were very kind and told me a story about how one of them got pulled over right after they attended their sister’s wedding because their dad asked them to go and park the car but she was driving the wrong way on a one way street. It is amazing how small acts of service can connect us to people around us!

I feel grateful to be back home in Texas again and for the opportunity to repent and strive to become a little better each day! Recently I was rereading Elder Uchdorf’s speech titled Daily Restoration and it reminded me of the truth that we can always turn to our Heavenly Father and be reconciled with Him through our Savior Jesus Christ. May we trust in our Savior and may His force be with us as we do our best to follow Him!