Find the Joy

It was 5am and my two year old started crying. She had a fever and was miserable and we went on to have quite a long day. By 3pm I was ready to crash. But my little people needed me, and my two year old would pull open my eyelids anytime I tried to shut them for a little catnap. I was exhausted. And then I remembered something from a couple weeks before.

Gene R. Cook of the seventy gave a BYU Devotional called “Seek Eternal Happiness.” In it he quotes a first presidency letter that was sent out in which was written: “there is great joy and rejoicing in your posterity, giving one of the great purposes of life.”

I was pondering this in the temple and I realized I needed to find the joy—always.

We will find what we’re looking for in life.

My Missionary Miracle

Every year, thousands of young Latter-day Saint missionaries open the envelope containing their mission call and feel a mixture of surprise and excitement. It is a feeling only those of us who have opened one of those envelopes can understand; it is an experience we never forget.

My mission call was especially surprising.

Dear Elder Ocampo:

You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Belgium/Netherlands Mission. It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 24 months.

I grew up as part of a Hispanic family in Texas, so I guess I had imagined myself being called to serve somewhere in Central or South America. I had not expected an assignment to serve in Europe. But the real surprise came later in the letter.

You will prepare to preach the gospel in the Spanish language.

Learning to Love Your Enemy — When Your Enemy is a 5th Grader

The most frightening moment in my teaching career occurred when a 13-year-old 5th grader threw his desk at me.

Normally my classroom was as far from chaotic as one could be, as I held classroom management at the highest level of importance, as essential as teaching math. Flying furniture threatened to overthrow order.

Top Talks from Elder D. Todd Christofferson

For almost 10 years Elder D. Todd Christofferson has served as an Apostle of the Lord in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. During that time he has spoken at each General Conference and given some great talks on sensitive and hard topics. But, he always seems to testify with a calm surety that encourages every listener to want to be a little better. Some of these top talks come from before Elder Christofferson was called to the Twelve, but they are great nonetheless.

Do you agree with this list? Comment below and let me know.