• Thoughts

    The small ask

    I admit, sometimes I feel this cloud of discouragement just over my head, threatening to pour down rain on me.  I know how real depression is and sometimes it’s a daily battle. This one particular morning, I was heading to the Temple to worship.  The cloud over my head this morning was heavy.  I needed to know my Heavenly Father loved me so I asked Him for a tender mercy.  Maybe an “I love you” just from God.   I said Heavenly Father, can you make sure there is a parking spot in the second row?  I had enough faith for…

  • Hope letters

    The Train Ride

    Sometimes it’s the little tender mercies that remind us that God is in the details. Earlier this year, our son got a mission call and was able to go to the MTC, prior to flying out to his mission which was out of state.  We were excited for him to go, but it was a little hard knowing we wouldn’t see him for two years. My husband works in Salt lake and regularly takes the train rather than driving in traffic.  This particular day, my husband ended up taking a train to work that was a little later than usual. …

  • Hope letters

    See The End From The Beginning

    Allow me to share with you an experience from my own boyhood. When I was 11 years old, my family had to leave East Germany and begin a new life in West Germany overnight. Until my father could get back into his original profession as a government employee, my parents operated a small laundry business in our little town. I became the laundry delivery boy. To be able to do that effectively, I needed a bicycle to pull the heavy laundry cart. I had always dreamed of owning a nice, sleek, shiny, sporty red bicycle. But there had never been enough…

  • Hope letters

    A Prayer of Protection

    Our family was headed to spend the weekend with my parents who were living in Providence Utah with us living in West Jordan at the time.  Before we would leave to go on a trip we would make it a point of praying and asking for safety and protection while doing so. This has proved to be a blessing many times over and I’m very thankful that we have always made a point to do so.  On this occasion we had made it to Brigham City and stopped at the stop light before starting up the hill that would take…

  • Hope letters

    The Dream

    My dad was a brilliant accountant.  He had retired from the family company and decided to pick up a few accounts to do on the side, never really wanting to retire fully.  Sometimes, being the teacher he was, he would ask me to come help him balance out his accounts, teaching me little by little his business.   At the time, I had a full time job.  I never planned on doing accounting for a living so working with my dad was good because I got to spend time with him.   The beginning of the new year, my dad found out…

  • Thoughts

    The Unexpected Post-Pornography Blessing

    Earlier this month, I shared my testimony about pornography at the pulpit. I felt hesitant because it involved my 20-something son. I had recently had a conversation with him, wherein he said, “I’m thankful for my pornography problem, because I came to Jesus through fighting it. I don’t think I would have built a relationship with Him otherwise.” This was inspiring to me because his mission was really hard for him and he didn’t love it (although now he is starting to realize what it did for him). But he clearly recognizes the fruits of his pornography battle. As I…

  • Hope letters

    Never Miss a Prompting

    On one occasion many years ago, I was swimming laps at the old Deseret Gym in Salt Lake City when I felt the inspiration to go to the University Hospital to visit a good friend of mine who had lost the use of his lower limbs because of a malignancy and the surgery which followed. I immediately left the pool, dressed, and was soon on my way to see this good man. When I arrived at his room, I found that it was empty. Upon inquiry I learned I would probably find him in the swimming pool area of the…

  • Hope letters

    The Angel at my Door

    When I first moved to Pleasant Grove, I brought with me my two daughters and my mother.  It was a big step.  I had moved into a town where I knew almost no-one.  I had purchased this big old home that needed work but I loved it. I had spent many hours dreaming of how to fix up and decorate this home and had so many ideas!   I remember one specific day, really wanting to go shopping.  It was a Saturday, and I wanted to get out of the house and go shopping.  Maybe to a yard sale.  Or maybe…

  • Hope letters

    The Miracle of Life

    In April of 1961 my family was on vacation visiting family in Idaho. They were heading back home to Riverside California going through Oregon. My mom was 34 weeks pregnant with me at the time and she was getting antsy.  She was hoping that if she drove that would help her. My dad pulled over and let her drive and he then took a nap on one of the seats of their VW van.  Several miles down the road, the Axel of the van broke and my mom lost control. The VW ended up rolling a few times which threw…

  • Hope letters

    An Answer to Prayer

    A few months ago, I started reading a book “God’s Smuggler” by Brother Andrew.  I had heard of this book before and decided it was worth a read. This story is an excerpt of one of the many miracles that happened on his Service mission for the Lord.  This book is FULL of miracles, it was hard to pick out just one. The roads in Yugoslavia were extraordinarily hard on cars.  When we weren’t climbing fierce mountain trails, we were fording streams at the bottom of steep valleys. But the worst threat to the little VW was the dust.  Dust…