kindreds.

if you were to take me, jillian, and megan.

we each have a kindred spirit in the first presidency or the council of the twelve.

president dieter uchtdorf. he and me.
gentle, but firm and snarky-stubborn.

elder jeffrey holland. he and jillian.
the fire, the riled-up knowing and pulpit-pounding.

president henry eyring. he and megan.
sweet and sensitive, but solid as a mountain.

the personality. the everything.

the balance they make among one another.

the need for all, though they are so different in style.

if we had ever been a threesome. it would be like a threesome of those three.

(yeah, we know. a little scary.
and yet they all play such a pivotal role.
and target such different varieties of audiences.)

also. conference. this weekend.

last week i went to salt lake for the general women's meeting.
it was a beautiful day.

this film might make you weep with its beauty.

covenants. i love this new emphasis.
talking openly and with focus on that which truly matters most.
i'm all about that.

can i tell you a little story?

it's a mission story.

(try not to hate me. i know how annoying that gets.)

about a year ago we had a zone meeting in which the new emphasis of idea was brought forth:

introduce baptism within the first five minutes of a meeting with someone.

me, on the inside: ohhhhh, no they don't.

everyone already thinks we're a cult.

reason number one i almost refused to go on a mission:

the number pushers and baptism-obsessed.

so there was that. i was skepty ms. skeptical.

and in this thrown-together, short-notice meeting after watching conference, i was even more skeptical.

but then. they did a practice. to show a sample.

generally speaking, i was still opposed. too impersonal.

but then.

an elder in his role-playing three minutes in to a first meeting said,

'one of our main purposes is to help and support you

in building and strengthening your own personal relationship with god.

and we do that by making covenants with him, such as baptism.'

and there it is. that is something i can get behind.

something that truly fully takes us as missionaries or members out of the equation.

something that truly explains why it matters to someone else.

because in my experience, ukrainians (and most people) thought very little of us as silly girls with tags.

usually ignored us, or yelled at us, or a lot of other often unpleasant things.

why the heck should they listen to something backed by selfish motives?

they shouldn't.

but when they could see, we're just there to help them. to guide them. to love them.

well, that. that's laudable. that's a worthy goal. a good act.

and so i spent the rest of my mission saying that in greater emphasis to people.

we simply want to help you come closer to god.

to have a personal relationship with him.

and covenants are just the means through which we can do that.

which ties directly back to the plan of salvation.

(and i'm all about the plan of salvation.)

so that's why. i can still be mormon.

because that's what really matters.

that's why we do what we do.

to find god. to live for god.

to become.

and help others in their own becoming.

that. is something i can get behind.

that. is something i'll get all worked up and feisty about.

because that is what matters.

that. is the root of everything.