As we reflect on this Easter Sunday, may our minds be centered on the Atonement, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of the Lord. It was close to 2,000 years ago that these historical events occurred just outside the walls of Jerusalem, perfectly in sync with the slaughtering of the Lambs during the Jewish Passover. Yet, in spite of this, the people didn't realize what was happening, or what the pascal lambs truly were symbolic of. They were crucifying their long-awaited Messiah who they knew would come.

In remembrance of this significant event in the history of the world, the Sabbath has been changed from Saturday to Sunday; for the Messiah suffered the Atonement on Thursday, He was crucified on Friday, the Sabbath occurred on Saturday, in which the Lord rested from His work on the Earth and preached in the Spirit World, and He was resurrected on Sunday.

When the Savior performed the Atonement, He had to feel all good and all bad, both physically and spiritually. He had to experience all sickness and pain, and He even had to feel what it would be like for us to never feel the guidance of God in our lives. God understanding this, Jesus stated on the cross, wondering in awe, "My God, My God, why hast 'Thou' forsaken me?" His friends, such as Peter and the rest of the Apostles, had forsaken and denied Him earlier, and now, for a full Atonement to be had, the Father had to depart His presence and allow the Savior to be dependent on Himself for a time.

After the time of His crucifixion, He was placed in the tomb of Joseph of Aramathea, and His time had come to preach the Gospel to the dead. As He did so, many people accepted Him as the long-awaited Messiah who should come, the symbol of the sacrificial lambs, the Lamb of God. As Sunday arrived, Jesus resurrected from the dead, followed by those who were with Him in the Spirit World. They testified to the people of the Messiah and that he was the Savior of the World. Following which, the Lord spoke unto His disciples, who later testified that they saw the Lord eat and drink with them following the Resurrection.

Now, I leave with you all my testimony. I bare my witness to you that a prophet guides the saints of the Lord's Church today, restored to the earth through a prophet and presided over by the Lord Himself. The day will soon come when Christ shall come again, and the great promise of our own Resurrection will come to pass, as has been prophesied by prophets of old. I bear this witness in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

Fall Semester, Christmas, and New Year's

Fall Semester 2008

I had a fun Fall semester last year. Fall semester marked the beginning of my major.....finally! I took a Computer Science class and a Computer Engineering class which took up the majority of my schedule, and then to top it off I took a Family Foundations class which helped me a lot to distinguish between gender characteristics and how a family is supposed to be raised, as well as what role each parent of the family plays and which roles are shared.

As well, I had a fun Family Home Evening group with which I spent a portion of my free time, when I had the opportunity. In addition to Family Home Evening, I was able to take photography, go to activities and on dates, and watch movies, as well as other fun events. As time went on, I had a lot of fun getting to know these great individuals.

In addition to these fun classes and activities, I was also able to sing in the ward choir. Through singing in the choir, I was able to meet other individuals in my ward and get to know them.

I had the great opportunity to attend the temple often. Although it wasn't as frequent as the summer semester, I still was able to attend a few times and feel the spirit of the temple. I have always been grateful to have the temple so close to me while I'm at school, and I will continue to feel that way.

As I made it home from the Fall semester, I was able to get started working on my website to help familiarize me to the Adobe CS4 Master Collection, which I may use as part of my internship at TiVo I was just accepted to.

As I made it home, I was up to my photographic self again. With a late winter, I was able to take some wonderful autumn photos of the trees. Then came the Christmas holiday. We had a fun time going through and opening up the presents, as well as labeling the presents .....especially dad! He seems to always find a way to have fun with it. :)

And now begins the dawn of a new year. The first 1 1/2 weeks have already had their challenges, from injuries, to sicknesses, to headaches. However, with challenges comes the blessings, and I foresee a year of wonderful experiences in the months to come.