When I decided that sometimes life sucks, I needed something to remind me that it is great too. Through faith and hope we will find our miracles and peace in this world. But we must give our faith and will to the Lord. We can find peace through Jesus Christ. I really liked this article and the things that I was reminded of.

Be of Good Cheer and Faithful in Adversity

Elder Adhemar Damiani
Of the Seventy

Adhemar Damiani, “Be of Good Cheer and Faithful in Adversity,” Liahona, May 2005, 94–96

The gospel of Jesus Christ gives us the strength and the eternal perspective to face what is coming with good cheer.

How can we find peace in this world? How can we endure to the end? How can we overcome the difficulties and trials we are facing?

The Savior Jesus Christ said: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” 1

As part of our mortal probation, we pass through affliction, pain, and disappointment. Only in Jesus Christ can we find peace. He can help us to be of good cheer and to overcome all the challenges of this life.
What does it mean to be of good cheer? It means having hope, not getting discouraged, not losing faith, and living life joyfully. “Men are, that they might have joy.” 2 It means facing life with confidence.
The gospel of Jesus Christ gives us the strength and the eternal perspective to face what is coming with good cheer. We must, however, not underestimate the difficulties that are prophesied for our day.
What are some of these difficulties? How can we face them?

Some of these difficulties are lack of hope, lack of love, and lack of peace.

The prophet Moroni taught, “If ye have no hope ye must needs be in despair; and despair cometh because of iniquity.” 3 For many, the coming years may be years of despair. The greater the iniquity, the greater the despair will be.

The Savior said, “Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” 4 As iniquity increases, true love disappears. As a result, fear, insecurity, and despair grow!

To the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord said: “I … will that all men shall know that the day speedily cometh … when peace shall be taken from the earth, and the devil shall have power over his own dominion. And also the Lord shall have power over his saints, and shall reign in their midst.” 5 We live in a time when peace has been taken from the earth.

On the other hand, we live in a glorious time, a time when the Lord has restored His priesthood. The true gospel has been restored. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the kingdom of God on earth! We are helping to prepare the earth for the time when the Lord Jesus Christ will come and personally reign.
Why must we pass through trials in this life?

The Lord makes no secret that He will test our faith and our obedience. “We will prove them herewith,” He said, “to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them.” 6
We learn from the book of Ecclesiastes: “All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; … as is the good, so is the sinner. … There is one event unto all.” 7 Tempests may occur in the life of the man who built his life upon the rock of the gospel, as well as in the life of the foolish who built his life upon the things of this world. 8
How should we react to these trials?

The Lord has said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” 9 Each day we must take up our cross and press forward—and not just linger on the sidelines of our eternal journey.

How can we know whether we are being tried or whether the Lord is punishing us?

Trials are opportunities for our growth. The Lord said, “My people must be tried in all things, that they may be prepared to receive the glory that I have for them, even the glory of Zion; and he that will not bear chastisement is not worthy of my kingdom.” 10

When we are being tried, we should ponder and ask, “What does the Lord want me to do in this situation?”
The Lord spoke these comforting words to the Prophet Joseph Smith: “Know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?” 11 We need to view each trial as an opportunity for growth. Someday we will understand the why.

The Lord has said, “Whom I love I also chasten that their sins may be forgiven, for with the chastisement I prepare a way for their deliverance.” 12 The Lord loves each one of us. He wants us to be happy. This happiness comes by our faith in Jesus Christ, by our sincere and true repentance, by our obedience to His commandments, and by our endurance to the end.

Sometimes we might think that the Lord does not hear or answer our prayers. At such times, we need to stop and ponder what we have done throughout our lives. If necessary, we must put our lives in harmony with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord revealed:
“I, the Lord, have suffered the affliction to come upon them, wherewith they have been afflicted, in consequence of their transgressions. …
“They were slow to hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God; therefore, the Lord their God is slow to hearken unto their prayers, to answer them in the day of their trouble.
“In the day of their peace they esteemed lightly my counsel; but, in the day of their trouble, of necessity they feel after me.” 13

When we have the sincere desire to put our lives in harmony with the will of the Lord, He will always be ready to help ease our burdens.

What destroys our good cheer and our hope?

Jesus Christ told the Twelve Apostles some of the things that can destroy our hope and make us give up: allowing ourselves to fall into temptation; not enduring affliction, tribulation, and persecution; fearing “the cares” of the world; seeking wealth first; giving up instead of enduring to the end; and allowing false prophets to deceive us. 14

What gives us courage and hope?

The Lord’s invitation to each of us is “come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” 15 Jesus Christ has the power to give us rest from our pain and suffering.

The prophet Mormon taught:
“Wherefore, if a man have faith he must needs have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope. …
“… And if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity.” 16

If we daily exercise faith, meekness, charity, and lowliness in heart, confessing that Jesus is the Christ, and accepting His Atonement, we will be blessed with the strength and hope to face and overcome the trials and pains of this life.

What are some of the Lord’s promises to each one of us?

“Be of good cheer, little children; for I am in your midst, and I have not forsaken you.” 17
“Be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours.” 18

Quoting the words of the prophet Ether: “Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men.” 19

God is our Father. We are His children. He loves us. He desires our happiness here in this life and for all eternity. We are led by a true prophet of God today. Jesus is the Christ. Through Him, we can find peace in this world. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Finding Hope (not so much April Fools)

Adoption is something that I am passionate about.  It something that I thrive to know more about and to learn as much as I can about.  It is something that my heart aches for.  It's something that I don't talk about a lot because it is so special to me.  

Our case worker always jokes that we should give a workshop on "finding hope" after a failed match/placement.  I know that I am far too emotional to stand up in front of a group of people and explain how to overcome the trial of a broken heart and to get up the next morning and start over again.  And again.  Knowing that it will probably happen again.  I guess that isn't the right kind of hope, is it?  I guess that sometimes I am not sure I even know how to do that.  Sometimes I lose the vision of a placement actually happening in our house.  How does that qualify me to help others find hope?  How does that make me strong enough to keep going?  Sometimes I don't know.  But then I think about the Plan of Salvation.  I think about our Savior Jesus Christ.  I think about our Heavenly Father and all the blessings that he wants to give us.  I think about our sweet Hannah.  I think about my sweet husband.  I know we are an eternal family.  I know that we will be blessed.  I know we will gain the true desires of our hearts.  I know we will have children on this earth.  Now where do I find the patience?  

I am hoping that by writing this post and exposing all my feelings and hurt that we have experienced in our Adoption Journey, maybe I can start to heal and just maybe I can help someone else that may be experiencing a similar experience (and thinking they are the only one out there, like we do sometimes!).  :)  If not, well then that is okay.  After all this is my blog about Adoption and our journey to get there.  Maybe this will open me up more to talking about it.  

Adoption is hard to talk about for me.  It's hard to let everyone know what has been going on and when we have a possible match.  It's hard to go back and tell them that things didn't happen as we had hoped.  It's hard to have people pity me or feel bad for me.  After all this is my journey, the one that I chose.  The one that I have always hoped for.  The one that I am excited about.  The one that will expand our little family.  

A lot of people don't understand why we chose to start the Adoption Journey.  After all I have been pregnant before, we know it can happen.  And I am sure with a little help it would happen again.  But the point is, I long to adopt.  I know this is not an easy road.  But it is the one that I want.  I know there is a baby meant to be in our family.  One that I can not bring into the world.  A baby that will come to us through adoption.  

I decided to put together a little time line of events and just maybe it might be a hope for someone to see that there are other couples out there with similar experiences.  (And for my own information too!)

October 23, 2004 - Our Sweet Hannah came into this world and then returned to her Heavenly Father.  

November 2004 - The road to conceive begins.  Dustyn and I briefly talk about adoption.

November 2005 - We know we want to Adopt.  It feels right.  We call LDSFS.  They send us the packet with a brief introduction to adoption.  

August 2006 - We decide that now is the time to start the process.  We paid our homestudy fee and the process begins.  

October 2006 - We are APPROVED!  Yay!  We decided not to tell anyone and just let everyone be surprised!  :)

December 1, 2006 - We are activated on Parent Profiles.  

January 2006 - We tell our family and friends we are adopting and start spreading the word!

January 31, 2007 - We are matched with C.  We talk on the phone, make plans to drive out and meet her.  Things seemed to be going well.  We were officially "matched".  Due April 26th.

February 2007 - As we finalize our travel plans, we learn through her case worker that she chose another couple.  

April 4, 2007 - We start talking to H.

April 20, 2007 - We start talking to R.

May 14, 2007 (Mother's Day) - We are matched with H.

May 2007 - Go to visit H.

June 2007 - Deactivate Parent Profiles.

July 2007 - Spend a month in PA waiting for baby P to be born.

August 20, 2007 - Baby P is born and H decides to parent.  We were SO happy for her and know that she made the best choice for her and P.  She'll always be one of my best friends.  Love her to death!  

August 30, 2007 - Matched with R.

September 2007 - R decides to parent.

November 19, 2007 - Parent Profiles reactivated.

November 2007 - LDSFS Online Profile activated.

December 2007 - Matched with C.  We are ready to fly out.  She had talked to our case worker and her case worker.  Goes to get final paperwork signed before we leave town and doesn't show up.  

January 29,2008 - Start talking to C.  She is such a cutie and a awesome person.  We were able to meet with her quite a few times and spend quite a bit of time with her.  We were feeling fairly hopeful that if she did decide to place her baby that she would consider us.  

March 18, 2008 - C has her baby early. (Due the end of June).  Baby Z joins our sweet Hannah.  This was a hard time for me because all the feeling of loosing my Hannah came back.  My heart hurts for C and all that she is going through. 

There is the basic rundown.  

I don't know why I feel the need to share this.  Maybe just to update my family and friends on where we are in our process.  I know that so many of them are feeling left out, but it's hard for me to tell family and friends that we are matched just to turn around and tell them it didn't work out.  It's hard to deal with the emotions and to let everyone else to deal with them too.  

This truly has been an amazing journey that I thank my Heavenly Father everyday for letting me experience.  I know that someday we will have a small little babe placed in our arms.  Someday the ache will be eased.  Our lives are changed forever through adoption and I am thankful for that.   I am thankful for the experiences that we have had to learn and grow.  Sometimes I wonder why this all has to be so complicated, then I meet another amazing birth mother or another adoption friend that helps me see the real blessings.   The reason why we are all in this together.  

Thank you for joining us on our Journey.  I know it is far from over.  We have the rest of our lives to learn more about adoption as it continue to bless our lives.

Thank you for the support, the love and the wonderful examples that you are.  You are what keeps us going from day to day.  You are what makes it possible to start over.  I will be eternally grateful for all of my fabulous adoption friends!  They rock!  

And this my friends is my presentation on hope!  Ha ha!  I guess maybe I still haven't figured it out.  :)

I Love this song!! And of course, I love Faith Hill too!

Dustyn's rambling thoughts

Hi everyone! Ever since Kamie started this blog I've sat in the background letting her do what she wants to with it even though my name is in the heading. I thought that I'd take a chance and write some words thanking you for your support, and maybe a few extra things as well.
Kamie and I are so thankful for the love and support we have received from our family and friends. You've been great. You've had our back and helped us in so many ways. I usually don't say thanks, but Thanks. We love you for what you are doing to help us. This past month or so has been stressful on so many levels for us and we have kinda ignored many of you, or so it would seem. Our emotions and thoughts have pushed us to the limits so many times that we feel like we are on the verge of a melt down any second. Sometimes we don't have it all together to talk to you at the moment. We try to communicate to everyone through the blog, but that’s hard too, because we can't get our thoughts just right, or be as candid with our thoughts (you know, privacy issues). But I hope all of you know how grateful we are to you. I am most grateful for Kamie's father, Rick. I've always wanted a dad around, and even though I have one so to speak, it’s nice to know that you are there for us constantly. I'm grateful for what you do for us!
I know many of you are concerned for us too. Some have expressed this verbally, or just in the tone of their voice or writings. We appreciate your concern.
In the beginning, as Kam and I talked about adoption we were excited about what could happen to our little family. We also knew that there were risks involved in the whole process. We were laying it all on the line, and knew that there were people out there who would try to take advantage of our situation. We knew that we didn't want to turn our adoption into a shopping experience. We weren't out looking to adopt like you buy a car. Our hearts and the hearts of others were on the line. We knew that though we had expectations of what we would like to happen, it probably wouldn't. That has been hard for us at times. Trying to figure out what we could or should be learning from our experiences. I didn't always like having to go through that. It was all very hard for us in the beginning.
Then we started talking to birth mothers. That was exciting! But definitely hard. We were putting ourselves out there even more and it was difficult because anything could happen. And a lot of it did. We have experienced a rush of excitement and then complete and utter devastation all in one day, sometimes in a few short hours. That was hard, but we learned that we could deal with that challenge and move on as stronger and more cautious people. When we started talking to Hilary things changed.
When we first talking to Hilary we knew there were risks. We felt that she was a good person who we would like to be friends with. We worked on a relationship of trust with her. We wanted to be her friend and if by some chance we could adopt her Gremlin, then that was her choice and not something we were going to persuade her to do.
Kam and I have tried to seek the help and counsel of others during this experience. And people have freely given it to us. But most of all I wanted the guidance of the Spirit. We have always felt that no matter what, things would work out. We don't know how or when or in what way, but we know they will work out. That has been our thoughts and feelings on this matter. It gets hard when others try to tell us things that are contrary to what we have directed. We sometimes get confused and upset with you. But one of us always remembers what we have been directed to do.
So to those of you who worry about us in whatever way it is, don't sweat it. I know where we should be. I know what is in store for my little family, and I understand that it seems insensible as to what we are doing, but when did the unknown ever make sense. We're just trying to do what we know is the best for our little family. I hope that you will support us in what we are doing.
If this doesn't make complete sense that’s ok. They are my thoughts; I've censored them to an extent because some things are just not meant to be on the web. Again we are thankful for all of your support and love.

Adoption

So as you all know we are in the waiting phase of our Adoption. It can be such an emotional roller coaster. So many ups and down. It's hard to just trust and have faith that everything will work out. We know Heavenly Father knows our needs and our wants and we know that he is mindful of us. We just have to have faith and trust in him.

It's hard to open up and get involved for fear of getting hurt again. I know that it's just part of the process and part of the learning experience. I know that we will grow and be better from our experiences but right now that doesn't make things any easier. It still hurts when things don't work out... no matter how hard we try to not get excited and get attached.

Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. We appreciate all of the support we recieve! :)