HI

                   April 4, 2016

good morning! happy april!

it is so good to be alive. another week has come and gone too fast. this week will mark 7 months since i left good ole' AZ, time sure does fly by. 

it's safe to say that the highlight of my week was general conference! my companion and i were like two giddy kids on christmas morning as we drove to the church to watch! what a privilege it is to receive counsel from a living prophet and 12 apostles. i was so excited i could have peed.. don't worry, i didn't. 

if i could, i would choose all the talks as my favorite, but i'll focus on one that really stuck out to me. it was president uchtdorf's talk about the parable of the lost sheep. he comments on why it may at first seem strange that the good shepherd leaves the ninety-nine just to go find one. i can imagine onlookers thinking "this shepherd is a rookie, he is crazy, it's just one sheep! is he really leaving the rest alone? he should just give up on it." 

well guess what? sometimes WE are that one sheep that has gone astray! and sometimes we want to give up on it too. the road back seems too hard, too embarrassing, and too long. it may seem as though we are utterly alone and abandoned. 

BUT.. i plead with you to remember who the good shepherd is. He will leave His flock to come to YOU! as president uchtdorf said, "the sheep is worthy of divine rescue simply because he is love by the good shepherd." don't postpone His help. there is no criteria to be met before we can reach out and let Him grab our hand. no matter how deep into the wilderness you may feel you are lost, He will find you there and take you home. and He will do it again, and again, and again. BECAUSE YOU ARE LOVED BY HIM. 

^^^^^ remember that. trust it. He's got your back. believe that He can do what He says He can do. 

i love you all so much! you are each amazing. thank you for being you. have a great week!! 

love, 

sister bell