If God Brought You to it, He'll Bring You Through It

I like this quote, because it gives me strength and courage to face the hard times in life. There is such a deep peace that comes when we're willing to believe that the Savior lives and that he's just waiting for us to draw near to him. He's ready to not only walk beside us, but to lift us and the burdens we carry.

It's been hard for me to want to leave Tucson. This has been a really good place for our family. The kids have grown so much here and have made friends with some really great kids! It seems like a perfect fit, living here. Sometimes I feel, if things are going well, why change something that is good? I even have a few favorite friends (I hope you know who you are) here, and I guess I'm feeling lazy, but I'm not looking forward to that long process of making friends again. It takes effort, time, and patience to find good friends.

Despite all of my complaining, which I'm trying not to do, I feel very strongly that this move to MN is what God wants for us. I am still working out the little details, like where we're going to live, and at times it can be a bit scary and very overwhelming. I know when I feel that way, I am lacking in faith and I try to remember the words to the song "Consider the Lilies":

Consider the lilies of the field,
How they grow, how they grow.
Consider the birds in the sky,
How they fly, how they fly.

He clothes the lilies of the field.
He feeds the birds in the sky.
And He will feed those who trust Him,
And guide them with His eye.

Consider the sheep of His fold,
How they follow where He leads.
Though the path may wind across the mountains,
He knows the meadows where they feed.

He clothes the lilies of the field.
He feeds the birds in the sky,
And He will feed those who trust Him,
And guide them with His eye.

Consider the sweet, tender children
Who must suffer on this earth.
The pains of all of them He carried
From the day of His birth.

He clothes the lilies of the field,
He feeds the lambs in His fold,
And He will heal those who trust Him,
And make their hearts as gold.

He clothes the lilies of the field,
He feeds the lambs in His fold,
And He will heal those who trust Him,
And make their hearts as gold.

I hope my Sister-in-law doesn't mind me sharing this, but I truly feel that God gave me a special gift through her. She had this dream about me, and she felt she should share it. I'm so glad she did, because ever since then, it's been enough to get me through those little patches of fear and doubt that tend to creep in from time to time. I truly believe that God works through others, to lift and sustain us throughout our lives. Living angels! Tori was my angel the other day, and what she said continues to bring me comfort. Here's what she wrote:

"Hi Trina,

When I saw your name on Dad's e-mail about Bishop Mitchell, it reminded me that I needed to write to you!!  I totally meant to do it yesterday AND the day before... but, better late than never?

Anyway -- Tuesday night, I had a dream about you again.  In my dream, we met up with you guys, but we were all in a strange town and none of us really knew our way around.  We were trying to find a place to go and eat together before we split up and our families went on our separate ways again.

The part of the dream that struck me the most was your vehicle.  (I climbed in and sat with you while Eric & Aaron were outside talking about where we wanted to go and eat.)  There were not only plenty of seats for your family, but the seats were these big, white, cushiony-looking ones.  From the outside, your vehicle looked the same, but once you got in there it was super-roomy, comfortable, warm, etc., and it just felt soooo safe.  There was just this... "feeling" in there.  I was so happy for you!  It was hard saying goodbye after that, but I knew you all were going to be just fine.

Now, whenever I dream about people in my life, particularly those that I love but don't see very often, I take it as a cue from the Spirit to pray for that person specifically the next day (or in the middle of the night, if I wake up from the dream).  So I started praying for you first thing Wednesday morning and have been ever since.  At this point, I really feel like there is a message for you from my dream that I need to share with you, and the message is this:

You have a Big Move coming up.  You're moving (again) to a place where you don't really know anyone, you don't have family, and you don't know what to expect in many ways.  However, the "vehicle" taking you there is NOT just your automobile.  Your Heavenly Father is taking you and your family there; He has a plan for you.  I feel like the ultra-comfort of your van in my dream was a symbol of the Lord's comfort for you, through the Spirit, like a reminder to you that He is with you, he will shelter you, and no matter what it looks like from the outside, He has a place of refuge, safety, and comfort for you and your family, and He will get you safely where you need to be (and keep you safely once you're there).  It's hard to put into words, but I hope you can feel from the Spirit as you read this what I am trying to convey.

Anyway ... I need to get back to work, but I wanted to share it with you and tell you -- I love you and am praying for you!!  xoxoxoxo!!!

Love and hugs,
      Tori"

Tori, thank you again for the tender mercy you sent my way.