4th notification

I've been blessed to have had four interviews for teaching jobs in the fall. Unfortunately, I've also had four emails telling me that those positions are now filled.

It's a little disheartening but I've learned not to really get my heart set on any job until I get the call that they want to hire me. I know it will come eventually.

In the meantime, I keep searching every single day on the three websites that are going to soon take over gmail as my most frequented websites: Teachers-Teachers, Alpine Jobs, and Nebo Jobs.  I recently get myself set up on the Nebo district website and have applied to the one position that was listed at the time.  Thankfully, my list of schools that I've applied to hasn't gotten smaller than 6 at any one point, but it will be a very happy day when I can officially archive that email I keep sending to myself of where I've applied and which positions are now filled.

In other news, I emailed two professors that I've worked with a lot the past few years at BYU--Tim Morrison and Brad Wilcox.  Brad emailed me back and informed me that he and Tim will be meeting Tuesday morning at 8 and would I like to join them so I can be up to speed on everything that is going on. It will feel good to be involved again.  Even though it will be strictly voluntary (unless I apply for a grant like I almost did last year), it will be great for grad school admissions...but grad school will only be a possibility if I get a job...which I will, at the right time and for the right school.

By "some" chance...

I went to the TRC (Teaching Resource Center) at the MTC (Missionary Training Center) this afternoon, like I've been doing again every week since I graduated.  I've been so blessed because I've been able to be with the group of missionaries that have been there for the past few weeks.  They've been here for seven weeks and have only two more weeks here.  Since I've been taught by several of them more than once over the past few weeks, I've been able to see the growth and change as they've been learning French, their ability to teach the Gospel, and their ability to teach with a companion.

Today was one of the best experiences I've had as a volunteer there.  I was taught first by two elders: Elders Cline and Barker.  Elder Barker, I think, knew French before (I think that because his accent and sentence structure and grammar are very advanced), whereas Elder Cline learned all of it in the MTC.  They taught me a lesson on how we gain revelation by studying the Book of Mormon.  Elder Barker brought up the point that all our questions can be answered as we read the Book of Mormon and listen to the Spirit, but also that many answers are explicitly in the text. For example, the question about why there is suffering and good people are allowed to die or are killed.  We had a discussion about how without the bad, there wouldn't be any good.  As a result of mortality, we agreed to the consequences of mortality: sickness, aging, accidents, etc.  And even in man-made choice-driven situations (like war or murder or other awful things), if a righteous person is killed, then they are sooner in the rest of the Lord.  That really struck me and I told them so.

The those elders left and I was expecting a new set of elders to come in and teach me the same message. However, by some chance, Elder Cline forgot that he had just been in my room, and he had a new companion (Elder McCray) when they knocked on my door ten minutes later. Elder Cline was surprised when I opened the door, but he and Elder McCray made it work by saying they were doing splits. :)  Because Elder Cline had already taught me, he decided to change the message slightly (which was perfect!).  And actually in this situation, Elder Cline was the more advanced of the two elders in terms of the language.  Elder McCray was struggling with communicating in French, though he was able to share the most important things.

As they quickly changed their approach to the message, Elder Cline had me read 2 Nephi 32:3 and share what I thought of when I read that scripture.  As I read it, a new thought occurred to me that I shared with them: In the talk, The Tongue of Angels, Elder Holland talks about how we can speak with the tongue of angels. I elaborated on that point and said that when we have the Holy Ghost and are following His promptings and speaking what comes to us, we become angels to those with whom we interact.  That seemed to really strike Elder Cline.  They finished their message early, so I asked them both to share the scripture that has helped them a lot while they have been at the MTC.

Elder McCray shared his scripture first, Alma 26:12:
Yea, I know that I am ^anothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will ^bnot boast of myself, but I will ^cboast of my God, for in his ^dstrength I can do all ^ethings; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.
When Elder McCray elaborated on this scripture, the Spirit came so strongly.  He bore his testimony of how he knows that all his strength comes from God.


Elder Cline shared his scripture first, Ether 12:27:  
And if men come unto me I will show unto them their^aweakness. I ^bgive unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my ^cgrace is sufficient for all men that ^dhumble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make ^eweak things become strong unto them.
Then Elder Cline shared a simple, yet powerful testimony, of how hard it is to learn and communicate in another language. He shared how he feels so weak, yet he testified that the Lord will and does help him everyday.

As the elders were leaving, Elder Cline turned back and thanked me again for coming.  I think he and I needed each other today: I needed to learn from him and he needed learn from me. By "some" chance, he ended up in my room twice, he taught me twice.  Thank goodness for the Lord guiding our lives by His tender mercies.

Soundtrack of thunderstorms

It's been raining for the past week every day except for Saturday and Sunday morning.  Other than that, it's been raining.  I haven't minded too much except when I was walking home from an interview last Thursday because I'd been on the bus for four hours and I was super tired.

However, today I went up to campus to work on an article on peer mentor development to report the findings of the research I've been working on for the past two and almost-a-half years.  When I left from my apartment it was warm and overcast. It had already rained for the day so I didn't think that it would continue to rain until later tonight...much later. Silly me.

As I left the office around 5:30 with my bowl of carrot cake, it was definitely raining.  Knowing that I didn't need to show up anywhere all pretty-fied, I decided that I would enjoy my stroll in the rain and headed out.  I walked to the grocery store, picked up some lettuce and milk, wrapped my purse in a plastic bag (mostly to protect my library book that poked out), and walked home to the soundtrack of rain pitter-pattering on the road and thunder rumbling in the sky.

After walking for a little less than a mile, I arrived at my apartment completely soaked, and completely happy. I love the rain and I love thunderstorms.

Part One is done!!

After a stupid mistake last Tuesday that involved me updating the format of Part One of My Story which resulted in the entire document being encrypted and destroyed.  All the changes I had made last Monday were lost.  I shed a few tears in frustration and sadness.

But then I buckled down and worked on going through Part One once more. I finished going through it today! Now I'll be able to move on to Part Two tomorrow.  If I keep at this pace, I should be done with going through and weeding through my whole story in just four more weeks.

My twelve-year-old writer-self is very happy at this accomplishment. :)

(En français : Les suggestions pour l’étude des écritures)

Aujourd’hui j’ai étudié des suggestions pour l’étude des écritures.  Il y a une question qui dit : « Quelles suggestions n’avez-vous pas encore essayées ? »  Pendant le temps que je lisais les listes, quelques suggestions m’intriguées. 

1. Cherchez les mots-clés et assurez-vous que vous en comprenez le sens. 
2. Servez-vous de la Bible et des cartes de l’histoire de l’Eglise pour apprendre la géographie, les distances, le climat et le terrain.
3. Essayez d’écrire en une seule phrase ou en un paragraphe court l’idée principale du passage
4. Visualisez ce que vous étudiez.

 Je pense que j’essayerai suggestions 1 et 4 quand j’étudie « Prêchez mon Evangile » et les leçons pour l’école de dimanche en français.  Quelquefois, peut-être que j’essayerai suggestion 2 et 3 quand j’étudie les leçons pour l’école de dimanche.  Définitivement, j’essayerai 1 et 4.  

(En français : Mes études des écritures)

Aujourd’hui j’ai fait l’activité dans « Prêchez mon Évangile » chapitre 2 : Une étude efficace, page 23 :

« Choisissez l’un des passages d’Ecriture suivants.  En lisant le passage que vous avez choisi et en méditant à son sujet, trouvez deux ou trois manières de l’appliquer.

·         2 Néphi 31

·         Alma 32 : 26-43

·         Moroni 7 :32-48

Evaluez la façon dont vous pratiquez les principes que vous enseignez.  Choisissez une manière de vous améliorer et prenez des dispositions pour le faire. »

J’ai fait l’exercice avec 2 Néphi 31.  Pendant je lisais, quelques questions venaient :

2 Néphi 31 : 7—Comment est-ce que j’obéi plus ?

2 Néphi 31 : 12—Qu’est-ce que Jésus faisait que je dois faire ?

Je pense que je peux obéir plus dans la conseille pour le Sabbat : « Et afin de te préserver plus complètement  des souillures du monde, tu iras en mon saint jour à la maison de prière et tu y offriras tes sacrements ; car en vérité, c’est ce jour qui t’est désigné pour que tu te reposes de tes labeurs et pour que tu présentes tes dévotions au Très-Haut » (D&A 59 :9-10).  Tous que je fais sur le Sabbat doivent être pour la glorification de Dieu.  Peut-être que mes actions seraient le service pour les autres ou lire les écritures ou parler à ma famille—mais je les fais maintenant.  Quelle sont les autres activités que je peux faire ? 

Je viens à mon autre question : chaque jour, mais en particulier, sur le Sabbat, qu’est-ce que le Sauveur faisait que je peux aussi faire ?  Actes 10 : 38 : « Vous savez comment Dieu a oint du Saint-Esprit et de force Jésus de Nazareth, qui allait de lieu en lieu faisant du bien et guérissant tous ceux qui étaient sous l’empire du diable, car Dieu était avec lui. »  C’est une question que je dois la penser plus avec la prière de me guider.

Jon Schmidt rocks

My story aka The Monster--alive once more

Judging by the last save date on my documents, it has been nearly three years since I have opened up, looked at, worked on, saved, or in short, done anything with regards to the story that I began exactly ten years ago.  However, despite all the setbacks that seemed to inevitably come with school, work, dating, etc. I have decided that since I have so much leisure time now, I might as well make myself useful.  Next to the search for a job (which takes up it's own space of time each day) and scripture study (which I'm finally giving it more time, as it deserves), I've been dividing my time into four parts: reading, watching movies, drawing/painting, and now, writing.

Since it has been so long, and since it is in all respects "finished", it now needs to be weeded, reworked, and made to fit the moldings of my mind and goal for it.

This story, without a name still--I have just referred to it as My story for ten years, or to my own self, by the name of the folder where all the documents are: The Monster--has occupied my thoughts to varying degrees the past decade.  There have been times, usually the summers in high school, when my characters occupied a real and active part of my imagination and thoughts.  Of late, there have been no thoughts, except as it relates to the sigh, "I really should finish my story..."

I began reading through Part One yesterday and made it through 29 of the 37 pages. I was surprised by some of the things that I had added through the years--having nearly forgotten many of the small details that had been added since the original drafting of Part One ten years ago.  (Interesting to note: when I wrote Part One as a twelve-year-old, I thought it was all I would write about the Setay's and Egerth's.  Only, come to find out, it now has four other parts and it has morphed into something quite different, yet retaining the main premise of that first draft.)  I found myself laughing out loud at some of the things I had written.  That may seem vain of me, but it's true.  I honestly had forgotten in the past three years what I had written probably five or six years ago.

So the journey begins again: I am going to wade through The Monster that has taken over my imagination and storage space on my computer for the past ten years and for once I am going to get it into the shape and story that I like. From there, we shall see.  Perhaps then step two may finally emerge: maybe I will get it published, or try to at least.

back and forth

I keep going back and forth between having this blog be open to everyone or not...So if you get an invite and then realize you don't need to sign in, it's because I'm changing my mind all the time. :)

Friday the 13th

Friday the 13ths always have a soft spot in my heart because one of my best friend's favorite numbers is 13.  I've recognized every single Friday the 13th for the past five years in his honor--not because they are unlucky but because they can be uncommonly lucky.

I'm hoping for that luck to come sometime soon in my search for job.  Yet, I know that it won't be luck that "lands me the job"--it will first and foremost be the guidance of the Lord in my life, second of all it will be the help of my supervisors and those who wrote letters of recommendation for me, third of all it will be my ability to convey to my "judges" that I will be a qualified teacher and willing co-worker, and fourth of all, the goodness of my "judges" hearts to hire me.

I've been finding lilacs a lot lately--this week especially--which has made me so very happy! Lilacs always bring me such joy! Not only do they smell divine, but they are dainty and have a simple beauty.  They also only come at one time of year, their own special season, which happens to pretty much be the month of May, maybe into the beginning of June, but more likely not.

Lilacs are a particularly bright spot in my life this week because I've been facing some inner doubts concerning how others perceive me. And I really shouldn't worry about it...and I usually don't...but I do sometimes.

I think I'm just overly-sensitive or something.

But back to today being Friday the 13th.  I had a job interview today--let's hope the "luck" superstition holds!