Jet Set Brunette: Planes, trains and.....bikes???

Dear family and friends,

This past week has been good. I'm enjoying missionary work more and more as time goes on. Something exciting that happened last week was that we had the chance to go to the Birmingham, AL temple (which is about an hour from Tuscaloosa)! The temple is SO small, but SO beautiful! We went to the 9am session. I very much appreciated being able to go. I wish we could go to the temple more often, but luckily we have one in our mission, and we get to go every 3 months. :) It was also the most gorgeous day outside, and we got to visit with different missionaries serving in various places around our mission.

The weather here has been super bi-polar. One day it is beautiful, and the next it's super cold...so we never know how to dress. We just pick an outfit and hope for the best! This morning at 5:30am I was woken up by thunder...it was raining pretty hard and lightning flashes were coming through our bedroom window. It's also tornado season, and in my sleepy state I got worried about the crazy weather outside, but I decided that "all is well" and tried to get back to sleep.

This past Saturday the Blue Angels came to Tuscaloosa!! I was so happy, just because I know that they come to Saint George too! We had a teaching appointment set up at 3pm but the guy canceled, and so I had an idea to go over by the airport where the show was and do some contacting. :) I have never seen the Blue Angels before, and I got to see them flying over quite a bit, and they were so cool!!! They are so talented, and Sister Bailey and I joked around about if one of them sneezed....could be bad. Anyway, we met up for a few minutes with Rachel, and we also talked to a Baptist and got his information so we could meet with him sometime.

That night, we went to our church for the General Women's Broadcast. We watched it with our ward. It was really good! The broadcast was centered on families, and how important they are, and what they must be built upon. It sparked my determination to become a good mother, and I look forward to the day when I can teach my kids about Christ. The speakers explained that our homes should be a place where the Spirit can be felt in rich abundance. They said that there's no greater honor or role than that of a mother or father. I really like when they said, "whenever a woman strengthens the faith of a child, she strengthens a family." Remember that your role has a parent will have a huge impact on your children and thus, with a rippling effect, impact future generations. I've seen this principle in action with a family in our ward. The parents taught and raised their children well, and their grandchildren are now being brought up in Christ-centered homes (and are absolutely ADORABLE.)

You can also look at this with a missionary viewpoint. Everyday Sister Bailey and I are out contacting and teaching people about Christ. We study, pray, and spend our time focused on buildings other peoples faith. As a parent, you can do the same thing. You can be an influence for good and build your children's faith on a daily basis. We each have a seed of perfection within us, including your kids, and it's your job as parents to help them nourish it until they can on their own. But remember, you don't have to be a parent to help nourish another person's faith:)

Staying focused on Christ,

Sister Griffith