Scriptures in the Cloud (Thank you prophets!)

Did you know we are guided by a living prophet and apostles who, despite their advanced age, are more "with it" and understanding of modern trends than you are? If not, you'd better believe it.

To illustrate this, I wanted to let everyone know about what the LDS church has just done: they have allowed me to take my scripture study to the cloud. What is the cloud or cloud computing? I don't really know all the details, but the layman's term that I have come to grips with is that "the cloud" is the internet, and "cloud computing" is basically where all the stuff you would usually save on your computer is instead saved on the internet. Giant companies like Amazon are entirely reliant on it, and Google comes to mind as well.

You might wonder why I am so excited about being able to study the scriptures on the internet. After all, aren't there many different web sites where scriptures are available for reading? Yes. But this goes way beyond reading. What the church has done is to create a personalized online set of scriptures for me that I can write notes in and mark in a way far more organized than I could ever do by hand or with my own software.

Let me guide you through an example of how I used this tonight. I was just studying for a lesson on avoiding and overcoming temptation that I am teaching the young men tomorrow. The manual included the reference to 1 Cor 10:13 that many people are familiar with about how God will not suffer us to be tempted except for making a way to escape. I remembered that I used to know another reference that greatly clarifies this scripture and expands upon it, but I wasn't sure of the reference. Luckily, I remembered that I wrote it in the margins of my Bible. So, I looked away from my computer screen, took out my Bible, and found the reference.

Now, watch what I did with my LDS scripture study notebook:

(If you are reading this on facebook, you might want to click through to our blog so you can see the full-size screen shot if this is too small. Plus, at the end of this post there will be a really cute video of Enoch that won't post over to facebook)

Here is the scripture (Alma 13:28), but notice what I've done. First off, I highlighted it. I chose red, but I had 3 other colors I could have chosen or I simply could have underlined it. I also added a note, explaining why I thought this scripture's relation to 1 Cor 13:10 was significant. Plus, I tagged my note!

What is tagging? Tagging is where you group something into a category. This is a common indexing tool used in many websites, including blogs of people I know. Why is it useful? Well, in a physical scripture journal I used to keep (but have long since abandoned because of the difficulty in keeping it organized as well as pulling off the large binder from the shelf) I had many different categories of topics with my thoughts on each. For instance, I had pages dedicated to the atonement, prayer, and parables with my insights. Tagging is essentially doing the same thing, but far easier. Plus, I can tag one thing multiple times because it probably fits into different categories. Notice that I tagged this note twice as "YM lesson" and "Temptation". In the future, if I ever want to look up my thoughts about temptation or scriptures I have shared in lessons, all I have to do is look up this tag.

Naturally, this study notebook on lds.org saves. When I log in with my password, my journal is right there, waiting for me on the cloud. If I were to happen to read scriptures that I have made notes about in the future, my notes will still be there just as if I wrote something in the page-margin of my physical scriptures. All of these thoughts and markings are safe on my account. These online scriptures will never fade, be lost, or damaged. They are also password protected, which is something important to me because spiritual thoughts can sometimes be special and deserve to be stored in a secure place. As the internet becomes more and more ubiquitous, my scripture journal will become easier and easier to access. No matter where I am, I can pull it up on seconds, which is something impossible with my physical journal at home.

The church has solved a big problem for me. Growing up in a digital age, having a good, organized place to record my spiritual insights has always been difficult and this is the perfect solution. Most likely, the majority of people who utilize this tool will be members of the younger generation like me who have a much deeper-rooted reliance on technology. That's fine, but it is a marvel to me that a church run by elderly apostles and prophets would know exactly what the new generation needs. The church is true, and this is another small evidence to me that it is being guided by a living prophet to help us as times and seasons change.

As promised above, here is a cute video of Enoch taken in a lovely trip to Mexico. The roar at the beginning and the road-runner laugh at the end are his two favorite sounds.

Listen up people

I think one of the things that has been hard for me being from China is that the longer I stay here, the more comfortable I feel with American culture. As I know more and more and get better and better, I care more and more and hate being considered the ignorant Chinese girl who doesn't know anything. It's true that, to some extent, when I first came here I was the ignorant girl who didn't know much about how you cook, play games, raise kids, and socialize. Now, however, 3 years later, I'm not as ignorant any more. People often say how far I have come, but I doubt many people understand how difficult of a process this battle has been. When people give suggestions about how to do things, intending to be helpful, I sometimes can't help but feel inadequate and sad. Not only might I feel that I still don't know how to do things the way you do them, but the very idea that others still assume (and maybe always will assume!) that I am still an ignorant girl from China is the most hurtful.

Of course, I realizes part of the problem is me being overly-sensitive. I know that I , just like everyone else, has a lot I can learn from other people, and the idea that everyone should stop giving me tips and suggestions is ridiculous. I still want to learn things and am grateful for everyone who has taught me (like pie crusts and rolls! Thanks Mom and Annie and Ann), but many things I feel I can do on my own and don't need others to tell me how to do them. For some things, people assume that because I do them differently they must be wrong. I think the main point is that I don't want to be treated like the special-ed kid, always being given easy assignments and having everyone assume I'm an idiot who couldn't possibly do things on my own, who couldn't possibly cook or raise kids or play games or socialize without being continuously told how to do it.

I realize one of the cultural differences that has led to me feeling inadequate is the Chinese tendency to be modest and put down our own achievements. In China, when someone does something really good, they tell everyone it's only OK or even not very good. In fact, it would be rude to gloat and brag about your accomplishments. Here, however, it seems that the opposite is true. I can tell that I've been bragging a lot more since I got here but still don't think I'm the same as other people. Sometimes I worry that because of this, people assume I must not be very good at being a wife and mother because I don't talk about it the same way they do. I don't know why I care so much about what other people think, and I know I probably shouldn't care and I should be more mature.

I guess it's because, being an outsider from a different place, the only way I know that I'm fitting in and progressing is by what other people think. If they think I'm still the ignorant girl from China, I'm failing and haven't progressed. Also, as I fit in better with family, church and friends, I care more and more about how you think about me.

I will work on being less sensitive, but I just wanted everyone to know what it's like to be me so that maybe you can be more sensitive!

:-)

medical school and the grueling process

Last week I got an email from the Medical College of Wisconsin offering me a seat in their class. This comes as a big relief and I am very grateful. I had always heard how grueling it can be to apply to a professional school, but it's hard to understand how emotionally taxing it really is until you do it.

The process goes something like this: study for the MCAT, pay a lot of money for the MCAT, wait for scores, fill out all the applications for a bunch of schools, spend lots of money, wait, write secondary essays, spend more money for secondary application fees, wait, get rejected from some schools, wait, go some interviews, spend a lot more money, wait, get waitlisted at a school and hear nothing from others (yes, more waiting), go to more interviews, spend more money, wait................ acceptance!! Overall, you can see it's a lot of waiting a lot of money (notice the emphasis added). I can't complain, however, because my applications have gone relatively smoothly. I empathize with everyone who doesn't get in at all or has to wait many many months before they hear back. I am sure you get to the point where it's hard to keep hoping because it only adds to the disappointment.

While Milwaukee isn't our first choice, I think we would be very happy there. I was impressed by the school and, despite the cold, it seems there's a lot of stuff to do there. Jokes were made at my interview about the large amounts of people from Utah at this school, so it seems I might fit in.


Other recent stuff is a short hike we did off the Yetman Trail on Friday

An interesting old house ruin on the Yetman Trail

Recently, Enoch likes to stick his tongue out. We argue about who taught him this trick

And here's his Halloween costume

DC interview weekend

Last weekend we flew out to DC together for Sam's interview at Maryland Medical School. We stayed with Chase and Caitlin for the weekend. I got to see the white house for the first time and some other monuments.

We got to DC late at night last Friday, when we finally went to bed it was almost midnight DC time. Saturday we went to see the Mall. It was a really tiring walk but I'm glad that I got to see a lot of stuff. It's funny to see Chinese tourists everywhere.

This is one of the pictures we took in the Mall:



Sam took this one, I think it's really sweet:

Enoch sit with uncle Chase and cousin Traci on the grass
Hannah, Neal and Cali, Josh came over for dinner Sat night. We ate pizza and played a game together. Can you believe that it was my first time meeting Neal? I totally thought we've already met because of reading Hannah's blog. Cali and Josh asked me to translate a Chinese story which turned out to be really sad. Sometimes I don't understand why they make baby stories so sad... (I totally don't know why this paragraph got lost... Sorry guys!)

Sunday we went to church together and of course we had to go see the temple. It's so beautiful!!!

Washington DC Temple

Then we had dinner with Caitlin's family. That was when I had baked squash the first time! Delicious! I would definitely buy squash next time when I go grocery shopping now that I know it actually tastes great.
Caitlin put Traci's head band on Enoch and they played with bubbles:

It was a short but fun weekend at DC. Thanks to Chase and Cait for letting us stay. I think we would be happy living there if Sam gets accepted.

Flying back on Monday wasn't fun at all. Poor Enoch couldn't find a comfortable position to sleep. It would be much easier if there was a seat for him. I'm glad that the trip didn't mess up Enoch's schedule, he went back to normal schedule right away!! I'm so grateful for this! Also, this Wed we officially weaned Enoch from the breasts.... I'm pumping in the morning when I have the most milk supply and feed him formula in the afternoon. He's doing great!

Sam flew out again yesterday morning for Wisconsin's interview. This will be the end of the interview period for a while until he gets more interviews (CA schools are so slow!!!).

The best toys are free!

The family who used to live in our house left two toys in the yard, I kept them when the owner wanted to throw them away. They were supper dirty, but I thought I could give it a try to clean them.

I'm so proud of myself for cleaning them because now they look great! Check them out:

I can see that pretty soon these two toys will become Enoch's favorites. Cant stop giving myself credits for this! Yay!

We decided that today will be the "naked Friday" for Enoch. Well, at least that's what Sam wanted.


I also found a good place to hide Enoch...

Guitar Case crib bassinet

Sam (Ooops... I meant to say Enoch) is 7 months old now! Two weeks ago, we went to get him the first flu shot. He weighed 19lb 5oz, 27 inches long.

Caught on Tape--Enoch Flirting

Sharon caught this on tape the other day. I took the liberty of expressing Enoch's thoughts as subtitles.

I think he learned a valuable lesson.

More and More Enoch

I'm going to an interview in Creighton tomorrow and Sharon's going up with Mom and Alison for Leslie's baby shower. Hope he manages the drive OK! Other than that, life has been pretty laid back and consumed by school, work, etc. But, we've had our moments. As you can guess, they mostly surround the baby.

Enoch learning how to chill out in the laundry bin:

Baby chilling in the laundry bin

We took him swimming recently. I thought he was enjoying it until I saw the pictures:

He's been sitting up a lot better recently:

The poor baby seemed pretty happy about shackling himself.

Sharon took him shopping today. I can tell he loves it just as much as I do:

Babies hate shopping at the mall

Oh no, my son already looks cooler than I do and he's only 6 months old:

OK ladies now's the chance to go wild; here's Enoch without a shirt on:

OK, enough about Enoch, here's one of Sharon. On labor day we went up to Mt Lemmon with mom and dad and had a really nice hike.

Secret Waterfall at Mt. Lemmon

Happy to see daddy

5 months old still chubby baby Enoch

5 months has passed by already, can you believe it? I felt like a new woman now that Enoch is sleeping through the night and I'm totally healed from the tear.

I realized that I haven't updated our blog for a while, I'd better catch up! Here you goes:

5 months' check up, Enoch is 18lbs, 26inches. His flat head is getting a lot better after repositioning. And the meanwhile, his insurance totally denied covering the helmet. So that should settle it because we simply cant afford to pay $1700 for a helmet!

Sam has been applying for Med schools, working full time and preparing for school to start. He's going to teach two labs this semester! Busy busy. I'm so grateful for my wonderful husband, for his hard work, care and love!

I just graduated from UA this month. I'm currently staying at home and tutoring chinese a couple times a week. Life is good.

I didn't want to spend tons of time rearrange the order of pictures, so they are not in timely order:

We had some Japanese friends coming visit last night and they took some pictures for us:



Our friend Rika is pregnant with her second baby! We're so happy for her.







Last Saturday we went for a short hike at Saguaro National Park. It was fun. Enoch enjoyed it too! Although he started his day with this------------



My cute boys ------

Saguaro National Park Nature Trail

I was worried that Enoch might flex his arms....

The cactus baby seat

Rolled over from tummy to back the first time!

So, this morning I put Enoch down on his back and was going to get some Tylenol. This is what I saw 10 seconds later! And I run to get the camera, luckily I still got to record the second part of rolling over.

Not sure how to upload video yet, so check this link to see the video:

http://www.56.com/u62/v_NTM2NzU3Mzk.html

Enoch is four month old, he has been rolling over from tummy to back a lot since we came back from CA. But never from back to tummy, mainly because he simply doesn't like to be on his tummy for long.

Here is a link for another video : Enoch rolls over from tummy to back
http://www.56.com/u41/v_NTM2NzYwNzA.html

Baptism of Sister Su

In my second area of my mission, my companion and I felt prompted to go tracting in a certain area our first day together. With the third door we knocked on, an older man named Paul let us in and offered to let us come back. After we left, he told his wife, Sister Su, that some messengers of God were coming back and she should listen. Sister Su immediately came to feel the truthfulness of our message, and it was tender to watch her testimony grow and help her through trials over the next several months. However, she came to believe that difficulties in her personal situation would make baptism impossible, and I was especially heartbroken.

A few weeks ago, a joyful surprise came out of the blue and I got an email from someone in Taiwan informing me that she was getting baptized! Below is a picture of her and her husband (and yes I did lose my tag that day).
She sent me an email saying how grateful she was for my efforts with her, and told me that after she was baptized, part of the testimony she bore was what I used to tell her that "procrastinating obedience is equal to procrastinating receiving blessings". She voiced her regret about not being obedient sooner. Her baptism means a lot to me, fulfilling all those pangs of hope I have sometimes had over the past 2 years that she would someday receive the blessings waiting for her.

Anyways, reflections about Sister Su have been on my mind a lot recently, and I thought I would share the good news.


We also just got back from California with the family. Although the sun didn't shine as much as usual, the beach was still fun and so was family. Sharon was a trooper camping with Enoch all week. A few pictures:

Half Chinese Beach Baby

Enoch learning to laugh

This might be why Enoch spit up on me so much today.



Or maybe he just likes to drool.



Either way, he's just a happy baby.

Why we need a savior

While in Taiwan, I eventually realized that the main difference between Christianity and eastern religions was the idea of a savior. This may sound self-evident to you, but it took me a while to understand that this was the crux of the issue. All religions point us to do good, but it seems that most other religions have no need for a savior; man doing noble things on his own is sufficient.

Recently, I have had some discussions with one of my friends who considers himself agnostic. He doesn't believe a savior is necessary, and he had many questions in this regard. Why do we need a savior? Why can't we cleanse ourselves from sin? Why is absolution from sin necessary? Because it is natural for all humankind to make mistakes, why is heaven reserved only for those without sin? Why will good people who don't believe in Christ go to Hell?

One of the core ideas that allows us to understand why a savior is needed is our purpose in life. Why are we here and what is our ultimate goal? As latter-day saints, we have a clear picture of this. Our goal is perfection. Just as parents strive to help their children grow up into mature adults, our Father in Heaven strives to help us to grow and become like him. We will never replace him, but as his children we have the potential to become like him, and nothing could make him happier than us accomplishing this goal. How, then, can someone who has sinned achieve perfection? It is too late. Anyone who has ever done anything immoral automatically falls short of perfection, and no amount of good things they do can ever erase the fact that they have lied, hurt someone, stolen, etc. Just as a criminal who serves his sentence in jail and successfully pays the punishment for his crime will never be on the exact same standing as someone else who has not committed that crime, once we commit sin it is permanent. We need a savior! He takes our sins upon him, and we are made clean. Pure. It is only with a savior that perfection is possible.

Good people who do not believe in a savior are not doomed to Hell. This is an abominable idea and is damning to the souls of those who believe in it. A loving God does not send his good sons and daughters to burn in Hell forever just because they don't believe in Jesus. As latter-day saints, we understand that there are three different kingdoms in heaven, and all are glorious. Serious sinners, after they suffer for their sins, will go to the lowest kingdom called the Telestial kingdom. Good poeple who don't believe in Christ will go to the Terrestrial kingdom. Good people who are cleansed by Christ will go to the Celestial kingdom and live with God, ultimately becoming like him. Only the worst of people who have known the truth and fallen to complete denial will not inherit a kingdom of glory, and these people are relatively few. When I told my friend about this idea, he said it made way more sense than the simple idea of Heaven and Hell. I agree. It explains how God is loving and just and also why it is fair and essential that we must believe in Christ. After we die, but before we are judged, all souls reside in the spirit world where they will have a chance to receive Christ, even if and especially if they never had a chance to accept him while they were alive.

The reason it is necessary to be cleansed from sin to live with God is also resolved with knowledge as latter-day saints. The Book of Mormon teaches that, when we are brought into the presence of God to be judged, it will be our own guilt about our sins and impurities that will cause us to be in torment in God's presence. Being in his presence would be sheer misery, so God prepared other, glorified kingdoms for such people where they do not have to abide the radiant presence of God. We used to have a very naughty dog that would always find ways to get into the trash or eat things in the kitchen when we weren't home. He always knew what he was doing was wrong, but it just seemed he couldn't help himself. When we got home and saw a mess in the kitchen, we knew that the dog was in a distant room in the house, under a desk, hiding. When we would approach him, he wouldn't look at us, but only shamefully thump his tail a few times to acknowledge our presence. We would never physically punish him, so I know it wasn't that he was afraid of being beaten. He was simply feeling awfully guilty, and being in our presence was misery. While guilt can help anyone to change, it is only when we have changed and had the savior cleanse our sins that the guilt will completely disappear. Thus, to live with God, it is both necessary to be cleansed from sin and to have a savior help us do that.

Another crucial reason to have a savior is that it makes life fair. Christ lived the perfect life, and because of his sacrifice he is our savior that deeply understands us; he is our master teacher. He has suffered for our sins and can thus give us personal guidance that no one else can! He knows best how to pull us up to his level. Also, besides taking upon him our sins, Christ also took our weaknesses and pains upon him, and if we turn to him those may all be swallowed up in joy. I have seen pain turn to joy as people turn to Christ. I have also seen people struggling with addiction suddenly find strength to overcome when they turned to Christ. It is in this manner that life becomes fair. How does one account for a God that allows some people to be born into such a painful and harsh life? The only thing I have ever seen that answers this question is that God sent his only begotten son to suffer for our sins AND our pains and infirmities. Everything that is unfair in life can be made up by the atonement. No matter our situation, Christ understands us because he has literally felt what we are feeling, and he has power to lift us out of whatever misery we may be in. Without this sort of savior, it is impossible for any sort of fairness to be achieved.

One last reason I will mention about why we need a savior is that without him we could never conquer death. What is our history? Where did we come from? I believe that the story in Genesis is true. While I believe that much of it is symbolic, I believe we did indeed have primordial ancestors Adam and Eve. When Adam and Eve were created, they were immortal. They were God's literal creation; thus, they were perfect and could not die. Because of transgression, they fell from God's presence and became mortal. Death came into the world.

Death came into the world because of transgression. As children such as us descended from Adam and Eve, we were born as mortals and doomed to die at no fault of our own. Many children have died without ever committing sin. Every man is punished for their own sins, but death comes to us because of Adam and Eve. This disparity must be made up for. It took the sacrifice of a perfect savior to make this right. Because of Adam all die, and because of Christ all are made alive. All men will be resurrected before they are judged. We will all have our bodies again, but perfect and immortal. The union of body and soul are required for true joy. Only a savior who paid the price of the world's transgressions could break the bonds of death.

How will we conquer death? What do you believe happens after we die? Will we simply live as spirits? Is it important that we have a body? Where did we come from? These are questions that don't have multiple answers. My friend continues to believe that we are both right. He maintains that both of our paths will take us to the same place, that it is fine for me to believe in a savior, but he will be just as fine without believing in one. I think it is important to acknowledge that some things are either right or wrong. Someone who says death is the end is either right or wrong. Reincarnation is either right or wrong. What I have said above about resurrection is either right or wrong. While I can understand (but don't necessarily agree with) the point of view that there are many different ways to find God and do what he wants us to do, the fundamental questions of where we came from and where we are going are not arbitrary. Can believing in something make it true? If I believe my glass of water won't fall if I drop it, will that change anything? When we die, something will happen, and the laws that determine what happen do not change according to one's religious belief. Everyone from every different religious viewpoint will, in the end, be subject to the exact same laws. What are these laws? What will happen? It must be admitted that different religions have different ideas about this, and their contradicting ideas cannot all be right. Respect for all beliefs are essential, but I cannot accept the idea that everyone is right. With this same logic, all roads cannot lead to Rome. If belief cannot change the the ultimate laws that determine what will happen to us, then believing we don't need a savior does not determine whether we do or do not, in fact, need a savior.

I believe that all mankind is totally dependent on Jesus Christ as our savior. I am either right or wrong, and the last thing I want to hear is someone who doesn't believe in a need for a savior telling me that we are both right, that it doesn't matter what your beliefs are as long as you are true to them. I do not seek confrontations, but I deplore the trap that says left and right are the same thing.

Batman revealed; Sharon wooing a snake

The research program I am in this summer planned an outing to the desert museum today, and my boss even agreed to give Sharon a ticket, too. Thanks, mom, for watching Enoch! The underground cave had an exhibit that taught us how big our ears would have to be if we were a bat.

Giant Bat Ears

Batman is a fraud. I'm writing a letter to him asking his next movie to be based on more solid ecology.

In other news, I rode a coyote.

Riding a coyote

Last, and perhaps most important, Sharon wooed a snake.

Enoch's first camping trip

Yesterday afternoon we went camping with some friends. It was a great trip, everybody had a lot of fun.

Enoch was really happy in the pack-play we borrowed from Grandma. I think the whole new world made him very happy and excited.

Pack and Plays make camping great

Mt Wrightson Camp Ground

He kept cool in the baby carrier too. Does he look like a frog?

The weird thing was that Enoch slept better last night at the camp than he slept at home. He must love camping! He definitely has my genes :) So here both Enoch and I had big smiles on our faces this morning after a good night sleep : Enoch looks so cute in the boots from Aunt Leslie and Uncle Clay!

We went for a short hike this morning with three children... Yes, three. Our friends Rachel and Lem brought their son Aiden who is one month older than Enoch and 14-month-old Crhisten the boy they are babysitting.
Here is a picture of the group: Yay for Enoch's first camping trip. We would definitely do it again some time this summer. Tomorrow Enoch will officially be two month old!

I Love Sharon Because....

She can do this! Happy Mother's Day!

A song about Enoch

So this is a song I wrote two months prior to Enoch's birth and recorded it today. While Sharon went swimming today Enoch and I were home alone, and he was even nice enough to go to sleep so I could record. Good boy!

Baby Blessing

Today was a good day, although this is how it started out:

Enoch being naughty during the night translates into daddy being hard to awaken in the morning. I forgave him, though, and even decided he was a good enough boy to take to church and give a blessing. It was nice.

Doesn't Sharon look good?

With grandma and grandpa great on the right and great aunts Shelley and Jeanne on the left all flying down from Utah to be there, I hope Enoch felt loved. After church, Sharon and I left for a few hours to watch a friend's phd organ recital and everyone played tag-team to take care of Enoch. I heard he and Brandon had some major bonding time.

Shelley even committed to putting up a new facebook profile picture with her and Enoch... :)

Grandma and Grandpa are cute.

Did you know that Grandma Great is a worker of miracles? Probably. She holds the record for getting both quality and quantity of smiles from Enoch in so short a time. Too bad I didn't catch most of them on film.

Oh, there was also green chili burritos and chocolate cake and ice cream with chocolate topping. Yep, a good day.