#august's thoughts

hey folks, so I'm doing really bad right now. wanted to tell you because idk how active ill be but also bc I lwk need some support and encouragement so if you (my moots) could like idk hmu with some kind words i would deeply appreciate it

I think I'm going to start writing about what I learned at church on Sunday nights. Mostly because it's my blog and I can do what I want.

Church was interesting today. There weren't very many of us in attendance, which played into the"theme" of our sacrament meeting, service and reaching out to the one. You see, my YSA Branch has a problem. We're small in number and spread over a relatively large geographic area. A lot of members slip through the cracks. I've complained about it here way more than is probably necessary but I'm not the only one.

The ones trying not to fall away are getting tired. Both our Elder's Quorum President and our Branch President think this needs to change. I personally don't see this happening but I'm a "the glass is technically always full because there is no such thing as empty on an atomic level" sort of person. Maybe these people will finally surprise me. If Heavenly Father sees fit to whip us into shape, He's certainly powerful enough for it.

After Sacrament Meeting, we had Sunday School. I already posted a few pictures of the board. When I found out the lesson was going on Doctrine and Covenants 3 & 10, I expected a history lesson. Instead, we had a lesson on the nature of God & Satan (in relation to the story of the lost 116 pages). What struck me the most is how much God wants to build us up. Sometimes we have to be torn down (humbled) but ultimately, our Heavenly Parents strive for our excellence and exaltation. Satan is the one who wants to leave us a pile of rubble and hacks at our self-esteem.

Relief Society (which usually makes me uncomfortable) was great for once. We had a lovely discussion on affective scripture study and developing our testimonies of the Book of Mormon (and to a lesser extent Joseph Smith).