The Importance of a Ward Family

So, in case you have been living under a rock here are two things you should know before you read this post:

1) I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormons
2) I'm currently living in Provo, UT

Okay, now that we have that cleared up, I want to make clear a few things about my religion so that if you're not LDS you will understand what I'm talking about:

1) Our churches are called "Wards". We have so many people that we have many church buildings so we have multiple wards, each named after the area you are in. For example, when I was in Northern Ireland I was in the Bangor 1st ward. Get it?

They look something like this

2) A group of wards in close proximity are called a "stake". So in Northern Ireland I was in the Belfast, NI stake. Get that too? Stay with me now.

3) In our families we try to have Family Night once a week, on a Monday usually. It's just a time to spend time together since so many people have crazy schedules. We call it family home evening (FHE). This is all relevant to my post I swear.

OK...

Now for those of you, LDS or not, who don't go to BYU. Here are some things you need to know.

1) There are 1000's of LDS student in a very small area, relative to the amount of Mormons. So there are hundreds of wards! Don't believe me? I'm in the Provo YSA (that stands for Young Single Adults) 109th ward. 109th!!!!!!!! Are you kidding me? And our wards are pretty huge! Especially relative to wards in Northern Ireland.

2) Now, as you can imagine, because there are so many wards, there are A LOT of stakes. I'm in the Provo YSA 8th stake. Guys this is craziness. You feel me?

3) We don't have our families at school with us, as much as we miss our mom's cooking and our dad's advice and our sibling's humour and love. But we have ward families. They split our ward into groups, and that's our family. Students get called to be the Mom and the Dad and then they plan activities which we participate in on a Monday night, just like normal FHE!

OK...

So now. Why I LOVE my ward family.

Because I'm lacking my real family, and I'm living in a new country, there are times when I get down and sad and need someone to talk to. There are also times when I want to hang out with someone and have a great time. There are other times when I need someone to sit with at breakfast. Then there are the times when I need someone to talk some sense into me.

My ward family fills all of those gaps.

Last Sunday was a bit rough. A couple of guys noticed in my ward, Johnson, Ben, Kaden, and Daniel. It was around 10pm and they could've just brushed me off, but instead they told me to grab my shoes and we walked around outside for an hour. I love that so much. They were my friends, my shrink, my parents, my sister, my conscience, my reason. Everything. They stepped up and made the difference. That's why I love them.

That same night I was alone because all of my roommates weren't there, so I texted Jeremy (he's in my FHE family group) and he was right over. Cheered me right up.

Another time I was at dinner alone, because my roommates were gone again (recurring theme? ;) ) anyway, I was at a table alone, and then Ben, Tristan, and Will suddenly plopped down opposite me. How amazing is that. You're never really alone when you have a ward family. Someone is always going to be there to help you out. Always.

Last night all my roommates were gone again, so I jokingly (kind of) put on instagram that I was going to be watching Netflix all night. Not even a minute after posting, Amanda came to my door. I spent about an hour then with Amanda, Whitney, Laurel, and Kaylin. Then just after that I got a text from Johnson because he saw the post too, so Johnson, Amanda, Whitney, and I went to the creamery for ice cream then sat up talking for hours. Sounds like family to you? It does to me.

On Monday we had FHE at 7 Peak's ice rink where we went skating. That was so much fun. Another not boring night just because we make the effort to come together and have fun.

This is me, Ranse, Amanda, and Kaden

This morning (Saturday morning) a group of us was going to go the Temple, but most people couldn't make it in the end or slept in, so Kaden and I walked up to Provo Temple. It was dark when we went in because we left campus at 6:30am but it was beautiful and bright when we came out at 10am or just a bit after. Here's what it looked like!

6:30am

10:30am

How beautiful is this?

I also have Jessica (the roommate) and Trent (the roommate's boyfriend). They give me some time now and then ;) But it's super fun being with them and hearing their banter. 

Of course, my real family still exists! I had a lovely long phone call with my sister the other day. She's so great...and even more beautiful.

Possibly my favourite photo of Jess ever

Being in the LDS community means you are never alone no matter where in the world you go. I had the fantastic opportunity to run into an old missionary who served in Bangor 1st Ward. This is Elder Brown.

Porter Brown now that he doesn't have the name tag

This week has just truly opened my eyes to the blessings of this world. I am so grateful for being a part of BYU, for the structure that the school provides to my life. It's not just an education. It's a lifestyle. I love my friends, my family, and my ward family. Thank you all for being a part of my life and looking after me! I really appreciate it more than you know!

Love you all!

Clauds 

Christmas with my Family

This Christmas was the same as every other one because I spent it with the three most important people in my life, my mom, dad, and sister!

We had a super relaxing holiday, and I just loved spending time in the beautiful country of Northern Ireland! It really is as green as you'd think:

It was an emotional reunion because 4 months feels like forever when you're 18 and in a new country, but it was just so great being there with them.

My favourite thing was spending time with my sister, because she's my longest best friend and now she is basically MY big sister.

I loved being back in my home ward also, seeing the kids who seemed so much older, to see new families in the ward. It was a happy Christmas, full of discovery of new things, being comfortable with old things, and just general peace.

One thing that I was surprised to find was that I love Utah. I went back to Northern Ireland and realised that there is so much more of my social life in Utah. I work there, I have friends there, school is there. Basically my life apart from my family. So when I came back to Provo I was so happy to start a new semester, with new classes. I have a class with Tayla 3 times a week. If you don't know, Tayla is a close family friend, but we introduce each other as cousins because she basically is my cousin, we are that close! We get Jamba Juice together, we go to class together, she sets me straight and life is great :) 

So basically to sum it all up, I love my family, and I would have spent the holidays with no one else. But I also love Provo, the beauty of Utah, the fun I have with my friends, the amazing university I attend. So I'm grateful to for it all. Sure there are things I would change if I could, but I can't change it all, so I accept what I have with a glad heart.

"Come what may and love it"