"He will send you a volleyball..."

August 29, 2023

"He will send you a volleyball..."

WILSONNNNNNN!!! For those of you who know me really well, you know that I LOVE Tom Hanks! I am a huge fan haha! In one of the greatest movies of all time, Tom Hanks’ character is riding high (literally in an airplane) and all of a sudden, everything goes wrong. There’s a plane crash and he’s left stranded on an island.

How relatable is this story?! I can tell you, this is something I relate to. I felt like I was up in the air and riding high. Life was amazing and I was the happiest I had ever been. But all of a sudden, one of my engines caught fire, sending me plummeting to the ground. I felt like my life had been flipped upside down, and there I was, alone, on my own little island. It’s a tough place to be! Having gone down, and only seeing the remains spread in the water of what used to be my joy.

Well, we know that these things will happen, because we live in a FALLEN world, so we are going to fall. There are going to be times when those closest to us leave us, when we get super sick, when we are ignored and forgotten, when we lose people close to us, when we fail a test, or when we even are walking and slip on some ice! There are going to be times when all this happens! At some point in our life, an engine will catch fire, making things get pretty scary for quite sometime as we feel like we are free-falling to the earth. But because of our Savior, we are able to regain control, put out the fire, and continue onwards.

I learned this the hard way haha, I didn’t have the Savior put out my fire, and I went plummeting to the ground. This put me in a pretty rough spot. I’m grateful for modern medicine, therapists, doctors, and my amazing family that all helped me along in my recovery process (which is still ongoing!). I am learning right now how to more fully rely on my Savior. Little by little, He is helping me put my plane back together.

So, whether you are able to able to regain control in the air (meaning you’re lower in altitude than before, but still flying), or maybe like me, feeling shipwrecked on an island with a volleyball for a friend, there is reassurance for all of us! 2 Nephi 29:7 says, “Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath”. Our Heavenly Father loves us all so very much. He remembers us, always! When we feel alone on our island, we can find hope in the fact that He is there. At times when it feels like there is no hope, when you feel that your calling is to remain on the island alone for forever... in these moments it’s important to hold on to what you have previously learned in your life. We have to hold on to the times where we have felt the Lord’s love. I promise you that even when you’re alone on the island, and even when it’s hard to hear His voice and feel His comfort, He will do all He can to give you relief. He will send you a volleyball. Hang on to the little things, these are the tender mercies of God. This is His way of showing you that he REMEMBERS you!

You are not alone, you have a Savior eager to help you put your plane back together. There is nothing too broken or beyond repair. And if it seems too hard to believe… join the club haha. I am just trying to put trust in Him and hold on to hope that He can help me put my plane back together, even when it seems impossible. Luckily, our God is pretty good with impossible! He parts seas, He delivers us from bondage, and He created you and me! This is our God! This is who He is. He loves us!

Continue on, my friends. Reach out if you ever need anything. And if you ever have any advice for helping me put my plane back together, please email me! Love you all tons! Have an amazing week!

司长老