How Great Thou Art!

One of my favorite parts of serving in North Carolina is all the beautiful scenery here! Between the busy things we are doing every day, I love the moments when we are riding in the car or walking around the city and we have the chance to pause and take in the beauty around us.

I love the beauty of the Carolina's

Back home my family loved to go on little "rambles out yonder." Whenever we had a free weekend or a break from school, we would often load up in the car for a brand new adventure! I loved all the fun and beautiful places we would go.

 

"The Wave" located near the Utah-Arizona border

 

A beach along the Washington state coastline

 

Antelope Island, located in the Great Salt Lake in Utah

 

Being in nature has always allowed me time to rest, to feel calm, and to talk with my Heavenly Father. I love the serenity and peace I am able to feel. I believe that it is for these same reasons that Joseph Smith went out to the sacred grove to pray for answers to his question on which church was true. Or like in the Book of Mormon, when Enos prayed for close to a full day for forgiveness and knowledge. In the Bible, Jesus Christ retired multiple times to the sea, the wilderness, or even the Garden of Gethsemane, where he paid the ultimate price for our sins. As we spend quiet time alone with our Heavenly Father, whether it be when we are in a ramble out yonder, or even the privacy of , we can feel the great significance of the world, and how very small we are. In those moments however, we are also able to feel how very important we are individually to our Father in Heaven. He knows us personally and he loves more deeply than we can understand. I love the words of the popular hymn "How Great Thou Art," and the beautiful testimony they share of our God and his love for us. I'm so grateful for our God, and I love him too!