project

When I was in 4th or 5th grade we learned about food chains:  the people eat the cows, the cows eat the grass, and the grass eats the sun (sort of).  Right.  And then in 7th grade I had a wicked-cool biology teacher who taught us about food webs:  the people eat the cows, and so do the wolves.  The cows, and the deer, and the caterpillars eat the grass.  Birds eat the caterpillars, and sometimes people shoot the wolves.  The grass continues to eat-up the sun (sort of) unless it's been all eaten up by the cows and deer.  And mosquitoes eat them all.  But the birds can still eat the mosquitoes.  So if we take out the grass we lose the deer, cows, wolves, people, caterpillars, birds, and mosquitoes.  It's not linear anymore.  Everything is connected to everything else.

I spent the last month working on an art project for a young women program.  I wanted to write about it a few times to get my thoughts all out in some kind of linear fashion.  But it's not really a thought chain, it's a thought web.  At the center of it isn't grass, it's the doctrines of Christ.

Once upon a time, a long time ago, in Mission Land, my missionary buddy and I were having dinner in the home of a family who attended the little Spanish branch.  They had invited a sweet little Puerto Rican grandma, Hermana Miriam Enchautegui, who had been recently baptized, to have dinner with us as well.  She asked one of those questions that make missionaries' hearts sing with gladness, "Hermanas, I have been baptized, but I feel like I'm just getting started-- like a new baby.  What does God want me to do now?"  We talked with her about Nephi's conversation with God the Father and with Jesus Christ in 2 Nephi chapter 31.  Christ invites all to enter in at the gate, which is baptism, and then Nephi says, after we've entered in at the gate, "...then are ye in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life...And now my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done?  Behold I say unto you, Nay... Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men.  Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting on the word of Christ, and endure to the end, thus saith the Father:  Ye shall have eternal life."  I drew a little picture to show her what a "strait and narrow path" through life might look like.  It came out of the world, to the base of a tall mountain, and wound up narrow precipices to the top where the temple sat.  One must stay on the path to stay safe-- but staying on the path is insufficient!  We've actually gotta be movin' forward or we still never get there.  I can stand on the trail a long, long time, but unless I start walking forward I'll never ever get to the top.

Strait and straight have some cool meanings.  Sometimes in the scriptures we're following a "strait" and narrow, and sometimes a "straight" and narrow path.  Here's what I've learned about those words:
strait:  tight, narrow; strict or rigorous; allowing no evasion
straight:  extended at full length; leading directly to its destination; not deviating or circuitous; with regard to a mountain, steep; right, proper, or fitting.
Wow!  Check it out!  I mean it really is strait and straight!

For the last six months or so I have been serving as a weekly teacher for the older half of the young women in our ward (the 14-18 year olds).  I have really, really loved working with those girls.  As I have worked hard to communicate with them spirit to spirit, I have seen an apostle's promise fulfilled: "True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behaviors."  I have observed that if people are behaving in a way that is not in keeping with God's laws it is because there is a doctrine they don't entirely understand.  So I taught those little sisters of mine doctrine from the scriptures and from the living prophets in as clear a way as possible, often citing examples from my own life, especially my mission life.  And they soaked it all in.

Recently I was released from working with the Young Women.  I'm now serving in the Relief Society presidency.  (I'm the counselor in charge of teaching-- I'm seeing the beginning of a theme here, are you?)  Anyway, between my new calling, and Stake and General Conference, I hadn't seen those little sisters for some time, but had still been working on the temple-castle art project.  Each time I sat down to work on the piece I had a prayer to ask God to guide my hand so that this piece would communicate to the girls exactly what they needed to know.  And He did.  (He always does!  I love that the God I worship is such an unchanging being as that!)  Because I'd received so much divine assistance I realized that I couldn't just hand the picture to the Young Women leaders and say, "Welp.  It's done.  Here ya go!"  The girls needed to know what it was really all about.  They needed to know about Nephi, and Hermana Miriam, and strait and straight.  So I asked one of the counselors if I could have a minute to explain to the girls what it all meant.  She said that I could have a few minutes after the girls' presentations and before the Bishop's closing remarks.  Deal.  Three minutes would probably be enough.

 
Only, that's not really how it went down.  A shuffle of technical difficulties, planning issues, etc. put me as the concluding speaker with more than "just a few minutes."  The girls had been washed over with words from President Uchtdorf, their good leaders, pretty music, and their own testimonies.  The Spirit was already there, doing his good work.  I showed them the picture, and had them talk to me about what was there, what they could see.  I told them about Hermana Miriam and Nephi.  I testified of Christ's true doctrine.

And this is the way of it:  at the base of the painting there is a little, tiny village.  It is very cute.  After we come through the water, we get to spend some time in that village.  But we can't stay there.  We've got to get on the path to our Father's House.  We've gotta go Home.  We've got to get working on that strait and straight and narrow path.  There are some points in the path that are very forgiving, if we stumble off the path in some places it's pretty easy to get back on.  However, there are some points in the path that are down-right treacherous.  Stumbling off these parts will break us to pieces.  Always, through the Atonement, we can get back on the path, but there are risks that just aren't worth the pain!  Substance abuse and law of chastity violations are two of the most treacherous stumbles we can take-- the pain of regaining the path after losing footing there is great indeed!  I told them, "I'm going Home because I know who is there waiting for me.  My Father is there.  I love you little sisters so much, and I am so little and so imperfect.  His love is so, so, so much bigger than my love for you can be!  And He is waiting for you, too!  Because He loves you SO BIG!  Please come with me.  Let's go Home."

I think they could see it.  That moment when they're welcomed Home by their Eternal Father.

Now, it's Sunday evening, a few weeks later.  The house has been readied for bed; I still have my apron on.  As I slide my hand into my pocket my hand brushes against a memory:  the gratitude scarf.  I have another scarf forming in my pocket now.  Each little stitch in this scarf represents a time when I could see and feel my place in God's Plan; knits and pearls loop, one over the other, the whole made stronger by the union of the one to its neighbor.  Like Zion.