Speaker:
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Hello, my friends, you are listening to
the creative, spiritual journey, small
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steps, where we give you small steps to
help you move forward on your journey.
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Today's small step.
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To embark.
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Let me start off by saying so bona.
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So bona is a Zulu greeting,
which means I see you.
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I love this because to truly
see someone is to love them.
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And I believe God sees us.
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I'm Judy Cooley.
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My husband and I are serving
a mission in South Africa.
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KwaZulu natal.
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In a city.
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Named new castle.
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Which is our new home away from home.
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. We embarked on this mission
because we answered the call
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from the spirit to go and do.
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Also it's something we wanted
to do for the past 40 years.
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It was a choice.
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To give all our heart might
mind and strength to the Lord.
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To lay it on the altar.
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Now before you think.
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Oh, how wonderful.
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I want to share with you the struggles as
well as the tender mercies and miracles.
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We've discovered.
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To embark means to go on board.
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Like the ship selling off on an adventure.
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It also means to begin a journey.
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In the scriptures doctrine, covenants
four begins with a marvelous work is about
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to come forth among the children of man.
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Only that embark and the service of God.
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See that you serve him
with all your heart.
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All your might all your
mind and all your strength.
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Christ is asking us to be all in.
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All aboard.
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Well, let me tell you where my heart
and head were upon arriving here.
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I left my heart at home.
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With my family and my head was a mess.
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It was searching for familiar ground.
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And my strength was basically
a puddle on the floor.
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All I could see was the ugly
things, the hard things, the many
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locks on our doors and bars on our
windows and brick floors and walls.
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So tall.
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You can't see over that are
topped with electric fencing.
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Uh, and there was no earth for me to sink
my hands and feet into to feel grounded.
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My soul cried out.
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Oh, I can not do this for two years.
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Eric kindly listened and comforted
me asking . Can you do today?
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Try just to take it one day at a time.
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You see, Eric knows what
it's like to be homesick.
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Because of when he was a young missionary.
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So after a long dark night, The
next morning I got up and I started
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my day with my traditional am.
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Ritual of meditative prayer.
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That's when a Sparrow
landed outside my window.
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And the spirit whispered to me.
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Judy.
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Like the Sparrow.
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I see you.
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It was then that I realized
to be all in and to give all
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and to have joy is a choice.
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And so.
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I can choose to be all in for that day.
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We then went for a walk down
a path outside of our complex.
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I discovered wild zinnias well,
if you know me, you know how much
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I love zinnias there were these
hanging bird nest in the trees.
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From what is called the
yellow Weaver birds.
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Big beautiful open skies with
mountains in the distance.
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We're surrounded by farmland.
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I found a feather.
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And Eric found me a little heart rock.
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All of these are what I call
God winks and says sub-one.
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Bona ICU.
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Since then I've tried to choose joy.
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Every day, choosing to be all in.
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I've even discovered moments.
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when the thought has come to mind.
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I love it here.
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You see.
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I've been waiting for
my heart to catch up.
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After leaving so much at home.
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I have discovered.
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Christ is helpful to me.
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Create a new heart
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with his grace.
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While he watches over and
promises to care for my heart.
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And those loved ones back at home.
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I want to share with you a story.
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I have the great explore Cortez.
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Now Cortez upon arriving in the new world.
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Orders that all the ships are to be burnt.
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In the Harbor.
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This sent a clear message to his man.
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There is no turning back.
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I have burned the ships.
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Oh, dear.
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Do I need to burn my ship?
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Really?
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And Ted calesters talk.
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The consecrated missionary.
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He states.
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When we came to the mission field,
you burned the ships in the Harbor.
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There is no retreat.
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You cannot have one foot at home.
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And one foot in the mission field.
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In other words.
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I can't have all my heart
at home and all my heart.
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In the mission field But unlike
Cortez, our savior has promised
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that he will be with us.
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His spirit will go before face and
his angels roundabout to lift us up.
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His grace or support us moment to moment.
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So, what are you waiting for?
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what do you need to embark in?
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Begin the journey upward.
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my invitation to you be all in.
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I have discovered that I was turning
inward and it was all about me.
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Mimi.
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Instead of reaching outward and upward.
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To those that I've been
sent here to serve.
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And to open my eyes to
the angels, roundabout me.
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And the miracles.
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And the joy.
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Of serving a mission.
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And the beautiful faces.
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Of my new friends and my brothers
and sisters here in new castle.
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Such a blessing.
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I also invite you to look for your own.
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God weeks in your life.
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Where is he showing you his love?
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That you were in the right place at
the right time and that you're needed.
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At first.
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Uh, consecration may seem like Mount
Everest, unconquerable, and approachable,
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But every step you take forward.
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Every day you choose to be all in, However
minute it may seem furthers our accent.
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Until one day you were
standing on the summit.
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I leave you with my testimony
and my love for our savior
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Jesus Christ, who he was all in.
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When he chose to atone and
sacrifice his all for us,
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he is my joy.
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It is for him that we embarked into this
marvelous work in wonder of finding,
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lifting, and loving our brothers
and sisters here in the new world.
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Of South Africa.
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This is his work
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And I say these things in
his name, Jesus Christ.
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And I'll see you on the trail.
