Orbits

My husband shared a quote with me about orbits recently and it has become a new family word. This was in an email he sent to me:

"The responsibility to watch over God's children is a heavy one. Whenever I feel inadequate as a parent, I remind myself of something Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926-2004) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles once said: "The same God that placed that star in a precise orbit millennia before it appeared over Bethlehem in celebration of the birth of the Babe has given at least equal attention to placement of each of us in precise human orbits so that we may, if we will, illuminate the landscape of our individual lives, so that our light may not only lead others but warm them as well."4

This statement uplifts me when I am discouraged. It gives my wife and me courage in our abilities as parents, knowing that our children have been placed within our "orbit" for a reason and that Heavenly Father trusts us."

Sister Kolarova was placed in our family orbit. She is the angel on earth who has been able to teach my triplets the gospel in a way that I simply cannot do: in Bulgarian. Not only does she speak Bulgarian, but she is from Bulgaria. She knows the slang, the food, the culture. She loves my children and she wants for them to learn the gospel. 

Today she is flying home to her native country. She has completed her mission in Utah at Temple Square. Towards the end of her mission, she requested an extension. Because she extended, I was able to meet her and she was able to begin teaching my kids. She said that Michael was her first baptism. After she goes home, she is planning to continue skyping with my children and teaching them more about Jesus Christ. She is humble and kind, inspired and loving. Because of her sacrifice to serve a mission, my children are learning the gospel faster than they would have. Because she decided to put her life on hold so she could become a missionary, Michael is now baptized. I cannot express in words my sincere gratitude to her. But I was able to send her a package before she went home. And this was after she mailed us Bulgarian wafers to celebrate Michael's baptism. 

Dear Sister Kolarova - I love you very much!!!!!!