Several experiences with prayer this week

I have been really struggling with my calling as a Sunday School teacher for the 17-year-old class. I love teaching but feel like I don't invest what I should into preparing a lesson. I plan a myriad of lessons for school all week long and I'm mentally done by the time I'm ready to prepare another lesson for Sunday. This week I prayed to Heavenly Father about it and let him know my frustrations with the situation. I don't want to be released but a weekly lesson is too much for me right now. I just keep telling myself to hang on until January, but that is still several months away.

Today our Sunday School president asked to speak with me for a few minutes before I began class. He said he felt like he needed to put two people in each class and would I be okay with swapping lessons. I told him that was a direct answer to my prayer. I'm hoping it will begin soon. Prayers really do get answered. Sometimes quickly and sometimes they take awhile.

The other one is I prayed about what I could do for my sister Natalie after hearing about the terrible day she had had a week previously. I had the impression all week I needed to go visit her in Logan. And I kept telling myself that I just couldn't do it. Saturdays are big days for me in planning for the upcoming week. Finally, late Friday night I texted her and said that Ash and I were going shoe shopping and wanted to come up and take her to lunch. And then I hit send . . . at 11:10pm. It was that late. I got a reply the next morning and Ash and I made a girl trip to Logan. It was impromptu and fun and like Natalie told me, "just what I needed -- thanks for coming up." I followed through with a prompting and that always gives me confidence that I'm doing what the Lord needs me to do.

Is is convenient? I feel like never.

Will the Lord bless my efforts? Always.

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A family update: Kiersten and Jason have moved into the basement of Grandma and Grandpa Ellis's house.

The commute is a bit longer to school and work but this will enable them to save a lot of money. Plus they get to hang with Grandma and Grandpa. What a treat for them. Jason even got permission to hang Christmas lights and convinced Kiersten to climb a tree to hang some there.

They both quit Costa Vida. Kiersten is working with Jason's mom at a Curves workout place, and Jason has gone back to being a server at Olive Garden in addition to both going to school full time.