children of God

since being home many people have asked, "how was your trip?" it's so hard to some up all the emotions and experiences in a short sentence, which is what most people want to hear. but i can usually answer their next question, "what was your favorite part?" my favorite thing about ghana was the children. i loved their smiling faces. i loved making them laugh, and dance and sing. i loved seeing the joy on their faces by the most simplest of pleasures. there were times when i wondered why these beautiful children were born to a country with so little and why i had deserved to be raised in a country with so much. towards the end of the trip i realized that perhaps their's was the bigger blessing. they seemed to experience more joy and love for life and for God then any children i know of their same ages. kids as young as 6 spend hours pondering the love their Heavenly Father has for them. they are kind, gentle, and rarely pick fun at one another. perhaps while i was growing up in a world that told me i wasn't 'cool' unless i had the latest barbie, or the hippest jeans, or whatever. sweet girls like olivia are growing up in a world that tells them to work hard for their families, to love and support each other and to love Jesus Christ. then i realized i am truly not the lucky one. our trials in this life will be different, i will never have to worry about dying from Malaria, having children with Polio, or suffering from AIDs. but i know that no matter our trials, no matter the things we face in this world, we all have a Father in Heaven. a Father that is mindful of our life. and regardless of the trials we face in this life, on any continent, we all have a Savior who has suffered more than us all. who has made it possible for us to find that joy that these ghanian children so freely posses. sunday in primary we sang a song entitled, "i know Heavenly Father loves me" it brought tears to my eyes to know that the children who know this were not just in that room, in a little church in utah. that this world is full of children who have this truth. i missed them in that moment. so much.