Love Note to My Friend, Emily Freeman

Dear Emily,

We've never met, but somehow I think of us as old friends, since I'm pretty sure we stood in a lot of the same lines in heaven together. The line of random delight. The line of delight in the absurd. The line of delight in humanity. The line of delight in all things Jesus.

I discovered your Inklings Institute on Instagram a little late, but I've been a huge fan since 2019 when we studied the covenant promises of Israel at the invitation of President Nelson. Sister Eva Timothy's beautiful artwork of the promises graces my study corner. I love having a visual reminder that God is always with me.

I particularly love the notion of sprinkles - not just because it evokes cupcakes - a serious treat. If you were looking for a poster child for the girl most likely to need this approach, it might be me. In that spirit, I have sprinkled in and sprinkled out for the past 5 years, and loved every minute of what I got, blissfully aware that it was enough with the press of life.

In my current fiery furnace, I received an intriguing invitation from Heavenly Father in prayer one night about 5 weeks ago: "Why don't you go back and take this whole semester over again before general conference?"

It seemed to me the opposite of the sprinkle approach - anti-sprinkles, if you will - and I must confess: I did balk. But I've learned that Father's most intriguing invitations often yield the most incredible results.

So I took a crash course - a blizzard of sprinkles - like I was studying for the LSAT. The results were SO MUCH BETTER than getting into law school. It prepared me for last weekend in a higher and holier way than I ever remember preparing for general conference.

The most tender part was how such a concentrated effort enabled the Holy Ghost to fashion a private tutoring course just for me. As my Creator, Heavenly Father is completely aware of my gifts and talents, along with the emotional scars or unhealed wounds that still influence how I'm weeding my mortal garden. Knowing the whole package, He took me on a customized journey of revelatory insights to shape the next six months of my study in ways that wouldn't have been possible without accepting His challenge.

So I just had to write to thank you, O friend-that-I-have-yet-to-meet, for putting such love for the restored gospel and doctrine of Jesus Christ into the world. The last five weeks of my life has probably been more like you eating your entire dozen gluten-free, dairy-free cupcakes in one sitting, but without that horrible "What did I just do?" feeling at the end.

I feasted on the words of Christ, and I was better prepared to feel the JOY of the messages of general conference last weekend, including yours.

I'm better prepared to study in a higher and holier way going forward.

I'm better prepared to listen as the Holy Ghost will teach me "all things what [I] should do (2 Nephi 32:3), because I responded to the divine invitation to climb this past 5 weeks, in a season where climbing sounded all too daunting.

Thanks again. So many prayers for your stewardships. And particular prayers for Greg. <3

Love,

Laureen