Small Step: To Embark

Speaker: 00:00:00

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.