There really are Angels among us

Wow this is my very first post ever! I have wanted to create a blog since I moved here and am excited to finally get the ball rolling.
At the end of this summer I will have been here a whole year- I can't believe how it's flown by! I was thinking about that night in the airport where I had to say goodbye to my family . . . definitely one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I remember trying so hard to keep my chin up, and not cry. . . which of course I did- I remember walking toward the terminal wondering what I was thinking, and if this was all really going to be worth it. I remember praying that night for strength and comfort. I knew that this was going to be hard and I needed to know that I wasn't going into this alone. I prayed for reassurance to know, really know, that this is where my father in heaven wanted me be. I felt confident that he had led me in this direction, every step of the way, but I was feeling more alone there in that airport that night than I have ever felt before. I kept praying and praying. . . and finally, my prayers were answered.
I remember being immediately comforted by a talk that I heard on my iPod. I had never heard this one before and knew that it wasn't just a coincidence that I found it that night. It seemed like blessing after blessing followed. That night was the first night that I started really recognizing the angels that God had purposely placed in my life. There are angels among us. I believe that with all my heart. I have found myself out here at so many dead ends; whether it be that I'm lost or . . . well mostly lost . . . or stuck in a sticky situation, or just find myself needing help, there have literally been angels planted in my path. I have found myself numerous times, praying for an angel. Here is just a fun example of my most recent angel sighting:

Just recently when I flew home visiting the fam, I had taken all of my luggage with me to work since I had come straight to work that morning from the airport. I was thinking all day about how I was going to be able to get everything home. I could take a cab, but the ride home would have been like forty bucks plus a tip- so I decided that I could just take it all home via the subway. As I thought about this a little bit more and more, I began sort of talking myself out of the idea; lots of luggage, stairs, working elevators-perhaps, pretty sure there weren't elevators at my stop. . . I couldn't think about it anymore. I was just going to make it work- and pray and pray for help along the way. It was finally time for me to leave; I gathered my big suitcase, my carry on, my purse, my laptop, and my dad's neck pillow. I was crazy to think that this was all safely going to make it home with me. As I left my building I realized that I actually had to carry everything down a couple more blocks than normal for the elevator entrance. Finally after making it there I get down to the first level where I had to go through the "special entrance," instead of the turnstile, because of my excessive load. It's rush hour, there are a million people down there, and I'm totally in the way, trying really hard not to think about it too much- I just continued to pray for help to make it home. The MTA attendant wasn't at her station for some odd reason and there were a bunch of us waiting in line because we needed her assistance. After waiting some time, a man approached me and asked if I needed help. I just told him that I needed the attendant to let me through the gate. He told me that he would just hold it for me and let me swipe my card and go through. I was so grateful for him and his kindness. I now had to go down another level on another elevator, and over to another elevator to go up, but when I got to it, I noticed there was a sign on it that said it was out of order. I didn't know what to do now, I felt like I was finally at a dead end because this was the only elevator that could take me to my train and there was no way I could get all of my bags up the stairs. Another woman approached me, just ignored the sign and pressed the up button on the elevator; it lit up, and the door immediately opened. I just acted like I couldn't read the sign either and got in with her. It took us exactly where we needed to be and we finally arrived at the top just as my train was pulling up. I approached the train as soon as the doors cleared from all those exiting the train and a man braced himself in the doorway for me so that the door wouldn't close on me. He was definitely angel number three in this adventure traveling home. I was finally at my stop but because of where the elevator entrance was at the previous stop I was about two blocks underground away from the exit to the street. Now living here in this wild city, I've learned a thing or two about the do's and don'ts of riding the subway. . . and getting off at the tail end of the train for my stop was definitely a don't. You always want to be at the front, because that's where everyone else is. You never want to be the straggler. I didn't totally have a choice in this case, so I just got off and started toward the exit. I saw the group clear down there and a whole lot of empty space between me and them- which was fine, until he got off. He, was a bandanna wearing, pierced, tattooed giant. Now I was beginning to feel a little vulnerable, and a lot afraid. I started praying again. . . praying to be invisible, and for that guy to just maybe not notice me and my loud rolling luggage. . .I was ready for that angel to appear anytime now. . . just then the gangster in front of me turned around and saw only me; Awe man- that was exactly what I didn't want! His glance gave me chills. I was close enough to see that his face was all swollen and I didn't know if his eyes barely being cracked open was just because he was tired, or stoned, had just gotten in a fight or maybe was just born like that. I knew that he saw me though, but I got an extra knot in my stomach when he turned back around and started slowing down his pace. I was walking fast- eager to get outta there. I was gaining on him now big-time, but I thought that that was safer than slowing down, being even farther away and even more alone with this stranger. I have been so blessed since I have been here, and luckily haven't found myself too afraid very often. I try to keep myself in places where I feel safe, out in the open with other friends or just lots of other people in general. I was just about to pass this stranger when I got right to the gate to exit. He grabbed the door for me, and I went right through, but now he was right behind me. Did he plan this? I was so afraid looking up at the giant staircase I had to climb with all my bags-- where was this angel that I had been praying for? Then suddenly he grabbed my bag. He didn't say anything. I knew it- he was going to steal all of my stuff, this was it. He had a strong grip but I just kept holding on. He finally said, "I got it." I didn't totally have a choice. I was not going to fight him- he could have it. He tugged at my other bag- he could have that one too. I started acting like he was just helping me out, not really stealing all my stuff, so I started saying things as we walked up the stairs like, "Yea, I didn't realize my bags were so heavy. I was wondering how I was going to get these all up the stairs. Yea, you carry those like they’re nothing." Without him saying a single word, or even acknowledging that I was there we got to that top step. I didn't know what was going to happen next, so I waited for him to say something. I half expected him to run off with everything, and half expected him to ask me if he could take it to my home . . . and then whatever came after that. But . . . to my surprise, he handed me back everything, his squinted eyes looked right at me and said, “Happy to serve you." Then he walked off. What just happened? Do people that look like that actually say things like that? All I knew was that I was alive, and a block away from my home in broad daylight with all my bags intact. I knew that he was the angel that I had been praying for. I learned that day that anyone can be an angel, for someone else. I know that he was to me. There was no way I could have gotten all my bags up those stairs. I was so overwhelmed with gratitude for that experience and for the answers to my prayers. I have thought a lot since that time about how much I desired to be an instrument in God's hands and be an angel in someone else's life.
This past week, my work sent me to Florida to help with some training with some new equipment, and to supervise the company we had hired to take inventory. I was there Tuesday through Friday and just had a blast! I had never been to Florida before- it was beautiful! The people that I worked with couldn't have treated me nicer. They made sure I had everything that I needed and every night even though I only was staying only a couple blocks away from the mall, they made sure that I was safely taken back to the hotel. It was fun being by myself for a few days, having some time to relax and think about things. But I’d have to say that probably my favorite part of the trip was my ride home. . .
There was a kid that I sat next to on the plane that had begun his first year of practicing law at a law firm in Florida, he had graduated from Harvard, been a marine in Iraq, and worked in Liberia for a few months doing research for lawsuits against corruption in their government. This kid was very successful and I assumed very goal oriented just from the few things I had found out about him, so I was surprised at his response when he asked me about who I was and what I was doing at this point in my life. He asked about what some of my ambitions were and in that I included my excitement for someday becoming a mother. I explained that as much as I would love to have a huge successful career, I want to pursue things that will allow me to be aggressive when I need to but also allow me to have the freedom to step back when I need to; Like when I’m ready to begin a family, and allow me to be able to spend time with my children to teach them and raise them, and just be there for them when they needed me. I could tell that this was not the response that he was expecting but it was the truth. He was so surprised by that answer that a whole flood of questions followed. When he found out I was from Utah he got excited because just about a week ago he had been listening to KNPR and heard them talking about Mormonism. Because of this spark of interest he told me that he went home and looked it up on Wikepedia, curious to find out more. Our flight was suppose to only be 2 and a half hours but we took about an hour or so to even leave the runway, so by the time we got back to New York, I felt like I had taught him everything that I possibly could about our faith. From Joseph Smith, to Cortez confusing the American natives, the Golden plates, angels, and my testimony of the truth of it all, I can only pray that Kobe continues to search for the answers that only the true gospel of Jesus Christ can bring him.
After we landed, I started heading toward the Airtran that transports people from the airport to the subway that goes through various parts of the city. There was the cutest girl that stopped me in the airport and asked me for directions to the Airtran, I told her that that was where I was going and that she should just follow me. I couldn't help but smile, when she yelled over to me, "Man, I was just so lost, and so confused! My dad- he said that he wouldn't come pick me up because he wanted me to learn how to ride this Airtran. I am so glad that I found you!" I continued to walk with her to the station and found a map. I asked her to point out the area where she lived so that I could give her the directions of the different trains that she needed to take to get there. We would for the next hour or so be riding together because we were getting off at the same stop! We would both switch trains from there, but would be riding 95% of the way home together. She kept telling her dad that she had found someone that was going to help her get home, and couldn't believe what the chances were that she ran into me. Her dad told her to stop talking to strangers, but she just kept reassuring him that she was fine and that she trusted me. I had the funnest talk with her the whole ride into the city; she was such a sweet girl, with such on optimistic fun attitude!
I finally made it safely home. With a heart full of gratitude, I thank my Heavenly Father for the experience I had and for the privilege it was to be able to serve others, to be an instrument in his hands, to help others when they needed it- even though I didn't hardly even do anything, I was so grateful for that opportunity. I pray that I can live my life in a way that will allow me to continue to have experiences like these; to serve and to teach.
There are angels among us- I know that. I know that we can pray for them, and that sometimes . . . we can be blessed with opportunities to actually be them for others.