Have you ever woken up in the morning, and you can just tell that it is a special day? My alarm went off at five o'clock a.m. this morning, and I knew it was going to be a special day. Today was the dedication of the new BYU-Idaho Center. It was such an incredible experience, and something that I will not soon forget.
It was one of those moments when you know that the Lord lives, loves you, and knows you personally.
It is such a beautiful building (it is literally a miniature conference center), and we are incredibly blessed to have it. I could not be more grateful.
It was my first time ever hearing an Apostle speak in person, and Eyring, Bednar and Nelson were all there today! It was this tangible thing, the love of God, you could feel when they walked into the room. I know the Savior lives, and I know that He loves each and every one of us. I know that He atoned for our sins, because He loves us and wants us to return to live with Him and our Heavenly Father. He knows our strengths and our weaknesses, our pains and sorrows, our passions and our joys. He knows we will all make mistakes, but that is exactly why we are here, to learn from them.
During the dedication, Elder David A. Bednar said (something to the effect of), "This building is a historic even in the history of this university, and one day you will tell your children and your grandchildren that you were present for the dedication of it." and President Kim B. Clark, "The wonder [that is felt in this building] is not in the building itself, but in the work that the Lord will do here." And Elder Eyring said that we are here to "worship, study and serve."
After the Elders had spoken, and the building had been dedicated to further the work of the Lord, the BYU-Idaho choir sang the Mormon Tabernacle Choir version of Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, and it was the most beautiful thing I think I have ever heard. "Prone to leave the God I love." You can feel the love of the Savior in this song if you understand that He knew you would make mistakes, stray from the path, and get lost at times. It is all part of the fall. However, He still loves you and wants you to return back home to him, He is our most loving Heavenly Father. So here you go, enjoy.
Overall I think I've done a poor job of explaining how life changing I think today was for me. But all I know is that I felt the love of God today, so strongly that I think it may literally have poured out of Heaven into my soul. I want to keep that love with me always. I want to share it with others, so that they too can feel the love that our Savior, Jesus Christ has for them too. I love being in Rexburg, I love BYU-Idaho. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now. I will be forever grateful for the promptings of the spirit that lead me to the decision to go here.
(If you're really bored, or just want to hear amazing messages, you can watch the dedication here: http://new.byuicomm.net/dedication-of-the-byu-i-center/ )
