Wednesday, February 17, 2016

1st Letter to President Taggart

Sister Brooklyn Burk

My gospel understanding:

I’ve grown up in the church with parents who were incredibly diligent in daily family prayer, meals, scriptures, weekly FHE, and church.  Each time I’ve learned the  basics, Heavenly Father teaches me something new.   I have learned how the gospel and the atonement all fit together in one big plan.  I know God loves His children.  Heavenly Father has helped me see how simple the gospel is.

One of the greatest insights and blessings in my life, is that I love learning about the atonement. It is so amazing.  Heavenly Father has led me on a very special and very personal path in understanding my ability to choose to accept the Atonement, to choose His love and accept it into my life.  I’m learning about my divine heritage as his daughter. I have the ability to access an inner strength to follow my Savior, and  to move forward through mistakes.   I am more and more aware of how Satan has woven his messages so well into our thoughts and in all the things around us to stop us from using the strength Heavenly Father has given us. I know He loves us. I know  he has paid the price and paved the way for each of us to return home.

I had the wonderful opportunity, at BYU-I, to serve as a Relief Society President in my student ward.  I wouldn’t have traded the experience for anything! I loved learning, and feeling needed and useful.  It gave me an opportunity to go out of my way for others.  I enjoyed talking to the sisters and finding out how they were doing.  My calling gave me strength and continual hope that things would work out no matter what.

My family is pretty big. I’m the youngest of seven, two boys and five girls.  We are all really spaced out in age, twenty one years between my oldest brother and I. I was born and raised in Emmett, Idaho, a beautiful rural area, surrounded by several of my cousins. I get teased really frequently about the color of my hair, but I love being a red head. I love singing.  Some of my fondest memories were around the piano while my mom played and my dad and siblings sang.

I want to travel all over Europe. I love all the different cultures and history on this continent, especially Ireland and Scotland. I want to be more adventurous and spontaneous. Life is meant to be lived, not survived.




A spiritual highlight to me has been the times that I look back and see the people Heavenly Father has led into my life.  They have taught me to understand that God has a personal interest in each of our individual daily lives.