My September 27th 2015 Church Talk

2 Corinthians 4:8-10 In every way we’re troubled, but we aren’t crushed by our troubles. We’re frustrated, but we don’t give up. We’re persecuted, but we’re not abandoned. We’re captured, but we’re not killed. We always carry around the death of Jesus in our bodies so that the life of Jesus is also shown in our bodies.

The topic of my talk is:

“Faith in God will sustain us in times of adversity”

Difficulty	hardship	sorrow	misery	trauma
setback		burden		trail

My name is Cynarra Starlette Jamerson. I’m a medical Assistant, teacher’s assistant, and I’m going to OCC to become a neurodiagnostic Technician. I’m the only member of the church in my family for the past 5.5 years.  Thanks to my dad I love horror films and video games and thanks to my mom, I have a great sense of style.

I grew up on Atari games which includes Space Invaders, Pac-Man, frogger and 2,600 other games. My family was into Pac-man. I thought it was the only game worth the challenge and when I needed help, my mom and friends always helped me out. I’ve played other games but it only made me realized that Pac-man was the best game in the world

Until one day I see a friend playing Super Mario Brothers and I liked what I saw. “Two brothers traveling far and wide in hope to save someone that can’t save themselves.” I even liked what the other players brought to the table. So I played that game so much with them I knew I had to look up what other people say about it…They hate it and have nothing positive to say about Super Mario Brothers. I listened for a while but eventually I made up my mind and ask my mom how she feels about the game. She tells me it’s a waste of time and Pac Man is the original game the true game. I thought about it some more and eventually this game is so embedded in my mind and spirt that I have to get with the program and join the Super Mormon-I mean Mario brothers team…Even though I play Pac Man (Baptism) on holidays with my family.

The first trial (I mean level) is pretty easy. I encounter Goomba (negative creatures that just don’t know any better than to hurt anything around them) After all, they DO serve Boss Bowser. By taking the high road hitting a few bricks, and leaping to the occasion I’m rewarded with a mushroom of spiritual growth. Now I am a force to be reckoned with and with great ease I passed that level. There are fireworks and music and a private victory dance.

Then the next level starts. They get harder and the Goomaba get sneaker and faster to keep up with me. They are my car troubles, work issues, money issues, arguments ect. I might get a set back from here or there but I’ve learned so much that I don’t scare easy. I know that if I stay on the straight and narrow one dimensional path set by the game maker, I will level up. Plus! I have great friends around you to help you get through those tough levels.

Then there comes THAT level. Everyone has their breaking point where they keep getting knocked down and nothing you do seems to be right or working. You think that no one wants to help you pass or could help you pass. I can’t ask your mom, she only has Pac Man answers and she’ll just ask me to get back to that game. So I turn it off because the sight of it makes me so angry I can’t see straight. I don’t want to play that game or any other one; in fact I’m just upset with Atair all together.

Time passes and I think I’m fine but sometimes even with my anger I still kind of miss it. One day I come across the cheat sheet book. A part of me says this book isn’t going to help but I ignore that feeling and I read

Romans 5:3-5 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

D&C 121 7-9

7My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment

8And then if though endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes

9Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands.

A light comes on inside of me and when I’m ready, that game is still there waiting for me. I’m a little rusty and have to start from scratch but the 1^st level is easy to beat and the so are the next ones. That one level comes up and I get nervous but I did my homework and I know how to get through it! I pass. But I know that there will be other levels like this in the future so I brace myself and play it.

The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.

Brothers and Sisters there will always be trials. You do not know what you are capable until do go through them. You will not show your true colors until you go though them. And with my years of experience I am learning that there is no way around them. You have to go through them and sometimes you will feel like you’re all alone. Each Goomba, fire ball, Boss, abyss to nowhere is placed strategically to make you better, faster, and smarter by the game maker. You are going to get stronger with each one. Because the game maker wants you to get to the last level.

“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.”
― Maya Angelou