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[00:00:00] Morgan Jones Pearson: I first heard Savannah Wooden's story walking back from a playdate with our two little girls. She casually mentioned that she'd had brain surgery in high school and had missed half of her freshman year. I was intrigued and began to ask questions. She explained that she'd suffered from epilepsy from the time she was one and a half.

She told me that her whole world was turned upside down when she awoke from her surgery and she didn't recognize her family. As she later put it in a sacrament meeting talk, I didn't know what hospital I was currently at or why I was at this hospital. I was lost. I didn't know the woman in my room crying right next to me saying I love you was my mom.

She was a stranger. I didn't know the man in my room asking to give me a priesthood blessing was my dad. He was a stranger. I didn't know what a priesthood blessing was nor who the man was that wanted to give it to me. End quote. But as we walked home from this playdate, Savannah powerfully testified to me of the power of the priesthood and what happened when she finally allowed her dad, whom she still didn't recognize, to give her a blessing.

Rather than a traditional bio, I'd love to let Savannah's story unfold for you as it did for me. I hope you're okay with that.

This is All In, an LDS Living. podcast where we ask the question, what does it really mean to be all in the gospel of Jesus Christ? I'm Morgan Pearson, and I am so honored to have my friend, Savannah Wooden on the line with me today. Savannah, welcome.

[00:01:33] Savannah Wooden: Oh, thank you. Thank you for having me, Morgan. I'm excited and of course nervous, but grateful for this opportunity I have.

[00:01:40] Morgan Jones Pearson: Well, you, the people listening should know that Savannah and I are in the same ward in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and I, um, Just on a walk last end of last summer, Savannah told me a little bit about her story and subsequently shared some of it in sacrament meeting. And both times I was like, this is a story that more people need to hear.

And I think Savannah, you have such a strong testimony and such a light about you. So I'm excited to share. this with other people. But to start us off, you began experiencing seizures from the time you were just a year and a half old. Can you tell me a little bit about your first seizure?

[00:02:24] Savannah Wooden: Yes, I'd love to.

So I was one and a half at the time. My family background a little bit. I had, my mom had three kids under the age of five and a half. And I mean, she was a stay at home mom. And it was just a period of time when I was sick and it was like fluctuating from being like sick of like a high fever and throwing up to then a moment where I was completely fine.

And so my mom was just so uncertain what to do. And so my dad actually like, it was like, I think it was like four or five days later, my dad went to the grocery store to go to get some Sprite because we think that would help my stomach. And in that moment, my mom really had a strong prompting that she needed to take me to go see a doctor or go to the Instacare.

And so my mom was like, okay, I'm just going to wait till my husband gets home and then I'll go take her to the Instacare. Well, then all of a sudden the spirit prompted again, like, no, you need to go and you need to go now. And so crazy enough, my mom actually left. Three kids under the age of five and a half.

So my little brother was two months old and she started packing things up. She called her brother to come watch the kids, but we literally left the house before my brother, her brother even got to the house. And so she really was stressed out with the idea of like why we needed to go and the thought of leaving the kids, but she followed the prompting.

We I actually hopped into my dad's truck, and so we didn't have any car seats, so she just put me in the side of her, in the passenger seat, and we started rushing to the Instacare, and while we were heading to the Instacare, she was passing the ER, and then the spirit prompted her again, like, You actually need to go to the ER like you need to go right now and so she's like why I don't know like this is crazy like I'm really nervous and so she made a hard turn and made it to the ER building.

She ran in, was panicked and frantic. People could see that I did have like a high fever and with me being so young they were like, Hurried and rushed me in to see the doctor and within, it was like a minute or two, I had my first ever grand mal seizure. And my mom was so very grateful that we were there at the hospital rather than being like at home or in the car or with other kids or, you know, She was just so grateful that we were there at the ER.

And so, every time that I would have a seizure, we would need to go see the doctor. And we went to go see the doctor after moving back to Utah, and the doctor we were previously supposed to see actually canceled on us for something probably urgent, and we actually got in with the head of neurology. And we were really lucky to do that at Primary Children's Hospital because how booked they get.

So, we got in with him and talked about how I was having seizures and if we needed to fix up my prescription or whatever. And he brought up the possibility for me qualifying for brain surgery. And we were like, what? We've never heard such a thing. Like, that's crazy. I never would think That we I would qualify for something like that with like my age and the chances because at that time there just wasn't tons of surgeries and with all the doctors we've seen and no one bringing it up we were just really astonished to hear that so yeah we we talked to the doctor we I went over like the things, the tests that I need to do to see if I'd qualify before like I'd actually be able to sign up for the surgery.

And so we did it. We did some MRI tests, EEGs, water tests, I don't know, just tons of different testing to prepare for the surgery. The potential surgery. So, yeah,

[00:06:06] Morgan Jones Pearson: so then at that point, you know, that the surgery is a possibility, you know, that you qualify for it. You've had these tests, but there were also right.

Some risks with the surgery. Talk to me about how you and your family kind of came to the decision to even have surgery.

[00:06:28] Savannah Wooden: Yeah. So I mean, we were very nervous of the idea of having the surgery because where I, so after doing the testing, we saw that I had scar tissue, the size of a golf ball in my lower left lobe of my hippocampus on my left side.

And in that area is your memory and recall. And so the idea of taking out that big. Of amount of brain was really scary to my parents because one like this test hadn't been done before. I mean, I think it had been done before, but it just wasn't something that had been consistent to feel really confident about it.

And so my parents were nervous as well as just, you know, it taking out my memory, like, am I going to lose a ton of memory and forget a lot of things? And so They they did the water testing where they actually they went in and numbed half my brain and then they numb the other half and they do ask me questions to see if they did take out that part of my brain if I would be able to recall and have memory and still like pretty much be like myself and not bring on like tons of more concerns.

And that was a miracle itself.

[00:07:33] Morgan Jones Pearson: So that's wild. Yeah. So it was crazy. We were really lucky. So then tell listeners a little bit about how the surgery actually turned out.

[00:07:46] Savannah Wooden: Okay. So that, that was exciting. So after all the testing, we felt really optimistic and we were so excited because my dad, every time I had a seizure, my dad would literally be frantic and compared to my mom, my mom learned from one of her friends that in a moment of like, Scare like you need to be there.

You need to be the head honcho, you know, you need to just be on guard And once they're in a safe area in a safe spot, then that's when you can freak out And so that's what my mom would do whereas my dad he would just freak out because he was thinking more of like the potential like side effects If we never hear the seizures When we were talking about once again the surgery my dad was still thinking about the side effects that could potentially happen funny enough But My mom actually, the thing that scared her the most was, well, not the most, but I think she first asked the doctor was, how much hair am I going to have to shave off?

I thought that was pretty good. You do have beautiful hair, so I don't blame. No, I know. Well, it was funny because me i'm like that was that still like being a 14 year old girl. Like that was my last insecurity. I'm like, okay, my hair grows fast. I've got thick hair. I think it'll be able to will be fine if I have to shave my whole head to get like me to be seizure free.

I'll take it And so they said that they'd have to shave like the scar would look like a question mark and they'd shave like two, two inches tall and like eight inches long on my left side. And we were like, okay, we'll take it. Sounds great. And so we went into the surgery thinking that it was, after all the tests, that it was going to be great.

We, my mom and I went to the hospital and it was supposed to be six hours and it ended up being like a nine hour procedure. So, during the procedure, actually, my heart stopped beating for a minute, and if you think of it, like, oh, a minute's like not that big of a deal, but when it comes to, like, your heart, like, that's quite a bit of time, and there's potential, like, side effects if your heart does stop beating for so long because of, like, your oxygen levels and whatnot.

But luckily, it stopped for that woman, and I We believe I had no potential side effects or anything. And then they said also that they got the whole scar tissue removed from that side of my brain. And my parents were so excited. They felt so hopeful. The doctors were saying she should be seizure free since we got all of it and everything should be rainbows and butterflies.

And so, I mean, obviously recovery is hard, but we felt really good about it. So, After when I woke up from the surgery, that's when, you know, things were a little bit more nerve wracking. So it's been 10 years, this was freshman year in high school. So, you know, the awkward phase where you're not, I wasn't the most confident person and I didn't know my true self or any of those things.

And so when I woke up from the surgery, I actually didn't recognize my family. I didn't recognize my surroundings. I didn't know where I was, what happened, who this lady was. It was crying and saying, I love you. Or my dad saying he wanted to give me this thing called a priesthood blessing. Like all the only things that I remember was the.

I mean, I was like, I'm at a hospital. I know that. And I guess these are my parents. I think I, I'm like, I, I think I should trust these doctors and everything. And I actually only recognize the word God. So that was that when I first spoke up.

[00:11:23] Morgan Jones Pearson: So from there, obviously like that would be scary for you, scary for your family.

But you, your family began again to kind of see God's hand in your recovery and you saw miracles. Can you share a little bit about kind of what happened after the surgery?

[00:11:44] Savannah Wooden: Yes. So after the surgery. I was really tired and exhausted. It was draining. And so I really slept a ton of it. I don't even remember exactly like how long I was at the hospital, but it was a good amount of time.

And it took me a second to let my so called dad give me a priesthood blessing. But soon enough, I finally did let him give me a priesthood blessing. And that's when a really cool spiritual experience happened. He put his hands on my head and right away I I was, I mean, at first I was like all stressed out and anxious.

And then I just felt at peace and I heard like someone say like a spirit or an angel say, everything's going to be okay. And that moment in time, I then after the priesthood blessing, like I opened my eyes and like everything, like a lot of things like started actually clicking. I started recognizing like my parents and they looked familiar to me and they They were, I mean, I just totally knew that everything was going to be all right and that God had a plan for me, even though, I mean, I was forgetting, like, my family and whatnot, because also I forgot to mention that I went in and did some testing after the surgery and according to my learning levels, I was all the way down to Um, fourth and fifth grade education level when I was in ninth grade.

And so I had to relearn multiplication and division and all of those things. And also, once again, like the, when it came to church things, I pretty much was back into primary level learning. I mean, I knew a lot of the basics, but I didn't truly remember a ton of it. Yeah. So that was a really cool experience with my parents and the priesthood, like the gift of priesthood power.

It really helped me draw closer to them and like know that and hear angels say like everything is going to be all right.

[00:13:45] Morgan Jones Pearson: So despite the fact that you had that priesthood blessing that told you that everything was going to be okay And you did start to see some improvements The recovery still was a lot harder than you had anticipated Can you tell me a little bit about that?

[00:14:03] Savannah Wooden: Yes, so we initially told my counselor and teachers I would only miss like two to four weeks of school, but it turned into the entire year of freshman school. So I was gone for four months for those four to six weeks post surgery. I was basically confined into a bed sleeping. I had horrible migraines. I was exhausted from the surgery and the medication, doing anything.

Thinking, reading, watching movies, talking with people would once again bring on bad migraines for the four to six weeks. And so all I could do was sleep, which also just made me really depressed, which then led me to getting on antidepressant and anxiety medicine because of the Having those two things in that also didn't make things better because then I Gained like 30 pounds 25 30 pounds which did not boost my self esteem to go to school coming from Looking a lot different and being a different person to them like my education level being so low and my weight going up So high so my self esteem was very low.

My teachers also had a harder time understanding with me and my education level and so You We decided that we would just stop trying to have my teachers bring my schoolwork to the house and that we would just put it all on pause and do these packets. And so we went to this place called Huntington, and if it weren't for Huntington, I for sure would have not graduated high school.

At Huntington, it's just like a little place that kids go to to get help in school if they're behind or have homework they want help with, or if they want ACT help, and so that's where I went, and they were a lot more easygoing with helping me and like brought more understanding since they could see where I was coming from, and it made it so that I finished all the packets by the time I graduated.

I didn't finish them that freshman year slash freshman summer. We decided to like, give me a break. Let me just breathe. So we just did it like over time. I'd occasionally go over there and work on those packets. And also my family members were really sweet and helpful, helpful for them also. So

[00:16:24] Morgan Jones Pearson: Yeah, that I, I can only imagine like having been a high school girl, what that.

Feels like to just be a normal, like to have that normal experience and all the emotions and hormones and stuff. And, and then to factor in everything that you were dealing with. I, I honestly can't imagine that you ended up though, Savannah, like you said, you were able to graduate. You went to college away from home and you even served a mission.

Can you tell listeners a little bit about your decision to serve a mission?

[00:17:03] Savannah Wooden: Yes, I would love to. So, yeah, so I luckily I graduated. I got a lot higher of a GPA than what my family anticipated. I was just had like my. Life more put back together. I still, to this day, am the worst with names. My recall is horrible.

I repetitively ask questions and my grammar is not clear. The doctors actually, sorry this is sort of going back, but the doctors actually say this is, this is how they explain like one of my side effects. Instead of, if you live in Salt Lake you understand, but there's like a freeway called I 15 and it goes like the cities all are in between or on the sides of that.

Freeway line. And as I'm driving, as I'm driving from Draper to Salt Lake City, instead of going on I 15 on the freeway to just go straight there and it leads right to the hospital, I sort of weave around and go through Draper and Riverton and Harriman and you know, I just like weave around everywhere.

But sooner or later I get to the destination. It's just obviously like, why didn't you just Go on I 15. That's how like my grammar is. So it's like, okay, I get what she's saying, but this is what she's meaning. So that, that's, that's a lot of reason why you may be like a little bit confused when I'm speaking.

But that's like one of the side effects that I hate to this day. I mean, I'm still very grateful for that being it, but it drives me nuts as well as like, I have a word that I want to say, but I can't think of it. And it just takes a long time, but back to the mission thing. So I went to college for away from home, which my parents were really nervous about down in Cedar City, SUU.

My mom was nervous with the idea of me being so far away from home when I was so attached to her hip. And she obviously helped me through these crazy past four years of high school. And so how could I possibly take care of myself, but she knew it was for the better. And she was grateful that I was there to take the leap of faith and do it.

And so I went to SUU. And that's when I'll just admit I sort of went down a little bit of a rabbit hole. I I don't know it was I mean I could have done things a lot worse, but I just wasn't doing the most important things I wasn't reading my scriptures. I wasn't praying. I wasn't attending church I wasn't paying my tithing I wasn't going to the temple and doing baptisms for the dead like I used to all the time I I just was You Not doing any of the important things.

And I mean, I wasn't like I was off drinking and smoking and, you know, doing bad things with guys, but I just wasn't doing like the important things. And I'd come and visit my family back in Salt Lake every now and then, and they could tell a difference in me. My mom was like, same old. Seem like a little off right now.

Like, have you been going to church? I'm like, yes, of course. Of course I'm going to church. Why would I not be going to church? And she's like, you just, oh, you're not your same happy, bubbly Savannah anymore. And I'm like, interesting. And so. It came to the point that, I mean, I was asking my friends, I was like, am I really, like, that different?

And they're like, I mean, only if you know you, like, you can tell, but yeah, you can tell there's a difference in you. And I also just wasn't, like, real happy. I mean, uh, I, I was like, in moments of the week I would be happy, but overall, majority of it, I was just not happy. And that's when I was like, oh my gosh, this is why I'm not happy, because I'm not doing those things.

And so I, you know, did a little change and I decided to start going to Institute, actually mission prep. I didn't, that was, I didn't really know much about Institute. And so I just signed up for the first class that popped up. So I started going to Institute with one of my friends and I was, you know, going to church, praying, doing all those important things.

So as I would go to Institute, every time I was there, I was like, I want to go on a mission. And like, This is amazing. This is so cool. And then I'd step foot out of it. I'm like, I'm never going on a mission. That's so scary. Like that's so horrible. Like that's way too much for me to take. And so why would I personally go on a mission?

Like I can't do, I can barely even be away from family being three and a half hours. So how could I do it? But like I said, so then I started going to the temple, the Cedar City temple, every time after institute and reading the Book of Mormon because, because of freshman year of high school, that was the time that seminary did the Book of Mormon.

And so I sort of lost the opportunity to read the Book of Mormon with seminary. So I really just. Winged it and graduated, like I really didn't get the cool Book of Mormon experience and I really didn't read my Book of Mormon well and often and pray to know if it was true past then. And so, when I, after I finished reading the Book of Mormon, um, at the temple, I prayed to know if the Book of Mormon was true and in that moment, the Holy Ghost said, Go on a mission.

And I was like, what? Are you crazy? Like, that's not for me. I'm like, I, I'm not going on a mission. I said, I prayed to know if the book of Mormon is true. And so I said, the Book of Mormon is true, but you also need to go on a mission. And I was like, okay, so I guess I'm going on a mission. And so I decided to start signing up for mission without my family knowing, because I didn't want them to be asking me questions and wigging out because I know they would be like, what the heck?

Because prior to, like, my parents were obviously for me to go on a mission, but I never. I was always like, so I'm like, I am not going on a mission. I am way too scared to do that. Like, I don't know enough and I just can't do that. And so I signed up for the mission and it wasn't until I got asked my mom for her insurance card.

For my insurance card to put in my mission papers that she finally caught on the, I was signing up for my mission and my mom asked me, she's like, why do you need the insurance card? Are you sick? Are you okay? And I'm like, yes, I'm completely fine. And she's like, then why do you need it? I'm like, I'm actually signing up for a mission.

And she's like, No, really, why do you need it? I was like, um, because I, I'm just going on a mission and she was really astonished. Like I, yeah, like I said, I went to the Bishop and stake president and got it all started. And over Thanksgiving break, I got my wisdom teeth out. I do not recommend that because I couldn't have Thanksgiving dinner.

Like I wish I could have. But it was great. I decided to do the mission when actually prior to I was supposed to do this cool thing called ILP. I was going to go to Thailand and do this cool, almost like a study abroad type thing, but also so you go teach English, but also get to go tour around. So that's what I was going to plan on doing.

But then I decided to go on a mission. So I got my mission papers, got called, and I went out to serve. And I came back a completely different person. Like I. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have The experience that I had on a mission.

[00:24:09] Morgan Jones Pearson: Okay. So on your mission, you had a kind of unique goal about memorization, which for those that have listened up to this point, it's kind of clear why memorization would be important to you and something that you would want to do.

But can you tell listeners a little bit about that goal and why It was so important to you to set that?

[00:24:34] Savannah Wooden: Yes. So, like she said, yes, my memory was horrible, so if I could change anything about school, it was to take away tests because I am the worst test taker in the world. And also, good thing, like I have vision or I would never remember anyone because I, I see a person.

And it still takes me time, but that's how I can remember their name. But people like say celebrities names and I don't see a picture. I literally will forget it. So I made it a goal on the mission to memorize a scripture. I was trying to set as a goal once a week with a companion that I was training.

Actually, she's the one that got me started on it. So it wasn't me initially, but it was her. So I became a trainer. I was anxious, but luckily I was blessed with the cutest missionary ever. She was already like such a spiritual giant and I was the person that I needed. And so we were hand in hand with each other.

She was more say the logical, knows the spiritual knowledge things. And I was a person that could bond and connect with people and know how to tie things in and give examples. Anyways, so we started memorizing scriptures. Every week, and then we even came to the point of memorizing the living Christ and like other quotes and inspirational messages that really helped me gain a strong testimony of the gospel.

And honestly, I don't know if I would have lasted real long on the mission or if I would have enjoyed the mission if I didn't do that, because in times of, like, discouragement or doubt while we were out walking, like, what I do right away was cite one of the scriptures in my head. And like, I knew everything was going to work out and like cancel with the Lord and all my doings and he will direct me for that good.

God is mindful of all his people whatsoever land they may be in. I would just quote all these things just left and right. And still to this day, I do that. Times that I'm feeling really down or. Doubtful, I just quote parts of scriptures or the living Christ in my head to remind myself that everything's going to work out and that God has a plan for me and and so on

[00:26:39] Morgan Jones Pearson: Which I love so much My dad was really big on memorization when I was little And he would always say compliment your memory like tell yourself that you're capable of memorizing things and work on that skill and so I feel like To your point, like scriptures and quotes and things, they really can become like trusted friends that we turn to in a time of need.

And so I think that example is so great. You still Savannah to this day deal with some of the challenges that stem from this surgery that you had. But I love something that you said in your sacrament meeting talk you after recounting some of the things that can be hard for you. including repetitively asking questions or taking longer to explain something like you said earlier, you said this, but I see these as minor challenges I can handle.

And I feel truly blessed when I think about how things would be now if the surgery hadn't happened or if I had worse side effects today. I think that ability to recognize things as minor challenges that we can handle rather than being totally overcome by challenges is kind of a skill that people develop.

How would you say that you've learned to put the things that you face now in perspective?

[00:28:01] Savannah Wooden: So yes, I still do that. I still, like I said before, need to repeat questions, and it's hard for me to explain things, but over time I really have learned to do my best by trying to put my ongoing challenges into perspective, by shifting my focus more towards gratitude and the bigger picture, and less on the negative things and more on the positive.

So I've come to understand. The challenges are a natural part of life and everything happens for a reason. No matter what it may be, God has his timing. It's not us, it's him. It's hard for us to understand why for all the hardships we face, but I just know in the end, I will understand it all. I'll be asking him lots of questions and I know he'll have the answers because, you know, he's perfect, but I just know Lord's timing.

It's not my timing. And something that someone told me it's, is that you're in the waiting room, you're in the Lord's waiting room. And so sometimes there's, it's longer, sometimes they're on time, sometimes it's off time, but you're in the Lord's waiting room. So while like, Some challenges continue. I've learned to see them as minor hurdles and in the ground scheme of things, and it's all about gratitude and not comparison.

I don't know, by focusing more on positive and less on negative, one thing actually that my mom taught me is parallel and she used it with actually seizures. So, the parallel is, I'm just going to read it. The harm of having a seizure is like the harm of thinking and speaking negatively. Every time you have a seizure, the scar tissue in your brain grows bigger and bigger, feeding it to lead to more seizures and harm in your brain.

Just like negative thinking, every time you say something negative, you become more and more negative. feeding it to lead to more negative thoughts and harm to yourself. You can't control your seizures, but you can control your negative thinking. Stop thinking negatively and start thinking positively. So I really like that because it's true.

Every time I'd have a seizure, my scar tissue would get bigger and bigger. And like it causes more harm to yourself and other side effects. And same goes with negativity and life. Nothing's perfect. God has humor and things work crazy. I mean, I'll just be honest. I wasn't planning to get married as young as I got married.

And so I was like, why, why are you getting me married so fast? I thought I was going to graduate college and then get married, but wow, I, Wouldn't take a second back. I love my husband so much. I'm so grateful to have him And also i'm grateful that I couldn't be married I don't know. I wouldn't have met him because we actually met on our mission And we have our sweet baby that I don't know if I would feel Okay, and feel healthy enough to have a baby with like my medical issues like possibly dropping her and having a seizure So, I don't know.

I everything is minor and that's what I have to probably like remind myself

[00:31:12] Morgan Jones Pearson: That's so good. You've said that you couldn't have anticipated 10 years ago that you would even have the opportunity to be a wife and a mother. I wondered, as you look back on the last 10 years and the opportunities that God's given you and the life that you have right now, how would you sum up your gratitude for the goodness of God and His hand that you've seen in your life?

[00:31:40] Savannah Wooden: The first thing that came to mind is another thing that I quote. God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers. And it's true. I mean, I am blessed compared to where I could have been post surgery and compared to a lot of people that face seizures now. I know someone that is almost 30 and she has seizures frequently and she can't drive a car.

She can't live away from family. It's a lot harder for people with what they're facing in life compared to like the obstacles that I am now facing post surgery, but it helps me see that I can do hard things and Another one of my favorite scriptures is two Nephi 28 30, and it says, before behold, thus sayeth the Lord God.

I will give unto the children of men, line upon line, precept upon precept. Hear little and there little and blessed are those who harken unto my precepts and lend an ear unto my counsel. For I shall learn wisdom for un Him that receiveth I will give more. And from them that shall say, we have enough from them shall be taken away.

Even that which they have. And that right there tells us that if we listen to and follow what God teaches us, good things will come bit by bit. It may not come like all at once, but slowly, but surely everything will come together. And those who pay attention to his advice will become wiser and get even more good things out of it.

It's like trusting that good things will happen when we follow and Everything will come in the Lord's timing.

[00:33:14] Morgan Jones Pearson: That's so good. And I, I've never thought about that scripture quite in that way. And I will, I will be grateful next time I read it to think of the way that you summed it up. Savannah. Thank you so much.

I have to tell listeners before we wrap up, you mentioned on your mission that you felt like you had an ability to connect with people and to get to know people. And I have watched you in our ward. Um, we have a lot of. people in and out of our ward that have never been to church before. And Savannah is always one of the first people to welcome them and say, Hello, it's true.

Don't shake your head. It's true. And so I have looked up to that example. And I think that that's just, I think you just have such a light about you. And so it's fun for me to get to share you with other people. My last question for you. Yeah, my last question for you is what does it mean to you to be all in the gospel of Jesus Christ?

[00:34:13] Savannah Wooden: So that's a big question. I mean because I feel like I could answer in a lot of ways, which I might Correct me, but I feel like being all in the gospel of Jesus Christ is more than just a commitment It's a way of life that I wish everyone was a part of and knew how amazing it is Mosiah 241, uh, talks about keeping the commandments and you get to live in a state of never ending happiness to those that keep the commandments of God.

And so I sort of compare it to being able to live in the state of never ending happiness to those that keep the commandments of God versus living in a temporary state, moment of happiness. Because, you know, it might be fun to watch a bad movie or to, you know, Miss church, but in the end, I think you get to live in a state of never ending happiness with your loved ones to those that keep the commandments of God and you're just, I'm just, you're just so much happier after my experience in college.

I'm like, I am so much happier with following those 5 important things, reading your scriptures, going to church. Attending an institute, that was amazing. Going to the temple and praying continually. But, really it, I mean, another thing that comes to mind is, that I used as like an analogy is, God didn't remove the Red Sea, He parted it.

So, sometimes God doesn't remove your problems, He makes a way through them. And so sometimes, you know, like, okay, the problem doesn't get completely erased, but there's a way through that problem that God has for you. And so it's all about trusting God's plan, even when the past seems really uncertain and finding strength in his teachings during those times of trial.

So, I don't know, I just know that life is hard. It's a humbling and Rewarding time here on earth. And I know that just being all into the gospel of Jesus Christ is so important to me. I mean, Jesus Christ himself, he went and died on the cross and he suffered in Gethsemane and suffered on the cross for me individually.

And so he knows what it feels like. And I'm like the pain that I went through with that surgery is. Nowhere near what our Savior Jesus Christ went through. And so that's what I feel like we all just need to remember is what our Savior went through. And that it's because of him that we can repent of our mistakes and be cleansed again and be able to return with our families.

And so that's I just know that everything will work out no matter what obstacles it is, but it's an obstacle that I'm supposed to go through for a learning experience, a humbling experience, a time to learn of patience, whatever it may be. I know it's for the better

[00:36:57] Morgan Jones Pearson: Savannah. Thank you. So much.

[00:37:00] Savannah Wooden: No problem. I'm so grateful for this opportunity with you, Morgan.

[00:37:06] Morgan Jones Pearson: We are so grateful to Savannah Wooden for sharing her story on today's episode. Big thanks as always to Derek Campbell for his help with this and every episode of this show. And thank you for listening. We'll be with you again next week.