Shooting!

For FHE on July 27, Jamison took us up to the mountains where it is legal to shoot bb guns and taught us how to shoot. He took some pop cans and at first just had them lined up, but that was a bit harder to hit, so he started stacking them into pyramids. That made it easier to hit, and even more fun to hit because the cans would go flying!
Jamison was careful to make sure the kids knew the safety rules and followed them. He was careful to show them how to load the bb, and pump the gun. Then he'd help them hold it and let them aim and shoot.
Jay was able to hit a few cans. He's done this before! Emi needed help holding it but got pretty close to hitting some cans. Natalie, who likes guns, was so excited to do this!
When it was finally my turn, I totally missed the first shot. I wasn't sure how to aim. Then I realized there were 2 sights on it. One closer to my eye, and one at the end of the barrel. I realized that if I had both of these lined up on my target I could hit what I was aiming for. We each got to shoot 5 times. I hit 4 of my 5 the first time! The next time around, I missed my first shot again. It made me take time to make sure I was aiming right. I lined up and knocked down all the piles! My last shot though, I had to shoot a single can. I didn't know if I could.
I took a little more time for that one. But I GOT IT! Woo Hoo! I was pretty excited!

As I was shooting and thinking about the fact that both sights needed to be lined up with the target, I remembered a hymn called "Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy" (#335 in the hymn book). One line of the chorus of this song says, "Let the lower light keep burning; send a gleam across the wave." I told Jamison that this is what it reminded me of. When we got home he pulled the kids together for the spiritual thought/testimony part of our activity. He reminded them about the 2 sights that if they were lined up right when aiming, the chances of hitting the target were increased. Then he talked about the lower light of a light house- in some harbors, the pass was harder to navigate so there were 2 lights. If the top and bottom light don't look lined up, that means that you aren't coming in straight. A correction needs to be made in the ships course until the 2 lights line up or they won't be able to make it through the pass. In our lives we make decisions all the time. We need to make sure that our lower light is burning- that we are in tuned to the promptings of the Holy Ghost and that our will lines up with His will. If they don't, we could be headed for trouble and need to make a course correction and get back on tract. I know that if we are striving to do what is right, our lower light will keep burning- we will have the Holy Ghost as our constant companion. Sometimes, we've made a choice that we want to be right, but Heavenly Father has a clearer view of our lives and knows better than us if it isn't the right choice for us. He'll let us know. We then need to follow His will and correct our path. Then make sure our choices keep us on the path He has for us. I also know that if we are letting our light shine, others will see it and we can help them get on the right path and return to Heavenly Father too. I'm so glad He loves us and doesn't leave us here to fend for ourselves alone.

(By the way, Ashley was at girls' camp this week so she wasn't with us. Also, I for some reason can't get the cursor for the typing to go next to or below Natalie's picture, that's why she's under this, not next to or above it.)