My 17-year-old daughter had jaw surgery a couple of weeks ago. Major surgery. They basically removed both her upper and lower jaw, moved them around, and reattached them so she could eat without causing herself pain. The surgery took 5 hours.

The recovery has been pretty brutal.

The swelling was bad enough that she couldn't breathe through her nose. She had to suck air in through her clenched teeth. Her puffy cheeks made her head look round, and those airways weren't that great either. When she ate she had to choose between breathing and eating, so she preferred not to eat. The Dr. came in and told her she couldn't leave the hospital until she could drink 300 ml in an 8 hour period. Three hundred ml is about 10 ounces.

She started eating better and was able to go home. Every time she took pain medication it burned her throat and she had more trouble breathing. Eventually she quit taking the pain meds because she chose to face the pain rather than the breathing trouble. Things started to get better until the nausea hit. Then eating once again became too difficult. She would eat a few ounces and then hold her head over a bucket trying not to throw up.

Can you imagine throwing up with your jaw banded together and your nose swollen shut? Scary. She decided she didn't want to eat any more. She had lost 11 pounds at this point. Her clothes were a bit loose. From there she started to get better. She stabilized her weight loss and then even gained some back. Now she's doing pretty well. She can start to chew this week, so that should help. The splint comes off in a couple of weeks.

So why am I writing about this here? Because we could not have gotten through this without faith and prayer. Because my husband holds the Priesthood, he was able to give her several blessings. I did a lot of praying and scripture reading. A lot. After a couple of weeks I was able to go to the temple and feel peace.

I am not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints because my parents were members. This is not a habit. I am not a casual member who believes because nothing better has come my way. I believe in Jesus Christ. I believe that being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the best way for me to follow Him. I believe the heavens are open--meaning, I believe we can pray to Heavenly Father and he will answer our prayers. I have experienced the hand of God in my life repeatedly. I have prayed and my prayers have been answered in many different ways. When I read The Book of Mormon my spirit sings with the truth of the words. God speaks through prophets. He always has and always will. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints because it holds the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the authority to act in His name on the earth.

Talk the Talk

One of the things I read recently in Brother Christensen's book, Everyday Missionary,  is that we can easily bring gospel words into our conversations. I figure that translates into bringing faith-based topics into conversation. How often do I gloss over what for me is a major motivator for everything I do? The reality of my life is that I pray--a lot. I make prayer based decisions on a regular basis. But do I say that? Not usually. So many gospel centered events happen throughout my day.

So today I was at the chiropractor with my daughter, and he asked how my day was. I told him it was a great day because it was a missionary day, the day I get emails from my daughter who is serving a mission.

He responded that he would have an email waiting for him from his missionary daughter:) Too funny. I didn't share the gospel with him, but I opened the conversation and let him know I'm a Mormon, giving us the opportunity to talk about it. And we did. We had a little conversation about our missionary daughters.

So the point is, don't be afraid to use the lingo that clearly identifies your religion. If you're talking to someone who shares your religion it will lead to a great conversation. If you're talking with someone who is not of your faith it will lead to questions and opportunities to share your faith.

A win-win.