so far yet so close

I am here

my little brother is here

my best friend is here

and the majority of my other friends and family are here

but even though we are thousands of miles apart and our main method of communication is this

most of the time they don't seem very far away, and I attribute that to this

and this

Each night my friends, family and I kneel down and pray to the same father: I pray for them, and they pray for me. I know that God hears our prayers, and I feel close to them when I pray.

Each Sunday we go to the same church buildings throughout the world, study the same scriptures and doctrines, and worship the same way. The amazing thing about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that the teachings stay consistent no matter where you go. We are a worldwide, unified body of saints with Christ as the head. I love knowing that no matter where I am in the world, I will always be a part of the same church family-Christ's church family. It makes me feel not so far away at all.