Walking the streets of India, we bow our heads - our hands in prayer position, and, with a smile, greet each beautiful Indian person we meet with a warm "vanacam," - commonly known as "hello" or "welcome" in English.

They sweetly smile in return, responding with a similar bow and greeting. This exchange is one that I love and never grow tired of. I love seeing the faces of each person light up with joy and pleasant surprise - the demands of their daily tasks dimmed for but a moment. They are so beautiful.

I can hardly capture a portion of all that I have heard, seen, and felt while living here on India. But thankfully Jesus will enhance my capacity! Oh how I love Him.

As soon as we left the luxury of Chennai's air-conditioned airport, we walked into the hot Indian air, thick with humidity. Each breath was wet and rich with heat. We had entered a world of movement and, to the eyes of a foreigner, chaos. The lines separating the lanes of the streets were mere guidelines to the drivers and pedestrians. Honking was used as a mode of communicating one's presence on the road in any, and every circumstance. People busily ran about - always in constant and purposeful motion.

The streets were lined with concrete buildings, broken and decaying. A thin layer of filth coated everything and everyone.Though the buildings were dead and rotting, the city was full of life and color. The people were beautiful and their big eyes and white teeth glistened against their dark skin. Cows, dogs, monkeys, and the occasional goat meandered about. They were comfortable and content, living amidst the people and they added effortlessly to their chaos. The sounds, the colors, the smells - each are difficult to capture in words but they are priceless to experience.

Alas, we drove out into the country, leaving behind the city chaos and into the village way of life. We passed by men and women bent over, working in rice fields. Coconut trees and lush shrubbery lined the horizon. 

We passed through small villages where little boys dressed in string panties played with sticks and tires. Straw huts and small concrete homes covered in sand dust encompassed the center of village life.

As BYU nursing students, our purpose in India is to care for those inflicted with leprosy through an organization called Rising Star Outreach. 

We also have the privilege of playing with and caring for the children enrolled in their school - giving immunizations, performing checkups, and delousing their hair. Some of the sweetest moments I've had has been with these precious children. I love and adore them.

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But, I won't go into detail about the kids. Perhaps at a later time I will. In this, I wanted to share with you a portion of the sacred experiences I had while working in the leprosy colonies.

Throughout history, leprosy has been known to be the disease of the "living dead." Once diagnosed, these people are cast out and rejected by family and friends. In India, they are shunned to the lowest caste, doomed to be counted among the Untouchables, a life of begging and rejection.

Rising Star Outreach is an institution formed to combat such a degrading stigma. Indeed, it is a privilege to be a part of such a redemptive work. Christ surely is at the head of such a cause. Rising Star provides medical care for the leprosy patients, schooling for the children, and grants to enable the people to rise above their lowly circumstances and to become successful.

Each day, we travel to a different leprosy colony (ranging from one to six hours away). After getting off the bus, we are approached by men and women laden with the disease. They are disfigured and disabled, their hands and feet deformed. Their faces are worn with rejection, trial and sickness. 

And yet, I marvel to see their eyes full of light, joy, and deepest gratitude. They are happy and they continually express their thanks with love. Embracing them in our arms is most sweet and sacred. The love of our Father in Heaven flows abundantly as we laugh and talk with them and as we serve and labor in their behalf.

Though many of the people in India are Hindu, most leprosy colonies are Christian converts. How sweet it is to hold the hands of these people as they praise our Savior for their lives. Several wear crosses around their necks, others look heavenward and express thanks to our Father above. Together we sing praises to our God and King, grateful for the privilege to be in one another’s presence. Though we speak English, and they speak Tamil, we understand one another. The language of the Spirit is one that is familiar to us both.

Each person moves through our mobile clinic - visiting with the doctor, receiving their medications, getting their blood pressure and blood glucose checked. We remove their bandages, wash their feet, trim their nails, oil their skin, and re-bandage their wounds. Each individual is so grateful and lovely.

One day, I had the privilege of washing the feet of these beautiful people. Oh how I thank our Savior for such a sacred experience. It was my responsibility to clean their ulcers of debris and dirt. One sweet woman cringed in pain as I did so. 

My hearted ached for her and I expressed my apologies as I mourned with her. In love and tenderness, this beautiful woman put forth her hand and touched my back, reaching out to comfort me in this her personal pain and anguish. She bobbled her head as to communicate her understanding, encouraging me to press on in what she knew was best for her. 

What Christ-like love, submission, and long-suffering endurance. I continued to work, bowing over her feet in awe and reverence for our Savior, grateful for such a symbolic experience of His time spent in the Garden and on the cross.

Though diseased and disabled, these people are sweet, kind, and happy. Through the aid of this remarkable foundation - Rising Star Outreach - they are not only receiving treatment and wound care, but they have become successful and many have started businesses with the grants and assistance of the generous donations made. Oh how I thank and praise our God! For surely it is He who has inspired and enabled the brothers and sisters who have founded it.

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Before traveling abroad, I had heard much about the culture, lifestyle, and poverty of India. Furthermore, I had been taught about the physical and social plague caused by leprosy. But, even though I had a knowledge of these things, I had not yet understood them in full. I had not yet experienced them.

Surely this must be why Jesus was not satisfied with only having a knowledge of our sins, pains, and temptations. Instead, He humbly experienced them Himself. He wanted to understand perfectly our anguish so that He could succor us in a way that was perfect and complete. 

Such is illustrated in the seventh chapter of Alma: "Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance… And he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities." (Alma 7:13,12)

Oh how grateful I am for the precious experiences I have had in India with His children sick with leprosy. Through these experiences, I have come to understand more fully. My eyes have been opened and my love for the people of India has grown deep. They are beautiful. 

But surely, it is not necessary for us to be in foreign lands and impoverished cities to learn and experience His life.Wherever we may be, to whomever we may meet, with whatever sickness, disease or ailment they may have, our Father in Heaven will grant us the privilege and sacred opportunity to love and care for one of His beloved children if we ask. How precious, and how sweet. 

With each experience we receive, our understanding grows more complete, our practice more Christ-like, and our hearts more pure.

Father in Heaven has taught me much and I thank Him for the many precious moments I have shared with His beloved children here in India. I love and thank Him.

Flying to India

Before leaving America, I asked Austin to give me a priesthood blessing. How grateful I am that Father has restore his power on earth! In the blessing, I was told that many people were crying to a Higher power for help, but thy knew not to whom they prayed. Father told me that I would have the privilege of being the answer to their prayers and through me, they would come to know the God who sent me. Though they know it not, I am who they are waiting for. I will be the answer to their prayers. 

It did not take long for the promises made in my priesthood blessing to begin rolling forth. Oh how great is our God! Father so intricately micromanaged the flight arrangements so that I would sit by His beautiful daughter, Jessica.

I attempted to sleep for the first hour, but strangely I could not - though sleep deprived and tired as I was. Rather, when Jessica started to engage me in conversation, I felt energized and awake. Surely, it was the grace of Jesus that empowered me. 

As we talked, I came to know and love this sweet sister of mine. I marveled at the hand of our loving Father in her life along with His perfect fulfillment of the promises made me just 12 hours previous. 

The Spirit guided my words and as she asked questions to better know me, it didn't take long for her to discover my developed reliance on Jesus Christ. My openness in sharing the role of prayer in personal matters - like marrying Austin, kick started our conversation into deep and marvelous things directed by our God. Oh how I thank Him for every moment, every word, and every feeling.

When Jessica left home, she graduated college and entered the realm of power, vanity, and wealth. After years of being so deeply engulfed in the thick of thin things, she felt empty and detached. By God's intricate involvement and mercy, she was presented with the opportunity to fly out to Utah and participate in a 28 day wilderness adventure (Bear Grills training at its finest). As she described the powerful draw she felt towards such a trek, I bore witness of the Holy Ghost - ever striving to guide us home to God. She whole-heartedly agreed.

She followed the prompting and came to Utah and, in so doing, had several sacred and intimate experiences with our Heavenly Father. Though the experiences were powerful and undeniable, she knew not from whom they came. She simply testified of some great power in the universe with which she closely associated to nature. (Indeed, this was a perfect fulfillment of the blessing.) 

Upon returning home to the ways of world, she felt a greater void within her soul and longed for the peace and joy she experienced while exploring the beautiful earth made by the hand of our God. In time, and through the transforming and enabling grace of our Savior, she removed herself from the awful grasps of sin. She quit her job despite the ridicule and changed.

Our conversation flowed so beautifully. Thoughts sent from above came clearly and naturally throughout the entire conversation. Scriptures, memories, and words came at the precise time they were needed. I gave her her own copy of the Book of Mormon and, with power from above, taught her the Restoration of Christ's glorious gospel. The familiar and marvelous feeling of the Spirit exuding from my very being to hers was felt as I shared with her Joseph Smith's experience in the beautiful and sacred grove.

The Spirit touched our hearts as we spoke of the Atonement and the supernal act of submissiveness to the Father's will by our Savior and Exemplar, Jesus Christ.

As I shared with her my personal experiences and testimony, I watched the Spirit work within her. Oh how sweet, how sacred! At the close of the plane ride, she kindly told me that I was an answer to many of her questions. Perhaps an answer to her unuttered prayers. 

Oh how great is our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ! I am grateful for the power of the priesthood that has been restored to the earth today, for the precious gift of priesthood blessings, and the fulfillment of God's promises. While I was an answer to Jessica's prayers, she was an answer to mine. Father is quite the micromanager.

Jessica's faith has increased my faith. The intimate investment of our Father in Heaven in her life is endless! She is of infinite and eternal worth and I glorify His holy name for His matchless power that enables us to change and to become. How grateful I am to have grown closer to our Creator with my dear sister and now "Facebook friend forever" (hopefully she reads this because she may be the only one to laugh at that joke lol.)

I look forward to many more miracles to come!

"Will you marry me?"

Well friends, I'm engaged! And I feel it calls for a blog post celebration! Woohoo hooray!! I even had the privilege of sharing it in Relief Society for the "Miracle Minute" this week, for surely it is a miracle haha - in fact, it is a whole slew of miracles wrought by the hand of our God. Oh how I thank and praise Him, our Heavenly King! 

"Now, who is this man?" you may ask. Let me introduce you if you haven't had the privilege of meeting him yet. His name is Austin Frazier. And he is the love of my life. 

I am filled with ecstatic gratitude and humble adoration as I consider the hand of our Savior in shaping Austin into the man he is today. Because of Christ, Austin is meek and always striving to improve. He is happy, grateful, and kind. Never is he disheartened by the circumstances of life, but he proactively causes things to change for the better. He is constant and steady. He is observant and thoughtful.  He is obedient and righteous. These are but a few of Austin's gifts of which I thank Father for. But above all else, he loves our Father in Heaven and our Savior.

Now, for the the proposal story:

We came home to Boulder City for two main reasons: for Austin to ask my beloved father for my hand in marriage and to play with the family. 

We had an adventurous morning with Emma, Liza, and Mom - swimming and hooliganning around. Once dad got back from work, we went on a family bike ride. We made it as far as Hemenway Park - which was indeed a feat for Emma dong seeing that she did not want to leave the house. The timing was flawless for we were able to watch the big horn sheep graze the lawn while we ate hand delivered sandwiches from mother dear.

Austin and dad were the last two to return to the house after the bike ride. Emma and I started to wonder if they had technical difficulties so we hopped on the scoot scoot to rescue them. But thankfully Heavenly Father helped me see them bike up towards the Stewarts house, around the block. The Spirit assured me that my immediate assumption that Austin was asking for my hand in marriage was correct, so, we refrained from imposing. 


Everything was perfect. All that we came to accomplish was unfolding ever so beautifully. Little did I know that Austin and Eliza were presently implementing their plans for our engagement.

While playing an evening game of Wi with the family, Austin asked if I wanted to go with him on a walk. I willingly and happily consented. 

We arrived at the pond and there we saw candle lights atop a wooden picket fence floating at the water's edge. As we got nearer, Austin innocently asked me what it was. I looked closer and saw the words "MARRY ME" spelled out in the flickering lights. It took me a second to register that it was intended for me - but once I did, I excitedly turned to him and said some sort of assent like, "Yes, of course I will!"

Though he already had my eager and heartfelt consent, Austin continued to bend down on one knee and, with my hand in his, asked, "Julia Ann Jeppsen, will you marry me?" Oh how I love and adore Austin Frazier! For all time and throughout all eternity, I will have the privilege of being at his side - thanks to the love and mercy our our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is because of Him and His infinite Atonement I have the precious blessing to know and love Austin, to progress and learn with him, to become and reach for our divine and glorious potential together.

I cherish and adore my family and look forward to expanding it further with the love of my life, Austin Frazier. Thanks be to God!