I Finished the Book of Mormon!!!!!

This last week has been so enjoyable for me to receive emails from those that have finished the Book of Mormon, that I thought I would share a few of them with you!  For those of you who are still plugging along, keep it up.  We would love to hear from you when you finish too!

Marilyn from Provo, Utah writes: 
     "Thank you for issuing the challenge.  Today I finished on schedule, despite this last week being sick!  I got one of my 12-year-old grandsons to start on an ambitious reading challenge, and he is almost through the Book of Mormon!  I told him about my husband, who read the entire Standard Works when he lay ill with rheumatic fever during his 13th year. I hope I can motivate all my grandchildren to read the scriptures, and plan to continue on through the Standard Works myself.  Thank you for your inspirational thoughts each day as well."

Jamar from Mesa, Arizona writes:
     "This has been a priceless experience!  Thank you for sharing your gifts of time and love and knowledge.  This is a gift that will keep on giving.  I love you. Thank you especially for leaving it up and making it easy for me to use as I continue to ponder and pray and hold on to the iron rod."

Susan from Prescott, Arizona writes:
     "Thank you, Michele for your 70 day challenge.  Doug and I loved our scripture time together and especially looked forward to the posts that went with each reading.  We'll continue on and start over. Love to you and your hubby."

Tauna from West Jordan, Utah writes:
     "This challenge came at a perfect time in my life.  I had felt the need to be more consistent in my scripture reading, but as a new school teacher I kept having continual distractions.  I was worried that I wouldn't be able to focus on reading this summer because of all of my traveling, but it has had just the opposite effect.  I have LOVED having a schedule to follow!  I also appreciated the daily blogs which helped remind me what I should be reading for that day.  I felt a peace in my life that I haven't had in a long time.  Thanks for issuing the challenge!"

Brittany from Las Vegas, Nevada writes:
     "Thank you for organizing this challenge, Michele! I finished last night, and it was such a good feeling.  I love that I always have my Book of Mormon with me on my smartphone! Anyone with a smartphone has NO excuse not to read every day. :) This challenge has definitely helped me make a habit out of reading the scriptures every day. :)  Thanks again!"

13 year old Nolan from Lindon, Utah (in my Sunday School class) writes:
     "Just so you know, my mom and I have finished the Book of Mormon last Saturday the 18th.  I finished it at 7:11 pm.  My dad is almost done.  Thank you for the challenge.  This challenge did bring the spirit more into my life."

Wanda, serving a mission with her husband in Ohio writes:
     "I FINISHED THE BOOK OF MORMON TODAY!  I've never covered this wonderful book in such a short amount of time and I absolutely loved it.  Thank you for inviting me to join in.  When you complete this and just read and study at a more in depth pace, I'd like to continue to share thoughts and learn from you so don't forget me.
     Ether is such a difficult book for me to read, that the faster I get through it the better.  There are a few amazing chapters filled with light, doctrine and joy because of faithfulness.  I don't know how Ether held up under seeing the utter destruction of those he loved and cared about.  It makes me cry thousands of years later.  Then when I think of Moroni, I marvel at his endurance.  He is so alone dodging the Lamanites who want to kill him and he was probably struggling with the death of his father and yearning for his family.  He was so courageous and valiant in abridging that difficult depressing history of the Jaredite destruction.  I love the Book of Mormon and all who contributed in recording, preserving, and making it available to us.  It is true!  I loved this read with you.  Thank you so very much for this opportunity!"

Amy from Lehi, Utah writes:
     "When I first heard about the 70 Day Book of Mormon Challenge, I must admit I was not too sure about it.  I had just had a brand new baby, and now had four little kids under 7.  The thought of adding one more pressure to my already full plate seemed a bit much at the time.  I did feel like my personal scripture study had definitely been lacking for awhile, and it was something I noticed and felt badly about.  So I somewhat reluctantly accepted the challenge.
     I started to find ways to fit the reading into my days - reading a few verses while eating breakfast or lunch, finding a few minutes when kids were taking naps or in quiet time, etc.  I found that reading at night in bed was NOT the best fit for a tired mom, however, as it worked more as a sleep aid! :)  The best thing that worked for me ended up being reading from my scriptures app on my iPhone.  I was able to have it with me most of the time I wanted it, I could bookmark where I left off easily, and It was easy to hold while nursing or rocking a baby.  I spent a lot of time feeding my baby while reading the Book of Mormon, and it ended up being quite enjoyable, and something I will always remember fondly. 
     One of the days during the challenge, I found myself at the pediatric dentist office while my 5-year-old was having dental work done under sedation.  I had been stressed about this since she doesn't always do well with things like this, and sat in the waiting room with a lot of nerves.  I ended up pulling out my "scriptures" (my phone) and read several chapters while waiting, getting several days ahead of schedule for a nice buffer, and relaxing my nerves a bit as well.  It was a nice change from the magazines I usually enjoyed in waiting rooms.
     As the days drew to an end, I found myself reluctant to finish.  I had looked forward to the quiet moments I had found in my day to read from the Book of Mormon, and knew I would miss it.  After it was over, I was surprised to feel almost a loss that I didn't have my assigned reading to get done each day - what a shock to feel this way after my reluctant start!  I can say that I know I was blessed to be able to find time to read from the Book of Mormon daily, and I believe Heavenly Father blessed me in my efforts.  I'm grateful to have taken the opportunity to accept this challenge and grow from it.  Thanks Mom! :)"

Craig from Lindon, Utah writes:     "I finished reading the Book of Mormon again!  Thanks so much for all your work at putting the blog together.  I enjoyed getting the daily emails and looked forward to reading the things that you shared with us all.  You are an inspiration to many!"