This post is dedicated to the apartment of girls across the street. I have only gotten to know you in the past couple months. But, you have all taught me so much about the blessings of being united, pure, and showing me how a group of true friends act. I think there are a lot of lessons to learn from your example, and I hope to write them out and add some of my own words.

The greatest lessons I have learned from your apartment are those from unity. You are so united as an apartment. That really is a blessing to have.

Mosiah 18:21 “And he commanded them that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another.”

I’ve watched you all work together through this past semester. As I’ve stopped by and seen you interact with each other I have seen the love and support you unquestionably give to one another. That love has become six supportive columns within the apartment. None of you take that support for granted or expect it, but you are always deeply grateful and readily open to receive it when it is offered. That trust and unity keeps the friendships within the apartment strong. And the assurance of peace of mind and comfort of soul strengthens your ability to work through problems together.

I have also learned the reason for your lasting unity and trust is due to the absence of malice and backbiting between the six of you women. When one roommate turns on another and starts speaking ill, it instantly destroys the trust within the apartment. Imperceptibly and inexplicably everyone in the apartment realizes they can’t share their truest feelings with the apartment. The openness and trust, with it the support and love, are frustrated, and will take notable time to repair. The love will still be present, but as the quote states, “To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved.” Therefore the greatest threat to the unity of yours, or any apartment is one seeking ill to another both in word or deed.

But, your apartment has prevailed the temptations of vindictiveness through its purity. This is the other great strength of the six of you. Your purity is a shield from temptations that hold pride, judgment, comparison, and vanity at bay. It has also nurtured each of you towards guile and innocence. None of you seek to be the better of the other five in anyway. Your purity in thought and judgment have kept each of you from breaking the trust your apartment has sustained. And it will continue to help you become stronger best of friends into the future.

So I ask that you protect what you have built. It is rare to see six adults harbor such purity and trust with each other. It is something I want, and something from now on I will work towards. I have seen its beauty and its fruits firsthand from the charity and friendship your apartment has freely offered me. Lastly, I promise that united you will be stronger, and united you will become better than you could have ever accomplished alone. I have personally been taught that as a promise of the priesthood and I extend that same promise to you.

Moses 7:18 “And the Lord called his people ZION, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.”