On Your Knees

I've been working as a CNA since last May and I absolutely love the residents that I get to work with! They are so funny, and a lot of the ones that I work with are SO in tune with the Spirit it's AMAZING!! Just last night I walked into a lady's room to check on her, and she was in her pajamas and down on her knees! She is an older lady, and doesn't move well, so I thought she had fallen!!! It scared me, so I called her name, and she just glanced up and said, "SHHH!! I'm saying my prayers!!" Then looked back down. It was great! I let her finish, then helped her up, and talked with her for a while.  She told me that ever since the day she got married, (in 1947), she and her husband prayed ON THEIR KNEES EVERY NIGHT!!!! They NEVER missed a single night! On every vacation, every stressful night, even on nights when they were fighting! And even though he's gone now, she said she feels him with her whenever she prays on her knees! Isn't that SO COOL?! I know sometimes I forget to say my prayers at night until I'm already in bed, and here is this inspiring lady who is really sick, already has plenty of knee problems, but still she gets down on her knees every night!! I just love it! This experience really strengthened my testimony of prayer and how truly important it is! WE HAVE THE CHANCE TO TALK TO OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN ANYTIME WE WANT TO! He will never put us on hold, or be too busy to listen to us. Talk to Him as often as you can, because when we don't He misses us! I know that though prayer we can call upon our Father with any question or struggle and HE WILL BE THERE!!! always. If you are new to this blog and have any questions about what I believe, feel free to ask! I love the questions!!! Good Night everyone! Don't forget to put on your smile tomorrow!!

So Will Christ!!

I already did my long post for the night, but I didn't want to go to sleep without giving an invitation!  If anyone reading this, has any questions about my religion, what I believe, or even my favorite color, FEEL FREE TO ASK!! I love to get feedback and answer anything that I can!! Thank you!

Also, this girl, Al Fox, is incredible!  If you haven't already, follow her blog, watch her videos, and be inspired by her message!!

"Hard times will consistently be there, but so will Christ!"

-Al Fox

When Life Gives You Garbage...

HOLY SMOKES!  Has it really been almost two months since my last post!? I apologize to anyone reading this, but with this new year, comes new goals and I have quite the list!

1. Finish the Book of Mormon before I leave on my mission (in July)

2. Study the Preach My Gospel manual EVERY MORNING before I leave my room.

3. Talk to somebody about what I believe at least once a month.

4. POST MORE ON THE BLOG

5. Pray EVERY night and morning and truly come to know my Heavenly Father.

6.  See others as Christ sees them!!

This last month has been a rough spot in my life.  As soon as I made the official decision to go on a mission, it seemed that Satan threw everything he had at me.  I had more temptations with things I never have before, problems with obedience, unnecessary stress, opposition, and trials left and right!  I have felt completely alone.  I felt like I was letting down my Heavenly Father, and that the damage was done.  I could feel myself getting deeper into spiritual trouble!  This new year has been a great opportunity to start fresh and remember why I am a member of this church, and what my purpose is as a latter-day-saint, future missionary, and daughter of God.

Anyone that knows me well will tell you that I am a BIG nerd when it comes to musicals!  I love to sing and act and I ESPECIALLY love to go and see shows, no matter the quality.  A few years ago, I went to see a show with a friend, and there was one song that really hit me at the time.  It was in no way a church related show, but I found myself taking this particular song in a spiritual sense.  The song is called "Come Out of the Dumpster", sung by a girl comforting her friend who is, well, currently and literally inside of a dumpster.  One line in particular says:

"When Life gives you garbage, you use it to CLIMB!"

This garbage in my life, this stress, and opposition can be used to make me stronger and to raise me to new heights that I haven't reached yet.  All I can do is thank my Heavenly Father for the experiences that He is giving me.  I can pray for understanding and an eternal perspective through my trials.  I can remember who I am as a Daughter of a Heavenly Father who loves me beyond what I can imagine! He gives me my trials because He KNOWS what I can accomplish!!

"And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along.  The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours."

 -D&C 78:18

This scripture is another reason I'm deciding to start fresh!  To me, it is saying that I can be forgiven for anything.  I'm not expected to "bear all things".  My Heavenly Father doesn't expect me to be perfect now.  He wants my best, and if my best isn't pleasing me, at least I can know that I am pleasing my Father in Heaven.

"So you're out of the dumpster, was that so hard after all?  It was only a dumpster, and from here it looks so small."

I can't wait until the day when I can look back at my life and the things that are "so important" now will just be little stumbling blocks.  I know that my Heavenly Father loves me personally as His very own daughter.  I know that He wants nothing less than the best for me.  I love this gospel with all of my heart! It is changing my life everyday! Happy New Year, and Happy New YOU!!!

Ever Onward!!

This weekend I had the AMAZING opportunity to attend a 2-day conference for future missionaries. The first day, about 350 of us filed into the chapel and waited for the meeting to start.  This being a missionary conference, the opening hymn was, of course, Called to Serve. We stood to sing and it was so moving!  I had an overwhelming felling of love for everyone in that room, and I imagined all of us standing in the MTC together ready to go out and take the truth of this gospel to all the world!  For the first time, I really understood the words that we were singing!

Called to serve Him, Heavenly King of glory

Chosen e'er to witness for His name,

Far and wide we tell the Father's story,

Far and wide His love proclaim.

Called to know the richness of His blessing,

Sons and Daughters; Children of a King,

Glad of heart His holy name confessing

Praises unto Him we bring.

Onward, ever onward, as we glory in His name,

Onward, ever onward, as we glory in His name,

Forward, pressing forward, as a triumph song we sing:

God our strength will be, press forward ever

CALLED TO SERVE OUR KING!!!

I had never had a song just hit me like that.  This song outlines the whole reason that young men and women choose to leave their families for two years.  If you know something to be true, wouldn't you want to share it with everyone?  I think of all of the joy that this gospel brings to me, and I can't imagine not sharing it with the world!

As I was driving home the night of the first day, I had a thought to pray to my Heavenly Father and just ask Him if He truly loved me.  I said a quick prayer there in the car, with the radio off, and asked Him just that.  I sat in silence for the rest of the way home.  The next morning, I left at 7:30 to go to the second session of the conference.  The second day was full of great workshops about how to teach people about the church and some even taught how to get along with a companion!  Then we all met in the chapel for the closing meeting and Elder Summerhays was there, and he was the concluding speaker.  He gave an amazing talk, and at the end he paused for a few seconds then said, "Someone here needs to hear this" Then he looked right at me, sitting in the back row and said,

"Your Heavenly Father loves you more than you can imagine.  

He will ALWAYS be with you."

My jaw dropped!  He was talking right to me!  How could he know that I had asked that question the day before? I couldn't believe it!!  I know that Heavenly Father answers prayers and that He loves all of His children beyond measure!  I know that we can pray to know that anything is true!

Love is spelled T-I-M-E

What a week!  The other day in my institute class, we were having a discussion about how to find time to read the scriptures.  I get it, it can be REALLY hard sometimes!  Life can be stressful and busy sometimes and we feel like we don't have a spare second let alone a spare half hour.  However, there is definitely somewhere in the 24 hours we are given every day to study the scriptures.  If someone made a goal to study the scriptures for a half of an hour everyday, that would only be a small part of the day, really 1/48th of the day! Not bad eh? When you think of it like that it doesn't seem too hard.  Heavenly Father   wants to teach us, and those teachings come through reading, and more importantly studying His words.

"When we want to speak to God, we pray.  

When we want God to speak to us, we study and ponder the scriptures"

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, in the October 2010 General Conference said, "In family relationships, love is really spelled t-i-m-e".  I have always loved this quote!  I know that I feel loved when someone takes time out of their busy day to spend time with me, serving me, or even simply listening to me.  Our Heavenly Father is no different.  We can show how much we love Him by giving our time to listen to Him.  He wants to communicate with us so badly, but He will wait until we ask, and search for answers.  I know that my Heavenly Father loves me and I know that He loves all of His children.  I know that I can ask Him for help and guidance any time in my life anytime!

Shall be Scripture

My institute class this semester is titled, "Scripture Study: The power of the word",  and I have absolutely loved every minute in that classroom!!! There are so many incredible insights and tools that we have.  In the first couple of days, we tried to answer the question: "What is scripture?" At first, everyone thought... DUH, the four standard works! The Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon, and the Bible!  But when our teacher brought up things like General Conference,  the Strength of Youth Pamphlet, etc... we came up with a new definition of "scripture": Anything that comes from the Lord or from one of His prophets!! Sounds good enough right?  That's what we thought anyway... Then Brother Simms showed us a scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants 68:3-4:

3. And this is the example unto them, that they shall 

speak as they are moved upon by the Holy Ghost.

4.  And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon 

by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the 

will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall 

be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the 

Lord and the power of God unto salvation.

What does this mean you may ask??  It means, any words that the Holy Ghost has influence on is scripture.  It means that blessings from my dad are scripture.  It means that personal promptings that I receive are scripture.  It means that if a missionary is teaching a discussion, what he or she says, is SCRIPTURE!!! exciting huh??? I thought so :)

Becometh as a Child... a Child of God!

This last week has been insane, and packed full of pretty rough trials and beautiful blessings. First off, last Friday was Sarah's, my adorable little sister's, eighth birthday.  The next day was her baptism.  She is the last of the six kids in our family to be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and we are SO proud of her.  At her baptism, our older brother Kyle gave a talk about the power of the Holy Ghost, and how He can be our best friend and mentor in this life.  I know that to be true.  The Holy Ghost will always be there to offer comfort when we need it.  But I also know that He will not fight for our attention.  If we are in a place or situation where He is not comfortable, He will leave until we invite Him back.  I was so happy and proud to see Sarah receive that beautiful gift of having the power of the Holy Ghost be with her everywhere that she goes.

The next day, Sunday, was my nephew Adam's baby blessing, and I gained a testimony that day that Heavenly Father truly cares about and loves His children to no end.  I know that my Heavenly Father loves that little boy.  Between Adam and Sarah this weekend, I understood better the commandment to become like children in Mosiah 3:19:

"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been since the fall of Adam,

and he will be forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy

Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh as a saint though the 

atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek,

humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the

Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father."

I have a newfound love for this scripture, and because of this, I have made myself a few goals for this next week:

1. Put off the natural man.  In a trying situation, have the courage to say "Get out of here Satan! No one likes you anyway!!" :)

2. Be submissive.  In other words, OBEY, even if I don't quite know the reasons why.

3. Be meek. Always treat others as if they are having a bad day.  An remember that everyone is going through their own trials.

4.  Be humble.  Be willing to admit that I am wrong and willing to accept someone else's ideas above my own.

5.  Be patient.  I have five siblings... three of younger than me... This will totally work! :)

6.  Full of Love.  See everyone around me as a son or daughter of a loving Heavenly Father and sincerely try to love them in that same way.  (The worth of souls is great in the sight of God.)

7.  Willing to submit to my Father in Heaven.  He has a plan.  A plan that is a LOT better than whatever I could come up with.  I'm going to completely put my life into His hands.

If you are reading this, whoever you are, I want to challenge you to meet these goals along with me, or create your own!  I promise that as you put forth the effort to draw closer to Heavenly Father, He will draw closer to you.