I Want to Scream to the World... GOD LOVES YOU!!!!

Hello everyone! Life has been super crazy! It really feels great to be blogging again. I hope that everything is going well in all of your lives that you are depending on your Savior Jesus Christ to lift you up through all of your trials. 

Just yesterday, I got my feet wet again in spreading the gospel. I first went out with the sister missionaries to a less-actives and I am continuing to strengthen my testimony in just loving others for who they are, our brothers and sister in Christ. We started the lesson with a prayer and I immediately felt the Spirit. The missionaries out in the world today are the strongest that the world has seen. They work their butts off and it makes me want to be like them and spread the word to all that are open to this great message of peace, love, and joy. The sisters taught with power and with the Spirit. If any of you ever get an opportunity to go out with missionaries, DO NOT HESITATE. My testimony has had some its greatest uplifts when I was with these representatives of Jesus Christ. I left the lesson with joy that fills you from head to toe! I also went out with the elders in my ward just two hours later (Great idea to put them close together. You're on a spiritual high the rest of the night). 

I arrived at the church a little early and waited for the elders to arrive. We arrived at the appointment a little late but that didn't matter. We met with a women who I will call Emily. She welcomed us in and had many questions about the Book of Mormon. We started with a prayer, once again bringing in the Spirit and it just felt good in that room. She began to tell us her confusion between the Isaiah chapters in the Book of Mormon because they did not match up with the verses in Isaiah. It was so great to help answer her questions. We began reading in 2 Nephi 8 and she would read aloud the verses and pause. She would then say something along the lines of "That is very powerful. Look at that!" Before, I never paid much attention to the Isaiah chapters in the Book of Mormon because the stereotype is that they are hard to get through and so when I read the Book of Mormon I read it, but didn't give it the full pondering that these scriptures needed. It was so great to be able to learn from her, a less active, about the importance and sacredness of the scriptures. 

She also expressed concern because she had talked to her old pastor recently who was saying that Mormons were going to hell and would be damned. And she thought to herself, no! She knew that he was wrong because the Book of Mormon is just like the Bible. It is full of love, joy, and peace. It is a happy message. It was so cool to see her have spiritual experiences right before our eyes. At one point, she was so excited and full of the Spirit that she said she wanted to go to church and tell everyone, "GOD LOVES YOU!!!!!!" I just started laughing because she is just amazing! A couple months ago, other elders that have been transferred now, stopped by Emily's place and she did not answer the door. Seeing where she has come from really is great to know that God has a plan. He has a timetable of when things are supposed to happen and there are no coincidences. Okay back to the lesson. She was reading the chapter and realized that the things she was reading was exactly what she had experienced over the couple weeks that the elders couldn't meet with her. She is so great and I know that Emily will continue to progress. I love seeing people change. I think it is so great how the Lord does His work. We all have a mission to help someone in some way and only we can do that. The investigator told all three of us that if the two elders had not come knocking on the door that day, she wouldn't be where she is today. 

I know that we can have these experiences, whether they be simple or humongous, like the one I was lucky enough to witness, that it will impact others for good.  You can do anything through Christ. So, what's holding you back? There are enough bullies, enough tragedies, and enough bad news. Let us spread the good news! GOD LOVES YOU. :) And he knows you! He wants you to return to live with Him for eternity! I cannot think of a greater blessing. Knowing that I have a Heavenly Father that loves me and wants me to be righteous. I can talk to Him whenever I need to and He has provided me with the best tools possible to return home. I love this Gospel and the love that is in it. I am grateful for the missionaries that go out of their way to help other families and people, find their way back on the path to our Heavenly Father. I know that there is a living prophet on the Earth today that talks with God. I also know if we follow His counsel, we will be happier. And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

Appreciating the Pioneers

This weekend I am visiting my grandparents in Omaha, Nebraska. They're serving at the Winter Quarters Trail Center. I can't wait to tour it and learn more about the pioneers who paved the way for the church! I'm so grateful for all that they have done. This summer our stake is having a pioneer trek and with all of the chatter and preparing events, I am super excited for it! My mom has recently found a lot of her ancestors and almost every day I hear a new story. It is so powerful! I hope to get into it too. There is such a sweet spirit here and now I don't want to leave. I'm looking forward to enjoying this weekend and having my testimony strengthened through the pioneers and learning about their history. I will write more later this weekend on what I have learned. See you in the next paragraph! (really a couple days later. . .)

Wow this place has such a special spirit. I've come to appreciate even more what the pioneers did for us. They were all so faithful and trusted in the Lord without hesitation. It makes me look back on my life and think that if I were asked to do what they did, if I would have enough faith to leave everything behind to follow the prophet. When our family was touring the Kanesville Tabernacle this morning, there was a scripture on the wall which shows the faith of the pioneers and now is one of my favorite scriptures. "Lo, we have left all, and followed thee." (Luke 18:28). Would you leave all to follow President Monson? Recently, the reminder to continue to kindle your testimony has been taught to me and it is so true. When you strengthen your testimony in little every day ways you will be able to make the right choice when hard decisions come in your life.

We were also able to tour the Visitors Center which is next to the Winter Quarters temple. Throughout the tour my family members shared some amazing personal experiences and stories that really made me think about the Plan of Salvation. We are so blessed to have this knowledge. There are 7 billion people on this earth. Only .002% (15 million Church members) of the world knows that we lived before we came here, that we will see our loved ones again, and that we can live with them together forever in God's presence. I think I take it for granted too much. The pioneers really understood that knowledge because there were many who sacrificed their lives for us. They knew that life went on.

Next to the temple there is a cemetery where they buried all of the pioneers that died while at Winter Quarters. Some of them are my relatives. And it really brings everything into perspective. One view from the Visitors Center you can see the cemetery and the temple next to each other. Life does not end at the grave. There's a scripture in the Book of Mormon that my grandfather shared. I read over it when I read the whole Book of Mormon but I didn't appreciate as much as I should've.

             "And if Christ had not risen from the dead, or have broken the bands of death that the grave should have no victory, and that death should have no sting, there could have been no resurrection. But there is a resurrection therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ."

One last point I would like to make goes back to when I mentioned that the pioneers relied on the Lord. We can all relate to the trials that they went through. They had to get over mountains, blaze new trails, and go without food sometimes. Although most of us do not have these struggles we have our own mountains. They can be mental, emotional, spiritual, or physical. I know that if we build our foundation on Christ (Helaman 5:12) and keep our faces turned to Christ that we can overcome our mountains. Jesus Christ is the way. Without him, we would not be able to return with those that have gone before us to never be separated again. 

I know that this is true. Satan will not be able to tempt us if we put Christ before all. He is my Savior. I love him so much. Without him, I would have no purpose. I seek to bless others because of Him. The joy that I have in my heart right now I know is because of Him. I love this Church so much. There is a prophet on the Earth today that leads and guides this Church on the right path. Keep on Keepin' on. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.  

Our Weekly Promise to God

This morning I was studying my scriptures and I had the thought of working on my Duty to God a little bit. I love the new format! It really does prepare the young men for our missions. Anyways, I was studying about the sacrament prayer and it came to my mind that this would be a good blog post to do! I feel like sometimes some members of the Church (and even me), take this sacred ordinance for granted. We get to receive a cleansing of our sins every week! That's so awesome! I'm so grateful for that. We start off our week with a new start. I love it. So to understand what really happens I thought I would include the sacrament prayers and discuss them a little. 

Doctrine and Covenants 20:77,79:

"O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it; that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him, and keep his commandments which he has given them, that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen."

"O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee, in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this wine to the souls of all those who drink of it, that they may do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them; that they may witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they do always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them. Amen."

So, these prayers are really powerful if you study them closely. When we partake of the bread and drink of the water, we promise to always remember Him, keep His commandments, and take His name upon us. In return, if we do this, we will always have His spirit to be with us! Isn't that sweet!?! And we are not perfect, so as long as we are willing and striving to do these things, we will have the Holy Ghost with us. 

In today's world there are so many distractions and it can be hard to always remember Jesus Christ. Luckily, the Church has numerous resources and helpful reminders! I ordered my own CTR ring (Choose the Right), and it always helps me remember who I am representing and who I am indebted to for giving me the opportunity to live with God again. Jesus Christ paved the way for you and I, and without Him, there would be no way to return. I am eternally grateful that Heavenly Father was willing to give up His Only Begotten Son. For ME! :) Another resource is seminary for youth. It's so awesome waking up every morning and hearing a message about the Gospel. My day is different without it. Those who aren't in seminary? Set aside a time each day to study your scriptures. Whether it's for 5 minutes or 20, that time spent will give you the power and the strength to get through your day. 

One of my favorite ways to receive strength and one that I lean on the most is through prayer. The Bible Dictionary gives great insight on prayer: "As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God, then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant but that are made conditional on our asking for them." 

And when we use these many things that God has given us to get through our hard weeks, we will still fall short. We will still sin. But, we need not be ashamed. Because last that I heard, our Church isn't for perfect people. We are all imperfect. We strengthen each other as we work our way back home. Dieter F. Uchtdorf says it much better than I can: "Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God's love encompasses us completely. ... He loves every one of us, even those who are flawed, rejected, awkward, sorrowful, or broken.”

I know that we can receive strength through the sacrament prayer. If we are just willing to do those three things, we will be blessed with the Spirit. And with the Spirit, nothing can stop us. I know that Christ is my Redeemer. Without Him I would be lost forever. I'm so grateful for how much Heavenly Father loves me, though I have imperfections. And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.