"Suffer The Little Children"

We had our first shift for Christmas lights last night, and all I have to say is WOW. What an amazing experience. My companion and I covered the area around the shepherds camp, and there were so many people. Some were anxious to talk to us, and others weren't interested in the least. There were a ton of families that we met visiting from several different places. I was in awe the whole night of the spirit of Christmas and the power it has already to bring people together.

 

I really enjoyed talking to the kids. I spent a lot of time on my knees next to them, pointing at the sheep and explaining why the shepherds were important. At one point, I had about 5 kids all around me, asking me questions about whether or not the sheep could walk, or explaining why Christmas was important to them. I told them that the shepherds were the first person to know about Christ's birth, and as I finished explaining, one of the kids popped his head up from the back and asked, "Is that why Christmas is so important?!"

 

Without hesitation, I agreed. A few minutes later, after the other kids had gone to be with their parents, one of the girls stayed behind to keep talking with me. She asked me about my Book of Mormon, and I explained to her what the Book of Mormon and the Bible were. She went on to tell me all about losing her teeth (random, but kids can only pay so much attention), and then told me that her favorite part of Christmas was the candy and getting presents. The rest of our conversation went something like this...

 

Me- "Did you know that God gave you a gift?"

 

Girl-"...God gave me a gift? What is it?!"

 

Me- "He gave you your family!"

 

Girl- (in wonder) "...God gave me my family?"

 

Me- "Yeah, He did! And did you know he gave you another gift, too?

 

Girl- "He gave me something else? What is it?!"

 

Me- "He gave all of us Jesus Christ!"

 

Girl- (again in wonder) "He gave Jesus Christ...to me?"

 

Me- (by this time, I'm choking back my tears) "Yes, He gave you his son so that you could come back to him someday!"

 

After that, she had to run to catch up to her family. I'm not sure she'll ever know how much she touched my heart. I love children. They are so close to heaven, and for good reason. They were there not to long ago. I've posted a video here about Christ and his love for children. As you watch this, look for how happy it makes Christ to be around the children. Think of ways that you can help your own children understand why Christmas truly is important. God has given us the greatest gift of all, and I am so grateful for the chance to be reminded of it every single day!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

Happy post-thanksgiving! Did everyone have a good time? I know we did! Thank you to all the lovely families who had us over for food, games, and more food. I feel so blessed to be serving you!

 

 

I think one of the greatest blessings of serving in the mission that I am, is that Christmas time starts over a month in advance for us. =D The Mesa temple has a tradition going on 34 years now of a Christmas lights display during the end of November and all the way through December. All the sister missionaries will be on the grounds during the whole duration of the lights. We begin our first official shift tonight!!! I am so excited. This has been something that we have been preparing for for a while now, and I am really excited to be taking part in something that will touch so many lives.

 

This morning, I was reading Luke, chapter two. I love the story of my Savior's birth! The one thing that really stuck out to me as I read this account was the shepherds. How special they are! I know that in one point in my life, I wondered why, of all people, the shepherds were almost the first people to hear of the birth of the Savior. As I have thought more about that, I am struck by their humble circumstances. I am sure that being a shepherd was not the cleanest job, and probably not the employment that was most sought after. They traveled a lot, and lived out of simple tents and lowly camps. During Jesus Christ's ministry, he taught us over and over again that we needed to be humble. He himself is even compared to being a shepherd, watching over his tender sheep (or followers). I believe that the shepherds in that field were first because they were humble, and were willing to listen. After hearing the message, they made no hesitation to seek this Jesus. Even after witnessing him themselves, they labored immediately to go and tell others of the news. We can learn from those humble, simple workers the importance of being humble and willing to listen to the Lord.

 

Being humble is not easy, but I know that as we continually pray to our Heavenly Father for help to accept His will, He will bless us in our efforts to obtain the gift of humility. Today, think about what it would take for you to be willing and ready to accept such news of Christ. I promise that as we become a more humble people, and work to do everything that the Father would have us do, we will be more prepared to accept and act upon the teachings of Jesus Christ.

You're Only A Day Away...

Thanksgiving is just around the corner!!! Who's excited!? ME! It also means that Christmas is coming up super quick. The other day, I decided to wear red, white, and black, and I felt all festive...a few weeks early, but one can have fun =)
 

I've been thinking a lot lately about how important it is to be grateful. We know that even Christ himself expressed gratitude to his Heavenly Father. I love the gratitude He felt just before raising Lazarus from the dead-

 

 "Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me."

(St John 11:41. Click the link to read the full story. http://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/john/11.1?lang=eng#1)

 

There are so many things that I am grateful for, but the number one thing on my gratitude list is my Savior. I am in awe that the love Heavenly Father has for me is so great, that he would send his only son here to give everything, including his own life, to provide a way to come to live in the presence of God again. I am grateful to know that in the moments where I don't think anyone would understand me, someone does. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer. I have been so blessed to have this knowledge in my life!

 

What if all you had tomorrow is what you were thankful for today? Thanksgiving is a holiday that we only have once a year, but gratitude is a universal concept that transcends normal holidays. Be grateful year round! Tell people how grateful you are for them! Tell your Heavenly Father what your grateful for! My challenge to you today is to just say a prayer of gratitude tonight. Tell Him what you are thankful for. Tell Him what makes you happy, and thank Him for those things. It's something I have been trying to apply more, and I have seen my eyes be open to so many more blessings as I have been thankful to my God. I know that the same can happen for you! =)

Long Time, No See...

I feel awful for not posting in a while...life is so crazy! I'm just starting my fourth transfer, and I'm really thinking it is going by too fast. Not a moment to lose!

We've only got about one more week until Thanksgiving. Where has this year gone?! I am so grateful for time. It is one of the most precious tools the Lord has given us. When a moment is gone, it truly is gone. Being on my mission has really taught me how precious time is. Use it wisely!

This transfer is going to be amazing. While it is not only Thanksgiving next week, and the skyping with family at the end of December (wahoo!), there is also Christmas lights coming up! My companion and I, along with all the other Sister Missionaries in the field went to the Mesa Temple Visitor Center this morning to finish our training for the Christmas lights. We are privileged to be able to be on the grounds during the whole duration of the Christmas Lights! I cannot even begin to tell ya'll how excited I am!!! We will be there every night to talk to people and share the joy of Christ's birth. What could be better?

After we were done with training, we got to see all the nativities from around the world that are displayed inside the Visitor Center. There was a nativity from Scotland, and I thought for sure that the wise men would be wearing kilts =) Another one was from Ireland, and it made me feel fairly close to my family (my dad served his own mission there).

There was a painting there that really stood out to me. It depicted the Hark Angels singing the joyful news of Christ's birth. All of them are women. All my life, I have always wondered where I was when Christ was born. Was I rejoicing in heaven? Was I one of the angels spoken of in the Bible that sang the news to the world? Might I have even been in a group like the painting showed? As I looked at that painting and pondered that question, I began to feel such a sweet, peaceful feeling that moved me to tears. I felt how important a moment Christ's birth was to the world, and how important it still is to us today. I have never understood the importance of Christmas like I do right now. It is all about the Savior finally coming after years and years of prophecies from ancient prophets. He had finally made it! Not only was He born that night, but the hope for a brighter future, or returning to live with our Heavenly Father, was born as well.

I know that my Savior lives. He was born in such humble circumstances, and lived a life that was pure and clean. I love this time of year so much! As we approach Thanksgiving, I encourage you to combine the two holidays together just a little bit. As you prepare that Thanksgiving meal that is such a special tradition, be thinking of why you are grateful for Jesus Christ. Why is having a personal relationship with him important to you? As you begin with Christ and are thankful for Him first, your gratitude for everything else around you will increase. You will grow a greater desire to grow closer to Him. As you are grateful for Christ and his coming, I promise that you will be able to feel his appreciation for you, too!

Gratitude Attitude!

You know how you just have those days were you wake up and just feel like it's going to be a good day? Today is definitely one of those days for me!

 

I didn't realize until just a few days ago that everyone on Facebook has been posting about the things that they are grateful for! So I figured that I would just talk about a few things that I am so grateful for. My list is long, so I'll have to spread this out over the next few days...

I am so grateful for my family.

 If you haven't gathered from some of my last posts, my family is the best thing in my life. I love each of them so much. We may not have gotten along all the time, but no matter what menial bickering we've had, I have and will always love them. They come first in my life. We always have so much fun together, from Friday night pizzas, speaking fluent movie quotes, and random nerf gun wars. I know that we were sent to earth to have a family, and that if it is treated with the right love and respect, our families can become our greatest source of joy. It's sure where I have found my joy! In The Family: A Proclamation To the World, we read that,


"The family is ordained of God...Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities."
(http://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation)


My challenge for you today would be when you sit down to have dinner, or any time where you are around someone in your family, just tell them one reason why you are grateful for them. If you don't live close to family, give them a phone call! It will still make them feel good! I promise that if you do that, you will find it easier to love one another and your whole family will grow in unity.

 

Slow And Steady!

I have an update on my Forget Me Not's! They are finally tall enough to see over the rim of the pot =)

 

I like to say that my kids are turning into teenagers =) Not going to lie though, I haven't been very patient in this whole process. I've learned that a watched plant doesn't grow...which is unfortunate when you are so excited for them to really start going!

 

I imagine that's how a lot of us feel about ourselves. We want to be perfect NOW. Why can't we be good at this one thing NOW? I am really hard on myself, and not very patient when I don't do something perfectly every time. But I've learned from helping my little flowers that all good things come with time. If we want Heavenly Father to help us, then we need to be patient with ourselves so that our frustration doesn't stop us from hearing the Holy Spirit. He wants to help us be better, and we need to understand that perfection takes time. If we were all perfect right NOW, what fun would that be? There wouldn't be any diversity between us, and no progression because we could already do everything. If everyone were perfect right NOW, then that would be rather boring! The Lord promises us that He will make out weaknesses strengths. We need to have faith in that promise as we take our own timely steps on the road to perfection.

 

 

This is something I need to work on. Oh, I have an idea! How about I promise to be more patient with myself, and you promise the same thing, and we work on it together!? Sound like a plan? =) Things like this are so much easier to work on when you don't do it alone. Make goals for yourself every week so that you can keep track of your progress, and don't stress if you aren't perfect at it by the end of the week. You've made progress, and that's all that matters! I know that as we do this together, we will be happier and more content in what we are doing now to become better in the future. Slow and steady will be what helps us win the race of life!

Happily Ever After.

Today is going to be a little difficult for me to put into words, because of how special it has and will forever be for me. First off, I know that God is really looking out for me. I got to go to the temple this morning. Today also happens to be my little brother's birthday! Happy birthday, little man =) It was such a blessing because the temple is where my family all got started. And, because of the temple, I know it never has to end.

One thing I really want to touch on is the plan God has for all of us. Throughout the Bible, we read about prophets (men called of God to lead his people here on earth through the Priesthood, or the authority to act in the name of Jesus Christ) who taught about the plan God has given us. It is referred to as the Plan of Salvation, or my personal favorite, the Plan of Happiness.

It all starts before this life. We lived in heaven as spirit children of our Heavenly Father. We lived with him, and grew and learned until we couldn't grow and learn anymore. We had progressed as far as we could while we lived in heaven with Him. Heavenly Father is a perfect father, and because He loves us perfectly, he wants us to have everything that He has. That couldn't happen if we just continued to live in his presence as spirits. So, He created a plan for us to become greater than we already were. It involved coming to a special place that he would create for us (this earth) and gaining a body. We would be able to have our own families, and go through trials and tests that would make us a better version of ourselves. We would come here to have joy! We would be spiritual beings sent to have a mortal experience. He gave us the choice to either accept this plan or not. We know that we accepted this plan, because we are here now!

Adam and Eve were the first people on the earth. They were commanded by God to multiply and replenish the earth- to have families. They were also told not to eat the fruit of a certain tree, but given the ability to choose if they would eat it or not.

"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it, nevertheless, thou mayest choose for thyself, for it is given unto thee; but, remember that I forbid it, for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."

-Moses 3:17 (https://www.lds.org/scriptures/pgp/moses/3.17?lang=eng#16)

 Lots of people think that Eve made a mistake by partaking of the fruit of the Tree Of Knowledge Of Good And Evil. In reality, if she hadn't of made that choice, we wouldn't be here! A prophet in the Book of Mormon, Nephi, explained it this way- 

 "And to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, after he had created our first parents, and the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and in fine, all things which are created, it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter. Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was inticed by the one or the other...and now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end...and they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin...Adam fell that men might be, and men are that they might have joy."

(http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/2?lang=eng)

We are here to be happy! We have the ability to make choices, and by the choices we make, we show God how much we love him. He blesses us on earth with guidance from people like the prophet and our parents to help us make the right choices.

After Adam and Eve had made the first mistake, we needed a way to return to God. Since sin cannot be in the presence of God, we needed a way to be washed from it. That is where Jesus Christ comes in. He is the Son of God, and the only person capable to take upon our sins and make it possible to be clean. While he was on the earth, he performed the Atonement. The Atonement defines his suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, right before Judas betrayed him. He took upon himself not only our sins and faults, but anything we have ever felt in our lives. Any pain, any guilt, any sickness, any sorrows...anything. Having a knowledge of this has blessed my life so much because it means that someone understands me perfectly. Jesus Christ did that so that when I knelt to pray, he would know perfectly how to help me, because he has already overcome it. Another act that Christ performed was the Resurrection, where he rose again after laying in his tomb for three
days. This act makes it possible for us too to live again.

An essential part of the Plan of Salvation is death. Without it, we could not return to God's presence. It is not something easy to deal with. A year ago today, a friend of mine passed away. It has been tough, but because of this plan, I know that he is in a place of resting. Alma, another Book of Mormon prophet, spoke about what takes place between death and the Resurrection-

"Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection—Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life." 

(http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/alma/40?lang=eng)

We will rest from all of our mortal cares in a place called the Spirit World until the time of judgment. We will then be judged according to what we did in this life, and what choices we made in accordance with God's commandments. After we are judged, we will be rewarded according to our works and desires. One of those rewards is living with God forever, with our families in eternal happiness.

I have such a testimony of this plan. It has brought me such peace to know where I come from, why I'm here, and where I am going. In order to receive the highest blessings, we need to keep God's commandments. Happiness can't be found outside the Plan of Happiness. I know that God loves us and won't ask us to do anything unless He provides a possible way to do it. I love my Savior and my God, and I know that someday I will live with Him and my family forever. Life doesn't end here. And it can only get better =) I testify that this plan is real, and that it gives us all we need to make it back to live with God.

Has Anyone Told You That You Are Amazing?

Has anyone told you today that you are great!? Well, if not, I would love to! You are fantastic! Don't ever forget that God loves you and thinks that you are wonderful, too =)

I love nature. Before my mission, I loved to take pictures of the little things. The beauty in flowers is something I especially love. I would sketch them, take pictures of them, paint them, use pastels...you name it!

Take a look at these flowers for a second. Look at the detail that went into this plant. Everything from the color blend, to the veins in the petals, the strength of the stalk, and the seeds in the center must have taken time to imagine and make. We know that God created everything that is on this earth. That, my friends, includes us! If He took an incredible amount of time and energy creating a single flower petal, think of how much consideration went into you! I don't know about you, but thinking of it that way makes me feel pretty special...

 

 

I want you all to understand how important you are. Heavenly Father had you in mind before this life, and He has you in mind now. I know that God created everything on this earth, and that he created you and I! He loves you just the way you are. If He didn't, He would have made you different. =) He puts us through tests and trials not to change us, but to create us into a better version of ourselves. He sees us as a blossoming Lily or stunning, simple Daisy. He wants us to see ourselves that way, too.

 

I promise you that he loves you. He knows you by name because He made you. I know we lived with him before this life, and that we are here now to prepare to see Him again. Do all you can to know the potential that God sees in you, and strive to do your best to live up to it every day! We are blessed as we work on becoming who God knows we can be.