Best 19th birthday present

Serving a mission will benefit any young man or young woman who decides to serve for forever, and their families, converts, and the people they just barely even talk to because some people don't always join the church the first go around. There are eternal blessings to serving a mission, and those blessings only come through serving a mission. "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God... And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father! And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!" (D&C 18:10,15-16) God loves each and every one of us, and when we bring someone to the gospel we have joy, and if we bring several people to the gospel our joy will multiply a million times over. We don't serve missions just because we are supposed to, we serve because we love our fellow man and want them to share the joy in living the gospel just as we do. That's why it's called "serving a mission", that's all we do on missions, serve.

I felt the call one year and 20ish months ago (almost two years) when I heard the prophet announce the age change and I knew I had to serve a mission. Believe me, a mission, up until that day, was not in my plans in the least. I was planning to go straight into college and not look back. But I knew I had to serve a mission. I had a warm feeling in my heart and I felt something say that I am going to serve a mission. It was wonderful and shocking, haha. And then when I went with the sister missionaries, all by myself, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am going to serve a mission, and I will love it because I love people and I love my Savior. I want other people to have the same joy I have in His light and His atonement.

This confirmation became even clearer when I went to someone's house who was taking the lessons, and her mom told her, while the sisters and I were there, that she could just keep going to her church. She said, "No mom, I don't want to go to your church, I want to go this church." Her mom asked why. She said, "It feels right. Every time I go to church with them I feel this warm feeling that just tells me that it's the right place to be." I saw it click in her eyes, and it was the most beautiful thing I ever saw.

I can't wait to serve a mission. I look forward to it more than Christmas, my birthday, even attending SVU. It will be such a grand adventure! A mission is so important to me and I know I will do my best and I will try and please The Lord. I bear my testimony on the power of the Holy Ghost and it is the only power that converts people. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Home at last, but onwards and upwards

These past couple of weeks have been insane. I flew back on a red-eye flight to Notth Carolina (with something wrong with my stomach, so no sleep and I felt like I was going to puke). My mom and my sisters met me at the airport.

I was home for two and a half days before I felt truly at home, I felt at home at church. I love my ward, I loved being able to come home to all of my friends, my wonderful ward family. The ward in Tropic was lovely, but I love the ward that I grew up in. I am a military brat, so I grew older in a lot of different places. Fayetteville Third Ward is where I grew up, I grew into the young adult I am becoming. This summer was fantastic, and it was such an adventure, I do wish I could come back to Ruby's maybe next year, but Fayetteville is my home. It is the place where I have most of my important history so far in my life.

On another note, my life has only begun. This summer at Ruby's flew by, and so will this school year. Next summer will be absolutely crazy, mostly because I will be preparing to serve a mission. I have quite the adventure planned for the next few years, and I look forward to the surprises (mostly) and blessings (entirely) I have in store. "Trust in The Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways, acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy path." (Proverbs 3:5-6). I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us, and if we listen to his guidance we will find our way back to him.

I bear my testimony that God has a plan for each of us. I leave these things with you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Bad Pancakes and Guidelines

Today I tried to make pancakes. I have always been able to make pancakes, but I guess I was more of a blonde yesterday. I thought everything was going fine, until I mixed in the milk. Flour doesn't dissolve like this batch seemed to. So, I added more. And more. And more. 2 1/2 cups of the powdery substance. Then my aunt came in and asked if I really added that to my batter. I said, "Yes, why?" She then pulled out the actual flour. I started to laugh sadly. This was supposed to be my lunch and dinner. I added some real flour to my batter and cooked it up, curious to see what would come of it. What came out was some shortbread sort of tasting, gooey in the middle, not so good pastry things. They smell good, but they aren't pancakes.

This is sort of like trying to live your life in resistance to the gospel, you will get mostly edible doughy sort of things, but you won't get pancakes. God have us rules and guidelines for a reason, and shortcuts aren't going to cut it. 

I bear my testimony that I know that God gives us commandments for reasons, not just to "oppress" us. I know that we will be blessed as we keep his commandments, I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Our Greatest Resources: Family and People

Yesterday, I was able to go visit my great great aunt Rainy, she is my grandma's mom's sister. I got to sit in with the adults (I guess I am one now, aren't I?) and listen to her talk about her life. She grew up a nonmember, in a home of five or six siblings.  She did not have a happy childhood, her father was physically abusive to her brothers and her mother, they were very poor most of her childhood. Aunt Rainy said she didn't like to talk about it, but stories like hers need to be heard. She was an amazing woman who sounded like a wonderful mother to her children.

I loved listening to her stories and what she knew about her family history. I loved finding out more information about the people who wrote the letters I have at home (some are written by her brother Porter, who died in WWII). 

She is so full of charity, the pure of Christ, that I just wanted to keep talking to her. She is such a loving person; she doesn't judge anyone. I loved talking to her and listening to her stories. Her patience and love made me want to become like her one day. She came to her challenges, and used them to springboard into becoming the wonderful woman she has become. I want to come see her again, but this time with my my mom and dad, and siblings. They will love her and she will love to hear from us.

I bear my testimony that families are eternal. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Service Doesn't End with Death

Yesterday, I went to the temple with my Aunt Teresa and cousin Keilani. I had brought names and I planned on being baptized and confirmed for them.

Unless a person is baptized by proper authority of the priesthood, taking upon themself the name of Christ, and then confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints with the gift of Holy Ghost, a person cannot go to spirit paradise. In the temple we are able to be baptized in behalf of  the dead so that they may go to spirit paradise also. 

While I was there I felt my family surrounding me, they were there, hugging me and thanking me as I did their work for them. I still have work for them, but it was the most amazing feeling. Their love and gratitude for allowing them to be with their Savior was overpowering. I cried with joy. 

All of my deceased relatives, I looked up their records, I knew a few of their stories, I felt like I knew them, and they knew me and I felt that. They had been waiting for me. I was able to be baptized for my great grandma, and I know who she is through the stories my dad tells me about her. Lorna Lovina Parker. I don't know if she would have been a member in this life, but I know she was grateful, I know she accepted the gospel from the spirit missionaries in the hereafter.

I am so grateful for my Aunt Teresa and cousin Keilani. They came with me and helped me with some of the ordinances that needed to be done. I am grateful I was able to share this experience with them. I am so grateful I am able to serve my family, even though they are not here with me now. I look forward to being able to more work for them, and many more. I know that Christ lives, and through His atonement all mankind may be saved, through the laws and obedience to the gospel. Family history isn't just looking up names, you are allowing your family to be with their Savior again and to be with you again. It is one of the best and most special feelings I have ever felt. 

Miracles and Answers

I remember when my dad had his heart attack almost four years ago. I remember being told about it two days afterwards (my mom had a lot on her hands); I had strep, and no one younger than twelve could visit my dad, but I was really really sick. That was so hard not seeing him. I missed my daddy! There were some brethren who came and gave him a priesthood blessing. I knew that he would be alright. He was able to come home not long after.

He had had some therapy that was meant to build up his arteries to make them stronger. It was about three years after he had his heart attack that he went to the doctor for them to poke around, and see what had become of the stint in the previously clogged artery. Normally people have three main arteries going to the heart, and it was one of those three that was clogged. After the appointment, we found out that his body had developed a fourth artery since his heart attack. The one that was clogged was weakened, but his body had developed a new passage for blood to pass through his body.

We have a bad history with cats in the house we live in now. We came with two cats, one ran away and got run over by a car. The next one had to be put down because she kept peeing on everything, and the vet said that she would do the same at other people's houses if we gave her away. One of the first cats that we came with died of old age. The next kitty also ran away and got hit by a car. The kitties we have now (Jimmy and Stewart) are indoor cats, so we thought they were pretty safe.

About six months ago, one of my indoor cats got outside. The kitty I'm talking about has crippled knees, he can do everything normal cats do, and he isn't in any pain, he just can't run very fast at all (comparing to his brother). Stewart, the cat, had never been outside for more than maybe a few minutes in his life. He was outside all day, and then all night. We prayed and prayed that he would come home. The next morning my dog was going nuts. She was running around the yard, making a ton of noise, and marking the fence. We didn't really think anything of it. I left for seminary, and then when I got back I found Stewart in the kitchen with my sisters.

Before flying out to Utah, I was so nervous. I was going someplace I've never been before, living with not my immediate family, and not seeing my family or friends for two months. I was so worried about making friends. I asked my dad for a blessing. I came here and I felt right at home with my cousins and aunt and uncle. I made a friend within a couple of days, and few more as time went on.

In January, I had a pretty big question on my mind and I needed an answer. This question was causing a ton of distress. I prayed and prayed for an answer. The answer came loud and clear during a lesson on the Holy Ghost. My Young Womens' president was reading a quote and I felt the Spirit very strongly, and then the answer just came. I knew it was right because I felt peace.

Answers and miracles have come into my life so frequently, I could only put a few down here (I know everyone has miracles that have occurred to them, and do feel free to put a few in the comments). I know that if we pray, we will be answered. I know that the priesthood is given to righteous and worthy men, so that they may serve those around them. I know that God has a plan for each of us, and I know that He gives us these little miracles so that our faith may be strengthened, and that we may strengthen others' faith also.

I bear my testimony that God still hears us and answers our prayers. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Women and Men

There were societies (I'm going to use Egypt in my first example) where women were treated as equals. Women could own property and do all the same thing men could. Does that mean they did them? Hardly. Women CHOSE to raise families and get married. Women were treated as equals in that they had a job just as important as a man's. The future of the Egyptian empire was resting on the shoulders of the women. 

My other example is Sparta. Sparta was a matriarchal society. Sparta had equal rights, and women took up most of the work force because the men were expected to serve in the army till the age of thirty. BUT babies were thrown to the wolves if they were considered imperfect in any way, shape, or form (which is abortion at its finest). This extreme form of feminism became destructive to the point where Sparta practically ate itself. Egypt only fell to a greater power (Rome).

The opportunity to work has been offered, and most women chose to decline the higher paying jobs for the very reason that we may just not want have those professions. I know that I will be in school attaining my doctorate long after I get married and have children. I WANT to raise a family, a career can wait until my youngest is in middle school. I will have a job that is just as important (if not more) than going out and earning an income. I will be preparing citizens of America to go out into the world.

I am a proud member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I believe that it is a woman's sacred duty to raise God's beloved children in love and prepare for life outside the home. I do believe that women can do as they wish and can have a career. I plan on having one. My family will come first. I do not believe that women should have the priesthood. 

Women have the power to create physical bodies for God's beloved children. Men hold the priesthood. It's just that simple. We each have our own job in what we are to do in this life and the next. God created us different, he meant to. We all have one purpose and goal, and that is "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man".

I bear my testimony that each of us have our own divine roles and that neither gender is greater or grander than than the other. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.