Motherhood

The main thing I learned this week wasn't from the reading or class or anything but it's even more important. I learned it from Sacrament meeting today from a talk by one of my friends. She talked about being a mother to her two little girls and she said that her favorite scripture story to read is about Mother Eve. Eve was in a beautiful spot, the Garden of Eden, with her husband. Their lives were simple and easy there and without trials. But was she truly happy? No, because she wasn't complete. She didn't have any children and she knew she needed them. Motherhood was her calling. She didn't experience true joy until she became a mother, even if it wasn't in the most ideal place.

Thinking about this, I can relate a lot to Eve. My life has been relatively easy I would say. I've had trials but I've overcome them and learned a lot from them. Being currently pregnant again after a miscarriage, I understand what Eve went through. I used to be in a beautiful, easy place as well. Yes, there were some trials but nothing like what's coming for me. And yet, there will be true joy down the road as well because our family will grow. I have never experienced the joys of motherhood, and I'm so excited to get to have them. Like Eve, it takes sacrifices to experience true joy. I am willing to sacrifice everything for my little one and I know that because of that, I will be guided by my Savior as I welcome this little one into the world at the end of this year. I'm grateful for all the women in my life who have sacrificed for me and for the love they have shown me.

Courage

As members of the Church we need to be courageous. All the time. In my New Testament class this week we learned about Saul. I had read Saul's story before, but this time his courage really stood out to me. I like to compare his story to that of Alma the Younger. They were both pretty bad guys. They went around trying to destroy the Church. There are always people out there who try that it seems.
Saul even advertised to everyone he talked to that he was going to destroy the church and arrest the Apostles. And then he has this huge spiritual experience and loses his sight for a little bit. He gets it back with a blessing and is baptized. He then becomes one of the most devout servants of the Savior ever. Acts 9:21-22 says
"But all that heard him were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests?
But Saul increased the more in strength and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ."
Saul completely turned his life around and took back everything that he had said before. That's what the gospel does to people. When we are truly converted, we become changed. We change into what the Savior needs us to be. We forget ourselves and we become more like Him. It takes a lot of courage to stand up for our beliefs and we need that courage every single day of our lives.

Different Is Good

I've been thinking a lot recently about the phrase "a peculiar people." The verse actually goes, "For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the world" (Deuteronomy 14:2). Along with that, I've been thinking about just how different the Church has become from the rest of the world. Take the Proclamation to the World for example. That document is amazing and so full of truth. But almost everything it teaches is the exact opposite of what the world believes. It discusses gender, how that cannot be changed. It discusses how marriage is between a man and a woman. It talks about children and their need to be raised in a home with two loving parents who are faithful to each other. It talks about the need for the gospel to be taught in the home. It talks about families being together forever when we keep our covenants. It talks about so many amazing truths that the world disagrees with. The world wants everyone to be focused on themselves and their hopes and dreams. It doesn't care that children aren't being born until late in life, as long as the father and mother are well established in their careers. It doesn't care that children are being aborted, that they are literally killing babies, as long as it was the mother's choice because it is her body *insert eye-roll emoji here*. It doesn't care about men being with men and women being with women, as long as they're happy together. That is definitely NOT part of God's plan. The world is becoming more and more wicked. Why would I EVER want to be a part of that world? Why would I want to be part of a group of people who are frustrating Heavenly Father's plan? Don't they understand that they're going to bring about their own destruction? Apparently not.
We were watching a movie last night and the bad guy made a statement that made me so sad. He said God had abandoned us. He said to look around at the world and see all the awful things that have happened. NOT TRUE. God has not abandoned us and He never will. We have abandoned Him. We have forgotten who put us here and what He has done for us. We have moved away from Him. And every day more and more people get further from Him. That WON'T be me. I refuse to let that happen. I love being different from the world.
1 Nephi 14:14 says, "And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory." How could anyone leave the church, knowing what they know and what will happen when they join the world in the great and spacious building? And great will be the fall thereof. It's just so frustrating. I hate losing friends and family members. I'm sure Heavenly Father feels the same, probably even more so. Unfortunately, like Heavenly Father, I can't take away someone's right to choose. I just have to worry about myself and how I feel and what I believe and try to help those around me draw closer to Him. It's all I can do. But with His help, it should be enough to bless those around me. I love being a peculiar person, more specifically one of His peculiar people. I never want to change that. It's not worth it.

Watch and Pray Always

This past week has been pretty interesting for me and I feel like Mark 14:38 is very good advice. I've realized that as we make big decisions in our lives, we need to make sure that we are preparing ourselves for an attack. Not only do we have to be keeping all the commandments to receive revelation about what we should do, we also need to be putting on our armor. Mark 14:38 says, "Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak."

I'm getting married soon, and I've realized as I've gotten closer and closer to my wedding date, that Satan is working very very hard to stop this from happening. This is reassuring because it means that I'm doing the right thing but it also hard because it means that I have to be at the top of my spiritual game. It reminds me of Doctrine and Covenants 27, where the Lord talks about the armor of God. In verse 15, He says, "Wherefore, lift up your hearts and rejoice, and gird up your loins, and take upon you my whole armor, that ye may be able to withstand the evil day, having done all, that ye may be able to stand." He then goes on to list all of the pieces of armor that we need to have. If even one of these pieces are missing, then we become vulnerable. It's a scary idea because the adversary is only getting stronger. But I know that if we strive to obtain the whole armor of God, then we will be protected. He will have no power over us, but only if we watch and pray always. 

Another way that Satan gets to us is through doubt. All good things come from God and all bad things come from somewhere else. Doubt is not and never will be a good thing. I think so that sometimes we don't consider it to be from Satan, just something that happens to us. But it is definitely not from God. Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith. Keep on believing and watch and pray always.

Oil In Our Lamps

Jesus's prophecies about the last days reminded me of the story of the 10 virgins and how it relates to us. This has always been one of my favorite parables in the Bible. I love it because it shows that we are accountable for ourselves at the last day. The five wise virgins brought extra oil for their lamps and they were prepared. When night fell, the five foolish ones weren't prepared and they asked for oil from the five wise. Of course, they couldn't share their oil because then there might not be enough for their own lamps. We need to use our time wisely and prepare ourselves, build up our testimonies. The first time I read that story, I thought it was so unfair. But now that I've grown up a little bit and gone though the temple and served a mission, it all makes sense. We can't give people our testimonies or faith even if we want to. It's just ours. We go through the temple the first time, it is just for us. When we bare our testimonies to people, we can help them feel the spirit but it's up to them if they want to believe. 

While we're here on this earth, we need to be preparing ourselves. Like Christ said in Mark 13, "Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch" (verses 35-37)

We need to share our beliefs with others as often as we can. 

This week has been a sad one for me. Two of my friends from my mission have died in the last two days. They were both young, one a 17 year old preparing to serve a mission, and the other a 24 year old that was a school teacher and had a loving boyfriend. I am so grateful for my knowledge about the Plan of Salvation. I know that both of them are where they are needed. They are doing the Lord's work for those who need it on the other side. I know that they are both at peace and that they are where they are supposed to be. 

In church today, we watched the new LDS video for Easter. It was perfect and exactly what I needed to see. 

https://www.mormon.org/easter/hallelujah

That's the link to it. It's an amazing video that is so simple but so powerful. I know that God has a plan for us and that He loves us. He is sad when we are sad and happy when we are happy. He knows what is best for us.

Testimony

This week in New Testament, we read what Christ has to say about marriage and what he has to say about missionary work. This was great for me because it was like the last chapter of my life and the next chapter that is coming up fast.
While I was in church today, I was reminiscing about my mission and how much it meant to me. It really was the greatest thing that I have done so far in my life and I'm so grateful for it. It really strengthened my testimony as I went out and found the lost sheep that had wandered far. It gave me so much joy.
Right now, I feel like I need to share my testimony. And one of the easiest ways that I can do that is through song. My favorite song that expresses perfectly how I feel about my savior is a song called "I Testify" by Janice Kapp Perry.
The lyrics go like this:

I testify of Jesus Christ, My Lord, My King Omnipotent,

Who framed the worlds and scattered stars throughout the firmament.

Who from the dust of earth formed man and gave us breath that we might move.

And gave us laws to serve our God and live with Him in love.

I testify of Jesus Christ, My God, My Unseen Comforter,

For I have sought Him oft through prayer and found Him waiting there.

I have not touched His wounded hands nor yet beheld His holy face

But I have felt His love for me and heart His gentle voice.

I testify of Jesus Christ, Beloved Savior, Precious Friend,

Who suffered death and hell’s abyss to ransom me from sin.

Who came when demons sought my soul and banished them with sword of light.

And when despair would steal my hope His presence stilled the night.

When with all flesh my eyes shall see my blessed Savior face to face

My witness then shall not exceed the truth I know this day.

For God has written Jesus’ name with pen of flame upon my soul

And how can I but testify of Jesus Christ my Lord?

I love my savior so much. I am so grateful for all that He has done for me. I know that He lives and that He loves all of His children. I know that because of his atoning sacrifice, we can all go home to live with him someday.

Missionary work is the best

This week, in my New Testament class, we read Matthew 16-18, Mark 9, Luke 9, and John 7-10. In our reading, the Savior gives the 12 apostles the authority (priesthood) so that they can heal the sick and preach the gospel to everyone. In Luke 9, it says, "Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick." (verses 1-2). This stuck out to me as very important because missionary work is the way that our church grows. We have members who try to share the gospel using social media and other ways and we have people who actually sign up and serve missions. They pay money each month to go to a new place for 1.5-2 years to share the gospel with the people in the area that they are assigned. They are called by a prophet of God and given the authority to share the gospel and to preach to people.

When I was on my mission, I was so grateful for that authority to preach. Being a sister in a foreign country, it was a great comfort to know that I was being watched over and that I had the power to help people change their lives. In the Book of Mormon in Mosiah 15, Abinadi is a prophet who preaching to the priests of king Noah and chastising them a little bit because of the things that they are teaching or not teaching to the people. In a way of encouraging them to change their ways he quotes Isaiah in verses 14, 15, and 17, saying, "And these are they who have published peace, who have brought tidings of good, who have published salvation; and said unto Zion: Thy God reigneth! And O how beautiful upon the mountains were their feet! And again, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that are still publishing peace!" 

Where I served my mission, I didn't always feel like I had "beautiful feet." Walking up and down mountains and in the dust and through mud and giant puddles, my feet got really dirty. But I knew that I was blessed and as long as I continued to use my authority righteously and used it to bless others lives or to "preach the kingdom of God" I would be okay. This was such a comfort and I'm so grateful for the power that the priesthood gives us.