Steadmans are . . .

Do you know those phrases that stick with you forever? For example, Don't touch that! No! After you do the dishes! ect. Ever since I was little I remember a particular scripture. It has been pounded into me since I was a tiny little girl. It says:

Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life. (2 Nephi 31:20)

 I clearly remember my parents insisting that Steadmans are steadfast. Now that is a pretty c
ool motto I will agree. It wasn't until recently that I realized something... What does that even mean! I decided to take a study and find out!
Steadfast means to be persevering, diligent, firm, dedicated, committed, faithful, obedient, unshaken, immovable, loyal, courageous, enduring, dependable, and full of integrity. Holy Cow! We are promising to be a lot when we say we are steadfast! The more I looked into each of those words, the more I realized that it is all simply becoming converted. it is becoming like our Savior. Preach my gospel lists off certain Christ like attributes such as Faith, hope, charity, knowledge, humility ,obedience, virtue, patience, and diligence. All of these words tie in to the words listed above. When we become steadfast we are becoming like Christ.
Becoming steadfast doesn't happen all at once. It is not the step we take before faith. It is the step we take as we are enduring to the end. It is the step and place where the mighty change of heart can occur. It is where we become a true disciple.
 As a missionary, I have had a lot of opportunity to put into practice this very phrase. I have had the choices such as to stay out and work in the blizzard or enjoy a cup of hot chocolate, sleep in just a minute more or be up right on time, and stay firm in my testimony when it is challenged or just agree to avoid contention. I am not saying I was perfect everytime, but I can say that I have tried my best to be Steadfast. I am a Steadman and Steadmans are Steadfast!

Is it really just like a fairy tale?

I have always grown up loving disney movies! I love the famous story of Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. One of my all time favorites is Hercules! What has always been interesting to me in these older movies is there is a clear cut hero and villain . There is not many of the in between characters. Everyone is either evil or they are good. Now in real life I have often made justifications to allow for the gray area, but is there one?
Yesterday I was reading in the Book of Mormon and came across a scripture that says otherwise.

For I say unto you that whatsoever is good cometh from God, and whatsoever is evil cometh from the devil. (Alma 5:40)

It really is that simple. The things that are good come from God and everything else does not. I remember being told once that it really is all black and white. The only way to get gray is to add a smidgen of black. This makes decisions a lot easier for me. It really is following God or not. So how might we know if things are good and from God you might ask... Well Moroni tells us how!

But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, everything which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God. (Moroni 7:13)

As we make decisions in our life we can remember that everything really is like the fairy tales. There is a hero and He is our Savior. He has shown us the only way to peace and joy.

I broke it..

Once upon a time there was this timid, non adventurous person. She had finally decided to step outside of her box and take on the most dangerous feat yet in her life. She decided to tackle the . . . playground. To this point she had calmly handled the slide and the swings but she was yet to handle the bar. If you do not know what the bar is that is understandable. It is the single bar that tends to hang from chains. Often children are seen sitting on it or hanging upside down from it. So this young girl decided she would break her concern and fear and sit on that bar. She slowly eased her way onto the bar. She was sitting!! Feeling a bit more confident and brave she attempted the ultimate. . . hanging upside down. As she balanced upside down she was so pleased wither herself! She had conquered her fears!!!
That moment was a joyous encounter in my life. Yes, I was that brave lass. It felt so great to overcome one of my fears. I remember such a feeling of satisfaction and a feeling of being able to accomplish anything! To finish the story above, I did accomplish my feat! Yet, it ended quite upsetting. As I was trying to get back up to the sitting position, I fell. I landed square onto my face. YIKES!! Yes, I now have a crooked nose! It was painful! But, did I get back up onto that bar another day... you betcha!
I firmly believe God allows us to fall at times to really learn what it is like to get back up and try again. We are so much stronger when we learn to brush the dirt off and get back to work. While I gained the confidence from the success, I gained the determination with the fall. We can learn the most as we try to do our best and learn from the falls. This gospel is full of uncomfortable things we need to do and as we do we often fall. The wonderful thing is that God allows us to so we can learn. The ultimate gift is that He does not expect us to do it alone! We will always have our Savior to help us stand back up. What are ways you have learned to rise again?

It is the C word....

One Word. Can one word really define you for a year? Our mission president gave us the idea of choosing one word to focus on this year to help us become better. It came from a program already established by someone that I do not remember, but it is great! So through prayer and thought, I have chosen the word change. That is what I want to focus on this next year. Change. Continual change. Marvin J. Ashton said once "There is nothing so unchanging, so inevitable as change itself." What a great word to focus on! It is inevitable so I might as well use it to it's fullest.
I was thinking today about change in the terms of God. We know that God is an unchangeable being. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. I realized that God cannot change so we can have the potential to change. If he was constantly changing on us we would have no direction or goal to aspire to. Instead, He remains the same and asks us to change to become like Him. What an incredible gift.
I remember when I was growing up and the rules that were established in my house. We were simply asked to not do certain things and to do other things. My parents were very good about not changing those rules. This gave me a clear choice to choose between. It gave me the ability to freely exercise my agency. I am so grateful for those chances they gave me choose and thereby to change.
While change is hard it is also the only way to ever become truly happy and like our Savior. C.S Lewis once said

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of—throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace”

I know that God is making us into the eternal beings we were designed to be. Let Him change you.

I think......

I remember when I first decided that I was going to go to Southern Utah University. I remember that I was around 15 and we were visiting my sister who lived there. I loved the campus and very much wanted to follow my sister. I then resolved in my mind I would go there and no where else! When I was in high school I also explored the campus while I was in the Shakespeare festival and yet again fell in love with it. I loved that school and I was going there. I had a thought that had become a fixed resolution. I was going to SUU and that is exactly what I did. I loved my experience there and all the wonderful people that I met. It really was amazing. It all came from a simple thought.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "If you sow a thought, you reap an action. Sow an action and you reap a habit. Sow a habit and you reap a character. Sow a character and you reap a destiny." Wow. That is one powerful thought! It leads to our destiny! This week we were able to have a sisters conference where we discussed this very thing. We focused on the destructive nature of negative thinking and the incredible influence of positive thinking. We can literally sow our destiny! Whether it will be negative or positive, it is up to us! This is proof of the amazing gift of agency.When we take the time to evaluate the present and focus on what is happening right now, we are able to more fully use and appreciate the gift of agency. We do each have the ability to choose positive and to choose happiness.
Of course, the ultimate happiness and positive attitude will come as we follow our Savior Jesus Christ. With His Atonement we can overcome any unfairness or trial and choose to see the joy. With Him we can be masters of our own destiny.

Isn't it about time...??

I love the old church commercials! They are so wonderful! They share a wonderful message in such a humorous way. I loved the tag line. Isn't it about time? Think about that for a moment. We all run our lives by time. How much time do we have to get ready in the morning or how much longer do I have to sit in this class. It really is about time. When we realize that this life is such a small small moment in the eternal perspective, that time becomes even more precious. This week I was thinking a lot about the time that I really gave to my family and friends. I was also thinking about how blessed I was to have been given so much time by those I love. Here are just a few examples of the time that was given to me to help me grow.

• Every Sunday my mom and me would make some sort of treat together. We would spend the time together and become even better friends.
• My dad would always ask me to come to work with him. I should have been much better about spending that time with him! I loved that I knew he always wanted me around.
• My sisters and I would always watch the silly chick flicks together. We laughed and laughed. I knew not matter how tired or sick they were,we would always have that time together.
• I had many occasions where my friends would take the time to talk with me or to just let me vent. They gave me the time I needed to become better.

Even more importantly then the time we give to others is the time we give to our Heavenly Father. He has literally given us all time and it is just asked that we give a small portion of time. Just a little bit to read our scriptures or to pray. Yes, even 3 hours at church is just a little bit to give to the God who gave us life. As we give Him our time we can build a relationship with Him. I am so grateful for this time that I get to give to my Heavenly Father as His missionary. I love this opportunity to give Him my time. 

Are you ready for the next adventure??

I'm pretty sure we all have our favorite journey story. We have the one about that crazy dog, red shoes, and a yellow brick road. We have the one about the the mermaid that traveled from fins to legs and marriage. We each have our own journey story. One of my favorite journey stories in my life is the time we drove from Boston to Prince Edward Island. It was my sisters, mom, and a family friend. We traveled through bad hotel rooms, missing drivers license and almost didn't travel back into the U.S.

I have also always loved the story in the Book of Mormon of Lehi and his family.Lehi and his family were asked to leave all of their worldly possessions and live in a tent in the wilderness. They were asked to travel back and forth from Jerusalem to the wilderness to get the scriptures and wives. They then traveled to the "promised land." The land that they were promised would bring great blessings to their family. What a trip! They went through so much to get to the promised land. They went through sickness, hunger, thirst, storms on the sea, potential of being killed and so much more. They really struggled through it and they did make it! They made it to the promised land! (1 Nephi 1-18)
Don't we all go through similar experiences. Whether it is an actual travel, or just the travels of everyday life, we are asked to struggle through it. We are promised an ultimate blessing of eternal life if we simply make it through. It is exhausting and it is painful, but it is worth it. I love applying Lehi's journey to my own. Whenever he was commanded of the Lord he followed it! That brought the next instructions of where to go. He also was grateful for the blessings the Lord provided for him. This is how I want to live my life. I will be obedient and grateful.
I am so grateful for the journeys I have gone on. I have seen the best and worst of me as I struggle through this life we live. I am grateful for the times that the Lord provides adventures for me to grow and learn to rely on Him.
How have you seen the journeys in your life strengthen your testimony?

Frostbite...

I remember when I was in the Dominican Republic. I remember the nice breeze that would give me a momentary relief from the sun. I remember the heat streaming from the sun. I remember the lazy hours of just laying on the beach. I miss those days. Now I am feeling the ice beat upon me as rain freezes solid. I am feeling the wind chill that penetrates down to the bone. I am now NOT feeling my fingers, toes, cheeks or nose. This winter has been cold and long! It has made me so grateful for the wonderful gift my sister gave me before I left. It is lovingly called Poland. No no not the country but the coat. It is the beautiful invention she bought in Poland that is so perfect for the current weather conditions. It is so warm and throughly insulated. I could not have survived this winter with out this coat. Even if I look a bit like a marshmellow I am still grateful for "Poland."
As I was thinking about the warmth this coat provides, it reminded me of the times in life when our world seems cold. Whether due to trials or circumstances, we all have moments where we are cold and in desperate need for warmth. I am so grateful for the gift that our Savior provided to do just that.

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14: 26-27).

Our Savior has given us the ultimate "coat." It comforts in time of need, provides safety from the chills of life and it gives us the peace that can only come from Him. We all have the opportunity to access this gift. It doesn't come to the few and far between, but it is offered to all. How have you felt the Holy Ghost comfort you in trails?