I don't have to know everything!

In general education college classes we are expected to know everything that comes written in a giant text book!! We are asked challenging questions and write thought provoking essays about such topic. About 2 minutes after the final exam 80% of the material is instantly lost! It is gone! It is learned simply for the test and not for the practical application. On the contrary, religion is learned to become something greater. It is meant to become engrained in our everyday actions. There is no final test on the fine line details but an examination on how it is applied.

I love being a missionary. I love the fact that often I do not have all the answers. In fact, often times I don't know much of anything! I simply get to share what I know is true. I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God. That is enough for me. I don't have to know all the details or remember all the names. I just have to open that book and my life is better. I feel loved, peace, special, and enlightened. Basically I just feel better. That is enough for me. That is enough to jump right out there as a missionary and talk to everyone I see! That is enough for me to be away from my family for 18 months. That is enough for me to get every aggravating and discouraging question out there and still stay true to what I know. It is enough. This might sound niece or foolish but it is true. When I came to know that the Book of Mormon was the word of God everything else fell into place. I want that same joy for everyone else around me!
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the church of Jesus Christ. It really is simple. It is here to help us come the closest we can to our Heavenly Father. It is how we find true joy. We know this because of that little Book I was talking about earlier. Please read it. Please pray. And please ask me questions!

Through Trials and Tribulations comes . . . service??

This week has been an interesting. With lot of up and downs... mostly downs. We have struggled in the area and the work. I had the opportunity to talk to my Mission President and he reminded me of a simple story that comforted my heart. I wanted to share.
Jesus Christ and John the Baptist were cousins. They were close as Jesus chose to baptized by John. They both endured trials and hardships and Jesus even sent angels to John to comfort him in prison. Imagine the grief and pain Christ must have felt as he learned this close friend had been killed. It must have caused Him great sorrow. Jesus Christ left the people for a time and went into the desert. I am sure He was seeking a moment on His own to express that sorrow. Instead the multitudes followed Him and He had compassion upon them. He taught them and performed the miracle of the loves of bread and fishes. He fed thousands that night when he sought to be alone. Later in the same night, He again retired to solitude. He again left his moment of peace to rescue the disciples who were at sea in a storm. It is then that He walked on water. He continually served those around Him even the deepest pain. (Matt 14 and Mark 6)
Often as we go through the times of deepest sorrow and trial, the Lord provides us opportunities to serve those around us. He knows that this service is the ultimate way to joy and peace. Serving others allows the spirit to enter our hearts and heal us. It allows us to come closer to the Savior then ever before. Christ once again and always will show us the perfect example of how to love and overcome. They are intertwined and always will be. As I got through my own trials and shortcomings I will look to this example of service. This is a touching wonderful message that has helped me as well!

LOST!!!

Have you ever been lost before? Have you ever felt that fear that comes from not knowing where you are or

where you are attempting to go? I remember that fear when I was in Ireland with my family. We were driving to our hostile for the night and we were exhausted! We had flown all day and were ready to curl up in a nice bed. We were staying at an old castle and we THOUGHT the GPS was taking us in the right direction. We were wrong. We ended up on an old dirt sheep trail in the middle of nowhere! To top it off we had tire issues. We were completely and utterly lost. We had no idea where we were or where we were to go. We were exhausted and scared. At least we weren't trying to communicate in another language!! It was a scary moment when we realized we were alone and lost.

Often times we find ourselves in the same situations here in life. We become lost and confused. We are not sure where we are or where we are trying to go. We need a guide to help us and a RELIABLE one!! That is why the gift of the Holy Ghost is key to our life on earth and our eternal progression. Elder M. Russel Ballard once said

 "We have available to us a tool even more remarkable than the best GPS. Everyone loses his or her way at some point, to some degree, It is through the promptings of the Holy Ghost that we can be brought safely back onto the right path, and it is the atoning sacrifice of the Savior that can return us home. 

The Gift of the Holy Ghost is one of the incredible blessings associated with baptism into the Church of Jesus Christ. We are blessed to have a way to have this gift with us always. For those that are lost we have hope! We can accept this gift and let it lead us back home. 

The Legend of the Shopping Cart....

Once upon a time my family and I were in Boston. We had flown all night and we were attending a free art gallery. The time was around 9 and the streets were dark. We heard over the radio that the Red Sox had just won the world series!! We knew it would be a celebratory and dangerous night in Boston so we hurried out to the car to head to the hotel. We were stopped by a homeless man with a shopping cart that was seeking for money. We honestly said we did not have any but wished him a good night. As we walked to our car we started to hear the clicking of the shopping cart going over the cracks on the sidewalk. We started to walk a little faster and the clicks became more persistent and loud. We broke into a run as we heard the shopping cart racing towards us! My dad pulled out the keys to the car and tried to unlock it . . . only to realize it was the keys to our car in Salt Lake. He quickly grabbed the next set of keys unlocked his door and climbed in. He may or may not have left us outside the car alone for a time before he realized we were still locked out!! We finally all jumped in the car and drove away. Hearts thumping and breath heavy we escaped the shopping cart!!
This is still one of my favorite memories from our vacations. We had a thrilling escape and we learned a lot of great principles! We learned to always be prepared with the proper keys in case of danger, we learned that perhaps my dad was not the best to rescue us in this moment, and we also learned that we need to be in safe situations always. We didn't know that that gallery could become a dangerous location but it quickly turned into a not so pleasant spot.
How often does that happen in our lives? We enter a scene that seems harmless and safe and turns quickly into a scenario of temptation and fear. That might mean going to parties, looking something up online, or being around a not so great group of friends. We have to learn to have the proper precautions and preparation to be safe. As we make decisions now on how we will live our life, we can better be prepared to face the challenges of tomorrow. I am grateful that I have always been taught to only be in the safest of situations and to be fully prepared to make an escape as necessary. How have you prepared yourself for escapes in both physically and spiritually damaging situations?