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?

Struck by Lightning

Imagine you are driving along in the middle of a rain storm. You are having a wonderful conversation with your companion and you are enjoying the beautiful music playing. You are in a quiet neighborhood heading to a dinner appointment. You are so excited about the wonderful day you have just had! You are excited for dinner. Suddenly you see a bright flash of white surrounding your car. Your eyes still hurt from the brightness. Instantaneously you hear a loud clap of thunder that vibrates the car and your ear drums. Just as quickly as it happened it all becomes peaceful again. What in the world just happened???!!! You take a second to think and you suddenly yell, "WE WERE JUST HIT BY LIGHTNING!"

That is a true story that happened just this last week! Our car was literally struck by lightning. What is truly amazing to me is the fact that we are safe. We were not harmed in anyway and we continued right on for the rest of our night. We were protected by the power and mercy of God! Just like this event we all have the "lightning strikes" in our lives. We are surrounded by the attacks of the adversary and the attacks of human frailty. We must have the protection and the preparation to withstand the attacks and to continue forth in the power and mercy of God. We all know those protections. Reading our scriptures, prayer, attending church and so forth. We need these basic necessary tools or we will crumble when we are struck. No matter what the attack if we have the protection of God we will be saved! Our car proved to be the safe haven we needed and the arms of God will be that for us as we engulf ourselves in His love. Don't let the lightning storms of life attack you but be surrounded by the protection of God.

I'm a GINGER!

Have you ever met a ginger? Have you ever seen a ginger in a stressful situation without any chocolate in their system?? If so, I am sorry. I have been known to throw my own fair share of temper tantrums and I will blame my hair color! This week my sweet companion has been on the receiving end of such explosions and every single time I have been so impressed with her reactions! She has taught me how to really be Christlike in every situation. I wanted to give some examples of how she has treated me in the way Christ would have.

- She instantly apologized for anything that may or may not have been her fault
- She sought to understand the situation from my perspective
- She showed love by wanting to take the time to communicate and really solve the issue
- She accepted my apology without hesitation and she moved on quickly
- She never once reacted back to me only became humble

She has taught me so much! Humility really is key to any relationship and argument. When one or both are humble then the argument can be quickly avoided or dismissed. This is key to all communication skills!
As I read the Book of Mormon this morning I saw the same example in the letters of Moroni and Pahoran. Moroni is upset and angry at Pahoran for not supporting the army. He does not know that Pahoran is dealing with his own civil unrest and is currently fighting for his life! Instead of Pahoran writing back an equally upsetting letter, he responds kindly and complimentary! He gives Moroni the benefit of the doubt and moves forward. (Alma 60-63).
Next time I am having a temper or receiving such I will seek to show the example of my dear companion or Pahoran.

It's so pink!!

Today I had the amazing opportunity to go and see the famous cherry blossoms in Washington D.C. Talk about a lot of pink! It was amazing! The flowers were beautiful and the weather was perfect. We had a glorious time! I was so struck by the beauty of the world around me. Just weeks ago those trees were bare and now they show forth the beauty of a creation of God.
Spring time always reminds me of this wonderful fresh start. It is so fitting to go this week in connection with Easter time. Easter is when we commemorate the death and rise of our dear Savior. With His example, we are also given an opportunity to lay down our woes and sins and rise again as a new disciple of Him. We don't have to remain as the bare tree limb but we can bloom into an exquisite creation of God. This really is the time we should set the new resolutions of our spiritual nature and become changed. He not only showed us how to change but He made it possible to. One of my favorite definitions of grace says,

"It is through the grace of the Lord Jesus, made possible by His atoning sacrifice, that mankind will be raised in immortality. It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means, This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts."

Through our Savior's grace we can become the new creations we need to be!
Just like the flowers and new growth around us, we should also become a changed person Because of Him! I love my Savior and the ability He gave me to change!

Practically perfect in every way!

I remember when I was in the musical Peter Pan. I was playing the part of Wendy! It was a wonderful show and I loved it! One of the scenes will always stick out to me. When Wendy is first shot down from the flight, the lost boys find her and build a nice house around her. We practiced that scene over and over again to make sure the pieces were placed correctly so the house would not fall down. It was scary to be laying there helpless as a house was built around me! We finally had mastered the technique and everyone felt confident in that scene. Some of the lost boys began to be a little careless with their placing of the pieces. On our first night of performance the tragedy occurred! As I laid there under the built house... it all came down!! At first I attempted to hold it up and not let anyone see but it came crashing down around me! I was so embarrassed and tried to cover for it! It was so rough!! Our director was so disappointed that a scene we had worked so hard on had failed. It is quite a funny experience when I look back but in the moment it was devastating!!
While practicing for the scene we had the ability to master it, but because of laziness and lack of accurate practice we lost the opportunity for perfection.
This happens so much in our lives. We all have the ability to be perfect. We can perfectly play a piano piece if we learn to practice it perfectly. We can perfectly shoot a basketball if we practice it perfectly. It is the same way in our daily spiritual  habits. We can become like our Savior Jesus Christ as we perfectly practice the small and simple habits. If we read our scriptures everyday, pray often, attend church every week, and follow the commandments we are perfectly practicing to become perfect! It all lies in the small and simple steps of discipleship. We cannot afford to get lazy and out of the habit. We need everyday to practice! Without practice we will not progress and we will lose the ground we already covered! Please please practice!! And make your steps to perfection happen daily!