a heightened desire to serve

"Only when our testimony transcends what is in our mind and burrows deep into our heart, will our motivation to love and to serve become like unto the Savior's. It is then, and only then, that we become deeply converted disciples of Christ and powered by the Spirit to reach the hearts of our fellow men."
-Russell M. Nelson (Afternoon Session)

I suddenly had the increased desire to do missionary work about a year ago. I say suddenly, but really, that was a step in my conversion. Many, many things, over the course of my whole life, led to my desire to serve others and to share the good news of the gospel.

It's why I started this blog. It was the first thing that popped into my head... An easy way to share my thoughts. Maybe not everyone will read them, but a few will, and if you can change the lives of even just a few... well, you've done your job right.

When I talk to my nonmember friends, it seems that that desire - that unexplainable need to do missionary work (what my friend Sydney would call a pulsing of the heart) - almost explodes inside of me. 

Those people are happy. You can live a happy life without the gospel. But can you live a fulfilled life? (haha... kinda reminds me of that post I did a few days ago... )

The gospel has brought me comfort. 
Enlightenment. 
Understanding.
A true appreciation for sacrifice.
The belief in an Almighty God - One who loves unconditionally and would never forsake.
It's eased my burdens in an unspeakable way.
Taught me to hope.
Taught me to love.
Taught me to trust.
Given me a love for people.
Taught me that there is a balance in all things - a reason for every trial and triumph.
Shown me the beauty of humanity.
The goodness of the human spirit.
Taught me to marvel at God's creations.
Instilled in me the knowledge of who I am and what my Divine Purpose is.
Given me a sense of amazement and awe at what my Savior has accomplished.

The list truly could go on and on.


And if I can help just one person to partake of the glorious freedom and joy that the gospel has to offer... I will be the happiest, most successful person alive.

If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.
(-Emily Dickinson)


A strong desire to serve God's children came with the desire to share the gospel. The two are inexplicably linked together.

It's why I'm going to Fiji, although I am a strong believer that the most meaningful service you will ever do will be among your own peers.

I am still going to jump at the chance to serve people of another culture, though. The chance to see the world and interact with people that are living in such a different way from me will be an amazing experience.

The desire to serve is a strong one that has also been blooming and blossoming and maturing within me for a long time.

But never before has it been so strong.



The age change for missionaries announced today was maybe one of the biggest answers to prayer that I have ever had.

It was actually an answer to unspoken prayer, because although I have been worrying and wondering about a mission, I'm not sure I ever brought my thoughts to the Lord.
He knows my heart, though.

I'm pretty sure it's the only major announcement that the church has made that I can remember...

(I guess that it depends on what you would consider a major announcement, but I can't remember another that directly impacted me and affects me the way this one does.)



I've sorta briefly described my change of heart toward missionary work and service. For a while now, I have had the strong desire to serve a mission, but I've never totally known if I would.

I mean, you never know what I will be doing by the age of 21. Maybe I will want to get married by then. And I don't feel like putting a family on hold for a mission is a good choice for me to be making...

I wanted to go on a mission so bad, but it was always still kind of a maybe.


Well it is not a maybe anymore.


I freaked out when I heard that announcement, and I have been giddy with excitement all day.

Like every time it crosses my mind, my heart fills with so much joy - I can hardly begin to explain it.


And there is no uncertainty at all - not the slightest of a doubt in my mind - what I will be doing when I turn nineteen.

I am so excited and so grateful that I won't have to wait to leave or wait to make that decision.

One of my sweetest tender mercies.



And I think - because of the sweet miracle that took place for me in the first five minutes - this has been my favorite conference so far. Ever.

And the talks have been great. Have you tried taking notes?

I just thought of something that we read in seminary yesterday... (I took a picture of the following quote with my iPod so I could share it with you guys...)

Brother Brigham took the stand, and he took the Bible, and laid it down, he took the Book of Mormon, and laid it down, and he took the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, and laid it down before him, and he said, "There is the written word of God to us, concerning the work of God from the beginning of the world, almost, to our day. And now," said he, "when compared with the [living] oracles, those books are nothing to me; those books do not convey the word of God direct to us now, as do the words of a Prophet or a man bearing the Holy Priesthood in our day and generation. I would rather have the living oracles than all the writing in the books."

This is of course not to say that the scriptures aren't important. The scriptures are the word of God and the prophets that wrote in them were Divinely called and their words apply to us today.

The Book of Mormon has been called the keystone of our religion, the most perfect book that exists today.

But even above those books, are the words of our Prophet and the apostles who are on the earth today.


I pray that each of you will tune in to conference tomorrow and listen to the amazing and essential advice that the Lord's disciples have to offer you. Whether you watch from the seats in the conference center, the pews in your stake center, the couch in your family room, or your spinny-computer chair...

I know that you will feel the Spirit witness to you that the words being said are true... that the amazing speakers you will listen to are truly conveying the Lord's will to you.

Click here to watch.

10:00-12:00 pm and 2:00-4:00 pm MDT.


You guys are awesome.

Happy Conference Weekend.

general conference is for YOU!

I'll tell you... it sounded really hard to me the first time I was challenged in seminary to take notes for all four sessions of general conference...

But I did it and you know what?

I am so passionate about it now that I took notes last conference too... and I wasn't even assigned to.


Really and truly though... in the past, every time I'd watched general conference, it kinda seemed like they were all talking about the same things and all of the talks sorta... blurred together.

But I am still hearing different random quotes and things that either I will recognize from a recent talk, or things that will instantly remind me of a specific talk.

And I seriously remember so many talks and what they were about and who was the speaker.

And I love that. Because before I took notes, I seriously would forget what I heard pretty soon after conference ended.

But not anymore.


General conference talks are scripture. Just like reading Matthew or Mark or the book of Jacob.

If you got the chance to go hear the Savior speak to you from the pulpit, you wouldn't miss it for anything. (At least I'm hoping so!)
You would be there listening and you would do whatever He counseled you to do.

And I'm pretty sure you would remember it for the rest of your life.


Well...

The Lord speaks today. He speaks through the prophets. Revelation and communication with the Divine exists today... just as it did in times of old.

Don't miss the opportunity to hear direct counsel that comes literally straight from the Savior.


I can't even tell you how much it will bless your life if you take notes and don't just brush off conference when it ends.


You will feel the Spirit so much during conference, and it will give you a spiritual high. And spiritual highs are always good.

Oh and one more thing.

Something neat about the talks you will hear are that they are written for us now. In 2012. They aren't words from thousands of years ago. The scriptures written then apply to us now too, but you know, they just aren't as specific to our time.

Read this quote from last October...

"I know our greatest happiness comes as we tune in to the Lord and to those things which bring a lasting reward, rather than mindlessly tuning in to countless hours of status updates, Internet farming, and catapulting angry birds at concrete walls. I urge each of us to take those things which rob us of precious time and determine to be their master, rather than allowing them through their addictive nature to be the master of us."
- Ian S. Ardern

Isn't that awesome? He referenced Angry Birds in his talk. 

(And how did that particular example just pop into my head? Notes! You remember things when you write them down!)

Anyways just a thought. The prophets know today's world. At our last stake conference, one of the members of the presiding bishopric came and spoke to us. And he read scriptures off of his iPad.

Don't just brush off the words these amazing people say.

They apply to you now!


This post ended up way longer than it was going to be. I was seriously going to just share the video and  suggest taking notes.

Hehe.

Have a lovely day and conference weekend!

"we owe to god the same faithfulness that he gives to us..."

Sorry... a day late. I just remembered this video this morning...




"For me, He's never been more real."


Last year in seminary, our teacher gave us a copy of the following article, and I kept it in my binder the whole year...

(article written for the Washington Post found here.)

9/11 destruction allowed us to spiritually rebuild

By Thomas S. Monson

The calamity of September 11th, 2001 has cast a long shadow. Ten years later, many of us are still haunted by its terrible tragedy of lost lives and broken hearts. It is an episode of anguish that has become a defining moment in the history of the American nation and the world. This week, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, along with Tom Brokaw, will pay its own homage to the unforgettable events of September 11, 2001.

There was, as many have noted, a remarkable surge of faith following the tragedy. People across the United States rediscovered the need for God and turned to Him for solace and understanding. Comfortable times were shattered. We felt the great unsteadiness of life and reached for the great steadiness of our Father in Heaven. And, as ever, we found it. Americans of all faiths came together in a remarkable way.

Sadly, it seems that much of that renewal of faith has waned in the years that have followed. Healing has come with time, but so has indifference. We forget how vulnerable and sorrowful we felt. Our sorrow moved us to remember the deep purposes of our lives. The darkness of our despair brought us a moment of enlightenment. But we are forgetful. When the depth of grief has passed, its lessons often pass from our minds and hearts as well.

Our Father’s commitment to us, His children, is unwavering. Indeed He softens the winters of our lives, but He also brightens our summers. Whether it is the best of times or the worst, He is with us. He has promised us that this will never change.

But we are less faithful than He is. By nature we are vain, frail, and foolish. We sometimes neglect God. Sometimes we fail to keep the commandments that He gives us to make us happy. Sometimes we fail to commune with Him in prayer. Sometimes we forget to succor the poor and the downtrodden who are also His children. And our forgetfulness is very much to our detriment.

If there is a spiritual lesson to be learned from our experience of that fateful day, it may be that we owe to God the same faithfulness that He gives to us. We should strive for steadiness, and for a commitment to God that does not ebb and flow with the years or the crises of our lives. It should not require tragedy for us to remember Him, and we should not be compelled to humility before giving Him our faith and trust. We too should be with Him in every season.

The way to be with God in every season is to strive to be near Him every week and each day. We truly “need Him every hour,” not just in hours of devastation. We must speak to Him, listen to Him, and serve Him. If we wish to serve Him, we should serve our fellow men. We will mourn the lives we lose, but we should also fix the lives that can be mended and heal the hearts that may yet be healed.

It is constancy that God would have from us. Tragedies are not merely opportunities to give Him a fleeting thought, or for momentary insight to His plan for our happiness. Destruction allows us to rebuild our lives in the way He teaches us, and to become something different than we were. We can make Him the center of our thoughts and His Son, Jesus Christ, the pattern for our behavior. We may not only find faith in God in our sorrow. We may also become faithful to Him in times of calm.

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Pretty cool article, right?

Something to remember...

i could never find the words...

Last Wednesday marked the anniversary of the martyrdom of our own beloved prophet Joseph Smith.




Elder Holland (as always) gave an incredibly powerful talk. To read the whole thing, click here.

"They were willing to die rather than deny the divine origin and the eternal truthfulness of the Book of Mormon."


Something has to be really really important to someone if they are willing to die for it.

I know that if a man were ever to wrongly claim that they had received divine witness of the truthfulness of a book that they had written themselves... Well... I'm pretty sure that power would be the motive behind such a lie.
And what power would they have after they were dead?

No, if a man is willing to die rather than deny the truthfulness of that book... then that book is true.

[did all that make sense?]


The 135th Section of the Doctrine and Covenants is my very favorite.

"the Book of Mormon, and this book of Doctrine and Covenants of the church, cost the best blood of the nineteenth century to bring them forth for the salvation of a ruined world;"
[taken from verse 6]

I could never find the words to express my infinite gratitude and respect towards my prophet Joseph Smith.

I could never say thank you enough.





P.S. Please find the time to watch the video embedded in this post. It can strengthen your testimony so much... Aaah. I just don't have words. Please watch it. You will be so glad you did.

A Marked Generation

We all know those people around us that just amazing.
They are smart, funny, spiritual, and just all around... good.

And there is no doubt in our minds that they are going straight to the Celestial Kingdom...

And then there's us.

At least that's how we seem to always see it.

We tend to often feel that we are not measuring up, that we're just not good enough.

Well...
There have been people on this earth for thousands of years.
There was Adam, the Ancient of Days.
From him came many, many prophets who preached to millions of people that we read about in the Old Testament.
In the New Testament, We read about Christ being born. He preached healed, and offered himself up for a sacrifice.
There were many, many generations following that.

Read history books. Read about the Indians, the Revolutionary War, Ancient Rome, Chinese history...

There have been a lot of people on this earth.

Billions.

Billions of people have lived and died here over the course of six thousand years, each with their own special mission.

And then you were born.

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For nearly six thousand years, God has held you in reserve to make your appearance in the final days before the Second Coming. Every previous gospel dispensation has drifted into apostasy, but ours will not.... God has saved for the final inning some of his strongest children, who will help bear off the kingdom triumphantly. And that is where you come in, for you are the generation that must be prepared to meet your God...." Make no mistake about it you are a marked generation.

- Ezra Taft Benson
(read more)

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You came here for a reason. You have a mission to complete that no one else can complete for you.

We are the strongest generation... the generation strong enough to defeat Satan.

Strong enough to stand up for what we believe.

Strong enough to make a real difference.

The fact that you live on the earth at this time... makes you amazing.

The Father saw something in you during the pre-existence. He knew you were strong enough.

You were foreordained to be great.

Of course, that means that we have a great responsibility. We can't let our Father down.

We have to work hard to accomplish what we came here to do.

But. I promise.

It will be worth it.

182 Years...

Just if you were wondering... the Church was organized on Apr. 6, 1830. 182 years ago today.

Young Women General Meeting 2012: Arise and Shine

D&C 115:5 - Verily I say unto you all: Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations;


     What a brilliant idea and theme for all - not just the youth... because others WILL notice your example... good or bad. If you hold high standards and never sway in them, people will see the light of Christ shining in your countenance. 


     And they will want that light.


     So don't be afraid to share the gospel with a friend. I promise that it will bless your life and also the life of that person. You can be an instrument in the Lord's hands. 

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     Oh yeah, and don't forget about General Conference next weekend! Help spread the word with the following video:

Blessed are the Pure in Heart

     Just a quick post because I wanted to share a story... it is a story that I read in this book today.... and it's awesome.
     Just so that you know before you read, this was experienced and later shared by Jon M. Huntsman Sr.

Enjoy.

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     I learned this important lesson during a time I had the privilege of serving as the stake president (the ecclesiastical leader) for Howard W. Hunter, then the prophet and President of the Church. He was a dear and trusted friend. On one occasion, I felt the Spirit move me to go by his home to see how he was doing. When I knocked on the door, his wife said, "President Huntsman, come on in. We knew you would come by. President Hunter told me a few minutes ago, 'President Huntsman will come by our home this evening to see how I'm feeling.'"
     When I went in, he was leaning back in his recliner, looking pale and quite ill. When I asked him what I could do to help, he said "I would like a priesthood blessing. Would you be kind enough to give me one?" I said I would be honored and humbled to do so and asked if he wouldn't mind explaining the nature of his illness.
     He responded, "Today I had an ill thought toward another man, and it's made me physically and emotionally sick all day. Every bone in my body aches. My heart burns because I had a negative thought in my heart toward another person. Would you bless me that any harsh thoughts toward any man or woman would dissipate immediately and be eradicated from body and heart, mind and soul?"
     So I placed my hands on his head and, as soon as I did so, I thought of Matthew 5:8: "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." I had just put my hands on the head of a man who was so pure in heart that it made him physically ill if he had negative feelings toward anyone. That was one of my greatest experiences, to learn from such a pure man the impact of carrying ill thoughts toward another.

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     That is an awesome story that stood out to me, because it is crazy to think that something like this could happen. Howard W. Hunter had a very, very pure heart. (Along with all of our other prophets)...

Psalms 24

3 - Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?

4 - He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

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I don't really know how to end this post, because I just wanted to share that story... so... bye.

Did one of my posts leave a lasting impression on you? I'd love to hear about it! Comment below! 

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