#discoverthebook

Joseph Smith, a man who devoted his entire life to protecting the Book of Mormon. A man who's family was ridiculed and threatened countless times because of this book. A man who was attacked and spit on for what he believed. A man who ultimately died trying to protect the word. And still he stood by this book. Why would someone do such a thing? Why would someone give their entire life for a book? Because it is true and it is life changing. If you let it, the Book of Mormon will completely change you. The Book of Mormon is another witness that Jesus Christ really lived, that He was and is God’s Son. It contains the writings of ancient prophets. Within its pages you will learn of Christ and all of the amazing miracles that he performed. You will learn of all the people in the scriptures that made mistakes and came back to Christ, and those who didn't. You will learn of the second coming and consequences for our actions at the last days. You will learn how to find humility, peace, love, joy, and hope in your life. In the scriptures, you can find the answers to any question you have. I testify that if you read this book and go to Heavenly Father with an open mind, he will show the truthfulness of it to you. (Moroni 10:4) I know this because I have done it. And now I know without a shadow of a doubt that this book is true. And now I understand why Joseph Smith lived his life the way he did because I would do it too. I would die before I denied the truthfulness of this book. So, discover the book and let it change your life. 

He is Everything

In my life, I have never really understood how important my Savior is- until recently. Recently I have learned that He is everything. He is my Redeemer. He is my Savior. He is my best friend. He is my brother. I can go to Him with anything and for anything. Because of Him I can be perfected. Because of Him I can make mistakes and through His atonement be made clean and whole again. He has done everything for me and continues to do everything for me. Now that I have lived a life with Him, I cannot imagine living a life without Him. I rely on Him completely and I go to Him everyday. He has saved me. And His gospel makes me happier than I have ever been in my entire life. He is lasting peace, he is the answer to all of life's questions. He is our hope when hope is gone. I have learned in the past few weeks that I cannot live a life without Christ nor do I want too. So it's simple, I love my Savior and words can't begin to describe how thankful I am for Him. 

My Favorite Thing

Oh my goodness I love praying. So much. The power of prayer seriously is my favorite thing. Over the last month I have come to absolutely love saying my prayers. But not only do I absolutely love it, I completely rely on its power. It's the only time in my day when I feel completely free. Free of all care in the world because I can  speak without judgement and I know that no matter what He is always there. Prayer brings a kind of peace that nothing else can and brings a special kind of comfort. I have learned that I can go to Heavenly Father with anything. No matter what it is! When I pray, I pretend like I'm sitting in a room with my best friend and it's just the two of us so I know that I can say anything. Because He is my best friend. When I pray, I feel like someone is listening because someone IS listening! It's the most amazing and humbly feeling. The power of prayer is what really showed me that I was not alone in a situation where I felt utterly lost. Prayer has been the way that I have been able to feel of Gods love and His presence in my life. I could go on and on and on about prayer because it's my favorite thing! I find myself praying all throughout the day. Each morning and night I do it on my knees and speak out loud to my Father in Heaven, but through  out the day, I find myself with a prayer in my mind and in my heart. Sometimes I even find myself speaking out loud while I'm driving in my car or walking across campus. Prayer is so incredible. So my advice to you- pray always. Always. Always. Always. Life is hard? Pray. Life is confusing? Pray. Life is pointless? Pray. Life is easy and good? Well Elder Holland said it best: KEEP PRAYING. Remember to always pray regardless of your circumstances and to always keep a prayer in your heart. Because I promise you- He is there and He is listening. 

Why I Want To Serve

There are three reasons why I want to serve a mission. They're quite simple actually (and yes these are in order of importance to me):

1. For God. I want to serve Him and my Savior because of everything they have done for me. This 18 month sacrifice is so small compared to the countless sacrifices they have made for me. I want to devote everything to Him because He gave everything for me. It is because of Him that I have this amazing gospel in my life and have the opportunity to attend such an amazing university. It is because of Him that I have such an incredible family and amazing friends. Everything in my life is because of Him. And so, I have a full heart and a true desire to serve Him. 

2. For other people. I want others to know of this true church and the pure happiness it brings into my life. Everyone deserves to feel this joy and know the teachings and blessings of the gospel. I truly want to spread the gospel to everyone who is ready to hear this amazing message. This gospel and my Savior saved me. And I want to let other people know that there is hope. Ahhhh I have so many things I want to say but I can't get them out. I just want every single person to know about the gospel and the happiness that is out there so badly! And I want to do whatever I can to help share it. EVERY SINGLE HUMAN BEING NEEDS THIS GOSPEL. And I intend on sharing it with everyone I come into contact with. 

3. For me. Yes, I will admit I am going on a mission for selfish reasons too. I know that by serving a mission, I will be more prepared to be a great mom and a great wife. I know that my testimony will be strengthened so much while I'm on my mission and I want that so badly! I want to give my whole self to the Lord and engage in His service. I want to be able to say, Ya! I was and am a member of the Lords army! When I stand in front of my Savior and Lord in the last days I want to be able to say that I am fully converted to this gospel and I also did everything I could do to fully convert others and show them the truth. Also, this is the first big life decision I made on my own. I told no one that I was even thinking about it. I just did it. I'm going on a mission for me and not for any one else. No one forced me into this. This is for ME. 

Am I scared? Oh Ya. 

Am I nervous? You betcha. 

Do I feel unprepared? Sure do. 

Am I excited? More than I ever have been in my entire life. 

My dad once told me that all that matters is that pure desire to serve and if you rely on God he will take care of the rest. I cannot wait to start preparing and go on a mission. I know the road to my mission won't be short or easy, but it will be so so worth it. 

Hard Times

Lately, I have felt like I have been trying so hard to be better and do better and things have just been getting harder and harder for me. This has been making it extremely difficult for me to keep faith in God and his timing because a lot of the time we are told that if we try really hard then good things will happen; however, that is not always true. I believe that if you are trying so hard to be better and do better, maybe God takes that as a sign that you are ready for more and you are in need of spiritual growth. And that growth tends to come from adversity and trials. Sometimes because it takes pain and suffering to grow, things have to get worse before they can get better.  Heavenly Father sometimes uses our pain as a megaphone for the important things He needs to tell us. He uses heartbreak, turmoil, pain, and suffering to make us better. However true this all may be, it doesn't make it any easier. Pain still hurts and trials still tend to suck, but we always have our Savior. I've said it before and I'll say it again, He will never leave us alone. No matter what we are going through or what we are feeling, He's gone through it and He's felt it. He knows every feeling because He's experienced it. So when life just keeps getting harder, go to Christ because He knows what it feels like. And however hard it might be, do your best to keep a positive perspective and remember that God gives His toughest battles to his strongest soldiers. So yes, sometimes the harder you try the harder things will get, but it's just because God loves you and knows what you are capable of. He knows your potential and the amazing light that lies within you. Hard times make us stronger. Hard times make us better. Hard times help us grow. Hard times bring us closer to Christ. So really when you think about it, hard times really can be the best times because the hard times are where we have the opportunity to draw nearer to Christ and become better versions of ourselves. Nothing worth having comes easily. 

He Can Heal You

Some days and some nights are harder than others. Memories flood your brain when you least expect it and things you just want to forget seem to be the only things you can remember. The hurt that you thought was gone somehow comes back with full force and it's like it never left. It's times like these when it is so important to not turn your hearts away from God because you feel like he is not there, but to turn your hearts too him and let him heal you. This church can heal anything. This gospel can take away our deepest pain. Our amazing Savior and Father in Heaven can ease all of our burdens. When things get hard and we feel as if our wounds are too deep to be healed, I have learned that the only thing that can heal our wounds is the atonement of our Savior. Through Christ, every wound, no matter how deep, can be healed. So when you are having those nights or days where the pain is just too much to bear and you can't do it on your own, remember that you don't have to do it alone. You have a Savior behind you who will pick you up and carry you through everything if you let Him. This gospel, the atonement, and our Savior can and will heal any wound that we have. I guarantee this life will not be easy. You will fall. You will be hurt. You will feel forgotten. But through the gospel, that can all be taken away. I am so thankful for that because I would not make it through this life without the amazing light that comes from the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 

Guess Who's Going on a Mission

I'm so blessed and so lucky to have been born into such an amazing gospel. I cannot imagine a life with out the gospel in it. And that is why I have decided to serve a mission for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I've decided to leave my family for 18 months so that others can be with their families forever. I have decided to serve a mission because I know without a shadow of a doubt that this church is the source of my happiness and I believe that every human being on this earth deserves to know and feel of this pure joy that I have in my life. I have decided to serve a mission because when I hit rock bottom, when I felt like I had nothing else to live for,  this gospel, my savior gave me a purpose. He pulled me up from rock bottom. I'm serving a mission because I want everyone in the world to know that rock bottom doesn't mean it's over. There is always a way back and that way back is our Savior. He is the way. And I plan on spreading that message out to where ever I am called to serve too. I cannot wait to put my life on hold for 18 months and devote everything I have and everything I am to the Lord.  am so blessed to have this opportunity to serve. I cannot wait to see what my future holds. I will be turning my papers in this summer and hopefully receiving a call soon after. But coming to this decision was not easy. It took many sleepless nights full of tearful prayers and tear stained scriptures. It took fasting and reading my patriarchal blessing countless times. And it took complete faith and trust in the Lord. Although coming to this decision was not easy, I could not be happier with the decision I made. I know serving a mission will be the hardest thing I have ever done, but I also know that it will be the most rewarding. I have never been so unsure, afraid, and nervous about something in my life, but I have also never been so sure, calm, and excited.