Substitute Teacher

In middle school we had a long term subsititute teacher.

One day during class he placed two large school fundraiser chocolate bars on my desk. 

Kind of confused I ignored the treat.

Right before the bell rang the sub proceeded to say 

"Someone, I don't know who, gave Jenna two delicious chocolate bars and told her she could do what ever she wanted with them." 

The whole class looked at me.

The bell rang and I was surrounded by kids asking for some of the chocolate.

All I could think was "No! It's not mine."

I held on to these chocolate bars unopened.

(pretty impressive for a 7th/8th grader)

I took them back to the substitute the next day. 

He was confused why I didn't share my gift and he was confused why I was trying to give it back.

My response was something like "I didn't pay for it." 

I may not have bought those chocolates but he did.

He gave me a gift that was delicious but I refused to touch. 

I also refused my friends who asked for the sweets in the class periods after.

Christ paid for our sins. 

He has placed chocolate bars on our desks.

He doesn't want us to hold on to our gift unopened and unshared.

He wants us to enjoy the sweet taste that only comes through forgiveness from him.

And he wants us to share.

Why?

Because we didn't pay for it.

He Did.

 

3 Nephi 9:21-22

" Behold, I have come unto the world to bring redemption unto the world, to save the world from sin.

  Therefore, whoso repenteth and cometh unto me as a little child, him will I receive, for of such is the kingdom of God. Behold, for such I have laid down my life, and have taken it up again; therefore repent, and come unto me ye ends of the earth, and be saved."

 

Granddaughters and Going the Right Way

When I was little my mom worked for my grandpa in his Tax office. 
Every morning before work my mom would drop me off at grandma’s house. 
Whenever my dad would take me  on a drive I would scream from my car seat in the back 
“You are going the wrong way!” 
I would say this over and over. 
Finally my Dad decided to ask me where to go. 
From the tops of the trees I pointed him the 15 minute drive all the way to grandma’s house. 
The other night we were walking to an area we previously decided to go when I had the thought 
“We are going the wrong way.”  
 We stop to pray. 
A few names come to mind so we turn around to go see them. 
Through this we found a young grandma who needed the words of two grown up granddaughters. 
My companion had beautiful insight and I knew we went the right way.

Alma 37 :6-7
"Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.

  And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls."

 

(I know this is a picture of my grandma and grandsons but aren't they cute? :)



12 Year Old, Tears, and Public Speaking.

The very first time I ever spoke in church was around when I was 12. The topic was on the savior Jesus Christ. I was terrified to speak on a topic so important in front of 200 people.

I knew Christ was important but I didn’t know how he was important to me. I remember crying and being afraid. My dad helped direct me what to say (aka he wrote it for me.)

The day came for me to speak. We don’t have paid clergy but I knew my 12 year old words were nowhere near good enough.

Before the meeting I was shaking and crying. My Bishop and youth leader took me aside to give me encouragement. They said a prayer to help calm my nerves.

With all of that my talk was still not perfect. It was time for me to speak; I said the words on my paper with tears streaming down my face.

Yep. I cried the entire time. Not tears of love for the topic but tears of doing hard things.

Looking back now I smile at the first subject I was asked to speak on. Our Savior.

Although I didn’t fully understand (and still don’t) I do know with his name as the title of life we can do hard things. The hard things that involve Him lead to salvation and eternal life.  

Now I see. If I did everything perfect the first time I wouldn’t need him. It is only thorough Him we can do hard things. Or even want to.

Alma 32:21
"And now as I said concerning faith- faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true."



What does God look like to you?

What Does God look like to you?

Matthew 5:48 States that He is perfect.

My area right now is one big Hill.
Every view from this hill is breath taking and perfect.
These perfect views help me see one small reason why we have a perfect God.
Another reason I know God is perfect is the body he gives us.
Every day we walk up and down the hill,
up,
down,
appointment at the top,
appointment at the bottom.
By the end of the day (or sooner) our feet hurt.
They hurt from all the ups and downs among other aches and pains.
The pain isn’t permanent.
It gets better.
We get better.
Our bodies become stronger,
tougher,
and the pain eventually goes away.
Our healing bodies may not be perfect but they are created in the image of our perfect God.
Who does have a body of flesh and bone.
Who loves us,
Who weeps with us.
Who sent his Son to die for us so we might return to him.
These are a few reasons how I know we have a
perfect, selfless, loving Father in Heaven.

Who is God to you?

 
This is at the top of one of the hills.. it doesn't look that big when you are looking back.

I think that is true for life as well.

Respect

Currently I am serving in a beautiful area. Almost everyone here has a faith they belong to. These people love God so fully you can see it in the lives they live. As missionaries we are not here to judge people, if they have too much, too little, etc. Our purpose is to bring others to Christ. No matter what faith, we have the same Savior. Same God. I believe that. I respect and love all in what they believe. The purpose of this post is to invite a more open and loving communication showing respect and understanding for each other. By doing this I know our foundation of faith will grow and our understanding of our purpose in this life will increase. My vision is communities with stronger faith. The discipline is open respectful communication. Our Destiny is strong holds of protection in this changing world.

The more we show our love and respect the more we will be supported by our God.

3 Nephi 2:12

“Therefore, all the Lamanites who had become converted unto the Lord did unite with their brethren, the Nephites, and were compelled, for the safety of their lives and their women and their children, to take up arms against those Gadianton robbers, yea, and also to maintain their rights, and the privileges of their church and of their worship, and their freedom and their liberty.”

Valentine

This week I received a Valentine from a woman in my new area.

We were talking about Vision + Discipline = Destiny.

On the back of the Valentine she wrote

"I'm so blessed your destiny brought you to me." 

This lead me to think

 Are we not so blessed our destiny lead God to send his Son to this Earth!?!

On this Day we show our love to our fellowmen but I ask

How can we show our love to God?

Ere you left your  house this morning to buy chocolates, flowers and goodies 

But did you think to pray?

Moroni 7:48

 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.

 

Re-PEN-tance

My beautiful trainer out here out he mission taught me how to teach repentance to children.

(side note: this is how I teach adults as well)

First what is our vision?

Why do we repent?

We repent because we want to be clean from sin.

p.s. God wants us to be clean from sin. That is the whole reason he sent his Son.

The how to on Repentance

The hand is us

The pen is sin

 Our fingers are the steps we need to take to be free of sin.

First: recognize you did something wrong

Second: feel bad about it

Third: do your best to restore your wrong and apologize

Forth: pray with faith for forgiveness

Fifth: forget about it and never do it again

(this picture is supposed to show the pen falling after the fifth step)

By forget about it I mean don't  hold on to that thing you did wrong that one time.

Do you believe Christ when he says

though your sins be as scarlet they can be white as snow.

I do.

I've felt it.

That's why I want to let everybody know!

Here is an example in the scriptures of a man praying for forgiveness and receiving it.

Enos 1:4-6

 4 And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens.

 5 And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed.

 6 And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away.

Vision+Discipline=Destiny



Call me crazy but I have always had high expectations for life.
This desire of mine has led me down some crazy wonderful paths.
Last week I found out why I am the way I am and I am ever grateful!
All of the prophets teach the same thing
Faith. Repentance. Baptism. Gift of the Holey Ghost. Enduring to the End.

Why do we have faith?
Why do we want to repent?
Why is baptism so important?
How can the gift of the Holy Ghost help us?
And do we really need to endure to the end?
These questions can be likened unto a road map.
We are at point A at the start of our life.
We want to go to point C by the end.
But in order to get there we need to go through B.
Point A: We want to live with God again.
Point C: Gods work and glory is for us to live with him again.
Therefore we need to go through B: “Keep my commandments and endure to the end and ye shall have eternal life.”

Point A is our vision for life
Point B is the discipline it will take to achieve it
Point C is where God would have us be. Our Destiny.

Vision + Discipline= Destiny

Do you have a vision of what you want your life to be like?
And do you have the discipline to achieve your destiny?
I know the lord is bound to bless us when we do what he says.

“Your future is as bright as your faith.”

-Thomas S. Monson

On top of a hill in the rain and still there are more mountains to climb!

Our own little Wilderness

Our Prayers are not isolated events but are connected to our lives and each other.

Pray

Recognize blessings

Show gratitude

Repeat

Alma 34:21-27

 

 21 Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, mid-day, and evening.

 22 Yea, cry unto him against the power of your enemies.

 23 Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy to all righteousness.

 24 Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them.

 25 Cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase.

 26 But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness.

 27 Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you.

 

How often do we feel like we are in a wilderness?

Most of us can say we are in our own little wilderness right now.

God has a pattern of letting his children go through hard times.

Otherwise known as

Wildernesses or

Trials of faith

Why?

Because He wants us to find Him.

He wants us to pray.

He wants us to know we are His children and He will bless us if we but ask.

 

The answer to when should we pray

is Always.