Your Influence

We never know what kind of influence, or impression, we leave with people.

This past week, I received a letter from home with a paper my "baby" brother wrote about his name. I smiled as I read it and thought about how much he had learned in such a short time. Then, I got to a paragraph that talked about his nicknames. He mentioned that his favorite was the one I had given him. I almost began to cry. I was so touched by his words. When I had made that nickname, I did not think it would mean much to him and when he wrote his paper, he did not know how much it would mean to me. Think what would have happened if, instead of a nickname, I had been mean and always called him "annoying?" Then what would have happened? Who knows.

Words are more powerful than we realize. Are we using them for good or are we using them for evil?

edited picture by Chelsey Fisher

James 3:6-12 says-

"And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity... For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing... Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh..."

How can we tame our tongue to speak good things to help others, rather than hurt them?

Another scripture I read this morning is in Proverbs 15:1 that reads, "A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger." 

Are we careful with our words? Is there someone we need to apologize to? How can we help those around us draw closer to Christ by our words? 

The answer is up to you.

Changes for the Better - Cambios nos ayuda a ser mejores

Today we moved from our little apartment and this led me to reflect on how often changes occur in my life. As I was growing up, changes were my least favorite things but, now after experiencing so many, I have now come to enjoy them. Yes, they have their challenges but, they also give us a breath of fresh air and an opportunity to try new things and start over. Some of the main changes I have had in my life have been moving, high school, college, and serving a mission. All of these, at the time, were extremely hard to deal with and hard to leave old things behind but, now, I look back and see that those experiences are the reason I am who I am. I am so grateful for those trials I experienced and for the people I have met who have helped me become a better person. I still have a long way to go but, I also have plenty of more changes to happen to help me shape into who I need to be.

edited picture by Chelsey Fisher

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Hoy nos cambiamos de nuestro apartamento y esto me ayudó a reflecionar en los cambios de mi vida. Cuando era una niña, no me gustaba los cambios pero ahora, los me gusta. Sí, son difíciles pero también podemos tratar nuevas cosas o tratar otra vez. Unos de mis cambios habían secundaria, universidad, y serviendo una misión. Todas de estas cosas, en el momento, fueron muy difíciles para cambiar y dejar cosas atrás pero ahora puedo mirar atrás y ver que esas experiences son la razón porque yo soy quien yo soy. Estoy muy agradecida por esos desafíos y las personas quienes he conocido para ayudarme a ser mejor. Todavía tengo mucho más para hacer pero tengo muchos más cambios también. 

Never Alone - Nunca sólo

Today, I was sitting in our little kitchen having personal study. As I was doing this, I looked around me and realized how alone I was for the first time in almost eight months (my companion was in our bedroom). Even though I may be alone physically, I know I am never alone spiritually. I have a loving Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, there are tons of other missionaries across the globe doing the same as me and more to join. Before my mission, it was easy to feel alone but, as I have come to the realization of the above statements, I realize I never was alone and never will be if I continue to follow the example of Jesus Christ, my Savior.

"Nunca eres sólo"

In John 14:27, Christ said, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

When we turn to our Redeemer, we can be comforted through the Holy Ghost.

About a week ago, give or take, I was feeling very hard on myself and very alone. I could laugh at other things when I was in a group but, when alone, I simply wanted to break down. I knew I could not work in that condition so, upon returning home, I went to my bed and fell down at the side and just talked it out through prayer. As my frustration and sadness came out of my mouth, my heart and mind were filled with peace and comfort. I knew everything was, and would be, ok. I know God hears and answers our prayers and sends the Holy Ghost to comfort us in times of need.

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Hoy estaba sentado en nuestra cocinera y estaba estudiando. Miré alrededor y realicé que estaba sóla por la primera vez en más o menos ocho meses (mi compañera estaba en nuestro cuarto). Sí, a veces puedo estar sóla fisicamente pero yo sé que nunca estoy sóla espiritualmente. Tengo un Amoroso Padre Celestial y Jesucristo, hay muchos misioneros en todo el mundo que estaban haciendo lo mismo y hay más que vendrán. Antes de mi misión, fue facil a sentir sóla pero después de los pensamientos de esta mañana, yo sé que nunca estaba sóla y nunca estaré sóla si sigo adelante en el ejemplo de Jesucristo, mi Salvador.

En Juan 14:27, Cristo dice, "La paz os dejo, mi paz os doy; yo no os la doy como el mundo la da. No se turbe vuestro corazón ni tenga miedo."

Cuando doblamos a nuestro Redentor, podemos sentir paz por medio del Espíritu Santo.

Más o menos una semana atras, me sentía bien triste y sóla. Pude reír con otras personas pero no cuando estaba sóla. En esos momentos, quería llorar. Sabía que no pudía trabajar como así. Entonces, cuando llegamos a nuestra casa, fui a mi cuarto y oré. Hablé con mi Padre Celestial sobre todo lo que estaba pasando. Me sentí paz en mi corazón y mente y yo sabía que todo estará bien. Sé que Dios nos escucha, contesta nuestras oraciones, y envia el Espíritu Santo para darnos consuelo en los tiempos que lo necesitamos. 

A Talent to Share

Recently, in our mission, we were given an opportunity to take a personality test and, from that, had a training on using our strengths with other's to help in missionary work. This has led me to reflect a lot about my personal strengths and talents and how I can use them to help others. One I have thought a lot about has been music. From a young age, I loved to sing and "dance." I wanted to learn to play piano and flute. I learned to play guitar and did musicals galore. In the moment, it seemed more just for my own pleasure. I loved to have anything to do with music because it gave me a boost of energy and made me feel "bubbly inside."

my edited photo

Now, I see that all that was a time for me to prepare to use my talents to help others come closer to Christ. On my mission I have had many opportunities to play piano for meetings or sing to help bring in the spirit. I never liked attention, and I still do not but, I feel so much joy to have others feel the Holy Ghost come into their hearts through something I can do that I enjoy.

One example was a few weeks ago, we were having a lesson but, the mother and son began to argue. My companion suggested I sing a hymn so, with their permission, I sang a hymn. The room went quiet. The other two children were mesmerized. The spirit came into that little living room so quickly and strongly. I know music is powerful and so are our talents. When we use them to help others, we can help God further His work. I do not always see the big picture but, He does and He will help others through our efforts. I know that to be true because I have seen its influence in my life and in my mission here.

How can you use your talents to help others come unto Christ?

JOY: Jesus, Others, You

Something I've noticed as a missionary is the lack of focus on yourself. You're always worrying about so&so's ulcers, so&so's brother's aunt, if so&so read and prayed, the baptism of so&so who is being taught be the elders... etc. the list goes on. I used to just worry about myself, my family, and my friends. Now, I feel everyone else comes first and any thoughts of myself is lost.

Psalm 23 in Spanish with my missionary name plaque

It reminds me of efy one year when our efy leaders showed us 2 Nephi 2:25 "Adam fell that men might be and men are that they might have JOY" and JOY stands for

Jesus Christ, 

Others, 

You. 

As I have been serving as a missionary of Jesus Christ, I have served others before myself. Because of that, I feel joy more than any other moment of my life. I can't describe how much these people mean to me who I hardly know. I only know they are God's children and that is all that matters. He loves them so I do too.

A Personal Conversation with God

Today I was reflecting on prayers and, while reading more about the nature of God, I remembered a talk a friend of mine had shared with me from the June 2013 Ensign/Liahona entitled, "Improving Your Personal Prayers," (para español: aquí) by Elder Kevin Pearson.

lds.org

As I read this talk, I was reminded of how lucky we are to be able to pray to our Heavenly Father and the true purpose of prayer. Elder Pearson says, "To pray is to speak with God, the Eternal Father of our spirits- not at Him but with Him... Prayer is not a negotiation process. It is an alignment process. We don't more God to our point of view. Prayer is... about seeking His will and asking for His help to do what we need to do. When we align our will with Heavenly Father's will, answers and spiritual power will flow more freely."

This quote really stuck out to me because I know many times I focus more on my own personal needs and wants rather than what the Lord has prepared for me. However, I know when I am more open to God's will, my life is smoother and always ends up for the best.

lds.org

Elder Pearson also talks about being prepared to talk with God, our Eternal Father. Prayer is not just something we should just do without thinking. As I read that, I thought of the many times I had just rolled out or into bed just before or after praying. How much more would a person feel the love of God and be able to receive answers if we really thought about who we were praying to and how blessed we are to have that opportunity. Elder Pearson suggests, "finding a time and place where you can carefully ponder your life and your needs. Reflect on your divine identity and relationship to God. Strive to visualize Heavenly Father as your prepare to speak with Him. Think of the Savior in whose name you will be praying. Doing so will help you focus and prepare to pray with a humble and grateful heart."

I know that prayer is such a sacred privilege that we have and we can receive many answers and blessings through praying. I hope you, and I, can find more peace through personal prayer as we take the council of Elder Pearson and listen to the spirit as we pray. Prayer is a time to converse with God. It is a time to turn our will over to His to become better. It is our personal conversation with heaven.

Appreciate Those Around You

Today as we were having companionship inventory, I realized how grateful I am that people are different than me. Everyone has something unique to share and that is how things get done in different ways. With different ideas and different backgrounds, we come to different conclusions but, even with all our differences, we can have the same goals. One I would like to touch on is following Christ.

my edited picture

Even though many people have different ways in which they express their religious beliefs, many people still believe in Christ and follow Him. Some, through service, others through prayer, some through church attendance, some through a combination of the above and a few more. When we follow Christ we feel at peace. In John 14:27, Christ said, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." Christ promised the Holy Ghost to be around us to help in this world we live in.

The Holy Ghost talks to everyone differently but, once again, it does talk to everyone who is willing to listen and follow Christ's teachings. Galatians 5:22-23 teaches us that, "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance." Even though people feel it differently, it is usually something along those lines.

From these differences, we learn more about a person and learn to appreciate them more and what we have more. I know that as I have come to meet new people and work with others, I have come to realize more fully who I am and, through that, I have become better. Think of those you associate with and how they impact you and appreciate our differences that make us all a little bit better.

How to Receive Personal Inspiration

Yesterday, I received a letter from my mom in response to some questions I had. Her response led me to ponder more about personal revelation and this morning, in my personal study. While scrolling through talks, I came across a talk by Elder Richard G. Scott entitled, "How to Obtain Revelation and Inspiration for Your Personal Life." (para español: aquí) At one point, he talks about his personal study with the scriptures and gives a pattern that we can follow. I had heard this pattern before but, I had forgotten until I re-read this talk. I would like to suggest it because it is a simple way to really focus our studies on what the Lord would have us learn and to learn by the Holy Ghost, or the Spirit. The cycle is as follows:

I know that as we focus more on what the Lord wants us to learn, we will be blessed with inspiration to help us live our life to the fullest and to be able to help those around us more. As we focus on serving those around us, the Lord will use those experiences to help us overcome our challenges. I know this to be true because I have seen it in my own life.

Advice From a Prophet

In the Priesthood session of General Conference April 2013, President Thomas S. Monson shared a suggested formula that will ensure success in sharing the gospel with others. (and this is not just for men but for everyone!) It is simple and can help us focus on how we can help others come unto Christ. The suggested formula is as follows:
       
          1. Search the scriptures with diligence
          2. Plan your life with purpose
          3. Teach the truth with testimony
          4. Serve the Lord with love

If we do these things, I know we can help others come unto Christ. When we are honest and have the Holy Ghost with us, we can never go wrong. To read the whole talk, please go here!

A Family is Forever

In honor of my dad's birthday, I would like to talk a little bit about families. The church has put out a great document entitled, "The Family: A Proclamation to the World." This document explains the roles of members of the family and also, why we have families. It does not say that one gender is better than the other but, that each has their own special roles and that is why we are created differently.

On my mission, I have been asked time and time again if I feel oppressed as a woman in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the answer is always no. I feel so blessed because I am given special talents and gifts to fulfill the roles God wants me to and not what society thinks I should be. The world seems to focus on looks and who can get the most money but, when we realize we are all children of God, brothers and sisters, why would we want to focus on things of the world? When we have the opportunity to serve others and recognize we are all unique and here for a reason, life can be viewed as a beautiful place.

Families are something eternal. With them, we can learn many truths from God and grow spiritually to be able to combat the evil around us. Through temples, we can be sealed with our families for time and all eternity, not "til death do us part." Just imagine what a beautiful thing it would be to spend the rest of eternity with our family in love and joy. What an amazing thing that would be!

I feel so blessed to have a family that has helped me, and does continue to help me. I am so grateful for this gospel and for the example Jesus Christ has set for us and for the knowledge that men and women are different but, are both equally children of our Heavenly Father who loves us all so much.



For more information on families go here!

How to Have Joy and More of the Spirit

Preach My Gospel says, "Members who share the gospel  experience joy  and have the Spirit of the Lord  more abundantly." (p. 84) [emphasis added]

Thomas S. Monson, in General Conference, said the following, "Now is the time for members and missionaries to come together, to work together, to labor in the Lord's vineyard to bring souls unto Him. He has prepared the means for us to share the gospel in a multitude of ways, and He will assist us in our labors if we will act in faith to fulfill His work." Then, Elder Ballard discussed how we can help others come to Christ. He suggested the following things to help us:

          1. Make decision to follow Christ (Matthew 28:19)
          2. Be positive
          3. Trust the Lord
          4. Pray for missionary opportunities

And sharing can be easy! There are lots of ideas available at lds.org here or you can watch the following video.

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For more see here!

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When we share what we believe with others, we can feel the spirit more and find joy in the work of salvation. As I have been sharing what I believe with others, and learn more about what others believe, I have felt closer to God and have found more joy in my life.