The Potential You are Meant to Live

Recently I have been thinking of a few friends of mine who have been making a few changes in the lives. At first, the changes made me so happy because they were coming closer to God and making their lives better. Then, something switched and I feel I'm losing my friends again. It is so hard to watch people struggle and not be able to help them or change their lives for them.

As I was reflecting on how God, no matter what we do, loves us so much. I was led to a quote by Jeffrey R. Holland that says, "If something is buried in the past, leave it buried...Such dwelling on past lives, including past mistakes, is just not right!" (for whole talk go here)

Change is hard. I will not deny that. I have my own things I am trying to change. But, I know that they are possible through the Atonement [when Christ suffered, died and was resurrected for our us] of Jesus Christ.

There is a Mormon Message I love entitled, Your Potential, Your Privileges, that talks about a man who lives below his privileges. When, we let Christ help us, we can fully take advantage of what life has to offer and return to live with Him and our Father in Heaven again. I know that to be true and I hope you can come to realize that too.

General Conference Again - Conferencia General otra vez

It's here!!!! General Conference is once again here. After six months of waiting, it's time to hear the words of a modern day prophet! lds.org says, "All members of the Church are invited to participate in the 184th Annual General Conference of the Church, which will convene in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Saturday and Sunday, April 5 and 6, 2014, with general sessions each day at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. mountain daylight time (MDT), and the general priesthood meeting on Saturday, April 5, 2014, at 6:00 p.m. MDT."

lds.org

Please come and join in listening to the words of God given to a living prophet! You won't be disappointed!

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Está aquí!!! Conferencia General está aquí otra vez. Después de seis meses de espera, es tiempo para escuchar las palabras de un profeta moderno! lds.org dice, "Todos los miembros de la Iglesia están invitados a participar en la Conferencia General Semestral N   184 de la Iglesia, que tendrá lugar en el Centro de Conferencias en Salt Lake City, Utah, el sábado 5 y el domingo 6 de abril de 2014, con sesiones generales cada día a las 10:00  y las 14:00 h, hora de Salt Lake City, Utah. La reunión general del sacerdocio se llevará a cabo en el Centro de Conferencias el sábado 5 de abril de 2014, a las 18:00 h." 

Por favor, vengan y reúnanse con nosotros al escuchar las palabras de Dios que son dados por un profeta viviente! No se decepcionarán!

A Recipe for Forgiveness

Yesterday I received an email from an awesome Institute [church class] teacher I had before my mission. In it, he included a talk by Madison U. Sowell to BYU entitled, "On Measuring Flour and Forgiveness." I decided to print it out so I could read it this morning and WOW! It was a really great talk! It made me want to be better and forgive quicker and more fully. Near the end of his speech, he included a poem by Marguerite Stewart, entitled, "Forgiveness Flour." This poem hit me the most out of the talk so I would like to share it with all of you. Here it is:

When I went to the door, at the whisper of knocking,

I saw Simeon Gantner's daughter, Kathleen, standing

There, in her shawl and her shame, sent to ask

"Forgiveness Flour" for her bread. "Forgiveness Flour," 

We call it in our corner. If one has erred, one 

Is sent to ask for flour of his neighbors. If they loan it

To him, that means he can stay, but if they refuse, he had 

Best take himself off. I look at Kathleen...

What a jewel of a daughter, though not much like her

Father, more's the pity. "I'll give you flour," I

Said, and went to measure it. Measuring was the rub.

If I gave too much, neighbors would think I made sin

Easy, but if I gave too little, they would label me 

"Close." While I stood measuring, Joel, my husband

Came in from the mill, a great bag of flour on his 

Shoulder, and seeing her there, shrinking in the 

Doorway, he tossed the bag at her feet. "Here, take

All of it." And so she had flour for many loaves,

While I stood measuring.

lds.org

How often do we think more than we should about forgiveness? Of course, consequences must be taken care of but, we can not be fully forgiven if we will not forgive. I know when I fully forgive, I feel better. I feel at peace and that I am not weighed down by that grudge. When we forgive, we let it go so that the person who we are upset with, and even more so, we are made to feel lifted up. 

I'd love to invite you all to read that talk. It is a little long but, every word was worth it. It really makes you think of if you have fully forgiven those around you, and also, if you have forgiven yourself. Because God will always be ready to forgive us. 

General Women's Meeting!!!! - Reunión General de mujeres!

It's that time again! General Conference is coming up and that mean's so does Women's Meeting! Usually, it is just relief society but, this time, it's all women and girls ages 8 and above!!! So excited!!!!

lds.org says, "All women, young women, and girls eight years of age and older are invited to participate in the general women's meeting on Saturday, March 29, 2014, at 6:00 p.m. mountain daylight time."

SAVE THE DATE!!! 

Here is a video that summarized what I think is the purpose of this meeting:

It's going to be great. As women of the church, we can have such a huge impact and here we can all learn together how to be better!

Hope to see you there!

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Conferencia General otra vez! Y también la Reunión General de mujeres! Usualmente es sólo por la sociedad de socorro pero, esta vez, va a ser por todas las mujeres, a las mujeres jóvenes, y a las niñas de 8 años en adelante. Estoy muy emocionada!!!!!!! 

lds.org dice, "Se invita a todas las mujeres, a las mujeres jóvenes, y a las niñas de 8 años en adelante a participar en la Reunión General de Mujeres el sábado 29 de marzo de 2014 a las 18:00 h, hora de Salt Lake City." 

RESERVE LA FECHA!!!!

Hay un video que dice lo que yo piense de esta reunión: 

A Hidden Answer

Today, while studying, I remembered a letter from my mother where she felt she needed to share a talk with me on baptism. (Spiritual Power of our Baptism by Carol B. Thomas) At first, I was confused. I know what baptism means and the covenants (two way promises with God) associated with it. I teach it to complete strangers daily! Why did Mommy feel I needed this talk? I continued reading with that question but, nothing came to mind. It was a great talk but, I didn't feel it applied to me and my needs.

lds.org

Then, I got to a part about a girl from Chicago. That caught my attention. But, as I continued reading about short shorts and miniskirts, I once again began to question why I was reading this. After reading the end of her story,

I got my answer.

I had had to read almost the entire talk to find what I needed. Sometimes we have to go through times of patience to find the answers.

The answer for me was, "When we have to give up something that is a part of us, the blessings will pour in more than you can imagine."

How often are we asked to sacrifice something when we choose to follow God? It might be a habit, a way of life, friends, something that is bad for our health, whatever it is, when we give those things up, we are blessed.

As I reflected on this point, I was reminded of times in my life when I had to change to be better. It was always hard but, now, I see the blessings of those challenges. There are still things I personally need to work on but, I know, with God, I can be better.

You Can Change

Today, I was reading an old talk by Richard G. Scott, entitled, "Finding the Way Back." It talks about how we can come back unto God for help. I have heard many people say that "it's too late" or "God does not love me that much" when referring to problems they have. Scott says, "I need not define your specific problem to help you overcome it. It doesn't matter what it is. If it violates the commandments of the Lord, it comes from Satan, and the Lord can overcome all of Satan's influence through your application of righteous principles." We will all fall at times. We are not perfect. We are here to learn and be tested but, there is always a way back. If we are willing to try, we can be forgiven of our wrong doings.

my edited photo

Now, some may be saying "I've gone through too much and it is too hard" but, this is not true. Scott said, "Satan wants you to think that it is impossible. That is not true. The Savior gave His life so that you can completely overcome the challenges you face." Jesus Christ paid the price so we can be healed.

I have a friend that felt this way. I will not go into any sort of detail but, they felt they had fallen too far, too many times. It was hard to watch them suffer and struggle. I did not know what to tell them other than to just turn to God and keep having faith. After a lot of struggles, they finally had overcome this trial. From watching this friend struggle, I learned that God really never does give up on us. He will always love us, no matter what. If we are willing to try and be better and do what He asks, He will bless us.

Later, Scott said the following, "As you pray for help, the Lord will place in your path priesthood leaders who will counsel and friends who will give support if you'll let them. But remember, they can only help by your following the rules that Christ has set out for the journey. Any lasting improvement must come from your own determination to change."

I know God helps us change and helps us be better, no matter how small or large it is. Ether 12:27 teaches us, "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness... for all men that humble themselves before me... and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." I know that scripture to be true. I have seen it in my life and in the life of my friends and family. God answers prayers. He helps us change. He will make us better.

My Lifeline

Yesterday we had stake conference [several congregations gathered for church] and someone brought up a talk from an old apostle, James E. Faust. The talk is entitled "The Lifeline of Prayer." This morning, I read this talk and was blown away by several  quotes that I would like to share with all of you.

lds.org

The first is comparing prayer to things around us- "There can never be a mechanical or electronic failure when we pray. There is no limit on the number of times or how long we can pray each day. There is no quota of how many needs we wish to pray for in each prayer. We do not need to go through secretaries or make an appointment to reach the throne of grace. He is reachable at any time and any place."

This reminds me that prayer is not something limited. We can always pray or have a prayer in our heart to talk with God. He wants to hear from us. All we need to do is talk to Him. It's like with a parent. A parent wants to hear from their children. So does God want to hear from us. "God knows our needs better than we can state them, but He wants us to approach Him in faith to ask for blessings, safety, and comfort."

Later, Faust shares a story of a little boy who was asked if he prayed. He said yes. When asked if he prayed in the morning, he said, "No...I ain't scared in the daytime." Faust went on to say, "Fear of the dark should not be our only motivation to pray- morning or night." How often do we think, "oh, I'm ok. I don't need to pray right now,"? We always need to be praying. In the scriptures, we are encouraged to pray always.

I hope all of us can remember that our Father in Heaven loves us so much and simply wants to hear from us. When we pray from our heart, we can feel the Holy Ghost and feel peace. In a world where things are super crazy, I know this is a way to find peace when it is hard to do so. I know it is how I have found peace and felt closer to God than any other way.

Time Sure Does Fly When We Try

Today... kind of... I hit the half way mark of my mission. As I reflect on all that happened in the past nine months, it is hard to believe how much I have grown and changed. Sure, I still have a long way to go but, it is great to look back and see the progress. In the Book of Mormon there is a book called Ether. In Ether chapter 12, verse 27, is a verse that has always meant a lot to me. It says...

"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. 

I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; 

and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; 

for if they humble themselves before me, 

and have faith in me, 

then will I make things become strong unto them." 

(emphasis added)

As a summary, it is saying, if we come unto God, He will show us our weaknesses and if we are humble and have faith, God will make our weaknesses strong. 

lds.org

I know this to be true. I have mentioned before how I have a fear of speaking with people I do not know but, through having faith and trying, I have seen that become easier. I obviously have a long way to go but, little by little. When we trust in God, we can see miracles. And this can apply to anything. Any struggle we have, God can help us if we are willing to do it in His way and His timing. I love a quote by Elder Neal A. Maxwell that says, 

"But our faith in God includes faith in God's timing, enough to be able to say, in effect, 'Thy timing  be done.'" 

How many more blessings we can receive when we turn everything over to the Lord and let Him help us. That is when life is for the best. It may not be easy but, it is always worth it.