"Leave unto [the] Lord the Rest" - "Deja el resto [al] Señor"

As I was reflecting on my life, a thought my daddy had sent to me came to mind. It is quoted from a talk by Thomas S. Monson and is by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. He says, "Do [your] duty; that is best; leave unto [the] Lord the rest." This made me ask myself what my "duty" was. What am I supposed to do? The words of the missionary purpose then went through my mind, "My purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end." The two main words that stuck out were to "invite" and "help." Those are the two actions that I am supposed to do. But how? Reflecting on my own personal strengths, I came up with things I can do to help others. And what is the reward or blessing for doing this? "Leave unto [the] Lord the rest." He will take care of everything for me if I do what I should and focus on His will more than my own. That's what this quote means for me. How can it relate to someone else? "Every member a missionary!" So, maybe it is similar for you or it may be different. All depends on your "duty." Whatever it may be, I know God will take care of His children and always keep His promises.

~~~~~~~~

Mediante yo estaba reflexionanado de mi vida, una cita que mi padre me envió, vino a la mente. Es una cita de un discurso por Thomas S. Monson y la cita es por Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. El dijo lo siguiente, "Haz [tu] deber; es lo mejor, deja es resto [al] Señor." Esto me hizo pensar en mi "deber." ¿Qué debo hacer? Las palabras del propósito misional vino a la mente, "Mi propósito es invitar a las personas a venir a Cristo al ayudarles a que reciben el evangelio restaurado mediante la fe en Jesucristo y su expiación, el arrpentimiento, el bautismo, la recepción del don del Espíritu Santo, y al perseverar hasta el fin." Las dos palabras que me llamaron la atención, eran "invitar" y "ayudar." Estas palabras son acciones que debo hacer. Pero, ¿cómo? Al reflexionar en mis fuerzas, pensé en algunas cosas que yo pudiera hacer para ayudar a otros. ¿Cuáles son las bendiciones o galardón al hacer esto? "Deja el resto [al] Señor." El me va a cuidar en todo si hubiera hecho todo que pueda y me enfocara en su voluntad más que en la mía. Para mi, esto es lo que significa esta cita. ¿Cómo se puede aplicar a otra persona? "Cada miembro un misionero!" Entonces, tal vez sea lo mismo para usted. Tal vez sea diferente porque su "deber" es diferente que el mío. Lo que sea, yo sé que Dios cuidará a sus hijos y que siempre guardará sus promesas. 

Ogden Temple Open House

Hello World! First off, sorry for being offline for so long. In my last area, I did not have access to a computer that would let me access my blog. So, here we go again! To bring everyone up to speed, the Ogden Temple has opened its doors to the public (meaning until September 6th, anyone can take a tour of the inside). As a sister missionary, I have had the privilege of helping start videos and answer questions in a tent. I also, have been able to work in a new area with a new companion. So, needless to say, many changes have been taking place. As all these changes have been occurring, one constant has been the video they show before the temple tour. And wow! What a powerful video it is! For those who have not seen it, I would encourage you to come and see it! For those who have, I want to share a quote by Jeffrey R. Holland that he shares at the end. Each time I watch this video, the one part that never ceases to touch my heart is this quote:

Holland said, "I don't know how to speak about heaven in the traditional, lovely, paradisaical beauty that we speak of heaven. I wouldn't know how to speak about heaven without my wife, or my children. It would not be heaven for me. Now you can say that's wishful thinking. Or you can say that's just because you love each other and you've gotten cozy here on earth and you like each other's company. It's a lot more than that. There is something eternal in the statement that, 'neither is the man without the woman, nor the woman without the man, in the Lord.' That isn't just good sociology. That is theology. It's eternal."

Wow! Such powerful words! And I know that they are true. Because the temple is a holy place, we do not go into detail about everything that happens inside but, I know that through those things, we come closer to God and families really are bound together forever. I am so greatful for that knowledge and the peace I feel each time I enter a temple, or the house of the Lord. I hope each of you will take the chance to come to Ogden and take advantage of this wonderful experience to enter a temple of God. I know it is something you will remember forever.

"They were still his brethren in the Lord".

Sunday night we had a night of music that the missionaries did for the public. At first, I was nervous things weren't going to go smooth but, as always, God is truly in charge and he knows what people need. Certain songs were just what people needed. Or certain words spoken. For me, it was all of it. It was the music, the words, the spirit I felt, and seeing the faces of so many people I have come to love so dearly. As I stood to sing and saw those faces, I was overwhelmed with so much love as memories flooded my mind and as tears tried to escape the corners of my eyes. Who knew, within a year, I would come to love and care about so many people. I felt as Alma in Alma 17:2 which reads, "[And He] did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren, and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord." That is how I felt. What a joy to see people but what more of a joy to know we are all following God.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
En domingo tuvimos una noche de música que hicieron los misioneros para el público. Al principio, yo estaba tan nerviosa que no iba a salir bien pero, como siempre, Dios sabe lo que las personas necesitan y todo salió bien. Una canciones específicas fueron las que unas personas necesitaban o palabras específicas. Para mi, fue todo. La música, las palabras, el espíritu que sentía, y al ver las caras de muchas personas que yo había venido a amar mucho. Al ponerme de pie para cantar, vi las caras de estas personas y sentí tanto amor con las memroias y las lágrimas trataron de caer. No sabía que en un año, llegaría a amar muchas personas. Me sentía como Alma en Alma 17:2 que dice, "[y él] se alegró muchísimo de ver a sus hermanos; y lo que aumentó más su gozo fue que aún eran sus hermanos en el Señor." Esto es como sentía yo. Que gozo al ver unas personas pero aún más gozo al saber que estamos juntos en el camino de Dios.

I love to see the temple... - Me encanta ver al templo...

Brigham City Temple ~ Templo de Brigham City

Yesterday was a beautiful day. I had the opportunity to go with someone I had taught, and some other missionaries, to the Brigham City Temple to see her do baptisms for the dead. It made me so appreciative for the gospel in my life and for the knowledge I have of families being together forever and the hope there is for people who have passed on without learning about Jesus Christ. The more I see people change and  gain such strong testimonies, I am strengthened and given a new perspective of what I believe. Before my mission, I believed all the things I teach but, as I see others accept it, it becomes more personal and more meaningful. How blessed we, as children of God, are. No matter what, God is always there and will help us find the way back to Him.

~~~~~~~~~

Ayer fue un día tan hermoso. Tuve la oportunidad de ir al templo de Brigham City con alguien que enseñé y otros misioneros para hacer bautismos por los muertos. Me hizo agradecer el evangelio en mi vida y el conocimiento que tengo de que las familias puedan ser eternas y hay esperanza por los que han muerto sin conocer a Jesucristo. Al ver personas cambiar y tener testimonios fuertets, recibo fuerza y una perspectiva nueva de lo que creo. Antes de la misión, creía lo que enseñaba pero ahora es más personal y tiene más significado. Somos muy bendecidas como hijos de Dios. No importa lo que pasa, Dios siempre está con nosotros y nos ayuda encontrar el camino para regresar a él. 

A Year of Change

Wow! It has been a long time since I have written on here! Mission life just gets way too crazy! Well, today, I hit a year on my mission and all I can think is "where did the time go?" because really, "time flies when you're having fun!" and "when ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are in the service of your God." Today, we did some service of cleaning up/painting a parking garage. As we cleaned up the dust and garbage, it made me think of repentance. [I know- missionary thoughts. haha] It can be really hard at times and you may not feel your little sweeping is really making much of a difference but, with the help of God, and others when necessary, all is possible and things can change. When we are forced to change, we usually are not very happy about it but, when we change because we want to be what God wants us to, miracles can happen. The longer I am out, the more I realize how we all have things to improve on and some take more time than others. Whether those things be repenting of sins or just becoming better or a combination of the two, we all need our Savior, Jesus Christ, to help us become that better person. I know I still have a long way to go to be who God wants me to but, little by little, sweep by sweep, and with His love, I can change and so can you.

Blessings Come

Today, after our District Meeting, I came to the realization that I only have about 6 months left as a full-time missionary. I have very few transfers and one of those will be helping at the Ogden Temple open house. In conclusion, I am running out of time. Before my mission, I had all these plans and ideas but, a lot I am still working on and realizing I have a long ways to go.

Upon reflecting on this, I went into the bathroom and looked into the mirror. I felt like a new person was looking back. Not the same young girl from a year or two ago. As I reflected on that thought, I realized how many blessings have come into my life. For example, I feel I finally have the kind of relationship I wanted with my parents and siblings, I feel I finally have started to get to know one of my uncles, and I have heard so many wonderful things that have happened to other family members. Yes, a mission is really hard but, I would not give it up for anything. A quote I once heard comes to mind, "A mission isn't the best time of your life but, the best for your life." I feel so blessed and cannot wait to see what the next six months hold for me.

For people going through struggles, look upon the progress that has been made and remember there is still time to go. We will not become perfect over night but, little by little we can become the person God wants us to be. We just need to trust in Him and His timing.

Peace will Come

Everyone has trials and problems. They are a part of life we usually do not choose. How we respond to those problems, however, is our choice.

Recently, I have been having my own personal problems and just could not figure out how to overcome them. I would pray but, I felt the parts about my struggles were hitting the ceiling and coming back to me. But, I kept praying to find peace. This morning, that peace finally came.

I have been reading a talk from General Conference almost every day so, during my personal study, I opened up to the next talk, "Grateful in Any Circumstance," by Dieter F. Uchtdorf. As I began to read, I knew the answer had finally come.

Uchtdorf says, "Being grateful in times of distress does not mean that we are pleased with our circumstances. It does mean that through the eyes of faith we look beyond our present-day challenges. This is not a gratitude of the lips but of the soul. It is a gratitude that heals the heart and expands the mind."

Some times it can be hard to be grateful when things do not go the way we wish but, as Uchtdorf said, "How much of life do we miss by waiting to see the rainbow before thanking God that there is rain?"

I know I am guilty of that. When I am in the midst of a trial, I focus on the problem, rather than thanking God for the chance to become better or stronger. What would happen if we had an "attitude of gratitude?" I think it would help so much in overcoming our problems and focusing on the blessings we do have before becoming depressed because of what we do not.

This thought process led me to think about what I am grateful for- being able to receive answers to prayer, a loving God who cares about me personally, my family and their support, opportunity to be a missionary, good health, music that brings peace, opportunity to meet new people, charity, letters on a cloudy day, the beauty around me, and so much more but, I do not have time to write it all.

Try thinking of what you can be grateful for or how to find gratitude during times of trial. I know it will help because it has helped me.