#8: World's Greatest Teacher

The last few days I have felt as if my studies have not been effective.  This morning, as I prayed for direction and help, received the answers as to how to make my studies more effective. 

As I sat pondering, I began to think about who I want to be, and what I want to take from my mission.  I realized that for months I've been trying to become a scriptorian and learn all I can about the scriptures.  But what happened to learning from the scriptures? 

The Holy Ghost guided my thoughts today and helped me reconnect with the Savior.  He is my teacher.  He is my guide and my friend.  God loves me enought to chasten me, teach me, and help me develop into the missionary and woman I need to be.  Hats off to the World's Greatest Teacher!

#7: He Weeps With Me

While reading in the Book of Moses yesterday,

I found a tender story that reveals the loving nature of our Father in Heaven.

Enoch is blessed with a vision of the Heavens, in which He sees God weeping.  Confused, Enoch praises God and asks,

"How is it that thou canst weep, seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity?  And were it possible that man could number the particles of the earth, yea, millions of earths like this, it would not be a beginning to the number of thy creations, and thy curtains are stretched out still; and yet thou art there, and thy bosom is there; and also thou art just; thou art merciful and kind forever...mercy shall go before thy face and have no end; how is it thou canst weep?"

Enoch sees that God is all powerful; He has all glory, creations, and dominions before Him, yet Enoch sees our Father weeping.  Heavenly Father answers "with all the feeling of a tender parent" and explains His cause for crying.

"Behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of mine own hands, and I gave unto them their knowledge in the day I created them; and in the Garden of Eden, gave I unto man his agency; and unto thy brethren have I said, and also given commandment, that they should love one another, and that they should choose me, their Father; but behold, they are without affection."

I can picture our Heavenly Father, pleading with us, "choose me, your Father!" 

For a short period of time in my life, I did not choose Heavenly Father.  I chose another path.  This decision brought me great sorrow. 

One day, the burden I carried became to heavy to bear.  I sat, curled up in my bed, and cried to my Heavenly Father.  I begged for Him to forgive me for turning away from Him.  I asked if He could still even love me.  At this moment, I felt as if my Father in Heaven cried with me.  I knew that He loved me.  He was so sad that I had made poor choices, and He wept with me as I suffered the consequences. 

But just as our Heavenly Father weeps with us in times of sorrow, He also rejoices when we do repent and come back to Him. 

Never underestimate the love God has for you.  He will never abandon you.  He will rejoice in your successes.  He will sorrow in your heartache.  He will weep as we weep.  He will plead with each of us to choose Him, our Father. 

#6: Called to Serve a King

God loves me because He trusts me to preach His gospel. 

In September of 2010 I received a large envelop in the mail. 

With a pounding heart and shaking hands, my dad and I ripped the envelope apart!  We both skimmed the lines on the paper as I shouted, "Dad!  Where am I going? Where am I going?"

Just then, his finger slammed down on the page and he said, "Tennessee!  You're going to Tennessee!"

And so it was.  I had received my mission call.  Serving a mission has been one of the greatest blessings of my life.  I am a witness of God's miracles.  I can testify that He loves each of us.  The task of teaching the gospel, knocking on doors, moving around every 6-18 weeks can be hard and exhausting.  Yet somehow, I am always given the strength to keep going.  Why?  Because God loves me.  He has called me as an authorized representative of Jesus Christ, to bear His name, and share the Book of  Mormon, another testament of His Son, with the people of the Nashville.

To learn more about missionary work, Click Here.

#5: The President & His Wife

Heavenly Father has blessed me because He loves me.  He placed a wonderful family here in Tennessee that I have grown to love very, very much. 

Our Mission President and his family came to Nashville last June.  I have become close friends with their daughters, and have been blessed to be able to serve so close to their home.  Every transfer that rolls around, I expect to be transferred somewhere far away from them.  So it has been a blessing to be near them for almost 7 months!

President is one of the most loving and understanding men I have ever met.  I have watched him as he cares for the needs of his 5 youngest daughters, treating them with respect and continually expressing his love for them.  I know he is the same kind of father that our Heavenly Father is.  I see so much of God in this wonderful man.  Not only does he care for his 10 children in this manner, but he cares for each of the missionaries this way-all 140 of us!

His wife is incredible.  One particular day I was struggling with my physical health.  As I opened up to her about my struggles, she reached over and gave me a long hug.  Expressing her love for me, she told me that I could handle this.  She also told me she would fast for me.  Her fast meant so much to me.  It gave me great hope!  Since that day, I have still struggled with some health issues, but my ability to endure has been strengthened.  I know it was because she selflessly fasted for me. 

I wish I could accurately describe how much I love these two individuals and their 5 young girls.  My mission would be so different without them.  They are my family.  I will ALWAYS have them close to my heart.  I hope I can raise my children like President and his wife have raised their family. 

I know Heavenly Father loves me because He sent this family to bless and strengthen me.

#4: Yoke'd

Reason #4 that I know God loves me is because He lightens my load.  When I feel like I can't go any further, I trust that God is there. 

He always is.

An ox cannot pull a wagon or cart on it's own.  The creature is not strong enough.  When two animals are applied to pull, they tend to go at different speeds, making it difficult for either to pull the cart. 

But, when a yoke is applied to both animals, the weight is distributed, and they can pull the burden together.

We cannot pull the burden of life on our own.  We may make it a few feet, then fall exhausted.  If we yoke ourselves with the Savior, and work by His side, we can accomplish all that is asked of us.

As you allow Jesus Christ to help you pull life's many burdens, you will feel that your load is more bearable. 

So folks, consider yourself Yoke'd.

#3: A Sister Called Kate

The third reason that I know why God loves me is because He gave me a sister.  Her name is Katrina but she goes by Kate.  I have my own nicknames for her, but for her sake, we'll stick with Kate. 

Now, she's no ordinary big sister, she's MY big sister!  And she's pretty cool.  She's a news producer for a big local station in Utah and she's only 23!  Not only that, but she is one of the hardest working women I've ever seen.  When she was blessed as a baby, my dad blessed her to be a hard working daughter.  She definitely is! 

Kate is an incredible cook.  If she wants to figure out something to make, she'll make it.  In one letter she told me she had attempted to bake a delectable cheesecake that took 7 hours to cook!  Talk about talent AND patience.

She has done so much for me.  I love her.  Kate has been an example to me.  I remember one night I had a particularly rough day.  She invited me to come over and watch a movie with her.  To this day, that night remains a precious memory for me.  We just sat and talked.  She made homemade popcorn, let me cry a little, and spent the rest of her evening hanging out with me-her little sister.  There were probably a million other things she could have been doing, but she chose to spend a few hours comforting and consoling me. 

Some might find this picture embarrassing.  This was taken the day before I left for my mission, right as I was saying goodbye to my beautiful sister!  So ya, I bawled like a baby...  And she still has her dazzling smile on!

She's always encouraged me to be the best I can be.  Her letters always lift me up-not to mention they are hilarious!

Here are some of my favorite notes she has written me:

"Time flies.  Enjoy each moment of your life because if you don't you'll miss something."

"Did you know that you can't bring water to elephants?  Instead you have to bring the elephant to the water!"

"Thanks for giving me courage and strength this week.  Let me explain."  While running the half marathon this week our song came on.  What's our song you might ask?  It's 'Stuck Like Glue' by Sugarland.  I know it's a love song, but if you think about the lyrics, it's actually a song about sisters.  So our song gave me strength to get to mile 10."

"Ever wonder why...

• The sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin? 
• 'Abbreviated' is such a long word? 
• They are called apartments when they are all stuck together?"

And my favorite....

"Sister Joy, I'm so grateful we're sisters and friends!  Chance made us sisters, hearts made us friends!  Love you..."

I'm so lucky to have her.  I know God loves me because he sent one of His most precious and choice daughters to my life, to lead me, to comfort me, to write me sweet letters, to run half marathons thinking about me, to bake cookies for me, send me random packages full of trinkets and chocolate, but most importantly to show me that she loves me. 

I'm grateful for my Sister Kate.  She is my best friend in the whole world.  She's the most Christlike person I have ever met in my life.  Though I miss her, I know we are each where God wants us to be.  We will bless each other as we serve in the Lord's cause.   

#1 & 2: Protection and Promptings

When I was little, I was afraid of the dark. 

(The previous sentence may or may not still apply today.)

My parents taught me to pray when I was scared.  I got in the habit of praying every night.  I worried that if I did not pray, then something bad would happen to me at night.  I prayed every night to be protected.

As I have gotten older, I became invincible.  Or at least that's what I thought.  I didn't need to pray for protection--I'm tough!  I'm a big grown up kid!

The past couple of weeks, every time I have prayed before we've left the house, I've felt the need to ask God to protect Sister Jensen and I.  The words just kept coming out every time I prayed, "Please protect us today..."

Now I know why.

God loves me.  How do I know this?  Because this week He protected me. 

While driving to an appointment on Tuesday night, Sister Jensen and I were stopped at a light.  I noticed she was parked a decent 15 or so feet behind the car in front of us.  I thought it a little odd that she would brake so far away from the car ahead of us.  Just as I was about to tease Sister Jensen for being parked a double-wide away from the car in front, we heard a loud bang as both of our seat belts locked and our heads slammed forward. 

We pulled over and got out to assess the damage.  A sweet little woman had rear ended our car.  Though Sister Jensen and I were a little shaken and our necks rather sore, our car had suffered little damage.  The impact felt hard, but we had been protected. 

I know God has been prompting me to pray for safety.  I know He prompted Sister Jensen to stop the car so early so that we didn't hit the car in front of us.  God loves me, and I know it because He protects me and He prompts me.

Side note:  I am grateful to my awesome friends in Nashville who continued to check on us to make sure we were okay!  (E.L., A.W., J.S.,)
And also for the great policeman that came to our aid.  Nashville Pride!  :)

100 Reasons

So last month I did 25 days until Christmas.  That was fun!  The next few weeks I'm going to try something new...

Follow these posts to see how and why I know that God does in fact love me.

He is the Light

I know Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  I know that I am a daughter of Heavenly Father and that He loves me.  He is my King, my teacher, my Father.  He shows me the path each day. 

His way is the only way.  I am grateful for that.  I am grateful that I don't have to be confused about life.  I have God on my side and He shows me which way to go.

He is my light in the darkness.  He guides my path.

Half Way

Today as we were driving along Woodmont Boulevard, we saw a near accident.  A small white Volvo was pulling out of a parking lot onto the main road.  The driver of the Volvo hesitated as they were pulling out.  Why?  Because there was a big yellow BUS heading in the very direction of that little white car!  As the driver of the bus blared her horn, the Volvo sped out of the parking lot and drove away. 

The driver of the Volvo was half way in and half way out. 

In the Gospel of Jesus Christ, there is no "half way in, half way out" scenario.  We are either faithful members of His Kingdom, or we are not.  We are either followers and believers, or we are not.  We may fool ourselves at times into thinking that we only need to follow some of the commandments.  We only need to be morally clean sometimes.  We only need to go to church sometimes.  We only need to follow the prophet sometimes. 

This is a false way of thinking!

This is exactly what Satan wants us to think!  We can't be half way in or half way out.  We need to decide now where our loyalty lies.  The prophet Lehi tells his sons:

We have two choices.  Let us be wise and choose liberty and eternal life!

I love the following quote by President Monson:

"You live in a world where moral values have, in great measure, been tossed aside, where sin is flagrantly on display, and where temptations to stray from the strait and narrow path surround you.  Many are the voices telling you that you are far too provincial or that there is something wrong with you if you still believe there is such a thing as immoral behavior. . . . Does this make immoral behavior acceptable? Absolutely not! The commandments of our Heavenly Father are not negotiable!”

Don't get stuck being half way in or half way out.  Today, that Volvo easily could have been in a terrible accident because he tried to be half way in the lane.  But, just as the car was able to get all the way in the lane-we too can be completely devoted to Jesus Christ.  The way to do that is through repentance.  We can ALL repent!  We can all have liberty and eternal life!  We need to be more wise about our choices, more diligent in our commitment to God, and more valiant when faced with temptations.   

The Ability to Act

Each of us has been given the divine ability to act: to choose how we will think, what we will do, and what we will learn from each situation. 

This is HUGE! 

(so big, I used the biggest font size that blogger would allow me to use, and I also pressed the bold key)

Every day we have to make choices.  Every day people around us make choices.  Life is not about the choices we have in front of us, it's about what we do with those choices. 

Do we idly sit by and just let the world revolve? 

Or do we take an active part in our Heavenly Father's personal plan and move forward with Him in mind?

Our Father tells us in modern revelation,

"It is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward."

We should not sit by and wait for the answers to come to us.  We do not learn anything, and we do not receive the reward that Heavenly Father wants to bless us with.  But if we move forward and do our very best to follow His divine commandments, we will receive His blessings and have a greater understanding of His eternal nature and infinite love.  He counsels us,

"Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward."

There have been many times in my life, particularly on my mission that I just wait for the Lord to tell me what to do.  In my personal experience, he often tells me to stop waiting and get to work!  I know that Heavenly Father loves us, and because he loves us, He has trusted us to be agents of our own bodies.  It is up to us to decide how to act in each situation.  It is up to us to determine what and who we will be.  The Lord will guide us as we counsel with Him and continue to move forward.

Come, Come Ye Saints

One of my favorite Christian Hymns is Come Come Ye Saints.  It tells the sad take of the early Mormon Pioneers who faught valiantly to establish what they referred to as Zion.  A place of refuge and peace where they were free to worship the God of us all. 

This hymn speaks of courage, fearlessness, and happiness.  Why?  Because with the Lord on our side, He will fight our battles. 

Do I Go Unnoticed?

I live in one of the greatest cities on earth:  Nashville Tennessee.  Boy oh boy is it green here!  Right now it's winter, so, although it's not green, I still live in a region of Nashville known as Green Hills.  Here, I meet weekly with 5 other sets of missionaries every Wednesday morning.  We make up what is called the Green Hills District.  It is possibly (most likely) the best district in Mission History. 

In our trainings today we talked about trusting in God.

I had to give a portion of the training.  It was nothing spectacular, but I shared the following scripture from the Doctrine and Covenants. 

It reminds me of Luke 12:7  "But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Fear not therefore; ye are of more value than many sparrows."

I know that our Savior, Jesus Christ loves us and cares abundantly for us.  I know that He trust us, and He wants us to put our trust in Him and Heavenly Father.

A few years ago, I was struggling.  I was fighting a battle that I felt I could not win.  In an exhausted effort to find any spiritual or mental energy, I went on a drive up one of the nearby creeks and parked at a hiking trail.  I began to walk in the cold summer rain.  It was dark and I didn't know the way very well, but I needed to be absolutely secluded.  As soon as I had gone quite a few steps from my car at the trail head, I wept in frustration.  I did not understand why I was having to fight my current battle.  Tears fell down my face, and disguised themselves in the rain. 

Speaking aloud, I asked God where He had been.  Why had He left me all alone?  Was He even there?  I told Him how badly I was hurting.  I told Him that I could not handle my trials.  I poured my heart out to my Father.

Then, I looked up into the dark sky, and asked, "Where are you?"   

What happened next is a sacred moment that I will carry and cherish close to my heart for the eternities.  I experienced a witness that Heavenly Father is there.  He and His son, Jesus Christ love me.  I will never have to doubt that they are there.  I trust them and love them with all that I am, and want to be good enough to give them all that I have.

This was one of the greatest turning points in my life.  I grew up that day.  None of my problems went away, but I had the Lord on my side.  I trusted Him to guide me the way a Father guides His young child.  Now, when I am hurt, scared, frustrated, or feel alone, I know who to turn to.  I echo the words of the great Book of Mormon prophet Nephi in saying, "Nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted.  My God hath been my support;  he hath led me through mine afflictions... he hath filled me with his love."

I am not perfect-and though I trust and love the Lord, I still fall short.  When we trust the Lord we are willing to act and do something to show Him our love and willingness to follow Him.  This is where I slip up sometimes. 

I asked many of you (via facebook) how you show your Heavenly Father that you trust in Him...

Russell: "By making decisions that defy man's logic but are obedient to God. Like paying tithing."

Melody:  "Doing His will and not your own, no matter what anyone else thinks of you or how much they persecute you."

Elder Perkins:  ‎"Quote from Henry B. Eyring: 'You show your trust in Him when you listen with the intent to learn and repent and then you go and do whatever He asks. If you trust God enough to listen for His message in every sermon, song, and prayer in this conference, you will find ...it. And if you then go and do what He would have you do, your power to trust Him will grow, and in time you will be overwhelmed with gratitude to find that He has come to trust you.' "

Jenn:  "It's the simple things. Like planting a garden because we know it'll grow; it's paying tithing and fasting and listening to that small prompting that may seem so ridiculous at the time. All of these things we may not see immediate blessings of, but by trusting in God, and being obedient to the small things, we can be clay in our Fathers hands and witnesses of great miracles. The Church is true!"

I know that as we act and show Heavenly Father that we trust Him, we will see Him working daily in our lives.  I know that as we are obedient to His commandments we really will come to understand that He will notice everything in our lives-even down to all the hair I lose due to mission stress. 

If you put your trust in God, you will never feel as if you go unnoticed.

6 Minutes to Post

I have six minutes to post something on here.  Are you ready?

Happy New Year everyone!  Just a quick face update--my face is back to normal.  100%!  It was such a funny day.  My hives have disappeared, and the only thing I have left to show for it are a couple of mug shot photos. 

Here are a few other updates on life...

I received an MRI and discovered what has been bothering my back.  I've been experiencing back and leg pain since last August.  I have Degenerative Disc Disease and Piriformus Syndrome.  After a few physical therapy sessions, I should be good as new!  As long as I continue to work out every day, I should not have too many painful days.  That is a great relief to me.  There is always light at the end of the tunnel.

I am so grateful to all who have fasted and prayed for my back to heal.  Thank you for your prayers and your love in supporting me on this great mission adventure.