every ONE

Howard W. Hunter said,

"Heaven's emphasis is on each individual, on every single person." 

I LOVE that. It lets me know that God loves ME. Who I am and what I am. There are lots of reasons I know that God cares about each of us individually, but here are 3 that I have thought about lately:

1: We are His children. What?! Yep, We are God's kids. He wants each of us to succeed. He has given us every tool possible to help us to do so. And not only succeed, but be able to stand on our own. He wants us to return to Him one day and say, "Hey dad, Look what I did with the life you gave me." In the Bible we learn that we are the children of God "and if children then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ." - Romans 8: 16-17

2: He gave us families. The purpose of our families is to help us grow individually. We each have a different family life. We each play a different role in our families. They are tailored to helping us make the most progression possible. It all gives us experience. "...know thou, that ALL these things shall give thee EXPERIENCE, and shall be for thy good." - Doctrine and Covenants 122:7

3: He gave us agency. The ability to choose is crucial to our learning and growing he
re on this earth! Heavenly Father knows that by giving us the ability to choose for ourselves we are going to KNOW happiness. Forcing a kid to eat his lima beans doesn't usually result in him growing up to like lima beans very much. Heavenly Father doesn't force us to learn His gospel, He provides us with the opportunity to choose for ourselves BECAUSE He loves us!

I know God knows ME. He knows what things I need to learn in order to reach my full potential as His daughter and even when I don't recognize His hand in my life I still feel Him there. Guiding me on my path back to Him.

My Mission is His

A couple years ago I sat my dad down and told him I want to serve a mission. He wanted to make sure I was going for the right reasons because at the time I was fresh out of college and unemployed with no direction of where my life was headed. When my dad asked me why I want to serve a mission I didn't answer right away. I wanted my words to be right and those of you who know me would know that I definately dont think things through before I speak. I told him the truth. I said, " I want to serve a mission because I want to serve my Heavenly Father. I want to give a year and a half of my life to pay Him back for the blessings He has given me." Now, seeing those words written out I can tell you it wasn't as eloquent, but thats the gist. I have a very clear understanding of my reasons behind this huge decision. I know that this Gospel can change lives because it has changed mine. Sure, I grew up in the church, but I also strayed from the teachings. I lived in the world and did all the worldly things we are warned to stay away from. Thinking back I don't remember feeling particularly happy. I had my moments and I enjoyed myself, but in the last year I have come to understand true happiness. Here's a hint, you cannot buy it. I have read the Book of Mormon. I have felt the truth in those words and I feel the joy of the Spirit daily. Granted, sometimes I have bad days, but every single day I feel the Spirit. I feel my Savior's love for me. Not because someone told me how to feel it or because I grew up in the church, but because I've come to know how it feels for me. My life was just sort of rolling along. It was happening to me. Today, I know I have a purpose on this earth as we all do. I am serving a mission so that I may help others feel this eternal happiness, this eternal love that our Heavenly Father has for us. The time I have spent in the service of my Heavenly Father has been the most joyous time of my life. I know He loves me and I know He loves YOU!

Righteous Leaders- Stand Tall

Here's what I know about righteous leaders: 1. They are humble. I love this trait in a person because it shows that they understand who they are, children of God. They know that He gives them EVERYTHING they have and they turn to Him constantly. My friend recently told me that humility is NOT recognizing our weaknesses when our strengths are pointed out, but it's recognizing that our strengths are given to us by our Heavenly Father. 2. They have the Light of Christ illuminating through them! No one can dim their light and that is awesome! "...the light of the glory of God, which was a marvelous light of goodness- yea, THIS LIGHT HAD INFUSED SUCH JOY INTO HIS SOUL..." 3. They teach obedience and they LIVE it. No one likes to be told what to do, but righteous leaders always show others how to follow God by example. 4. They understand their vision. Righteous leaders are in tune with the Holy Ghost. They align their will with God's and they conduct themselves in that manner. 5. They sacrifice. Good leaders sacrifice many important things, but righteous leaders sacrifice everything. They put aside their natural desires and give themselves fully to the Lord. They do this because they have an Eternal Perspective. They understand that this mortal life is temporary and they need to be valiant in fighting for God in order to help their brothers and sisters returning with honor to our Father. 6. They are courageous. They know they are acting in the Lord's work and they will stand tall against the adversary no matter what form it takes. Courage is more than talk, it is action The Perfect example of righteous leadership is undoubtedly Jesus Christ. He gives us the blueprint and each of us can rise up to become righteous leaders in our homes, at work, and in every aspect of our lives. Be of a good courage and Be a righteous leader!

Back in the Game

I am so excited to be blogging again! 

A couple of things to start:

1. I am a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It's been the greatest experience of my life. I've learned more than I could have ever imagined and it has brought me to a greater understanding of my Savior, Jesus Christ. 

2. My goal is to help others to strengthen their faith in Christ and KNOW that they have a loving Father in Heaven who wants them to return to live with Him.