A Letter to Charlie Brown

In the spirit of Valentine's Day I decided to write a letter to my dear old friend Charlie Brown. I wanted him to know that Jesus Christ will always be his valentine. And He will always be yours too!

Dear Charlie Brown,

You always have a valentine in Jesus Christ. He will always LOVE you. He knows exactly what you need. He understands you and if you listen you won't hear "WHOMPWHOMPWHOMP". Instead, you'll hear, "Come unto me. Use my atonement. Follow my example. Be a doer, not a hearer only. I love you."
Don't worry about making him the perfect card, Charlie. This Valentine's Day show that you love Him by doing His work. Make everyone you meet smile. Make Snoopy a sandwich. Tell Lucy that she is a daughter of God. Stand as a witness for Jesus Christ. I know He loves you. So be happy, my friend! Start living the happy life, because you've got someone in your corner all day everyday! Happy Valentine's Day, Charlie.


Love,

Sister Taualii

Eternity Hangs in the Balance, Embrace It

ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE (eter-nal per'spect-ive) v - to think in terms of forever as opposed to short term (merely mortality) 
                                      -taken from Sister Taualii's Imperfect Dictionary


Many have said eternity is hard  impossible to comprehend. They would be correct. In our human state it is impossible for us to understand fully the eternities. (At least in the case of my brain.)

In our faith, however, we believe that we can live with our families forever. or as The Sandlot cast might say, "FOOOOREEVVERR" How can we believe this without comprehending totally, fully, purely eternity? I cannot speak for every LDS member, but for me it comes down to a statement made by a modern day prophet, In The Family: A Proclamation to the World,"The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally." WOAH! We are on earth for a divine purpose!!! You and I and ALL mankind can return to live with God! It's all part of His plan of happiness! That's awesome!

Sister Taualii, what's this plan you speak of?

Let's break it all down to the cliff notes version, shall we:

Once upon a time we lived in heaven with Heavenly Father. We were happy spirits living with our super awesome, perfect dad. He (like most parents) knew we could become even more happy. In fact, perfectly happy. So, He created a perfect plan for each of us to come to earth to learn and grow so we can be happy, like Him. This plan allows us to make our own decisions, to find things that make us happy, and become the best possible versions of ourselves all through applying the atonement of Jesus Christ. He even designed the plan to include families and other people to love so we can understand more His love for us! We are so blessed! 

Wake up, cuz this is where that eternal perspective comes into play. 

Obviously none of us are perfect. It may not be that obvious to some, but I KNOW I'm not perfect. I mess up. A lot. Trials, hardships, afflictions, and all that jazz come into our lives. 
What? 
Those things don't make me happy!
 Ah, but Sister Taualii, they do.  
Psh. That's a joke. 
No, its not. Those trials and hardships shape us. Sure, they don't seem fair. They don't seem like they make us happy, BUT in an eternal sense they are EXACTLY what we need to be happy.

How do I know that?

Because I know that God loves us. I trust that EVERY SINGLE THING I go through in this temporary earth life is for my good. And I know I don't know and won't know EVERYTHING, but with my Almighty, Eternal Father in Heaven rooting for me, by golly, I think I can handle not knowing everything just yet. 

Joseph Smith and the early saints were persecuted and tried beyond my comprehension. They relied wholeheartedly on Christ's atonement because they had no other choice. Joseph Smith in his own agony and in a prayer of desperation in behalf of the suffering saints asked Heavenly Father, "Where art Thou?"  Heavenly Father answered him, "My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes. Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands. Thou art not yet as Job..."

I find comfort in those words almost on a daily basis. I know that God lives and loves us. For that reason I can press forward through my trials with an eternal perspective KNOWING that these things shall be for my good and my happiness for this life and the eternities.

A good friend of mine and wonderful example of relying on the Savior shared how her experience with breast cancer helped her gain an eternal perspective: "Christ has given me an eternal perspective on life through which I can better understand my own trials and tribulations. I may not understand the reasons for my trials now, but I know that there is a reason and that I, my family, and perhaps others will be blessed for them.
I've never asked why I got cancer. It doesn't matter. What matters is what I do with this trial that was given to me. Will I let it pull me down? Or will I rise above it and be better for it?
God didn't CURSE me with cancer- He blessed me with it. And He helped me to overcome it."



You too can have this knowledge. You can have this peace. Turn to our Savior. Ask for His help. Find your own eternal perspective. I dare you.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

There is something that I just LOVE about being a human being. It may sound a little crazy, but you need to know that I love chocolate chip cookies. Yes, it is true. I cannot pass up a good old fashioned chocolate chip cookie and Ill tell you why: It is perfection of the cookie variety. So, right about now you might be wondering how this relates to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Well, I shall explain.

Chocolate chip cookies don't just happen! Sometimes (when I am the one making them) they don't end up tasting so good. Sad, I know. But, they do taste wonderful when the recipe is followed. I have learned that to make a chocolate chip cookie worth the calories following the recipe to a tee is absolutely vital!!!

So, again I ask how does this relate to the Gospel? I'm getting there.....calm down

Growing up going to church the teachers would ask us questions such as "What can you do to grow closer to Heavenly Father?" And we would respond in 3 standard ways I lovingly call "Sunday School Answers":

PRAY

READ THE SCRIPTURES

GO TO CHURCH....

and every once in a while a kid would yell out PRAY again for good measure.

These Sunday School Answers have gotten a bad rep for being used too much as answers to, but as I've thought more about them I have realized that they are the recipe for happiness! All of these things are needed to make happiness last. If we forget to add one of the ingredients we can feel a difference.


WHY? Great question.

Praying helps us to grow closer to our Heavenly Father. As we grow closer to Him and council (Alma 37:37) with Him we feel HAPPY! It is true. I promise. Try it. Now.

Reading the scriptures gives us more knowledge! Not the worldly kind of knowledge, but knowledge of our purpose on this earth and we can gain an eternal perspective which makes us HAPPY!

Going to church allows us to refuel our spiritual tanks. It gives us the strength to get through the week and be spiritually fed which makes us..., yep you guessed it, HAPPY!

So, hopefully you no longer wonder what the recipe for happiness is, but in case you missed it here it is:

HAPPINESS

1. Daily Prayer (often and always)

2. Daily Scripture Study ( for more happiness read even more)

3. Go to Church (Each Sunday partake of the Sacrament.)

For added flavor and increased happiness you may choose to add some other amazing things to this already fantastic recipe (Personally I enjoy these added ingredients: smile, help others, go to the temple, be a missionary)

Once you've perfected this recipe please feel free to pass it along!

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.