Listen and hear the voice of a prophet

Teaching, is kind of exhausting sometimes. During my lunch break, I sit back in my chair, and eat some food, of course. But at the same time, I also feed my spirit. I go to lds.org and look up mormon messages usually.

And I just want to take this moment to personally invite all, to watch general conference this weekend. Feel more peace and love in your life, better understand your purpose, get answers to tough questions, it is so worth it.

The Answer to Life's Questions, every single one

We are all people. We are all looking for answers. We all want to know what is important, and we all want to feel loved.

I can promise you that there is a God, Heavenly Father, who loves you more than you can imagine. He wants you to feel His love and to feel full. So he restored Christ's gospel, the same Gospel that was established when Christ was on the earth, so that you could come closer to him and feel really joy and love.

This I know is true.

The Braid

So I am a pen snob, pen connoisseur, pen snob. When I have a Pilot G-2 sweeping beneath my fingers, uhm-hm, I am figure skating on paper. They are très expensive, but they are worth it. I am worth it. My handwriting is worth it. The 05 sized tip rocks this world with its precise little curvy y's.

Speaking of Y's, why do I keep eating this store bought, homemade oreos? Sarah brought home a huge bag left over from her work. Faith and I took one bite and she threw her's away. But, guess what, the more gross cookies you eat, the better they start to taste. You can count on that statement right there. Or maybe they have drugs in them or poison. Do you ever feel like you are being poisoned? Me neither.

Back to pens, a trusty G-2 just ended it's career in my many notebooks. Respectable career, I would say; unlike those pens that only work half the time you touch them to paper. Today in one of my meetings, a guy I know made a pretty chill analogy about that. We don't want to be like those lazy pens that only work when they feel like it. We are depending on them to write when we need them. Like so, God is depending on us to be ready and willing when He wants to use us to be instruments in his hand. If we are not ready or able, He can easily just use another pen, another person, but we will miss out. Let me just tell ya, I want to be a G-2. That pen you can always rely on to get the job done and do it well.

Also, speaking of the Gospel, I found this great scripture that reminds me of being an ambassador of Christ, always standing as a witness for Him, not just in what we say, but also in what we do and how we live. From the Book of Mormon: Alma 17:11

I know I never related this gross cookies. Eating them does remind me of a story my grandma once told me. She once, as a little girl, refused to try chocolate. Yes, let's take a moment to get past how cray-cray this is. She was afraid she wouldn't like it because well, it was just a strange brown blob. Of course, she now realizes her foolishness. Likewise, I have really been enjoying these cookies that I once didn't love, but now I see their greatness.

What Thinks Christ of Me

I love this talk, What Thinks Christ of Me, so you should all check it out no matter what your religion. It answers a simple question: Mormons are Christians.
 But I also think it is a question all Christians need to ask themselves, or even all people.
           Does my life reflect what I believe?
Here is a video version of the same talk: Click here! Personally, I always enjoy hearing an apostles voice more than just reading it.

The Church is true! It brings so much happiness, but don't take my word for it...find our yourself!

What I have been reading

In my reading, I came across 44 Aphorisms by Richardson. Here is number seven.

Ah, what can fill the heart? But then, what can't?

So true, this phrase is. One might argue that nothing can fill to fullness but love, which is true. A pure love for another human does fill the heart up so tightly. And for some people, this love may be hard to find, and so they ask, "what can fill the heart?" because they feel the lack. But also, our hearts are our own. I can do whatever I want with my heart. I can love whatever I want, worship whatever I want, serve whoever I want. And I think it is who I decide to love and worship that enters my heart and fills it. I want to give my whole heart to God, and in my experience, when I do that, He gives me back so much of His love so then I can better serve and love those around me. But I also must be careful not to let things of a lessor value enter into my heart. Because it is what we spend our time doing and our minds thinking about that enters into our heart and becomes a part of who we are. I just really enjoyed this aphorism; there is so much found in these eleven words.

For more about the LDS church go to www.mormon.org or www.lds.org.

2 Nephi 4:18-35

One of my favorite scriptures:

Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 4: 18-35

This post is two-fold.

1. Have you ever played the whipped cream game? Perfect for silly freshman who should be studying or sleepovers or late night holidays. You spray a bit of whipped cream on your wrist then move one arm up toward the sky and use your other hand to stop the motion by hitting it. Whipped cream goes flying. While it is in the air, you try to catch it with your mouth. so fun.

2. This is one of my best friends, Carolyn Brown. She is currently serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS church or Mormon church) in Dallas, Texas. Just want to say, she is an amazing missionary! I have been seriously impressed with her success and dedication to the work. I know it is because she is an instrument in God's hand helping bring truth and happiness to the people of Texas. So why do mormons go on missions? and why do I keep posting about the church? Basically, because it is true! The Gospel is true. Not only that, but it brings so much happiness and growth to my life. It is the answer to every life problem. What a wonderful secret that shouldn't be a secret. Everyone should know about it.

Whenever I check the stats for this blog, it tells me what posts are most popular and who sees them. The most popular post are always the posts about the church, especially this post here. It is consistently seen by people from all over the world. Do you know what this means? People really want to hear about the Gospel. I am so grateful for people like Carolyn and all other sorts of missionaries who are sharing the truth and helping people feel God's love.

Also, missionaries can leave at 18 now! (19 for girls.) What a wonderful blessing to everyone really.

The Truth of the Truth

Just feeling very grateful for Christ's atonement.

I am continually amazed by how perfect and healing God's love is for each individual person. I am so grateful to both my Father in Heaven and my Savior for the atonement. Not only does it make it possible for me to live with God again, but its grace also strengthens me every day. I can feel His love and comfort surrounding me. I trust in Him completely, and what I want most is to love Him and His children and to serve Him by building up His kingdom. I know He lives. He is always there for me. I am so grateful that He has shared His love with me. Check it out: mormon.org.

Sports Camps

What did I do with my summer? Sports Camps! Here is a picture of a bunch of wonderful soccer counselors. This year, I am a dorm counselor, so I don't have a group of girls, but I am over a group of counselors. I miss being a regular counselor and having a group of girls, but I have learned so much as a DC, and I am so grateful I had this opportunity.

The biggest thing I learned:

A good leader loves those she/he serves. Love is the only way to have an good influence on others and inspire change for the better. This love comes from Christ's atonement in which we must rely on for every thing. The counselor who loves her girls, makes a difference in their lives. I was so lucky to work with so many great counselors who did exactly that.

Here is the fam. Well, most of them. For Independence day we made T-shirts. Taylor's wins the most patriotic award.

Ready for a 9:30 meeting in David John Lobby? Yes, this is an awkward couch picture. We girl DC's stick together like glue (or something like that). But, in all reality, I have loved working with each of these girls. They all have very unique gifts that bring so much to the table, but the one thing they all have in common is how freely they love those around them. I am lucky to rub shoulders with them.

Now, it wouldn't be sports camps without a little bit of personality. AKA: ostriching contest. And this isn't the least of it.

And finally, a small little greeting from the Head Counselors. I was often impressed by how well they handled situations and made everything run smoothly. A huge thanks to them and all their hard work. 

I may have made it sound like sports camps are over for the summer. Surprise, they're not. Two more weeks for me! 

Harry Potter

So maybe I will just always love Harry Potter because it is a part of my childhood, and I felt as though the whole world stopped every time a new book came out. Yes, I was one of those kids who thought maybe, just maybe I would receive a letter on my eleventh birthday. I knew spells by heart and tried out homemade butter bear recipes. Not that I was that different than many other kids my age. Even now, the most obscure Harry Potter references are appreciated by many of my peers. But the real reason I love Harry Potter is because I think it is good literature - and I am a tough critic.

Amidst the many sub-themes, the standout idea in Harry Potter is the power of love. In the series, it is so powerful that it saved lives, makes the impossible possible, and destroys all evil. Now if good literature is a reflection of reality, I would say that is pretty much right now. Love is the most powerful thing I have ever experienced. And I believe that love is only made possible through the atonement of Jesus Christ. God's love for us is so perfect that He sent His son to die for us so that we might be able to live with Him again. Through the atonement, we can come to love God and each other in a pure selfless way. I am amazed at how much my life has changed for the better as I have tried to turn it over to God and love as He loves. Here are some talks about love that I really like:

The Love of God by Dieter F. Uchtdorf
What if Love were our only Motive? by Russell T. Osguthorpe

The Gospel; It's the Truth

Honestly and sincerely, I just want to tell the world that this Gospel is true. The Gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is true. But don't take my word for it. Check it out yourself here. It really honestly is true and brings me so much happiness that I just want to share it!

Well yes, I should be studying, researching, writing the three essays I have due next week. But first, I just want to say... I finished all six of my midterms this week, both of my quizzes, and my three papers! Just now, I turned in my timed Shakespeare midterm, and it feels soooooo good to be done (for the week at least). Let's just say, I felt like I had a snake around my neck all week.

Believe me, I know what it feels like ;)

One thing I do want to say is that I never could have gotten through this week without the strength of my Father in Heaven. His love is so perfect. I am continually amazing at how much He loves me as an individual. My relationship with Him is one of the most treasured things in my life. I brings me so much strength and happiness. One of my greatest desires is to share His love with everyone because I know he loves each one of His children more than we can imagine. I don't know were I would be without it. (If you want to know more, look into the LDS (or mormon) faith. It is God's way of showing us how to be happy.)

Cross Country Camp

Sooo...whenever the end of August runs around, I usually have, well, lots to do before the new school year starts. Cross country camp can all too easily feel like one more thing on the list. It's not optional, so Monday morning after meeting after meeting after meeting, I hopped in the vans with my teammates and rode my little running legs up to park city for the week.
Now I wish I could describe what it is like to be on this team, but I can't. Trying doesn't give it justice, but try I will anyway. It is like being surrounded by thirty four sisters who would do anything for you. They honestly treat you like family - the whole enchilada of give and take. Real opinions come out. But the best part is not only do we lift each other physically and socially, but spiritually. Being around these girls brings be closer to Christ as I watch their examples.


Here we are making bead key chains. I love these girls. This is why I run.

I'll admit it is past midnight and I really should be going to bed (early morning run tomorrow), but what are summers for if not to stay up all night? This summer has not been what I expected. Honestly, it has stretched me in ways I was not expecting and still don't understand. If summers aren't for midnight parties, they most definitely are for sports camps. Best thing I could have done with these three hottest months of the year.

I was amazed at how much I could love these girls each week. Aren't they the cutest?

I probably couldn't have made it through this week without these four beautiful lacrosse girls.

Let's just say...that day was an adventure. Go volleyball campers!

The most important thing I learned from all this: I am nothing without my Father in Heaven. I am so grateful He shared His love for these girls with me. and...there are a lot of AWESOME people out there. I just keep finding them.