Visiting Teaching

"Love of God is the root of all virtue, of all goodness, of all strength of character." -Gordon B. Hinckley

This was my first month being a visiting teacher! I still don't know a lot about Relief Society but I have loved it. The sister that I get to visit is a new member and has a great desire to learn and share. As we visited with this sister I felt so strongly that she needs someone that she can trust and lean on. She doesn't like to ask for help even though she knows she needs it. We told her that the ward can help her paint her house and the young women can watch her grand-daughter. I told her that when my family was fixing the roof the elders and some other members came over to help. Her eyes lit up and she said "I'm not the only one?!" tears came to her eyes as she said that she doesn't want to burden people and we told her that service is part of who we are. She expressed her concern for her daughters boyfriend and said she first prayed that his heart could change and then she said she just wants him gone. She can see that he is holding her daughter back from finding a church, our church, and she wants her to partake of the fruit. It was such an inspiring experience and I hope to one day see her, her daughter, and her grand-kids at church. We also talked about the importance of having a foundation especially when growing up. Her grandson who will be turning 12 has some behavioral issues she says and wants him to attend church but his dad wont let him. When he came the first few times the light in his eyes was so happy and pure. We shared the message about virtue and how God is the one who gives us the power to live and uplift people. I said to her that Faith includes faith in the Lords timing. I told her how I pray for her daughter and grandchildren to have the same desire she has to learn and come closer to her savior. It was a very humbling experience to know that we really are never the only ones going through something. There is always our Savior who goes through everything with us.

LESSON #4: We are NEVER the ONLY ONE going through a trial!

These Things Shall Give Thee Experience

"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." -Doctrine and Covenants 121: 7 & 8

             This morning at seminary my Mom (seminary teacher) taught about when Joseph Smith was in Liberty Jail. I was amazed when I heard that he was there for 6 months! Only because he was deceived by a fellow saint who said that he would be able to make peace with his enemies. Something that really hit me was how honest Joseph was with God when he prayed. He said in verse 5 "Let thine anger be kindled against our enemies..." Here you can see that Joseph was angry and was praying for help. Wouldn't you be upset if someone you trusted gave you to your enemies? But our Heavenly Father tells him to have peace and that his afflictions are only a small moment. Later in section 122 God tells Joseph that "all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good." I know that this is true that all the good and bad experiences we have are there to build us up and prepare us for our futures! I also loved the end of verse 9 "fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever."
             It is hard in these last days to not be afraid. But we can know that God is with us if we are faithful and keep our covenants. Never be afraid to ask God for help! I know sometime I will be struggling with something but think it's not important enough to talk to MY (OUR)  Heavenly FATHER. He wants us to tell him everything. It is crucial to always pray for things we need small or large. We are His children. Just like when I leave for college my Mom and Dad will want me to call everyday! :) I suggest everyone read the revelation given to Joseph Smith while at Liberty Jail. It is VERY INSPIRATIONAL!

LESSON #3: Pray Always, Be Honest With God, Don't Be Afraid Of Man.

Without Guile or Hypocrisy

"None of us is quite as Christlike as we know we should be. But we earnestly desire to overcome our faults and the tendency to sin. With our heart and the soul we yearn to become better with the help of the Atonement of Jesus Christ." - Dieter F. Uchtdorf

             It was interesting to me that my mom and I were just talking about how we can share the gospel "without guile or hypocrisy" and then I read the Visiting Teaching Message for this month. I suggest to everyone to study this message (I'm not even in Relief Society yet). I have added a new word to my vocabulary thanks to this article. "To beguile is to deceive or lead astray..." I don't want to sound judgmental but it is sad that every where you look someone is beguiling someone. whether it be on TV as an add, a car dealer, insurance agent, or even your friends. It's hard sometimes to tell if someone is trying to deceive you. But God has given us the Light of Christ. From birth we have been able to know good from evil.

            Now a person without guile is who we want to be. We should strive to be "a person of innocence, honest intent, and pure motives, whose life reflects the simple practice of conforming his [or her] daily actions to principles of integrity... ." What is integrity you may ask? Well it is one of the eight values the Young Women strive to incorporate in their lives. To me integrity is the opposite of pride and is the purity of a young woman. I like the second definition that dictionary.com gives: "The state of being whole, entire, or undiminished". Having integrity means to live up to your values and doing it without guile. Joseph B. Wirthlin continues his quote saying "...I believe the necessity for the members of the Church to be without guile may be more urgent now than at other times..."

            I would like to testify that I believe these are the Last Days. People are watching us and we need to do everything we can to be Christlike. I know that through perseverance and patients we can overcome our faults and live with our Heavenly Father again. "We will be judged according to our actions, the desires of our hearts, and the kind of people we have become." It is time for us to repent and become like Christ. Of course we are not perfect and I recognize that. No one ever said it will be easy, but we need to take the blessing of the Atonement into our lives and use it everyday! Here is a good reminder from Matthew 5:8 "blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God."

LESSON NUMBER 2: Teach without guile or hypocrisy!

Source: The Attributes of Jesus Christ: Without Guile or Hypocrisy April 2015 Ensign 

Courage to Stand

"The call for courage comes constantly to each of us... It has ever been so, and so shall it ever be. - Thomas S. Monson

            I love America. I love having my freedom of religion and I would like to keep it. I had a hard experience recently where I was standing for my freedom of religion. I posted to my Facebook an opinion I had on a recently passed law. I was saying that I think it's good that churches are allowed to not marry a homosexual couple if it's against their beliefs. Besides wouldn't it seem hypocritical if a priest or bishop were to marry a gay couple when he teaches against it?
           So I posted my thoughts. An hour (or maybe less) later I had a comment, then another, and another. But these were not friendly remarks. First I was a little confused because I was posting about religious freedom not discrimination. People began twisting my words and saying that I was being hateful and discriminating against gays. But really all I want is my religious freedom. It was hard to try and tell them that the law wasn't about discrimination because no matter how hard I tried they came back with something more hateful. I never said I hated gays because I don't. They are Gods children too. I never said it was okay to discriminate. I did say however that if someone were to want someone out of their business then they should ask in a kind and respectful way. People told me I was judging and that I was immature. All I did was put my opinion on a religious freedom law, because I like my religious freedom. I also was told that Christians are close minded and don't need defending in the world. When I read these comments I could only think of the darkness my friend are living in. I was horrified by the thought that people think Christians are evil and want them gone. I immediately thought of the Christians being murdered and beheaded by ISIS. Tears welled up in my eyes as I felt the hate this person was emitting towards Christians. I wanted to lash out but new that would be immature. So instead I waited to see if anyone else would step in. I was glad to see my sister, sister-in-law, and mom stepped in because there was no way I could stand alone anymore (for that conversation anyway).
           I am frightened by what may come at school now that most of the people commenting were my peers. I think that this experience has been a really big testimony builder for me because I know that people in this world are in darkness and are attacking Christians. This is why being an example is extremely important. People don't listen when you say anything about Christians being discriminated against, and when they do hear they will try and bury you (I learned from experience). No matter what comes when I get to school tomorrow, I am going to keep a smile on my face because I am happy there is another day. I am happy I get to share my light with the world. Nasty words and grimacing faces will not tear me down. God has given me wings, now it's time to use them.
          
           LESSON #1: Always Defend Christianity Kindly. My mom  and Dad always says Kill with Kindness.