He is able to succor

Hebrews Chapter 2 verses 17-18 read: “Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted”. Jesus Christ, though sinless, willingly took up on Himself sin so that He could “be made like unto his brethren”—like unto you and I. Jesus had to suffer the total pain and punishment for sin so that He can now understand us completely when we sin. He always knows exactly how we feel, and “He is able to succor them that are tempted”. He has destroyed the bands of death and hell by descending into the depths of the grave and bursting the bonds of death. He has suffered immensely not only that our sins might be reconciled and we may be saved but also so that we can call upon Him when we feel alone—that no one understands what we are going through. He always understands and can offer empathy regardless of our circumstances. Whether we are suffering for the consequences of something we did, as a result of some one else making a poor decision, or for something beyond anyone’s control, Chris will always know exactly how we are feeling because He too has felt precisely what we are going through.
I know that the atonement of Jesus Christ is real. I know that He suffered infinitely for each of us, and I also know that He always understands just what I am feeling. There is no time that I cannot call upon Him for comfort, and I am extremely grateful for that. He makes it possible not only for me to have the opportunity to strive to become exalted in the next life but also that I might feel understood and at peace in this life.

mission calls mission calls mission calls

It has been so amazing to see all of my friends getting mission calls. Since the announcement I've had friends opening their mission calls pretty much every week. It is so exciting to be a part of this work at this time! Just from my ward here there will be missionaries on every continent by the end of the summer. I have friends going everywhere from Australia to Botswana to Cambodia and lots of places in between.

Here are pictures from just a few mission call openings!

Lisa's going to the Nicaragua Managua South Mission!

Hayley's going to the Brazil Belo Horizonte Mission!

Oklahoma, Nicaragua, and London!

Andrew's going to the Brazil Cuiaba Mission!

Future missionaries from left to right Norway Oslo Mission (Chris), Nicaragua Managua South Mission (Lisa), California Bakersfield Mission (Sami), England London South Mission (me), Texas Houston East Mission (Shelby), and Japan Kobe Mission (Jordan)

We're just a little bit excited!

Missionary work is incredible! I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to share it with others. I am also grateful for the amazing friends I have who are also going on missions. They are great examples to me.

Happy Belated Easter!

Easter Sunday was a lot different being so far away from home, but it was still wonderful. We had an several incredible musical numbers in our sacrament meeting. I was so impressed; my ward has a lot of talent!

Girls from my Relief Society

 After church Kim and I went to Brooke's house for dinner. Her mom and grandma made us a delicious meal and then we got to dye Easter eggs. 

Easter is really fun, but a lot of times in all the fun we can forget that Easter is really about the atonement and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I love this video because it reminds me why we really celebrate Easter. Jesus Christ truly did suffer and atone for our sins, was hung on the cross and then rose on the third day. I will be forever grateful for His atoning sacrifice. 

Triathlon

I survived my first triathlon! It actually turned out to be really fun. It was just a sprint one ( 300 meter swim, 12 mile bike, and a 5k run). Hayley and I did it together, and we both reached our goal which was to finish without stopping or walking.

Putting on the armor of God

In Ephesians Chapter 6 verses 13 through 17 Paul describes the armor of God. The passage states, “Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
The first thing Paul instructs the Ephesians to do before even putting on the armor of God is to stand. They are not to shrink or back down, but to stand tall and upright for their cause. Sometimes I find that when I am being mocked or ridiculed or sometimes just questioned for my beliefs it is easy to shrink down. However, I know that the Lord wants me to stand. 
He has also provided armor that I can put on to help me stand. All of the items listed in the passage above except for the sword of the spirit are defenses. They are things that the Lord has given us so that we can be protected from the enemy, so that we can stand and not fear. In battle the most valuable defensive tool is a shield. It can be used to protect any part of the body. As Christians, our shield is our faith. It is our most powerful defensive tool against the enemy. We can develop it, and make it strong.
I know that the Lord gives us tools to defend ourselves against temptation and trials today, but we must choose to “put on” out protection each day. If we do not develop the qualities which protect us, especially faith then we will not be prepared for the battle against the enemy.

Festival of Colors

Follow the prophet

This week in my New Testament class I studied Acts Chapters 27 and 28. The main thing that these chapters taught me is that we should harken unto the words of the prophet because his prophecies will always be fulfilled. In Acts Chapter 27 Paul contains 4 different prophecies. All of these prophecies are fulfilled, yet some of the ship’s passengers are reluctant to follow his instructions even after his first prophecy is fulfilled. Before the ship even leaves the harbor Paul councils, “I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives” (Acts 27:10).
Although the soldiers were among the group that was slow to listen to the words of Paul, their leader, the centurion, was converted and fully believed that Paul’s prophesying was true. Because the centurion believed and commanded his soldiers to obey Paul as well, “they escaped all to safe land” (Acts 27:44).
The message of this chapter also applies to my life now. Sometimes it may be difficult to follow the words of the prophet because he asks me to do something hard, something unlikely, or something that I simply do not want to do. But, there is danger in not harkening to a prophet’s words because his prophecies are from the Lord, and they are always fulfilled.
We are privileged to have a living prophet, President Thomas S. Monson who communicates with the Lord and shares exactly what He would have us know at an assembly held biannually called general conference. I have a testimony that President Monson is God’s prophet on the earth today, and if we obey his words the Lord will bless us.

I'm a sports fan

I got to go to my first Celtics game! At home the tickets are really expensive and my family is more of Red Sox/ Patriots fans than they are Celtics fans so I had never been to a game before. To see them play the Jazz in Salt like was like less than 1/3 of what the tickets would have cost to see them in Boston :) It was a really great game too. The score went back and forth the whole time and finally they won in overtime. 

We're all from Boston!

 Headed into overtime. 

Final score! Go Celtics!

nosebleeds anyone?

 New England BYU girls!

 This photo is from the last home bball game. BYU lost to Gonzaga by just a few points :(

Also I officially love men's volleyball! I've been to almost all of the homegames this semester, and they are so fun (it also helps that the men's volleyball team is pretty easy on the eyes). The team is ranked #1! Yogurtland also gives us free froyo if they win so that had become our routine, and if they lose (which doesn't happen very often) we still go get ice cream from the creamery to drown our sorrows.

Why does God allow His children to suffer?

Often times, when people are wondering whether or not there is a God; they reason that if there were a God who truly did love His children that there would be no suffering in the world. They think that a kind, just, and merciful God would not allow His own children who he loves to feel sorrow, pain, and sadness. However, there is a God who allows His children to experience hardship even though He loves them. Romans Chapter 5 verses 3 and 4 help explain the reasons that our God allows us to suffer. The passage reads, “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope:”. Our Heavenly Father wants us to learn and to grow, and there are something that we cannot learn without trials, challenges, and hardships. Because God loves us and wants us to be able to learn and grow so that we may return to His presence and live with Him again He allows us to experience difficult challenges. We need the patience, experience, and hope that our trials allow us to gain. Without these tribulations we would not be able to learn. Heavenly Father knows what each of us needs to learn individually, so He provides us with unique and individual opportunities to experience hardship so that we can learn exactly what He would have us know. However, during each hardship it is up to us to use our agency to learn and grow from that experience. We can choose to allow our tribulations to make us angry and bitter or we can choose to allow them to teach us patience, experience, and hope. We cannot choose our circumstances, but we have the complete ability to choose how we react to them. I testify that trials are a part of God’s Plan of Happiness. He allows us to experience them because He loves us and they will ultimately be for our benefit.

107th ward happenings

ward ice skating activity

 nerd dance at the cannon

 Yes I am wearing jeans with an elastic waist. 

 Ward tubing activity at Soldier Hollow

I've been tubing lots of times at Ward Hill growing up. This was WAY better. 

The dynamic duo (we got like 5 feet of air off of one of the runs)

p.s. all photocred for this post goes to Eliza and Brooke

What my Savior did for me

In my New Testament class this week we studied 2 Corinthians. One verse that we discussed in my class that really stood out to me was Chapter 5 verse 21. It states, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him”. This verse describes how Christ, who had never sinned and did not know what it was like had to experience what sin felt like so that He could redeem us from our sins. To me that is so powerful, that someone who had lived a perfect life and never had to know the sorrow and anguish of sins or the pain of guilt was willing to experience it to save us. I am so grateful for my Savior who was willing to suffer for me. I am glad to know that he knows everything I have experienced, and that through Him it is possible for me to return to live with my Father in Heaven. I know that Jesus Christ did live, and that His Atonement and suffering are real. He was wiling to suffer infinitely for us—because he loves us.

President Uchtdorf at the Marriott Center

President Uchtdorf came to BYU for a CES devotional! Read or watch it here. 

 My friends and I went early and waited out in the FREEZING cold, but it was definitely worth it. We got floor seats! 

p.s. I'm aware this happened in January and it is now April. I'm working on not sucking at blogging--as Kim would say :)

why we call ourselves saints

A lot of times people wonder about the name of my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They ask why do we call ourselves saints? It seems like kind of an odd name considering the connotations that our society has given to the word saint. Does calling ourselves saints mean that we think we are better than other people or that we are perfect? It does not. The dictionary defines a saint as “a person who is holy or virtuous”, but we, as members of the Church define it a little differently. 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 1 helps define what it means to be a saint. In that passage Paul addresses the members of the Church in Corinth, “to them which are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints.” From this we learn that saints are those who are “sanctified in Christ Jesus.” To be sanctified is not to be made perfect, but to be made better, more clean and more holy. To become a saint one must make an effort to become like Christ. In my opinion the definition of saint should be changed from “a person who is holy or virtuous” to “a person who is becoming holy or virtuous through the Savior Jesus Christ.” My church is all about becoming. We focus not on what we are now, but on what we can become through the infinite atonement of our Savior and honest and diligent effort on our part. That is why we call ourselves saints.

willing to impart my own soul

Since I got my mission call a few weeks ago it has been hard to think about anything other than missionary work, so I am writing another New Testament blog about missionary work this week. In my class this week we covered 1 and 2 Thessalonians, which are Paul’s writings during his second missionary journey. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 is probably my favorite chapter that I’ve read so far as part of my assignments for the class. I love the way that Paul writes about missionaries and their relationships to their converts. 2 Thessalonians 2:8 states “So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.” These missionaries were willing to give their own souls to those who they taught. They would not hold anything back, but they would do everything in their power to help these people they taught to find their Savior, even Jesus Christ. My religion professor explained that being willing to ‘impart your own soul’ is what distinguishes a good missionary from a great one. I think that the only way one can be willing to give their own soul on the behalf of another is through love. After all, isn’t that what our Savior gave for each of us? He suffered bled and died on the cross for us—so that we may be redeemed from all of our imperfections and return to live with Him. Why did Christ do that for us? Why was He willing to impart His own soul? Simply because he loves us. I know that because He loves me He gave His own soul so that I may someday have a chance to live with Him in an exalted state . As I strive to become more like Jesus I can think of now better way to emulate Him than to give my own soul to someone else. I know that it will require love. As I missionary I want to do my best to love everyone I teach with all my heart, even my own soul, so that they may have the opportunity to live eternally with God and Jesus Christ. I want to show God that I am willing to give my own soul to His cause, and I am willing give my own soul to His work because I love Him.

recognizing that all good works are God's works

As I was reading Acts chapter fifteen this week I noticed something in verse five. When Paul and Barnabus are returning to Jerusalem after their mission the scripture states “they declared all things that God had done with them.” Instead of boasting about what they were able to do, or even saying that God had helped them accomplish miracles the narration states that the things they had accomplished were what “God had done with them.” All credit is given to the Father, and it is recognized that the conversions and miracles which Paul and Barnabas had brought about were not theirs but His.
As I pondered this scripture I realized that the things that I do when prompted by the Spirit are not my works at all. They are the Lord’s. When I submit my will to Him, act obediently, and live worthy of the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, He can use me to perform great and wonderful things. I know that I have helped others in the past through service and friendship, but I worry that I seldom realized that those works were not my own but that they were the Lord’s. He was working through me.
Now that I am preparing to serve my Heavenly Father as a full time missionary I know it is crucial to recognize that I am not doing my own work but the work of the Lord. In fact, my mission will not be my mission at all. It will belong to Heavenly Father. I want to learn to acknowledge His hand in all the good works that I do. When I return from my mission I want to state, like in Acts chapter fifteen ‘look at what God has done with me’ not ‘look at what I have done with God.’

St. George Trip

Lisa, Kim, Brooke, and I went to St. George for the weekend. It was so warm and beautiful and our h(m)otel wasn't even that sketchy.

All packed up. My car was so full.

Our first stop was the St. George temple and visitor's center.

We met a really cool missionary from Tahiti! She was so sweet and talked to us for like two hours! (long story but essentially that's how long our recommends were locked in the car for)

I love this one. It shows their personalities so perfectly. 

This one too!

Zion National Park is so beautiful. Definitely a new favorite for me. It is so different than any other place I'd seen before. 

I tried to figure out how to use the big girl camera. It was only moderately successful. 

Exploring in the canyon

Reflecting pools

Lisa and her walking stick. It saved her life (several times) and she loves it so much that we brought it back to Provo with us. 

Lion King shots

sooo many deer

We hiked observation point!

The view was breathtaking. 

Hurrah for Israel! (shout out to Brother Mullen)

This is how Brooke gets down the icy mountain.