Taking Advantage of GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!!!

Deiter F. Ucthdorf, second counselor in First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints once said

"What a marvelous privilege it is to hear God's messages for each of us during general conference! Let us prepare well for this great blessing of divine guidance delivered by His chosen servants."

That was so beautifully stated! (General Authorities usually have a knack for doing so...) 

General Conference is such an amazing opportunity where we get to hear the message of God through his servants. In a world that is constantly changing (political views, religious views, fashion trends, technological advancements, etc.) we need to know how we can stay steady. We need to know how we can live in a world that is always changing, yet still hold fast to the standards that our Heavenly Father has set. 

How do we do this? 

Well, our Heavenly Father, in his INFINITE love and wisdom has given us a modern-day Prophet, Seer, and Revelator; his name is Thomas S. Monson. 

This guy, right here ^^^^^

Twice a year, we have the opportunity to listen to the Prophet in a session called General Conference. General Conference is held on the first weekend of every April and October. The next session is coming up!
It will be held on Saturday and Sunday, April 5 and 6, 2014, with general sessions each day at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. mountain daylight time (MDT), and the general priesthood meeting on Saturday, April 5, 2014, at 6:00 p.m. MDT.

 It is held in the LDS Conference Center in Salt Lake, UT 

                                                               This place, right here^^^

Or there will be a live broadcast which you can watch it either here 

                                                                               

Or at LDS.org  (if you haven't been to this website yet, GO, because it is awesome!) 

By listening to his counsel, and the counsel of others whom he has called to speak in General Conference, we can receive that guidance and direction. We can know what our Heavenly Father wants us to do in order to 

"Love God and remain clean from the blood and sins of this generation......" -Jeffrey R. Holland 

All of these speakers are given the assignment to speak a couple of months in advance, but they were not given topics on which to speak. It is an amazing process that these speakers go through. They go to the Lord and seek HIS guidance on what he wants them to speak about, and through revelation, the Lord lets them know what their topic needs to be.  

So how can General Conference bless YOUR life? 

Growing up, my Parents made general conference a priority in our home. When I was younger I thought that this was their version of semi-annual torture. Sitting and watching people speak for 8 hours was certainly NOT how I wanted to spend my weekend, but as I grew older I really started to enjoy it. I started taking notes, and after conference was over, I would go through my notes and pick one piece of advice that I had received and apply it to my life. I also started to pray before conference, asking Heavenly Father for guidance on how to overcome trials that were occurring in my life at that time. 

Praying and taking notes changed the way that I looked at conference. Instead of viewing it as 8 hours of boredom, I now view it as 8 hours of receiving guidance from the Lord. I love being able to listen to the speakers and hear answers to my prayers. I consider that to be proof that my Heavenly Father is listening, and that he cares. When we do all we can to show that we are making an effort to receive the guidance that we need, he will give it to us! 

So that is the challenge that I want to extend. In preparation for conference, I want everyone to 

-Think about some of your trials that you need guidance a on. 

-Pray about these trials and ask Heavenly Father to give you the answers that you need during conference. 

-Take notes during conference with the faith that you WILL receive your answers. 

I can promise you, that as you do this, you will receive guidance and council that you need in your life at this time. Your Heavenly Father cares, and He wants you to listen to his servants, so that he can give you the answers you need!

Here are some other ways that you and your family can prepare for General Conference
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/prepare-for?lang=eng

Remember

 What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.

                                                              Doctrine and Covenants 1:38

General Conference is a BLESSING! Take advantage of it! 

Love, 

Sister Love 

Angels Among Us

In our world today, we hear the term "Angels" a lot.

There are several different definitions of an Angel:

Cute little pudgy people with wings

Guardian Angels 

(I'm pretty sure my Guardian Angel does this A LOT) 

The Angel Moroni (my personal favorite) 

These definitions are all pretty good (okay, maybe not the VS model), but to me, with the exception of Moroni, these are not what true Angels look like. 

To me, a true Angels comes in the form of an everyday person. There have been several people in my life who have been an Angel to me. They have come in many different forms. Here are just a few of them. 

 The form of a Friend, who was there when I needed them. Whether that meant meeting me for a Starbucks date, listening to my pointless dramas, sending me a random text on a day that I really needed it, supporting me through rough times, or even telling me when I am wrong. A true friend is hard to find, so when you find one, hold on to them! I have been blessed with a couple of true friends in my life, and they are just amazing. 

The form of a Family Member, who has been there 24/7. Family members are particularly special because they have seen you at your best and your worst. They have been there during your successes and your failures. They have supported you, comforted you, humbled you when needed (unfortunately my family members have had to do that quite often for me). They have taught you what it means to be a family member. They have been there for it all! Yet, miraculously, they still seem to like you?! 

The form of a Church Member, who serve without any hesitation. There have been members in the different wards I have been in, who are superheroes. Whether it is a Bishop who will jump through hoops, and go through crazy lengths to help you get your mission papers in; a Young Women's President who made you feel genuinely loved and cared for; or a Priesthood leader who took the time to come and give you a blessing.  These people are wonderful examples of what it means to be a true Disciple of Christ. Recently I have had some people come and talk to me about my mission, and tell me a little bit about their own missions. They are encouraging, supportive, and make me even more excited to serve. They have been a huge help in getting me ready for my mission. 

Last, but not least, the form of a Random Stranger, who say the kindest things at the best of times. For example, I was at work the other day and it was just a CRAZY day. It felt like anything I touched went wrong; the hours were CRAWLING by; and the vending machine was out of Dr. Pepper. Basically, a recipe for disaster. So I was at the counter, greeting customers, and this cute little old man comes in. I greet him and give him the generic "I'll be with you in just a second" smile. He then calls over to my manager, whose name is Jason and he says "Jason. That young lady you have working for you over there has a Million Dollar smile"! 

I was like AAAWWW and Instantly my day was better. It's amazing to see how a small act of kindness can really change your day.

 No one brought me a Dr. Pepper..... but I guess you can't have everything! ;) 

So to my friends, family members, fellow church members, and kind random strangers; I say THANK YOU for being my Angels! 

NEVER hesitate to do something kind for someone, no matter how small or insignificant you may think it is. You never know when your Heavenly Father is going to use you in order to make somebody's day BRIGHTER!   

Mosiah 2:17 

To reiterate this message, here is Steve Carell and Morgan Freeman. 

The Precious Present

You know those people who like to have everything planned out? The kind of people who live off of lists and schedules, and like to have all of their goals laid out in a row so that once they have achieved one they can automatically start on the next? Well, I am one of those people. 

For the most part it has worked pretty well for me. Once I have a goal I then formulate a plan to achieve that goal. Once I have my plan, I am then DETERMINED to see it through. Because I am that way, I have been able to accomplish most of the things that I have wanted up to this point. Yet, sometimes when I get there, I felt a sense of accomplishment that wasn't quite what I thought it would be. It's empty somehow. 

Recently I was talking to a great friend of mine, explaining this feeling to them. Then, being amazing as always, they shared with me a story called "The Precious Present"  

Read it here (Seriously. Read it.)  

http://www.livinglifefully.com/flo/flopreciouspresent.htm

I loved this story, yet it hit me like a ton of bricks. I have NOT been living for the present. I have spent countless hours worrying about what the future holds, or what I could have done in the past that would have made my life a little bit easier. By doing this, I have done myself a HUGE disservice. My accomplishments have been great, but I needed to focus more on the journey, and less on the end goal. Doing so would have made my end goal much more fulfilling when I got eventually got there.

The greatest stories that you will ever hear, all tell about the Journey. How lame would a fairy-tale be if all it consisted of was "A princess fell asleep, a prince found out, he kissed her, they fell in love. The end."? 

Cool story, bro! 

 NO! What makes a story so awesome is hearing about the struggles, the conquests, the joys, and the heartache. Then, when you get to the end and you see how far you have come, THAT is when you find your sense of accomplishment. 

So I have decided to change how I go about achieving my goals. I am going to start living in the here and now. I will keep the future in mind, so that I can make sure my decisions today will benefit me later on. I will remember my past, so I can use what I have learned to be a better person. But my main focus will be TODAY. 

I've been trying this concept out, while preparing for my mission, and I can tell you that it has helped a lot! When you first get your call, you are given a bunch of things to do before you actually even go to the MTC. Well, I was trying to do them all in one day and it was NOT working out. So I had to slow down. I had to remind myself to enjoy the journey. It has definitely made a difference. I have been able to get things done slowly, but surely. Everything is getting done in a steady pace, and in the Lord's time. Learning to just trust in him, and knowing that it will all work out in the end has been hard, but it has been a GINORMOUS relief. Be happy with the time that you have. Use it to your advantage. Let things run their course, and for heaven's sake 

ENJOY THE JOURNEY!!! 

Called to Serve!!!!

In May, 2013 I came to the decision that it was time to go on a mission. I went to my bishop, started my papers, and after a TON of set backs, they were finally submitted in mid July. On August 9th, 2013 I received the coolest letter ever, it was my Mission Call!

The next day I had gathered some of my friends and my family to my house and prepared to open my call. I had been waiting for this for a LONG time! I was nervous, and I had no idea where I was going to go. I wanted to go Foreign, and if I couldn't do that, I wanted to at least learn another language. I was hoping that I would get some sort of feeling, or idea of where I was going to go, but they never came. I thought of a variety of different places where I could be called to. Anywhere from Africa to Kentucky. The funny thing is, that I considered all of these different places, but I can honestly say that I was shocked when I got my call. This was one mission was one that I had NEVER considered.




So I gather my friends and family and I read

PROVO?!?! Yeah, didn't see that one coming! After I read it I looked up, laughed, and said "are you serious?". My friends and family all thought it was funny, none of us could have guessed that one. So the night wore on and I am pretty sure that I said "Provo...okay...I can do that" about 200 times. I think I was just trying to say it over and over again so that it would finally sink in! Well, it didn't. Not until the next day.

 I was sitting at church and they announced my call in Sacrament Meeting and I was greeted with all of the WONDERFUL people wishing me good luck and telling me how excited they were for me. Don't get me wrong, I was excited too. I knew that the Lord wanted me at Provo, and so I was gonna go there, but it wasn't the exotic foreign place that I had imagined. As the day went on I thought about my mission, and why I was going. I came to the conclusion that I was going on my mission to serve the Lord. I wasn't going on a mission to go to an exotic place. I wasn't going just so I could learn a second language. I was going to serve my fellow man. As soon as I came to that conclusion I felt such Peace. I knew, right there and then, that the Utah, Provo mission is MY mission. That is where I am supposed to go and share that Gospel. That is where my Heavenly Father wants me. Later that Sunday, I stumbled across a quote that reaffirmed my feelings.

I am so excited for the opportunity to go out and Serve. I am excited to meet people and share the AMAZING gift of the Restored Gospel. I am SUPER excited to go discover the VERY foreign land of Provo, Utah ;) Most of all, I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who knows how much this means to me, and has given me the opportunity to go and serve him. I am grateful that he puts so many amazing people in my life who will love and support me throughout my mission. The Gospel is true, my friends! Embrace it, love it, live it! You can't go wrong!





Exchange Boise, Idaho for Provo, Utah and this is basically what happened....ENJOY! :) 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GA8PUDh_28