Christ is our Light

 In the Book of Mormon, 1st Nephi 17:13 Nephi is commanded to build a ship that will take them to the promised land.  Nephi doesnt question the Lord, he just ask's where he should go to find the tools he need's to build this ship.  He gets started right away.  How often do we ask questions before doing what the Lord tell's us to do? I know that I am guilty of this... but I am repenting and striving to become more like Nephi and Moroni and more importantly my Savior Jesus Christ.  just doing what I need to do.  Christ tell's us that he will be our light.
13And I will also be your ^alight in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the ^bpromised land; and ye shall ^cknow that it is by me that ye are led.
    After they built the ship and they start on there journey to the promised land, Nephi's brethern start sing and dance in much rudeness and Nephi is bold with them and telling them to stop... Nephi's older brothers dont like this so they tie him up and he is bound for 4 days while this very bad storm is upon them.
Later on in 1 Nephi 18:15-16 Nephi says:
15"And it came to pass that we were about to be swallowed up in the depths of the sea. And after we had been driven back upon the waters for the space of four days, my brethren began to ^asee that the judgments of God were upon them, and that they must perish save that they should repent of their iniquities; wherefore, they came unto me, and loosed the bands which were upon my wrists, and behold they had swollen exceedingly; and also mine ankles were much swollen, and great was the soreness thereof.   

 16Nevertheless, I did look unto my God, and I did ^apraise him all the day long; and I did not murmur against the Lord because of mine afflictions."

what I love about this is that no matter what happened to Nephi, he was always quick to remember his Lord.  He knew that Christ would deliver him if he was faithful, and Christ did. 
  I know that if i am faithful and follow the commandments, Christ will be my light, he will guide me to where i need to be.  I love this gospel, and I am so excited to be a missionary! I love being able to help people see Christ hand's in there life!
LET US ALL LET CHRIST BE OUR LIGHT.

Attitude of Gratitude

Sister Fulton and I just got the November Ensign of conference and looked up President Thomas S. Monson's talk from the Sunday Morning session where he talk's about Gratitude. I just wanted to put some things on that i loved about his talk.  Since it is the time of Thanksgiving what a more perfect opportunity than this to share an amazing talk on just the thing?
    "To express gratitude is gracious and honorable, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven."

     A grateful heart, then, comes through expressing gratitude to our Heavenly Father for His blessings and to those around us for all that they bring into our lives. This requires conscious effort—at least until we have truly learned and cultivated an attitude of gratitude. Often we feel grateful and intend to express our thanks but forget to do so or just don’t get around to it. Someone has said that “feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”¹²

     "This is a wonderful time to be on earth. While there is much that is wrong in the world today, there are many things that are right and good. There are marriages that make it, parents who love their children and sacrifice for them, friends who care about us and help us, teachers who teach. Our lives are blessed in countless ways.
We can lift ourselves and others as well when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues. Someone has said that “gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”⁸
How can we cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude? President Joseph F. Smith, sixth President of the Church, provided an answer. Said he: “The grateful man sees so much in the world to be thankful for, and with him the good outweighs the evil. Love overpowers jealousy, and light drives darkness out of his life.” He continued: “Pride destroys our gratitude and sets up selfishness in its place. How much happier we are in the presence of a grateful and loving soul, and how careful we should be to cultivate, through the medium of a prayerful life, a thankful attitude toward God and man!”<sup>9"

  I'll just leave you with my testimony about gratitude! I am so greatful for this opportunity i have to teach the gospel! and to learn so much! I am grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ, for his loving sacrifice and his life that he gave for me and for everyone that will accept him and follow his teachings! i'm grateful to be in the California Santa Rosa Mission! Its the best mission on earth, in my opinion.  I'm grateful for President Bunker and Sister Bunker and the love that they have for us and accepting us at there own! I'm grateful for my wonderful companion Sister Fulton! she is such a blessing to me! She teaches me so much!</sup>

TOUGH TIMES

"Let the Tough times DEFINE you, not DEFEAT you."
i was first introduced to this by a former missionary Elder Korey Fras.  he was my district leader and always had good quotes to start out district coucil.  I often think of this quote, being a missionary we go through very tough times, but more than just us, our people! the People of the California Santa Rosa mission go through tough times and its our job to lead them to Christ, who suffered for all our sins, weaknesses, failures, everything! Elder Fras also said that adversity is a gift from God, this is how we experiance joy, love, peace, happiness.  we cant experiance any of these things without feeling the opposite.  in Mosiah 23:20-21 the people are prospering and they had built a city and everythings, sometimes the Lord see's fit to chasten us, he chasten them.  he tried there patience to help them in all things.  In Mosiah 23:22 it says that whosever puteth his trust in him the same shall be lifted up at the last day.
   We all have trials, how we deal with them is what the Lord is looking at.  Do we always wonder "why me?" or "couldnt this happen to anyone else but me?" or do we think: "what can i learn from this?" "what is the Lord trying to teach me?" this is how we learn to bare our trials.  God promises that if we endure all things well, we shall be lifted up! that's a great promise.  I know that this church is true, i know that God is loving and will never give us anything we cant handle.  May God bless us in all that we do, and may we all rely fully on Jesus Christ.

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving

The Climb

"What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.

Zig Ziglar"

   I love this quote, its great what we become in the end of our trials or on the road to reaching our goals, but whats most important is the journey we take to get there. Our life here on this Earth is a trail of our faith, its a probationary time, A time for us to grow, a time for us to experience life.  no one ever said this life would be easy, they only said it would be worth it! i have found what makes this life "worth it!" its family, love, Jesus Christ, knowing that i will live again after this life, and more importantly knowing that one day i will return to live with my Father in Heaven! that's what make's it worth it!!

 

there is a song by a famous artist that pop's into my head as i think about life, as i think about the journey that I'm on to eternal life!

"I can almost see it
That dream I'm dreaming but
There's a voice inside my head sayin,
You'll never reach it,
Every step I'm taking,
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking but I
Got to keep trying
Got to keep my head held high
There's always going to be another mountain
I'm always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes I'm gonna to have to lose,
Ain't about how fast I get there,
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb
The struggles I'm facing,
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down but
No I'm not breaking
I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm going to remember most yeah
Just got to keep going
And I,
I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on, cause
There's always going to be another mountain
I'm always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes I'm gonna to have to lose,
Ain't about how fast I get there,
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb (yeah)
There's always going to be another mountain
I'm always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes you going to have to lose,
Ain't about how fast I get there,
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb (yeah yeah ea ea)
Keep on moving
Keep climbing
Keep the faith baby
It's all about
It's all about
The climb
Keep the faith
Keep your faith"

Miley Cyrus
 Life is a climb, its about moving and about faith. we are either progressing or digressing.  I love my life, i love everything about it, including my trails.  our trials, our infirmities,(personal failings) are not in vain... Jesus Christ suffered for our sins, suffered for our infirmities so that he may know how to succor(run to the aid of) his people.  I love this gospel, I love the Book of Mormon and all that it teaches me. 

GOD BLESS EVERYONE!

VETERANS DAY!

Today i wanted to talk about veterans... for hundreds of years people have fought for this country, people have died for this country, people have stood up for this country and today is the day that we pay our respects to them!
  I am truly grateful for our VETERANS! the one that is closest to me is my brother, his name is Corey Kenemore he is in the Marine Corp. he has been through so much to become one! through 13 weeks of training that breaks you down and builds you up! Corey has served honorably for them for about 5 years now and has had the opportunity to serve in Iraq to fight for my freedom, for our families freedom, for YOUR freedom!
   There is an amazing hymn that i love that is titled We are All Enlisted.

1. We are all enlisted till the conflict is o’er;
Happy are we! Happy are we!
Soldiers in the army, there’s a bright crown in store;
We shall win and wear it by and by.
Haste to the battle, quick to the field;
Truth is our helmet, buckler, and shield.
Stand by our colors; proudly they wave!
We’re joyfully, joyfully marching to our home.

[Chorus]
We are all enlisted till the conflict is o’er;
Happy are we! Happy are we!
Soldiers in the army, there’s a bright crown in store;
We shall win and wear it by and by.

2. Hark! the sound of battle sounding loudly and clear;
Come join the ranks! Come join the ranks!
We are waiting now for soldiers; who’ll volunteer?
Rally round the standard of the cross.
Hark! ’tis our Captain calls you today;
Lose not a moment, make no delay!
Fight for our Savior; come, come away!
We’re joyfully, joyfully marching to our home.

3. Fighting for a kingdom, and the world is our foe;
Happy are we! Happy are we!
Glad to join the army, we will sing as we go;
We shall gain the vict’ry by and by.
Dangers may gather—why should we fear?
Jesus, our Leader, ever is near.
He will protect us, comfort, and cheer.
We’re joyfully, joyfully marching to our home

I am so grateful to have such an amazing country that i live in! i love the freedom to choose what religion we want to be a part of! I'm grateful for that freedom that so many men fought and died for so that a young boy can have the opportunity to go into a grove of tree's and pray to know what church she should join.  I know that the gospel is true! i know that this church is true! i know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and redeemer.

Prayer

This picture brings such a smile to my heart!! If you couldn't tell by the picture, today i wanted to write about prayer, and how powerful it is.  today, 2nd day in my new area, went to the cutest ladies house to talk with her, her name is Michele and she has had a lot of challenges in her life.  She was in a car accident when she was 3 and was thrown out the window of the car and was in a coma for 4 1/2 months... the doctor's told her mom that she wouldn't survive, but she did, she obviously has some side effects from it, she has a great memory, she is a little slower than most people and her speech isn't all that great, but she is truly AMAZING!
  As we talked with her we asked her how the Lord has blessed her in her life,  the first thing she said is that she is alive! that's so true, we should all be grateful to be alive! to live and have more opportunities to follow Jesus Christ, and more opportunities to live the commandments and receive blessings. 
  When she was praying she TALKED to God, not at him, or as if he is a million miles away, but to him as if he was in the room! it was such a beautiful prayer! at the end of her prayer she said: " thank you very  much, i love you and I cant wait to meet you."
  It's truly amazing how much she loves God, and was made evident to me that i need to do better in my prayers and to think of God as being in the room with me, to talk with him and converse with him as if we are face to face!
  if you have the chance go to lds.org and find the bible dictionary and look up PRAYER.  the definition is amazing!!

SMILING!

"Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing."
— Mother Teresa



A long time ago when i was in young woman's, a group for girls 12-18 to help them be better woman of society, and help us to be strong and have good moral values, we were having a lesson and the only thing that I got from it is that we should smile at people because we never know who's watching.  so that next week was semester finals and no one ever likes to take a test... but I went to school thinking about the lesson we had just had and wanted to share my love with everyone.  so as I walked the hallways to my classes, I smiled! and our principle who was out in the hall way's saw this and asked me why i was smiling... I told him because its a great day to be alive, and that I was just in a good mood.  He watched me interact with other people and smile at them and the smile became contagious and soon other people were smiling! it was a great thing for me to witness and for other people to feel that love that I had for them, even if i didnt know them. 
CHALLENGE: smile! no matter where you are or what is going on in your life! see how it changes not only your attitude but the people around you as well! i've tested this theory and now challenge you to do the same!

TRANSFERS!

 So every 6 weeks we have the opportunity to be transferred to a new area of not.  what happens is we spend anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months in one area teaching the gospel and helping people draw closer to Jesus Christ, than at the end of that 6 week period, our mission president (President Bunker) prays and seeks to find out whether we should be transferred to a new area or stay in the same area.  every 6th Sunday of the transfer we got a call from our Zone Leaders telling us if we are staying or going.  we got our call this morning and i was told that I am transferring to Santa Rosa in the Peterson Lane ward.  I am super excited to meet the people in Santa Rosa, but also super sad to be leaving Fortuna.  I've spent the last 4 1/2 months here serving the people and loving them!  I am so grateful for the people that i was able to meet here.  they have each taught me so much and helped me to gain a greater love for my savior.  I'm ready to embark on a new part of the California Santa Rosa Mission (CASRM) its going to be a rollercoaster of fun the next few days!!

Rock Foundation

Today i wanted to talk about ROCKS! yes rocks...  Rocks start out as loose gravel and than once in a place for a long period of time changes to a hard surface.  making it sturdy and immovable.  In Matthew chapter 7 verses 24-27 it talks about a wise man and a foolish man. 
24  Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

  25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

  26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

  27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

to be a "wise man" we must do thing things the Lord Tell's us to do, we can find these commandments in the scriptures.  a wise man who built his house upon a rock  is immovable, so when Satan throws things at us we will NOT move from our place.  Satan will try everything to get us to move from it, to make us think that we can't handle the things he throws at us, but we can! as long as we say our prayers, read our scriptures and follow all the commandments to the best of our ability!

to be a "foolish man" who built his house upon the sand, who didn't read and pray and go to church he is who will be swept away when Satan tempts him and tries him! how are we doing on building our faith on a rock? are we reading our scriptures daily? are we on our knee's every night and every morning pleading to the Father? if not, we need to do a self evaluation and re aline your priorities!
to read more on Matthew chapter 7 visit: http://scriptures.lds.org/en/matt/7

Courage not to judge

President Monson gave a talk titled: "May You Have Courage." He's talking to the young woman of the church but I think it applies to everyone! he talks about 3 ways to take courage...
 First, the courage to refrain from judging others
   He quoted Mother Teresa saying: “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”
Second, the courage to be chaste and virtuous

  The commandments of our Heavenly Father are not negotiable! Powerful is this quote from news commentator Ted Koppel, host of ABC’s Nightline program for many years. Said he:“We have actually convinced ourselves that slogans will save us. ‘Shoot up if you must; but use a clean needle.’ ‘Enjoy sex whenever with whomever you wish; but [protect yourself“ No. The answer is no. Not no because it isn’t cool or smart or because you might end up in jail or dying in an AIDS ward—but no, because it’s wrong.…

Third, the courage to stand firm for truth and righteousness.

   My beloved young sisters, with the courage of your convictions, may you declare with the Apostle Paul, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation.”Lest you feel inadequate for the tasks which lie ahead, I remind you of another of the Apostle Paul’s stirring statements from which we might draw courage: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

  We must keep our feet firmly planted on the Rock.  In 3 Nephi 31 the entire chapter is about the doctrine of christ and talks about if we build upon the rock of Christ, the gates of hell shall not prevail against us.  That is an awesome promise!!

to see more please visit:

http://www.mormon.org/

http://www.new.lds.org/

 or talk to me at on facebook!

Our True Identity

I love this message! we are all beautiful in the eyes of God. If we know and truly understand that we are son's and daughter's of the most high God, we will know that we are beautiful and see Christ in our reflection. "WE ARE GLORIOUS SON'S AND DAUGHTERS OF A MIGHTY GOD" President Uchtdorf.