Repentance isn't scary!

As a child I always that repentance was something scary and should make me feel bad. That is so not the case! Sin is scary and makes us feel bad, repentance makes us feel better!

I am walking, living proof that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is real. That it works. I am eternally grateful for Him and His sacrifice.

My favorite scripture in the Book of Mormon is Moroni 6:8. It says, "But as oft as they repented and sought forgiveness with real intent, they were forgiven." I love this scripture because I am CONSTANTLY messing up. But I don't mean to! Jesus Christ understands that. And as long as we are TRULY trying to become better and not sin anymore, we will be forgiven no matter what.

I was reflecting on my life and some of the major mistakes I have made. I realized that I had a lot of regrets. I knelt and prayed because they were weighing on me and I didn't realize they were. As I was praying to God, a thought entered my mind, that as long as I learned and am trying to be better, then they cannot be regrets. In fact quite the opposite. They are GOOD learning opportunities. I pondered that thought a lot and came up with a quote, it is:

"Regrets are made into good learning experiences, through the Atonement of Jesus Christ." 

-Christine Eastwood

I don't know if you like it, but I do! Through Jesus Christ we are able to gain ultimate happiness through EVERYTHING. Please go to Him in your hard times, don't turn away. Another cheesy quote by me:

"When you look back, don't be ashamed. That person in the past made you who you are today. "

-Christine Eastwood

If I could teach only one thing for the rest of my life to others, I would tell them about Jesus Christ and his Atoning sacrifice. It is the way to have ultimate happiness now and in the eternities. It is the way that we are able to live with God again. It is the way that we can have our burdens taken from us. It is the way we can be forgiven. It is the way that we gain strength.

So I want to relate a little story of what happened today to repentance.

Today I totally biffed it hardcore on my bicycle. I landed on my knee, and rolled, scraping up my knee really bad, my hands, elbows and legs as well. I got back up and we finished our ride to the Library. We went to the bathroom so I could clean up. Well let me tell you, It HURT! Here is a picture collage of the whole experience!

It really doesn't look too bad in the picture... Well now I feel like a pansy, but still! I am going to post this...

Anyways, me failing to ride a bike can be related to repentance. :)

So I was hurt and everything right? So we are in the bathroom and I assess the situation. I'm not bleeding to death, so I run my leg under water to wash it. Well Daddy always taught me to be prepared, so I had an alcohol wipe, neosporin and band-aids with me! So after I rinsed off my knee, I cleaned it with the alcohol wipe. After that I put the neosporin on it to keep it from getting any worse and to help it heal. Then I placed band-aids over it. (Yes I used a lot of band-aids because they make everything feel better, just ask a 3 year old.)

We are going to fall, sin and mess up constantly, but because of Jesus Christ, we are able to lifted and cleaned up and healed. We are not promised instant cures. We have slower healing processes because we can learn better that way. We will remember the lessons we learned from them more. As I was prepared with simple band-aids and neosporin, Jesus Christ had prepared for us the ability to be forgiven and lifted.

I want to just bear a simple testimony that because Jesus lives, we don't have to scared of the unknown. He is our healer. He is there for us when we need him. He will never abandon us. Jesus is the way. He is truly our Savior.

Marriage... From The Point of View of a Kid.

I am not married, but I hope one day I will get the chance! I am just a 20 year old kid. But last night I was reading in a Church Magazine about blessing the lives of your kids by strengthening your marriage and it really got me thinking, I would like to share some of my thoughts!

Here is a blurry picture of my parents! 

As I reflected on what I read, I looked a lot at my parents marriage. My parents are not perfect by any means, but they have very loving Marriage!

My parents always say loving and kind things about one another to us kids. I never have heard my parents bash on each other, they only praise each other. When I talk to my dad he talks about my mom as she is the most beautiful woman on earth. You can tell the love and respect he has for her. When I talk to my mom, she tells me about how smart and successful my dad is. You can tell she respects and loves him. I have been able to see the good qualities in my parents amplified by the way they talk about each other.

My parents hug and kiss a lot. Gross right? Well only when you are a kid it's gross, but as I am a little more grown up, I can see that it was one of the many ways that they express their love. A hug and kiss hello and goodbye was comforting to me, to know that my parents loved each other no matter what. It was also their way of getting us kids to leave the room! Ha just had to throw that in there! But seriously, they weren't afraid to show  their affection in front of us kids. So we knew that no matter what they were united and in love.

Me at Graduation Day with my Two AMAZING parents who helped get me their, through love and support.

My parents go on a date every Friday night without fail. As a child it really bugged me, because I wanted to go on those dates! They seemed so fun! But no, my parents always made me stay home with my brothers. I can see now how important those few hours were to my parents. To be together, to talk and spend quality time together. It is something that I want to apply in my future marriage. I think it is incredible how much those few hours every week blessed my family.

There are many reasons my parents have had a successful marriage, but the main thing I believe, is that they focused on Jesus Christ. They both work on are their relationship with God and Jesus. Because they do that, they are able to grow closer to God, each other and us kids. As they pray for our family and for each other, love and peace increases. As they keep the commandments and strive to guild a strong bond with God, they bring so many blessings to our family! I am so grateful for my parents and their example to me. I love them so much! They are incredible.

Like I said before, I am just kid and this is my perspective. My parents are not perfect, but they do a few things right, that's for sure!

The article I read was about parents blessing the lives of their children by having a strong and successful marriage. As a kid, I KNOW THIS IS TRUE! I am so grateful for my parents who are willing to put a lot of things aside and on hold so they can grow stronger together. Because they are strong and united in love, our lives our blessed.

BLACKMAIL! Just kidding. This is a big joke in my family, but we always know how to laugh and have a good time no matter what!

There is so much love in our family and that is due to my parents loving relationship they have with each other. I am so grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and my Parents for the life that I have today!

Read the Article Below!

https://www.lds.org/ensign/2015/09/blessing-our-children-by-improving-our-marriages?lang=eng

My Testimony For Life :)

For the past 17.5 months I have been serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. This has been the best experience I have had my whole life. I have been reflecting on my testimony of the Gospel the past few days.

Please read my testimony below.

I have read the Book of Mormon and prayed about it. I know that it is the word of God. I know that God let us have additional scripture to the Bible so that we can know even more how to follow Christ in our lives. As we follow the teachings of Jesus we will be able to gain eternal happiness and glory in the life to come. I love the Book of Mormon with all my heart. I can not explain the joy and the knowledge it has brought me. It is my favorite book on the earth. I can not, nor will I ever deny the powerful truthfulness of it. Because of the Book of Mormon, I don't just believe in Jesus Christ, but I KNOW for a fact that He lives and loves each one of us. 

I encourage EVERYONE to read it. 

When Jesus Christ was on the earth he established his church and how we were to uphold it. Some of those things he established are: 

• That it bears the name of Jesus Christ
• It has a foundation of Apostles and Prophets and they must be called by God
• It has divine priesthood authority from God
• It has no paid ministry
• It baptizes by immersion
• It teaches that we need to receive the gift Holy Ghost
• It practices divine healing
• It teaches that God and Jesus Christ are separate individuals
• It must teach that Jesus Christ and God have bodies of flesh and bone
• It claims revelation from God
• It must be a missionary church
• It practices baptisms for the dead

Once again those are some things that when Jesus Christ was on the earth he established. But as the people in the times back then were wicked, they killed the Apostles of Jesus Christ and those teachings were lost. There were many people who wanted to follow Christ and knew a few of the teachings, so they followed what they remembered, but no one had EVERYTHING that Christs taught because His authority was gone from the earth. There began to be many churches built up trying to follow what they remembered from Christ. Thousands of years later, when people were humbled enough to receive the Church of Jesus Christ again, it was ready to be restored.

There was a young boy named Joseph Smith who was wondering which of the many churches was true. He kept hearing from all different religions that theirs was true, and yet their doctrine disagreed and so on. He was so confused and honestly just wanted to know which church was true so that he wouldn't be damned to hell. He read in the Bible in James 1:5 that says. "If any of ye lack wisdom let him ask of God..." So that is what he did. He knelt down with a humble heart and asked God which church was true. God the Father and Jesus Christ came to Joseph Smith and told him many things. To read about his account click here: https://www.lds.org/topics/joseph-smith/testimony?lang=eng 

Joseph Smith restored Jesus Christ's church in these latter days. Joseph Smith was called of God to be a prophet in these days. He was chosen to restore Christ's original church. I don't know why it was Joseph Smith, it had to be somebody right? But I am so very grateful for him. I know that he was called and chosen by God to bring about this amazing Church of Christ we have today. All those things that Christ established thousands of years ago are BACK. They are here today for each of us. Christ and God want us to have the blessings that we will receive as we follow him. They love each one of us and have given us a chance to partake of such pure joy, all we have to do is take the opportunity.

Take the opportunity to find out if this church is Christ's true church.

Because God is the same yesterday, today and forever, there are prophets and apostles on the earth today. Today Thomas S. Monson is the Prophet of God. Once again, I don't know why it is him, but it had to be someone right? I am so grateful for Thomas S. Monson. I didn't know if he was a true prophet, but I prayed and asked God, and I know in my heart with out a doubt that He is a prophet chosen of God. 

I am so eternally in debt to Jesus Christ. He is the best brother anyone could ask for. He sacrificed everything so that each one of us can be forgiven of our sins, be resurrected and have the chance to live with Him and God again for eternity. I can't put into words how much I love our Savior Jesus Christ. He is the one who makes everyday possible. He is the one who I can turn to when times get hard. He is always there for me. He is the reason I can do hard things.

             It is all Jesus Christ.

Everything in my life is possible because of Jesus Christ. I am so eternally grateful for His sacrifice and for His church he established thousands of years ago, that has been restored today. I know He lives. 

I am total goober. I don't know a whole lot of anything in this world. BUT I know that the Church of Jesus Christ is true. I know that it is here today on the earth. I know Christ Lives. I know we have prophets today. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I know God answers our prayers. I know that this is the way the Christ has asked us to follow him. I know all these things because I have prayed about it. 

Pray to God and ask him about the truthfulness of the things I have testified about. I know He will answer your prayers and you WILL be blessed. 

As I said at the beginning, I have been serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I may only have a few weeks as a full time missionary, but I will always and forever be a disciple of Christ. I know He lives and I will always strive to testify of Him. I am so imperfect that I know I will mess up, but that is the beauty of Christ's Grace, we can be forgiven. 

I am a life-time follower of Christ. 

(Shout out to Michelle Belnap for the Awesome pictures as well as LDS.ORG)

Temples!

Temples are an amazing blessing that we have access to as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. At the temple we make more promises with God and he in return promises us many more blessings.

One of my favorite parts about the Temple is that we are sealed to our spouse for eternity. That means that we are not married until death, but we are continued in marriage in the after life. That has been such a comfort for me in my life, knowing that I am going to be able to be with my parents for ever! Not only that, but it has given me a goal to work towards for my future family.

My favorite Temple is the Mount Timpanogos Temple. I grew up with it just a few miles from my home. I LOVE IT! I cannot put into words the amazing experiences I have had there and hope to continue to have. Here is a picture of it!

There are about 4 main different types of rooms in the Temple. There is the Baptismal Font, the Ordinance Room, the Celestial Room and the Sealing Room.

Why do we have the Baptismal Font? We do something called "baptisms for the dead". Sounds creepy and weird right? Well it's not. It is simply where we have names of those who have died who haven't had the chance to except Christ and be baptized, so we stand in proxy for them so they are still able to have those same blessings that we get when we are baptized. We believe that you are not able to get into Gods glory without being baptized, but all those people who never got the chance to be baptized before they died, that isn't fair that they don't get to go to heaven! So that is the purpose of doing baptisms for those who have already died. 

This is the Baptismal Font in the Alberta Canada Temple

What do we do in the Ordinance Room? I can't say much on this, not because it is a secret, but because the promises that I made with God are so precious to me, I don't want to give anyone a chance to ridicule them. But basically we learn about our life before we came to earth, the fall of Adam and Eve and more of our purpose in this life. After we learn more about these subjects we make promises to God to follow him even more in our lives and he promises us blessings in return. Much like when you are baptized you promise to follow Christ and God blesses you for that!

Every temple is unique, but have the same main parts. Here is one example of what an ordinance room can look like!

The Celestial Room is one of my favorite places to be! There is so much peace and joy that I can find as I sit there. It is a special place for us to be able to learn more of the Spirit and come closer to Jesus Christ. A lot of people when they are troubled or have questions will go to the Celestial Room to ponder and gain peace in their lives. This room emulates what we should strive to our lives always to be like. 

Here is a picture of a Celestial Room. Isn't it gorgeous?!

Finally the Sealing Room. This is the room where families are bound together for all eternity. Like I stated earlier, this is one of my favorite parts of the temple! Many years ago my parents were sealed in the Provo Utah Temple. Because they made this choice, I have the peace in my life, that I will get to be with my family forever. 

Here is an example of what a Sealing Room could look like! This the Payson Temple. 

Below is a video that the Church put out a while back, showing what we do in the temple. A lot of people wonder about "Mormons Magic Underwear." Well first of all, don't call it that. Don't ridicule. And it is just our way that we show we have committed to follow Christ. We don't flaunt it around. Some religions wear different things to show they follow Christ. For example, Priests have a white collar they wear. This is just the way that the Church of Jesus Christ has be directed to express this commitment. 

For more information on Temples. Check out a few of these websites below!

https://www.lds.org/church/temples?lang=eng

http://mormontemples.org/eng/articles/rooms-in-the-temple

https://www.lds.org/liahona/1992/06/the-holy-temple?lang=eng

MUSIC!

I love music. It is one way that I know God loves me. There is so much that good uplifting music can bring into our lives. Music can make us feel joy and peace. It can be an escape from a scary or sad situation. I believe very firmly that God has given us music in our lives so that we can have another thing to bring us happiness.

I play piano, drums and ukulele. I LOVE being able to sit down and play any of those instruments. I used to play drums when I was frustrated or wanted to release some energy! I would sit down to the piano and play hymns or other music to relax and escape. I would play ukulele and walk around the house and sing to express joy or be goofy. There are so many more reasons why I would play those instruments  often! I just absolutely love music and being able to make music has been such a blessing in my life.

My brother Andrew is one of the most talented string instrument player I have ever met. Like seriously amazing. Here is a picture from YEARS ago on his first performance. (He might kill me for posting this, but the answer is yes, you can call him POODLE HEAD! :)) But anyways, I don't remember our house ever being quiet. He was always playing guitar or violin or any other string instrument he could get his hands on. But I loved it. He always brought the spirit into our home. I loved when we were able to jam out together. Music has been one of the ways that we were able to spend a lot of time together and bond. I will always be grateful for that. Goodness I LOVE MUSIC! I didn't realize how much it was really in my life all the time!

For the Strength of Youth booklet it says the following about music,

“Music is an important and powerful part of life. It can be an influence for good that helps you draw closer to Heavenly Father. However, it can also be used for wicked purposes. Unworthy music may seem harmless, but it can have evil effects on your mind and spirit.

”Choose carefully the music you listen to. Pay attention to how you feel when you are listening. Don't listen to music that drives away the Spirit, encourages immorality, glorifies violence, uses foul or offensive language, or promotes Satanism or other evil practices“


In Colossians 3:16 it says, " Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." I love this verse because of the truthfulness it says. Singing with grace in your hearts is one of the many ways we get to praise our God! When we listen to and play good music, we choose to invite the spirit and praise God.

While being out here on my mission, my mission President is very lenient on music. We can listen to anything that brings the spirit and doesn't have overloading tunes and lovey dovey lyrics. But ultimately it is up to the missionaries. What brings the spirit into our lives? What brings us closer to Christ? What praises God? Every person is different and feels differently. So ultimately it is up to you to decide what invites the spirit and what doesn't. Also you have your agency! You get to choose what music you listen to. Good or bad, the choice is yours!

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a great FREE website that has great uplifting music! Here is the link: https://www.lds.org/youth/music?cid=YS-C-music&lang=eng I would invite all who are reading this to reevaluate the music that you have in your lives. To find what invites the spirit and what pushes it away. I have seen the difference in myself as I have done this. I am a lot happier and I feel the spirit more! I LOVE IT! :) 

I can't believe I am going to post this, but quite a few years ago, my friends and I decided to do a cover of a song, "Jesus is a friend of mine." Okay so it is super embarrassing, so I hope you laugh while watching it!

Happy!

I love smiling and laughing. I love being happy! Who doesn't? It is such a blessing that we have the ability to feel joy! Below is a video of a talk that Thomas S. Monson gave about finding joy in the journey! 

 

We all have struggles and challenges that may weigh on out hearts and bring us down. But as much pain and sorrow we may feel, we are able to see the equal amount of joy. We know happiness and joy because we know sorrow. Because of the Fall of Adam and Eve, we feel pain. BUT we also get to feel joy! It can be hard to look on the bright side of life, but it is so so worth it! Find different things that will help you turn your frown upside down! For me telling jokes, making faces, dancing all foolish, singing songs, reading scriptures and praying can change my mood instantly from sad to happy!

One of my favorite stories in the Book of Mormon is in Alma chapter 26. The Lamanites were bad people and were doing awful things. Alma and his brethren really wanted to do something about it. So instead of going up to war against the Lamanites, they went to teach them about Jesus Christ and call them to repentance. They were at the point of utter despair and were about to turn back, but the Lord said to them in verse 27, "Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success." When they relied on God and were patience with all their trials, they were blessed and were able to bring the souls to Jesus Christ. They were able to feel that amazing feeling of seeing someone embrace the goodness and mercy of Jesus. How much joy must they have felt?! They struggled and were killed, but as they put their trust in God, they were able to see miracles and have that ultimate joy! As they were faithful they were able to see joy! It reminds of a quote by Henry B. Eyring:

When we are faithful we are GUARANTEED joy! Maybe we won't see ultimate joy in this life if we are perfectly faithful, but I KNOW without a doubt that we will get to have forever in our eternal lives.

I just want to say that I love finding the joy in life. I love smiling and laughing. If you can find the humor in something LAUGH! Try your hardest to be happy. Smiles are contagious and will make others happy too! That is a big service to others. I love the song don't worry be happy. Remember that if you do your best, Jesus gon' work it out. 

Make a face and smile!

Be a dork with your mom with food!

If you are stuck in the hospital, SMILE! It won't last for eternity!

LAUGH!!!!!!!!

If you are in the rain, DANCE!

Read your scriptures and feel the joy!

DADDY

My Daddy is my hero. He is the best example to me of what a true man is. He has loved and supported me through everything. I have put him through hell and back and he has never once abandoned me. He loves and supports my brothers. He loves my mommy and treats her like a queen. He has taught me how to communicate with love and respect. I could go on and on with everything that he has taught me, but I just want to share a few of my favorite memories of my dad and a few lessons I have learned.

My daddy is one of the smartest people I have ever met. I remember how much it used to drive me crazy because I would come home with a knew piece of knowledge and share it with him, but he already knew it! I am still amazed at just how much he knows. He always has a desire to learn more. (What a nerd!)

My dad has a unique sense of humor. I love messing with him when ever I can! I loved being able to paint his nails as a kid while he was asleep. There was this one time when my mom and I did it and he went to the gym to go swimming for exercise and forgot that his toe nails were painted! He came home and told us about that awkward experience for him. Oh how funny it was! He loves to tease me too. I love that he taught me how to have a sense of humor in life, because it makes it so much more enjoyable!

My papa has shown me how to work hard. I have always admired what a hard worker he is. Before I was born my papa started his own business and worked hard that now he has a thriving business with many employees and a lot of success. Even through all of his success, he has stayed humble. He doesn't boast of his own success, but rather has charity for all those around him. One time my dad and I went to my nana's home and were helping her fix her swamp cooler. I was on the roof with him and he had me stay up there and help him the whole time. I was hot and bored but he taught me that we needed to get the job done and do it good. So we worked hard and afterwards my nana asked us to help her with her garden, so my dad said yes of course! So we did her garden for her. After many hours in the heat we finally left and on the drive home, my dad said to me, "Don't you feel good now?" My reward for working hard was the amazing feeling I felt afterwards. I love to feel that now, so I work hard now because I know it is worth it.

This is a picture of my Dad working hard to restore Granddaddy's gun:

A favorite memory I have of my dad is when we were both sick and we were laying in his bed and he watched what ever movie I wanted to watch. Well this is when Twilight came out and I was in love with it. So my dear sweet dad, bless his heart, watched all the movies with me. He hated every last second of it, but he was willing to watch it for me. My dad has always been willing to do anything for his family. I have always cherished the time that my dad was willing to spend with me one on one. Family is one of the most important things to me.


I love my dad and everything that he has done for me. I am so grateful for the dad I have in this life. He is the best example of a true man and father that I could ever ask for.

Below is a video that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints came out with about our earthly father and our Heavenly Father. I love my Father in heaven and I love my earthly father.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY Y'ALL

Below is one of my favorite pictures of Jesus Christ. It is done by Greg Olsen.

 I love this picture because it truly shows that Christ is so compassionate about everything that surrounds him. I like to think of myself as one of the little birdies on the branch. Jesus is reaching out to me with such love and gentleness. He is not scary and we shouldn't be scared of him. He is loving and kind and wants us to rely on him for everything. 

I love the caption at the bottom of the picture. None are forgotten by God. Sometimes we can feel as though God abandoned us. HE NEVER HAS AND NEVER WILL. I know this for a fact. Through everything I have been through God has always been there. I may not have seen it in the moment, but when I look back I can see that he was there and supported me 100% through it all.

Just like your parents love you, God is our Heavenly parent and loves us. Just like you love your brother, Jesus Christ loves us. Now we aren't perfect and neither is our love, but Jesus's love is perfect. So imagine how much love he must have for us, His brothers and sisters. He is perfect. He knows everything we have gone through and is there for us. How incredible of a promise that is!

I love Jesus Christ and I know that he loves me too. I know that he loves everyone of us. He is the greatest example there has ever been. Because of Him, we can return to live with God again. We can be forgiven of all our sins. We learn how to live better lives. Through Jesus Christ we obtain ultimate happiness. 

If you don't know if God is there for you, then pray right now and sincerely ask! He will answer you. 

Shot Through My Heart!

For those of you who know me, you know my love for guns. Ever since I was a little tyke I have loved them. Partly because it is a way that I was protected by my daddy. Another part is because shooting and reloading bullets is one of my daddy's biggest hobbies. But I think the thing I have love most about having guns involved through out my whole life is how many lessons we can learn from them. How guns can apply to so many things that we are involved with daily. Today I want to relate shooting and my love of guns to the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Okay so to start off there are some basic rules that I had to repeat to my daddy (EVERY SINGLE TIME) before I picked up my gun and was ready to shoot. They are:

1. A gun is ALWAYS loaded.

2. Know your target and what is behind it.

3. Never cross the barrel over anything that you aren't willing to destroy.

4. Always have ear and eye protection.

5. Never put your finger on the trigger, unless you are READY to shoot.

6. Know your gun.

How do these 6 rules apply to the Gospel?

1. A gun is ALWAYS loaded. Well that is not true, a gun isn't loaded at all times, but we are supposed to treat it like it is. My daddy never let me say, "Treat it like it is loaded." Only, "a gun is always loaded." I have always had that mind set and therefore I treat guns very carefully. Since I was little my dad ingrained that in my mind. Even when I know for a fact that the gun does not have a bullet in it, I still have a feeling in the back of my head that it is. Well this principle applies to the Gospel because the gun is our testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is something so precious, so dear. We need to treat it that way! We need to realize what an amazing thing it is and the power that our testimonies have. No matter what I can never refuse my testimony because I ALWAYS have the feeling in the back of my mind, that I know the church is true. I CAN NOT deny it. Nor do I ever want to. It is so precious to me.

2. Know your target and what is behind it. Our target in this life is to get to the Celestial Kingdom. We want to get there and we need to be able to know the limits. We need to know how to get there and make sure that we don't do anything that would make it so we don't get our target. We need to be aware of Satan and be able to push him out of our lives and work towards Christ.

3. Never cross the barrel over anything that you aren't willing to destroy. Imagine that we are at a shooting range right now. You pulled the trigger and you heard a click. You realize that the bullet is jammed, this ONE time you think, "It will be okay, I will rest the barrel on my foot while I unjam it." Well as soon as you put the gun at that angle on your foot the bullet came out and fired. You just shot a hole through your foot. What lesson do we learn? Never cross the barrel with anything that you aren't willing to destroy, but also that it only takes ONE TIME to make a permanent damage. You may think this one time you break a law or commandment that God has given us that it will be okay. Why would you ever chance that? NEVER CROSS THAT LINE! There are standards and commandments that God has asked us to follow and we need to do that. We cannot give into even one temptation, because that could be the time the gun is misfired and if it is pointed at something that you aren't willing to destroy (your salvation) then that is on you.Of course we all will mess up and God understands that, that is what the Atonement is for. But don't willingly give away your right to Eternal Glory.

4. Always have ear and eye protection. We read in Ephesians chapter 6 about the armor of God. There is the Girdle of Truth, The Breastplate of Righteousness, The Shield of Faith, The Sword of the Spirit, The Preparation of the Gospel of Peace Shoes and The Helmet of Salvation. The Gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us that we need to have faith. We need to choose the right. We need to listen to the Holy Spirit. We need to do all these things to protect ourselves and gain eternal life. When we keep the commandments and do what is right, we are building up a protection around ourselves. What a blessing that it is that we know what to do to protect ourselves from Satan!

5. Never put your finger on the trigger, unless you are READY to shoot. Lets say that you died right now. Would you be ready to face God. If the final judgement was in a few minutes, how would you be feeling? We cannot wait until last minute to repent and make things right. Start your preparations to meet God right now. We need to get right with God. We need to strive ALWAYS to be better daily. We don't have to be perfect, but we have to be trying our hardest to be the best we can be.

6. Know your gun. We need to know what we are dealing with. We need to face the reality of our salvation. We need to humble ourselves and realize that we cannot do it alone. We need to rely on our Savior. We need to know Jesus Christ. We need a personal relationship with him and God. We need the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives.

Okay so the rules of gun safety teach us a little about how we need to live our lives.

This is my first gun. It is a Ruger .357 LCR. Here is a picture of it:

Just by looking at a picture of this gun you would probably assume that there isn't a lot of power. You might say, "That it is ugly and no one would ever want a gun that looks like that." Well looks are deceiving. I remember the first time I shot this gun. I shot once and put it down immediately. I was used to shooting 9 millimeters and to go from those to this. It was CRAZY! The power was intense. There sent a sting right down the grip of my hand. I wasn't expecting it! So I looked at my daddy, he just about died laughing at me. My face must have said it all. Well I picked it up and shot a few more rounds, holding the gun a LOT tighter than before. The sting wasn't bad this time. As I shot it more, the more I got used to it and it's power. The more I shot it, the more I wanted to shoot it. It might be an ugly gun, but it gets the job done. This revolver is so reliable and accurate.

So what do we learn from this story? That when life throws us curve balls, we can push back. We can endure and overcome them. The more we use our testimony in our lives the more we can increase our desire to gain it even more. We can do what our tools allow us to do. So what tools do you have in your life that you can use to strengthen your testimony? What can you do to ensure your salvation. What can you do to prepare for those hard times that will come time to time?

The Gospel of Jesus Christ has the answers.

The UNREAL Life

Something I have tried to do on my mission is live it to the fullest. I write home every week about my adventures and my love for the Gospel. A few weeks ago I got the response back, that said my mission was unreal.

It is true! My mission is unreal. It is something that I never thought I would have in my life. It is the best thing that has ever happened to me and the best thing that will happen for my family now and in the future. All my adventures and good times are because I choose to have the attitude to make it happen.

It is up to us to decide how our day is going to go. We decide if our lives are going to be the "real" life where we are forced to do the same things and is boring and all that, OR we can choose to make our life "UNREAL". We can choose to make an adventure out of everyday. We can choose to be happy. We can choose to do good. We can choose to be extraordinary. 

A lot of people have said that the world is an awful place and we just have to endure in it. I believe the exact opposite! We can live and LOVE our lives in this amazing place God created for us!

Think about it, how incredible is the world around us? Every time I walk outside I am amazed at what God has created for us to enjoy! Look up and around and just embrace it, soak it all in! If God wanted us to be miserable and bored all the time and live the "real" life, then he wouldn't have given us all he has given us, especially the Gospel of Jesus Christ that teaches us the essence of love!

I don't ever want to live a "real" life. I want my life to be unreal. I want it to be joyful! I want to live everyday to the fullest! I want to share the Gospel. I want to smile. I want to jump in puddles. I want to laugh. I want to embarrass myself over and over again. I want to make silly faces. I want to read my scriptures daily. I want to sing as loud and obnoxiously as possible. I want to love everyone. I want all these things because they make me happy. God wants me to have this things. But one thing I want you to notice, is that every single one of those things I listed that I want, have to do with my attitude. 

Who actually wants to be embarrassed? I do! Know why? Because it makes for a good story and laugh. It is an adventure. I want to be a total dork some days, just to lighten someone else's mood! I can't be one of those mundane people who never does anything other than the same old thing everyday. I would be MISERABLE! Because of that, I have an UNREAL life!

This is me and my  mom living our lives to the DORKIEST and having Cheetos as our smiles!!! :) Got to love the little things and laugh! 

Everyday you wake up, decide that your attitude to everything that happens that day is going to be UNREAL! Do something different than you normally would. Make your life the unreal life. Have the attitude that you are going to be the person who puts a smile on someone else's face. BE THAT CHANGE TODAY!

There is an incredible speech given by George I. Cannon about living to make good memories. Here is the link: http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=120 I love this talk so much! It truly spells out how we can live our lives to the fullest and have those good memories that we need in our lives! 

I know this post was kind of everywhere! But I just feel so passionate about living our lives to fullest so we can be happy and make others around us happy. Making the difference in our lives is the best thing we can do for everyone! Make the difference by starting it off right by saying your prayers! Read your scriptures! Go to church every week! Love the tender mercies God gives us daily! Smile! :) Have the attitude that you are going to have an unreal life starting right now.

-Only A Benefit-

Last night as I was falling asleep, I was thinking a lot about why on earth wouldn't you want to be Mormon? So I thought I would blog some of my ideas.

I want to start off with 3 different scenarios:

1. You are Mormon. You live a good LDS life. You strive to follow the Gospel as close as possible. You die suddenly. There is no God. You don't get to go to Heaven. You are dead in a box. Okay so you are dead, you don't know that is was a waste to believe and live a good life! -Only a benefit-

2. You are Mormon. You live a good LDS life. You strive to follow the Gospel as close as possible. You die suddenly. Turns out that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints wasn't the only true church. That it didn't matter what denomination you went to. You go to heaven because you lived a dang good life. -Only a benefit-

3. You are Mormon. You live a good LDS life. You strive to follow the Gospel as close as possible. You die suddenly. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true church of God. You lived a life that Jesus and God wanted you to, so you go to the Celestial Kingdom. -Only a benefit-

Okay so there are a lot of objections on why you wouldn't want to be Mormon. I want to address a few that I have heard while here on my mission. :)

We don't get to drink alcohol, do drugs, drink tea, drink coffee. I have been asked multiple times why anyone would want to be constricted to a life like that. Well my question, is what benefit do you get from those things? None. If you don't believe me, Google it! :) In fact, if you stay away from the items listed above, you will have a healthier life! And who doesn't want that? -Only a Benefit- 

We live a law, called the Law of Chastity. The Law of Chastity is pretty simple, we don't have sexual relations outside the legal bonds of marriage. We believe in complete fidelity after marriage. We don't have sexual relations with the same sex as our own. We avoid pornography. Okay so that sounds old fashioned right? WRONG! How amazing is it when you know you have the love of your life to only yourself. When you are able to express your love in an intimate way. When you and the love of your life are able to procreate. How wonderful of a gift that is to us. We need not take it lightly! Therefore your family is a strong unit and a place of love and joy. -Only a Benefit- We don't watch or look at pornography. How great of a blessing is that? Pornography is addicting and destructive. So staying away from it is what? -Only a Benefit-

We believe in work and self-reliance. We know we need to work hard. By being hard workers, we are able to gain so much in this life! It makes is possible to live. By working hard and being self-reliant you are able to set goals and progress. -Only a Benefit- 

Latter-Day Saints believe in getting an education. It is how you are able to actually do things in this life. You are able to open opportunities for success and joy. -Only a Benefit-

The importance of families is stressed in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. How important is your family to you? Your family teaches you principles. They give you companionship. They give you love and support you need. It is important to strengthen your family and that is something our church help you accomplish. -Only a Benefit-

A lot of people say that there are no longer Prophets and Apostles on the earth right now. Don't we read that "God is the same, yesterday, today and forever? So Why wouldn't it be logical that there would be Prophets and Apostles on the earth right now? Plus they guide us and give a revelation from God. So having them is -Only a Benefit-.

I hear time and time again that Mormons are not Christian. Well define Christian. Most simply it is someone who follows Jesus Christ in their lives. That is exactly what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints believes! Following Jesus Christ is the way to have everlasting happiness. -Only a Benefit- Now I do say this, that just because we believe so strongly and teach following Jesus Christ, we are all only human and we make many mistakes. But as we are constantly TRYING (trying be the key word here) Jesus Christ's grace will make up our differences.

I heard earlier today that The Book of Mormon is Satan's book. All I can say it read it and find out. Because The Book of Mormon is Another Testament of Jesus Christ. If it was Satan's book would it talk about Christ so highly as it does? Would it teach people to follow Christ? Would it support the bible? No. But The Book of Mormon does do all of these things. The Book of Mormon has made many things I read in the Bible make even more sense! I love it! -Only a Benefit- Having an additional whiteness of Jesus Christ in our lives, is true happiness and CANNOT be from Satan.

Many people think that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day looks down upon women because women cannot hold the priesthood. Being a woman I think the exact OPPOSITE! I have NEVER felt looked down upon in the church. I feel exalted in fact! Men are supposed to treat their women with respect. Think about all the hate that the Priesthood holders receive. Us women get to do so many things that men can't do. Men and women are different and have different roles in life. But when those roles are combined together, it creates an incredible refuge of joy. Men and women are equal in the Church with different roles and responsibilities, to make things run smoother. -Only a Benefit-

Okay so obviously I am very passionate about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Many have told me that I am only this way because I don't know anything else and so I am basically brainwashed. Well that is so not true! As much as my parents had to kick my butt out the door to get me to church as kid, I still chose to actually learn SOME things. When I was a teenager, going through what ever that stage is, I had to decide for myself if I was going to follow the Church and what I was taught as a kid. Well, the choice took several years, but I made it. I didn't just decide that I liked the church and I wanted to be a member still, but I had to pray, really hard. I had to read the Book of Mormon, a lot. I had to go to Church, and pay really close attention. Then finally I knew for myself that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true Church. It is restored by a true prophet of God. God hears and answers our prayers. The Book of Mormon is TRUE!!!! The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the greatest way that God has shown us that he loves us. We can be forgiven for all of our sins because of Jesus Christ. Thomas S. Monson is a true prophet of God who guides us today. I know all these things because I put in the effort.

Don't go trying to find out about the Mormon Church by looking stuff up on the internet. Read the Book of Mormon. Pray and ask God. Go to a Church service. Study with the missionaries. After you have done all of those things with a sincere heart and a contrite spirit, then you can tell me that you don't want to be LDS.

But for me, I love this Gospel. It is -Only a Benefit- in my life. I am so grateful for it. That is why I am on a mission. I want to share this Gospel with others. I want to share this joy I have. I want to share Jesus.

Go to this website to answer questions, and if you want, have missionaries like me come to your house and bring you a free copy of the Book of Mormon! http://www.mormon.org/