Learning to Fall

Let me tell you a little bit about myself. I have a tendency to fall. The other day, my companion, Sister Rathgeber, and I were waiting for an investigator to open her door. We had knocked a few times, but she wasn't home. As we were getting ready to turn around, I fell off her porch steps. I hadn't realized I was so close to the edge. Don't worry, I wasn't injured. We actually laugh about it frequently.

As missionaries, we have a preparation day to get ready for the week, so that we can give our full attention to missionary work throughout the rest of the week. On preparation day, or P-day, as we call it, we like to play volleyball sometimes. And it's guaranteed that I fall every single time we play. Usually multiple times in one day. It's true. Ask any missionary that's there, they'll confirm. Again, it never hurts; we all just laugh about it.

Just like we can fall physically, we can spiritually fall too. Life can be hard. Things can push us down, and we fall. Fall away from God, fall away from our testimonies, fall down to lonliness. The list goes on. But the important thing to remember is that there is someone there to catch us when we fall, to lift us back to our feet. His name is Jesus Christ. And He is always with us on this journey that we call life. He has been through everything we have been through. He knows how to help and comfort us. A prophet named Alma in the Book of Mormon teaches us, that Christ has suffered the pains and temptations of every man, He took upon Himself death, so that we might live. Because of this, He knows how to succor His people (Alma 7:11-12). To succor means to run to the aid of. Christ is running to our aid always.

I love this poem by Mary Stevenson. It explains so well how we feel in life, especially when we are falling.

I know that Christ lives. He is there to carry us when we fall, to help us back up. We can reach out to Him, because He is reaching out to us. He knows how we feel.

Listening to the words of a prophet can give us strength to get back up. I know there is a modern day prophet on the earth today, President Thomas S. Monson. He speaks to the world as the voice of God. His voice will carry to all ends of the earth, in General Conference, this upcoming weekend. (April 2 & 3, 2011: go to lds.org for details) He knows what God wants us to hear, and how we can act on it. The prophet will never lead us astray. As we follow him, we can know that we are doing what Heavenly Father wants us to do. And that right there can give us the courage to get back up when we fall.

Thanks for reading. Until next time...

Charity: The Pure Love of Christ

Missionary work can be hard. It's absolutely great, but it can be hard at times. One thing that can be hard is clearing your head and your heart from any distractions, to truly focus your thoughts and your feelings towards Jesus Christ and this great work. Lately, I've really been praying and studying about how I can stay more focused and not get distracted so easily. As I was praying this morning, I asked Heavenly Father to help me find a way to remember my purpose as a missionary. I read in the Book of Mormon. Moroni chapter 7, to be exact. The prophet Mormon is speaking, and he talks to us about faith, hope, and charity. Charity is what really stood out to me. In verse 47 of that same chapter, charity is defined as the pure love of Christ. Heavenly Father answered my prayer. I realized what He was telling me. It's not about me. It's not about my family and friends back home. It's not about making myself happy (although, missionary work is the happiest thing ever!). It's about helping others find happiness, through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I've worried about myself long enough. Before I left for my mission, it was all about me. I went to work, for me. I went to school, for me. Everything I did, revolved around me. But not anymore. This is the Lord's work. This is about the children of God, my brothers and sisters. Heavenly Father taught me a great lesson this morning. As I truly have charity for those I'm serving, to love them as God does, I will be able to keep my focus on this great and marvelous work (1 Nephi 14:7).

In this video on mormon.org, these young women show a great example of charity. They forgot about themselves and focused on how they could bring someone else happiness. They understood that Brittany is a daughter of God too.  Charity: An Example of the Believers

Christ was the greatest example of charity. He gave His life for us, so that we may live again (John 15:13). He does love each of us, and everyone can benefit from knowing this. I know that Jesus Christ lives. His gospel is on the earth today and it can bring eternal happiness.

It's snowing!

Good Morning. This is my very first blog post, and it is snowing outside. I'm sitting next to the window, and to be honest, it's pretty nice looking out.

I've never had a blog before. This is all so new to me, but hopefully I can express my thoughts and feelings and you all can gain at least something from it. Just so you know more about me, I'm currently serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Montana, hence why it's snowing, and I love it. My purpose as a missionary online, sharing my experiences, is to help others strengthen their relationship with Jesus Christ. I'm here because I want to be; I want to share. And I hope I can, in a way that will touch at least one of you.

Let me share an experience that happened the other day...My companion, Sister Rathgeber and I, were visiting a home. They had quite the cute german shepherd dog, or so we thought he was cute. We'll call him Lassie, for simplicity's sake. Anyway, we were sitting on the couch trying to get to know the gentlemen we were visiting, and Lassie came up onto the couch and sat right in between us, like he was a little poodle. He's a lot bigger than a poodle. And that's not all, Lassie kept trying to bite us. Not necessarily in a vicious way, I think he was trying to play, but still, it was as if he was gnawing on our arms, because we were chew toys, me more so. I kept trying to push him away, but he just kept trying harder to bite me. And all this was happening, while one of the men was talking. Obviously, I was quite distracted. I had no idea what had been said. I had been more worried about whether or not Lassie was going to walk off with my arm. Eventually, they let him outside. And after my companion and I left, with scratches on our arms, we laughed about it.

I share this experience, because I learned that it's related to Satan's attack on us. He enters into our lives, with us not knowing just how hard he is going to try to get us to turn away from God. Satan wants us to be miserable, because "misery loves company." The more we try to push him away, the harder he is going to try to tempt us. These temptations may seem like not a big deal, but in reality, they can lead to bigger problems, and they distract us from listening to the Spirit of God. Satan does not persuade us to do good. In fact, it's just the opposite. God wants us to do good. So does His Spirit (Moroni 7:16-17). I know that as we truly turn to God, especially during times when it seems that Satan is so present in our lives, we truly can have peace, and be free from any scratches or other injuries that may come upon us. Heavenly Father loves each and every one of you; you are His child, and He wants you to be happy. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the way we can find that happiness.

Thanks for reading. Until next time...