Cinnamon Rolls

In my personal study this morning I read this...

"...God our Eternal Father lives and loves us. He is indeed our Father, and He is personal and real. May we realize and understand how close to us He is willing to come, how far He is willing to go to help us, how much He loves us, and how much He does and is willing to do for us." -President Thomas S. Monson

Most of the time I know that Heavenly Father is there for me-but I imagine it's only in the major things. I always know that He will help me as I am trying to help others. I know that He will help me when I'm trying to overcome sin and be more Christlike. But all too often I forget that He is there for me in the "little things" as well. I had a really powerful reminder of that this weekend.

The last weekend was a little rough for me. I've been sick and I have this cough that won't go away, and that combined with the usual stresses of living and working got me bogged down. So I was feeling kind of low and we were visiting someone on Saturday night. One of the people we were talking to made the comment that we smelled like cinnamon rolls. That hit a chord with me and I suddenly really wanted to have the lightly glazed-fresh baked comfort-food goodness of a cinnamon roll.

I was resigned to the fact that I wouldn't get what I wanted, however I couldn't stop thinking about it.

Sunday morning we were invited to have breakfast at some one's house and low and behold, there were delicious, hot, fresh cinnamon rolls! The thought that immediately came to my head was, God loves me. He knew I was feeling down and even though he wasn't going to lighten my work load or take away my cough, He did something for me to remind me that He is there and HE CARES. It may seem like something tiny and insignificant in the Eternal scheme of things, but I know that God cares about the little things that matter to us because He loves us and what matters to us matters to Him. I am so grateful for that knowledge that I have a loving Father in Heaven who cares when it may feel like no one else does.

Up-Hill Battles

Last night, Sister deBoer and I were trying to visit a friend of ours, the problem was that she has a steep gravel driveway and our wheels kept getting stuck. Needless to say we were frustrated, but we would back up and try again. We did this over and over again until we got a phone call, our friend heard our wheels spinning each time we got stuck and wanted to offer us some advise. She explained the trick of getting up her driveway and once we followed her instructions we made it up without a problem.

I know that we all have these annoying moments in our lives, when-despite our best efforts-we just can't accomplish what we want without guidance. We were blessed last night to have that help offered to us by our friend. Sometimes it isn't that easy, usually we have to seek help before we can receive it.

Jesus Christ taught this principle in the sermon on the mount, he said,

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 

"For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 

"Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? 

"Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 

"If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" Matthew 7:7-11

I know that as we run into the steep-gravel driveways in our lives, we don't have to rely on our own abilities to get us through. All we need to do is ask our Father in Heaven through prayer, seek answers through scripture study, and knock at the doors of His servants (by listening to and following the Prophet and Apostles) and we will be blessed with the help we need to make our way safely home.

For Such a Time as This

Esther: For Such a Time as This

By Elspeth Young

"Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews...and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer, Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me...I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king...and if I perish, I perish..." Esther 4:13-16

I love this painting and the story of Esther, it is so inspiring to me to see her incredible faith as she asks for them to fast for her. The question that Mordecai asks also really strikes me, he helps her to see that the Lord has placed her in that circumstance for a reason and she has an important work to do. I try to remember Esther whenever I wonder why I am where I am or why I'm doing what I'm doing, I strive to see the Lord's plan for me. I know as I look for that I am albe to accomplish the Lord's will for me and am able to help others in the process.

Girl Scouts, Cookies, & Mottos

In High School I was on an academic team. The big contest that we did every year was called Quiz Bowl. My senior year we were competing at the state level and one of my team-mates got a little buzzer happy so when a question came up that started by mentioning the Boy Scout Motto, he hit the buzzer excited to get an answer right. The problem was that he didn't wait for them to finish the question which went something like this...

The Boy-Scout's of America's Motto is Be Prepared, what is the motto of The Girl-Scouts of America?

My team-mate sputtered and said the first thing that came to his mind.

Sell good cookies!

Needless to say, that wasn't the correct answer and we lost a point. The actual motto of the Girl-Scouts is Always do your best. That has always stuck with me, mostly because the memory is really funny to me, but I like that motto for young girls.

In this new year I have decided to have a similar motto. It was inspired by the question that our mission president asked us to ponder on New Year's day.

If you were to have a personal interview with The Savior today, what would you need to change?

 I decided that my motto would be D.O.P.

Diligence

Obedience

Patience (with myself as much as with others.)

Basically I'm just going to try to do my best every day, and then not beat myself up and be depressed when I mess up. When imagining that personal interview I realized that the thing I forget too often is that the Savior's grace covers my wrongs. When I mess up (as we all do) rather than going into a haze of depression all I need to do is repent and try my best to do better. This year I want to be better at rejoicing in what my Savior has done for me rather than wallowing in what I haven't done for myself.

Be the Best of Whatever (Wherever) You Are

Be the Best of Whatever You Are

by Douglas Malloch

If you can't be a pine on the top of the hill,

Be a scrub in the valley — but be

The best little scrub by the side of the rill;

Be a bush if you can't be a tree.

If you can't be a bush be a bit of the grass,

And some highway happier make;

If you can't be a muskie then just be a bass —

But the liveliest bass in the lake!

We can't all be captains, we've got to be crew,

There's something for all of us here,

There's big work to do, and there's lesser to do,

And the task you must do is the near.

If you can't be a highway then just be a trail,

If you can't be the sun be a star;

It isn't by size that you win or you fail —

Be the best of whatever you are!

My MTC District with Brother Ganaway

This is a poem that one of my MTC* teachers, Brother Ganaway, shared with my class. It really struck me when I first heard it, but I was never able to really articulate why it hit me so hard. Today, I think I'm beginning to understand.

I have been serving in Gallatin for nearly seven months now. That is not exactly a traditional amount of time for a missionary to spend in one area, but I just got the news this morning that I will be leaving Gallatin to go... somewhere else (I haven't gotten that tidbit of information yet).

A Movie about missionary work.

So, I have been spending a lot of time reflecting on my time in Gallatin. I have grown to love this place nearly as much as my own hometown. That is not to say that I haven't had my hard times, my preconceived notions about missionary work were (more or less) shattered here. I had expected to be bouncing from place to place, delivering the gospel of Jesus Christ to some grateful recipients and to some not-so-grateful ones as well. It was here in Gallatin that missionary work became what it is to me. It has been some of the greatest and hardest work I have ever done in my life. It has not been the amazing and absurd work that I saw in movies growing up. The thing I have really learned is that it's not always about calling fire down from heaven, in my experience it has been being there for some of Heavenly Father's children who needed me for whatever reason. That is the truth that I have learned in Gallatin,  God's work doesn't have to be enormous and unbelievable for it to be God's work.

Some absurd missionaries.

So that is part of what I have started to understand about this poem, and why it is so important to me. It has shown me that God has a specific work for me to do, and it doesn't matter if it touches a million people or just one person, it matters that I am here and I am doing it.

*Missionary Training Center

A Witness

Joseph Smith was called as a prophet. The Book of Mormon is true. Jesus Christ is our Savior and He has shown us the "HOW" to be able to return to live with Him, our Heavenly Father, and our earthly family in Heaven someday. He has given that to us through ancient and modern prophets. I know that as we do those things that HE HAS ASKED us to DO, we will be blessed in our lives here and in the eternities.

I invite everyone who reads this blog to find out for yourself if what I (and so many others) claim is really true. I know that as you ask God in prayer, HE WILL ANSWER YOU.

I say these things as a disciple of Jesus Christ, called by a prophet of God to share with you what I know. I know that this message is true.

A Witness by President Henry B. Eyring