Hope

I am thankful for the opportunity to learn more about hope in Jesus Christ this week in Mission Prep. Here are some of my favorite excerpts from our latter-day prophets about hope.

A testimony of the hope of redemption is something which cannot be measured or counted. Jesus Christ is the source of that hope.

Hope is one leg of a three-legged stool, together with faith and charity. These three stabilize our lives regardless of the rough or uneven surfaces we might encounter at the time. The scriptures are clear and certain about the importance of hope. The Apostle Paul taught that the scriptures were written to the end that we “might have hope.” ¹Hope has the power to fill our lives with happiness. ² Its absence—when this desire of our heart is delayed—can make “the heart sick.” ³Hope is a gift of the Spirit. ⁴ It is a hope that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the power of His Resurrection, we shall be raised unto life eternal and this because of our faith in the Savior. ⁵ This kind of hope is both a principle of promise as well as a commandment, ⁶ and, as with all commandments, we have the responsibility to make it an active part of our lives and overcome the temptation to lose hope. Hope in our Heavenly Father’s merciful plan of happiness leads to peace, ⁷ mercy, ⁸ rejoicing, ⁹ and gladness. ¹⁰ The hope of salvation is like a protective helmet; ¹¹ it is the foundation of our faith ¹² and an anchor to our souls. ¹³

--President Dieter F. Ucthdorf 

Faith in Christ

This week in Mission Prep I was challenged to develop my faith in Jesus Christ. This seemed like a pretty broad challenge, and now at the end of the week, I wish I had taken it more seriously. Regardless, over the last few days I have strived to pray out loud with more sincere intent to my Heavenly Father- in the name of Jesus Christ.

One of my church leaders recently told me there was a time in his life when he wasn't sure if his prayers were making it past the ceiling. This man is a spiritual giant and I look up to him immensely. It was oddly comforting to realize that if he has felt this way before, it's okay that I have felt this way before. I have said prayers all throughout my life, but it is a rare occasion when I pray aloud. I often gain comfort through prayer, but sometimes I don't know if it's because I believe that God is listening to me, or because it is just therapeutic to talk about my day and think about my missionaries and plan out what I would like to do better tomorrow in my head. Sometimes I feel foolish when I pray aloud...but this week, in striving to develop my faith in Jesus Christ, it has felt a little more natural. I have felt that God wants me to draw closer to Him. And because He wants me to, it makes me want to even more.

Because of my renewed faith in Jesus Christ, I have resolved to come unto Him in every way that I can. I am about to take a big step out of my comfort zone and come to Him in a way I never have before. I know that I need to repent of my sins, and I hope that my guilt will be swept away through his powerful Atonement. I don't think I have personally experienced the enabling power of the Atonement before. Even though it is hard and embarrassing to complete the process to get past my mortal weaknesses, I can't wait to feel the joy and freedom that is promised in the scriptures to those who repent and come unto Christ.

Developing this faith in Jesus Christ will help me become a more successful missionary, whether I'm in the field or in my home. I will be able to teach my children the joys of the Atonement through personal experience. I will be able to testify to them of the enabling power of the Atonement the way that Jakey did for me:

The Enabling power of the atonement is real. It motivates us it pushes us, and it can help us do anything that we need to do. I just wanted to share my testimony with you that Jesus Christ has made it all possible. He makes me who I am and all I have to do is let him change me. If you read in Jacob, it tells us not to try and counsel the Lord with who we think we should be, and if you then go to Isaiah 45:9 he shows us how we are clay and we need to let the master craftsman form us into the best thing that we can be. We don't know enough to mold ourselves in the person the Lord knows that we can be, we can't rely on our own knowledge, as we are taught in 2 Nephi 9:28-29. I know that when we hearken to the counsel of the Lord we will always come out better than if we try and rely on ourselves. 

I feel God's love for me each day through the angels He puts in my life and the blessed circumstances I find myself in. I want to return this love as best as I can. Bekah reminded me of many ways that I can show my love for Him in her Relief Society lesson last Sunday. She is one of my greatest examples of someone who loves the Lord and I'm so grateful for her close example in my life. I hope to develop my faith in Jesus Christ every day. Each new experience is an opportunity to come closer to Him, depending on the choices I make. When I let Him mold me into the person I have the potential to become, I'll be happy and He will be too.

Semester Numero Dos

It's so beyond weird to think that I have completed my first semester of college. Like, I'm totally done. I never have to think about American Heritage again. I am in the groove of things and think I've got it all going on. Who are we kidding, I definitely have got it going on.

Church. School. Work. Dates. Cooking. Textbooks of death. Sometimes it all feels very mundane and checklist-y, and sometimes it all feels like I am a college student have these amazing adventures and the best time of my life! Depends on the day, and how much homework I have. It hasn't exactly been everything I expected...BYU is hard. I really struggled with the homework load this last semester. How does one find a healthy balance between working really hard to do my best /slash/ having an acceptance of fate attitude. I don't know. But, regardless, I LOVE IT SO MUCH. BYU is the perfect place for me. Campus is beautiful and I have met so many lifelong friends. I've dated a lot, which has been so fun, though sometimes a little stressful. My ward is absolutely amazing. I love my bishopric so much, they love us so much, they are so involved in our lives, and it's been really cool to see our little student ward step up and take real callings and ward council and  minister and love and serve each other. I'm excited to get to know the new members of our ward...particularly that RM I saw moving in with a tennis racket.