Believe the Works!

This morning while doing my Come Follow Me studies I came across a scripture in John that I had never noticed before. The words of John 10:37-38 struck me powerfully:

            “If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in Him”

            I’m not sure why, but the phrase “believe the works” stood out quite powerfully to me. Chapters 7-10 of the Book of John are filled with examples of people questioning Christ’s true identity. Though there were some who believed and proclaimed “This is the Christ” many others continued questioning and doubting. The Pharisees continued to condemn Him and His works, branding Him a sinner, a blasphemer, and someone possessed by a devil. Yet at every turn, Christ points to His works. He invites all to “come and see” for themselves and to put His words to the test. John 7:17 says “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.” This invitation is similar to Alma’s invitation to experiment on the word, to put it to the test and try it for ourselves. The promise is that if we try it and we get the promised results, we can know that both the doctrine and those who taught it are of God.

            I love this invitation to “believe the works”. Christ does not ask us to have blind faith or trust. Though He does ask us to have faith and to trust in Him, He invites us to use both our minds and our hearts, to recognize the good and see the evidence for ourselves so that we can know of a surety that God lives and loves us and that Jesus Christ is our Savior. President Nelson also recently invited us to "Pray to have eyes to see God's hand in your life and in the world around you." If we are looking, we can find evidence of His hand in every detail of our lives. Though we may sometimes struggle to trust in His words and promises, as we remember the wonderful works He has done in us and for us, we can renew our faith and hope to continue onwards.

            These chapters also contain another story related to the works of Christ. In John 9, Christ heals a man who was born blind. Christ’s disciples asked Him who’s sin had caused this affliction: the man’s or his parents’? They believed that the man’s trials were a direct result of some mistake and this affliction was the price that he paid for that sin. How often are we like the disciples? How often do we look at others’ trials, or even our own, and assume that someone must have done something wrong? 

This is a common assumption and, occasionally, that may be the case. However, in this story, Christ teaches us a valuable lesson about many of our challenges in this life. In John 9:3, Christ responds, saying “Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be manifest in him.”

What an interesting perspective! The trials and challenges of this man provided the opportunity for Christ to manifest His divine power and calling. Because of his afflictions, the man received the opportunity to be healed by the Savior and gained great faith. When questioned by the Pharisees he proclaimed, “one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.” This man “believed the works” of Christ and later, upon being taught by the Savior, he proclaimed his belief that Jesus was the Christ and worshipped Him. 

This man’s story taught me about believing the works of Christ. This man did not know much about Christ. He had also suffered much in his life, he was born blind, was a beggar, and even after being healed was branded a sinner and cast out of the synagogue merely for stating what happened to him. Yet, this man could not deny the evidence. He could not deny the work that Christ had done in him. Though many presented claims against Christ, the man stood by what he knew, even if it wasn’t much, and “believed the works.”

As I look around me and examine my life, I am able to see so many examples of the Savior’s role in my life and His guiding influence. The works that He has done both for me and in me leave me filled with love and wonder at His greatness. Sometimes it can be hard to believe the promises of God. They can seem too wonderful, too fantastic, and may be true for someone else, but not for me. Yet as I examine the works of the Savior in my life, I cannot help but have faith and trust in Him. He is bringing about “a marvelous work and a wonder” in my life and I am humbled and grateful to be along for the ride. Though the road brings challenges and difficulties, they are opportunities for “the works of God to be made manifest" and for my faith to grow.

I join my testimony to those of the New Testament in proclaiming that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. He came to Earth to rescue and heal each and every one of us. He meets us where we are at, walks with us, and works miracles in our lives each and every day. Of this I am sure.

He Walks With Me

Hey guys! I'm blogging again!! It's been a while (a really long while) since I've written anything, but I had some thoughts that I was wanting to share.

So for the past few days I've been thinking a lot about the story from the New Testament where Jesus walks on water, and Peter does too -- at least for a little bit. It's a pretty interesting story to study, with lots of connections to make and things to learn-- not to mention that walking on water is just a really cool miracle. (Matthew 14:22-33 for anyone who wants to read it! Highly recommended!)Anyways, as I was reading over the story this morning I reflected a lot on Peter. I think a lot of time we give Peter a pretty hard time-- about everything. Especially in this story, we tend to focus most of our attention on his doubt and fear that caused him to sink. We've all heard the lesson about always keeping our eyes on Christ so that we don't sink, which is a great reminder. But sometimes we forget to appreciate how much faith he did have. Peter was a convert of about 3 years, remember, and yet, he had the faith to jump out of a boat in the middle of a crazy storm. As a fisherman, he would obviously be familiar with the water and the dangers it could hold. Anyone can tell you that when in a storm, you generally want to be inside of the boat, not jumping out of it. However, Peter's faith in Christ was so great that he did jump out of that boat, and started walking towards Jesus. He walked on water! That is amazing!

As I was reading and studying this story, something occurred to me that had never crossed my mind before:

How'd Peter get back to the boat?

It's a simple question, but one that the scriptures don't give us much detail about. Matthew tells us that as Peter began to sink, the Lord reached out and saved him. In the next verse it says that they reached the boat and Christ calms the storm. So I was left to wonder, what happened in between? Peter probably wasn't that close to boat, he had walked for a bit before sinking. And Christ had been a ways off, they hadn't recognized Him until He called out to them. And I think it's pretty safe to assume that Christ didn't just drag Peter by the hand through the water after saving him. So, Peter must have walked. On the water.

This small detail sent my mind spinning in so many different directions, and I loved it. Think about it! Just because Peter had doubted and sunk, didn't mean that he couldn't ever do it again -- he just needed a little bit of help. He needed the reassurance of Christ by his side. It is a comforting thought when applied to each of us. While we all need to remember to focus on Christ, unfortunately, there will come a moment when we start to sink, and we will need His help. And with His help, we can keep on walking, even though by all earthly reasoning we should be drowning.

As I further considered the story as a whole, I found myself relating it to the Plan of Salvation. At the beginning of the passage, Peter and the disciples are in the boat, a relatively safe place when compared to the rest of their surroundings. We too started out in a safe place. We lived with our Heavenly Father, in His presence. When given the option, we wanted to follow the Savior's plan. We knew it would be hard, there would be rain, and wind, and all sorts of stormy weather, but we looked to our Savior and we weren't afraid. So we jumped out of the boat.

And we started walking. And, as in inevitable, we all reach a moment when we doubt, when we are afraid. We start to sink. We cry out, begging for Him to save us. And the second we cry out, He's there to rescue us. His strong hand grasps our weak one and pulls us back up. He doesn't scold us nor does He condemn us for doubting -- He just gives a gentle reminder to have faith.

Then comes the best part: we walk back together. Though the storm continues, though we may falter and begin to sink again, all we have to do is keep hold of His hand. And we can make it back. We won't be able to do it on our own, the storm is too strong and we are too weak. Our faith, no matter how much we have, will always be lacking. But fortunately for us, Christ is our lifeguard, and "His grace is sufficient" to do what we can't do on our own.

So go on, call out. Ask for His help and He will be there!

Make the Jump!

I had a really cool experience that I thought I'd share:


I was sitting outside while on campus, attempting to study, when I looked up and saw a sweet interaction between a young boy, maybe 4 years old, and his dad. 

The little boy was having fun jumping off of a wall, into his dad's arms. I was amazed at the fearlessness of this little boy as he leaped off the 5ft wall and traveled easily 6ft forward in the air before being safely caught by his dad. This little boy knew without a doubt that his daddy would catch him and that he wouldn't let him fall. 

However, the next time the boy got up to take the leap, he stopped just before jumping and told his dad that it was too far and that he couldn't make it. His dad simply smiled and reassured the boy that he would catch him. Trusting in this, the boy jumped. He made the leap, without his dad having to move closer, though he had been hesitant just moments before. 

I thought about how similar this is to us as we go through this life. Sometimes, we are perfectly fine, we know we can make the jump and that we will be safe. However, at times the distance can seem too far and appears frightening. We say that we can't do it, and that we will never make it. But, our Heavenly Father knows exactly what we can do and He knows that we will be able to make it. He simply reassures us, and if we will look to Him, instead of focusing on the distance, that is all the encouragement we need. We have to trust that our Heavenly Father will always catch us, even if we can't quite make the full distance - He won't let us fall! If we take that leap of faith, trusting in our Father, we can accomplish more than we ever thought possible and become all that He knows we can be!!

Making Decisions: Asking IS Required!!

As some of you may or may not know, I have decided to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Shortly after my 19th birthday, I will be leaving for 18 months to serve wherever the Lord sends me. This decision was not made lightly or easily, in fact it has taken me a long time to come to this point, and I thought that I would share my story with you, so here goes:

Although it may be obvious, I was never one of the girls who knew without a shadow of a doubt that they were supposed to go on a mission and who had been planning on a mission for what seemed like forever. Though I had many friends who were like this, this wasn't me at all. However, I also wasn't one of the girls who was adamantly against a mission, and my story isn't one that starts with the words "I had never planned to go on a mission AT ALL, but now...."

Anyways, so I had never discounted the idea of going on a mission, but it wasn't a sure part of the plan, it just wasn't what I pictured happening in my life. But I left the door open, never dismissing the idea, just in case that was what the Lord had planned for me. So for the longest time, I was in the middle, not committed to a mission, but at the same time not against it at all. It's not that a mission wasn't considered, in fact it was something I considered a lot, and something that I pondered on, along with other general possibilities for my future. Probably every single night of my senior year that I knelt down to pray, my prayer would include the words "help me to know what thy plan is for me and what I should do with my life." Everyday I would ask this of my Heavenly Father, and everyday I would feel as if I wasn't getting a specific answer and that I still had no idea what I should be doing. As a person who likes having a plan and a person who knows that God has a plan for each of us, it actually became a source of anxiety for me, not knowing where I was supposed to go or what to do. So I just kept moving forward in the best possible way I knew.

Whenever anyone would ask me about my plans (which was often, it was senior year after all), and when they asked if my plans included a mission, my response every time was "Well, I'm not sure. I can't go for over a year anyways, so I'm going to college and then I'll figure it out." I was almost embarrassed to admit that I couldn't seem to get an answer to this seemingly basic question, especially when all of my friends around me seems to know exactly what they were doing for the next few years. All I could do was just keep on going, do what I hoped was the right thing.

Flash forward a few months. Here I am at BYU, a brand new freshman with no idea what my future held or what in the world I was doing. My supposedly perfect major was definitely not for me, and I had no idea what was. I was just going along, hoping that at some point, it would all click and I would know exactly what I was supposed to do. Then, an inspired bishop issues us a challenge that quite literally would change my life. Addressing the young women in my YSA ward, our bishop challenged us, through prayer and fasting, to find out what the Lord had in store for us, and in particular how that related to serving a mission. It didn't matter if our answer was to go on a mission, to stay at college, to not go on a mission, or whatever it was, we just needed to know.

After hearing this challenge, I resolved to finally decide if the Lord wanted me to serve a mission ofr not. Of course, as these things usually go, I went home and promptly forgot. A few weeks passed without me acting on this challenge, but as time went on, I found myself thinking more and more about finding out for myself. It also helped that several of my roommates had resolved to serve missions and it had become a common discussion heard in our apartment. Finally, I decided it was time for me to get my answer and that I was going to pray until I knew what to do.

As I knelt down to pray, preparing to recite my oft repeated words, "Help me to know what I should do with my life," something stopped me. Then I realized something. I had never asked!!!!! I had never knelt down and specifically asked about a mission! This came as a surprise, and I realized that this was, quite possibly, the cause of my apparent lack of answers. I wasn't asking the right question!

So that night I asked. I knelt down, and I asked if I was supposed to go on a mission in a clear, direct question. And the answer was yes! Actually it was more than a yes, it was almost as if the Spirt smacked me upside the head and was saying "well that took you long enough!" The power of that answer was more than enough to make up for a year of not knowing, especially when I realized that it was entirely my fault.

At this point, I planned to wait a few months before meeting with my bishop to start the application process, but that week as I sat in the temple, waiting to do baptisms of the dead, I was prompted to go and meet with my bishop. As soon as I left the temple, I set up a meeting with my bishop, and in that meeting, started my application to officially start me on my path towards a mission.

After I received my answer, I was about to look back with 20/20 hindsight on the past year of my life. I could see the Lord's hand in my life and how many clear signs their were that I was supposed to go on a mission. And I had missed every single one. But, I can also see that the Lord knew how stubborn and oblivious I would be, and set certain events in motion so that I would get to the point where I am.

In looking back, there were several clear signs that I should go. I started going to mission prep classes at the beginning of my senior year, mostly because I wanted to hear from Elder Holland (he gave a fireside that mission prep students got to go to). The first semester I barely attended, but the second semester, I resolved to go every week. I'm wasn't sure why, at that point I really could have just stopped going all together, but there was something about missionary work that my spirit was drawn to. In mission prep I would often find myself thinking things along the lines of, "wow, I really like teaching!" or, "It would be fun to teach real investigators!" and other little things like that, things that never really seemed like a big deal, but really were some subtle hints that I should go on a mission. My stake also put on a mini MTC, where we were paired up with full-time missionaries and lived a life in the day of a missionary. I really enjoyed it, and afterwards I even thought to myself, "I should go on a mission." I had that thought, clear as day, and it is apparent (now) that it did not come from me, but I allowed myself to rationalize myself out of it. I didn't tell anyone about this either, so the thought quickly left me and I forgot all about the experience. This was one of the not-so-subtle hints that the Lord gave me, though I obviously wasn't getting the message.

Luckily for me, the Lord doesn't give up that easily. Everything that has happened over the past year and a half has been leading me up to this point, and so many things have fallen into place (or fallen apart) that I know Heavenly Father was directing my path. A major factor from the very beginning were my friends. I had two best friends who I spent my entire senior year with, and both of them were very committed to going on missions (the first type of girl mentioned earlier). Being so close with them, the idea of a mission was quite frequently on my mind. They both are great examples to me of amazing missionaries who are committed to this gospel and they have helped me immensely along this journey.

Another important thing that I know the Lord was in charge of, was me attending Brigham Young University. BYU was not my first choice. Although I love BYU, I really wanted to attend Boston University. I was accepted into Boston, but ultimately did not get the scholarship I was hoping for, so I was unable to attend due to finances. BYU was my second choice, and it was not the end of the world to go the BYU, but I was pretty heartbroken that I wouldn't be able to go to Boston and do what I had really wanted. However, coming to BYU has been the absolute best thing for me. I love the environment here, and I have had so many opportunities that I know I needed, but that I wouldn't have gotten in Boston. I am able to go to the temple every week, and I am living and interacting with great people who share my same standards on a daily basis. I know that if I did not come to BYU I would not be planning on going on a mission right now.

Other things just lined up, such as my bishop issuing his challenge to us, and the assignment I received for my religion class, which made it so that I was more in tune with the Spirit than I had ever been before, right as I was making my decision. I also have consistently been drawn to missionary work (I'm one of those weird people who actually kinda likes role playing, just because I get to teach the gospel) and to teaching people about what I believe, which really has been preparing me for my mission for many years.

I have learned so many lessons from my journey to this point, and I imagine I will learn many more in the future. I have learned how important it is to ask the right questions, to listen for the many signs (both the subtle and not-so-subtle hints), and to tell someone or do something to act on the answer you receive before you forget!

I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for me. He is directing my life and guiding me to where I need to be, I just need to pay attention! I'm so grateful that He loves me enough not to give up on me, even when I am being stubborn or oblivious. I know that the Lord wants me on a mission and that there are people waiting for me to hear the message that I have to share with them. I am so excited for this journey that I am undertaking and I know that the Lord is right beside me, helping me along this path and shaping me into the person that He knows I can become.

I just want to end with a new favorite scripture of mine from the Book of Mormon:

"Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life." -3 Nephi 5:13

Only Pennies to Give

I recently read a story which had a profound impact on me and my faith. I wanted to share this story with you all, along with my thoughts and testimony.

Here is the story, as shared by Elder Tad R. Callister in his book, The Infinite Atonement:

"Stephen E. Robinson tells of his little daughter, who anxiously pled for a bicycle. He promised her that id she saved all her pennies, she could one day have one. Motivated by her father;s promise, she anxiously engaged in chores around the house, carefully saving every penny she earned. One day she returned to him with a far fill of pennies, anxious to now but her bicycle. Good to his word, Brother Robinson took his elated daughter to the store where she soon found the perfect bike. Then came the moment of truth-- the price tag was more than one hundred dollars. Despondent, she counted her sixty-one pennies. She quickly realized that at this rate she would never have enough to buy her dream. Then Brother Robinson lovingly came to the rescue. 'I'll tell you what, dear. Let's try a different arrangement. You give me everything you've got, the whole sixty-onecents, and a hug and a kiss, and this bike is yours." The bicycle was certainly not totally earned by the young girl, but nonetheless, it was gladly given by a father who recognized she had given her all."

As I reflected on this story, my heart was touched. This little girl had given her all, she had saved every last cent, and put every effort into reaching her dream, but it was still, quite obviously, not enough. This story is clearly a parable for the Atonement and the love and gift that Jesus Christ extends to each one of us. 

No matter how hard we try, how much we have done, and how much effort we expend, we will always fall painfully short. What we have to offer is only mere pennies in comparison with the priceless gift that Jesus Christ gives to us. In the end, our offerings cannot, and will not, ever be enough to cover the cost of what Christ has paid for us.

But, make no mistake, it still requires all that we can give. We cannot expect Christ to help us, if we only give 15 pennies, when we could have given 60. In the Book of Mormon, Omni 1:26 says, "And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved."

We must offer everything that we have! This reminds me of the example given in the New Testament, of the widow's mite. In this story, a poor widow comes to the treasury, where many of the rich are donating many riches and lots of money, and this widow contributes two mites, a seemingly negligible amount in comparison with the money these others are giving. Yet Christ says, "This poor widow hath cast more in, than all hey which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living."

In giving all that she hath, this widow may not have donated more monetarily, but she has sacrificed the greater part, because it was all that she had. The same is with us. We must sacrifice and offer all that we have to Christ to receive His gift. 

In the Book of Mormon, the king of the Lamanites is converted by Aaron's teachings and prays for forgiveness. In his prayer, he tells the Lord "I will give away all my sins to know thee."

The price that Christ requires from us may seem small in comparison to the infinite blessings His Atonement offers is, and that conclusion would be correct. However, though our offering may be small, it still requires that we give our all. 

And it is so worth it!!!

We may be broken, fragmented, lost, and weak, but when we offer our souls unto Him, He will make us so much more that we ever imagined! He doesn't just pay the debt, He goes above and beyond, taking us higher than we could have ever gone on our own!!!

It doesn't matter who far gone we think we are! We are never out of His reach, never can we reach the limits of His grace! The Mormon Tabernacle Choir illustrates this perfectly in their new music video for Christmas. (Watch it here) They depict a man in prison, being released and reunited with his family. It is evident that this man has come to know Christ and has partaken of the redeeming power of His Atonement. It shows that no one, no matter who they are, is beyond His power and love. He descended below it all, because of the infinite and perfect love that He has for each and every one.

As we enter into the Christmas season, a question we are often asked to ponder is what gift we will give to Christ this year. We are encouraged to think of something that we can improve upon in our lives to demonstrate our love for and commitment to Christ. Although our offering may seem small, it is in the nature of our heart that our devotion to Him is evident. My challenge to you this Christmas season is to ask yourself: What will I give, how will I show Him my loyalty and love?

For me, I will forever be grateful for the priceless and infinite gift that my Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ has offered me. I know I can never repay that debt, yet I also know that I will do all that I can to show my love, gratitude and devotion to Him. So I will give Him my heart, I will give Him my will, and although I have only pennies to give, I will give Him my all.

Remember The Journey: Trek 2015

This last few days I had the amazing opportunity to go on a pioneer trek. This is a church sponsored activity for 14-18 year olds which involves dressing up in pioneer-style clothing, going to the mountains, and pulling a handcart for 4 days, all while eating only pioneer food and only having one 5-gallon bucket of personal belongings.

Our First Hike

Now you may be thinking that this sounds completely awful and why would anyone in their right mind ever even consider this, but it was honestly the best experience I have ever had in my life. I learned soooooooooooo much and felt the Spirit so strongly. 

Just a warning this post might get a little long, but that is because I have so much to share! I probably won’t even begin to convey everything that I experienced because there is just so much and it is so hard to describe how amazing it is! I figure I’ll just share a few of my experiences and the things that I learned.

The first thing I learned: We can do hard things! The first night that we were on the trek, we had a hike lasting over 6-hours, and going late into the night. While most families had an even mix of guys and girls, and most had over 12 kids, our family had only 10 kids, 4 of which were guys. And, to add to that, one of our brothers was on crutches. We set out on this hike, slogging through the mud that the rain had so graciously brought us. After a few minutes, the nurses stopped by our family to ask our brother on crutches if he wanted to go back with them. They had a few other injured kids that were going back because the hike was going to be long and hard. However, we told the nurses that if things go hard we would just pull him in our handcart.

Just a little while later, our brother got in the handcart, where he stayed for the majority of the hike. At first, it seemed easy because he was only a little extra weight and we were tough. As the night wore on, however, it got harder and harder to keep pulling, to keep taking that next step. It became easy to wish that we weren’t pulling him, but how else would he get there? He definitely couldn’t walk that far back on crutches. After we turned back around to go back to camp, but with still several hours of hiking left, I did not want to get back up. I was so done with hiking and that handcart was heavy before we put him in it! However, there was no one else to pull the cart and it had to be done. Although we were all exhausted, hungry, and covered in mud, my family traveled back. As, we neared the end, we only had a few more hills left before we were at camp. By this point my muscles are screaming, my body was about to give out, and I am 99% sure that I can’t go on. But somehow, I’m not exactly sure how, we were able to not only finish the hike, but come in smiling and singing.

My awesome family!

The hike was probably one of the hardest things of my life. Near the end, I was sure that every step I took was going to be my last, before I collapsed from exhaustion. However, we finished and proved to me that I can do hard things. But it also proved to me that WE can do hard things. That may not seem like a big distinction, but it is. I could not have finished that hike without my family. We encouraged each other, and the songs, jokes, and stories made the time go by much faster. I know that on our own we couldn’t have made it, which leads into the next lesson I learned.

At one of our devotionals, as a family we talked about “no empty seats,” meaning that no one gets left behind, and that there are no empty seats in heaven. When we talked about this, I thought of our family pulling our brother in the handcart for 6 hours. We didn’t even hesitate to volunteer to pull him. There was no way that we would finish without our family. It reminded me of the quote from Lilo & Stitch, “Ohana means family. Family means no one gets left behind, or forgotten.” Pulling our brother in a handcart, in addition to the rough terrain and difficult hike, was definitely one of the hardest things I’ve ever experienced, but we did it together. we couldn’t have made it without each other and we never left each other alone.

I was reflecting on this, and I thought of how much this parallels life. Sometimes we stumble and we are hurt, but there are always other to carry us. Getting to heaven is not a competition, its a team effort. So, we rally around those that need our help, and we pull them along with us until they can walk on their own again. But we are also all being pulled by the Savior. He is always there, never tiring, never complaining, just waiting with open arms to take our burdens and pull us to heaven. I know that my finishing that hike is due not only to my amazing trek family, but also to my Savior. I could not have completed that without His and Heavenly Father’s help. They strengthened me and helped me to be able to finish. They will never desert us and they will never give us ANYTHING that we cannot handle.

This hike was sooo long!

The next lesson I learned was about attitude. We were studying the scriptures in Ether 6. In these verses, the Brother of Jared and his family were traveling to the Americas in barges, which were essentially little boats that went wherever the waves carried them. The Lord sends storms and waves to push them towards the promised land, but it isn’t a pleasant picture. They are being tossed around by storms, and many times they are buried under the water for long periods of time. Yet, in verse 9 it says, “And they did sing praises unto the Lord; yea, the brother of Jared did sing praises unto the Lord, and he did thank and praise the Lord all the day long; and when the night came, they did not case to praise the Lord.” This verse struck me. How easy it would have been for them to complain. They are trapped inside boats, being thrown around by the sea, and I’m sure it probably wasn’t the most comfortable of situations. Yet, they are always praising the Lord! Their faith and trust in the Lord was stronger than their fears, so they turned to Him. Their attitude in the face of all of these trials cause me to reflect on my own attitude.

Before this, I had thought that I had a great attitude because I wanted to be there. I wasn’t one of the ones who had to be dragged kicking and screaming to trek by my parents. I actually wanted to be there, so I thought I was good. But as I reflected more and more, I realized there and been times where things weren’t going the way they were supposed to and I was murmuring about it. Between the rain, the mud, and the not knowing about any sort of plan, I thought I had a lot to complain about. However, I realized that when I was on the hike, the times when I had been grumbling to myself about various things, were the times when it was hardest. When I was singing with my family, or laughing with them, the hike was so much simpler, just by my attitude. Everything was easier when I had a smile on my face and a good spirit in my heart. Once I realized this, I decided that I was going to try to have the best attitude I could, and to try and keep my family’s spirits up. Doing this made the trek so much more enjoyable and I was able to focus on other things and learn more than I would have if I was complaining. Marjorie Pay Hinckley said, “You can laugh or you can cry, but crying gives me a headache.” We can’t always control our circumstances, in fact it is rare occasion when we can, but we can always control our reactions and our attitude and a smile makes everything easier.

The Mud

On the trek I also saw an amazing example of the greatness of this Church. On Thursday it rained hard for several hours. Many peoples shelters were flooded and the roads were becoming very dangerous. The leaders decided that we needed to get down off of the mountain. One of the leaders had a farm about and hour away, where we could stay in their barns. The only problem was getting the 600+ kids and adults there. The leaders made a call to the stake president of the area, and within the hour rescuers were streaming into the camp. People dropped everything to come and rescue us. There were dozens of cars, lined up as far back as we could see, all coming to bring us to safety. Some were even on their second or third trip! We talked about how this paralleled the rescue of the Martin and Willie Handcart Companies. When the call came from a prophet, people responded. The same was with us. The call came from a stake president, and droves of people responded, willing to help in any way they could.

We can do the same. The prophets and apostles have asked us to reach out, to rescue those who have lost their way. We might not be called on to go save a struggling group of saints, freezing on their way to Utah, but we are called in other ways. We are called to reach out, to welcome, to minister, to be a friend, to fellowship, to invite, to comfort, to be like Christ. how are we responding to this call? Are we like the saints from Salt Lake, or from Cortez, who dropped whatever they were doing to follow their leaders call and to rescue those in need?

On the last day of the trek, during our solo time, I was reflecting on the experience as a whole. I thought of all of the complications and changes the we had to accommodate the weather and the conditions. If our original plan was Plan A, then by the time we were done, I'm sure we were on Plan X at least. Nothing whatsoever had gone according to plan, but I was still able to have a good experience and the variations from the original plan was where I learned the most. 

My family pulling

Just like in life, our plan for ourselves rarely works how we want it. There is always something that throws a wrench in these plans and then we have two choices: we can stubbornly stick to the plan, refusing to accept anything else, or we can readjust and take a look at what God wants for us. On trek, we had a plan. A scheduled route that would lead to the “best” trek experience. Then came the rain. Now, we could have stubbornly stuck to the plan, continuing on the same path, pressing forward despite everything. This would have been dangerous, difficult, and probably would have cause way more problems. Instead, our leaders began to come up with alternate options, looking for ways to keep us safe, but still have a great experience. They adjusted the plan, trying to do what Heavenly Father wanted for us. Fortunately, (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it) Heavenly Father knew that there were those who need a different experience, who needed Plan X instead of Plan A. He also knows what plan we need, and while it may not always be the way we think it should be, He knows best and He knows what will get us to where we need to go. All we have to do is trust that He knows what He is doing and have faith in His plan and His timing.

Probably the best thing about trek was my family. It is crazy to think that after only knowing them 2 1/2 days, I feel so close to them and I love them so much. The experiences, trials, and the Spirit brought us so close together that I know I have made lasting friendships. This trek showed me how important family is, as I wouldn’t have finished without them. Similarly, we will not be able to finish this life without the support of our families and others around us. Remember its a team effort, not an individual event.

One of my brothers, my Pa and Ma, and me!

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is true. I know that our pioneer ancestors would not have endured what they did if they did not have an absolute conviction in the truthfulness of this gospel. Trek has taught me so much and strengthened my testimony immensely. It may not have been the trek that I originally wanted/expected, but it was definitely the trek that I needed and I will forever treasure this experience. 

Who Do I Want to Be?

This past weekend, as I was recovering from the removal of my wisdom teeth, I spent a large portion of my time in front of the television, as might be expected. Now, I particularly enjoy watching spy, secret agent, and crime television shows. As I was watching these types of shows this weekend, I noticed something. In almost every single show, the characters all seem to lead multiple lives. There are lies, secrets, double lives, etc. and the main characters are constantly having to essentially change who they are, based on where they are and who they are with.

As I reflected on this, I came to realize that this is what often happens in reality as well. Although most of us are probably not leaving double lives as secret agents, we do tend to compartmentalize ourselves based on where we are and who we are with. We end up with our home lives, our work lives, our school lives, our social lives, and our church lives. Now it seems obvious that we should be the same person everywhere, as we still have our personalities and we are who we are, but I think that this is not often the case.

I ask myself: Who am I? and hundreds of different words pop into my head. Student, athlete, musician, employee, graduate, sister, daughter, friend, best friend, acquaintance, member, leader, teacher, granddaughter, and the list could go on. The one thing that I found in common with all of these roles, is that they depend on where I am at and who I am with and I found myself asking: is there anything in me that is constant? Anything that permeates throughout my entire life, no matter where I am at?

I decided that this depends on me. This depends on who I want to be and who I want to be known as. President Thomas S Monson, head of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, has said, "Be the same person you are in the dark as you are in the light." This quote is all about choice. It is about us choosing who we want to be and what we want others to see in us. So I ask myself, who do I want to be?

For me, this question is simple. I want people to see that I know I am a daughter of a loving Heavenly Father. I want them to see that I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and that I know for a surety it is true. I want others to see my faith in the way that I live and the way that I act, regardless of where I am and who I am with.

So I have made my choice, to let my faith permeate through all of the many roles that I have to fill, to let it be a part of me regardless of the situation. I have chosen who I want to be.