Hey guys! I'm really excited to officially open the YouTube channel for The Life of a Mormon Teen soon! Be watching!
So, this school year, I am going to a new school. And I am really scared. I've been scared about this for a long time, but no matter how unprepared I feel, school is going to start. Next week. So, I've been thinking about this, pondering the situation, mulling it over, playing billions of possible future scenarios in my head, and no matter what, I'm still scared. And, as I've been scared, in the back of my mind I've kept thinking "fear and faith cannot dwell together". I know I need to have faith, but at the same time I just want to wallow in my fear.
But I have made a decision. No longer will I give in to the fear that's plaguing me. Those feelings come from Satan, and I don't want him to rule my life. The adversary knows that I'm no good to the world when I live in fear, so he bombards me with it. But I am going to prove to myself and to the Lord that I am stronger than Satan. I will not be afraid, even though there are so many things for me to be afraid about. I desire to make a difference in this world, so I will.
I really like these words from Elder Neil L. Anderson:
"Fear and faith
cannot coexist in our hearts at the same time. In our days of
difficulty, we choose the road of faith. Jesus said, “Be not afraid,
only believe.”
I will have faith in Jesus that He will help me through this transition, and throughout the rest of my schooling and life. He knows and loves me, and He will take care of me. The Lord promises us in Doctrine and Covenants 88:84:
"And whoso receiveth you, there I will be
also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and
on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels
round about you, to bear you up."
I really love the Lord's promise that He will send angels to help us when we need help. I know this to be true. I have literally felt angels around me in my darkest times. I am so grateful for my wonderful Savior. And I am grateful that I don't need to fear. I love my Savior.
Hey everyone! As I was pondering as to what I should post about today, it occurred to me that I have a strong testimony about the Lord's standards on teenage dating, and that I wanted to share that with you so that if you haven't already made a firm decision about your future or present, you can now.
Recently, I was able to realize just how much I agree with and am blessed by the standards which the Lord sets about dating. I'm sure you've all heard the rules: Don't date before age 16, start with double dates and group dates, be very cautious about being in a relationship, etc. Many teenagers feel like these are restrictions. Others are dismayed by these guidelines, and as much as they want to be able to follow them willingly without any second thoughts, have a hard time doing so. Well, I'm going to share with you how you can follow these standards and actually enjoy doing so!
Here's why I am so glad and blessed to have the church's standards about dating:
Teenage years are emotional. Personally, I have so much to be emotional about already, what with everything that goes on, and all those hormones, I really don't need or want to add any extra heartbreak, jealousy, lust, or frustration to the mix, all of which are included with dating and having relationships.
Teens have a lot on their plates! Teenagers these days, especially LDS teens, have tons of stuff to do everyday! We have school, which in itself includes tests, studying, punctuality, homework, social expectations, and more. Then, we have extra-curricular stuff to do. Whether it be music, sports, student government, yearbook staff, or any clubs, most teens do at least one of these things, and many do even more! Then, lots of us have jobs. Younger teens may babysit or mow lawns, and older ones may work at a frozen yogurt shop, or something. All teenagers will eventually do driver's ed. And, most teenagers, whether they're LDS, or not, have lots of things to do for church. LDS teens have church on Sunday, Mutual, Seminary, Family Home Evening, Duty to God or Personal Progress, service activites, genealogy, temple trips, and more! Also, all teenagers should have a focus somewhere in their mind of trying to get into college eventually. Obviously, we have a lot of stuff to do! The more we have to do, the more sacrifices we have to make of things we can't do. So, if you add a relationship on top of everything, you may have to sacrifice something like getting good grades, Personal Progress, focusing on college, etc. Letting these things slip by will harm you.
Babies are great, but not so great for teens! If you're not careful when you're dating someone, you could end up being a parent long before you ever thought you would. And, while being a parent is a great thing, it's not what teenagers need to be doing at this point in our lives. Having a baby before you're married could: hinder or permanently stop you from getting a college degree, strain relationships with friends, family, and your boyfriend/girlfriend, rush marriage which could cause marital problems in the future, cause an unstable family or financial environment for your baby/ family. The best protection is abstinence, and it's easiest to stay pure when you are not in a serious relationship.
These are only some of the reasons why I feel blessed to have the guidelines and standards which the Lord gives us. I know that when I follow these guidelines, I will be blessed. I will be able to have a good time when I am dating, I will save myself from lots of heartbreak, I will be able to enjoy having children when I'm married, rather than worrying about it when I'm not married, I will be able to have a beautiful, successful marriage, I will be able to focus on the things which I need to do now which will make my future more successful, and so many more things. But, most of all, I know that when I follow the standards which my Father in Heaven gives me, He will be pleased with me and trust me with more things.
I have guest posted on some blogs, including My Soul Delighteth.
A few of my stories have been published in a book!
And of course, there was the time, not-so-long-ago, when I thought I was going to quit blogging, but thankfully I decided against it.
And through it all, I have met many amazing people who have brightened my life!
I've even had some missionary opportunities come from my blog!
To me, it's really amazing the influence I can have. I didn't really realize how much of a difference I can make in the world until this blog. It brings me such joy to be able to brighten people's day, let them know they're not alone in this world, and help them come towards Christ.
Here are some stats:
The Life of a Mormon Teen has been viewed 19,006 times in this year.
On average, about a hundred people read it everyday.
The website which brings the most people to my blog is SugarDoodle.net .
After the United States, people from Canada read my blog the most.
Then comes Russia, the UK, Australia, Germany, and Lithuania.
People from countries I'd never heard of even read my blog!
67% of people who read my blog use Windows.
I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to have this blog. It has blessed my life in so many ways. It's really incredible to be able to talk to you guys when you email me. I'm so grateful that the Lord has let me serve you in this capacity!
Year two of The Life of a Mormon Teen is going to be even better than year one, if you can believe that! I am excited for the growth which will occur for my blog, but also for me. It's so great to be able to post things for you. You are the reason I blog. I really hope you enjoy my blog!
Hey everybody! How's it going? I just got back from Girl's Camp, so I'm super tired, but I really want to share this video that one of our leaders showed us.
How one man gained his testimony of the Book of Mormon.
I just want to let you know that I have a testimony of the Book of Mormon. When I was twelve, I decided that I really wanted to know for myself if the Book of Mormon was true or not. I knew that my parents and teachers believed, but I was ready to know for myself. So, I read. And I prayed. I did that for a long time. But nothing came. I kept reading, and praying. Still, nothing came. I started to get discouraged, but still, I read and prayed. At that point, I didn't actually read the whole thing, the thought of doing so daunted me. Looking back, I realize that I was expecting to feel a burst of emotion, a fire in my bosom, and warm tears running down my face to know that the Book of Mormon was true, but that never happened. My testimony came slowly. I would read some, and I would feel peace. The next day I would read and pray some more. I would feel at home. The day after, I would read and pray again. I would forget my cares. After a while, I realized that all of these seemingly small feelings added up. I knew that the Book of Mormon was true. I didn't see a pillar of light, but the Holy Ghost did whisper the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon into my heart.
Fast forward a year. I had just finished reading the Book of Mormon, cover-to-cover, for the first time. I had just reached Moroni's Promise, in Moroni 10. I decided that since I had just read the Book of Mormon all the way through, I would pray to see if it was true. The previous experience I just told you about came to the back of my mind, but I paid no heed and went ahead and prayed to know if the Book of Mormon was true. Here's an excerpt from my journal of this experience:
"I just finished the Book of Mormon for the first time. I feel accomplished. I feel the Spirit. It is whispering peace to me, but really I just feel at home. I feel comfortable and at home. When I got to Moroni's Promise, I decided to pray about the Book of Mormon again, even though I'd done that before. And, [when I did] I didn't feel anything. I was afraid I'd done something wrong. So I kept reading. Then the words, "I already know" came to my mind. the Spirit was confirming my knowledge reminding me that I already knew. those words were accompanied by a very quiet sense of relief and truth. Then, exactly as I finished the last word of the Book of Mormon, I fel a gentle surge of confirmation. I felt at peace, happy, joyful, and at home. I know Heavenly Father is pleased with me."
I am so very very grateful for the Book of Mormon in my life. As I have continued to study it, the precious confirmation of it's truthfulness keeps coming back. I love the wonderful knowledge and promises which are contained in it's pages. I know that it confirms the truths that are in the Bible. I feel so blessed to be able to read out of this holy book.
Hey guys! I know I haven't blogged in a while, but I have something exciting to tell you. I just came back from the BEST week of my life! Yep! The best week EVER!!! I went to EFY last week, and it was incredible!
EFY is a one week camp sponsored by BYU for LDS teens which helps them learn more about the gospel, themselves, and helps them make AMAZING friends!!!! I had such a marvelous time.
At EFY I learned how to better make use of my scripture study. I also became much closer to my Savior, my heavenly Father, and the Holy Ghost. I was able to strengthen my faith in so many things like prayer, the Holy Ghost, Jesus Christ, Heavenly Father, the scriptures, love, and myself.
I also gained soooo many new friends. Over the week, we became extremely close. I now have about forty new best friends! It's great! I will never lose touch with them, for they mean too much to me.
My testimony has grown so incredibly much! EFY has changed my life forever! I am so so so grateful for the opportunity to go to EFY. I know Heavenly Father helped me get there. I know that I am so blessed to be able to have gone.
