Studying El Libro de Mormon

Something you may or may not know about me is that I have a small obsession with Spanish and Latino things. (Okay, not really. It's a big one!) I love learning the language, I love learning about the culture, the music, the food, ohhhh the food! I even enjoy telenovelas. (Those are kind of like soap operas. It's kind of hard to find appropriate ones... but I've found a few!) Anyway, the point is, I love Spanish. I have a goal to become fluent in the language by the time I graduate high school. So, a week-ish ago I was wondering what other things I could do to help me get better at the language besides the things I am already doing. So I tried to think about how I learned English, and then it hit me! Reading the Book of Mormon!

Therefore, this past Sunday, I pulled up the Spanish BOM on my phone, and I began reading right where I had left off the night before, but this time in Spanish. I would read half of a verse in Spanish, then read the same thing in English. Then I'd finish the verse in Spanish, and finish it in English. Some of the verses I could understand completely without referencing the English text, while others were more difficult. 

Studying my scriptures this way has been delighting me! I noticed a difference in my Spanish comprehension and expanse of vocab literally the next day! Not only has my Spanish been improving, but this has proven to be a very in-depth method of reading my scriptures. Because I spend so much time on each word and phrase, sometimes reading them three or four times, I really have time to ponder the meaning and imagine the goings-on in my head.

My testimony of the power of the Book of Mormon is growing with this new way I'm studying it. Not only do I feel the Spirit when I read it, and recognize it's truth, but I can see how God uses it to bless us in such a variety of ways. It is the truest book on earth. We become closer to God through the Book of Mormon than with any other book on earth. As such, the Lord is blessing me with increased knowledge of Spanish for using the Book of Mormon to study Spanish. It's hard to describe just how it works. It reminds me of how studying the Book of Mormon right before studying for school helps you study more effectively and remember the things you study. Heavenly Father loves to bless us! Especially with knowledge, because knowledge is light, and God loves light.

I just love the Book of Mormon! Y, me encanta El Libro de Mormon.

Create the Moment

Hello again! Recognize me? Maybe not, because I haven't posted in about a month. Oops. Sorry about that. Instead of boring you with my excuses about being busy, I'll just get to my post. :D

Sometimes we pray for missionary opportunities. That is good. No, that is great. It's golden. The Lord blesses us with opportunities to share the gospel when we pray in faith to receive them, with a plan of action to act upon those moments when they arise. But do you know what else we can do? Instead of waiting for missionary opportunities to knock at our door, we can create them! Woah! Crazy, right? As obvious as that sounds, it didn't even occur to me until several weeks ago.

The missionaries came over to our house and taught a fabulous lesson. Afterwards they asked me if I wanted a pamphlet about the restoration to give to one of my friends. I accepted, and thought that I'd put it in my backpack for when someone I met asked about the church. Then, the name of a girl at my school came into my mind. Let's call her Jenny. Jenny and I didn't talk often, but she had expressed interest in the church in the past. When her name came into my mind, I realized it was a prompting to give her the pamphlet. So I texted her to ask if I could meet her before school because I had something I wanted to give her. We met the next morning and she graciously accepted the pamphlet and agreed to come to church with me in the future. A week later she told me that she had read the pamphlet and found it very informative.

This was cool for me to realize that I could be in charge of sharing the gospel more in my life. I learned that I didn't have to wait and could be even more proactive about sharing the gospel with those around me. I encourage all of you to try to create a missionary moment this week. It doesn't have to be forced, awkward, or weird. Pray for inspiration. Just see what happens! You'll love it!

My Brave Act

I did something pretty cool today. I'm proud of myself, because I stepped out of my comfort zone a little.

There's a girl who sits in front of me on the bus. She sits by herself and keeps to herself. She's silent. Today I decided that I would talk to her. I didn't want her to feel lonely or awkward sitting there. I asked her her name, found out she's a freshman, asked her how she's liking high school, what she likes to do, etc. This girl (let's call her Cynthia) gave short, shy answers, but we soon had a conversation going. After a while, the conversation died and we turned away from each other.

So I sat there, just thinking about the things a Whitney ponders, when I felt like she would love the Book of Mormon. I realized I had one in my backpack that I could give to her. But, I had just met her. I had no idea what her religious background was, what her parents would think, what she would think. I kept turning the idea over in my mind. I couldn't decide if this was a prompting from the Holy Ghost to give her a Book of Mormon, or if it was my crazy love of missionary work taking over my brain. I decided to pray about it and ask if I should give her the book. I searched my soul. I'm pretty sure the Holy Ghost was ever-so-gently prodding me to give it to her, but I wasn't positive. Then, I remembered something which an EFY counselor had told me, "Even if you aren't sure if something you feel is a prompting or not, if it's a good thing, act on it. Everything good comes from God". So, I grabbed the Book of Mormon from my backpack and started a conversation which went something like this:

Me: Hey, have you ever heard of a book called the Book of Mormon?

Cynthia: No. Is it cool?

Me: Yes. It's very cool. It's the coolest book in the world.

Cynthia: Oh yeah? What's it about?

Me: It's the religious text of the LDS, or Mormon, church. Mormons read this along with the Bible. They're Christians.

Cynthia: Oh. That's cool.

Me: Yeah, it is. I'm actually Mormon. (Pulling out BOM) Here's the book. I just felt like I needed to give it to you. I don't know why. I just felt like I should.

Cynthia: (Receiving book) Oh. Don't you need this?

Me: Oh, I have one!

Cynthia: Well, thank you.

Me: You're welcome. It talks about Jesus Christ, just like the Bible does.

Cynthia: Thank you.

Me: Yeah, no problem. I just felt like I needed to give it to you. Hey, here's my stop. Let's hang out sometime, okay?

Cynthia: Sure!

So that was that. I have no idea what will come of this, if anything. I hope she has questions, though. I hope she's curious about it, read it, and finds mormon.org. I hope she'll ask me her questions. But who knows? Maybe I only planted a seed. And that's okay. That's beautiful, too. Seeds grow into beautiful, useful things. One thing is for sure, though. Heavenly Father knows He can count on me more. I hope to have more opportunities like this. I feel so very blessed.

Learn to Love it

Life is hard. Very hard. Good thing we have a loving Heavenly Father always watching over us! I've felt Him especially watching over me lately.

I had a really rough time last night. You know, the ones where you cry really hard, use up way too much kleenex, and end up with a headache. Not fun. I was upset about typical teenage problems. Friends, how my peers view me, school, etc.  (The joys of being a teen, right?) I prayed about it and talked to my parents about it. Then I got a blessing of comfort from my dad. But in the back of my mind the whole time I had the feeling that I needed to read the Book of Mormon. I hadn't had my daily scripture study yet. Usually I read the scriptures on my ipod (since my scriptures are at seminary), but I don't really like to read them from my ipod because they're difficult to mark that way. I decided I really wanted to dive into the scriptures. So after my blessing, I ran and grabbed a new Book of Mormon off the shelf and a dozen colored pens and highlighters. I read three chapters, and just went to town highlighting and underlining meaningful phrases and verses, and writing in the margins. I decided that this would be my copy of the Book of Mormon for seriously marking up. The chapters I read yesterday were the most meaningful I've read in a long time. Not only did I get more out of them because I was actively studying, but Heavenly Father knew exactly what I needed to read to help me feel better and led me to those chapters.
After reading those amazing chapters, and truly feeling Heavenly Father speak to me through the scriptures, I felt so much better. Love, peace, and a feeling of home surrounded me. God answered my prayers through the scriptures. The concerns and questions I had were answered in the verses I read. How wonderful it is when that happens.
And it can happen everyday when we make our scripture study active. I'm guilty of passive scripture study sometimes. Life is busy, but we can't let that get in the way of our conduit of power, for that's what the scriptures are.
Instead of viewing scripture study as long, or boring, we can learn to love it. Learn to love the Book of Mormon. Learn to love it. Begin to look forward to your scripture study. Read with clear questions to be answered in mind. Learn to love it. The scriptures, and the Book of Mormon, will bring so many blessings into our lives. The more we invest in them, the more we'll get out of them. They are our truest source of power.

Why I Love The Book of Mormon

I know that the Book of Mormon is a true book. It holds the fulness of Christ's gospel. God uses it in tandem with the Bible to guide us and help us learn. The Book of Mormon has blessed my life in so many ways.  I know it is true because God testified to me of it's validity through the Holy Spirit when I prayed to know of its truthfulness. I know The Book of Mormon is true from the feeling of warmth, contentment, love, belonging, and peace I felt after asking, which feeling can't be obtained any other way. I know it's true from the peace and overwhelming sense of rightfulness I feel each time I read it. The Book of Mormon is an invaluable guide which helps me through the rough patches of life.  I find answers to life's questions, and comfort in my spans of grief in those pages. I know that God gave us the Book of Mormon as one of His ways of communicating with us, His children. It's a precious gift that I treasure.

They Will Hear the Gospel

Lately I feel like the focus around me has been missionary work. My leaders and teachers have been stressing this very important part of gospel living a lot recently. And, my dad was just called as ward mission leader, so it's brought up often. The missionaries come over a lot and it's great.
Today in young women's, our class had a lesson about the restoration and my teacher focused on how we can talk to our friends about the restoration and making sure we knew why it was so important and how a solid knowledge of the restoration can affect missionary moments. Being a member missionary is a huge part of my life. I absolutely love sharing the gospel with my friends. It brings me so much joy and happiness and complete bliss- I want my friends to have that as well. But, sitting in class today, I began to be very frustrated. I felt so sad because people outside of the church don't really realize what they don't have. They don't understand the joy, comfort, and blessings they aren't receiving.  It fills my soul with complete despair that these people- my brothers and sisters- don't have this in their lives right now and that they don't know what they are missing.
But then, whenever I begin to feel this way, the Lord comforts me. He lets me know that He loves His children and will provide for them in His own time. I had one such experience recently:

Our seminary teacher challenged us to ask our friends if they had any questions for us about the church. We were to record their questions and bring them to seminary so that we could learn to better answer them. I asked one friend in particular if she could ask me some questions. This friend is one of the people I love most dearly. She very religious herself, and has shown interest in understanding our religion. She thinks deeply and always has lots of questions about life. After being asked she told me that she'd give me a list of questions the next day.
And questions she gave me! I was expecting a few one or two-sentence questions. Instead, each of her questions were at least half a (typed) page long. She had obviously done her research because she quoted LDS scriptures such as the Doctrine and Covenants, and other books which contain words of the prophets. Using her doctrines, she used logic to try to prove why our religion must be incorrect.
I read through the questions, and with each sentence I read I became more and more sad. The Spirit instantly left me and it seemed as though each word I read slapped me in the face. I was so saddened by her words.
Later that night, however, she texted me. She told me that she didn't mean to offend me and how much she loved me. She bore her testimony of the truth she knows by saying that she was just looking out for me because eternity is a long time and Jesus is coming soon. It was at that moment that the Spirit whispered to me that she will eventually hear and accept the gospel. I felt the warmth of the Holy Ghost confirm his words. It was beautiful to me that I could receive confirmation that a friend I love so dearly will be able to obtain the joy I so cherish.

Some Random Thoughts and Stories...

Good Friday to you all. Someone posted the words which are on the picture below as a facebook status, and I thought they were so great that I had to make a meme. I hope you like it!

This week has been pretty awesome. Our high school is putting on the show "Guys and Dolls". I went and saw it yesterday. It was phenomenal!  I had lots of friends who were in it, so it was tons of fun.

These next two weeks are fall break for me. I may or may not write any posts. But, I'm super excited for the much needed break!

Ohh, guess what? I gave away a Book of Mormon today. I think this will make either the second or third one this school year. I gave it to a friend in orchestra who always teases me about being Mormon. When I gave it to him, he looked through the index and said "Where does it say you can't drink coffee? Why do you have a dictionary in your book?" He was teasing me, but I also gave him a mini copy of the For Strength of Youth. Even if he doesn't read these anytime soon, he may eventually read them.

Here is the link to his extremely awesome conference talk from last week!

Hope everyone has a stupendous weekend full of donuts, sleeping, and watching Phineas and Ferb. Wouldn't that be a wonderful weekend? :D Anyway, even if your weekend isn't like that, I hope it's wonderful!

Two Testimonies of the Book of Mormon

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.

 

The Influence of the Holy Ghost

Usually I have a general topic in mind and some sort of plan for what I'll convey, if vague. But today, I'm wingin' it. I know that the Spirit will guide my words.


The Spirit. Yes. That is what I'll talk about.

The Holy Ghost has several names: The Spirit, Holy Spirit, Holy Ghost, Comforter, just to name a few.

Who is the Holy Ghost?
The Holy Ghost is the third member of the Godhead. He is a personage of spirit, without a body of flesh and bones. He is often referred to as the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of the Lord, or the Comforter.   -Holy Ghost, Study By Topic

What does He do?
The Spirit has many roles. He comforts us when we are weary. He answers our prayers. He testifies of truth when it is taught. It is through his witness that we can obtain a testimony of God the Father and Jesus Christ. He also can guide us. When we are about to make a decision, the Spirit can help us to feel which way is right. This can be a matter of choosing whether you will obey your parents, which class you should take with your two leftover credits, which college to go to, or any decision. The Holy Ghost can also protect us. He does this by warning us when we are about to make a wrong choice or if we are in danger.

How do I know if I am feeling/ have felt the Holy Ghost?
This is difficult to answer. Everybody feels the Spirit a bit differently. Most people describe hearing a "still small voice" or feeling a warmth. Some people cry when they are feeling the Spirit very strongly; they cry in a good, happy way. Sometimes you will feel at peace. Sometimes you will feel elated and jubilant. Other times you will just feel still and calm.
Often, it takes a lot of practice to figure out when your feeling the Spirit verses over-analyzing your own thoughts. Sometimes it's very obvious, sometimes it's not. You can strengthen your ability to realize the promptings and feelings of the Holy Ghost by praying for help and putting yourself in situations that are conducive to the Spirit.  Ponder the scriptures after you read them. Sit in a few moments of silence after praying so you can feel God answering your prayers through the  Spirit.

How can I feel the Spirit more in my life?
Start off by reading your scriptures, particularly the Book of Mormon, daily. Pray daily with real intent and a sincere heart. Do not place yourself in places or situations where wickedness and crudeness abound. Participate in wholesome activities. Keep the commandments. Take the sacrament and keep your covenants.

I know that the Holy Ghost is real. He most definitely is! I have felt his wonderful, powerful influence in my life. Many nights I have almost cried myself to sleep, but then I have been filled with stillness, peace, and joy by the Holy Ghost. He loves us, just like Heavenly Father loves us and Jesus loves us.

Knowledge of What's Right

Hey Everybody! I am pleased to inform you that you are about to read the FIRST EVER GUEST POST on The Life of a Mormon Teen. Yep, that's right. You officially are about to be a pioneer of guest post-dom on this blog. Don't you feel special? ;) I would like to thank Becca of My Soul Delighteth for this fabulous post! It's awesome and every one of you should read it because of it's sheer awesomeness! Becca did a marvelous job ob this post! So, here it is! Enjoy!

My dad, who taught me that I am the Daughter of a King, with my mom

When Whitney asked me to write a guest post for her blog, I was delighted, but at the same time, a little nervous. I have never associated well with teens (even when I was one!) and so I am not sure really how to approach them. So I am writing this post with a lot of humility and a prayer in my heart that I will be able to say the right things.
Whitney asked me to write about what I wish I had known when I was a teenager.
I wish I had known that I already knew what was right.
Teens get a lot of flack these days from the media, from their parents, from society in general – you are confused, trying to find yourself, stubborn, disrespectful, disorganized, lazy.

Sisters - and daughters of God

There is a whole list full of negative things to say about teenagers. Society’s expectations of teenagers are pretty low.
But you know what is right. I am sure that most of you teenagers already know, deep inside, what is right, what is true, and what is good. That’s because Heavenly Father planted a seed of divinity in you. You chose what is right in the pre-existence, and all of you have the light of Christ within you – and if you have received the gift of the Holy Ghost, and you are worthy, then you have him as your constant companion.
As adults, I think we are afraid to trust your ability to follow the prompting of the Holy Ghost. And it’s probably because we made a lot of mistakes when we were learning how to follow the Holy Ghost and we’re afraid you will make the same mistakes.
So I am telling you now – I trust you. Heavenly Father trusts you. He knows that you know what is right, and that you are courageous enough to do it.

One of my many amazing YW leaders

Growing up, I was blessed to have great parents, leaders, and teachers who truly recognized my divine nature, and verbally acknowledged that divinity daily.

My amazing mother who showed me that God loves me

They trusted me to make my own decisions based on the promptings of the Spirit, and they told me that they knew that I could. Not every teen is blessed with those great parents and leaders, and so if you aren’t – if you are surrounded by adults who don’t recognize your divine nature or belittle you or doubt you, I want you to know that Heavenly Father is loves you and recognizes your divinity. He trusts you. He believes in you.
You will feel Heavenly Father’s love for you as you pray and as you read the Book of Mormon. Read it every day. Read it cover to cover multiple times in your life.

my senior year of high school

At October General Conference in 2011, Elder Richard G. Scott said,

“[T]hose who consistently read the Book of Mormon are blessed with an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord, a greater resolve to obey His commandments, and a stronger testimony of the divinity of the Son of God.”

Make the right choices. You know what is right. It might be hard to choose the right when expectations are so low. But remember that Heavenly Father has high expectations for you. He knows that you have the potential for exaltation embedded in your very nature.

He wants you to choose the right.

He knows you can do it. And that is what matters.

This post was brought to you by:

Becca
My Soul Delighteth

The Blessings of the Book of Mormon

Exciting News! This girl just finished the Book of Mormon, cover-to-cover, for the first time!!! Reading the Book of Mormon for myself has been such a great experience for me! I didn't know that I could do it until my young women's leaders challenged me to do so. I admit, it took longer than I thought it would, but I learned so much!
First, I learned that I CAN do anything I put my mind to. For me, reading the Book of Mormon seemed daunting.  I'm not really sure what I was afraid of, maybe I was afraid that I would never finish. Over the years, there have been many times where I've started reading, only to get to 1 Nephi chapter 6. But this time, I did it. The main factor which I think was key to my success was that I had faith. This time when I started, I prayed that Heavenly Father would help me. I asked that He would help me understand it, and help me accomplish this goal. Because I knew that my goal of reading the Book of Mormon was pleasing to Heavenly father, I knew that He would help me.
Second, I learned how much I can gain from reading the scriptures everyday. I started realizing this back in October, and I posted on it (Scripture in My DAILY Life). But throughout these months, I have been realizing it even more. Those days when I don't read the scriptures simply don't go as well as the days where I do read the scriptures. Also, I have so much more confidence because I know that what I'm doing is pleasing to Heavenly Father, and I know that He is proud of me. It's great to know that the most powerful person in the universe is proud of me.
Third, I know the scriptures better. This is a great thing for my blog posts, talks, and lessons that I may be asked to give. I have had a fabulous example of that in the last week. I have been writing a talk for New Beginnings, a meeting in Young Women's for the parents and girls, and because I knew where a certain scripture was, I was able to use it in my talk. I didn't have to research it because I knew exactly where it was!
Fourth, my testimony in the Book of Mormon has been enriched. Before I read it, I mostly knew that The Book of Mormon is true. But now that I've read it from cover-to-cover, I can absolutely testify that this book is beautiful, holy, strengthening scripture that will enrich our lives and help us live to our potential.

To find out more about the Book of Mormon, click here.

Hunger after Righteousness

What is the definition of righteousness? Ask yourself.  To me, righteousness means doing the right thing at the right time because you love and have faith in Jesus Christ.
In my Book of Mormon reading, I came across a verse that really made me think. 3 Nephi 12:16:

 6 And blessed are all they who do ^ahunger and ^bthirst after ^crighteousness, for they shall be ^dfilled with the Holy Ghost.

What a promise. To be filled with the Holy Ghost. Immediately after reading this, I asked myself, 'Do I hunger and thirst after righteousness?' Think about the last time you fasted, or were REALLY hungry. Could you ignore the urge to eat? What would happen if you did?  Just as ignoring the urge to eat eventually leads to sickness and death, ignoring our spiritual hunger leads to spiritual sickness and death.

Christ gave this promise when he appeared to the Nephites after His ressurection. He promises us that the Holy Ghost will fill us when we hunger and thirst after righteousness.

Being filled with the Holy Ghost is a powerful blessing that everyone should yearn for. When you have the Spirit as a constant companion, and heed his promptings, you can never be led astray. Having the Holy Ghostwith you is such an empowering feeling to have. You feel so confident, content, loved, and happy at the same time. If you have not felt this before, or want to feel the Holy Ghost more, you are promised by Christ that you will be filled with the Holy Ghost when you hunger and thirst after righteousness.

So. How do you hunger and thirst after righteousness?

If you are hungry, most likely you would enjoy attending a feast. 2 Nephi 32:3 says:

3 ^aAngels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, ^bfeast upon the ^cwords of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will ^dtell you all things what ye should do.

While you may have to wait until Thanksgiving for a feast for your stomach, you can feast upon the words of Christ any time you want by reading the scriptures. When you feast upon the scriptures, I know that your hunger will be satiated. I love the scriptures. I love feeling the Holy Ghost, and I love the comfort, peace, and confidence his presence brings. I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that He died for me. And I know that all may have life through him.

To learn more about the Book of Mormon, click here.

To learn more about the Holy Ghost, click here.

To learn more about the Savior, Jesus Christ, click here.

Scripture in my DAILY life... :)

The key word in my title is DAILY!!! Can you tell? :) As you might have read a while ago, I am participating in a YW activity where we must read The Book of Mormon everyday for an upcoming activity. And, some amazing things have been happening as I have done that.
I am able to feel that the Holy Ghost is with me more often. I am happier, more peaceful, more energetic, and more in tune with the Holy Ghost those days that I have read. If I ever skip a day- I can tell!!!! I feel less happy, and I notice a decreased measure of the Spirit's influence in my day. I don't feel necessarily sad, and I don't necessarily not have the Spirit, but there is less. Noticeably so.  Those days, I have wondered, "What is different today? Why don't I feel as happy, or peaceful today? Why do I feel less of the Holy Ghost?" And, I know it is because I haven't read the scriptures that day. And the days when I do read, I feel an increased measure of the Spirit. I can almost always feel a sense of peace. I can feel my Savior's love for me more strongly. And, I have confidence because I know that I'm doing the right thing. When I read the scriptures daily, I have an increased sensitivity to notice and appreciate the blessings that my Heavenly Father gives me. I am able to receive answers to prayers better.
Lately, I have been fasting and praying that I may learn how to manage my time more efficiently. The days I read my scriptures I notice many blessings: I can get all of my homework satisfactorily finished, I get to bed on time, I am waaaaaay less stressed, and my day generally runs smoother. On the days that I haven't read my scriptures, these things haven't necessarily been happening. It is amazing to see the blessings I receive when I read my scriptures.
As I have read the scriptures everyday, I have been blessed with an increased capacity to love help others. When my friends or family have need help, the Spirit is with me. And I am able to give more than I would be able to without the Lord's help.
I am able to have more love for myself when I read my scriptures. Lately, I've been starting to be able to see myself as the Savior sees me. I feel truly beautiful and worth-while when I read the Book of Mormon. ANd throughout the day, when I look in the mirror, I don't have to worry if my hair or clothes will impress my peers, because I know that Jesus loves me for who I am, no matter what. And I know that He took on all of my sins because of that love for me. With this confidence and self-esteem, I am able to give my best everyday, because I know that my best is good enough for the Lord.

To learn more about the Book of Mormon, click here.

To learn more about the Savior, click here.

To learn more about the Holy Ghost (also referred to as the Spirit), click here.

Another Witness of Christ

Sigh. I may need to switch from blogging twice a week on a schedule to just blogging twice a week. I never know which days will have more homework than others.  Sorry for the inconsistency.
Sooo... last Thursday, something interesting happened to me. Well, interesting, maybe. Happy, no.
My friend invited me to go to church with him. (Let me note, I have been to his church once previously, but with a different friend of mine who also goes to that church.) So, he invited me, and I told him that I would really love to go, but I had my own church that day. This disappointed me because I try to go whenever one of my friends asks me. I believe that I cannot ask a friend to do something that I am not willing to do myself, and I often invite my friends to my church.  However, I had never asked this friend before. (For the purposes of this story, lets call him Steven.) Steven then asked me what religion I was. I happily told him that I was Mormon, and asked if he knew what that was. I saw something flicker in his eyes, and he, probably only half sarcastically, scooted away as if I had just announced that I had a highly contagious disease. "What?" I asked. He scooted back to where he was sitting and said,
"Ha, that's ironic, my mom and I were just talking about this last night." Uh-oh. What was he about to say? I had never before encountered negativity from my peers about my religion. I didn't like where this was heading.
"What did she say?" I asked.
"Welll... there was a dude, who wrote a second Bible, said he had a vision from God. But, there can only be one Bible, so your's is fake."  Well. That was bluntly put.
"Hmmm. Well, Joseph Smith did recieve a vision from God and Jesus, but he didn't write a second Bible. He translated another witness of Christ through the power of God. The Book of Mormon and Bible back each other up."
"Whatever. It's not true. Christianity is good. It's true. But there is only one Bible." Sigh.
" I have a Book of Mormon in my locker if you would like to read it."
"No. I don't want to."
"Okay then. I have a deal for you. I'll come to church with you, and you can come to church with me. Just once."
"No. Your religion is a lie. I will not join the dark side." I was almost crying. What? Did he just say that? We are in a biology classroom of 40 kids...
"What did you say? I couldn't hear all of that."
"I said that I will not join the dark side."
"Ok. Fine."

So, yeah. It really made me upset. I feel so sad that he feels that way. It was kind of ironic, well, it probably wasn't an accident that I came upon this verse in my personal scripture study the next day:

2 Nephi 29:6
6. Thou fool, that shall say: A ^aBible, we have got a Bible, and we need no more Bible. Have ye obtained a Bible save it were by the Jews?

I have totally forgiven Steven, and I'm still his friend, but I'm very sad for him. I don't understand how people can say something is bad without even reading it. Even though I had faith in my religion, when my other friend (the one who goes to Steven's church) invited me to her church, I accepted. I prayed before I left, that the Spirit would guide me and help me interpret right from wrong. And it did. I went with an objective attitude, just as I would want someone to do if they came to church with me.

 This experience has made me stronger. It has helped me strengthen my testimony of Jesus Christ, and the Book of Mormon.  I know that Heavenly Father answers prayers. Because, I did pray. And He sent peace to my soul.

I have felt many blessings from the fullness of Jesus' gospel in my life. I'm very grateful for His guidance and love.

Book of Mormon Challenge.

On Sunday my Young Womens Leaders challenged us to read half of the book of Mormon this month. The rest we will read together next month. But, anyway, I have taken to reading on the bus, because I have spare time then. I'll get back to this.
In U.S. History, we were briefly reviewing about the Native Americans, Spanish Conquistadors, and the colonization of the Americas. It was an interesting review, but I found myself wondering how much was really true, or not.
So, back to my scripture reading. Today on the bus I was reading in 1 Nephi, chapter 13. In this chapter. Nephi has a vision where he sees the future of his posterity. And in this vision, we read about the Native Americans ,who are Nephi and his family's posterity, the gentiles who cam from across the sea, the wars fought between them, and the wars between the gentiles who are separated across the sea (American Revolution). This was very interesting to read right after reviewing all of this information in school. It is amazing to me that the Lord could give Nephi a vision of the future.
I'm very grateful to my Heavenly Father who no doubt had a hand in this impeccable timing. :) His plans are just so perfect. :) I'm so grateful for the Book of Mormon. It uplifts me and strengthens my knowledge of eternal and temporal matters.

If you would like to read Nephi's account of America's Colonization click here.  You may want to back up a couple chapters if you would like to know more about his vision.