Doubt Not. God Makes Priceless People.

It has been about two weeks since I posted last, which frankly, is unacceptable. So, I apologize! Life has been so hectic around here! It's fall break. Need I say more. :D

I would say that I am a very confident person. I'm definitely not perfect in that regard, but I do well. I know that I'm a daughter of God. I let that knowledge govern how I feel about myself. And I let it create confidence within me. But no person is perfect. Doubts creep into even the sturdiest soul on occasion.

Like a few nights ago. It was bad. It started out with me talking to one of my best friends. There's this really popular, good-looking guy in our school who really likes her, and she like him as well. I'm happy for them, but it just so happens that I had a huge crush on him in seventh grade. I'm not jealous, or anything, but I began reflecting on it. I wondered, "Why don't attractive, popular, older guys ever like me?" "Why do really popular people seem to not like talking to me ever?" "I'm a really cool person, what's wrong with this picture?" "I must not be beautiful enough." "I'm probably super boring." These negative thoughts seemingly came from nowhere, but each one came faster and with more force than the one before. Soon, I was sobbing. Deep down I knew that none of it was true, but I couldn't dispel the sudden self-doubt I was feeling on the surface. I knew I'm a daughter of God, and I knew that I'm beautiful. But I was so tossed about in the tempest of my negative thoughts that I felt like I could not securely grip and cling to those truths to keep me afloat. I prayed. And I cried. Prayed. Cried. Simultaneously. I read the Book of Mormon. And cried and prayed some more. I really felt like I needed to talk to someone, but I didn't know who. After a while, though, I decided to talk to my friend, Allison (name changed). She's one of my closest friends. We're in the same ward and go to the same school. Allison has a beautiful testimony of the gospel, and she is so good at applying it to her life. I knew that she would have comfort and insight for me.

I was not disappointed. After texting her to tell her how I felt she wrote me the longest text I've ever received. Here's a little bit of what she said. This stuff is golden, kids. It really is.

"Envy, which is often mistaken as jealousy, is a cruel trick on our minds. Do we actually care about worldly popularity? No. And you recognize that. Yet your mind has this control over you that makes you think that you care. This is all Satan [trying to mess you up]."

"No matter how you feel at the moment, there is Christ. Imagine how he felt! He was awesome! Seriously the coolest person ever! I mean, He was king of all nations, yet most of everyone hated Him. He knows what it's like to be left out and to see others prefer fakes over Him. Find comfort in the atonement."

"Society is fake and we all compare ourselves to something that isn't real. We admire what isn't there. We search for something that is lost. Comparison is the thief of joy. Never compare. You are better than this."

I love Allison. I immediately felt better after talking to her. I am so blessed to have her, and other friend like her, in my life. This isn't the first time that Allison has really helped me feel confident in myself when I've needed it. She has always been there for me, and always will be there for me. I'm so grateful to have her as a friend. And I'm so very, very grateful, more than I can fathom the words to describe, for my Father in Heaven. He is my Father. He created my soul. I am His creation. Next time you're down on yourself think about this- Would God create something ugly, bad, or inferior? The answer is an emphatic NO! Each of us is priceless. The greatest sacrifice in the history of mankind and beyond was made for each of us individually- the atonement of God's perfect Son, and our brother, Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for their love and the relationship I have with them.

This is kind of a lame-quality photo, but this is a painting I did of me hugging my Savior. It was my 10-hour Personal Progress project for Faith. This really embodies the relationship I have with Christ. He always comforts me, and I'm grateful beyond words for Him and His sacrifice and love for me. In the painting, Christ is supporting me. He does this for me very literally.

You're An Angel

There's this guy in a few of my classes, let's call him Brandon, who is quite the interesting character. On the outside, he seems really rough. On any given day, Brandon can be seen wearing sweats or dark, baggy jeans with an over-sized t-shirt, and shoes which look at least two sizes too big. He always has a pair of of beats around his neck.

In Spanish, we earn pesos for participating, and for each ten we earn, we receive extra credit. Last week on a peso-turn-in-day, Brandon was lamenting the fact that he only had eight pesos, and that his friend Sean would have given him two more if Sean had been at school that day. Having seventeen pesos myself, I gave him two. He seemed shocked and amazed that someone would want to show kindness to him. The rest of the day, he thanked me over and over, and told everyone around him how nice I was. Over the next couple days Brandon let me go ahead of him in line, always smiled and said hi to me, and thanked me more.

Fast forward to today. I was talking to my friend about why I keep the standards of the church (such as not dating til 16, etc.), and Brandon, who was sitting on the other side of her heard our conversation. It was kind of funny though, because he only heard half of it at first. I was telling my friend about how I don't do drugs and alcohol and Brandon's face went into shock, "You do drugs and alcohol?" The incredulity in his voice was funny, and it made me feel great that he couldn't imagine me doing such things. I informed him that I definitely do not do drugs and alcohol and that he only heard half of the conversation. He seemed relieved. Later my friend and I were talking about chastity, and I said something to the effect of, "Yeah, I definitely don't want to become pregnant in high school!". Again, Brandon's head snapped around and his face was one of shock. "You're... you're.." he stammered. I replied, "No, I'm definitely not pregnant, nor will I be until after I'm married."What happened next is what surprised me the most. His face lit up and he said, "I respect that. I respect that a lot. Good for you!" and he gave me a high five. How sweet is that? But it gets better.

Towards the end of the Spanish period, Brandon was singing/rapping (I think) under his breath to some music he was listening to. In the process of which, he cussed a few times. Immediately, his head snapped up and he had a look on his face as though he'd just run over his mother's cat. He said, "Oh snap! Oh my goodness! I am so, so sorry! You did not just hear what I said! I should not have said those things around you! You're too innocent. You're an angel. You're an angel. I am so sorry!" I thanked him for his respect and thoughtfulness. I had never even asked him to not swear around me. He just knew not to instinctively. How cool is that?

If only the world had more Brandons. At first glance, I didn't know if he was someone I could be friends with, but now I see that he is just so awesome. I know that he notices my example- knowledge which I feel blessed to have. I am so grateful for the cool experiences that Heavenly Father lets us have in our lives!

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.

True Confidence

Lately I've been noticing strange fluctuations in confidence levels within myself. I think this something that all teenagers face- all people, really. Since the new school year started, I have been  beginning to really search for my niche. I think I've always kind of known where that is, but it's just a little bit different now. I think I used to define myself by my friends or the activities I enjoy. Now though, since I don't see my best friends very often in the day and I keep being plunged into seas of new people, my definition of myself sort of faded. In it's place a new self-image is currently forming. I'm learning to be confident in me. Not my hobbies, talents, or friends, but me. It's an interesting thing. And it has been difficult. But difficult in unexpected ways. For example, I have felt loneliness at times. In the past, I was always surrounded by friends and never was truly acquainted with that feeling. But as we are progressing through high school, my friends and I have fewer and fewer classes together. Though I have always been one to reach out and meet new people, my self-confidence has been tested as I have been surrounded by many new people. Though it has been difficult, and I've made some mistakes, I'm pleased to say that I have made new friends, and reestablished old friendships through it all.
Anyhow, I find all of this very interesting. In terms of our progression, Heavenly Father isn't only worried about the outcome, but also the process. I have found this to be very true. It is so fascinating for me to ponder this past month and see how I've struggled and grown from that. I'm humbled, and also very excited about the growth the future will bring, even if it is challenging. I'm very excited about the true self-confidence I am building. It's so cool!

Teenagers talk about how having the Holy Ghost with them helps them have true confidence.

Don't Pass It On

One of the downsides high school is that it's full of drama. Ewwww. Drama. Everyone has to deal with at least a little bit of it in high school, whether it's their fault, or not. Some are good at evading it, but others seem to gravitate towards it. What's the deal?

Even though the school year is young, there is already a lot of drama happening in my circles- things which don't directly have to deal with me, yet affect me. Much more than I ever noticed last year, or the year before. But the thing which bothers me the most, and what really makes high school drama dramatic, is the gossip which accompanies it. Even some of my church friends gossip. It's really not cool. Even if the things you say about someone are true, if it's someone's personal matters, or unkind, it's still gossip.

The For Strength of Youth says, "Speak kindly and positively about others. Choose not to insult others or put them down, even in joking. Avoid gossip of any kind, and avoid speaking in anger. When you are tempted to say harsh or hurtful things, leave them unsaid." 

Talking badly about others does not make you cooler. It just creates enemies for yourself in the end. Jesus commanded us to love all men. How is that possible if one isn't on speaking terms with another because of something which had been said?

I can truthfully say that there is no one in this world that I dislike. I hate no one. It is a wonderful blessing. This is because I make it a priority to only say kind things to and about others. I promise it's possible. :)

This is what inspired me to make a personal commitment to avoid gossip. What do you think of it?

EFY, Ladies and Gentlemen

Hey guys, guess what? EFY was amazing, as usual!! It was SO amazing that when I got home yesterday, I took a six-hour nap. I was that exhausted!
Of course, at EFY, my favorite parts are the devotionals, dances, and awesome people that I meet. But really, the best aspect of EFY is the incredible Spirit which always envelops us. It is that Spirit which teaches us and helps our testimonies to grow. There were several people who got up to bear their testimonies at our testimony meeting on Thursday who explained that they didn't really know the church was true until they came that week and felt the Spirit bearing witness of the truth to them. Many others, myself included, watched their already-present testimonies increase right before their eyes.
Before EFY I had a very solid testimony of Christ and His atonement. But now my understanding Jesus' love and my love for him have grown so much. It's beautiful. It was so wonderful to feel the Holy Ghost teach all of us. I learned how I can apply the atonement to my life to fix and heal any problem or trial.
The people who surrounded me at EFY were such great examples of righteous living. They all came because they wanted to come closer to Christ and learn more of Him. I was particularly impressed by the young men I was with last week. They were wonderful examples of the kinds of guys I should date when I'm able to. They were thoughtful, respectful, chivalrous, and had awesome testimonies of the gospel. Plus, they were so much fun to be around, and super cute! At our company's testimony meeting, there were a few girls who cried, but mostly they quietly felt the peace of the Spirit in the room. The boys, on the contrary, were all crying so hard. Their eyes were wet the whole time, and they were all sniffling a lot. I thought it was the most awesome thing ever to see the guys be so visibly touched by the Spirit. It was adorable, and I loved it.
I'm so grateful for the opportunity I had to go to EFY. It's truly the best week of my year, every year. If you ever get the opportunity to go, seize it, and cherish every minute. Milk it for all that it's worth, and let me tell you, it's worth a lot.

Our company! I love every one of them!

Besties with one of our awesome counselors!

We love Mormon Boys.

These are some amazing young men.

The Power of a Righteous Friend

Friends are awesome. I am blessed to have the best friends in the whole entire universe. (Though I'm sure all of you are pretty fantastic, yourselves.) My friends stick up for me, help me when I'm down, make me feel loved, and I always have a great time with them.
A few weeks ago I had an experience which really helped me realize the value of true, righteous friends. I was getting ready to go to a long rehearsal where there would be tons of people, it'd be really hot, and we were going to do a lot of standing around, waiting. I'd never truly been tempted to dress immodestly before, but all of a sudden I really wanted to wear a pair of immodest shorts. They were comfy, cool, and would just be so easy to wear. I began rationalizing all the reasons why I should wear them, but deep down I knew it was wrong.  Then, at thought came to me. Trevor* is going to be there tonight. I don't want to dress that way in front of Trevor. He would be so disappointed, and uncomfortable. Trevor, is one of my best friends in the world and one of the coolest young men I know. He is the standard of righteous living. Always going above what is asked of him, Trevor is one of everyone's favorite people- member and nonmember alike. With that in mind, I put on some modest shorts and went my way.
It was so amazing to me that Trevor was so righteous that he could influence me for good without even being with me at that moment. I am truly blessed to have him in my life. He is an amazing friend.
So my question is: Do you have friends like Trevor? Do your friends influence you for good? Of course not everyone you surround yourself with will be like him. You will have acquaintances and other friends who are in different places of their spiritual development.  Are you, like Trevor, influencing your friends for good? If not, what can you do to change?

"True friends influence those with whom they associate to “rise a little higher [and] be a little better.” You can help one another, particularly young men, prepare for and serve honorable missions. You can help one another remain morally clean. Your righteous influence and friendship can have an eternal effect not only on the lives of your associates but also on generations to come."
-Elaine S. Dalton, 2013

 

*Name has been changed

Talents to Bless Others

I remember that a while ago I prayed and asked my Father in Heaven to allow me to be an instrument in His hands. I wanted with my whole being to help others and bring about the Lord's purposes. Immediately, I started noticing every-day opportunities to help others. These may or may not have been there before I asked, but the Lord helped me find and notice them.

I reflect on this as I wonder at how Heavenly Father utilizes the talents He has put in me to bless His children. The Lord places beautiful spiritual gifts and marvelous talents in each of us, and I feel the greatest sense of peace and achievement when I use those talents to serve my fellow men.

Some talents I've been blessed with are empathy and compassion. I've striven to further develop these qualities, and I'm amazed to see how it's blessed me.

I have a lot of close friends. They're not necessarily all "popular" or whatever, but I have a lot of friends. At an increasing rate, my friends have been coming to me when they are in emotional pain and need help. They visit me for comfort and rest from their oppression. It makes me feel so special that the Lord trusts me with a job so precious as this. He put me through specific trials in my past that help me understand where my friends are coming from and how to help them feel better.

I know that our Heavenly Father has blessed us all with very specific talents and abilities to progress His work on the earth. Even if you haven't found them yet, God created YOU to possess wonderful traits and qualities of Him. We are, after all, the spirit offspring of Heavenly Father. He gave us these gifts because He loves us.

And, of course, as superman, or spider man, or some other man said, "With great power comes great responsibility". We feel the most peace and the greatest sense of accomplishment when we use our talents to bless others. And in turn, they increase when we use them to be an instrument in Heavenly Father's hands.

So, here's the challenge I pose to you. Find your spiritual gifts and talents! Once you've found them, learn to use them! And watch as the Lord blesses you in return.

We feel the greatest sense of accomplishment when we use our talents to bless others.

 

Father Loves to Bless Us

Hey everyone! I hope you are all doing completely awesomely, which, I'm sure you are!

So, I have seating auditions on Wednesday. Two days from now. And, accordingly, I've been practicing my butt off. But, I've been super nervous because I haven't felt ready. And my time for practice is slowly dwindling. As of earlier today, I did not AT ALL feel prepared. But now I do. The acquisition of that prepared feeling has a story. Because I like stories.

It starts this morning. In the morning, I planned to spend all evening practicing tonight.  And that concludes the morning portion of the story. So I went about my day. Right before orchestra, last period, I found my best friend Kallie*, and we began to walk to class. But she seemed really sad. She wouldn't talk, and I couldn't get her to tell me what was wrong. I'd never seen her like that before. It was really scary for me because I didn't know how to react. All I knew was that my bestest friend ever was obviously going through deep emotional pain. It tore my heart. And I felt awful that I couldn't help because she wouldn't tell me what was going on. So, I never ended up finding out. We had orchestra, then we went home. I told her over and over that I loved her, and I texted her, and wrote on her facebook wall. I prayed that Heavenly Father would comfort her. But I was depressed. I was scared because I didn't know if, like, she got a text from her mom that her sister was in the hospital, or if her grandma died, or… I don't even know.  But I was worried sick. And depressed.

So, I got home, and I tried to practice. I hacked away at my auditions cuts and solo piece for about an hour, but it was fruitful in only the sour fruits of frustration, self-anger, more depression, worry, and back pain. I felt miserable. Nothing was working. I was so scared for auditions and about Kallie.

After dinner, I texted Kallie again, and this time she told me that she felt all better. I was OVERJOYED! Relief flooded me. I felt awesome. It astonished me just how much worry left me when I knew she was okay.

So then, I practiced again. This time I prayed that Heavenly Father would help me with my practice. I was a little skeptical because I didn't know if He would help since I ask for things so much, but I decided that if I went ahead and prayed for that blessing, and had faith that He could and would, that He would. And my Father did.

Right after my prayer, I thought, "Hey, I need to rosin my bow." So I did. Then, I knew I needed slow metronome practice. So I set it up. Then, I knew just how slowly to start practicing. My practicing was beautifully smooth and practically perfect.  I increased in ability a lot-fold. I don't know how much. Just a lot. I now feel a lot a lot a lot a lot a lot a lot more confident for the chair test. AND I still have another day for practice. I've got this!

I'm so grateful for my Father in Heaven who loves me sooooo much. Today I learned that He loves blessing us, and doesn't get annoyed when we ask Him for things. He wants to bless me. And I love Him.

*Name has been changed

Prayer is so powerful. It's our access to fortification from heaven.

Blessings from Promptings Part Two

Another new post! Look at me, I'm on a roll! So, I know none of you have probably been able to sleep at all because you've been anticipating my part II post. Right? Well, even if you weren't, here it is.

Because I followed the promptings to invite James to sit at our table on Monday, a similar decision wasn't too difficult to make later in the week.

As I was sitting in study hall for the first time, I looked around to see who I knew. One person. Her name was *Marie, and we only sort of knew each other. She sat behind me. I turned around and searched the room for anyone else I knew, but I couldn't find anyone. Except a girl named *Kathleen. She was very quiet, and not many people talked to her. But I didn't take much note. I went about the study hall working on homework. At the end of the period, I talked with Marie to wait until the bell. I remembered Kathleen, sitting right next to us. I knew she was watching us talk. She was bored and had no one with whom to converse. But I didn't want to talk to her. If I were to be brutally honest with myself, I'd have to admit that I probably didn't want to talk to her because I didn't want people to associate me with her. In hindsight, I see that was a completely awful attitude to have. But, I knew that I should talk to her, even if I didn't want to. So I struck up a casual conversation that probably sounded something like this:

Me: "Hey, your name is Kathleen, right?:
Kathleen: "Yeah, you're Whitney."
Me: "Yeah. Um, I think we were in the same Spanish class last year."
Kathleen: "Yep. We were."
Me: "So... um... how's the semester going?"

You get the point.
It was kind of awkward.
At least for me.

I walked out of that class feeling proud of myself that I followed the prompting to talk to her even though I didn't want to. I knew Heavenly Father was proud too.

Okay, now fast forward a few weeks. In that time, I talked to Kathleen more in study hall and I got to know her a bit better. I learned that we have some common interests. Oh, and in those weeks I was nominated "Student of the Month". And yeah, that does affect my story.

So, on a certain day last week, all the kids who were chosen as "Student of the Month" were supposed to meet in the office so that we could all go out to lunch with some of the administrators. Guess who Whitney saw when she got there? If you guessed Kathleen, you're good at guessing. If not, then I'm seriously doubting your logic and reasoning skills. :D So, I went over to her to congratulate her and we ended up sitting by each other for lunch. I learned even more about her. By this time I had decided that she was a pretty cool person. We had a lot of fun during that lunch, met some new people, and the food was delicious. Near the end of the meal, the girls at our table were discussing our different religions. When it was my turn I briefly shared about being LDS. Then, Kathleen turned to me and said, "My parents told me that if they ever got the chance to become Mormon that they would. I always tell them that our whole family should become Mormon." Woah! Woah! That deserves a third woah. Woah! I couldn't believe my ears. I was SO EXCITED. I don't think you can fathom how excited I was to hear that. SO EXCITED! And even though I was dancing on the inside, I kept my composure and warmly told her that I could give her some information and talk to her more about it if she wanted. She agreed, and the next day I brought her some stuff. (You know, pass along cards and other good stuff).

Wow! Do you see how the Lord blesses us when we follow His promptings? I've seen that. People who are ready to hear the gospel have been placed in my path, and I wouldn't have even known it had I not heeded the promptings that the Holy Ghost gave me. I feel so incredibly blessed to have this opportunity!!! I know that the Lord blesses us when we heed the promptings we are given. When we do so, we are given more inspiration and responsibility. It's so cool.

Thus ends my two-part post about the promptings of the Holy Ghost. Keep checking back, though. I have a ton of posts in mind.

Blessings From Promptings Part One

Wow! It's been a REALLY long time since I've posted! I'm sorry. Life has gotten in the way. But don't worry, I haven't forgotten about my blog, or all of you lovely readers. I have several posts I want to do really soon, but I can't write them all now, so one must suffice for the time being.

So, I've had some really cool experiences lately regarding the blessings I've received from following the promptings of the Holy Ghost. And, I want to tell you about two of these times.

If you rewind my life to the second day back from Christmas break, that is where my story begins. I was at lunch. Most of my closest friends and I were sitting at our usual table. We were blessed enough to be with mostly the same people and found the same table as we'd had the semester before. I was having a great time talking with my friends about the new semester. Looking up, I saw *Josh meandering around the cafeteria. He didn't seem to have a place to sit. Josh is an awkward kid. He's really smart, but he doesn't have many friends. He wandered around the room for a long time. It seemed to me as though we were in a classic New-Era-story-situation; he, wandering around, and I in a position to help. I knew I should offer him a seat at our table, but it astonished me how much I didn't want to offer him a seat. I felt promptings pecking at my heart, but I rationalized reasons why I didn't need to help Josh, and pushed the promptings away. I did that all lunch period, and I'm quite ashamed to say that I never invited him to sit with us that day.
Now you are wondering why this story is at all inspiring. Just be patient. You'll see.
Later that day I was reflecting on the occurrence. I knew what I had done was wrong. I prayed that my Father would help me feel sorry for what I did and help me feel the error I made. After more pondering, I remembered something one of my young women's leaders said:

"My brother was one of the kids that no one talked to. He was awkward and couldn't connect with people. One day I was driving past his elementary school and I saw all of the kids playing at recess. He was in the outermost corner of the playground by himself. I remember praying everyday after that day that someone would just talk to him. Never forget that every awkward kid you know is someone's brother and that they are probably praying that someone will talk to their brother that day."

I immediately felt the wrong I had done. I prayed to my merciful Father in Heaven and told Him that if He would give me another chance, I wouldn't mess it up. I told Him I was sorry, and that I truly knew that every kid is His son or daughter. I prayed and prayed that I would get another chance to help someone like that. And another chance I got.

In fact, the chance came the next day. At lunch. I was sitting at the same table, with the same friends. And who did I see wandering around the lunch room? Josh. I knew exactly what I had to do, that time. I knew I couldn't let the Lord down again. After all, I specifically asked Him for this opportunity. So, I told my friends that I was inviting Josh to sit with us. They agreed. I got up and ran over to him. When I extended the invitation to sit with us, such a smile of relief and happiness filled his face. It was beautiful. He came  and sat down with us. I introduced him to everyone at the table. In that instant, I knew for sure that I had done the right thing and that my Father was proud of me.

This is only half of the story, but if I write anymore in this post, it will get really lengthy. So, stay tuned for part two.

Two Ways to Judge

Over the past week or two, I have made a discovery. The more friendly you are, the more people you will become friends with. Genius, right?  Put into such simple words, the concept seems... simple. But sometimes it's much harder to actually act on such an idea.
Somewhere in the past few days, I realized that I'm a lot more judgmental than I think. I fancied myself a pretty open, and accepting person, but now I realize that I was only practicing not being judgmental in one way, but there are two ways we in which we need to become proficient. If people have short-comings, or flaws, if they may do something wrong, or mess up, I find it easy to understand that they're not perfect,  and are just doing the best they can. They may have specific circumstances which cause them to act a certain way. This is the first way, and I consider myself pretty good at not judging others in this regard.. However, there's a second way to judge people negatively, and I didn't even realize I was doing it. If a person was really pretty, or really popular, I would automatically assume that they would never want to talk to me. This judgement assumes that those people I categorized like that would be complete snobs and totally rude, which is not so.
Recently, I have begun to overcome this way of judging people. I am starting to categorize people less. Instead of "pretty people" and "not pretty people", I am able to see the outward and inward beauty of each person I meet. This helps me see that I cannot judge someone's heart based upon their friends or how attractive they seem.
During the past few weeks, I have tried to put aside those judgements and actually talk to the people I was judging. I've gotten to know so many new people, and I'm excited to see where it will lead. My school days have been really exciting and interesting because they're full of new people who I thought I never had a chance being friends with.
This has also led me to realize that I shouldn't assume that people won't like me. It's an unhealthy assumption, and not true. We as individuals can build our confidence in ourselves by developing a closer relationship to Jesus Christ. I know this to be true, for I have seen it work in my own life.

" Judge not, that ye be not judged.

 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again."

-Matthew 7:1-2

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!

Arise and Shine Forth: EFY 2012!!

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.

Here are some pictures from the week!

What Guys Want Girls to Know

This is a video I found by a group called Blimey Cow. They are not Mormons, but they are Christians. I really love this video. It's so great to know that some guys still care about decency, modesty, and chivalry.  He speaks the truth! And it's also good to know that LDS people aren't the only ones who care about this stuff!

What Guys Want Girls to Know

What do you think of this video?  Comment or share! (Oh, and BTW, I've added a facebook comment feature at the bottom of my blog if you would like to comment there.) :D

A Good Friend, and a Timely Answered Prayer

Well, a couple days ago I was really struggling. Usually I am very confident in myself, but some boys had done some mean things to me and I was starting to doubt if anyone loved me.  I tried rationalizing that nobody loved me; maybe friends were just pretending, or they just didn't really care. I wondered if I was a burden.  I just felt kind of pointless. And, I was scared for the future. In school, we had been talking about careers and classes and college. I was scared. I was afraid that I didn't have what it would take to stay standing in the hurricane that I knew the future would be. I just felt so alone.  Mostly, I wondered if I was conducting myself in a way that made people want to love me.
So, late at night, I decided to pray. At first I thought "Well, you should know that you are loved. Look what Heavenly Father has done for you." But I just felt so alone. I was afraid that I would get an answer to my prayer, but I wouldn't know how to receive it or interpret it.
Then, I remembered that somewhere- whether in church, the scriptures, or a general conference talk- I had read that we must have faith.  Once we displayed faith the Lord would bless us. So, I decided to just try.  I prayed that Heavenly Father would help me feel like I was loved.
After praying, I was planning on reading my scriptures to help me feel better. But my hand just started reaching for my iPod to check facebook. I just felt like I needed check facebook. So I did. And I found that one of my best friends in the whole entire world had posted on my facebook wall. It said:

Dear Whitney,
I love you a lot and have been thinking about you lately!! YOU are the BESTEST FRIEND anyone could have!! YOu are amazing and fantastic! I want you to know that everyone loves you a lot, i mean who couldn't love you? I hope you are having a great day! I LOVE YOU LOTS!!!!!
Love,
(Name has been removed for security reasons)

As i read this, I started bawling. These were exactly the words I needed to hear. I literally needed these words.  Word for word.
I just have to marvel at how the Lord answers our prayers. Later, I was talking to the friend who sent me that message, and she said that she just had a feeling that she should leave me a message on facebook. We realized that it was the Holy Ghost. The Lord knew what I would need and when I would need it. And because I have chosen amazing friends who are in tune with the Spirit, I have been blessed that they can help me when I need it most.

I'm so grateful for my Heavenly Father who loves me and listens to my prayers. I'm grateful for all of my friends, but especially the lovely friend that helped me the other day, and who I know with a surety loves me. I'm so grateful for that.

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.