Because I Kept a Scripture Journal

Today something really cool happened to me at church. I got to Sunday School with my friends and we were waiting around for our teacher to come. We technically don't have a teacher right now because our previous one was just released, so we were waiting for the sub. But a while passed and no one came. My friends asked me if I would teach the lesson. I agreed, even though I hadn't prepared anything. So, I pulled out my scripture journal. Inside of it, I take notes when people give talks, at firesides, during lessons, general conference, etc. I opened to a random page, skimmed it, and was able to teach from the notes I had taken on a talk given in sacrament meeting five months ago. There were scripture references, analogies, and impressions I had felt. I used my own thoughts, impressions, and knowledge as well to give the lesson fluidity. We referenced the scriptures several times and drew upon at least three stories from the scriptures. Our teacher finally came in with only twenty minutes left of the class and let me continue teaching.
This was a very cool moment for me. I felt the Spirit confirming that Heavenly Father was proud of me. And I'm proud of me, too. I'm happy that I was able to take notes and that I could teach by using the promptings of the Holy ghost. I felt the Spirit in my lesson. It was so special because I knew the things to say and teach, even though I had only a list of bullet points in front of me. I truly know that Lord is mindful of us and loves us dearly. He wants to bless us and He wants us to be happy.

This is a slightly goofy picture of me with my study journals. The middle two are completely full. The journal on the left is halfway full, but I got bored of using it. Haha. And the notebook on the far right is my current notebook.

Seriously though, study notebooks are the coolest things ever. You can record impressions you receive during scripture study, info from talks, etc.

Here's a typical page in mine. I use different arrows and indentations and bullet points to keep things organized. And, notes don't have to be perfect.

You can even glue in handouts from class.

Here's a page in a past study journal where I really wanted to learn a lot about faith. So I printed out some information about faith from True to the Faith and glued it in. Then, I methodically went through and looked up every scripture reference and even some of the footnote scriptures of those scriptures. I recorded other scriptures I found and impressions I received.

I ran out of room on that page, so I glued in a piece of paper to fold down. The writing is on the other side.

 If you don't already have a study notebook, you should consider keeping one. You can use it however you want. You don't have to keep yours like mine. Everyone is different. But I am always so grateful that I record this information and the sacred impressions I receive from the Holy Ghost while studying. And I know that the Lord blesses us with more spiritual experiences if we show Him we treasure the ones he gives us by writing them down.

If you want ideas for starting a scripture journal or have any questions, let me know!

Conference for Teens

I watched the first session of conference this morning with my family, and it was so great! I'm so excited for the next session in a few hours!
My favorite part about conference is usually the beginning when President Monson talks about the growth of the church, the missions, and especially the new temples! A few years ago he announced a new temple that will be only thirty minutes away from me, instead of two and a half hours. Ever since, the announcing of new temples has a special new meaning to me because I understand the joy that people all over the world feel. It's incredible, and it's beautiful!
As a youth, there are many things we can listen for in conference. Even the words aimed towards adults about marriage and such can have unique meaning for us. For example, talks about marriage have huge significance to us even though we're not married. As teenagers in the church, we are on the brink of sooooo many giant life decisions! It is wise for us to heed these talks because it will help us know more about these choices as we prepare to make them.
The prophets and leaders of the church have so much knowledge and experience that they can impart to us. I know our lives will be blessed as we cherish conference. I have seen it in my own life. A few conferences ago, I picked out one piece of advice which stuck out to me that I was going to work on for next conference. President Monson gave the counsel. He told us to NEVER post-pone a prompting and to act immediately on inspiration. I instituted this counsel in my life and I saw immediate blessings! I became closer to my Lord, and the Holy Ghost. I learned to recognize the Spirit better, received more promptings and inspiration, and was able to be an instrument in the Lord's hands to further His work. Sure, I wasn't perfect, but the improvement I saw in my life by following teachings from conference was amazing!
So what can you do this conference to bring it in and make it personal? How can you act on the counsel given? Will you go the extra mile to be inspired and better your life? This divine knowledge from on high is being bounteously poured down to us. What will you do with it?

Stories from School

Hey! Well, I started school again on Wednesday. And, it was nowhere near as scary as I thought it would be! It was actually fun! I met lots of new people, and I didn't even get lost once, which for me is pretty amazing! I know that the Lord blessed me so that things went smoothly for me. Starting this school also allowed me to have some pretty amazing experiences, and I want to share some of them with you.

The first day went pretty well. But, by the time lunch rolled around, I couldn't find anyone I knew to sit with. So, I started to worry. But then I found a girl I sort of knew, and she let me sit with her. After that, some of her friends, whom I didn't know, sat at the table as well. we were introduced, and they seemed nice enough. But soon they started swearing and talking about things I didn't want to hear. I just looked away and never laughed or responded when they talked of those things. After a while of that, my acquaintance looked over at me when they were talking and said, "This makes you uncomfortable, doesn't it." I was surprised, so I responded saying, "Well, yeah it does." She said, "I could kind of tell." Then I asked, "How did you know that I don't speak like that? We haven't really known each other that long." She said, "I don't know. You just don't seem like that kind of person." This really touched me. It made me realize that other people truly do see my example, even if they don't say so all the time. 

At the end of the second day of school, I got on the bus to go home. However, all of the seats that I would have wanted were full. So, I sat in the only empty seat, which was near the back of the bus, and the seats which surrounded it were filled with who were a lot bigger and older than me, and who I knew were really mean. Needless to say, I was kinda scared of them. I was afraid that they would try to do something to me, and all of the awful things that they were capable of doing rushed through my mind. I thought for sure that the bus ride home would be miserable. So then, I decided to say a prayer to comfort and protect me. Before I could even finish saying my prayer, this scripture came to my mind:

"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."

- Doctrine and Covenants 84:88

I realized that God would send His angels to protect me should I need protecting. In fact, I thought, there could have been an angel sitting next to me on that bus, and I didn't know. After Heavenly Father told me that through the Holy Ghost, I felt calm. I was able to listen to my ipod for the rest of the bus ride in peace. Those boys ended up ignoring me the whole ride home, which is just how I wanted it. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father protects us and that He answers our prayers.

These have been some powerful lessons for me. They seemed like small occurrences at the time, but after looking back, I realized that Heavenly Father blesses me in many small, almost imperceptible ways every day! It's incredible! Now I've been able to find those small blessings everywhere, which in itself is a blessing! I'm so grateful for my loving Father in Heaven. And I'm so grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ who makes every day worth living.