The Good Just Gets Better - Grace Vanderwaal

Hello everyone! This wasn't posted anywhere yet, so here it is!

[Verse 1]
C                  G             F                   G
You think that you know everything to know about the world
C                   G   F                    G
But let me tell you now you're just a little girl
                        C   G         F           G
There's much more to come     you can't give up now
C                   G                  
College exams and high school boyfriends
F              G            C    G
Just getting by for the rest


[Chorus]
C
So we'll take it one step at a time
G
Don't be nervous you will be fine
F                        G              C     G                            
We'll get through this together you and me
C
So we'll it one step at a time
G
Don't be nervous you will be fine
F                         G             C      G
We'll get through this together you and me
F        G        C   G
Cuz I believe you can
F              G       C    G
So please just take my hand
F           G               C      G
And we will get through this together
F            G                   C  
Because the good just gets better

[Verse 2]
C              G             F              G
Sure your rough days and your heart breaks
C                    G                 F         G    
But ice cream is the best medicine for mistakes


[Chorus]
C
So we'll take it one step at a time
G
Don't be nervous you will be fine
F                         G             C     G
We'll get through this together you and me
C
So we'll take it one step at a time
G
Don't be nervous you will ll be fine
F                         G             C    G
We'll get through this together you and me
F          G         C       G
Cuz I believe you can
F              G           C    G
So please just take my hand
F           G                     C        G
And we will get through this life together
F              G
Because the good

[Bridge]
C                           G      
So keep pushing through it you can do it
F              C       G
We will find a way out
C
Hours in to seconds
G
seconds
F                         C           G
So please just make every one of them count


[Chorus]
C
So we'll take it one step at a time
G
Don't be nervous you will be fine
F                        G              C       G
We'll get through this together you and me    
C
So we'll take it one step at a time
G
Don't be nervous you will be fine
F                        G              C       G
We'll get through this together you and me
F       G         C    G
Cuz I believe you can
F              G       C    G
So please just take my hand
F           G                       C      G
And we will get life through this together
F           G                     C  
Because the good just gets better

Maybe

November 2, 2009 made the best terrible decision I ever made-- I broke up with Mike.
For the next 3 months, the music I listened to was exclusively Ingrid Michaelson. Her words just calmed me down and let me know everything was going to be ok.

One of the songs I listened to over and over again was this one called "Maybe"
I didn't feel like Mike and I would ever get back together, but I knew if he was "the (best) one" for me, we would end up back together. In my head that made no sense, but in my heart I just knew it. 

So this blog is a tribute to the love of my life Mike because he did! He came back!
He might argue that I chased him down, but either way... we're together forever now! And I can't live without him.

I love him more than anything in the entire world.

Picture: Me and Mike. White dress: The night I won Miss Murray when I realized we might have to break up.  Purple dress: days of '47. When I didn't won, he asked me "how about you be my queen instead?" It wasn't an official proposal, but ultimately I did say yes :)

Maybe-- Ingrid Michaelson

I don't want to be the one to say goodbye
But I will, I will, I will
I don't want to sit on the pavement while you fly
But I will, I will, oh yes I will

Maybe in the future, you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back around
Maybe in the future, you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back
The only way to really know is to really let it go
Maybe you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back to me

I don't want to be the first to let it go
But I know, I know, I know
If you have the last hands that I want to hold
Then I know I've got to let them go

Maybe in the future, you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back around
Maybe in the future, you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back
The only way to really know is to really let it go
Maybe you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back

I still feel you on the right side of the bed
And I still feel you in the blankets pulled over my head
But I'm gonna wash away, oh I'm gonna wash away everything til you come home to me

Maybe in the future, you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back
In the future, you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back

Maybe in the future, you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back around
Maybe in the future, you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back
The only way to really know is to really let it go

Maybe you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back to me
You're gonna come back to me
You're gonna come back to me

Happy to be Healthy Now

I am very happy to be healthy now, but I have dealt with eating disorders in the past. I just saw this in my health communications class and had to share it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Obg6DTCGcFg

When I was struggling with eating disorders, I looked in the mirror and saw something COMPLETELY different than what was reality. There was literally something wrong in my mind. I love how this attacks the stigmas that people think about people with eating disorders.

Remember, you are beautiful!
Stace

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff (Part 1)

Hello folks! So I love, love, love reading and here are some of the insights from a book I've read recently.

Don't sweat the smalls stuff at work

Richard Carlson

It's funny because this is tailoring his other book “don't sweat the small stuff” to the workplace... and now I'm switching it back! But I don't have the original book. Oh well! Here is what I learned and what I will be trying to apply into my life.

Here are my favorites from the first half of the book. 

Dare to be happy.

You don't have to be angry and stressed to be successful. It's ok to be happy, kind, patient, more relaxed and forgiving. It's to your advantage personally and professionally.

Don't dramatize the deadlines.

Usually, this has not been a problem for me. But over the past few weeks it has. I need to let things happen when they need to happen, and I suggest you do too!

Have some “no phone” time. (And some no Facebook time!)

My best friend Nelson suggested this one to me a while back, and I've applied it this week. I'm loving life. A lot of pressures are gone when you're not worried about EVERYONE ELSE. “Being popular on Facebook is like being rich in Monopoly”

Join the new club “TGIT” Thank goodness it's today!

Be happy where you are at!

Don't rush things!

Light a candlestick instead of cursing the darkness.

Nothing ever sucked so bad complaining about it didn't make it worse. I promise. 

Don't sweat the demanding boss. (or professor, or teacher, or coach!)

Has it ever occurred to you that the most demanding people are often the ones who push you out of your comfort zone and help you rise to a new level of competence?”

Don't take the 20/80 rule personally. (HUGE one for me!)

The 20/80 rule: 20 percent of the people do 80 percent of the work. My oh my, I've seen this is true EVERYWHERE! At school, at work, at church, in the country in general.

BUT!

That 20 percent that does the bulk of the work can't be bitter, or they will become angry.

Carlson quotes his friend who says “I'm not an overachiever. It's just that most people are underachievers.” ha. Hahaha.
We can't have that way of thinking or we'll drive ourselves insane! 

Examine your rituals and habits (and be willing to change some of them).

How can you fix anything if you don't know what you're doing wrong?

Don't do things a certain way “because that's the way they've always been done” 

If something bugs you, change it!

Also, Examine and recognize patterns of behavior in others and remember them.

No, this is not stereotyping, it's avoiding stress.

A person who is cheap is almost always cheap. A person who is always late needs to be told a time 10 minutes earlier. A person who easily forgets needs to be reminded. If you remember these things and get ready for them, you will avoid a lot of stress.  

Never, ever backstab. (or gossip!)

Also, be willing to forgive those who did it to you. It's much easier to love than to hate. And some of the people I've hated most for something they did to me are now some of my best friends. 

Those who talk about others with you talk about you with others.

See beyond roles/titles. 

People are more than what they're supposed to do or a title they hold.

Realize the power of good report. 

When people love you and trust you, they will use you. And love you more. 

The best way to establish rapport with someone is to assume that you don't have it. In other words, don't take for granted that simply because you know someone or that because you've done business with them before, your rapport is intact. Instead, take the time to reconnect. Be more interested in listening than speaking. Be highly respectful and courteous. Demonstrate your sincerity and your genuine concern. Ask questions and be patient. They key to rapport is to make the person you are speaking with (or speaking t) feel as though he or she is the most important person in your life at that moment. You want to be so present with them- so genuine that they feel special. You can't fake this type of sincerity; you have to be real”

Avoid the tendency to put a cost on personal things.

Carlson tells a lovely story about how his dad took a day off of work to help him move. 

He told his dad "Dad, this is the costliest move you've ever made," referring to the fact that it would have cost must less for his dad to stay at work, make money, and hire someone else to help his son.

“Rich, you can't put a price tag on spending time with your son. There's nothing in the world I'd rather be doing than spending time with you” was his dad's response.

What a great dad. I want to be a person like him.

 Sincerely love others. 

This isn't one that he wrote about in those words, but I lumped a bunch of them together to say this.

Really when you do this, life is so much easier. 

Remember. You don't “deserve” anything.

Another one I made up. As soon as you say the words "I deserve to [do this] or [spend money on that]" You are WRONG!

These are the lessons I am going to try to apply to be a little more happy, and have a little less stress. I suggest you give them a shot too. What have you got to lose- except a little stress?

Stace

Visiting Different Wards!

Oh the joys of traveling!

One of my favorite things about traveling is going to church!

I love to see how different each congregation is, but how completely unified the ward is with the rest of the Church.

For Spring break I am in Florida and LOVING the sun! Many people skip church when they're on vacation, but it was very easy to find a church with the help of LDS.org. We went and immediately fell in love with the ward! A Spanish ward had just been dissolved and now the Spanish ward and the English ward had to make things work. For sacrament, there were translators and headphones, but for Sunday School and Relief Society/Priesthood, the teacher would teach and then others would translate. The Spirit was SO STRONG as we were all trying to understand each other. They were really trying to make it work.

It just makes me think about the early Saints. As they traveled across many seas and across the plains to Salt Lake, there were MANY languages spoken, but they made it work.

The Spirit is a language of it's own. There are no barriers when the ultimate goal is to get closer to God.

I also met these lovely sisters, Sister Allen from Thatcher, Ariona and Sister Stein from Fort Collins, Colorado.
"of course I knew where you were... Every time you're late, you're talking to the Missionaries" -my daddy

It's much easier to love than to hate

There has been a few people in my life I've... well.. not exactly loved. I've never hated anyone- ever. BUT... sometimes there are just certain people that I have avoided for one reason or another. Or they have avoided me.

• Usually it had to do with girls who had similar taste in boys as me...
• Sometimes it had to do with how I knew they had said some really unkind things about me...
• Other times they were avoiding me because they saw how happy I was, thought "nobody is THAT happy" and thought I was fake...
• Other times it was because we had ended our friendship or relationship and we just weren't on good terms.

I can honestly say now I'm on really good terms (as far as I know) with everyone in my life. 
Why?

Because I've learned it's much easier to love than to hate.

Several times as I've had these misunderstandings, all that needed to happen was one explanation, sometimes an apology, and several of these people have become my best friends in the world. 
I am SO grateful to have them in my life.

Now. If you're thinking of someone right now I invite you, reach out, say I'm sorry, and love them. Life so much easier this way. And you'll never know what best friends you can make along the way!

The Spirit, the prophet, and my pioneer ancestors. Where would I be without them? Lost.

Two years ago today I reported tot the Provo MTC to train for my mission in Mesa, Arizona.

Every single day I'm grateful I served.

I love my mission!

I'm so grateful for the people I got to meet, teach, and love along the way.

The elders I served with in the MTC get home this week! I'm so excited for them to come home! And my best friend Chase comes home tuesday! I'm so excited to see my buddy again. We are going to play and play and play!

This week has been extremely emotional for me.

Friday morning there was a shooting. Shootings are always terrible, but this is the worse I've ever heard of. A shooting at an elementary school. Sandy Hook elementary school. 26 killed. 18 kids, 8 adults. I won't even go into how crazy the shooter must have been. He was angry at his parents so he killed them, then he killed other people in the school. I can't imagine.

18 children dead. I can't imaging sending my children (ok, I dont have any so let's say nieces or nephews) off to school, hearing there was a shooting, and finding out my beloved little princess or prince had died. I would have no more will to live. I heard about it all and I just cried. I cried and cried and cried.

Thank goodness my sister came over soon after we heard about the news.

I hugged my sister and we both just cried.

I played with my Gracie lots and lots and lots.

We drew, we printed out pictures of us for her room, we twirled, we danced, we pretended we were princesses. (Yes, my ankle definitely hurt the entire time!)

So with everything that had happened, I was just in a gloomy doomy mood all day. Plus my pain meds weren't really working that great so I was in pain, plus the meds made me sick. Not a happy combination.

Then we went to the Mormon Tabernacle choir Christmas Concert.

I got carsick on the way down, we sat in an awkward place for me to sit so I was uncomfortable, and I was just in a lot of pain. So I was not happy.

Then about 2 minutes before the show started, the prophet entered the room to take his seat. We all stood. I (once again) bawled my eyes out. I felt so much at peace. There are 4 times in my life I have felt a complete overall peace go directly from head to toe- 1)when Elder White gave me a special blessing last January 2) When I prayed once for a friend 3) When my dad gave me a blessing before I went in to get my surgery (funny side note... I totally wrote a will before I went in cuz I thought I was gonna die from going under! Ha! But after my blessing I knew I wouldn't I knew I had much more to do something told me “Don't worry, you have more work to do” and 4) when I got to see the prophet the day of one of the worst shootings ever.

I am so grateful for the Holy Spirit and the peace it brings me.

When I saw the prophet walk in, he was smiling and waving and he was just so happy. If he can still smile, so can I. I am so grateful to have a prophet on the earth who can lead and guide me. I don't know how I could get through life without prayer, church, the scriptures, and knowing there is a prophet on the earth to let me know exactly what I need to do. I know as I am obedient to him I will be blessed.

The program was so beautiful.
Then they spoke about the candy bomber. (long story short) Gail Halvorsen would drop candy down on the kids in Germany from his plane to help them be happy during the war. He got many others to help and they ended up with like 20 million tons of candy for these kids going through a rough time!

Then they brought him out! He was there! And he got to talk about his experience.

And of course, I cried some more.

The other thing that just brought me to tears as I was watching the program was just thinking about the pioneers. I am preparing for the days of 47 pageant and as I am preparing I am reading and learning a lot about my pioneer ancestors. They were INCREDIBLE! I always say “I don't know what I would do if I were them. I don't know how they could handle all of that.” But they were still happy. They still danced, sang, and had families. I know if they were happy, I can be happy too.

I'm grateful for the Holy Spirit, my pioneer ancestry, the prophet on the earth, and how much they all help me to be happy.

I realized I really need to work harder on my Pay it 4ward program. I hope to get in to at least 5 schools this next semester and I'm planning on doing many many more pay it 4ward programs. Every good deed I do increases the spirit of righteousness and throughout the whole earth and decreases the power of the adversary. It says so in my patriarchal blessing and I fully intend to fulfill that.  

Surgery

So I had surgery.
I was born with an extra muscle in my ankle, many people are born with it, but I kept injuring the tendons around it and they couldn't heal because the extra muscle crowded the tendons. So, they just took it out!
Here are photos!
The red thing is the muscle they took out

Frankinkankle!!!

Down Time

So I had surgery this past week on my ankle which has left me with a lot of down time.

Life has been in one word- draining.

yes, it's been fun. yes, it's been crazy. But that one word really sums it up.

As many of you know, things are a little crazy here in the Hansen household right now. My mom has been sick for about a year, my dad has recently had a fairly serious knee surgery, and I had surgery last week. We're a pretty pitiful group wanderin' around these here parts.

But in my down time, I've been doing a lot of family history, reading, thinking, and of course watching a lot of TV. Here are some of my thoughts.

*Love has almost nothing to do with marriage.
                  I think if one variable can sum up how great a marriage will be, it's commitment. I have been head over heels in love with boys who have not been committed to me. I have been somewhat in love with a boy who was very committed to me. Didn't end up with any of them, but I'm pretty sure I would've been much happier with the man that was committed to me.
Hopefully someday I'll find a man who's very committed and very in love with me but still.
I think you can be in love with someone who you would never be happily married to. and I believe love has a lot less to do with marriage than the movies make it to be.

*my english is kinda terrible.

*sweating the small stuff is SO not worth it. you just make everyone else angry.

*Karma is really just the world Paying it 4ward.

*Obedience is easy. disobedience is hard.

I think that's it for now. I have lots more to say. but it will stay in my brain.

loves
stace

Being a missionary is so much more fun without the name tag!

Honey! I'm hommmmee!!!
Ok, so no, I didn't come home to any honey... but I AM home!
And I am LOVING being a missionary here at home!

I can't put a lot of my experiences up because they're personal to people I am around all the time now, but I will share some quick ones with ya'll.

I love working with the Elders and coming to lessons with them!
I've been able to help with one man, Robert, in our singles ward. He's now baptized and I'm so happy for him!
I got to go to General Conference with the Elders and an investigator, Jimmy. Really nice kid! I know he can turn his life around!

A quick note from my journal to explain my feelings:
Oct 21, 2012

Today was one of the happiest days of my life. I invited this guy Amos to church and to temple square and he actually CAME! He is from Liberia (which is near ghana) and I was stoked! Ahhhh he says he's not interested in being baptized, but he loves our faith and what we teach and wants to come to church with us once a month :) 

So how did I meet Amos? at Smith's! Missionary work is so easy! People want to hear more about us, all we have to do is open our mouths!

I have a good friend who is coming back to church and she is also doing awesome (she went inactive for 6 years and now is coming back) it is so rewarding to see the changes she is making! She used to be so sad all the time, and now she is happy more and more! I love her so much! 

One of the things I really love about it is how much my ward is supporting her! At ward prayer, when we were thinking about who needed prayers, one of the girls said shouted out my friend's name1! OTHER PEOPLE IN THE WARD ARE SUPPORTING HER! I am so happy.

One of the girls from my home wards' moms also asked me to help out and make sure her daughter has friends, problem is she lives far away. I feel so bad. I wish I could help everyone. But I've realized if I really focus on helping just a few people, I really can make a big difference in peoples lives. I dont have to change and help THE WHOLE WORLD. I just have to change a few peoples WHOLE WORLDS. It really makes a huge difference.

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!

and I love my life!

more posts to come!

love ya'll!

Stace Face

He gets good looks from his mom, his stinkyness from his dad, and his super powers from his aunt!

Me and my friend Marie

RS Witch's night out!

One of the best days of my life! Lagoon with my best friend Nelson!

Serve with Honor. Another Bott book

Being a Greeny

Until you are established as a credible missionary, nobody will take you seriously. You must be a good follower to be a good leader.

Serve with urgency and without regret.
Each morning, recommit yourself to the kind of missionary you want to be.
Now is your time to serve! Do it right from your first day to your last!

If you're going to represent the Lord, do so by first keeping all his rules and commandments. (rules from the President are through revelation and experience. follow those too!)

ONLY DECIDE ONCE- then DO IT!

On your first day with your companion, sit down and make goals.
some things to talk about:
getting up, companionship study, leaving on time, cleaning, lenth fo time at members homes, what to do when appts fall thorugh, what time to be in at night, nonmission topics and discussions (how much/little) talking about gf/bf. just set ground rules.

Companion Compromise

D.D. Don't DWELL!

No matter what the situation or probelm, you have 3 options:
1. don't let it bother you
2. complain about it and let it affect the quality of your mission
3. evaluate the situation and do something about it.

Only YOU can made a good companionship (says smokey the friend... not funny) ba.. ha.

The more you depend on the Lord, the more he supports you


Don't find fault with leaders

You will not be able to change the whole world from negative to positive, but you will make a difference by having a positive attitute,.

LEADERSHIP

But he that is greatest amonth you shall be your servant

"servant leadership"

Also remember, you can't lead from the rear.

take criticism well

God never gives blessings to those who can't handle the blessings. Or who haven't earned them.


God never bestows upon His people, or upon and indiviual, superior blessings without a severe tial to prove them, the prove that individual or people, to see whether they will keep their covenents with Him,


"I know not, save the Lord commanded me" Moses 5:6

DON'T GOSSIP

Everyone else is in the same boat.

In the back of my journal- keep a "list" :D

write yourself a letter

Anyone can be away from their home for a year and a half, what I do with that year and a half is up to me!

Preparation Precedes Power

Here's a few highlights from one of my recent reads :D
Some of it's stuff he said, some of it's stuff I read that I'm pretty sure wasn't there. Some of it's random stories or movies that i made connections to. Any way it comes, enjoy!

Preparations Precedes Power
Brother Randy L. Bott (AKA #1 professor on ratemyprofessor.com)

There was a sister missionary that couldn't pay for her mission, so her grandparents helped her. She wanted to pay her grandparents back in the only way she knew how- to be the very best missionary she could be. Guess what? We're all "borrowing" something from the Lord-- Our lives. Christ has literally paid for us to come to Earth and we must pay Him back the best way we know how- to do the very best we can to be like Him.
We are living on borrowed time. Pay Him back.


Stick to every assigned or decided task, then stick with it until it is finished.

Proof that the Church is true:
Our Church sends out 19 year old boys as our main ambassadors. It is not only sustaining memberships, it's growing.
"Wherefore, I call upon the weak things of the world, those who are unlearned and despised" D & C 35: 13
hahahahahahaha :D

Converting does not happen through charisma.
It's through the Spirit.

Even if you're consentrating so hard on not thinking of "it" (whatever "it" may be- sins, failures) you're still thinking about IT! Satan wins! so stop worrying and stop working!
"don't you realize that if the adversary can get a person to either think about "doing it" or think about "not doing it" they are still thinking about "IT!"

To be a good missionary, you must be at the top of your game: physically, spiritually, emotionally, and socially.

It is never too late to try again.

- I often talk with Latter-day Saints who say, "I don't want to go on a mission, or accept this call, or fulfill this assignment." Yet they steadfastly declare that they are "trying to be like Jesus." If we are really trying to be like Jesus, then our desire to perform an assignment has nothing to do with our willingness to accept and complete the assignment.


The Gospel
1. Atonement
2. Resurrection
3. Judgement
4. Faith in Jesus Christ
5. Repentence
6. Baptism
7. The Gift of the Holy Ghost
8. Endure to the End

God never gives a superior blessings without an equal and opposition temptation (or trial)

Satan doesn't have a veil between him and our pre-earth life- we do. He doesn't. He knows our weaknesses. He cannot control or persuade us unless we give him permission.

It depends on wheter we control our bodies or our bodies control us.

The 4 most wicked dispensations were/are
1. The times of Noah
2. the times of Christ
3. The time just preceding the 2nd coming (now)
4. The time when Satan is loosed for a "little season"

Put on the whole armor of God!!!

 Have your loins girt about with truth.

Interesting: people ask this question a lot- how far can I go? This is the best answer I've ever seen
When you get to that point that you don't want another person doing that particular activity with your future mate, then you have defined the degree of sexual involvement you can be involved in on your dates. It is total hypocrisy to expect a higher degree of chastity from your future mate than you require of yourself.


Only those in the highest degree of the Celestial Kingdom will have the power to procreate. Procreation is a power for Gods. It's almost like we're on a trial basis down here. If we abuse it now, we won't have it later.

Having on the breastplate of righteousness


What God says is right is right, what God says is wrong is wrong.


life in general is pretty black and white. It's when we justify, confuse, and overthink things that it turns all shades of grey.


Prophets do us no good unless we are willing to listen to them


Your safety depends on how carefully we listen to and follow the inspired counsel of our leaders.

your feet shod with preparation the gospel of peace


Feet=Goals
Gospel of peace-Christ

Go to Christ!

When thinking "should I do this activity" think "Will this bring me closer to Heavenly Father?" If it does, DO IT! If it doesn't, DON'T!

And take the helmet of salvation


The fastest way to destroy the latterday Saint youth (and adults) is to flood their minds with the humanistic philosophies of the world.
Your "primogenerator" (first father) is GOD not SCUM. YOU can become like your father. who wants to be scum?


the only part that's not protected- the back!
We must face trials head on!
The best defense is to always have the Spirit!


D and C 101:32-34 answers it all :D

If you want a blessing, obey that law

Determine what kind of missionary you want to be, obey the law upon which it is predicated, and you'll be that kind of missionary.
Dont pick and chose

Just cuz you don't get caught don't mean it weren't wrong!

Who controls God- HIM! One of the most Godly attributes one can have is to take responsibilities for themselves.

If a person is controlled by the outside, they are completely out of control. If they control themselves, they are in complete control.

Don't just be obedient, don't just follow the rules, do what you KNOW you should do.
(Golden rule vs platinum rule)

A well served mission literally becomes the foundation for the rest of your life.
If you go expecting an unparalleled challenging experience, you will have the proper mind set.

Take everything day-by-day
Matthew 6:34

If experiencing homesickness or laziness, SERVE OTHERS!

Alma 26:27
DnC3:8
DnC 84:88

How to overcome homesickness


Pray more earnestly
Read the scriptures
repent
let go fo the past
know yourself
have a plan
AVOID ALL NEGATIVE SELF TALK- NO PITY PARTIES
"Nothing was ever so bad that complaining made it better"
count your blessings
get a preisthood blessing
tackle one problem at a time
recognize progress
re read your patriarchal blessing
write a letter to a depressed friend
EXERCISE
listen to good music
keep hanging on
read the Book of Mormon
follow the prophet
if all else fails- get help from the mission president

When you are your best physically, emotionally, and spiritually, you are the best missionary you can be

GET ALONG WITH YOUR COMPANION
if ye are not one ye are not mine

SATAN WINS WHEN COMPANIONS FIGHT

most fights are personal preference, not right and wrong

The Lord seldom answers prayers that haven't been asked

IS IT AN ANSWER? if it motivates action, then mostly likely YES!

you can still change your mind once you've recieved an answer

Don't ask a question and then hang up before you get the answer!

Only the prince of peace can bring you peace neither you or the devil can duplicate that inner peace of mind that passes all understanding


Spirit
If you can't get the Spirit during a discussion, its best to leave and set another time to teach


Don't try to tell people what the spirit feels like


pray always for the spirit.


When you feel the spirit, ask the investigators what they feel. let them know that's how they feel th Spirit.


It is the greatest nonsense in the world to NOT believe that we are daughters and sons of God.


God knew and determined where, when and how long each person would live on earth. "and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation"


It is most important to understand that God knows the end from the beginning. We are not here to prove our willingness to obey God-0 he already knows the end, We are here to prove to ourselves that we can be trusted to obey even when our memory of the spiritual past has been temporarily taken from us.


You don't need to be PERFECT to be saved. That's what the atonement is for.


we were not sent here to fail


The only difference between the old and young dying is, one lives longer in heaven and eternal light and glory than the other, and is freed a little sooner from this miserable wicked world.

Whatever level of law a person chooses to obey will determine what kingdom he or she goes into.

So I've personally been thinking about that one a lot lately. Sure, if you are worthy of a temple recommend, you're worthy to enter into the Celestial kingdom... but you got to get to the HIGHEST degree. so keep the highest laws.

We are given a celestial gift- use it wisely

we are judged on what we have become, not what we have done. we're delt different cards so we can't do the same things

tests don't matter, the end product does.

Christs ministry was 3 years. mine is 18 months. He did all he could, I will too.

When you come home, no one knows the changes you've made. only YOU know how you served. be proud of those changes.

What you will learn on a mission
Respect, the scriptures, love, understanding of people, forgiveness, leadership, humility, knowlege,

EVERY GOOD ACT WILL BE REWARDED. EVERY WRONG WILL HAVE BEEN PAID FOR BY THE ATONEMENT OF CHRIST OR BY THE SUFFERING OF THE SINNER.

Don't play both sides of the net.

Virtually anything that influences a person to be more Christlike, whether member or not, whether interested in being taught or not, whether you'll ever meet them again or not, is missionary work.
Pay it 4ward.org :D


When you give to the Lord, He gives back.

Ultimately, my reasons for going on a mission are selfish. I want to serve Him now, so He will bless me and my family later :D

hahahahaha

A linguistics professor was lecturing to his class one day……



“In English,” he said, “A double negative forms a positive. In some languages, though, such as Russian, a double negative is still a negative. However, there is no language wherein a double positive can form a negative.”



A voice from the back of the room piped up, “Yeah, right.”

Send Me

Jesus said it. Now I'm saying it too.

Somebody said this day would come
I never thought it would
Somebody said that I feel this way
But I never thought I could

Now soul is yearning there’s a fire that burning
The truth never felt so right and so good

Chorus
There’s a light inside that’s leading me on
And a voice that’s calling my name
And for all I believe I will go where he leads
Put my life in heaven’s hand
I know I can here I am send me

Somebody knows all of my fears
And all that I have to know
But somebody sees the person I’ll be
When faithfully I return
So I bear my witness of his mercy and forgiveness
Safe in his footsteps I’m ready to serve

With a light inside that’s leading me on
And the voice that’s calling my name
And for all I believe I will where he leads
Put my life in heaven’s hand
I know I can here I am send me

There’s a light inside that’s leading me on
And a voice that’s calling my name
And for all I believe I will go where he leads
Put my life in heaven’s hand
I understand this is his plan
Here I am Send Me.

It's official! I'm serving an LDS mission and I turn in my papers TOMORROW!!!
I understand this means giving up A LOT and it will be hard, and there will be days when I hate it, but Jesus gave EVERYTHING to me and He suffered for all of my sins so I could return to him. I can give him a year and a half of my life.

He never said it would be easy, He only said it would be worth it.

If we are the Body

I love this song because it makes us realize just going to Church isn't enough. Even preaching the Gospel isn't enough. We must LIVE the Gospel and reach out to ALL- even those of your faith!

It's crowded in worship today
As she slips in
Trying to fade into the faces
The girls' teasing laughter is carrying farther than they know
Farther than they know

CHORUS
But if we are the Body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way
There is a way

A traveler is far away from home
He sheds his coat
And quietly sinks into the back row
The weight of their judgmental glances tells him that his chances
Are better out on the road

But if we are the Body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way

Jesus paid much too high a price
For us to pick and choose who should come
And we are the Body of Christ

If we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way

Jesus is the way

All that I have

Today I decided to give all that the Lord has given me back.

If I'm grateful for my voice, use it to help others.

If I'm grateful for my family, serve them.

If I'm grateful for my friends, lead them.

If I'm grateful for others' kindness, pay it forward.

If I'm grateful for my body, respect it and demand others do the same.

If I'm grateful for my talents, use them to lift others.

and on and on and on.

A few good quotes

trials and tribulations come along with happiness and success. They're part of the package, part of the plan. Heavenly Father knows we have to be cut down in order to be built up stronger. With every hill we face we need to keep in mind that at the top of each one there are many more we will climb. Some will descend lower before we ascend higher again. the key is to keep moving forward with faith, trusting in the Lord, and giving our absolute best!

The only person that needs to believe in something is you; others will follow when you don't give up.
C.J.

You don’t know if something fits until you try it on for size. It could go so wrong, or turn out to be quite an awesome surprise. So try it on, test it out. It may be something you can’t believe you ever lived without.

The trick of persuation is letting the other guy have your way
Sometimes the only way to find your limit is to push it

"Life is just as ____ as you make it!"

Your life is what you make it. If you life is stressful, it’s because YOU’RE stressful. If your life is dramatic, it’s because YOU’RE dramatic! If you're life is fantastic, it's because YOU have made it that way!

Let your heart lead and your dreams will follow

Reaction

Gosh I have so much to write about, but for now- just a little

How you react when things don't go your way creates who you are day by day.

That is definitely my quote of the moment. I just have to look back on things that haven't gone my way before and realize how much of a blessing they actually turned out to be.

For instance- it took me 3 times to win Miss Murray, and I'm so glad that it did. There's no way I would've been able to help as many people as I have if I'd won my 1st or even my 2nd time. I can only be grateful to my Heavenly Father for unanswered prayers.



Garth Brooks- Unanswered Prayers
Thanks Alex for the song idea :D

Just the other night a hometown football game
My wife and I ran into my old high school flame
And as I introduced them the past came back to me
And I couldn't help but think of the way things used to be

She was the one that I'd wanted for all times
And each night I'd spend prayin' that God would make her mine
And if he'd only grant me this wish I wished back then
I'd never ask for anything again

CHORUS:
Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers
Remember when you're talkin' to the man upstairs
That just because he doesn't answer doesn't mean he don't care
Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers

She wasn't quite the angel that I remembered in my dreams
And I could tell that time had changed me
Inn her eyes too it seemed
We tried to talk about the old days
There wasn't much we could recall
I guess the Lord knows what he's doin' after all

And as she walked away and I looked at my wife
And then and there I thanked the good Lord
For the gifts in my life

CHORUS

Some of God's greatest gifts are all too often unanswered...
Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers

Maybe

I don't want to be the one to say goodbye
But I will, I will, I will
I don't want to sit on the pavement while you fly
But I will, I will, oh yes I will

Maybe in the future, you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back around
Maybe in the future, you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back
The only way to really know is to really let it go
Maybe you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back to me

I don't want to be the first to let it go
But I know, I know, I know
If you have the last hands that I want to hold
Then I know I've got to let them go

Maybe in the future, you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back around
Maybe in the future, you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back
The only way to really know is to really let it go
Maybe you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back

I still feel you on the right side of the bed
And I still feel you in the blankets pulled over my head
But I'm gonna wash away, oh I'm gonna wash away everything til you come home to me

Maybe in the future, you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back
In the future, you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back

Maybe in the future, you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back around
Maybe in the future, you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back
The only way to really know is to really let it go

Maybe you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back to me
You're gonna come back to me
You're gonna come back to me

!

I wrote this my Junior Year of high school in a notebook that I'm throwing away for some drill thing, so I will write it all here :D yay for technology :D

My Future

When I get older I think I will be
Someone with honesty, love, and integrity
I want to help all those around
so they don't feel stuck, alone on the ground
someday I hope to help and lead
those who are suffering , or are in need
I want to help them know who they are
and teach them their worth, they can go far!
My profession- I'm not exactly sure
I don't think I'll be what my parents were
psychology or pharmacy is what I'm thinking
The pay for neither of them is stinking
But that's not why i want to do those
I just love people and I think it shows
To help people= to show them the way
is what I like- didn't I already say that? what the hay!
My schooling will be tough and very hard
but after I'm done I'll hold all the cards
I will be a doctor- I'm not sure of what
I know I'm not gonna be a slut
I wanna be the best
a cut above the rest
not so I can hold it over others' head
but so I can know that before I'm dead
I tried my hardest and never stopped
I got what I deserved- the others i topped
but a great doctor needs a loving man
someone to help her and take her hand
He WILL sing to me- even if he sucks
we will take walks in the park & feed the ducks
He'll be there to help me, hold me, support me
It will be true love, true romance, true serendipity
It's scary to think this decision must be made in a few years
because the wrong one in this choice is the biggest of my frears
So I won't rush, and I'll take my time
and I'll have those boys standing in a line
they'll show me their brains, their talent, their braun
They'll show me they love me without makeup on
But the one that I chose I'll love forever
Whether we're in Utah, or Alaska, or Denver
oh we'll have kids too- I didn't forget
they'll be the cutest, strongest, smartest kids yet!
I'lll teach them to respect- they'll never talk back
or else their bags they'll have to pack
I'll teach them to work, to sing, to cook
they'll even love to sit and read a book
I know this dream is far-fetched, but I want it!
and once I get it? Heck yes! I'll flaunt it!