General Conference!

Ok first of all, it is way too easy to get behind on things, praying, scripture reading, blog posting. Aaaah! I didn't realize how if we are not actively putting in the effort to pray and read scriptures it'll get away from you so quickly. I realized this and got back to it today and need to keep at it, vigorously. 

The section I opened up to in Doctrine and Covenants was absolutely perfect. I've been greatly looking forward to General Conference. I definitely need to soak up loads of spiritual goodness, I've been feeling a little without lately from all the crazy politics and things happening in the world. Bleh. I need to hear the good word. Major.

Anyways, Doctrine and Covenants section 29, what an amazing precursor to this weekend. 

https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/29?lang=eng

1- This call to listen felt so compelling, I could definitely hear His words calling to me.

2- The prayer I said before reading this section didn't feel very mighty, how can I make my prayers more mighty? When was the last mighty prayer I had?

4- I felt this scripture speaking directing to me, as I have been told multiple times that I have the ability to share my testimony freely. 

5- After feeling discouraged from all the poolah in the world today, this was a great lift me up. 

8- Totally talking about conference!

12- Love for God = keeping his commandments. He really doesn't ask that much of us.

14- There will be signs of the second coming greater than the sun darkening and the moon turning to blood and the stars falling. 

16- Hailstorms will destroy crops. I hadn't ever noticed this before.

21- Abominations cannot reign in eternity, though they can reign temporally on Earth, unfortunately.

22- So after Christ comes again He will live with the righteous for 1000 years and even after then, people will deny God. The 1000 years of peace will not end peacefully. 

23- Earth is where the Celestial kingdom will be but it will be a new earth. I wonder if that means the planet will be destroyed and reborn. 

24- All things will be new, all the animals too.

27- Christ will be ashamed to represent the wicked. I would never want Christ to be ashamed of me.

32- All things were created first spiritually then secondly temporally. This is how I create any art, sketching and researching then creating physically. The Lord truly is an artist with His own creative process.

34- God has never given us a commandment to obey for a season, all of His commandments are enteral and are to be obeyed always. 

39- We have to be tempted, or we couldn't be agents unto ourselves, we couldn't choose for ourselves right from wrong because we wouldn't know right from wrong. 

44- We are what holds us back from being redeemed, we can only do so when we repent. But we can always repent, we can always be redeemed. 

47- Children are not allowed to be tempted by Satan. I hadn't ever realized this, that it's not just that they don't understand right from wrong, but they are protected from temptation.

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/04?cid=HP_SA_3-26-2016_dPFD_fGC_xLIDyL1-B_&lang=eng

I cannot wait for conference tomorrow. We are so lucky to get such spiritual affirmation from the Lord's divinely appointed servants. Recently I saw an article about this couple that left the church, it really hit my heart in a dark way. I hated the way it made me feel. I decided to search out my Savior instead of searching the dark feelings and I felt such happiness and joy, such peace and serenity. Jesus is truly the light and life of the world, He is where true happiness lies. I KNOW that. Satan wants us to seek after the dark feelings we have so he can remove our testimony. Don't let him take that away from you! Don't let the dark feelings remove yourself so far from God you are past feeling. It happens more often than what people think...people I know...please, if you feel those dark feelings and thoughts creeping in, pray, read your scriptures, and listen to conference with an open heart and mind. Seek to be close to Him. 

Our Divine Inheritance

Ok so I know I haven't posted for a while, I've been really contemplating what to make my new post about. I've been thinking a lot about gender equality and how the world views men and women. Some say that we shouldn't categorize people into genders based on how people are born and what body parts and chemical makeups people have, some think that we should categorize based on how someone feels they are. Others think we should simply get rid of gender groups all together and let people explore being who they are with less regimes and stigmas. 

Let me tell you my opinion.

God created Adam and Eve. Now, this is important. God created man to have "dominion over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." 

We are made to look like God, after His likeness and character. He specifically created man and woman. Obviously one reason is so that the rest of us could be born, they needed to have children so that man could be. "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth." 

Now, I'd like to point something out. When God created man, He didn't say "So God created man to be buff and have a beard, showing no emotion for he was strong. God made man to only enjoy working with his hands and doing the manual labor. God created women to be emotional, yeah, to be delicate flowers, having long manes and decorating their faces." 

You get the picture.

No, God simply said "Here's a man, here's a woman. We made them after our image, male and female." Also, God was quite happy with how he created man and woman. "And God saw every thing he had made, and behold, it was very good." https://www.lds.org/scriptures/ot/gen/1?lang=eng (Genesis 1)

If God didn't care about genders, why would He create them to be separate and distinct? I don't think abolishing genders is a good idea. God doesn't make mistakes. 

Another reason I believe God created genders is so that men and women could be a help meet for each other. In Genesis 2:18 it says "And the Lord God said, it is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him." A lot of people think this means that Eve [and all women] are to be a help to their husbands. The term help meet (also help mate) is a companion or partner and I read somewhere that it also has the connotation that Eve was designed for Adam, to compliment him and pair with him. God didn't just give Adam a wife, someone to have kids with. He also gave him a woman who was a good match for him, they were a good couple together. I like to think of the term "help meet" as being someone who meets you where you are and helps you grow closer to God. 

Later, because Adam and Eve sin, Adam has to till the ground and work hard to make it beautiful and Eve is to bear children. Modern day revelation gives us a little more specific detail as to the separate responsibilities men and women have in the Church. 

https://www.lds.org/bc/content/shared/content/english/pdf/36035_000_24_family.pdf

The Family, a Proclamation to the World was given by President Hinckley 20 years ago. It says this about men:

"By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families."

A lot of people take that to mean that fathers should work for their family and provide protection, being strong and masculine. There are many ways to interpret these lines and apply them to your own unique situation and circumstance. I'll come back to this. Here's what is says about women:

"Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children."

That one is pretty straight forward. Now, before you get all mad at me saying "How oppressed women are in your church!" look at a key word in both descriptions. Primarily. These are general terms. The Church and God do not wish to dictate every aspect of our lives. That would be exhausting and would ruin the joy we experience as we make our own decisions through prayerful consideration. These are guidelines. Basically, the Prophet and his twelve apostles felt it important to let everyone know that because of our divine inheritance, men should try to provide as much as they can for their families and preside as the priesthood holder through love and righteousness and a closeness to God as well as protect his family. Women should primarily nurture the children. Mothers are the ones that carry the baby for 9 months and breast feed (if that's what you're in to). It makes sense that a mother typically nurtures her children. It is divine design that men are to provide for their families but that doesn't mean that a mother can't either. I plan on teaching piano lessons and doing graphic design while I have kids, there's on reason why I can't. Every family is different. Some have a stay at home dad. Ultimately, it's between you, your spouse and God how you should go about your lives together as husband and wife and eventually mom and dad.

Men and women are to work together. "In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners." Whatever you feel is necessary for you and your spouse to do in order to raise your family, you should do it. 

See? And the world thinks women are oppressed in our Church. We are not in the slightest! We simply believe that men and women are inherently different and have different responsibilities in the home. Men can receive certain promptings and guidance from having the priesthood and women receive unique instruction as well just from being a mother or having the potential to be one. Isn't that cool??

Now, society deems a lot of different things when it comes to gender roles. In America, men are usually portrayed to be masculine, "wearing the pants," and women are portrayed to be feminine, soft, and sensual. 

Other countries portray men and women differently, but today I want to focus on America. This is a box advertising wants to put us in. There have been movements to try and make it less extreme and mold the two together. 

I just want to say, today's marketing and advertising means squat. 

How do we use gender? Or, how should we use gender?

I use gender in knowing that I am a daughter of God. That means I inherently have the ability to have children. Beyond that, how I define myself, is up to me. Some people say women should have long hair, wear makeup, dress themselves up. I know who I am.

I don't see myself as the typical woman. I change my hair all the time, right now I like it short. I like to dress up on occasion, but typically I wear pants and a comfty t shirt. I don't like to wear make up very often. I'm not your stick figure kind of girl. I have curves and I'm not afraid of them. I don't let society deem what it means to be a woman. I have discovered myself what kind of a woman I am. 

People try to change their genders to achieve some kind of happiness they think they're after by "becoming a man/woman." Here's what I know: To be a man/woman, you're born with XX or XY chromosomes, you have a unique genetic makeup, and you have certain body parts. God gives us a couple of responsibilities based on those genetic factors. The rest is up to you and how you let society influence your decisions. Quit trying to get rid of something God made. Quit trying to blur the lines. God has them there for a reason. Celebrate who you are, as a man, or a woman, masculine, or feminine. I like to think of myself as feminine just not flowery. 

Who do you see yourself as? 

Don't forget, cookies, if you're European.

The Field is Ready For Harvest

I haven't posted all week because I felt like I hadn't had anything substantial in my scripture reading to post about. So you get one long post today! I'll be covering my thoughts on Sections 9-13 so I'll condense and only post on the scriptures I gained insight from.

Section 9
https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/9?lang=eng

Section 9 is revelation given through Joseph Smith to Oliver Cowdery because he did not translate properly. 

10- Sometimes we are called and then through our actions/the Lord's will we are not meant to fulfill our calling at the present time and can be called again later. 

11- Oliver Cowdery feared man more than God which led him away from his calling to translate. 

13- If we follow God's laws and keep His commandments we shall prosper.

14- Stand fast in the work; whatever the Lord has asked us to do, do it promptly and orderly. 

Section 10
https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/10?lang=eng

Section 10 is revelation given to Joseph Smith regarding the Book of Lehi and how because he feared men more than God he lost the scriptures and they fell into the wrong hands.

4- I think we often times forget this command from the Lord, to not run faster or labor more than you have strength. Sometimes the Lord will ask us to do things we do not feel we can do at the present time. That's ok, He wants you to make sure you are able to do the things He's asked in due diligence.
5- Pray ALWAYS. Good days, bad days, sickness, health, boring days, joyful moments, when things are too hard; PRAY ALWAYS.

16, 17, 18- I found these selection of versus very interesting. This is in regards to the wicked people that got a hold of the Book of Lehi and changed the wording to try and debunk Joseph Smith. The thought in their hearts was to see if God would let him translate again. They believed God was giving him the power to translate but they wanted to prove him to be false (all the thoughts of the devil). I feel that those who truly do not believe don't care this much as to thwart the ways of the Lord. Those that do but have evil intentions and allow the devil to move them want to destroy the work of the Lord.

19- They wanted to do this to gain glory in the world and that they wouldn't be ashamed in the end. Ashamed of what? 

26- Satan flatters, God invites and loves.

37- Sometimes we may have an inkling that someone is not who they confess to be. Hold your peace and the Lord will see fit that justice is served.

45- While it is sad that we lost the Book of Lehi, what we actually have in the scriptures in the book of Nephi throws greater view upon His gospel. I never realized that. I'd heard different disputes from religion teachers that we weren't ready for the scriptures in the book of Lehi or that it was a  great and tragic loss. While it is sad, the words in the book of Nephi give greater insight to the Lord's gospel.

50- [The people of Nephi] left a blessing upon this land that those who should believe in the gospel might have everlasting life. 

51- The foot note for free says "mission of the latter-day saints." It is our goal and mission that the gospel is free to any who want to receive it.

59- The Lord spoke of having other sheep which are not of this fold when He rose from the dead in Jerusalem. There were many who understood Him not and do not understand that He wouldn't just visit one group of people; He loves us all too much to not visit as many as He could.

63- Wrest means to twist and distort the scriptures until they no longer bear the truth contained about the gospel of Christ. 









Section 11
https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/11?lang=eng

Section 11 is revelation given through Joseph Smith to Hyrum Smith, much like Section 9.

1 & 2- The same text is cited in multiple sections of the Doctrine and Covenants about missionary work and bringing souls unto Christ. I need to pay attention to this. 

5- Again, do not forget to ask for things from the Lord. Just because you received a witness doesn't mean you shouldn't ask more. Seek to follow Him. Thrust in your sickle and reap where you sow.

7- The mysteries of God are His riches. As we gain them we shall grow richer than any worldly man.

12- Trust the spirit that leads you to do good. Some people worry about whether a prompting was truly a prompting or their own thoughts and ideas. If it is to do something good, that aligns with the teachings of Christ and the teachings of His church and gospel, why not follow the prompting? This verse says we ought to. 

14- All things pertaining unto righteousness, if we have faith and ask, we will receive an answer. I've had this happen so many times.

16- We must be patient. I am the worst at trusting the Lord's timing; I am not a patient woman. 

17- According to my faith in Him, what I desire will be done unto me. I must have more patience and faith in Him and His will and timing.

20- We are the Lord's work and glory. Ours is to keep His commandments.

21- Because I sought to obtain the word of God I was so easily able to bear testimony of those things I had gained. 

23- Behold, thou art "________"; seek the kingdom of God and whatsoever you desire will be added unto you.

25- Do not deny yourself the opportunity to bear testimony or receive revelation, even if it feels scary.

27, 28, 29, 30- If we desire to serve Him, you need to come unto Him and know Him and believe on His name.










Section 12
https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/12?lang=eng

Section 12 is Revelation given through Joseph Smith to Joseph Knight. There wasn't much about this Section that hadn't been reiterated in Sections 9 and 11. 

Section 13
https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/13?lang=eng

Section 13 is the ordination of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery to the Aaronic Priesthood.

1- The Aaronic priesthood allows men to minister of angels and of the gospel of repentance and baptize through proper priesthood authority. 














After reading those sections, I really felt the desire to serve, to reap where I sow. So, I decided to attend my midweek relief society activity, which I had never done in this ward. I'm so glad I did, it was so fun! I loved getting to know the other sisters in the ward better and the activity was fun as well. I also decided today to do a random act of kindness for a couple of sisters in the ward who had helped me to feel a greater love for my ward members and serving. It felt so good to do that, to get to know other sisters in the ward and to serve. 
I also have found a much greater appreciation for ALL of my ward meetings. 

To be honest, I did not enjoy sunday school in my new ward, no matter who the teacher was. But I have slowly yet surely been able to get something out of it (by participating!). If you don't put yourself out there you won't be able to feel the joy of the gospel, not fully.

There is pure joy in the gospel, untainted, undisturbed joy that everyone can have access to if we seek after it.

Fast Sunday

On Saturday I read D&C sections 7 & 8. Today was also fast Sunday, lots of wonderful thoughts and feelings today. Section 7 is about John the Beloved and Section 8 is about Revelation given through Joseph Smith to Oliver Cowdery.

Section 7

https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/7?lang=eng

2- It is amazing to me that John the Beloved wanted to live on for years and years to help bring others unto Christ.

5- It is also amazing to me that bringing souls unto Christ is greater than what John the Beloved did in his life time.

6- I was wondering if he was some person that a lot of people meet that the Lord changes his looks in the eyes of others so he doesn't raise suspicion? But this is a much better solution haha and it makes sense, being an angel is different than a soul in spirit paradise. Joseph was visited by many angels. 

Section 8

https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/8?lang=eng

4- While this is directed at Oliver Cowdery, it totally applies to us. We receive gifts of all different kinds and they deliver us out of the hands of our enemies when we use them and devote our time, talents, and gifts to the work of the Lord. If we are idle and do not exercise our gifts and talents then it would bring our soul into destruction.

8- Now this verse is talking directly about the Aaronic priesthood. I love how it says no power all be able to take away the priesthood. It is the individual's own agency that takes it away. That to me is beautiful.

11- For me, I'm not needing to translate like Oliver was, but I am seeking to receive knowledge and to know the mysteries of God, I know it shall be done unto me according to my faith.

Ok, now about church! So Matt and I go to his parents house for dinner after church on fast Sundays which works great when we had 1pm church but now we have 9am church so if we start our fast on Sunday, it's only for one meal which isn't a full fast. I want to get the most out of my fasting so we decided to start without dinner Saturday evening. We didn't do it perfectly but we did start Saturday night without eating and fasted until lunch on Sunday. I was grateful for this opportunity, it made my fast more worthwhile and I was really able to feel the spirit during the testimony meeting. 

I decided I had to share how my testimony has grown this week through the revelation and responses I received. I thought I felt the spirit reading my scriptures. That was NOTHING compared to how I felt standing at the pulpit, testifying of my Lord and Savior and the direct answers He gave me. I was overcome with love, knowing He is real, He is there, and He loves us all. I truly know that my Savior loves me. I could feel the spirit really strong the whole testimony meeting. 

We have an ASL group in my ward and one of the brothers gave his testimony. It was really cool, there was a moment where he didn't need translated. You could tell what he was saying. He was talking about how when he shakes the stake president's hand, he can feel the spirit. When he shakes the bishop's hand, he can feel it. When he shakes our hands, he can feel it. We are his ward family. It was beautiful, he did the same sign to show how he felt when shaking all these people's hands and you could just tell how much it means to him. 

Another brother gave his testimony about Christ's love for us, he has lost so much in the last year, so many deaths in his family, his brother has cancer, and his wife divorced him. Yet he bore his testimony of Christ's love for us and the healing power He has. Amazing! This man has lost almost everything he held near, yet he is upbeat and comes to church every Sunday and knows his Savior loves him. This was very moving to me.

So many other people got up and bore such strong testimonies that Christ is our Savior and this is His church. I just love this gospel so much!! 

Learning to Listen

So I've been praying that I can come to really know my Savior and I felt the need to be a better listener. I can talk forever but I need to learn to listen to Him, His promptings, His will. I need to become a good listener. Well yesterday I read D&C 4-5 and today I read section 6. Section 4 is about serving God and Section 5 is for Martin Harris. Section 6 has a lot of amazing things that really hit me hard pertaining to the things I've been praying about.

Section 4

https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/4?lang=eng

1- Missionary work is marvelous :) makes me think of my sister

2- I have been desiring to serve the Lord and here He gives me specific instruction, serve Him with all my heart, might, mind, and strength.

3- I have desires to serve God so I guess I'll be called to do so. 

5- We are qualified for the work by having faith, hope, charity, love, and an eye single to His glory. That means we aren't focused on our own glory, simply on His glory. 

6- I need to remember temperance and patience for sure.

7- I've been asking and here He promises to answer me. 

Section 5

https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/5?lang=eng

4- Learning about Joseph Smith and Martin Harris, I think it's interesting that the Lord tells Joseph to not pretend to have other gifts other than translation until he's finished. This whole chapter He is super specific about how they are to act and behave and go about translating.

14- I love the symbolism of the restoration of the church, coming forth as clear as the moon, as fair as the sun, and as terrible as an army. I would say it's probably not actually "terrible" more like powerful because an army is powerful and so is the gospel.

16- When we believe on His words, we will be visited by the manifestation of the Spirit, I believe that this is the first moment we can feel the Spirit in full force and it is a beautiful moment.

28- Instructions for Martin Harris to be able to translate but it also applies to us in order to receive the things the Lord promises to give us, we must be humble, acknowledge our wrong doings, and promise to keep His commandments, exercising faith. 

Section 6

https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/6?lang=eng

2- I have been praying, asking to know God and this section is such a wonderful answer, it speaks to my heart. I need to give heed to His word. Has it ever divided my heart asunder? YES. I cannot forget those moments.

4- I need to be willing to work, to do His work

5- Again, the message comes, if I will ask I will receive and I have been asking so I will continue to receive.

6- This totally rang loud and clear to me. I have been asking and the Lord is showing me that He has been listening, now I need to keep His commandments and seek to help others come unto Him.

7- If I continue to seek for the wisdom of the Lord the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto me. I have been feeling the great desire to be a mother, that His children are His wonder. As I seek for Him I will be blessed with this goal. 

8- I have been desiring of Him, and here He says that this desire will be the means of doing much good.

10- My gifts and talents (may not be as sacred as the gift of translating) but they are special and sacred to Him as we use them to help others. 

11- As I inquire of Him, I will know mysteries which are great and marvelous that I can help bring many to the knowledge of the truth.

14- I felt so strongly the Lord speaking directly to me, telling me I am blessed for inquiring of Him. This was a beautiful moment, I truly felt the Lord communicating with me and answering my prayers. 

16- There is no one else that knows the intents of my heart than God.

17- He is telling me this so that I can know the words I have taught and testified of in church are true.

21- I have been seeking to know Jesus better, that my skin will prick when the spirit is near and my heart will quiver. Here He tells me to behold Him.

22- Have I not yet received no greater witness? When I cried unto Him in my heart with the loss of my daughter, that I might know who she is, was there any greater witness than the truth He gave to me?

 33- The peace that came to my mind was undeniable and earth-shaking. Remember this moment to fuel my testimony. He truly is there and listens and speaks to us. 

33- Fear not to do good, whatever we sow we shall reap our reward.

The Lord truly is the master teacher. I am so grateful that He not only listens to my prayers but also answers them directly with rich layered meaning. I am His daughter. He loves me. He cares about my deepest concerns and is there to answer them. I promise you if you have ever cried out for help, He will bring true peace.