As I Knelt in Earnest Prayer...

This week has caused me to do a lot of praying, pondering and studying. Which I guess isn't too different from every other day of my life but so much has been going on. Update: I'm still in the same area, Susquehanna and I am really learning more than I can even handle at times. We have had the honor and privilege of teaching so many people from all different walks of life, as always. I have noticed such a popular trend in this area which is the same of course throughout the world. Children truly are their parents. Awhile back we visited a mother and son who havent been to church in a very long time. When we went by her house we tried to commit her to come back to church and in a long drawn out voice she said "I'll tryyyy." We then turned to her son who is 8 yrs old and tried to commit him to come to church as well (if his mother takes him of course) and he said "I'll tryyy," in the exact same voice as his mother. My heart broke. I thought about my mother and how amazing she is and how I'm everything I am because of the time, effort patience and i do mean PATIENCE she had in raising me. As I knelt in earnest prayer I thought "what did I do to deserve such an amazing Mother?" I felt so unworthy and sad for the things I had done to cause her heartache and pain. I also thought about how important parent's roles are in the lives of their children and two famous quotes came to my mind from former presidents of the church. I believe it was David O. McKay who said "No success can compensate for failure in the home." I want you all to know what I know and what I know is very simple. No matter how many college degrees you have, how much money you make, how "high up" of a position you have at work, how many trophies you have it doesn't compensate for quality teaching time that needs to be done in the home. Heavenly Father is very serious about the welfare of His children. If you have had your own children... WHAT A BLESSING!! But guess what they are still His and their spiritual needs need to be met. I believe it was President Spencer W. Kimball who said "the most important work we will ever do will be within the walls of our own home." Our children and families are to know "of the goodness of God." We have the scriptures, we need to use them in our home. The Lord has commanded us to read the scriptures DAILY as a family, pray DAILY as a family. It's not a suggestion it's a commandment. When we do these things we have been given apostolic and prophetic promises that any wayward children will return. They will be able to remember the Spirit that testified to them of the truthfulness of the things they learned as a child. Be patient if it doesn't seem to happen on your time. The Lord's timing is different from yours. Going back to the night I thought about these things I felt so overwhelmed, overpowered and inadequate, but I knew the Lord was there. So as I knelt in earnest prayer, and asked the Lord what I did to deserve such an amazing parents and the answer was quite clear... Nothing it was just one of His many tender mercies. I want you all to know I love this work. I love my family and more importantly i love my Father in Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ. This is their work. I know it because the Lord continues to show to me that its true and that He lives. I know I am blessed to share this message with everyone I meet. I come back to one of my favorite scriptures from the Book of Mormon, 3Nephi 5:13
"Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; I have been called of Him to declare His word among His people that they might have everlasting life."
Brothers and Sisters, I testify to you of the divine role that you have as parents, soon to be parents, one day parents and as children of a Heavenly Father period. I know we are to teach those who don't know the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ how they can be happy and receive all the blessings that God wants them to have from it. I LOVE YOU ALL.... UNTIL NEXT TIME... JUST CONTINUE TO BE AWESOME!!!

"NICE TAN!"

This week we we're eating lunch with a very active and amazing family and the wife was telling us about her day. We'll call her Sis. Jones.. she said all day she had been preparing to get the kids to the pool so they could have fun but she also was prepping to get dinner started so when they came back she could throw it in and feed the family and missionaries. She was talking about how she loved seeing the excited look on the kids faces and how they waited and played together in the meantime because they knew they would be going to pool. Finally, she got them ready and headed to the pool. She said when she got to the pool she saw another member of the church there. Unfortunately, this member has not been to church in awhile and this conversation was a real eye opener for me. She was laid out by the pool and she had a beautiful tan. Sister Jones told her "wow, nice tan!" And the lady replied "thanks this is my favorite thing to do." Sister Jones said when she saw her tan she immediately was somewhat envious of how beautiful this woman's skin looked and how she, on the other hand had rushed all day to get ready, and her skin looked like she hadn't seen the sun in years and so on and so on. Then she said wait a minute, my favorite thing to do is spend time with my family which I have done. My favorite thing is serving, making sure the kids and my husband are taken care of. How quick was I to forget that.

Guys, I know this story can seem a little judgemental and I hope that's not how I come off. In life we all mix up our priorities at times and if we didnt we would be perfect. But i want to ask How much time are we spending doing things "we love to do" as oppose to things we SHOULD be doing? What things are most important to us? What spiritual things are we sacrificing for our "beautiful tans?" Do our children, spouses, friends, others around and even more importantly our Father in Heaven know whats most important to us? I think it was Shakespeare who said "they do not love who do not show their love." If we love the Lord let us show him. Let us always seek first the kingdom of God. We can quickly forget because maybe other things seem to have such a beautiful tan when our skin looks like Elmer glue (I'll never have this problem)! I want to learn and grow and do all the things i possibly can in this life. Its so limited. Brothers and Sisters please make sure that we can stand blameless before God. Remember that the things we do effect others around us not just us. Especially when we have children. Their sins will come upon our heads if they are not taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ and we had it our entire lives. Self evaluate, read Alma 5 can we answer the questions Alma ask the people in Zarahemla with confidence and surety? I love you all. Sorry so long i hope to continue to update and let you know whats going on throughout the weeks. I love love love you!!!!

Well, people the mission field is just great. We are working our behinds off and i love each and every minute of it its just great. We have been taking the good with the bad but its ok. So the visitor center here is doing this amazing display of Christ's Mortal ministry and healings and such so we are excited to take some people to that. They said its suppose to be the biggest thing of the year. Which is a pretty big shocker for me because i thought the half a million Christmas lights was awesome. But we'll see i hope you all have the new pictures i sent and im hoping to send more after we go to the VC. Maryland is hot as Camel hooves by the way. It was 105 degrees yesterday and genius me locked the keys in the trunk... We were sooo stinking miserable. I want everyone to know that you all would be really proud of me... Sista Norris has been knocking doors in 100 degree weather each and everyday. WHATS UP!!! IT'S SO HUMID... I CANT BREATHE!! But man this is what i signed up for right. These people are far more important than me being able to breathe. pshhh who needs breath when you have the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ people. I mean lets get real! Well I love you all and miss you by the way today is July 7th, 2010. Does anyone know what day this is... My 2 yr mark of being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints... whoot whoot!!! Ahhh thats just stinking sweet. Have a good week folks

Hello people. I know I'm the worst at keeping contact on here. I may just have my mom discontinue this. But I want to let you all know that the work is going AMAZING. We have quite a few people that we are teaching and many of them are keeping comittments, coming to church and changing their lives and truly understanding what their Father in Heaven would have them do. I love watching their faces when you tell them "listen, you are the daughter/son of God, a Heavenly Father who loves you sooo much and wants what's best for you. He wants you to be happy." Boy does that really astonish some people. They know it or maybe have heard it but then they truly begin to feel it and understand what that means everything changes. They stop smoking, drinking, having premarital sex, cursing, skipping church, neglecting the commandments etc and just trying to live the way God would have them live. HOW AMAZING IS THIS WORK PEOPLE!!!! You have not lived until you see the Lord's hand in His work. The power and dominion that He has ONCE people say "ok I believe everything you said what do I need to do. Just like when Aaron was teaching King Lamoni's Father of Christ in the Book of Mormon. King Lamoni says "What shall I do that I may have his eternal life of which thou hast spoken? Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? Behold, say he, I will forsake my kingdom, that i may receive this great joy." (Alma 22:15) This is what we want to hear as missionaries just like Ammon and Aaron and Alma in the Book of Mormon. We want the world to know there is better and they can have a better life. They dont have to settle for what the world has told them is "happiness" just like Alma told his son Corianton "wickedness never was happiness." Helping people understand that happiness is eternal is quite a challenge but when they grasp it they hit the ground running and I love it. One more scripture then I'm done with the overload. When the four sons of Mosiah had changed their lives and began preaching the word of God to the wicked Lamanites in Mosiah 28:2-4 this is how i feel each and every day im here in Maryland. "That perhaps they might bring them to the knowledge of the Lord their God, and convince them of the iniquity of their fathers... that they might rejoice in the Lord their God, they they might become friendly to one another and there should no more contentions in all the land which the Lord their God had given them.
Now they (the four sons of Mosiah) were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human should should perish; yea even the very thoughts that any should should endure endless torment did them to quake and tremble.
And thus did the Spirit of the Lord work upon the for they (the four sons of Mosiah) were the very vilest of sinners. And the Lord saw fit in his infinite mercy to spare them;" Boy was I, and am I still like the 4 sons of Mosiah. God was so merciful to help me change and now i have the opportunity to invite others to come unto Him. To help the see the ways of truth so they wont have any contentions one with another. So they can see the traditions of their fathers CAN stop with them. I love it I know this is the truth! I love every second i get to testify of it. Sorry so long I guess im just making up for the ones I didn't write you all.

Oh man, so today was the official "De-Junk Day." All the missionaries in the Maryland Baltimore Mission were advised that we needed to clean our Apts from top to bottom. Oh, did I spend the majority of the day murmuring and complaining. I felt like Laman and Lamuel. I was like ughhh we just dont have enough time we only have one day to do all that we need to do and now were just spending it on cleaning... blah blah blah. My companion is just great she really keeps me in line. She just stayed positive partially bc she loves to clean. It's not that i hate cleaning but when there are things that need to be done the last thing i wanna do is clean. Anyways to make a long story short i sucked it up and cleaned my apt and what do you know the Lord provided a way for me to accomplish all the things I NEEDED to do, but not WANTED to do. He continues to show me that this is His work and His glory and what He says goes. I just have to learn that. On the other hand the work is going great we have a nice size teaching pool and people are just working hard to change their lives and so are we in the process. We can't call people to repentance if we're not right. Each and everyday we try to be better than the day before working harder and harder. I for sure feel like Daniel (im sorry Elder Naseath now) the harder you work the more tired you become. I'll say it every update. The work is tough but extremely awesome! I love it!