prepare to meet thy God

Yes I'm aware that I look like a nerd.
There are just some things about Tennessee that I don't want to forget.

It is not uncommon to see a sign like this in Tennessee. In someone's front lawn, near a church, or next to the highway.. it is something I have almost come to expect. These folks are very aware that we all need to be prepared to meet our God.  But what the signs don't tell us is how to prepare to meet our God.

In order to be prepared to meet our God, we must first know a little about Him. I've never seen God in person, but here is what I have learned.  Genesis 1 tells us that we are created in His image, therefore we know that God has a body of flesh and bone like ours.  God is our loving Heavenly Father, and he is not far from us (Acts 17:27-19).  He is all knowing, all powerful, and perfect.  The scriptures also teach us that "no unclean thing can enter into His kingdom" (3 Nephi 27:19).  Thankfully, God has provided a way for us to receive eternal life through his son Jesus Christ (John 3:16). 

Then what can we do to be prepared?  We can first have faith in God's only begotten son, Jesus Christ (2 Nephi 2:6-8).  If we truly believe in Him, we will repent of our sins (Hel. 5:10-11). Full repentance is complete with baptism by immersion for a remission of those sins (Acts 2:38).  God promises us that if we are baptized by proper authority, we can be given the gift of the Holy Ghost, which will lead us and help us to continue living a Christlike life!  

Why is this significant anyhow?  Why do we want to meet our God and live with him someday?   "And, if you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God." (D&C 14:7)  From what I gather, this is what most of us are hoping for, and the Lord has shown us how we can. 

What are your thoughts on the matter?

how to find happiness

I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ brings true happiness. I also know that God wants that for each and every one of His children.

(Moses 1:39 and 2 Nephi 2:27)

eternity

How would it feel to know that the one you love the very most, the one you promise your life to, can be yours in the afterlife too? What would it be like to know that your marriage is not just "till death do us part" but "for time and all eternity?"  Well most of my best friends I was just telling you about.. they know what this feels like.  Because they were not just married for time but were sealed for all eternity in a house of God.

Most were married here..

 or here..

 or here..

These three temples are all in Utah, but there are actually 134 temples like these throughout the world. People often ask me about these beautiful temples: where are they? What are they for?  What do we do in them?  I tell them that one of the things that occurs in these sacred temples is these forever marriages.  A beautiful blessing of having the restored gospel is knowing how our families can be sealed together forever.  In the year 1836, God restored his priesthood and the sealing power of Elijah, which "turns the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers" (Malachi 4:5-6).  This is one of the main purposes of having these temples.

Although I am not yet married, I am able to go to the temple to worship and make covenants with my Father in Heaven.  I can also go there for peace and inspiration.  The temple is a sanctuary from the world; the closest thing to Heaven here on earth. Yesterday I was able to go to the Nashville, Tennessee Temple, where I felt God's love for me so powerfully and received many answers to my prayers.

I love to see the temple!

I am a child of God

This just makes me :)

best mother's day

In honor of this special holiday, I got to see and talk to my cute family over Skype yesterday! Words cannot express how great it was to see their faces and hear their voices after months of letters and emails. It felt like I was at home for just a short period of time. The words of this little primary song may be cheesy but they express exactly how I feel right now...

I have a family here on earth, they are so good to me.

I want to share my life with them through all eternity
Families can be together forever through Heavenly Father's plan.
I always want to be with my own family,
And the Lord has shown me how I can.
The Lord has shown me how I can!

(Families Can be Together Forever)

a little taste of home (Cafe Rio)

Anyone who has ever lived in Utah or who visits Utah has probably heard of a little restaurant called Cafe Rio. Why has everyone heard of this place? Because it's outstanding. It is my favorite place to eat out, and I don't even like most Mexican food! Sadly, I have been deprived of this deliciousness for the past 10 months. Besides my family, friends, and mountains, it is probably the thing I miss the most about home.

I have racked my brain trying to think of a way to get one of my favorite Cafe Rio salads here in Tennessee. I thought about having someone fly here with a meal to go on their lap on the airplane, or about having one of my sisters pack some ice packs around the salad in a cooler to UPS overnight it, but nothing seems very practical or cost efficient. Thanks to the wonderful Sister Whitaker (a member of our congregation) here in Tennessee, however, my problem was finally solved last Friday!

Sister Whitaker happens to have the recipe to the amazing Cafe Rio pork salad, and she slaved away all day to re-create this perfect meal for us. From the savory pork to the hint of lime rice, pico de gallo, homemade tortillas and creamy tomatillo dressing, she matched each taste to perfection..right from her own beautiful kitchen! It was everything I'd hoped for and more; a little taste of home here in Tennessee!

I am always so thankful for experiences such as this; experiences that make home seem just a little closer. Just like my Cafe Rio salad experience on Friday, I think God often gives us experiences in life that make our Heavenly home seem not very far away. He gives us loving fathers who help us understand our relationship with Him(Heavenly Father), families with whom we can experience some of the love and joy we can feel for eternity, and temples where we can go to feel the peace and safety that Heaven will provide. These experiences give me the motivation to do everything I need to do to return home to my Heavenly Father and my Savior's presence someday, so I can then experience the fulness of this peace, joy, love, and safety.

(I also think there will be a Cafe Rio in Heaven...just sayin)

rejuvenation

Springtime in Tennessee is incredible. It is so refreshing. These are some of the blossoms I see everyday here:

Japanese Magnolia

Forsythia

Bradford Pear

Eastern Redbud

"And as the living, verdant spring follows the dismal, deathlike winter, all nature proclaims the divinity of the risen Lord, that He was Creator, that He is the Savior of the world, that He is the very Son of God." -Spencer W. Kimball

death by tornado

My mission companions and I had a near death experience last night. As we were getting situated for bed in our top floor, hundred year old apartment, we were alerted of a tornado coming our way. Now, I have been through tornado warnings before (I do live in Tennessee after all) but this time was a bit of a different experience.

Our windows literally shook as rain and 80 mph winds rammed against them. The rain was striking the windows so forcefully that it looked like we were going through an automatic carwash, it sounded like we were in the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland, and it felt like it too as the ground rumbled and the street lights outside our window flickered off and on.

Now, I might be slightly dramatizing the situation, but a part of me really thought it might be my last night to live. I told my two friends that I loved them, and tried my best to fall asleep while a violent death awaited me. My frantic mind then led me to imagine what the spirit world would be like. Morbid? Perhaps. But nevertheless, I will tell you about it.

The spirit world is the space of time between death and the resurrection/judgment day. As Alma says, "the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yeah, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life." He also states that "the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow" (Alma 40:11-12).

What a place this will be! I don't know exactly what the place for the wicked will be like, but I'm aiming for this paradise Alma speaks of. This is also the place Peter talks about where Christ preaches the gospel to spirits in prison(Peter 3-4). Now, I am not hoping for a tornado to take me from this earth anytime soon..but if it does, it's comforting to know the other side won't be too bad.