pLeAsE sHaRe!!!

Meet Mormons!

Meet Kevin - He's a Mormon

So is Matthieu

And Norman Tolk is my favorite

Helen

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Deborah

Marco

Gabe

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Rochelle

 

I AM OVERWHELMED!

It's a haunting verse, right? There are a million things to do perfectly...

I had only been a missionary for a few months. I was training a brand new missionary, we were working with so many important people, and I had absolutely no idea what I was doing.

Almost everything was out of my control. So the things I DID have control over had to be...you guessed it, PERFECT. 

I tried so hard, I think I almost died! Finally after a few months of unlimitted stress, anxiety, and perfectionism, I just couldn't take it anymore. I talked to our mission president: the man with ALL the answers. And he helped me understand what being "perfect" really means.

"Sister Jensen! You don't have to be perfect, you have to be whole."

I flipped to the index of my scriptures and looked up the word perfect:

• Thou shalt be perfect WITH the Lord... (Deut. 18:13)
• Let your heart therefore be perfect WITH the Lord... (1 Kings 8:61)
• ...that we may present every man perfect IN  Christ. (Col. 1:28)
• By His grace that you may be perfect... (Moroni 10:32)
• ...Just men made perfect THROUGH  Jesus... (D&C 76:69) 

So what I learned is that there is no such thing as being perfect all by myself. I am perfect WITH and THROUGH and IN Jesus Christ.

From then on I realized that my happiness doesn't depend on accomplishing everything perfectly, it depends on accomplishing everything with the Lord. And that's a whole lot easier to do! So I began to pray in a different way. Instead of asking for success I asked for the love. Instead of asking for help to accomplish something, I asked that He would be with me while I did my best. Instead of asking for a home run, I asked that He would give me the courage to step up to the plate, swing with everything I had, and most importantly, I began to ask for courage to fail.

The Greatest Gift

Heavenly Father has blessed me in countless ways with countless things. But if I had to choose just ONE of those that was the very most important, it would be...

MY MOM & DAD

Meet my parents!

By some undeserved miracle I was born to two of the most incredible individuals in existence.

My dad is a physical scientist/geologist/guitar-player/grandpa/mr. fix-it/leader/worthy priesthood holder.

My mom is a secretary/grandma/best friend/piano-teacher/seamstress/decorator/guardian/teacher.

You can imagine the team they make!

And on top of all of the things they are good at, they are the best parents in the world. I might not have always thought they were, but now I KNOW they are.

They taught me important values starting from the very youngest age. It wasn't always perfect but there are many things I want to do in my future family! Some of them are:

Always close our day together with family prayer.

Dedicate monday nights to Family Home Evening. No matter what...

Read from the Book of Mormon every day.

Keep the Sabbath Day holy by spending it together.

Not to mention - -

 

Till the day I left on my mission they waited for me to come home at night.

They helped me accomplish every goal I had.

They expressed their love and appreciation often.

They STILL write to me every single week!

I think most importantly, by all of these things and many more, they showed me that the gospel of

Jesus Christ is the most important thing to them.

They are the best!

Obviously.

When asked...

"How do you know the

Book of Mormon is of God?"

      

 I prayed and asked Him if it was his book or not. Guess what! It is! 

 After months and months of not actually reading it I decided to read it and find out for myself! I prayed about it for 2 months and God told it's true! Yep! 

"By their fruits ye shall know them". Following its words have brought me closer to God, so that's how I know it's from Him!

  

Well a good man wouldn't have wrote it and an evil man never could... And God testifies of it's truth! It is a message of love and hope and our redeemer!

The spirit fills my heart every time I read it. 

   

 Because I feel like I have been filled with warmth and love when I read it

FINISHED!

Yesterday morning I was happy to turn the last page of the Book of Mormon and say, "I am done!" I didn't quite get it in just 1 week... BUT! a week and a half isn't too bad. It felt good to accomplish my goal, even if I had to re-prioritize along the way. Needless to say, it was the best week of my mission.

You might not say there were any miracles or "divine interventions" or spiritual phenomena...

but I would!

Heavenly Father was very aware of the goal, the sacrifice, and the desired blessings. It was 10 days of heavenly perspective, personal revelation, strength, and peace beyond any I've experienced in the last 9 months. Why?

Because The Book of Mormon is of God.

how to know if The Book of Mormon is true

"Now, we will compare the word unto a seed...

"...If ye give place, that a seed my be planted in your heart,

behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed,

if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief,

that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord,

behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts;

and when you feel these swelling motions,

ye will begin to say within yourselves -

It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good,

for it beginneth to enlarge my soul;

yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding,

yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me...

- Alma 32:28 

It's as simple as that. To know if the Book of Mormon, or anything else for that matter, is true; all you have to do is give place for it in your heart - read it!
And if it does these things - swells within you, enlarges your soul, enlightens your understanding, and  becomes delicious to you - then you know its true!

"But behold, as the seed swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow,

then you must needs say that the seed is good;

for behold it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow.

And now, behold, will not this strengthen your faith?

Yeah, it will strengthen your faith:

for ye will say I know that this is a good seed;

for behold it sprouteth and beginneth to grow...

-Alma 32:30

"But if ye will nourish the word,

yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow,

by your faith with great diligence,

and with patience,

looking forward to the fruit thereof,

it shall take root;

 and behold it shall be a tree

springing up into everlasting life."

-Alma 32:41

A butterfly used to be a caterpiller...

 

I promise you're not the only one struggling with not having what it takes. People have a lot of expectations, God has a lot of expectations, and we have a lot of expectations for ourselves.

It's easy to think that we just don't have it.

We have gone too far.

That way of thinking is one of Satan's greatest tools.

YOU HAVE NOT GONE TOO FAR

Jesus Christ has you on his radar. Maybe even more-so because you are struggling. You may not see your potential but He does.

No matter where you are, no matter where you're coming from, no matter how great your struggle, you can BECOME something incredible. And that's what Christ sees in you.

He does not see you as your weakness! 

He does not see you as your mistakes!

Triumph over those thoughts.

Let Him help you BECOME.

What is The Book of Mormon even about?!

Good question!

"The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible. It is God's dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the America's and contains, as does the Bible, the fullness of the everlasting gospel."

        - Introduction to the Book of Mormon

So basically it's a long story that covers something like 1000 years.

There's this prophet named Lehi that lives in Jerusalem in 600 BC. He finds out that the city is going to be destroyed because everybody is just doin' their thing and ignoring God. He tries to warn them, they ignore him, he keeps trying to warn them, they threaten to kill him, etc etc. So instead of being...well, KILLED! he takes his family into the wilderness and begins traveling to "the promised land". (aka - the American continent).

He's got these sons: Nephi (the good guy) and Laman & Lemuel (the not-so-good guys) and Sam (the other good guy/middle child that doesnt get talked about very often).

So here they are, traveling through the wilderness, and everybody is kind of grumpy and tired and really just sick of this whole thing. But Nephi really tries to have a good attitude and follow God and just be a good kid. Laman and Lemuel on the other hand are a little less convinced. They are back and forth for like 130 pages. Sometimes they are ticked, sometimes they love God. They really just can't make up their minds.

Eventually, after everybody is married and has kids, Laman and Lemuel decide they REALLY don't want to listen to their dad, Nephi, and especially God. This one time an angel even appears to them and is like, "Hey! quit bein' so ridiculous and hard-headed!" Yet still, they are complete jerks.

Now they have this huge division. They could have just called them "the good guys" and "the bad guys", but they are much more creative than that; so, we have the Nephites (everybody that wants to follow the prophet) and the Lamanites (everybody that wants to party and 'make merry' blah blah blah). It's a total bummer.

So the rest of the Book of Mormon is the story of the Nephites vs. the Lamanites. Sometimes they Nephites forget that they are the good guys and switch over to the dark side for a while, but there is always a prophet that teaches them and brings them back. Sometimes the Lamanites even forget they are the bad guys and end up being more righteous than the Nephites! But the whole time God blesses the obedient and leaves the wicked alone. The righteous are blessed, the unrighteous have to do everything by themselves. It just makes sense.

So in 531 pages you have the rise of a civilization in the ancient Americas clear to the destruction of almost all of those people because they ended up just not really listening to God. And it seems like that's usually what happens...

This guy named Mormon ends up with all of these records from the prophets covering the last 500+ years and is supposed to condense them into 1 book (the Book of Mormon) for future generations (us). After he does that he gives them to his son Moroni.

Right before the end of the book and the end of these people, Moroni buries the record (which is on gold plates) in the ground. And God protects them for like 1500 years! Right up until he showed Joseph Smith where to find them and translate them into English.

So here's the cool part. Not only did everything in the Book of Mormon really happen, but it does a couple pretty awesome things for us.

1 - it invites God into our life:

Joseph Smith said about the Book of Mormon,

"...the Book of Mormon [is] the most correct of any book on earth...and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book."

And that is truth. I've read every page and it has brought me nearer to God than any other book.

2 - it proves the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ:

"Those who pursue this course (reading, pondering, and praying about the Book of Mormon) will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost.
"Those who gain this divine witness will also know by the same power that...Joseph Smith is [Christ's] revelator and prophet in these last days, and that The Churdh of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's kingdom once again established on the earth, preperatory to the second coming of the Messiah."

'nuff said.

A Latter Day Prophet's Creed - 11 Ideals to Live By

THE CHALLENGE

Last Thursday we decided to read the Book of Mormon in 1 week. My first thought: "ya...right..."

BUT - we needed some very specific and personal blessings

• Strengthened testimony
• Renewed motivation for missionary work
• Greater peace

among others...

So we embarked on this scripture-reading (or skimming, as I expected) quest.

I got started on a pretty good foot but quickly realized the insane challenge I had undertaken. I began to realize that FAILING was definitely in my cards. But, I had made this commitment to myself, and to the Lord, and I just really didnt want to disappoint either of us.

This morning the alarm screamed at me around 5:06,  GET UP AND READ THE BOOK OF MORMON!

380 pages down....151 pages to go. I have until tomorrow night. I'll let you know how it goes.

Speak Up

I have two incredible friends, they are sisters and they both know that the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is true. They both knew that they needed to be baptized by God's priesthood authority.

As each of them seperately prepared for baptism they were faced with intense opposition from almost everyone around them. I tried to teach and strengthen these girls, but MY faith was increased as I watched their firm resolve to stand for what they believe. It didnt matter what was said or who said it, they found refuge in the Lord and continued to take steps toward the sacred covenant, no matter how many times their feet got stuck in the mud.

A few days ago we were driving to an apointment and saw the message on a church marque. It said,

We immediatly sent this "inspirational thought" to both of the sisters because it describes them to a T. It wasn't always easy to move forward when their decision was anything but accepted. But with voices strong, even if they were shaking, they testified of their love for God's church.

The memories of two hallowed days, July 16 and January 12, will always be close to my heart as I remember each of these girls stepping into the waters of baptism.

Book of Mormon vs. Bible

I was asked today if Mormons study the Bible as well as the Book of Mormon. The answer is a definite "yes!"

Following are examples of how the Book of Mormon and the Bible support each other:

Bible: “For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring” (Acts 17:28)

  

Book of Mormon: “I know that [God] loveth his children” (1 Nephi 11:17) 

 

Bible: "Then shall the dust reeturn ot the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. (Ecclesiasted 12:7)

Book of Mormon: “The spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life” (Alma 40:11)

Bible: “And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive. … And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments” (Deuteronomy 6:24–25)

Book of Mormon: “He has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you” (Mosiah 2:22) 

Bible: “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5)

Book of Mormon: “Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day” (3 Nephi 27:20)

Bible: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16)

Book of Mormon: “I know that Jesus Christ shall come, yea, the Son, the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace, and mercy, and truth” (Alma 5:48) 

Bible: “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:28)

Book of Mormon: “Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit” (2 Nephi 2:7) 

Bible: “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows” (Isaiah 53:4;)

Book of Mormon: “And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; … that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities” (Alma 7:11–12) 

Bible: “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept” (1 Corinthians 15:20; )

Book of Mormon: “Believe in Jesus Christ, that he is the Son of God, and that he was slain by the Jews, and by the power of the Father he hath risen again, whereby he hath gained the victory over the grave” (Mormon 7:5) 

Bible: “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7)

Book of Mormon: “By the Spirit are all things made known unto the prophets” (1 Nephi 22:2)

Bible: “He called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles” (Luke 6:13)

Book of Mormon: “Blessed are ye if ye shall give heed unto the words of these twelve whom I have chosen from among you to minister unto you” (3 Nephi 12:1)

Bible: “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain” (John 15:16;)

Book of Mormon: “[Alma] ordained priests and elders, by laying on his hands according to the order of God, to preside and watch over the church” (Alma 6:1)

 

Today the Bible is downgraded and used to support many false beliefs and ideas. How fortunate we are that our loving Heavenly Father has provided a second witness to the truthfullness of the Bible. He has provided a means to clarify the truths He revealed to ancient prophets that were lost or changed over time.

God wants us to know how to interpret His word.

So...

I was just thinkin',

Let's pray together today. Doesn't matter how long its been, how weird it feels, even how mad you are at God. Just pray with me today. And i'm talking really pray. Ya, like out loud. Even picture yourself in front of Him if that helps! Just pray and talk to the one who created you. Not only do I promise that He'll hear it, I promise that he wants to hear it. It's a gift; use it.

Let's see what happens!

Anticipatory Forgiveness

Forgiveness has been present in my mind this week. In fact, it was the topic of my talk in church on Sunday. I amaze myself as I think back to times in my life where I have been wronged and see how I let those things negatively affect me. Sometimes it's almost as if I sought the darkeness that comes from holding onto painful memories. Several months ago I read an article by A. Dean Byrd called, "Anticipating the Need to Forgive".

He said,

"We will be on the receiving end of hurtful remarks or actions countless times throughout our lives. Deciding ahead of time to forgive those who intentionally or unintentionally hurt us empowers us to move foward without bitterness or pain."

How in the world could it be possible to forgive someone BEFORE they wrong us?

First, by realizing that I am a daughter of God.

"...as we develop a relationship with our Father in Heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ, we see ourselves and others as He does. When we see through the Savior’s eyes, it becomes easier to forgive others and ourselves."

If I am a child of God, so is everyone else. If He loves, He loves them. If He forgives me, He forgives them.
How could I possibly deny the sacred gift of forgiveness to another of God's precious children?

Second, I repent.

"We cannot sink lower than the arms of the Atonement can reach,

 if we are willing to repent. The blessings that come to us when we allow the Atonement to enter our lives are infinite."

As I recognize my weaknesses and seek perfection in Christ, His Spirit will be play a greater role in my life, allowing me the patience and love required to forgive before it ever happens.

Third, I choose how to respond.

"Challenges don’t determine who we are; rather, our responses to those challenges determine who we become."

 

Rather than reacting with a thoughtless word of accusation or revenge, when I feel that I have been wronged I can immediately turn to the Lord and seek healing from His grace.

He suffered for each pain, sorrow, and unfairness, He can certainly heal any wound.

 "As I have thought about the life of Christ, I think He practices anticipatory forgiveness in the purest form. Because of his unique role in the plan of happiness, He has already anticipated my faults and frailties. He has the ability to see me as a whole person and judge me based upon my heart. When He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, it was at that time that anticipatory forgiveness was granted to me and to all men.”

"Perhaps we, anticipate the opportunities to forgive ... and ask daily, 'Whom may I forgive today?'"

My Purpose

My purpose as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is to:

Invite other to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.

That means I'm not here to simply "convert" people; it means I am here to help anyone I can to receive the blessings from better knowing God.

Plain and Simple.

pRaY

He loves me.

Every morning we have silent personal study from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. This picture, given to me by a close friend, sits framed on the corner of my desk. This picture means very much to me.

I can't remember exactly when, but a few years ago I had a perspective altering realization.

I am Jesus Christ's little sister.

And just as any loving older brother would, Christ knows me, loves me, and will give anything for me.

"...Yeah, I have loved thee with an everlasting love:

therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee."

- Jeremiah 31:3

My Story - Part 2

That night was one of many emotions. It has stayed with me as an incredibly precious and sacred memory. God offers holy experiences to each of us who seek Him.

Things moved forward. I graduated high school, went off to college, and waited for my life to begin.

I don't know what exactly I was waiting for! Marriage or something, I suppose... Well, relationships came and went, so did semesters, so did everything else.

I can't remember when the idea of serving a mission popped into my head. I know I didn't entertain it for long. That was NOT POSSIBLE. I was not one of "those" girls. That was the last thing I wanted. And more than anything, I couldn't leave my dog! So I dismissed the thought and went on my way.

I wished shelving the idea could have been so easy. It was like a rock stuck in my Vans that I couldn't get out. But I kept it to myself in hopes that it would go away.

It didn't go away.

I prayed, read scriptures, prayed some more in hopes for a clear "no, you're not supposed to serve a mission". It never came. Finally, I decided to put my fears aside and really find out.

It was a Monday in October of 2010. I woke up early for class and opened my fast with a prayer seeking a clear direction. I went to my "Teachings of the Living Prophets" class and waited for it to begin. Everyone began finding their seats, but before we started the teacher paused from mingling, walked to the front of the classroom and said,

"It really drives me crazy that we don't give more credit to the sister missionaries. If any of you girls are even considering a mission, just go. We need you."

I looked up at the ceiling and thought in my mind,

"Maybe God, MAYBE that was an answer."

Class went on as normal and afterwards I began to walk alone toward the Rexburg temple. If there was anywhere I knew I would receive an answer it would be there. I waited in the chapel for temple baptisms and felt absolutely nothing. Whew, home free! Not quite...

It was almost my turn to be baptized. I quitely opened my scriptures to the Doctrine and Covenants. I can't even remember where I turned are what the reference would be; all I know is that it was loud and clear that God gave me the answer "yes" and expected me to follow.

The next several hours went by in a daze. After the temple I immediately walked home and made an appointment to meet with my BYU-Idaho bishop. I said,

"Bishop, I don't really want to do this." He said,

"Well, you don't have to." I said,

"Yes...yes I do. Let's get started." And we began the process of applying to serve a mission.

Now, something you have to know about me: I do NOTHING without consulting with my mother first. She knows the ins and outs of my life like no one else. So, the fact that I had made a gigantic life decision without her scared me to absolute death.

Holding back tears, I left the bishop's office and ran to my car. 2 minutes later I parked in front of my Rexburg apartment and speed diled my mother.

"I just left the bishop's office. I started my mission papers. Im really scared. I dont think I can leave for 18 months. What if something happens to my dog? What if I don't ever get married? I dont even know if this is the right decision. What am I supposed to do?"

The other end of the phone was silent for a few seconds. "Are you sure?" was really the only response I got back. But there was no denying that it was right.

So from October to December I completed my mission application with the most determined force I could muster. There were bumps, bruises, some blood i think, and lots of tears along the way; but, those papers were sent in whether they liked it or not.

Almost exactly 1 year ago, on New Years Eve, that big white envelope of destiny showed up in my mailbox.

...

"...you are called to serve in the Tennessee Nashville Mission speaking english... You will report to the Mission Training center on April 13, 2011".

And here I am.

The last 9 months of my life, my mission, mean more to me than I would have ever dreamed. This is not just time away from my home, not just an 18 month travel adventure. This is my time to assist the Lord in finding His lost sheep, as well as myself.