Whatever He promises to you will happen in time.

You only get one life. You only get once chance to live. Are you going to waste it waiting for opportunities? Or are you going to make your own opportunities? Are you going to take chances, make mistakes, get messy? Are you going to try out for the job or audition for the part? Or are you going to wait for them to come to you? Are you going to take charge of your own life? Or are you going to let your life take charge of you?

I've been thinking a lot this week about the future. Mainly because I have no idea what I want to do with the rest of my life. But also because the whole idea of the future is odd, because it's equal parts intriguing and terrifying. It's intriguing because there are so many possibilities. It's terrifying because there are so many possibilities and I don't know which ones are going to happen, or when. However, as I was reading in 1 Nephi 3 this week, verses 7 and 16 stood out to me. 

Verse 7 is the one in which Nephi states that he knows "the Lord giveth no commandment unto to the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." I love this scripture because it's a reminder to me that whatever God has commanded me to do, He will prepare the way. And whatever He has promised me...will come in time. 

Verse 16 says, "let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord". As we keep His commandments, He will bless us. And previously kept commandments make way for other commandments to be kept, and for other blessings to be given to us. 

Heavenly Father knows us. He really does. He loves us so much. He knows what we want. He knows what hurts us. He knows what makes us happy. He knows what helps us through our difficult times. He knows the best things for us. He wants what is best for us, but He also knows and realizes that we have our agency. So He doesn't make us do anything we don't want to do—He won't make us do anything we don't want to do. 

God blesses us and works in mysterious ways. It's hard not to jump ahead in the story sometimes, but we have to let it play out. Because sometimes it's not meant to go the way we want it to go. Sometimes it's meant to go in a different direction to help us get to the right storyline, the right path, and heading in the right direction. There's a lot that we don't know, and there's a lot that we can't control. So we just have to accept that. It's hard sometimes, but once you come to that understanding, and you are ready to move forward in your life with faith...then everything just starts to make sense, and fall into place. And sometimes you'll get a roller coaster of "Yes, this makes sense", "Um, what just happened?" "Oh, I see now", etc. And that's okay. Life isn't easy. It's not all puppies and rainbows. Sometimes there are thorns. 

One thing that I want is I want God to let me know that He understands me–that He knows what I'm going through, and He knows how I feel. I know that He does, but sometimes I just don't feel it. And I have been hoping and praying this week to feel it. And there were a couple instances, looking back, that I know He answered my prayer. I hope that I can see more answers in the upcoming weeks. 

I love my Heavenly Father so much. I am so thankful for all that He does for me. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to work at Bear Lake this summer. I know that there are things here I have to learn, or experience, and I know that I am going to grow this summer. I know that all of my coworkers are meant to be in my life right now. I'm so glad to call them my friends and I hope that we will have many more amazing adventures this summer. 

God loves you very much, and He is watching out for you every day. He knows what you are going through and He will help you through it if you ask Him.

I found this quote: "The struggle you're in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow."  I really liked that. Everything we go through is helping prepare us for tomorrow, and the next day, and the next. Let it boost you up, and strengthen you. You'll be able to do many amazing things. I promise. 

I hope you have a great week!! I'm so excited! This next weekend I get to go home for the Fourth of July!! I'm so excited!! It'll be nice to be home for a couple of days! 

Xoxo

Mattie

Daily scripture study changes lives.

Man, what a week!! We had our first group of scouts, and it was crazy! But we did it!! We had a lot of challenges, as is expected with teen boys, but we learned and grew as a staff. Next week will bring more challenges and lessons but it will be worth it!

I have really been blessed this week as I've studied my scriptures each night. I'm able to get more out of my experiences here at camp, and I am able to be more in tune with the Spirit, as well as be more determined and capable of working hard. This week I've been reading in First Nephi Chapters 1 and 2. There are a couple of things that stood out to me that I thought were profound and wanted to share. 

One thing I noticed was that in chapter one, Nephi makes a statement that he is first going to be making an abridgement of his father's record, and then he will make his record. How awesome is that? Nephi was doing family history before it was cool. I recently finished a book series by Richard Paul Evans, entitled The Walk. And there is a part in one of the books where the main character's father writes the history of his family at least three generations back. And I just thought, "how cool is that?" Family history is becoming a worldwide thing. And Nephi did it before it was cool. 

In chapter two, Nephi says that the Lord "did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father". Which means that Nephi, at one point, did not fully believe. However, unlike Laman and Lemuel, he did not harden his heart, so he was able to be converted, and believe his father's words.

I know that daily scripture study changes lives. I've seen the impact that it has on not only my life, but my friends' lives. I've seen the wonderful changes in them that it has had. I'm grateful to have so many wonderful examples of how important daily scripture study is. And I'm grateful to be blessed with so many amazing people to love and look up to. I know they love me, too, even when we're miles and miles apart.

I'm really grateful for the scriptures. I'm grateful for Joseph Smith's sacrifices to translate the Book of Mormon. I'm grateful for Mormon, and his dedication to abridging the book and making sure everything we would need is in there. I'm grateful for the pieces of truth that they hold, and for the ones that I've learned this week as I've studied them. I'm grateful for the light that they bring to my life. I'm grateful for the beauty of Bear Lake, and for my wonderful co-workers. I'm blessed each and every day by their examples, humor, service, and love. It's been a hard week but we've gotten through it together, and we all build each other up as often as we can. It's been an amazing experience and I can't believe we're going to be on week three this week!!

I'm grateful for my Father in Heaven, and for the love that He shows me each and every day. I'm grateful for the beauty of the world around me, and for the chance I have this summer to be surrounded. I'm grateful for my Savior, and for His sacrifice and love. Since it's Father's Day, I can't forget my own dad. I love him so much! I'm grateful for all that he does for me. I'm grateful for all the father figures in my life—my uncles, grandpas, and the other men in my life that I look up to. You are all wonderful examples of what real men are supposed to be like. Thank you for showing me how a man is supposed to treat the women in his life. Thank you for being willing to serve. And thank you for being willing to be soft and emotional, even when the world tells you you need to be tough and stoic.

I hope everyone is having a great summer!! Don't forget to wear sunscreen and drink water!! And remember who you are, and whose you are. God loves you very much and has many blessings in store for you. Be patient and remember that everything will work out in the end. Love you!! 💜

Xoxo
Mattie

That's all we can do.

Well my first week at camp is over!!! Man has it been a CRAZY week!! There's been a lot of things happening, but it's been really fun overall! I'm so tired and sore but I'm sure that it will get better in the upcoming week(s) as I get used to all the physical activity that my body is going through. 

There are a lot of things that I learned this week already! Here's a few of them:

1) It's difficult to cook for a ton of teenage boys!! They really like to eat!

2) All boys have the same sense of humor. They think they're so funny but after the first few times, my response is just a groan of annoyance. 

3) Every little thing will be all right. Somehow you'll make it through the day. 

4) Sometimes you have to take a day because you're not feeling well, and that's okay. It's better to rest and build up your strength than to run yourself weary. 

I decided to start reading the Book of Mormon from the very top this week. And I wanted to include the introduction, the testimonies, and the brief explanation of the Book of Mormon. And I discovered something I'd never noticed before. In the brief introduction, it states that, "The original title page, immediately preceding the contents pages, is taken from the plates and is part of the sacred text. Introductions in a non-italic typeface, such as in 1 Nephi...are also part of the sacred text." I had always known that the chapter headings were an addition to the book to let the reader know what's going on. I had little to no idea (AKA either absolutely no idea, or I hadn't consciously made the connection) that the title page and non-italic headings were actually part of the gold plates. I think that's so cool.

I was reading in Joseph Smith's testimony the other day and one thing that I noticed that I have never noticed before was the fact that Joseph actually saw Moroni go up into heaven! I think that that's so amazing! One thing that I really admire about Joseph is just how much he tried to obey God, and how hard he tried to learn from his mistakes. He wasn't perfect, but he really tried to do his best. And that's all that we can do. 

Don't give up. Just because you've made a miatake—big or small—doesn't mean that it's the end of the world. It's just a stumbling block...a learning curve/experience that will help you become a better person. Pick yourself up—or ask for someone to help you up—and try again. Because that's all we can do. Try again. We're not perfect, and we're going to make mistakes. Sometimes we'll make the same mistakes over and over again. Just remember: You are loved. God wants you to prevail. He loves you and trusts you, and wants you to come home to Him. And He is going to do all He can to make sure that you can come home if you want to. 

I hope you all have a wonderful week! Summer is always a great opportunity to try something new and to have a lot of fun! I'm grateful for the experiences that I've already had this week and I'm looking forward to having many more this summer! I hope you guys do something fun this week!! :)

Xoxo

Mattie

He can't answer us if we don't listen.

So, for the rest of the summer, until I'm back home from Bear Lake, my blog schedule and posting will be slightly different. I don't have wifi at camp, but we go to Garden City on Sunday for sacrament meeting, where there is wifi. I'm going to work on my blog posts on Saturday now, and post them on Sunday right after church, instead of working on them Sunday afternoons. I will still try to incorporate things I've learned in previous Sunday lessons, but mainly it will probably be a lot of just personal thoughts that I've had during the week as I've studied my scriptures and hung out with the scouts and staff. I don't entirely know, though, so we'll see what happens. :)

This week was CRAZY!! Not only was I still packing to prep for camp (which I left for on Friday), but it was the last week of school for my siblings, I volunteered to help at my brothers' school for field day, and my brother graduated from high school!! It was a fun week though! Lots of family time. :)

Today, I want to talk about understanding and recognizing the Spirit. In my Book of Mormon, I have a little note that I wrote awhile back. It says, "Have faith and try again". When I wrote it, I think I intended for it to be about my goal to be reading the scriptures and praying daily. While I still will apply it to that, it can be applied to almost anything. Are you struggling to be kind to someone who is always mean to you? Have faith and try again. Are you struggling to understand how to be patient? Have faith and try again. Anything you are struggling with–have faith and try again. With God, you can do anything you put your mind to.

As I was studying my scriptures last night, I wrote a few notes and wanted to share a couple of them. 

I was reading in Moroni 10:32, which says, "Yea, come into Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God." And I was thinking to myself, Heavenly Father wants me to succeed. He wants all of us to succeed. He has given us all specifically what we need to succeed. But we have to go to Him. We have to do our part. He can't help us if we don't listen. 

Again, Moroni 10, but verses 4-5, which says, "And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." And I thought to myself, You need faith and an open mind to be able to hear the Spirit and receive revelation and answers.

He can't answer us if we don't listen. And He can't answer us if we don't have faith. Having faith requires letting go of what you want and believe, and trusting that Heavenly Father will give us an answer. Sometimes it won't be the answer we wanted, but it will be the answer we need to succeed. Because that's all He wants for us. He wants us to succeed, and return to live with Him again. 

I hope you all have a wonderful week! It's June! And summertime! And time-for-adventure time! Remember to be safe, and wear sunscreen when you're going outside. And remember that God loves you, and that I love you. Life is better when you have friends that you love and live for. 💜

Xoxo

Mattie