Tiny green sprouts.

This week has been a busy week!

First, my brother was set apart as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was dropped off at the MTC this week. That was an exciting moment but also an emotional one. I am so proud of him and can't wait to hear all about his adventures.

Next, not only did I have my 23rd birthday, but I also went to see the Midway Ice Castles, went wedding dress shopping twice, and found my dress! I found THE ONE! I feel so beautiful in it and I am so happy!!

The wedding planning is coming along nicely. I'm less stressed now that I have my wedding dress! That was probably the most stressful part, and now all I have left to do is alterations!

I am so thankful for my Heavenly Father, and for His love and mercy. I am grateful for all the second chances He gives me over and over again. I am grateful for His Son, Jesus Christ, and for the sacrifice that He made for me so that I can live with my Father in Heaven again someday.

I am so thankful for my sweetheart, Ricky. He is like our Heavenly Father in that he gives me so much love, mercy, and second chances. He is so respectful, honors his priesthood, and he loves me wholly. I am so grateful for his sacrifices for me, and for all that he does for me. I am so excited for our wedding in May and can't wait to begin our life together! (P.S. If you would like an announcement, please fill out this link here)

I am looking forward to this week. I am sad because I will be leaving the daycare, but I am excited to be moving forward in my life. I have a few potential jobs right now and I am hoping to be able to have more time to do wedding stuff. I know that God is blessing my life right now, and I know that this is what He wants for me at this time. I am moving forward with faith and hope that everything will work out the way that it is supposed to.

I love my Heavenly Father and am so grateful for His hand in my life. Sometimes it seems like things are going to work out, and then they crash and burn, but amidst the rubble, there is a tiny green sprout that ends up working out instead.

I've had many moments in my life where I thought things were going to work out, but then they crashed and burned. But I've been able to recognize the tiny green sprouts in my life. I've been able to recognize the blessings, and I am so thankful for those tiny green sprouts. They have grown into the most beautiful garden.

I thank God every day that I have so many blessings. I am grateful for my family, my friends–all of my loved ones who have blessed my life in many ways. Some of them have been my tiny green sprouts–the tender mercies in my life. They have helped me grow and learn, and I am so thankful for them. 

I hope you have a wonderful week! I hope that your Sunday has been very relaxing and peaceful. God loves you so much, and I do too. 

Xoxo

Mattie

I hope I make Him proud.

Yesterday I went to the temple with some friends and I was able to take some family names to do, and it was so special! One of the things that stood out to me as I was sitting there listening to the ordinance workers was how much God loves me and wants me to be the best that I can be. As I am honest, true, and faithful to my covenants, I will be blessed–in this life, and in the life to come. That fills me with such peace and comfort. Life might not always go how I want it to go, but I know that everything God has promised me will eventually be available to me.

One of the blessings of doing temple work for my own family names is that I am helping my own family to come closer to God, and to come closer to having the blessings of being sealed to our family forever. It is so inspiring to know that my family has waited a long time for the blessings of the temple–and I am the one who gets to help them receive those blessings! I know that they are grateful for the time I take to help them receive the blessings of the temple, and I am grateful for the opportunity I have to do their work for them. 

This is an older picture that I took of the Provo City Center temple last year, but it's one of my favorites. I really love this temple, and I am so grateful that I live so close. I haven't always been the best at going to the temple as often as I could be going, but I am wanting to do better, and I am trying to do better. I know that God blesses me as I take time from my busy schedule to go to the temple, and to do the work for those who cannot do it for themselves.

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Sometimes I don't always know what I believe. Sometimes I struggle with different things...but one thing that I know and that has never been something that I have doubted is my faith in my Savior and my Father in Heaven. No matter what goes on in life...no matter what I struggle with...They have always been there. I have always had my Savior with me, and I have always been able to count on my Father in Heaven. The most important thing to me is my relationship with Them. People come and go...sometimes people come into and out of my life faster than you can say, "Hello"...but Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father are always there. Their love for me, and Their trust and belief in me, is constant and enduring. It is never more clear to me than when I am in the temple.

I have been able to receive many answers and blessings through the temple, and because of my time in the temple. My day and week are blessed after I go to the temple. Answers that would just not come before...come after. Motivation that just would not come...comes. Stress that has been overwhelming...disappears. I know that I am blessed when I visit the house of the Lord. 

I know that I am not perfect...but I hope that what I offer to Heavenly Father is enough. I try to make a difference in the lives of those around me by being kind, and I hope that I make Him proud every day. 

I hope you all have a wonderful week! I know that I will–my birthday is this week!! I don't have any specific plans but I know that it is going to be a great day! Remember that you are always loved by God, and that I love you too! Happy Sunday! 

Xoxo

Mattie

We are His priority.

So today was Stake Conference, and it was super amazing!!

Each speaker was so wonderful! I loved all their insights! :)

1. Hope comes because of, in, and through the Savior.
-Hope is centered on the Atonement.
2. Hope is a strong thing.
-Hope is always there, when no one else is. Hope turns us to the Savior.
3. The temple is a source of hope.
-It refocuses us.
-As we focus on the Savior, and what He wants us to become, we'll be filled with hope.
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Be true friends to those around us.
Conversion is not a one-time event.
1. We must be good examples.
-We are the personification of the Lord's church.
2. Ask God for His help.
3. Do your best.
-Be an instrument in His hands.
-Be a friend first.
-The Lord will perform miracles through us as we follow Him.
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-This life is the time to serve the Lord.
-In the house of the Lord, we have to be reverent.
-If we truly seek His help and guidance, we will receive what we need, and feel what we need to feel.
-The temple can bring us closer to our Heavenly Father and our ancestors.
-Have you ever thought about how much time Heavenly Father gives to us? Does He ever not listen? Not drop everything for us? He always listens, and we are His priority. So we need to make time for Him. Everything will fall into place.
-Make the temple your place of refuge from the storm.
-Take time to be holy.
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-You may not be who or what you think you are, but what you think, you are.
-Are you looking for the good in [your companion]? (this can be filled with any person...family member, friend, yourself)
-Are you becoming like Him?
-When I know who I really am, it is easier to become who I really am.
-Relationships are eternal.
-The key to planning is to do it.
-Become a creator of circumstances instead of a creature of circumstances.
-Only Christ can change us. He can change all of our yesterdays.
-We get to choose our steps. Will our steps be in His direction?
-The more specific our prayers, the more defined His answers become.
-Pride is trust in ourselves. Confidence and humility is trust in God.
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-The temple is truly the house of God.
-We can feel nearer to our Father in Heaven and His Son, and we can feel their love in the temple.
-There's a protection and power associated with the ordinances of the temple.
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-You underestimate how good you are.
-Left to themselves, things fall apart (2nd Law of Thermodynamics) in any closed system.
-When we sin, we fall apart from God. Because of Christ and His Atonement, we can return.
-Christ can fix ALL broken things.
-Remember how merciful God is, and focus on that.
-Christ came to make things all right.
-The Lord loves broken things because He can fix them.

My birthday adventure.

Well, yesterday was my birthday!!! I had a great day! It went like this:

I had orchestra rehearsal in the morning and my friend got me a couple of cute things; then when I read her card later, I cried a little (for the first time but definitely not the last time I'd cry that day).

So then I went to spend a couple of hours with my family; I got the new Cinderella movie!!! My parents are going to buy me a couple of tickets to a BYU arts production so I can take a friend and they are also going to buy me a new camera. I'm so excited!! Anyway, after we had treats (my mom made mini funfetti cheesecakes) my parents took me out to lunch, and then I was home for about another hour while I tried to work on stuff for the new year of college. During that time, one of my friends going to a different college called me, and so I got to talk to her for a bit, which was fun.

Then my dad took me back to my dorm, and I got ready for stake conference really quick and then I headed up to the Joseph Smith Auditorium for that. I heard a lot of messages that I needed to hear, and as we were singing the closing hymn, "How Firm A Foundation", I started to tear up a little about halfway through the second verse, but I totally lost it at the third verse, and I couldn't sing it. There was an older man sitting a seat over from me and he patted me on the shoulder and so of course I felt really self-conscious then and I tried to stop crying and I tried to sing the last couple of lines of the song, but it just wasn't happening. I just really needed to hear the message in that verse, and my Heavenly Father knew that.

After that, I met up with my friends for dinner and then we headed to BYU's Ballet production of Alice in Wonderland. It was so good!!! I had a great time. After the ballet, we headed back to our dorm and got changed and then we headed downstairs to the basement–my friend had made me a cake, and my friends sang to me and we had cake (one of my friends gave me a card) and chatted for awhile before we all had homework and things to do.

At this point, I wrote in my journal about my birthday (it took up like three pages) and some more crying commenced because it had been a super great day and I was just an emotional mess (as always ;) ) when I got to thinking about it all, and about the things that my friends had written in their cards. I have been having a bit of a hard time lately, what with still trying to figure out when to do my readings and things for my homework, amongst other things, and the things that my friends said in their cards to me were sweet words of love and encouragement that I needed. I'm so grateful for their examples to me, and for their love. Yesterday was an amazing day because of my friends and family, and I'm so grateful for all of the people in my life. <3 <3

Today is a special day.

Hello, nonexistent followers who may one day be actual real-live people. Today, seventeen years ago, a most wonderful, spunky, funny, beautiful daughter of God came to this world. Her name was Mattie Ruth Radke. Yep, folks, that's right. Today is my birthday!! I'm seventeen. I have learned so, so, so much in the past seventeen years about who I am as a person, who I am as a daughter of God, and who I want to be. I am so thankful for the example of my Saviour, Jesus Christ, and for everything He and my Heavenly Father have done for me. I am so thankful for all of the people in my life who are great examples to me and who have taught me so much about life, and living, and all the fun stuff that is weird and random. I'm so thankful for all the people who put up with me and pretend to understand what I'm talking about. :) I'm so thankful for the opportunity I have to communicate with people and spread the gospel. I'm thankful that I'm always so happy. Love you all! 

Love,

Mattie-Who-Is-Now-Seventeen :)