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

Peace be with you.

Here's your friendly reminder that, no matter how much you love music/performing for people, sometimes it is still downright terrifying:

Thoughts during the sacrament: I'm singing in sacrament meeting today. Honestly I'm terrified. My heart can't stop racing. I wasn't terrified for this at all until last night/this morning. I'm praying for peace and hoping it will go well.  Everyone keeps saying it will be fine–and I'm sure it will be–but my body/brain isn't listening.

It's Father's Day today. I'm so thankful for my dad, all the fathers in my life, and especially my Heavenly Father. I don't know where I'd be without their love, guidance, and examples.

"Peace be with you", I just heard/thought. And my heart has slowed down. I'm still nervous, still a little jumpy, but I feel better. I know He will be with me. And I am not alone–it's a quartet. :)

The first speaker in sacrament today talked about PEACE! I was like, "I need that!" Megan said something that I loved and had never really thought about before: Sometimes the answers to our prayers is to reach out and help others. I never thought that me serving someone could be the answer to my prayers. I know that me serving someone helps someone else and can be the answer to their prayers, as well as make me feel good, but I didn't realize it could be an answer to my prayers. I thought that was really insightful. She also said that the Savior is the perfect example of peace and I really loved that.

Our musical number went great!! I had a solo at the beginning, and during the chorus the second time around I harmonized (because it was too low for me) and this resulted in a lot of compliments today. I'm so glad that it went well! I was really worried and nervous, but it went well. :)

The second speaker talked about how Heavenly Father sees us, and knows us, and can help us. He has the best plan for us, and He can help us overcome our weaknesses, if we ask Him.

Relief Society was great, as usual! Clarissa talked about some things that I needed to hear and I"m so grateful for that!

The topic was Peace and Contentment Through Temporal Self-Reliance. These are just a couple of my favorite lines that were said today:
-As long as we can be self-reliant, we can help others.
-Good things take effort. You are worth the effort.
-We need each other's help. It's okay to depend on others.
-How many times do we have to fall before we can stay up?
-The best things in life take work.
-Messing up doesn't mean we're not good at it and should stop.

"If ye are prepared ye shall not fear." (Doctrine and Covenants 38:30)

I'm grateful for the opportunity I had to perform in church today. I'm grateful for the messages that were shared–I needed to hear the messages of peace today, and the messages that it's okay to depend on others, and it's okay to mess up sometimes.

Happy Father's Day to all you fathers! I'm grateful for my father–I love my dad. He's the best. He's taught me so much and I can always turn to him. I'm grateful for all the father-figures in my life. They teach me so many things and are such great examples. I'm grateful for my Heavenly Father, and for all that He has done for me.

Hope you have had a peaceful Sabbath and that you have an amazing week!

Xoxo
Mattie

Heavenly Father is mindful of us.

Today during the sacrament I was just thinking about one line of the sacrament hymn we sung today: "Life evermore we'll know through Thee, our Friend." Sometimes I think we focus so much on how Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer that we forget that He is also our friend. He will listen to our struggles and listen to our heartaches. He will be there to lift us up. First and foremost, He will love us always, no matter what. He's not just our Savior, He's our Elder Brother and Friend. He loves us and wants us to be able to live with our Father in Heaven.

A couple of thoughts that stood out to me as the speakers were speaking today were:

The first speaker talked about agency, and used Elder Christofferson's talk in conference entitled "Fathers".

-God loves us so much, but He doesn't make us follow Him. No one ever makes us do anything. 

-A quote from Elder Christofferson he used was this: "Challenges are at times an indication of the Lord’s trust in you. He can help you, directly and through others, to deal with what you face." I loved that. The Lord has given us agency, and challenges, because He trusts us. And if we falter, or fail, He will send us help.

After the first speaker a couple of my friends performed a beautiful musical number of "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" and it was so special; it was so great to hear them sing and bear testimony of our Savior.

The last speaker said, "Even as we have trials, Heavenly Father is mindful of us, and He knows our potential." I loved that.

Gospel Doctrine was great. We talked about how the Lord works, and how He calls us. The Lord works in many ways, some of which include helping us find a different way, letting us struggle first, preparing the way, and offering support. Someone said, "Heavenly Father is a God of miracles", and I loved that because it is so true. He can do mighty miracles, with and through us. Sometimes when the Lord calls us, we don't always know that He is calling us, or we don't exactly want to respond because we like being comfortable, or we're afraid that what He is asking us is difficult, or we don't recognize that it is Him. In order to be more receptive of when He calls us, we can ask Him! We can pray to understand and recognize how He calls us. We should also be doing the right things, and be in the right places. Our hearts need to be prepared to hear the word of God, and to hear Him when He calls us. Blessings will come when we do what the Lord has asked us to, and blessings will come when we work on our hearts. Someone shared this quote, which I thought was great: "There's no growth in the comfort zone, and there's no comfort in the growth zone." We can't grow if we don't take a leap of faith and step outside of our comfort zone. We will be blessed for it.

In Relief Society we talked about scripture study, and I loved what a couple of the sisters said: "We need to try and get something out of our study" (next to it I put #qualitystudy instead of quantity study). And the last thing that someone said was, "Sometimes we get distracted by what's going on around us and we forget to focus on the Savior and rely on Him." Scripture study is great, and you can learn so many things from it, but you have to be willing to put in the time and effort. Someone said that we live in a world where we want answers now, and the Lord doesn't always give us the answers right away. We need to be willing to work with Him to find the answers, and we need to be patient. He'll give us the answers when He knows that we're ready.

I'm so grateful for my Savior. I know that He is my friend, and I know that He listens to me when I am hurting and just want someone to listen. I know that He is also there to help me pick up the pieces and put them back together again. I know that He loves me, and I know that He forgives me, and I know that He was just waiting for me to forgive myself so that I can move on with Him beside me. I'm so grateful that He has been with me, and I am so grateful that He will always be with me. I know that I am blessed to be able to have Him beside me, and I am blessed to have so many friends and great examples in my life that He has sent to me. I'm so grateful for my Heavenly Father, and for His love and guidance. I know that He is always watching me, and I hope that He is proud of the woman that I am becoming because I have been trying so hard to be good, and do good, and change the world around me by changing myself, and I hope that He is proud of me. 

Last but not least, I'm so grateful for my dad, my grandpas, my uncles, and all of the great men in my life that I look up to. They are all great examples to me of how a man should treat his wife and children and I love them. Happy Father's Day! 

Influence.

Youth conference (June 11-13, 2014) was amazing! I learned a lot about my Savior and I grew closer to Him. It was an amazing experience. 

Today is Father's Day. I'm so thankful for my daddy, and my grandpas and all the men that have influenced my life for good. Like my great-grandpa Harker. He died a couple years ago, but I still remember him. 

People may leave us for a time--or for ever--but they will always stay with us in our hearts. They may never know the influence they had on our lives. And even though people leave, we are never alone, because Jesus Christ is always with us.