Have the courage to be imperfect.

This is a beautiful quote. It takes courage to be imperfect while you're striving for perfection. Becoming perfect (like Christ) is a process, and you have to be brave because being imperfect isn't seen as something to be, so the world tries to define beauty and perfection for everyone. Don't let it define you! Be brave as you strive for perfection. :)

Graduation announcements and blessings.

Okay, so we ordered my graduation announcements a while back and we ordered 50. I didn't realize that there would be more than 50 people that I would want to let know that I am graduating! So my orchestra teacher suggested that I do a photo announcement from Costco and my mom said that was a great idea and I could do it. So I have one of my favorite baby pictures and a couple of my favorite senior pictures, but I couldn't find a picture of just me right in the middle.

So I'd been looking at pictures for like an hour, and I had come across a bunch of cute pictures of me as a baby and as like a four to six year old, but none that I was just like, "Ah ha!", you know? I got to some pictures of my baptism; one with my sister Halie, and I was like, "This one would be cute," but I really just wanted one of me. A few pictures later, I found one of just me! I was like, "This is it! This is the one!" And I'm so excited because it's so cute and I just LOVED my baptism dress! And I think it's funny (ironic) that I chose that picture because I've got a picture from each really important part of my life–my baby picture, my baptism picture, and my senior picture–and I'm moving on to another really important part of my life.

I know that Heavenly Father blessed me to be able to find it. There were some pictures before that I thought would be cute, but I kept looking just in case I found a better one, and I'm so glad I did because I really do love the picture that I picked.

I know that education is important because our knowledge is all we're going to take with us when we die. I'm really nervous to start the next chapter in my life, but I'm also really excited. Just–remember to cherish everything. You never know how much you will miss something or miss being a certain age until you're a senior in high school–or a wife, or a mother–and you realize that your life has flown by. So I just ask you to cherish the moments. Life is fleeting, and you will find yourself wishing you could go back in time. Love every moment. <3

Catch up, tour, and blessings.

I know it's been a while since I've posted, and I'm sorry. I had Spring Break last week and we went to Disneyland/California on tour and then Sunday I slept. Then this week we went back to school and it's been really busy trying to catch up on my English homework because I thought that we didn't have to read over spring break, but we actually didn't have any reading due over spring break. So I've been behind in the reading a little bit, but I finally caught up yesterday. Tour was so much fun! We learned a lot about teamwork and leadership skills, and we got to go to Disneyland and California Adventure and it was super fun! My friends and I got stuck on the Indiana Jones ride and we were hanging with Indiana–literally:

My friend accidentally made that pun when she texted our teacher that we were going to be late to the leadership training. It was hilarious! We also went to the beach, and we saw the Pacific Symphony in concert–Paul Anka performed the last half of the concert. He was funny–he went into the audience and some lady was on her phone and he took it (He was in the middle of singing a song) and sang to the person on the other end with some improv lyrics. He was a little bit dirty, though, and I felt really bad for Mrs. Kelley–she looked so embarrassed. Oh! Saturday night we went to a pirates diner, and Mrs. Kelley and her husband were both busy, so I was watching her baby (He's so adorable!!!) and playing with him–he really liked the bus hahaha–and I have noticed that when he gets sleepy, he tends to tug on his ear and suck his thumb, which he started doing. So I started to sing him some lullabies, and he kept getting a little distracted, especially when his mom would start talking because he loves her so much, but I was also rubbing his back as I sang to him, and he finally started to calm down and he fell asleep. He was drooling while I was playing with him, and when he fell asleep, he continued drooling, so by the time we got to the diner, my shirt had drool all over the front–and the inside! Haha he's such a cutie and the drool was no big deal–I'm the oldest of nine, remember, so I've dealt with babies before. Drool I can deal with; spit up? Nope, that's a deal breaker, haha! :) All in all, it was a fantastic trip and I'm so glad I was able to go.

I know that Heavenly Father blessed me to be able to catch up on my reading for English, and I know that He kept me safe on tour–I had trouble with steps all throughout spring break and tour. On Monday, at home, I tripped up our front stairs outside–We only have two and I didn't even get to the second one. I cut my big toe and my second toe on my right foot pretty bad. So it was sore all throughout tour, but I didn't even really notice it unless I hit my toes on something. So that was a blessing. I know that Heavenly Father was watching out for me–I am accident-prone and when I tripped, it could've been worse, but it wasn't. I know He loves me, and I'm so grateful for Him and for His Son. 

Happy Easter! Conference weekend. :)

But when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away, (for it was very great,) and two angels sitting thereon, clothed in long white garments; and they were affrighted.
But the angels said unto them, Be not affrighted; ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified; he is risen; he is not here (JST Mark 16: 3-4)

I know He lives! I know He loves us. I know that He is always there for us. I hope you have a happy Easter. #BecauseHeLives :)

Conference was absolutely wonderful!! Here are some of my favorite quotes:

Saturday Morning Session:

God is our father. His mercy is without limit. ~President Packer

We are here to help, lift, and rejoice with each other as we try to become our very best selves. ~Sister Burton

If we are not rooted in the teachings of the gospel and regular in its practices, any one of us can develop a stony heart. ~Elder Oaks

Believing in Him and in His redemptive power is "the true path to peace". ~Elder Clayton

The entire theology of our gospel centers on family and marriage. ~Elder Perry

Saturday Afternoon Session:
"If we don’t try, we’re just latter-day sinners. If we don’t persevere, we’re latter-day quitters. If we don’t allow others to try, we’re latter-day hypocrites." ~Elder Renlund

Following His light and example will bring us joy, comfort, and peace. ~Elder Cook

In His mercy God promises forgiveness when we repent and turn from our sins. ~Elder Renlund

Sunday Morning Session:
"He still extends unending grace." ~Elder Holland

"Grace unlocks the gates of heaven and opens the windows of heaven...The grace of God is our great and everlasting hope. The plan of mercy appeases the demands of justice...His Grace refines us, and helps us become our best selves." ~Pres. Uchtdorf

Sunday Afternoon Session:
We must not forget that moral agency is an essential part of God’s plan available to all his children. ~Elder Hales

Enduring to the end is the great test of discipleship. ~Elder Pearson

We see God’s miracles in His wondrous work and in our lives...God is mindful of every people...His mercy is over all the earth. ~Elder Andersen

Faith in God engenders a love for the Sabbath. Faith in the Sabbath engenders a love for God. ~Elder Nelson

This weekend has been a great weekend, full of fantastic messages from our church leaders. I had many prayers answered, and I am so grateful for the messages that were spoken! I'm so excited for spring break–we leave for tour on Wednesday, and I couldn't be happier!! Literally, my body is super excited!! Hope you had a wonderful Easter and conference. Bless you all! :)

Tender mercies. God loves you. You are not alone.

For seminary, we have to have our bishop send something to the seminary so that they know that we are on track for seminary graduation. Well, I went in, and it came up that I was having some troubles.
And my bishop told me that God loves me. Doesn't matter what I do, my worth to Him will never change.
I am His daughter–I am a daughter of a King––the Almighty God––and He loves me––imperfect, and mistaken, and broken.
He wants me to turn to Him. He wants me to tell Him what is going on in my life. He wants me to turn to Him. He wants me to talk to Him, to pray to Him. That meeting was a tender mercy. I never knew until that moment that I had needed to hear that God loves me no matter what, and that I am His daughter, and that I am not alone. Such a tender mercy! I have always known those things, but I guess recently it hadn't really stuck with me, so hearing it from my bishop was a tender mercy. Because my bishop wants me to–and I really want to and I need to–I am going to try and be better about my prayers and scripture study. It's going to be a little difficult at first, but I know I can do it with Heavenly Father's help.

I give my love to all!

<3 Mattie

Never give up.

I just want you to know that you should never give up. It is better to try and fail than to have never tried at all. Keep trying! Don't give up. Life is good. Things happen for a reason. But don't give up. God has a plan for you. So keep trying and remember that things happen for a reason.

Saw this quote on Facebook and LOVED it! Thought I'd share:

Thomas S. Monson: Love doesn’t grow like weeds or fall like rain. Love has its price. ‘God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life’. That Son, even the Lord Jesus Christ, gave His life that we might have eternal life, so great was His love for His Father and for us.

Do you know that we are all human? We all make mistakes. But guess what? God loves us. We are imperfect, yet He still loves us. He gave His Only Begotten Son so that we could return to live with Him. He has to deal with us all day, all the time–sometimes we are worse than normal–but He still loves us. He will always love us. So don't give up. He will you give you so many chances, again and again, because He loves us. He will not let us go anywhere alone. He will not leave you alone.

Inspiration and the Holy Ghost.

The Lord knows how to guide us and teach us through the Spirit. The Spirit can help us in ways that man-made remedies can not. I was really nervous about speaking in Sacrament meeting today–my heart was beating out of my chest–so I prayed and instantly received the thought, "Be still and know that I am God", and my heart stopped pounding. I was still nervous, but my body was at peace, and that made it easier to speak. So, here's my talk:

“The Holy Ghost can do for us physically, emotionally, mentally, and intellectually what no man-made remedy can begin to duplicate.” I was asked to speak on inspiration and the Holy Ghost, and I feel like this quote encompasses both in a way that I’ve never thought of before. While I was searching through talks I came upon Sister Linda K. Burton’s talk entitled “Tuning Our Hearts to the Voice of the Spirit”. In her talk, she asked this question: “Why does discerning the whisperings of the Spirit seem so difficult?” and then goes on to say, “Perhaps one reason is that the Spirit communicates both to our minds and to our hearts…we sometimes confuse our own thoughts and our own emotions with the promptings of the Spirit. Another reason is that discerning the Spirit is a gift of the Spirit. Just as learning a language comes easily to some and not to others, so does the ability to understand the whisperings of the Spirit. Most often, learning an instrument or language takes a great deal of effort, including practicing and sometimes making mistakes. So it is with…learning the language of the Spirit.”

One of our scripture mastery scriptures in seminary is Doctrine and Covenants 8:2-3, and it says, “Behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart”. The Lord will give us inspiration from the Holy Ghost in our mind and heart. How many of us have difficulties discerning the Spirit from our own thoughts, though? Sometimes it’s hard to tell. In the Bible Dictionary, it says that the Holy Ghost “gives one a testimony of Jesus Christ and of his work an the work of his servants upon the earth.” So how exactly can we receive inspiration from the Holy Ghost? Well, in his talk entitled “How to Obtain Revelation and Inspiration for Your Personal Life”, Elder Richard G. Scott says that, “The Holy Ghost communicates important information that we need to guide us in our mortal journey. When it is crisp and clear and essential, it warrants the title of revelation. When it is a series of promptings we often have to guide us step by step to a worthy objective, for the purpose of this message, it is inspiration.” I found this interesting, because I had never really thought about the difference between revelation and inspiration, and he said it perfectly: “when it is crisp and clear and essential, it warrants the title of revelation. When it is a series of promptings…it is inspiration.” Inspiration is given through promptings from the Holy Ghost because Heavenly Father needs you to do to help His children. He says that emotions such as anger, or defensiveness “will drive away the Holy Ghost”, so we need to get rid of those emotions, and have emotions such as happiness and peace in order to receive revelation or inspiration. “Careful quiet speech will favor the receipt of revelation”. He says that he fasts and prays to find and understand scriptures that will help him. He ponders what the scriptures means, and he prays. He said that “spiritual communication can be enhanced by good practices. Exercise, reasonable amounts of sleep, and good eating habits increase our capacity to receive and understand revelation.” It is easier for the Lord to speak to us when we are healthy and rested.

In her talk, Sister Burton had a list of things that we can do to feel and learn how the Spirit talks to us. One thing we can do is to pray humbly and sincerely. Heavenly Father wants us to know that He is there. He wants us to trust Him. She says that “To pray sincerely means we intend to act on the answer we receive.” When we are searching for the right thing to do, we need to be prepared to do what God will ask us to do. Another thing she said we could do was to act promptly on spiritual impressions. We all know the story of when President Monson was Bishop and received a prompting to go visit the veteran’s hospital several times, but he didn't leave until after the stake president had spoken and it was too late; the man had already died. “Never postpone a prompting.”
Elder Bruce R. McConkie said in a talk entitled “Agency or Inspiration” that “We’re faced with two propositions. One is that we ought to be guided by the spirit of inspiration, the spirit of revelation. The other is that we’re here…to use our agency…and we need to establish an intricate balance between these two”. When we search for an answer, or for inspiration, we need to do all we can to look for an answer; we shouldn’t just ask God, and then let it be. We need to search for an answer. We need to study our scriptures, pray, and read the words of the prophets. God will give us our answer only when He knows that we are ready and prepared for it. When we have done all that we can, He will give us our answer. He said, “The Lord has all wisdom, all knowledge, and all power; he knows how to govern and control and direct us in a perfect manner. He lets us determine what we should do, but he expects us to counsel with him.” He also expects us to search for the answer ourselves.

I know that our Heavenly Father sends us inspiration through the Holy Ghost. I know that in order to recognize the Spirit, we have to search, and pray, and prepare ourselves for answers, but when we are ready, He will send us inspiration and revelation. I know that Heavenly Father loves us and that He wants us to become more like Him. I know that He will not leave us alone, nor will He leave us unprepared. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ amen.