Peace

These last couple of days have been an eye opener for me. I recently have remembered those who have passed on and had some experiences lately with death again. I sincerely felt the love of my savior these past few days and saw his little reminders that he does in fact know who I am and he hasn't forgotten what I have been through and he knows that at times it still hurts, and at times I don't know what to do: but he is always there. This week especially I have felt his love for me and my family as we remembered my Uncle, and Great Grandma, and saw another person we love pass away as well. In my life I have seen a lot of people I was close with and learned a lot from pass away, 3 of the 4 unexpected. I felt myself at these times asking "why me?" "Why did it have to my (uncle, Grandma, Great Grandma)"? "If God really loves me and knows me, why did he take them away from me?" I have come to find over the past 4 years that he didn't "take them away" he brought them closer. I know that God loves me and Jesus came to earth and died for all of us that we might live again. I know this is true and I know that when we pass on, it's not the end. I know that we will live again and we can be with our families forever. Heavenly Father made a plan of Happiness. He made it so death wasn't the end. Jesus left his Father in Heaven and came down to earth, and died for us that we may be forgiven of our sins, and that we could all be together forever and live for eternity. For any of you who have lost a loved one or close friend, I want you to know: it's not the end. There is peace, and I know it's not easy to find all the time or it may come and go, but I KNOW it is there and God will bring you peace. I ask you to find it. Pray. Ask, Seek, and you will be given. Knock and it shall be opened. (Matthew chapter 7, verse 7. 3 Nephi chapter 27 verse 29.)* I came across this video** today and I'm going to ask you to watch it. It is from one of the leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints. ( The Mormon church, the church I belong too.) This brought me comfort and peace and helped me a lot and I hope it helps you too. I want you to know that I KNOW that God lives, Jesus is his Son, and they both love us all very much. I know that we can all live together again, and I know this isn't the end. I know that Joseph Smith lived and restored the gospel in it's fullness on the earth today. I love my Father in Heaven and I trust in him, and know that he has a bigger plan for me than I have for myself and if I choose to follow him I can fulfill that plan. I know we are never alone and we can make it through hard things. I beg you to come unto Christ and find peace and joy in this gospel. You will never be happier. I AM his daughter and he loves me and I love him.
In the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen

Love, Samantha

*Matthew is found in the Bible, and in my church we use the King James Version of the bible. This verse reads:
 7 ¶^aAsk, and it shall be ^bgiven you; ^cseek, and ye shall find; ^dknock, and it shall be opened unto you: 
(Link: http://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/matt/7.7?lang=eng )

3 Nephi is found in the Book Of Mormon, the keystone of my religion. This verse reads:
 29 Therefore, ^aask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; for he that asketh, receiveth; and unto him that knocketh, it shall be opened.
(Link: http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/3-ne/27.29?lang=eng )

**This video is the shorted hightlight of the actual talk: https://www.lds.org/youth/video/personal-peace-the-reward-of-righteousness?lang=eng

If you would like to listen to the whole talk here is that link: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/04/personal-peace-the-reward-of-righteousness?lang=eng

If you haven't listened to or read the whole talk, it's worth your time I promise.

Shine On

Shine on by David Osmond* is one of my favorite songs. I love the words of this song and the truth that they proclaim about how we can shine our light on. We don't need to give up. We need to "Shine on for the whole world to see... hold on.. believe... We can be a light in the darkness." I believe this. I know that in this crazy, messy, darkening world, we can shine on with the light of Christ. All we have to do is be an example, be strong and come unto Christ. I know it may seem hard, and scary, but: I know that it is worth it. I know that God will help us shine the best we can and he will be so happy with us that we are choosing to be an example to those around us. Pretty soon, the world will be dotted with lights, people who are trying to bring the world the truth of this gospel, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and soon afterward, the world will be shining with lights everywhere. I know Jesus loves us, I know that God has a plan for us, and we need to choose to follow him and his Son and come unto them in all we do. I know that he will help us. I know that we can pray for help to shine on our light and we will be helped. God loves it when we share the light. This light, is the reflection of the light of Christ and his spirit and love. Each of us has it no matter what we choose to do, but we need to choose to let it shine, and not hide it underneath. I love this light, and it's happiness, and I see it in others who love it too. I know we can all share this light and strengthen each other's light as well. I know that we can do hard things. Don't give up, and SHINE ON!

Love, Samantha


*To listen to Shine On, click on the link below!
Shine On David Osmond

School reminder :)

As school is started in a little over one week, I wanted to take a brief moment and remind you all of something very important and something that I think we, as children of God, need to be reminded about everyday. YOU ARE SPECIAL. You were born to be different. You are a daughter/son of our loving Father In Heaven. He didn't intend for you to "blend in with the crowd." You are his instrument. You have a special light. Each of us does, and we were meant to share it, not hide it. (St. Matthew Chapter 5, verses 14-16)* As we go back to school, and things get back into our daily routines, I beg each of you to remember this: You were meant to be you. No one else. So, go ahead: be the best you, you can possibly be. Don't hide behind the media telling you your not good enough, because I promise you: each of us has our own special beauty, our own special light, our own special talents, our own special everything. Don't get discouraged just because someone might have a strength you don't have. You probably have one they don't have. For every strength there is a weakness, and if we work hard, our weaknesses can be made strong. (Ether chapter 12, verse 27)** Simply said: Jesus and God knows and loves each of us. He wants us to stand out and be ourselves, he will support you as long as you do whats right, and do it unto him. He will help you be you, all you have to do is ask. I love you all, and remember: BE YOURSELF!! Everyone else is taken anyway. I know this is true and God will help and support you. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Love, Samantha
* In the LDS church we use the King James version of the bible.
** This book is found in the Book Of Mormon.
These books together are the most true doctrine ever written. You cannot have one without the other.

Are you living on the Edge?

Today in Church I was sitting in one of my classes and I was listening to a story of a young women who was on a hiking trip and she came to a very steep part, and there was a cliff on one side. She decided that it was best to stay in the middle of the path so she was safe. This can relate to our lives. When I go hiking I hate the feeling of being on a cliff and being so close to the edge. I feel this way with the gospel too. I hate that feeling you get when you know what you are supposed to do and not do and you choose to get as close as you can to the "edge". Some people may refer to this as "how far can I go until it's not safe or okay?" I know I am not perfect and I have made lots of mistakes in my life, but I do know that I do not want to live on that edge. When you are living on that edge, it is harder to be confident, harder to have the spirit with you,  and harder to keep your standards high. We watched a video about "the limits". Here is the link to the video and I encourage you watch it and think about what it is teaching. I think it can explain what I am thinking better than I can. https://www.lds.org/youth/video/chastity-what-are-the-limits?lang=eng
In the church of Latter Day Saints, we have commandments to help lead and guide our lives, but they all aren't detailed and specific about the "boundaries". I believe this is because each of us personally needs to set our boundaries and standards. (Standards are things that you set for yourself, like a goal kind of, to keep yourself on the right path.) I encourage you each to set your boundaries and standards now so that when a situation arises it is easier to do what you know to be right. I know that God loves us all! I know that he wants to send his spirit to be with us always, and in order to do so we need to live righteously so that we are worthy of his spirit in our lives. I love him and this gospel with everything in me. I know it is ture.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

Love, Samantha

You Never Know

I read this quote this quote once: "Be Strong; you never know who you are inspiring." -Unknown
This reminded me of an experience I had with my brother. One night he came into my room and just out of nowhere told me all about how much he looked up to me and what a good example he thought I was in his life. We shared some memories and experiences with each other and talked for a few hours. This experience was very humbling for me, because I was feeling very down on myself and like no one thought I mattered. This reminded me that we are all special in our own unique way and the little things we do are noticed and appreciated. I encourage you to share your thanks and love with those you associate with for their example/s in your life. Remember that God loves you and he is proud of you. Your hardships are for your growth so that you can come closer to him. Maybe your trial (or hardship) is a way to not just help you, but help those around you. The way you react to your trial helps builds not just you, but those around you and it helps you both come closer to your Father In Heaven. In short: NEVER GIVE UP! There is always someone watching you and you don't know who all the time, but someone is watching you and trying to follow your example. So whatever you are, be a good one! :) I know Jesus knows and loves all of you and he knows your struggles and hardships, you can always turn to him. You are never alone and he will hear and answer your prayers. I know this is true, In The Name Of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Love, Samantha

4-Wheeling and the gospel

Yesterday I went 4-wheeling with my family. We went to a new place this time so the area was very unfamiliar to me. However, my dad had been here before. The first thing we do when we go somewhere new is my dad takes the older kids (the drivers) out to show them where they can and cannot go. As my dad led the way, I drove behind him. As I was driving I was thinking about the beautiful world that God created for us to live in. (I think Utah's canyons are especially beautiful.) As we drove on, I would sometimes loose sight of my dad. This would scare me, as I didn't know where I was. My dad had given me a compass before we left and he told me if I got lost to go south until I found the main road and they would find me there. This brought me comfort, knowing that my dad would not leave me unprepared, and that he cared that I was safe and knew how to get back home. When I could see my dad's shinny helmet and bright shirt in the distance, after not seeing him for a long time, I would rejoice silently that I had found the way again. This whole situation happened to be quite a thoughtful and learning experience for me. As I would drive trying to catch up to my dad I was reminded of when I had been told that: "If you make mistakes and feel God getting farther away from your 'home', are you going to go and sit in your 'window' and watch him get farther away? Or are you going to run out to him and say sorry and ask him to come back 'home' with you?" I choose to run. I don't want my Heavenly Father to be far away, just like I didn't want my earthly father to be far away when we were 4-wheeling. I want to bear my testimony that I KNOW without a shadow of a doubt that God will forgive you of your mistakes if you only come to him with a broken heart and willing spirit to be forgiven. No matter the sin, no matter how big or small, he will forgive you. He will love you. He ALWAYS loves his children, and each and every one of you reading this, and every person on this earth is his child. He also provides us with earthly "compasses" so that we can get back to him. Our compass to guide us home (back to him in Heaven) is the Book Of Mormon. It is true and will lead and guide us to the right way. Even if we get off path, like I could have done on the 4-wheeler, God has given us this gift (like my compass) to help us back to the "main road." God will never leave us unprepared and he cares about each of us individually and knows each of us individually by name and loves us. I know this true. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Love, Samantha

Small Beginnings

This blog as you know, is going to be my testimony and my love of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I have been thinking a lot about how I'm going to do this in a way that everyone can understand. I am going to do my very best, and if you have questions, please do not hesitate to ask away. I want to start small. (At least try too.) Today is going to be a lot of my testimony. I know that "by small and simple things great works are brought to pass." (Alma 37:6-7)* My grandma has a quote on her wall about this as well. The quote reads: "Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you will look back and realize they were the big things." Little things mean a lot to me. A smile, a simple hello, a little conversation with your friend, etc. It may not even seem like you are doing anything out of the ordinary, but you never know what that small little thing can mean to someone. Years later I still remember having a bad day and going to grandmas. I was tired and grandma could sense I was sad. She sat me in her lap and read my favorite childhood story to me. Then she sang me songs until I felt better. I still remember to this day that grandma didn't poke and prod to find out what was wrong, but that she simply let me know that I matter and she loves me. She taught me that all I need to do is be there for others, I don't have to know what is going on in their lives, but I just need to be a friend. This, I feel, is a basic principle of the gospel. To be a friend is one of the greatest gifts. This is my testimony for you:  I love to talk about the gospel and answer questions. Although I am young, and I do not know the answer to every question: I am positive my Loving Savior will help me find the right answer when the time is right. I'm going to ask you to be patient and I will be too. I know that none of us are perfect and that we all struggle and strive to become the best we can be. For those of you who feel lost and alone: I promise you this truth, You are NEVER alone. Jesus is always with you. He knows you and loves you. I want you to know there is always hope, and love. Have faith. I know we can all do hard things. Never give up. I love you all. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

Love, Samantha

*Alma is found in the Book Of Mormon (Pictured above), the book that we use as members of the LDS faith. This book is the most true of any book you will ever read. It goes hand in hand with the bible, which is also very true as long as it translated correctly. If you have not read this book: I challenge you to read it and pray about it. (I will talk about praying another time.) 

P.S. I know that this can be a very confusing blog to read if you are completely new to this knowledge, but I will answer your questions, so ask. And I will also try my very hardest to make things clear that may be new and confusing to you. Don't give up. We will get there together, I promise this is a journey you want to make! (If you want to ask questions confidentially: email me at: dancer.techie@gmail.com ) Thanks! :)