"And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." -Matthew 25:40

I heard an interesting insight yesterday: "the least of these my brethren" doesn't just apply to strangers. They can be your family members and friends. For example, if you're struggling to love your spouse for a moment, treat Him as you would treat the Savior. Such a good thought! We need to treat everyone as we would treat the Savior.

Y'all may or may not know...that I am addicted to family history. And it's great. :D And I've realized lately that Heavenly Father knows exactly where the information I need is, and if I will give Him the time, He will give me the directions. He wants me to find these people even more than I do, and He can guide me to them for the rest of my life, easily! I love this quote too, because it's not just Heavenly Father Who will show me, but those on the other side who want me to find them! Mama has shared incredible stories with me of times when she has felt that presence. Amazing!

"A husband is never more attractive to his wife than when he is serving … as a worthy priesthood holder." -Sister Linda K. Burton

17 May Church

-Missionary work is specifically tailored to each person--it is not one-size-fits-all. It takes the Spirit to know how and who to reach out to.

-We talked about the power of the Book of Mormon tonight. We watched this powerful video from Elder Holland about the Book of Mormon. He is the lion of the Lord, I've decided! He is so powerful in how he says things. If anyone doubts, I wish I could send them Elder Holland! "I want it absolutely clear when I stand before the judgment bar of God that I declared to the world, in the most straightforward language I could summon, that the Book of Mormon is true." That quote sent shivers up my spine, realizing that he was literally bearing his powerful testimony to the entire world because of General Conference.

-"God always provides safety for the soul [powerful affirmation we can tell ourselves in times of trial], and with the Book of Mormon, He has again done that in our time. Remember this declaration by Jesus Himself: 'Whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived' —and in the last days neither your heart nor your faith will fail you." -Elder Holland

-We also talked about how sometimes we make assumptions about who wants to hear the gospel. One mindset I tried on my mission sometimes was to find out what the person was really like and prove my assumption wrong. It was fun. :D

-The teacher challenged us to read the Book of Mormon again by the end of the year!

-Church is an opportunity to help build Heavenly Father's kingdom by the comments you share. I realized that the only way to build Heavenly Father's kingdom is by following promptings. That is how He will guide me to do so.

-We talked about the rich young man who Christ asked to give away all his riches in Mark 10 and I thought about Abrahamic sacrifice. We will all have to make our own Abrahamic sacrifices. We will one day meet Abraham.

-For the rich young man, the biggest sacrifice was to give up his riches. However, this lesson can apply to all of us. The real question is, which things would I have a hard time giving up? Which things do I put above Heavenly Father?

-One brother shared a story about a man who doubled his fast offering contributions every year for three years and the miracles that came from that.

-"Make the exercise of your faith your first priority." -Elder Richard G. Scott

-"Let the Spirit teach you today. Read [the scriptures]."

-I remembered that one elder spoke about a forty-day challenge. He said to find one small thing that keeps you from having the Spirit, and overcome it. For example, for him on his mission, it was writing in his journal.

-Hopefully I got this quote right: "No man can receive the Holy Ghost without receiving revelation." (Prophet Joseph Smith) 

-Our attitude shouldn't be "How close to edge can I get and still be okay?", but rather "How can I be more valiant? What more can I do?" The Sabbath day is a good example of this. One of the talks was about gratitude. I would like one of my future family's traditions to be for us to write at least one thank-you note each Sunday.

-Hymns are like affirmations x 10. "What is more powerful than truth? Truth set to music." Also, I would like to tell myself the affirmation that each time I sing a hymn my testimony is strengthened. Which I believe is true! And I would also like to memorize a lot more hymns. I think I've been led to a good system of looking over what I'd like to memorize, then typing it down while I say it. That way, I can make sure I'm actually getting it right, and it also reinforces it because if I do have to correct a part, I am more involved. It's worked pretty well so far with scriptures!

-There is a difference between thankfulness and gratitude. Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude--it is the saying thank you. Gratitude is the living in such a way to show your thanks. 

-One brother shared a quote from Corrie Ten Boom, a woman who went through a concentration camp during World War II. Her sister prayed for help on how they could get through this nightmare. She realized that the Lord had already answered their prayer as they had studied the Bible that morning. It was in 1 Thessalonians--"give thanks in all times"--not just in pleasant times. Her sister decided to thank Heavenly Father for the things they did have--for example, they were blessed that they didn't have the initial check the guards normally did, because it allowed them to keep their Bible. It was a blessing that there were so many women in their area, because it meant all of them to could listen to them when they read from the Bible. And she even thanked Heavenly Father for the fleas. At this point Corrie protested. How could she thank Him for fleas? Later on they found out, though, that because the prisoners had fleas, it kept the guards from coming in and finding out that they were reading from the Bible. Such an incredible story that every circumstance can been seen as a blessing. That is a super important thing for me to realize.

-I share my testimony best through a joyful countenance. Of course, I still need need to share the gospel, but what will make people interested is to see the joy that I have.

"If we would be happy, let's make others happy"

-I've been praying for quite a while to have a more powerful understanding of the sacrament. Today I felt like that prayer was answered with some insights. I realized that I can create affirmations. The sacrament is where we partake of the Atonement.

Today was chock-full of spiritual moments! This has been an eye-opener for me. Think of all the spiritual insights I would not have gained if I hadn't gone to church today. And look at all the insights that did come because I went. :) We all need church!

Motherhood

"There is no greater good in all the world than motherhood." -President James E. Faust

"Perhaps the reason we respond so universally to our mothers’ love is because it typifies the love of our Savior." -Elder Bradley D. Foster

"Stay By the Tree"

Still my favorite Conference talk, and still exactly what I need to hear every time I listen to it!

"[A]verage commitment will prevent you from enduring to the end."--I have got to be above average in my discipleship. There is no status quo.

"The Holy Ghost will change your heart...He will show you what you need to do next."--I have absolutely felt this in my life with different challenges--as I pray for guidance, He sends it! And it's perfect! Sometimes I get so overwhelmed by all the progress I need to make, but He sends me instructions line by line, drop by drop. I love Him.

"Our daily discipleship will determine our eternal destiny."--This is a good reminder that it is dependent on how I act today, not "some time later," that determines my standing before Heavenly Father.

"Choose ye this day"

“Korihor was arguing, as men and women have falsely argued from the beginning of time, that to take counsel from the servants of God is to surrender God-given rights of independence. But the argument is false because it misrepresents reality. When we reject the counsel which comes from God, we do not choose to be independent of outside influence. We choose another influence. We reject the protection of a perfectly loving, all-powerful, all-knowing Father in Heaven, whose whole purpose, as that of His Beloved Son, is to give us eternal life, to give us all that He has, and to bring us home again in families to the arms of His love. In rejecting His counsel, we choose the influence of another power, whose purpose is to make us miserable and whose motive is hatred. We have moral agency as a gift of God. Rather than the right to choose to be free of influence, it is the inalienable right to submit ourselves to whichever of those powers we choose. Another fallacy is to believe that the choice to accept or not accept the counsel of prophets is no more than deciding whether to accept good advice and gain its benefits or to stay where we are. But the choice not to take prophetic counsel changes the very ground upon which we stand. It becomes more dangerous. The failure to take prophetic counsel lessens our power to take inspired counsel in the future. The best time to have decided to help Noah build the ark was the first time he asked. Each time he asked after that, each failure to respond would have lessened sensitivity to the Spirit. And so each time his request would have seemed more foolish, until the rain came. And then it was too late” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1997, 33; or Ensign, May 1997, 25)." -Book of Mormon Institute Manual, pg. 216