Are We Not All Beggars?

I have heard some fellow Christians suggest that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has wasted millions of dollars building extravagant temples when those very same dollars could have been spent on feeding the poor and helping the needy.

Let's first look at what the Church does for the poor and needy.  If you spend a little time on this website you'll find that the Mormons actually do quite a bit to help their fellowmen. From teaching people how to grow their own food to lending hands that clean up when disaster strikes, the Church dedicates time and money to helping the needy in very real ways—like teaching sustainability. Doesn't the saying go "if you give a man a fish he'll eat for a day, but if you teach a man to fish he'll eat for a lifetime"? The Church helps teach people how to obtain clean water, it teaches about common diseases and how they're spread and gives immunizations to the children, and it partners with local organizations to get people wheelchairs and walkers! These are just a few examples of what is done! It's simply ignorant to think that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is uncaring or a church for the wealthy to build expensive buildings.

The next question to address is why on earth do Mormons spend millions of dollars building temples all over the world?

I'd like to insert here that neither God nor Jesus Christ change no matter how much time passes.

"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever" (Hebrews 13:8).

So let's first take a look at the Old Testament:

"Furthermore David the king said unto all the congregation, Solomon my son, whom alone God hath chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work is great: for the palace is not for man, but for the Lord God.

"Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for things to be made of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and the brass for things of brass, the iron for things of iron, and wood for things of wood; onyx stones, and stones to be set, glistering stones, and of divers colours, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance.

"Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house.... 

"But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.

"For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.

"O Lord our God, all this store that we have prepared to build thee an house for thine holy name cometh of thine hand, and is all thine own" (1 Chronicles 29:1-3, 14-16, emphasis added).

To sum that up and give a tiny bit of backstory, David's son, Solomon, was commanded of God to build a temple or a house of the Lord for the Lord to dwell. This excerpt shows us that David and all Israel donated a lot of precious stones, gold, silver, brass, iron, and so on to help beautify the temple. All of this suggests that whatever was going on inside of the temple was important and that the house of the Lord deserves the very best of what we have on this earth. Just as David and Solomon did, we too build temples and beautify them with the very best of what we have. As the scripture above says, 'all things come of [God], and of [His] own hand have we given [Him]' for His house.

"For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?" (Mosiah 4:19).

So what did Israel do in their temple that was so important? And what do Mormons do in theirs?

According to mormon.org:

"[Solomon's] temple was a place where God could dwell, was a place of prayer, was a place of sacrifice and was a place where the principle and covenant of sacrifice was fundamental to worship." 

We no longer need to sacrifice animals, because Jesus Christ came and fulfilled that commandment by giving himself as the ultimate sacrifice, but the rest is the same: we pray; we make covenants; we learn eternal truths; we receive sacred ordinances that seal husband and wife together for eternity, as well as join children to their parents; and we perform ordinances for our dead so they too can choose to be joined to their loved ones for eternity. Obviously, the 'principle and covenant of sacrifice' are absolutely fundamental to modern temple worship.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a church of sacrifice and giving. We are taught to give generously of all that we have been given, because we have been given much. We are a temple going people who try to give all that we have and all that we are to our Heavenly Father. I love the temple. It is a place where I have received blessings beyond measure. It says on the outside of every temple "House of the Lord" because each and every one is indeed a sacred and beautiful house built for the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, and our Heavenly Father to dwell and to come to visit the earth. 

-Abby

Heavenly Father is So Nice

So last night, Heavenly Father helped me heal a little emotionally from something I didn't even know still needed to be healed. As many of my friends came to me with love and support, I was reminded of 2 things. 1) I can do a fair amount of things by myself, but my ability to succeed soars when I see myself through the eyes of those who care about me. There are hard things that alone we simply cannot do, or cannot do well. But, when we combine our efforts with those around us and with the Lord's strength, we cannot fail. 2) We are never alone. I love what Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said about this in his talk, The Ministry of Angels:

"My beloved brothers and sisters, I testify of angels, both the heavenly and the mortal kind. In doing so I am testifying that God never leaves us alone, never leaves us unaided in the challenges that we face. '[N]or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man [or woman or child] upon the face thereof to be saved.' 13 On occasions, global or personal, we may feel we are distanced from God, shut out from heaven, lost, alone in dark and dreary places. Often enough that distress can be of our own making, but even then the Father of us all is watching and assisting. And always there are those angels who come and go all around us, seen and unseen, known and unknown, mortal and immortal."

I'm so grateful for the angels Heavenly Father puts into my life. Heaven surely knows I can't do this whole life thing alone. No matter what we do or have done, we have a Father in Heaven who is watching over us and a Savior, Jesus Christ, who stands ready to help us at any time of need, big or small. We really are never alone. 

~Kristilyn

Just 2 Quick Thoughts For the Day

#sharegoodness

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies= Happiness

So, I think there are different levels and varieties of "happiness" and that to experience glimpses of happiness doesn't mean that everything in your life is perfect. I don't have all the secrets on how to live a happy life or whatnot, but I can say this:

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies= Happiness

Always.

I love fall sooo much. What other time can you have such a perfect combination of boots, hot chocolate, scarves, changing leaves, lots of holidays, and pumpkin food??! It's genius. Anyways, if you need a little pick-me-up...follow these instructions. And, if you're already feeling great about life, this will make you feel even better. So, be like Nike and just do it.

Okay, ready? Here's your list of pick-me-up instructions:

1. Make these cookies (duh). It's the easiest, best thing you could be doing right now. I mean, think about it...it'll make you happy. Then you'll want to spread that happiness to your friends and family, so then you'll share (hypothetically, haha) and everyone will be the better for it. So, this is basically a service project...

All you need is 3 ingredients: 15 oz can of pumpkin, cake mix (it can be any flavor, but I prefer spice), and chocolate chips. Mix these ingredients (the cake mix is just the powder in the box--don't complicate this by trying to make cake), and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. It will change your life. 

**If you have other pumpkin recipes that you love, pleasssse share with us! We love food...

2. Read this quote. I read it last night before going to bed and I keep rereading it this morning because I love it so much.

"The Lord allows us to be tried and tested, sometimes to our maximum capacity. We have seen the lives of loved ones—and maybe our own—figuratively burned to the ground and have wondered why a loving and caring Heavenly Father would allow such things to happen. But He does not leave us in the ashes; He stands with open arms, eagerly inviting us to come to Him. He is building our lives into magnificent temples where His Spirit can dwell eternally.

In Doctrine and Covenants 58:3–4, the Lord tells us:

'Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation.

'For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory.'

I testify that the Lord has a plan for each of our lives. Nothing that happens is a shock or a surprise to Him. He is all-knowing and all-loving. He is eager to help us, to comfort us, and to ease our pain as we rely on the power of the Atonement and honor our covenants. The trials and tribulation that we experience may be the very things that guide us to come unto Him and cling to our covenants so that we might return to His presence and receive all that the Father hath."

-Linda S. Reeves

3. Send a quick text or write a note to someone, thanking them for something they've done for you or letting them know you love them or telling them how awesome they are. Or all of the above :)

4. Watch a couple of these Kid Snippets videos. These are a few of my favorites. They're hilarious.

Enjoy!!!

~Kristilyn

Shout-out to My Dad and Other Studs

As a kid, when I'd watch movies with my family I'd often ask at the beginning of the show if certain male characters were a "good guy" or a "bad guy." My parents would respond and I'd quickly be satisfied with their brief answer, knowing that I could expect a specific behavior, either good or bad, from the character the rest of the movie. Similarly, as I grew up, I unconsciously categorized people in my life as "good guys" or "bad guys". Like most children, I was typically pretty generous to who qualified as good. Good guys included all men in my family, in my school, in my friends' families, at church, and pretty much everywhere else in my life. Bad guys were mostly limited to bank robbers, kidnappers, and bullies. Since then, I have come to understand that this idea of a good vs. bad guy is neither rigid nor all-encompassing. Just because someone was once classified as bad doesn't mean they can't become good and vice versa, nor does it mean that a person solely does good or bad things. 

I still believe that most people are "good guys". Not perfect guys, but good guys nonetheless. I'm not suggesting that there aren't "bad guys" out there, or that we should blindly trust everyone around us. I'm extremely aware that many guys once deeply trusted haven't broken hearts or deceived those around them (women do all these things too, but I'm focusing on men for the purpose of this post). I'm also aware that not everyone has had the same experience with their fathers or men in their lives as I will share. My post is not intended to point out the flaws in the "bad guys" (nor is it even my place to say if you are a good guy or a bad guy) or to gloss over the hurt that burdens many women and children because of abused-trust, disloyalty, or a myriad of other issues. Rather, my post is to tell the good men out there that I appreciate and admire you, as well as to say that if you feel any less than a good guy, become one. It's never too late. And, if you're on the "good guy" side, you definitely qualify as a stud.

My dad is one of my favorite people on the planet. (Mom, you're at the very top of the list, too!!) I don't know anyone cooler than my dad. He definitely is both a "good guy" and a stud. He's been my cheerleader, tutor, supporter, friend, coach, confidant, protector, counselor, treat-provider, and listening-ear. Also, my dad can out-bike your dad. Just sayin :) I have always felt safe with him and have always trusted His counsel. I'd take his advice over almost anyone else's any day.

We're so cool.

Thankfully, there are many men in the world like my dad. There are so many good guys in the world. Whether you are fathers or not. I've seen your goodness, witnessed your service, and felt your love. So many of you are so good. You may be 55, 25, or 15. Across the board, I'm grateful for men who, despite your religion or background, go out of your way to just be good. You're honest. You're kind. You seek to help those around you to be happier. You strive to better yourself. You respect women, including (and especially) those in your own family. I love that. Thank you!

My dad taught me by his example how to treat others with love, how to be selfless, and how to put God first. His actions spoke even louder than his words by the way he loves and respects my mom.

I love Elaine S. Dalton's words to men in her talk, "Love Her Mother". (Let's be real... I love everything that woman says.) Although she addresses fathers specifically, the same counsel can relate to all men in their current families, with those whom they associate, and as they prepare for future families. She stated:

"Today’s popular culture tries to erode and demean your eternal role as a patriarch and father and minimize your most important responsibilities. These have been given to you 'by divine design,' and as fathers you 'are to preside over [your] families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for [your] families.'3"Fathers, you are the guardians of your homes, your wives, and your children. Today 'it is not an easy thing to protect one’s family against intrusions of evil into [their] minds and spirits. … These influences can and do flow freely into the home. Satan [is very clever]. He need not break down the door.'4

"You must be the guardians of virtue. 'A priesthood holder is virtuous. Virtuous behavior implies that [you have] pure thoughts and clean actions. … Virtue is … an attribute of godliness.' It 'is akin to holiness.'5 The Young Women values are Christlike attributes which include the value of virtue. We now call upon you to join with us in leading the world in a return to virtue. In order to do so, you 'must practice virtue and holiness'6 by eliminating from your life anything that is evil and inconsistent with one who holds the holy priesthood of God. 'Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and … the Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion.'7 So be cautious about what you view in entertainment media or print. Your personal virtue will model for your daughters, and also your sons, what true strength and moral courage are. By being a guardian of virtue in your own life, in your home, and in the lives of your children, you are showing your wife and daughters what true love really is. Your personal purity will give you power.

"...Brethren, fathers, young men, 'Be loyal to the royal within you.'”13

Man, I love her. I echo her words and stand in awe of the many, many good men fighting every day to be guardians of your homes and families, and who fight to be guardians of virtue.

I'm going to be blunt for just a sec. Can I repeat that last line? I so, so deeply admire those of you who fight to be guardians of virtue. Virtue is not just a quality for women. It is for all God's children--men and women. Virtue is strength. The world likes to condescendingly refer to it as weakness or unnatural, but it truly is strength. The manliest, sexiest, studliest, most noble and attractive thing you could ever be is obedient and virtuous in word, thought, and deed. No matter if you are alone or with someone else. I admire you guys out there who live your lives in this way. To any who may read this and either disagree with me or who find yourselves living a different lifestyle, I don't hate you or think you are gross or weird. I simply say that you will be forever grateful if you make whatever sacrifices are needed to be chaste and virtuous. Your wife and children (current or future) will be blessed for eternity. The world around you will be better because of it. It's never too late to resolve to make those sacrifices. You will never regret it. I cannot put into words what it means to me that my own dad taught and lived these principles.

Don't forget who you are! Like Elaine S. Dalton said, the world doesn't like for men (or women, for that matter) to remember their importance. You are royal. You are the sons of God! YOU ARE AWESOME!

Thank goodness for good fathers and good sons, for all you good men in the world. Thank goodness for the kind words you say, the time you give to help your family and neighbors, the patience you have for us women when we're emotional and just need to cry and eat chocolate, the hard and time-consuming work you do, your sleepless nights and the often unseen sacrifices you make for those around you. Thank goodness for the times you make me laugh and keep me sane. I'm so, so grateful for my dad, boyfriend, brothers, uncles, friends, and acquaintances who do this on a regular basis. Thank goodness for dads like the one in this video (probably the cutest thing I've ever seen in my life).

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I'm forever grateful to my own father who taught me how to love and how to follow my Heavenly Father. Through his example of support, patience, and guidance (and humor through it all), I can see a glimpse into how my Heavenly Father sees me. Thank you to EVERY one of you men out there who share this same love and example to those in your lives. You are my heroes!! YOU ARE STUDS!! Thank you for being the "good guys" of life. We need more people like you!

Because my earthly father cares about my running, work, stress, accomplishments and whatever else is going on in my life, I can only conclude that my perfect and eternal Father in Heaven cares even more about every detail in my life, whether it is big or small, "spiritual" or not. No matter our relationship to our earthly father or other men in our lives, we always have a Heavenly Father. Even if we've been hurt by "bad guys", He is the ultimate "Good Guy" that we can trust in and rely on. We always have Him. He exemplifies every good and loving and noble trait, and desires that we emulate His character. God loves us and cherishes us no matter what. He's always there for us and He always loves us, whether or not we feel we deserve that love. He is our Father and He will never abandon us. 

~Kristilyn

I am eternally grateful for my dad, my Heavenly Father, and all you other "good guys" out there. The world needs you.

Not Me, Satan. I AM AWESOME

Today was just one of those days... the kind that reminds me Satan's really good at his job. Why is he so good at discouraging people? But don't worry, I watched this video (one of my favorites) like 5 times in a row. That should probably be embarrassing...but oh well. Every woman in the world should watch it. I love this video.

Oh, and Christmas is exactly 3 months away. I'm okay with that! That puts happy in my happiness.

~Kristilyn

The Love of Our Mother.

One of my greatest joys in life was when I held my first child for the first time right after I gave birth 3 1/2 years ago. There is a love that no words can describe that fills you when you finally see those little feet that have been kicking you and that little nose that looks just like yours. She made me, a completely average person with few accomplishments, a mother. I can barely remember what life was like without her! She has filled my life with the purest joy, and a lot more responsibility.

When I held my second daughter for the first time, I experienced something completely different. I was filled with fear. There was no room for anything else. I looked at her and realized, I never felt her soft little kicks and I didn't see a single feature she got from me. I went to the hospital on May 3rd to watch this little baby, who we were planning to adopt, enter into the world. This little angel didn't make me a mother, but she did make me more like our Heavenly Mother.

Usually, it's the easiest thing in the world to love your own baby. But how easy is it to love someone else's baby as if they were your own? For me, it was not easy at all and I didn't expect that. I expected to cry with joy when I saw her the first time and to wrap her up in my arms and never want to let go. In reality, I barely wanted to hold her at all. I had no idea how in the world I was going to sacrifice my whole being for her like I could my oldest child. But our God is a God of love and blessings.

The situation surrounding the adoption I won't go into detail about, but I will say that we never planned on adopting a child, since I was fully capable of having my own children, and when we adopted this little girl it was quick and because we were commanded by our Heavenly Father to do so. "What?" You say. "How does that happen??" We were presented with a baby being given up for adoption and felt prompted to pray about us taking her in when she was born. That prayer was intense for all the right reasons. We were answered immediately upon asking if this was something we should do and the Spirit was strong. God intended this baby to be ours. So we started the adoption process a couple of months before the baby was born.

Our littlest girl has given me the gift of real, pure, and unselfish love. She taught me how to love in a way I thought I already knew. On a bigger scale, she taught me how to love people the way that our Heavenly Mother loves her children. I feel more compassion and charity. I feel a sadness and empathy when a perfect stranger tells a story of woe. My knowledge of what love is has exploded.

I don't want to come across as if I'm perfect and everything in my life is perfect. But God has given me my family in ways I never would have imagined or asked for in some instances. I know now that God wants to bless us with happiness. He wants to give us our righteous desires. What I have learned is that we have to always be listening and ready for the time He's ready to bless us. Ultimately, happiness is our choice. If we choose to follow Jesus Christ and seek further light and knowledge, we will be blessed beyond any imagination. That doesn't mean and can't mean that your life will be perfect, on the contrary, you will go through difficult things that later will allow the gifts of God to flow.

I absolutely love the little family with which I have been blessed. I can only hope that I can teach our girls the lessons I've learned by showing them what it means to love as our Heavenly Mother does.


~ Abby

God Blessed Me With Sickness

Usually when we think of the words "sickness" and "miracle" together, our minds automatically think of a miraculous healing, like Christ healing the blind man in the New Testament. The story I want to share is a bit different. Yes, it includes physical healing, which to me was no less than a miracle from God. But the additional miracle I want to focus on is the very root of what created the need for me to be healed in the first place.

My miracle was that I got sick.

No, I didn't pray to be sick. I didn't want to be sick. I didn't even know what kind of sickness I had. All I knew at the time was: 1) My body didn't function, 2) This sickness was ruining my plans and dreams, and 3) I didn't know how long it would continue to run its course, and how long it would continue to shake my world.

Just before Abby dropped me off at the MTC.
September 19, 2012

I entered the Provo, Utah Missionary Training Center (MTC) on September 19, 2012, as a full-time missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, set apart to serve in the Korea Daejeon Mission. I was scheduled to be there learning Korean and studying how to preach the Gospel until the first part of December, when I would fly to Korea with other missionaries. While in the MTC, I was far from being the "best" missionary out there, but I loved my mission. I loved Koreans and I couldn't wait to help them feel Heavenly Father's love for them. I knew that many, if not most, of the people I would talk to in Korea would not want to hear much about my Church. I respected their agency and knew I had no control over that. My goal in going to Korea was not to convert the whole country. Yes, I did want to share my testimony about Jesus Christ and His restored Gospel. But ultimately, I wasn't going on a mission to "get the most baptisms". Before entering the MTC, I told God in prayer that I just wanted to help people feel loved. I prayed to be able to do that because no matter who you are or what you believe, Heavenly Father loves you. I wanted people to feel that love.

My companions...aren't they just gorgeous ANGELS?!

In mid-November, three weeks before I was scheduled to leave for Korea, I suddenly got really sick. The doctors weren’t sure what I had, but it was like my body just shut down. I had to sleep about 15 hours a day and my muscles constantly felt like I’d run 15 miles, and mentally I felt like it was 3 a.m. all the time. I was just so “out of it”. I took it easy the first couple of days, hoping to sleep it off so that I could get back to work as soon as I could. But those days started adding up without any change in my health, despite the many prayers and fasts offered by missionaries and leaders in the MTC and from family at home.

After two weeks I seemed to start getting better in answer to everyone’s prayers and fasts. But the Lord had a different plan for me. Three days before my scheduled flight to Korea, I found myself alone and as sick as ever on a plane headed to Iowa.

Coming home.
November 30, 2012

I spent most of  December, January, and February at home in bed or lying on the floor or a couch. My family and a few friends were so kind to spend time with me when they were able to. But, for the most part, I was by myself all day, every day. I cried myself to sleep multiple times a week for months.  Although I knew with all my heart that the Lord had a bigger plan for me, I felt like I’d been kicked off of His team like, “You are the weakest link.” Thoughts that in my head I knew were lies planted themselves deep within my heart. They came in all kinds of forms, including overwhelming feelings of unworthiness and worthlessness. I had not only come home early from my mission and felt like I was letting down my family, other missionaries, myself, and worst of all, God, but I also felt I had no contribution to make at home either. I had planned on and wanted so badly to be serving God as a full-time missionary during the very time I was now wasting. Instead of spending all my energy devoted to finding Heavenly Father’s beautiful Korean children to teach and inviting them to come unto Christ, I now spent what little energy I had in 5 minute scripture studies, mostly just staring at the page because I felt so dizzy. Rather than lifting others and helping them come to Church, I was only able to make it to about 20 minutes of Sacrament Meeting every other week myself. The value of my life felt like it plummeted and that I had fallen hard. I felt like a nothing.

I was mad at myself for taking this all so hard. After all, so many people in the world had it a lot worse than I did. What was my problem?? I got to sleep every day, hang out, watch movies, have no obligations. But that was the problem. Almost everything I loved about life felt like it had been sucked away from me. I had nothing to wake up to in the morning. I felt guilty for feeling as depressed as I was. I knew I "just needed more faith." My brain barely functioned at a coherent level on a good day as it was, and that was just the sickness taking its toll. Emotionally, I was beyond lonely. I wanted nothing more than to be in Korea with my companions and zone, the missionaries I'd been with in the MTC.

I had no idea how long my life would continue like this. Maybe it would have been less emotionally and spiritually draining if I had had a reason for what my body was doing, if I could have a label and a time frame. Even if it wasn't a good label. Because without a name to my sickness, some people thought I was just being lazy or that I was too scared to go to Korea to complete the next 15 months of my mission. In addition, I sometimes would assume the worst and would be terrified I had one of the more life-changing or even life-threatening illnesses the doctors mentioned as possibilities. Doctors in Utah and at the University of Iowa did test after test to try to figure out why my body's level of functioning had turned to molasses.  No clear results came back, so they finally just started eliminating the "big" diseases and illnesses to make sure I was going to be okay in the long run. I was lucky to have a very kind and understanding doctor, but ultimately, my treatment was to "wait it out" for however long it would take.

I knew everything was in Heavenly Father's hands and that ultimately everything would be fine, but at the same time all I felt was hurt. I was lonely, I was sick, and my dreams of my mission seemed shattered.

"So", you might say, "Where's the miracle in that? That's just a really unfortunate situation."

And it was unfortunate. I hated it. It was hard. It was heart-breaking. I never would have asked for it. And if you would have asked me at the time if I'd ever be grateful that happened, I don't think I would have said yes. After all, how could I be grateful that I didn't complete my mission, the Lord's errand? How could I be grateful that I missed meeting and teaching people in Korea? How could I ever be grateful to have missed out on all of that? It would be hypocritical. It would mean I didn't value my mission, that I gave up. Yes, I could come to terms with what happened, and feel at peace. I knew I'd feel gratitude for the memories I had at home and the comfort I felt while sick. But, how could I ever, in good conscience, tell Heavenly Father that I was grateful I came home early, that I was grateful I didn't serve my mission to the Lord in Korea?

Well, I'm here to tell you that I am. It's been a long time coming to get to the point where I can say this, and completely mean it. But, I'm grateful I got sick. I'm grateful I came home early. I'm grateful for my re-routed life's course.

Amid the often unseen hurt I experienced, the Lord poured down blessings and tender mercies. I felt that I could say with the prophet Ammon in the Book of Mormon, “Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things;” (Alma 26:12). Even though my strength literally was weak, I knew God had a plan for me and that He could see a bigger picture than I could. He was now calling me to a different mission in life. I was supposed to meet the amazing missionaries and leaders at the MTC who I served with, and I needed the training I received there. But, my “mission field” would be somewhere else. It would be different, but not less. Although the pain I felt in losing my mission to Korea was much deeper than I could have ever imagined, I knew that in God’s strength I could do all things. I knew that He would heal me eventually. I knew that He cared about me and heard my cries when the pain was more than I could take. I knew He would, in this life or the next, fulfill every promised blessing I’d received about serving my Korean people. And, I trusted that He was again leading me to new dreams.

And that's exactly what He has done.

Even though for months, I spent my days physically alone, He never left me alone. I felt the power of the Atonement strengthen my Spirit beyond my own capacity. Friends, family, along with elders and sisters from my mission became angels who lifted me in ways they don’t even know. Letters, phone calls, and visits came at inspired timing.

After spending 4 months almost entirely at home, my body started to slowly regain its strength. By the end of the spring I was able to start running again, and although I could still feel my sickness' effects through the end of the summer, I was almost entirely functional by the end of spring. Since then, I've never been more grateful for good health and for my body's ability to run.

So, let's talk miracles for a sec...

Like I said before, I would never have asked for that to happen. I didn't want to spend all that time alone. I didn't want to come home and complete an online service mission instead of being in Korea (even though it was a huuuuge blessing and a great experience). I didn't want to have to explain to people why I didn't go to Korea. I didn't want to have my heart broken. I didn't want to be sick.

But that's exactly where the miracle is.

Heavenly Father knew better than I did what I wanted long-term. The miracle was hidden in the sickness. He knew I needed the experiences in the MTC, and I have faith that at some time, in some way, I'll be able to again serve with my Korean people. He knew the great joy I'd receive in serving the mission I served, and He wanted me to have that. But He didn't stop there. He tailor-made a mission just for Kristilyn, where He led me to miracle after miracle and blessing after blessing. He answered my prayers to be able to help people feel loved by giving me an experience that would enlarge my compassion for others. I've had job experiences, church opportunities, testimony increase, memories with family and friends, and an outpouring of joy directly because I came home early. I've met some of my best friends through my mission and through coming home early. Heavenly Father knew I needed that! He knew what was best for me, but it wasn't just to hurt me and teach me lessons. Yes, it did hurt, and I did learn a ton through the experience, but He did it because He wants me to be happy!!

I love this song from Laura Story called "Blessings". It basically says it all.

Heavenly Father gives us opportunities and allows us to experience pain because He knows the path that will eventually lead us to be the happiest. That's all He wants! We are His children and He desires for us to have joy. When Christ says, "Come follow me", it's not just so we can be boring and take the harder way in life. It's because He wants to bless us. And I'm grateful He did so for me through the miracle of my sickness.

~Kristilyn

 

Seeing my companions spring 2014 after they came home :) Happiest thing of my life.

"Sometimes our plan B is God’s way of making His plan A a reality."

Lessons I Learned From Teenagers

So this summer I was ridiculously lucky to have a job working with some of the most incredible youth in the world. As a counselor for Especially For Youth (EFY), I spent the summer with 14-18 year olds. EFY is a summer program through Brigham Young University which holds week-long sessions across the nation, The purpose of Especially For Youth is to strengthen youth in their commitment to live the gospel of Jesus Christ by providing inspiring, edifying learning opportunities and wholesome social experiences. Basically, I was spoiled because that meant that I got to be around the coolest people on the planet, meet tons of new friends, be surrounded by the Spirit, eat lots of pizza (especially in Ohio...where I accidentally ordered pizzas the size of France), go to amazing classes, rock out at dances, and tell people that they can't have my sandwich :)

Each week, I was assigned to work with a group of 10-16 girls. Our "company" was made up of my girls and a similar-sized group of guys and their counselor. Session sizes I worked at ranged from about 270 youth-1000 total youth. So basically, yeah, I worked with rockstars all summer. Through devotionals, games, testimony meetings, chats, embarrassing moments, scripture studies, and dancing to Baha Men and Cascada, I gained a reservoir of cherished memories with the youth and other counselors. I learned countless lessons from them, but I have categorized them into 5 biggies (in no particular order).


1. I Am Enough

Stemming from the 2014 EFY song, this idea of being enough became a theme at most of my EFY sessions. The Savior values me. He values you. In His eyes, we are never too much and we are always enough. There is a reason we are in this world. We have a purpose. The Savior cares about us individually. The Savior went into the Garden of Eden for each of us. Even if it was just for me or just for you, He still would have done it. "The irony of the Atonement is that it is infinite and eternal, yet it is applied individually, one person at a time" (M. Russell Ballard). To any of my girls who may be reading this, please always, always, always remember that YOU are enough. You are beautiful. You are good. Every sacrifice to repent and be pure is worth it always. But you are never too far out of His reach. You are accepted and wrapped in His love. Sometimes it's hard to see that, but never forget it. You are enough.

2. We Were Made For Greatness

Holy cow. I cannot describe in words the example and hope these youth gave me. They were just so good. Seriously, as soon as they'd start talking about their testimonies and experiences, I'd just look at them, thinking, "Where the heck did you come from??" Like, really...their examples were inspiring to me. They reminded me through their words and actions that Heavenly Father has great plans for us--greater plans even than we have for ourselves. He has great plans for everyone. He wants us to follow His will and come unto Him because He knows how to make us great. 

"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." (1 Corinthians 2:9)

3. "Are you from Tennessee? Because you're the only ten I see!"

One of my favorite things about EFY is that going to EFY is like walking into a land of cheese. From pick-up lines to jokes to dances, EFY redefines "cool" . Basically, the cheesier, the better. And the best thing about that? It's like the funnest week of your life while having the Spirit.  I loved EFY because not only did we strengthen our relationships with others and with the Savior, but we had a blast doing so. We laughed hard, danced hard, played hard, and partied hard. The young men and young women reminded me that Heavenly Father doesn't just want us to strengthen our testimonies by reading scriptures and praying (although He definitely does want us to make that a priority), but He wants us to have fun, too! He wants us to enjoy all of the good, clean, FUN things in life. We were made for greatness, but that includes the fact that we were made to laugh and make memories. He wants that to be part of our lives too. 

4. "All of us can be a strength to each other. We just need to try."

One of the youth in our company said this in a testimony meeting in Ohio. I love it. I saw this group, and every other, reach out to each other each day of the session. Teenagers that may not have normally been friends went out of their comfort zones to build each other up and include those who were less involved. Many have continued to strengthen each other in following weeks and months, even after returning to their distant homes. It was a powerful example to me. Talk about Zion. 

5. When We Let Him, God Will Take Care of Us

I  talked to so many teenagers from different backgrounds. One unifying factor among them all was their willingness to seek God's help. Not that they were perfect at it, and not that I know how to be perfect at that either, but they were trying. Hard. Every single day those youth fight against temptations, peer pressures, and choices that are hard. They really are fighting. The thing that makes them so amazing is that they want to do what is right. They were willing and wanting to know how to be better and how to do better. So many of them were and are willing to give up selfish desires and popular opinion to do what they believe is right.

What could be more inspiring??! Seriously! It is so heartening to see that 14-18 year olds are so dedicated to following the Savior, Jesus Christ. If that's not a happy thought, then I don't know what is. I hope I can be more like them. I hope to have as much faith as they do that when we follow the Savior, we receive help from Heaven. Always. It's not always in the way or time frame that we want, but it always comes. We really are never alone.

In a couple of sessions I worked, my girls and I focused on the scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 84:88, which says:

"And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up."

When we follow God, we are never alone. He sends His Spirit to comfort and guide us. The Savior strengthens us. We have angels surrounding us to bear us up. God takes care of His children. He loves us no matter what. We don't have to qualify for His love. He simply loves us. And because of that, we can remember that we are never alone.

* * * * *

...And finally, a few quotes from these awesome youth that I wrote down during testimony meetings:

"Our weakest weakness can become our strongest strength."
"Don't forget the power of fasting."
"Weak things can become strong through Christ."
"I am worth it."
"I need to let Christ help."
"Christ can help us through any trial we have."
"Am I ignoring promptings I should be following?"

I LOVE THESE YOUTH!!!

~Kristilyn

Speaking of Happiness...

Happy Sunday!! I love C.S. Lewis quotes, and I particularly love this one. How awesome is it that we are free to choose for ourselves how we act and what we do in this life? Our agency to choose is one of the greatest gifts offered to us by a loving Father in Heaven. We are His children, and He wants to be with us. Our gift to Him is choosing to follow Him--in our daily lives. Our actions to help those around us, to become closer to Him, and to fight temptation show our love to God. And the best part of it all? Heavenly Father just wants us to be happy! He knows the exact paths that bring us the most joy imaginable, and that is to love Him and to love others. We are so blessed to have that perspective. We were created to be HAPPY. 

"Our God Will Never Us Forsake"

One of the best days of my life was during my junior year of high school cross country. It was the final meet of the season. I'd struggled for a month to cut down my race time, and felt like I was getting nowhere. About two weeks before the last meet, I decided I would give everything I had in order to get my PR (personal record...aka the fastest time a runner has ever raced a certain distance). It became my goal not only physically, but mentally and spiritually as well. I knew that although Heavenly Father might not have cared too much about my time for the 2.5 mile race, He cared about me. I figured that if this goal--to run faster than my previous PR-- mattered to me, then the goal would matter to Him. I prayed for the mental and physical strength I would need to conquer the pain during upcoming daily practices and during the actual meet itself. After praying, I knew I had to follow through. If God was going to help me, I needed to do everything in my own power to meet that goal. 

I love running. Actually that's the understatement of the century. I LOOOOOOOOOOVE RUNNING. So much. One of the reasons I do is because it's such a mental sport. During a race or a difficult run, no one is there to make the decision for you to keep going. Everything inside you tells you to stop. Your body aches. You're sweaty. It hurts to breath. Your muscles are sore. So, what do you do? You have a choice. Right then and there, even and especially when conditions aren't ideal (and let's face it...98% of the time, they're not perfectly ideal). You can continue on through the pain and meet your goal. Or, you can stop. Not that stopping always means giving up. But I love that in that moment--in every moment running--it's your choice to meet your goal and be a little better or to slow down and give less than you're able to. I love that.  And plus, it's just fun. Besides all that, running is SO FUN. (Sorry, if there's anything I totally geek out over, it's running...)

Haruki Murakami said in What I Talk About When I Talk About Running,“For me, running is both exercise and a metaphor. Running day after day, piling up the races, bit by bit I raise the bar, and by clearing each level I elevate myself. At least that’s why I’ve put in the effort day after day: to raise my own level. I’m no great runner, by any means. I’m at an ordinary – or perhaps more like mediocre – level. But that’s not the point. The point is whether or not I improved over yesterday. In long-distance running the only opponent you have to beat is yourself, the way you used to be.” That's really what it is. 

I'm not fast, but I am determined. 

So, during those practices leading up to my last meet, I gave even more than I otherwise would. During my runs, I prayed. I learned when I started cross country as a 12 year old, that running created optimum conditions for sorting my thoughts as well as thinking through them with Heavenly Father. The lyrics from one of my favorite hymns, "Come, Come, Ye Saints" became my mantra:

Why should we mourn or think our lot is hard?

'Tis not so; all is right.

Why should we think to earn a great reward

If we now shun the fight?

Gird up your loins; fresh courage take.

Our God will never us forsake;

And soon we'll have this tale to tell--

All is well! All is well!

This probably all sounds cheesy. And it probably is. But, I love cheese. So, there you go. Long story short, Heavenly Father cares about us. He is aware of us. I don't comprehend how He can know every person so intimately, but He does. And this was my fight. I couldn't shun it. I took courage, remembering that my God would never forsake me--not even on my home cross country course.

During that final meet of the season, conditions weren't ideal. In fact, with the temperature in the low 30s, and snow flurries on and off during the meet, they were really not ideal. But I came prepared, and after huddling with teammates under our team tent prior to the race, I competed, finishing with a new PR time. I was elated! I was exhausted and freezing, but beyond happy. I had done it. With God's help, we had done it.

In every season of our lives, God is near. Sometimes our successes are tangible, like meeting our goals for a race. Other times, they're much less tangible or noticeable to those around us, and even ourselves. Sometimes prayers are answered quickly, and sometimes it takes months and years. But , no matter the condition, no matter the background, God is aware of each of us. Always. No matter what. No matter who we are, our God will never us forsake.

And sometimes we get a rockstar run out of the deal.

Right after my race, with one of my favorite running buddies. Obviously, I'm rocking the whole tank top/shorts/gloves look. 

After my race with one of my closest friends on the team. We both trained together during practice and got PRs during our races that day. 

~Kristilyn

"Your toughness is made up of equal parts: persistence and experience. You don’t so much outrun your opponents as outlast and outsmart them, and the toughest opponent of all is the one inside your head." ~ Joe Henderson

Why Can't We All Just Give Away Surprise Corn Dogs?!

So last night, after getting ready for bed, I guess I needed a little pep talk or something because I ended up watching some Kid President videos. One line from 20 Things We Should Say More Often that I found particularly hilarious was:

You are absolutely right, Kid Pres! Why don't we give surprise corn dogs more often?! "Corn dog for you, corn dog for you..." Yeah, that would make the world a better place. Definitely. Not that I actually like corn dogs, but I do love nice people and doing nice things. Like, a lot.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late." Talk about words to live by. Who doesn't benefit from a little extra kindness and love? And if we all were a little kinder to those around us, if we all thought just a little more about our family, friends, and acquaintances, then...well, then there would be way more surprise corn dogs floating around, wouldn't there?! And way more happy people. So, bottom line: let's just all be nice and find ways to help those around us have happier days, even and especially on days when we're struggling to have a happy day ourselves.

~Kristilyn

"If you can't think of something nice to say...You're not thinking hard enough!"

 -Kid President

Strong Enough

Yesterday as I was getting ready for church, I turned on one of my Sunday playlists, with a mix of more spiritual music. The song, "Beautiful to Him" by Rachel Thibodeau came on. I hadn't heard it in awhile, but immediately my mind was drawn back about 7 years to when I was a junior and senior in high school. This song was my theme song. I listened to it nearly every day before I went to school. I loved my high school. I loved my friends, my activities, and most of my classes. But no matter where you live or who you're surrounded by, the world always has its way of sending messages to you. I don't know how someone could completely escape that. Media and the world's influence bombard us constantly with messages that we aren't good enough, pretty enough, smart enough, sexy enough, ...the list goes on and on. It tells us we absolutely must buy this, do that, look at this, click on that. And when we choose not to, we are immediately categorized as "old fashioned", "immature", "ignorant", "unpopular", "intolerant". THOSE ARE LIES!!

I love this song because it talks about these pressures. Some of the lyrics within the song read:

The world's little lies

destruction in disguise

opportunities to compromise

to make me beautiful in their eyes

but I'm not going to buy

the world's little lies.

'Cause I define myself and find my beauty in the light He gives

I'm refined by His divine intentions every day I live

It doesn't matter what the world believes

Or what they say that beauty means

It comes from within

I want to be beautiful to Him

That's what I want. Not that I'm perfect, and not that I never buy into the world's beliefs or lies. But, ultimately, I really do just want to be good. I want to be beautiful to Him: to God. At the end of the day, will it really matter what people around me thought, if I did what I felt was right? No. When we follow God and act in good conscience of what we believe to be right and true, we can remember that we are good enough, We are beautiful. We are strong. We can be strong enough to take a stand for ourselves, those around us, our families, and our God. Let's just all be a little nicer to each other, and dare to do what's right. As we do so, we can become beautiful to Him.

A Life That's Good

Do you ever feel like you hate life? I do. I mean, I don't really hate it, but in the moment I do sometimes. Often it's the things within our own lives that are difficult, and other times it's all the world's junk encircling us that gets us down. I visited one of my best friends, Abby, a few weeks ago and we listened to this Lennon and Maisy song over and over. Sometimes I need the reminder the song gives: that at the end of the day, after whatever's happening around me whether it's in my control or not, that I really do have a life that's good. I have a bed to sleep in, sweet purple running shoes to run in, friends to talk to, chocolate to eat, a God to pray to, and family who love and support me. I have a life that's good, and I'm grateful for that. 

Our purpose in starting this blog is to focus on just that: we have lives that are good. We are good. Not just Abby and me--all of us. There is so much good in life. Good doesn't mean everything's perfect, easy, or even pretty. It does mean, however, that there's always something to be thankful for, even if that something is ridiculous or you feel like you have to be creative to think of that thing, like the fact that I'm grateful I'm not being attacked by alligators right now. SO grateful for that. Even the beloved hero and Jewish victim of the Holocaust, Anne Frank, said, "Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy." If she could have that attitude, despite living in the face of such evil, we can definitely take time to see the beauty still left in the world, ourselves, and our lives. We really do have lives that are good.