Because I Have Been Given Much

I got accepted to assist with proofing for the Mormon Texts Project! EEP!! I’m so excited! :D

If you haven’t heard of it, it’s an ongoing project digitizing pre-1923 LDS books and making them available for free online. I’m so excited and honored to be a part of it!

It’s extra exciting because all I really want to do with my life as far as a career is concerned is copy edit things. In addition to being a great service opportunity and something I’ll enjoy doing, this will be an excellent addition to my resume. I am beyond stoked! 

This opportunity is such a blessing. I am so very thankful.

I recommend checking out the books that have been completed and made available so far, as well as checking back for new additions every now and then. There are some really interesting things in the works.

 Proverbs 14
1 Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.
…
7 Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge.
8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: but the folly of fools is deceit.
9 Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour.

Today I am celebrating one year of being out of an abusive relationship. This has been such an amazing year. Putting my foot down when he tried to win me over again was the best thing I ever did for myself. It allowed me the freedom to love myself, live my own life, discover and embrace the Gospel, and find someone who treats me better than I could ever ask. I’ve learned what it means to be happy. Despite falling on some tough times by worldly standards, the last year of my life has been the greatest blessing. I have witnessed a miraculous transformation of myself and of my life. I am so thankful for these blessings and for everyone who played a part in them. 

If anyone reading this is going through anything like I was, I’d be more than happy to talk. It took a very long time to see how bad things were (I’m still realizing it a year later.) and even longer to get out. It was perhaps the most difficult thing I’ve ever done. But the very first week, I felt better. I immediately saw that my life was better without that negative force looming over me every day. If you’re not happy, or if you’re not being treated well in your relationship, look inside yourself, do some evaluating, and realize that as a child of God you are worth more than that. You can do better and you deserve it.

I leave these things with you in Christ’s name. Amen.

Red Flags For Abusive Relationships
Information on abuse from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints 

2 Nephi 32:3
Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.

Matthew 6:34
Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

With the Thanksgiving holiday in mind, I did some scripture study on the topic of thanks. I thought I’d share some of my favorite findings with you all.

Old Testament
Psalms 136:2
O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Daniel 2:23
I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king’s matter. 

New Testament
Romans 1:8
First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

1 Corinthians 1:4
I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;

Colossians 3:15
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

1 Thessalonians 5:18
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

1 Timothy 2:1
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 

Book of Mormon
Alma 7:23
And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive.

Alma 26:8
Blessed be the name of our God; let us sing to his praise, yea, let us give thanks to his holy name, for he doth work righteousness forever.

Alma 34:38
That ye contend no more against the Holy Ghost, but that ye receive it, and take upon you the name of Christ; that ye humble yourselves even to the dust, and worship God, in whatsoever place ye may be in, in spirit and in truth; and that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you.

Mormon 9:31
Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father, because of his imperfection, neither them who have written before him; but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been.

Doctrine and Covenants
46:7
But ye are commanded in all things to ask of God, who giveth liberally; and that which the Spirit testifies unto you even so I would that ye should do in all holiness of heart, walking uprightly before me, considering the end of your salvation, doing all things with prayer and thanksgiving, that ye may not be seduced by evil spirits, or doctrines of devils, or the commandments of men; for some are of men, and others of devils.

46:32
And ye must give thanks unto God in the Spirit for whatsoever blessing ye are blessed with.

98:1
Verily I say unto you my friends, fear not, let your hearts be comforted; yea, rejoice evermore, and in everything give thanks;

136:28
If thou art merry, praise the Lord with singing, with music, with dancing, and with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving. 

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I’d also like to remind everyone to thank those around you. It is necessary to thank the Lord for our blessings, but it is also important to thank friends and family for all they do for us. Cheers. :)

9 Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin.
10 I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men. [more]

For some reason unbeknownst to me, I was very in tune with the Spirit today. It was mind-blowing. I don’t remember ever experiencing a time where it was this constant throughout the whole day before. Of course as a confirmed member of the church I have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, but this was a whole new level for me.

One of the big points of revelation I received today (I got a couple of really good answers to things I’ve been asking. I’m so grateful, in awe really.) dealt with forgiveness. I was finally able to truly forgive some people today. 

I’m usually not one to carry a grudge. I usually can’t do it even if I try. People have told me that I forgive too easily. Therefore, it’s really been bothering me lately that some things have happened over the last couple of months have stayed with me. I felt very personally attacked by a fraternity brother and I felt abandoned and pushed to the side by a couple of other people together. It’s usually hard for me to get offended but these things just felt so personal and so hurtful that I couldn’t get over them no matter how I tried.

But the Spirit truly is the great Comforter. I realized some key things about the incidents that were troubling me today. And just like that I was able to let it all go. It was so amazing. I never thought it could happen like that, so instantly. I know it wouldn’t have been possible to accomplish this on my own. I am so grateful for the gifts of the companionship, the guidance, and the comfort of the Holy Spirit in my life. I have seen the power of prayer. It really does feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Glory be to Heavenly Father, to Christ, and to the Holy Ghost as I give thanks. 

Now, there are one or two things that I have yet to forgive in my life. They’re genuinely huge offenses that some people would never want to forgive. I don’t know how I’ll do it. But today has given me the faith that it is possible. I know it will happen, when it needs to happen, when I’m ready. And I’m grateful for this knowledge.

I leave this testimony with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

I tried to answer this post but the ask box wasn’t working. :/ 
However, I’m here and I’d love to answer any and all questions that anyone might have!

Here’s a brief overview of our beliefs called The Articles of Faith:

  1 We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.

 2 We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.

 3 We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

 4 We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second,Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

 5 We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.

 6 We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.

 7 We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth. 

 8 We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.

 9 We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.

 10 We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.

 11 We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.

 12 We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.

 13 We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

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I should also mention, that in addition to asking me or a ton of other Latter-day Saints on tumblr who would love to talk about the church, you can always chat online with the missionaries here. There are no strings attached and no one will ever try to convince you of anything. We’ll only tell you what we ourselves have found to be true. There’s no pressure, just the best honest answers any of us can give. 

I love my friends. They’re seriously some of the most amazing people… I’m so grateful that I’m surrounded by people who support my beliefs. I’ve had a few encounters that have reminded me of this lately.

I was in the car with a couple of brothers (I’m a proud brother of the Alpha Zeta chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi.) on the way to a ritual at another chapter. We were speeding down the highway and in the middle of a conversation about something totally unrelated, the driver pointed across the road exclaiming “Alex! Look! Mormons!!” And sure enough, there was a mormon.org billboard. I was glad to see it. There’s a media blitz going on in my area right now because of the Indianapolis Temple construction announced at April General Conference but I hadn’t actually gotten to see any of it until that night. I was really glad she pointed it out. 

A week or so later was the longest chapter meeting of the year. Everyone brought food for the meeting. I was eyeing up some chocolate chip cookies when a brother came over to give me a heads up that they were made with coffee. It was great of her to look out for me like that. 
This is the same girl who was texting me a ton of pictures the whole time she was at Temple Square on vacation this summer. (She’s not LDS.) She’s wonderful.

Around Halloween I was at a party with a bunch of people in my section from marching band. Someone offered me some jungle juice and I declined. He said he forgot I’m LDS and apologized! It wasn’t a big thing, it was an honest mistake. I wasn’t offended and it didn’t bother me that other people were drinking. But the simple ‘I’m sorry, I forgot,” meant something to me. It even gave me an opportunity to talk to a couple of people about the church. :)

I have an amazing bunch of friends in the church and outside of it. I am so blessed to be surrounded by these people every day. 

I’ve noticed that I’ve developed a very specific posture for when I pray sitting down (such as before a meal, or during church or an Institute class).

I fold my arms (or occasionally clasp my hands) and close my eyes. I drop my shoulders very low and bow my head. I always uncross my legs and put my feet flat on the floor. 

I’ve never seen or heard this be specifically addressed, although crossed arms are traditional for Latter-day Saints. I know that’s not what’s important when I pray. (Heavenly father isn’t going to ignore a prayer because I’ve got my eyes open or I’m sitting with my back straight.) This is just what feels most humble and reverent to me. 

Sometimes I pray while I’m in the middle of doing something else, like walking somewhere or driving or working, just because that’s when I need to talk to Him and I really can’t stop what I’m doing so I can go find a quiet place to have an intimate conversation. At the end of the day I usually kneel by my bed and in the morning I try to pray before I even get out of bed (though admittedly that’s a weak point for me; I know why and I’m working on it). But when I’m sitting down I get very particular about it for some reason.

What about you guys? Thoughts? 

Marching band is over next week. After that I’ll literally have nothing to do but church things. That means church on Sunday, three Institute classes, and FHE. That’s not much to do in a week. So I think that at least until I find a job (hopefully super soon) I’m going to mention to the new missionaries that I’m SUPER available and want to help them with discussions. I really miss it and I need to be doing something productive with my time.

I’m also going to make myself a more rigid scripture reading schedule and stick with it. 

THAT MEANS IT’S BEEN SIX MONTHS SINCE I WAS BAPTIZED!! :O

Where has the time gone? It feels like this was yesterday!

Ben still looks especially handsome in white. I miss Elders McCarrey and Swain. (Although Swain is home now. He added me on facebook and we have good texting conversations now and then. I’m glad we’re friends. :])

The last six months have been crazy. (And the next six will probably be even crazier.) I don’t know how I would have made it without the Church. I’m thankful for it every day as well as for the people that I’ve come to know through it. It has changed my life all for the better.

I have no regrets regarding my decision to be baptized. That day was perfect. I know this is the one true church and I am so blessed to be a member. Here’s to the next six months, the next six years, to the rest of my life of living the Gospel. I pray I only continue to grow stronger in it. 

and it means so, so very much to me. 

I’ve been completely out of commission with sickness all week. I suddenly got very ill last Friday night. I went to the health center twice in the next three days and I may or may not have mono and I may or may not have or have had a severe stomach virus.

Ben has obviously been here and he’s been a better help than I could have asked, constantly helping me and making sure I’m okay and have everything I need. He and his roommate came over to make sure I was okay at like one in the morning on Saturday and his roommate got me a thermometer. During this week multiple people from church have asked after me, including some unexpected ones. My home teacher has checked in and he made sure that I’d get ahold of him if I need something (I’ve seriously got an amazing home teacher). The senior missionaries sent me homemade chicken soup with crackers and oranges which was the most delicious and touching thing I’ve ever eaten (pretty sure I want to be Sister Mallet when I grow up). And my visiting teacher just asked if she could stop by soon to keep me company. 

These people all mean so much to me. Really, I’m so touched by all of this. I love them and I love the church. I’m so grateful to have them in my life. :’)