Goodbye!

So this is my last required blog post, and I know I said that I like blogging, but considering how busy I am right now this will probably be the last time you here from me.

Here is the thought that keeps cycling through my mind: I cannot believe how fast this semester has gone by.

I was looking forward to being done with school for a while, but I didn't see how close the end really was. This semester has been crazy hard, but I am going to miss it. Well I don’t know if “miss it” is the best way to describe my feelings... I think it is better to say that I am grateful for this semester because it has taught me a lot about myself. I learned what I wanted to do in school and I try to set plans for the future. I made the huge decision to go on a mission, and I cannot wait to serve the Lord (I submit my papers at the beginning of May!). This semester I have been blessed to have amazing individuals come into my life that have taught me so much, and I have also learned from relationships that I have lost. I know that things happen for a reason and that people come into our lives with a purpose.

I don’t know everything, not even close, but I know that I am stronger because of this year and what I have learned. I know that God has a purpose for me and I cannot wait to serve Him, not only on my mission, but throughout my life!

Running Update

A few weeks ago I set a goal to complete a marathon, so I thought I would give you an update. Now before you start being proud of me, I definitely haven’t done that yet… BUT I am getting back into the running game. That may not seem like a big deal, but it is for me because I am not a runner in any way, shape, or form. In fact I have not run since last year when I completed my half marathon in Moab, Utah. I haven’t been running because, honestly, I didn’t have a very good experience with my first half haha I “hit the wall” early on in the race, meaning that I ran out of physical and emotional stamina, and so I struggled to finish. After I finished and collapsed on the ground my grinning dad looked over at me and said “See Ani! Wasn’t that fun?” At that point I resolved to never run again because that wasn’t my idea of fun.

I was doing pretty well with my resolve, until... the “freshmen 15” started coming. Not running is nice, but the punishments to your body from not running are no fun at all. So that’s why I’ve made it my goal to start running again. I officially made my father sign up for the “Top of Utah” half marathon with me so I have something to work towards. Runners, here I come!

Brother Kipischke

Brother Kipischke’s (again, not sure on the spelling) talk on how to be accepted of the Lord was inspirational. He started out by telling the congregation about his father. He said that no matter what happened or how mad his dad got, he always knew that his dad loved him. He talked about how this feeling of love and acceptance is essential for human beings and how we often try to fulfill that need in earthly ways. He continued to say that the only way to truly feel this acceptance is to know that our Heavenly Father and brother, Jesus Christ, love us. Brother Kipischke testified that Heavenly Father and Christ love us because of our hearts. They love us for what we are and for what we are trying to become, and they are therefore the only people to whom we should seek acceptance.

These are the notes I tool on how Brother Kipischke said we can know we are accepted:

1.                          Know that are hearts are honest and broken through honest self-reflection. When the Savior knocks, we hear that knock on our heart, and we open.

2.                          Know that are spirits are contrite. It is shown by our willingness and humble to act. We are willing to pray “Not my will, but Thine be done”.

3.                          Observe our covenants through sacrifice. Having the Holy Ghost is our constant companion is the ultimate manifestation of our acceptance by Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. 

Brother Fallabella

Brother Fallabella (I think that is how you spell his name) gave a beautiful talk about strengthening marriage. Since I am not married and do not plan to be for a little while, I chose to focus on how his advice can apply to the relationships in my life currently. My favorite line from Brother Fallabella’s talk was when he said that “It takes two people to contend, and I will never be one of them.” That is such a powerful commitment, and one I hope to be able to keep some day.

“Contention is of the devil.” If your family was anything like mine this is something you probably heard frequently while growing up. And yes it is true, but sometimes it is so hard! I know how difficult it can be to “be the bigger person” or to choose to forgive, but I also know that is what we are supposed to do. I am trying to honor Brother Fallabella’s commitment, because I know that when I let contention and anger rule my life I am miserable. Forgiving those who have offended you is so liberating and it allows you to feel the spirit more freely. I know that choosing to be kind is always better, because that is what Christ did. 

Elder Oaks

Elder Oaks gave a great talk on being a dedicated disciple of Christ. My favorite line was when he said “following Christ is not a casual commitment. It is something that we do at all times, in all things, and in all places.” Isn’t that amazing? I think that sometimes we view the Gospel as one section of our life, that has a time and a place to be thought about and acted upon, which simply is not true. The Gospel is not a section of our lives; it is what defines our lives.

That is what I believe at least. I am not saying that every moment of everyday my life is dedicated to the Gospel, because I am imperfect and so I slip up a lot.  I am saying, however, that the Gospel helps me define my life. The Gospel helps me understand my life by teaching me why things happen to me and why certain people come into my life. Most importantly the Gospel tells me who I should become and gives me hope about what my future holds when I follow the commandments of the Lord. Elder oaks emphasized the importance of following the commandments when he said that “Christ’s teachings were never supposed to be theoretical; they were always supposed to be acted on.” I loved this section of his talk because it shows that action is key; in order to become a disciple of Christ we have to be willing to do what He asks of us.

Elder Holland

Let’s be honest, Elder Holland is amazing. I know we are not supposed to pick favorites speakers and I love every talk in General Conference because it is inspired, but I can’t help love the power with which Elder Holland speaks. He is a powerhouse. When he testifies he is bold and never backs down, and his fearless example is very important to me.

This conference Elder Holland gave a great talk about the power of believing. For me, the most powerful thing he talked about was being grateful for our belief instead of being ashamed that we don’t know. Elder Holland said “Never apologize for just believing”; belief leads to knowledge and it shows that you are trying. This was very assuring to me because I often feel inadequate in my gospel knowledge surrounded by so many great church members here at BYU. Elder Holland helped me realize that I don’t have to know everything yet, but as long as I believe and strive to do what the Lord desires I can be blessed.

Another important lesson I learned from Elder Holland’s talk is that you should not focus solely on your disbelief.  When you pray it is important to come to God with your questions, but you must not forget what you have already been blessed with—belief. Elder Holland testified that we have more faith than we think we do; we should not be so hard on ourselves when we don’t have a perfect knowledge yet because the point of this life is to learn.

President Monson

(For extra credit)

President Monson also talked about the importance of obedience, and his was one of my favorite talks from the entire conference. I especially loved his example of him setting a field on fire when he was just eight years old. He said that he was not allowed to use matches, but he knew where they were and so he did it anyway. He thought for some reason that the fire would stop once it had done its intended duty of burning a small section of weeds. Unfortunately it did not and soon the entire field was ablaze and he and his friend were forced to run for help. These are some of the parallels I drew from that story:

“We were not allowed to use matches, but I knew where they were kept”— there are rules in place to protect us. Those rules are the commandments, and obedience to them brings spiritual protection.

“I recall thinking that the fire would only burn as far as we wanted, and then magically stop” — People think that they can simply “stop” in deep sin. Far too often we try to get as close to the edge as possible and set the “line” which we will not cross at the absolute last point of safety. Instead we should draw the line which we will not cross before the first sign of transgression; draw the line before the danger starts. Stay as far away from danger as possible. We should not push the limits and do things we know will lead to greater sin.

“We realized there was nothing we could do to stop it, we had to run for help” — when you do fall into transgression, you cannot stop the “fire,” or sin, by yourself. You must go to God for help, through taking advantage of the Atonement. For serious sins we must run to our Bishop for help

Elder Perry

(For extra credit)

During this conference I noticed that there was a larger emphasis on complete obedience to God’s commandments, and I thought that L. Tom Perry had a very good thought when it comes to being obedient. Elder Perry said that obedience to God’s laws brings liberty. Sometimes we think of the commandments as something overbearing, as rules that are forced upon us, but that is not the case at all. God has given us the commandments to keep us from Satan and the binding chains of sins. In this sense we are experiencing liberty from the bonds of misery that we may otherwise fall into. Perry also stated that “none of us should underestimate how determined Satan is to succeed.” From this I took that we should never think we are safe enough from Satan to stop doing what we are commanded to do. We should always strive to keep the protection that comes from keeping the commandments, because God wants to protect us so badly. We are free to choose for ourselves whether or not we will allow God to protect us, because God cannot and will not force anything upon his children. I know that each commandment is in place for a reason, and that following them will bring blessings. 

Brother Clayton

(For make-up)

Brother Whitney Clayton’s lesson on marriage was wonderful. He opened with a story of his granddaughter telling him to “watch and learn” and then proceeded to tell us how we can “watch and learn” what a successful marriage is. Brother Clayton listed five characteristic of a successful marriage:

1. TREASURE. Both the husband and wife must see their marriage as a treasure. They realize no other relationship can produce the happiness that is found in eternal marriage.
2. FAITH. Successful marriages are built on faith in the Lord. Faith to Obey the commandments brings blessings into your marriage. And the commandments are not a buffet so you cannot pick and choose what to follow. You have to be completely obedient.
3. REPENTANCE. Each spouse should regularly conduct self-examinations and be willing to change. Humility is required for that change and is the essence of repentance. Repentance answers softly, not with vindication. As we approach God in humility He will help us undergo a mighty change of heart.
4. RESPECT. You are equal partners and should share responsibilities in the home. Family time needs to become the center of your day. When you respect your spouse that brings TRANSPARENCY. Transparency means that there should be no lies between husband and wife, which includes equal opportunities in family decisions.
5. LOVE. The scriptures say that “Thou shalt love thy wife… and cleave unto no one else.” Marriage should be your first priority, do not let any mortal things or anyone distract you from the covenant and blessings of marriage. You must love your spouse because “Where love is, there God is also” and God will strengthen your marriage.

Elder Anderson

(For make up)

The thing that I loved the most about Elder Anderson’s talk was that he testified that faith overcomes all doubt. This was a great message for me to hear because my first year of college has housed a lot of doubts. There are so many decisions to make! What should my major be? How do I want to live? Who should I date and spend time with? Should I go on a mission? All of these questions have been floating around my mind and it has been slightly overwhelming. In relation to the last question Elder Anderson said that faith has overcome individuals’ doubts to go on missions earlier in life. I know that this is the case for me. I never really planned on going on a mission until the age change, and even then it took a while for me to decide for myself. But I know that when I prayed I was given the faith that I needed to overcome my doubts of serving. There are 58 new missions and 65,000 missionaries, and the numbers are only going to keep growing. I am so excited to serve a mission and join this army of righteous young men and women! 

President Uchtdorf

(For make-up points)

I am going to take a break from my normal bucket list items and talk a little about what I have learned from listening to this wonderful session of general conference. I was not able to watch conference on Saturday because I was working, so I will only be writing about Sunday’s talks. I will probably talk about the Saturday session after I watch all of the talks online (That is the beauty of technology).

Anyway, the first talk I wanted to share my thoughts on was Elder Uchtdorf’s talk about the light of Christ. Uchtdorf said that “Darkness exists, but we can choose not to dwell there.” There are always things that are going to be going wrong in the world and in our own personal lives, but as we rely on Christ we can make it through the darkness of sin and trial. The light of Christ gives us the hope to make it through anything. Elder Uchtdorf suggests that to bring the light of Christ into our lives we must first start from where we are. It does not matter how far behind you think you are because belief brings blessings, and as we turn to Heavenly Father in prayer, he will help us to grow. I know that we can receive the light of Christ into our lives more and more every day, and as we do we can be blessed with happiness and clarity.