~Sister Elizabeth Runs Into Previous Sister Missionary (at Temple Square) Tina Pogue!!!

~Pictures of Sister Armstrong~

~December 26, 2011~

Hello Everyone!!!!!!

Feliz Navidad!!!!!! (I am learning Spanish from my companion). I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas filled with joy and peace. I feel so grateful to have this time to reflect on the Savior's birth and how each and every year since that day it continues to be the greatest gift we were ever given. There have been so many amazing miracles this week. So many wonderful people have been coming to Temple Square full of the spirit of giving.

Yesterday we met this wonderful Spanish family from El Salvador, now living in LA. They came and are not members of the Church but the Lord had truly prepared them. They came to the Christus with us and then we took them through our family presentation ( which is our favorite) and they just loved it. They felt the love of their Savior and wanted to feel that always. They want to meet with missionaries and have us call and teach them. I didn't think anything like this would happen on Christmas but I was definitely humbled.

What better day to find someone ready for the Gospel of Jesus Christ then on Christmas day. We also had the privilege to go caroling around Salt Lake last night. I can't think of anything better then serving the Lord and His children on Christmas day. We met some wonderful people. I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas and that we will all continue to remember the birth, life, death, and Resurrection of our Savior throughout the rest of the year. I love you all and hope to hear from you soon.

Love,

Sister Armstrong

~December 19, 2011~

Hello Everyone!!! Well, today was my first transfer conference and it was so fun!!! I will be with my trainer for another transfer (as will all the other sisters that came with me). We will be in the same zone but with a different District Leader and different Zone Leader. Also our new assignment is Temple Group. Which means that when people come and want a tour of the Temple we take them and if family comes for a wedding and some are not members or can't go in we are there to explain what will happen and make them feel comfortable. How fun is that?! Anyway, we are also getting new sisters this week and I am so excited! I love serving here with so many wonderful sisters. This week has been very busy.

The closer it gets to Christmas the more people that come in the evening. It is really crazy the amount of people but so fun to meet so many wonderful people. The miracle I want to share this week is from someone that I have never met but that I had the opportunity to call. So about a month ago we had a RM sister come to the square and we challenged her to go through her planners and see if there are any lost or dropped investigators that we could call and give a second chance. So, she did and she gave me 18 names!!! That was a lot to me. Anyway I called a lady named Bonny this week. She is a 60 year old woman who lives by herself.

So, when I called and mentioned this sisters name she told me that she thinks of her everyday and has never forgotten the things that she was taught. Mind you it has been a year since Bonny has seen this sister. She was so thrilled that she was thought of that she agreed to meet with missionaries again and so they are coming over tonight! Also Bonny lives in Canada and I only sent the referral three days ago. So, for the missionaries to get it in two days, outside of the country is a miracle itself!!! I love this work and feel so blessed to be here serving the Lord. Please don't forget those who need you especially this season. I love you all and can't wait to hear from you!

Love,

Sister Armstrong

~December 11, 2011~

Hello Everyone!!

Well Christmas is in full swing here on Temple Square! There is not a minute to be wasted! We are constantly busy and constantly talking to someone and finding new people to call and share the gospel with.

The miracle I want to share this week is about two men. One named Terry and the other is a man from India and I cannot pronounce his name let alone spell it. They came to Temple Square because they had a business trip here and thought it would be fun to see before they left. Well, my companion and I walked past them and they asked if we were guides and I told him, no we are missionaries.

From that moment on they wanted to know all about the LDS faith. We took them to the Christus and then to the Old Testament paintings. We talked about the Book of Mormon and Prophets. They were both very taken back when we told them that there is a living Prophet today. Then we took them through a presentation called God's plan (which is our favorite) and was perfect for Terry because his mother just died a few months ago.

When we finished the presentation, they were both in tears and Terry said that he wants to learn more and the Indian man wanted a Book of Mormon. It was a very spiritual experience and they were both so prepared. They were so grateful for us but I feel as if we did nothing. All we did was share with them the things we know. We have an appt. with Terry on Wednesday.

I believe that it will be a really good one. Also, we have been really struggling with finding people to teach and just yesterday we found three new investigators. All in one day. And after weeks of committing people to go to church and them not going, two finally went.

I never thought I could be so happy because someone went to church but I have never felt happier. My companion and I were screaming for joy. It feels so good to wake up everyday knowing that I get to focus the whole day on teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone I meet. I can really say that this is the Lord's church and this is His work.

I love Temple Square and all of the sisters that I serve with. I hope you are all doing well and can't wait to hear from you. Have a good week and know that the Lord is always listening.

Love Always,

Sister Armstrong

~December 5, 2011~

Hello Everyone!!!

This has of course been another amazing week. The Christmas Season is in full swing here on the square. We are working 12-13 hour days because of the amount of people that are here. Thank goodness I worked for Disney so I can handle this.

We have met so many wonderful people this week. I think the one that really sticks out is Brother Arnold. He has been a member of the Church for eight years and he was here at Temple Square with his young men group. We were talking with him and found out that he grew up in UT with his family who was Greek Orthodox. So think my Big Fat Greek Wedding.

He, of course, married a Mormon and it wasn't until he realized that his children were growing spiritually more then he was that he decided to investigate the church. The missionaries taught him for 6 weeks and he was ready to be baptized but he wanted to wait until his son was 16 so his son could baptize him. so, the missionaries visited him three times a week for a year, until the day that his son received the proper priesthood authority and baptized his dad. That son is now on a mission.

But, Brother Arnold's family is still very Greek. By the end of the conversation, my companion and I had shared similar stories with him that had also happened to him with his family and him joining the church. When he realized that he wasn't alone he wanted to share his siblings with us. So, we will be calling is brother and sisters soon to share the gospel with them. It is so amazing to know that the things we go through are really to help others.

I know that this gospel is true. I know that Jesus Christ lives and that He will one day come to the earth again. I know that Heavenly Father lives and that He loves us all so much that He sent His son to atone for our sins so that we have the opportunity to live with them again.

During the month on December will you all read about the life and ministry of Jesus Christ and then share it with someone who needs to know about or remember their Savior? Because I know that as you do your testimonies of the Savior will grow and you will be apart of the growth of someone else's testimony.

I promise you that as you share this gospel you will feel happier then you have ever felt because you are sharing the greatest gift in the world; and what a better time then now?! Well, I love you all and will write again next week. Thank you all for the examples you are. The Lord knows you and the efforts you make. Have a great week and if you have time please read Matthew 10 (especially verse 8). Hope to hear from all of you soon.

Love Always,

Sister Armstrong

~Friends Visiting SLC Temple Square at Thanksgiving~

Bowman's



Here is what Elizabeth emailed us that the sister missionaries from Temple Square did to celebrate Thanksgiving together... (We were so curious as the sisters do not have ward families to invite then over to have a homecooked dinner)

So, for Thanksgiving we worked on the square until 12:30 pm and then we got to change into our jeans and we all got on a bus and went to this place called Noah's here in Utah. Then they played Disney movies and had volleyball and Karaoke and dancing. Then at around 4:30 pm we had Thanksgiving dinner that was catered from this place called Apple Spice. It was so good.

This was the first year that they let us dance but this is President and Sister Holmes' last Thanksgiving so they wanted to make it fun. Also, it is really busy here now that the lights have come on.

I am pretty sure the first night there was at least 20,000 people on the square!!! The second night was even worse!!! The first night was this last Friday and Kinsey was here with her family. She is the one that you have only met once and she went on a mission to San Diego and I hung out with her 18 year old sister.

So, they looked for me for two hours and finally at the last minute before everything was closing they found me. It was so fun to see them. They took a picture so you might see it on Facebook soon. I am sure I look really horrible cause we had been going for a long time and so I was so tired. But, it is really weird that I am always so tired but am always so happy. Of course you know that I love the mass amounts of people that are here in the evening because I love people and it reminds me of working at Disney World.

~Thanksgiving~

Hello everyone!!! I am so happy today!! Christmas season has started here on Temple Square and it is beautiful!! I will be sending pictures soon. We haven't had a chance to take pictures with the lights yet because there are so many people on the Square every night. The Friday after Thanksgiving was the first day the lights came on and I think around 20,000 people were here! We met a couple who flew from L.A. just to see the lights! How amazing is that?! Well, as always there are some amazing miracles that have been happening here on the Square.

The one that I want to share this week is about a wonderful family from Mexico. The son, his wife, their little girl and the son's mom all live in UT. The great grandma- Juana- comes straight from Mexico. She was here to visit. So they all came to Temple Square to show Juana. We found them up by the Christus. So, we played the narration for them and then took them to see God's Plan for His Families. They loved it and by the end Juana was crying. She said that she knows that we can be with our families forever and that is why we have temples (she has never heard this before or known about the church before). The spirit was so strong.

She then said she would meet with missionaries. She then asked if she could go in the temple and we told her that everyone is invited to prepare to enter but that we have a model of temple that she can see. So, we started walking over to the other visitor's center. While we were walking we found out that the son was meeting with missionaries now and that his wife is already a member she is just not active. But they said that they are wanting to go to the temple so that is so exciting. Then we walked into the visitor center and there is this big painting on the wall that depicts the Plan of Salvation and Juana looked at for a long time and then bore her testimony telling us that she believed it. She even told us that she prays and that her prayers are answered by the spirit through her mind and heart (she has never heard of the Book of Mormon before).

Then we were finally walking to the temple model and there is a big picture of President Monson on the wall and she walks right over and touches it. My companion asked her if she knew who that was and she of course did not. We told her that was the Prophet. She then bore her testimony again saying that she knows he is the prophet. At that moment her daughter-the grandma- started to cry. We then walked over to the temple model and said our goodbyes and as we did my companion told the grandma that the invitation was extended to her to go to church and to learn more and she just started to cry and cry and then gave us her number so that we could call and send missionaries over to her. It was an amazing experience.

I love them so much and cannot wait to teach them tonight. They will all be baptized and the wife will go back to church I just know it. If they do get baptized there is a possibility since they live in UT that we can go (if it isn't too far from SLC). I know that this church is true. I know that Thomas S. Monson is a true and living prophet. I know that Jesus Christ lives and that because of Him I will have the opportunity to make it back to live with Him and my Father in Heaven one day. I know that we can all know of these things for ourselves as we pray and listen for the Holy Spirit to touch our hearts. Thank you so much for your support and I can't wait to hear from you all.

Love- Sister Armstrong

~November 21, 2011~

Well, this week has been incredible! So, many amazing miracles!! I feel so blessed to be here serving at Temple Square! It is definitely the best mission in the world!! :) So this weeks miracle story is quite incredible. So, we were walking around on Thursday and we could not find anyone to talk to that wasn't already talking to sisters. So, I was praying that we would find someone and Sister Astorga was as well. Then she tells me I think that are some people over by the Priesthood Statues (which are representing the restoration of the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthood to Joseph Smith). So, we walk over there and in front of the Melchizedek Statue we found a couple. They are from California and are traveling across the world to make it somewhere for the Holidays.

 

So anyway we were asking them if they had heard of this before and they were telling us that they had never been here and that the funny thing was is that their last name is Melchizedek! How crazy is that? Then they proceed to tell us that they have never met any Mormon's until they met us! So, we chatted with them and invited them right away to meet with missionaries and they accepted! Then we spent the next 45 min talking and taking them around. They tell us that the reason they had to come here was because some time ago the husband had opened his laptop and instantly, before he did anything, a picture of the Salt Lake Temple popped up on his screen! So, he had come here to find it and then he said he felt like my companion and I had been sent to them to help them understand.

 

We taught them a lot of things but there is so much to learn that we told them we can't teach it all in one day. They ended up going to the Joseph Smith movie and then to lunch. I'm sure they stayed and looked around some more because they even moved their car so that they could stay longer. They said that they didn't want to rush this experience. I love this story because it shows that the Lord prepares His children. He knows them and what they need and will always provide. This couple was so prepared that they couldn't even contain themselves! O and one more thing they both grew up Catholic and went to private Catholic schools! I was able to relate and tell them why this gospel means so much to me! It was the greatest moment thus far! But, don't get me wrong I have loved everyday and have had amazing experiences with so many people!!

 

This gospel is true and this work is of the Lord. We have been called by a Prophet of God to represent Jesus Christ and share the greatest message that anyone could ever hear! Please share with as many as you can about this gospel because they need to know. They need to know that their Heavenly Father loves them and because of that He has a plan for them he has a plan for you. Thank you for all you do and keep up the missionary work! The members are the best missionaries because you already know people!!! !:) Love you all and would love to hear from you!! Take care and know that God loves you!

 

Love,

Sister Armstrong

~Made it to Temple Square!~

Hello Everyone!!!!!

I have made it to Temple Square!!!!!!! What an amazing place!!! I have been apart of so many miracles here and they keep coming!!! Yesterday (Sunday) we had miracle after miracle!!! My companion and I called it Miracle Sunday!!! :) My companion is Sister Astorga from Guatemala!! She is my trainer of course and I love her!!!! She is a very hard worker and I love that!!!

So, I wanted to share some miracles with you all! So, my first real miracle on the square happened on day two. So on Wed (my first day here we were doing our dailing planning for Thur) Sister Astorga asked me where we should go and I was not sure so I asked her where we could go...when she said the Tabernacle I was very impressed that we should go there. So the next day we walk into the Tab. and there are two Germans standing there. We started talking and ended up taking them all around and teaching them about the gospel!! Well, come to find out two other sisters had tried talking with them but they wouldn't talk with them. I know that we were supposed to find them and share the gospel with them!! So neat! Ok one more and then I will have to go because we are going to Walmart to go shopping :)

So, yesterday- on our Miracle Sunday- We were walking through the North Visitor's Center and they needed a spanish sister to take four spanish people from Mexico on a tour. Well, just because we were their we got to take them!! (my companion speaks spanish :) I of course had no idea what they were saying :) ) So the information we got was that they had left the Catholic church and someone told them that this was the true Church and so that is why they were there! How crazy is that?! My jaw dropped! I couldn't believe it!! So they didn't even want a tour they just wanted one question answered. My companion told them that Jesus Christ visited the America's after His resurection. After sharing that and some things about the Book of Mormon the Spirit was so strong- event though I didn't know what was being said I could feel it- so Sister Astorga invited them to meet with missionaries and they accepted!!!! It was a very special experience!

So those are just some of the amazing things that I have been apart of since being here on the Square!! I want you all to know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is true. Joseph Smith was a prophet and that he did restore the fulness of the gospel. I could not be happier then to be here now sharing this special message with people from all over the world!!!! I love you all and will hopefully hear from you soon :)

~November 1, 2011~

Ok, so this week has been so busy but so absolutely amazing!!! My companion and I had some great teaching experiences! Something that I have been dying to tell you all is that this last Sunday we had Sister Elaine Dalton General Young Women's President here in Relief Society to speak to us!!!! So one of the sisters in my district was asked to share her conversion story in RS. SO, she had to sit on the stand with Sister Dalton. Since her companion sprained her ankle in gym earlier this week I got to go up and sit with her and so we both got to meet her!!!!!!!!!!!!! She is the sweetest lady ever!!! When we told her that we are going to Temple Square she said, "You know that is a compliment from heaven right?" How great is that?! Anyway that was a way cool experience!!

This was our last week as a district! Our elders left for Zimbabwe yesterday and it was so sad! I think about now they are in London and they will be in Africa tomorrow! They are going to be amazing missionaries!! I have tons of pictures but I will email them when I get to the field because I can't upload them on MTC computers. So yesterday since out elders were gone it was just the four of us sisters  in class and it was so weird. But, we had some really cool experiences!! We had the best discussion about inviting others to be baptized when we first meet them or during the first discussion.

I finally realized the true meaning of missionary work! I felt like I was on spiritual fire! I could not contain myself! I wanted to share my message with everyone at that moment! And still do!! I just really understood that baptism is the way that God's children are going to make it back to live with their Heavenly Father and if I don't invite them then I don't get to have my brother's and sister's with me in the Celestial Kingdom! Our Savior Jesus Christ taught the people in Alma that we are to preach repentance and baptism so why would I, as a representative of Him, not do the same thing?! I cannot wait until I cant get to Temple Square and share the message that the Lord has for His children! He is the one asking them to be baptized but he has asked us, His missionaries, to invite them. If we don't invite them then how will they ever have the chance to accept? Well I love you all and have to go my computer time is almost up and there are Elders waiting to use it :) But I hope you are all doing well and can't wait to hear from you all!!! dearelder.com is a great way to write me :) Love you and will talk to you soon :)

~Oct. 25, 2011~

So, everything is going really well! We have 6 investigators right now and one has committed to baptism (of course these are not for real but this is what we do in the MTC so that we can learn). My companion and I teach really well together. We have a perfect balance of life experiences and knowledge of the gospel. The elders in out district will be leaving next Monday for Zimbabwe :( We are very happy for them but it is going to be really sad! We have all decided that we are going to write through out our missions and then when we get back we will have district reunions :) We got to go to the Temple again today. It was so wonderful! The Provo temple is so small but there are so many people that go through a day. Since it was out last P-day as a district out entire district did a session together. What is really sad is that the elders in our district will not be able to go the temple again for a long time, since there is not one in their mission.

So, one of our investigators name is Matt (it is one of our teachers pretending to be someone else; otherwise known as role play) and he has been really hard to teach. He wouln't really open up and share things with us. When we would ask questions he would give one word answers and so it was just really hard to be able to know what he needed. Well, last night we taught him and he finally opened up and shared with us some of the things that he is going through. The Spirit was so strong and I was able to share my conversion story with him. I was crying (of course :) ) my companion was crying and Matt was tearing up. Then he told us that he wasn't sure what he believed and I just flat out said, "Matt I think you do know, you do know that the church is true." Then he told that he did!!!!! So, cool!! Such a powerful experience!!!

I can't wait to actually share the gospel with those who aren't members and have them say that to me!!! I know that the Lord lives and that He wants nothing more then for His children to make it back to live with Him again. I feel so blessed that I have this precious gift and can't think of anything that I would rather being doing then sharing with the Lord's lost sheep. I hope you are all doing well and would love to hear from you!!! You do not have to write me a letter if you don't want to. If you would rather email you can go to dearelder.com and send me an email through there. Don't worry if it takes a while for me to respond because I will have to respond via a hand written letter, but I will respond as soon as possible. Keep the faith and know that the Lord loves you :)

Sister Elizabeth Armstrong

~First Email~

The MTC is going so well!!! I love it here and and so happy to be here. We have lots of classes and fun firesides and teaching time. I love my companion Sister Steenblik. She is from Spokane, WA!! How fun is that! We have been having so much fun. We are going to the temple here in about 15 min with our district. Ok, my district is the greatest! We all clicked on the first day! We eat together and pretty much do everything together except sleep haha.

We have six Elders and four Sisters. Which is quite rare. All of the Sisters are going to Temple Square and all of the Elders are going to the Zimbabwe Herare Mission. They are English speaking so that is why we can all be together. So we have Elder Toomer and Elder Stewart, Elder Whyler and Elder Nelleson, Elder Mitchell and Elder Cloyd and Sister Kurtuz and Sister Dotterer. So, both of these sisters are the ones that my friends had told me about and then they ended up being in my district! So, there are three districts in our Zone and we are the only Sisters.

We are getting a whole new district of Elders tomorrow so that will be exciting. We currently have three investigators here that we are doing role plays with but it seems very real. They have classrooms set up with couches and we start from the door approach. I find it so fun to get to know these people and then to share our special message! We have Annika who has committed to come to church and to pray on her own. We have Matt who has also committed to pray and we just met Randy yesterday and committed him to pray as well. Tomorrow we will meet a less active member and teach them.

Out teachers are amazing! They all have gone on missions, of course, but are fabulous teachers. There have already been so many amazing spiritual experiences and I can not wait for more. I know it will not always be easy but it sure is fulfilling. Thank you for all the support and all the letters that I have gotten so far. I would love to hear from anyone and everyone! So, if you do not want to hand write you can email me at dearelder.com and then I can hand write you back. Only because I am not allowed to be on dearelder.

~MTC and Mission Address~

My address for my Mission will be:
Sister Elizabeth M. Armstrong
Utah Salt Lake City Temple Square Mission
50 West Noth Temple St Rm BSVC
Salt Lake City, Utah 84150-1006

~Dropping Elizabeth off at MTC~

~Farewell Talk~

Good morning brothers and sisters. I am really grateful to be here with you, this is my last Sunday with you all before I leave on my mission. For those of you that don’t know I will be serving in the Utah, Salt Lake City Temple Square Mission. And I will be reporting to the MTC in 16 days, but I'm not counting :-) I am really grateful be here to share with you what I have learned while preparing this talk. When I was setting this up with Brother Keys I asked him so what do I talk about… and he told me that I should talk about Humility. So, the first thought that came to mind was what does humility really mean?  In Preach My Gospel, this is what is says about humility: 

Humility is willingness to submit to the will of the Lord and to give the Lord the honor for what is accomplished. It includes gratitude for His blessings and acknowledgement of your constant need for His divine help. Humility is not a sign of weakness it is a sign of spiritual strength. When you humbly trust Him and acknowledge His power and mercy, you can have the assurance that His commandments are for your good. You are confident that you can do whatever the Lord requires of you if you rely on Him. You are also willing to trust His chosen servants and follow their counsel. Humility will help you as you strive to be obedient, to work hard, and serve selflessly.

When I read this I thought of the Savior and how He did this perfectly! He completely submitted to the will of the Lord even when it cost Him His life. In all that the Savior did He gave credit to the Lord, never did he once take the credit for Himself. When we think of the Savior we don’t think of Him as a weak person, we think of Him as a very strong, courageous individual and yet He was completely humble.

There is a story that I would like to share with you it comes from a talk by Marlin K Jensen a member of the Presidency of the Seventy, the talk is titled “To Walk Humbly with Thy God”

The story goes:

A story contained in the family lore of Brigham Young’s descendants illustrates the submissive nature of humility. It recounts that in a public meeting the Prophet Joseph, possibly as a test, sternly rebuked Brigham Young for something he had done or something he was supposed to have done but hadn’t—the detail is unclear. When Joseph finished the rebuke, everyone in the room waited for Brigham Young’s response. This powerful man, later known as the Lion of the Lord, in a voice everyone could tell was sincere, said simply and humbly, “Joseph, what do you want me to do?” ⁶

The power of that response itself brings a feeling of humility. It reminds us that the greatest act of courage and love in the history of mankind—Christ’s atoning sacrifice—was also the greatest act of humility and submissiveness. Some may wonder if those seeking to become humble must forever defer to the strongly held opinions and positions of others. Certainly the Savior’s life evidences that true humility is anything but subservience, weakness, or servility.

I would like to share another story of humility that is a very sweet that most of us would probably not think of as humility. It is titled Humility in a Hotel  Entrance By Frank L. Carven:

Humility is a word we hear a lot about, but do we really understand what it is? I don’t believe I did until one morning years ago when I saw humility in a hotel entrance. I was sitting in the entrance of the Hotel Utah in Salt Lake City. From my soft chair I observed with great interest the comings and goings of people through the front door of the hotel. The longer I sat there, the more crowded the entrance became. People were moving in and out, bumping into each other in their haste, then exchanging irritated glances as they hurried on. I couldn’t help thinking how unconcerned we are for others as we move about pursuing our individual goals.

The very next person who came to the door of the hotel provided a real contrast. Elder George Q. Morris of the Quorum of the Twelve, a man in his 80s, reached for the door and held it open for several minutes while others hurried through without so much as a nod of thanks. When there was no one else waiting, he walked into the entrance. He removed his hat and nearly had it knocked out of his hands by a young woman who was in too big a hurry to even notice whom she had bumped into. I watched Elder Morris for at least six or seven minutes as he made his way across the entrance, always stepping aside for others, at the same time expressing a “Pardon me” or “Excuse me, you go first.” Several times he stopped completely while others rushed by. If people were in his way, he would wait patiently until they stepped aside or moved on without ever realizing he was waiting to get by.

 

I am sure there was no one in that entrance with a busier schedule or more on his mind than Elder Morris. I have thought since that it would have been more appropriate (if less true to life) had everyone stepped aside for an Apostle of the Lord. Some of the true marks of humility—kindness, consideration for others, and an awareness of their aims and needs—are often forgotten in our involved pursuits. I have always appreciated more deeply those who manifest the little kindnesses since seeing humility in a hotel entrance.

 

I thought that story was so sweet and realized that simply holding a door open for someone is a really a sign of humility. It says that you are more concerned about the other person then yourself. And that what you are on your way to do is not as important as what they are on their way to do.

President Uchtdorf said this in His talk titled Humility and basic truths: 

Some people can’t get along with themselves. They criticize and belittle themselves all day long until they begin to hate themselves. May I suggest that you reduce the rush and take a little extra time to get to know yourself better. … Learn to see yourself as Heavenly Father sees you—as His precious daughter or son with divine potential.” “Some suppose that humility is about beating ourselves up. Humility does not mean convincing ourselves that we are worthless, meaningless, or of little value. Nor does it mean denying or withholding the talents God has given us. We don’t discover humility by thinking less of ourselves; we discover humility by thinking less about ourselves.”

 

How true is this? I know that I tend to be my own worse enemy, and by doing that we end up thinking more of ourselves and less of others. When we see ourselves the way Heavenly Father sees us then we have the strength and confidence to help those around us. Of course we are not always going to be perfect that is why we have been sent here to earth. But as long as we are continually striving to do our best and using the atonement for those times that we slip up thenwe will be doing what the Lord has asked. He knows the intentions of our hearts, He knows who we truly are.

So when I got to this point in my research for this talk I was still struggling with what humility really meant because I heard all of this before but still felt lost. Then I came across the talk  Beware of Pride By Ezra Taft Benson and was prompted by the spirit to read it. I would like to share part of that with you:

Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart, or core, is still missing. The central feature of pride is enmity—enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen. Enmity means “hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition.” It is the power by which Satan wishes to reign over us. Pride is essentially competitive in nature. We pit our will against God’s. When we direct our pride toward God, it is in the spirit of “my will and not thine be done.” As Paul said, they “seek their own, not t he things which are Jesus Christ’s.” The proud cannot accept the authority of God giving direction to their lives. (See Hel. 12:6.) They pit their perceptions of truth against God’s great knowledge, their abilities versus God’s priesthood power, their accomplishments against His mighty works. Our enmity toward God takes on many labels, such as rebellion, hard-heartedness, stiff-neckedness, unrepentant, puffed up, easily offended, and sign seekers. The proud wish God would agree with them. They aren’t interested in changing their opinions to agree with God’s.

Another major portion of this very prevalent sin of pride is enmity toward our fellowmen. We are tempted daily to elevate ourselves above others and diminish them. (See Hel. 6:17; D&C 58:41.) If we love God, do His will, and fear His judgment more than men’s, we will have self-esteem. Pride is a damning sin in the true sense of that word. It limits or stops progression. (See Alma 12:10–11.) The proud are not easily taught. (See 1 Ne. 15:3, 7–11.) They won’t change their minds to accept truths, because to do so implies they have been wrong.

 

God will have a humble people. Either we can choose to be humble or we can be compelled to be humble. Alma said, “Blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble.” (Alma 32:16.)

Let us choose to be humble. We can choose to humble ourselves by conquering enmity toward our brothers and sisters, esteeming them as ourselves, and lifting them as high or higher than we are. (See D&C 38:24; D&C 81:5; D&C 84:106.) We can choose to humble ourselves by receiving counsel and chastisement. (See Jacob 4:10; Hel. 15:3; D&C 63:55; D&C 101:4–5; D&C 108:1; D&C 124:61, 84; D&C 136:31; Prov. 9:8.) We can choose to humble ourselves by forgiving those who have offended us. (See 3 Ne. 13:11, 14; D&C 64:10.) We can choose to humble ourselves by rendering selfless service. (See Mosiah 2:16–17.) We can choose to humble ourselves by going on missions and preaching the word that can humble others. (See Alma 4:19; Alma 31:5; Alma 48:20.) We can choose to humble ourselves by getting to the temple more frequently. We can choose to humble ourselves by confessing and forsaking our sins and being born of God. (See D&C 58:43; Mosiah 27:25–26; Alma 5:7–14, 49.) We can choose to humble ourselves by loving God, submitting our will to His, and putting Him first in our lives. (See 3 Ne. 11:11; 3 Ne. 13:33; Moro. 10:32.) Let us choose to be humble. We can do it. I know we can

 

How amazing was that? It literally blew me away!! I think that sometimes it is best to study and research what something is not in order to truly understand what it is. I think that President Benson did that beautifully.

I hope you see that they were telling us that to be humble we are be become as a child. As I pondered what that meant the thought finally hit me. That children really are a great example of what it means to humble.  The children that I worked with this summer were full of humility. Now before I finish I have to say that the job I had this summer was the hardest job I have ever had in my life. The groups of kids were the hardest to work with and I think that was what was keeping me from truly understanding me because I kept thinking how are these children humble,  and right there is where the Lord humbled me and showed me that I was taught by these children what humility means.  Children are so very forgiving and so very accepting of all. Young children don’t see differences and they don’t try and be better then each other. They care and love and are quick to forgive and apologize. My sweet Daniela never complained and never said no when I would ask for her help. Addie and Pandora were always the first to include the little girl that always got picked on. My precious Bailey was the first to be friend the new boy that came in the middle of the summer. Jayden was always the first to volunteer to help when it wasn’t even his turn and David was always standing up for others when he thought they may be getting hurt, and my six year old Benjamin came in one day and came right up to me with the saddest look on his face and apologized for hitting me the day before. These are just a few examples of the humility I saw this summer. It is true; we are to become childlike, meek, submissive, and humble.

 

I would like to bear my testimony to you…….

~Mission Farewell~

Thank you everyone for coming to the Mission Farewell, and for all your love and support!

~Seattle Temple~

~Missionary Card~

Missionary "To Do" List

~Mission Call Arrives~

After the long-awaited call, it finally arrived!! I had to wait a whole five hours at work and a 45 minute bike ride home and then I was finally able to open it.

I was called to serve in the Utah Salt Lake City Temple Square Mission, reporting to the Missionary Training Center (MTC) on Oct. 12, 2011. It is only six weeks away!

I am very happy and excited and can't wait to leave!