Friday, July 24, 2015

The Mormon Missionary Flash Mob

The Flash Mob

A single person stands up and begins to sing or dance.

Everyone around them is surprised.  In normal society it is uncommon for someone to break out into song and dance in public so bystanders might not know what to think.

Others begin join in.

People recognize that there is something cool going on.

As more and more people join in you start to feel excitement building in the air because what seemed as out of place is turning out to be something really cool.

People want to be a part of this extraordinary thing.





I am currently re-reading the Book of Mormon and trying to apply everything I can to missionary work since I'll be serving in just two months. I was reading in second Nephi 24:7 when I came across what seems to me to be a pretty dang cool flash mob.

"The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet; they break forth into singing."

Now I don't know if this is exactly what Isaiah meant by this, but since missionary work has been on my mind I began to realize that this wave of missionary work that the world has seen in the past few years is indeed a flash mob.

In October of 2012 President Thomas S. Monson made a historic announcement.





This was the beginning of a great flash mob that the world was about to see.

Thousands of young adults as if in sync began to sign up to join in this missionary service. It was as if they were prepared to surprise the world in a great flash mob of missionaries.

To those around them that didn't know about this "flash mob" it might seem confusing and they might not know what to think. It's something different and out of the ordinary for so many young people to give up eighteen months to two years of their life to do nothing but service.

But as more and more people began to join in this missionary service people began to recognize how cool this is. This is something that everyone wants to be a part of.

Russell M. Nelson gave us some advice on how we can all be a part of this missionary flash mob. Even those not planning on serving a full time mission or those who aren't of our faith.





This is a flash mob of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Moses 1:39 says "for behold, this is my work and my glory to bring to pass immortality and eternal life of man."

This flash mob is God's way of bringing this plan to all the world.

I can't wait to be a part of this marvelous flash mob of missionary work in two moths when I put on my name tag and join together with so many of my brothers and sisters in bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world and especially to the people in Florida. I can't wait to be a part of this.

"Now behold, a marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men." (D&C 4:1)

Let's be a part of this marvelous work.





feel my sunlight



Since I'm a fan of flash mobs, here are some of my favorite flash mobs that I've seen!

Thursday, July 9, 2015

The Book of Mormon Projects

This rain. I love it.

It's past midnight and I've been sitting here emailing all my favorite missionaries. It's been fun watching all my friends ship off all over the world to join the ranks in God's sin-kicking army, but it's hard watching my favorites leave. I've got 76 days until I get to join them. Heaven help me.


The past few years I've been working on a few "Book of Mormon Projects." These projects have just been fun ways that I've been able to dive deeper into the scriptures and gain more understanding and a stronger testimony of their truthfulness, while always keeping things exciting and fresh. I've learned that for me just reading isn't enough; I need to invest in it. So here are a few things that have made scripture study an adventure.

1. Page Titles

This one was something I found on Pinterest. It was originally posted over at Confessions of a Slacker Mom and I found it on a blog called The Red Headed Hostes.

It is a PDF file that has a compiled list of titles for every page in The Book of Mormon. As one of my young womens projects I wrote every single title at the top of each page. It is SO incredibly helpful when reading scriptures because it is so easy to find the context of each page. It's also great when you're sitting in Sunday School and the teacher asks you to read a verse and tell what you think about it and you recount the story is behind the verse because you have cheats on the top of each page. You will end up looking really smart and well studied which is mighty fun I must say. I love them so much!


2. Character Flow Chart

This is a project I did last time I read The Book of Mormon. Since The Book of Mormon is a bunch of records that were handed down from generation to generation I decided to make a flow chart of all the people and how the book got passed around. It started in one of my sketch journals (aha!) and eventually came up with this. This flow chart is in hopes of making the "so-and-so begat so-and-so" chapters a little more comprehensible.

3. Sketchbook Journals

For the last few years I have been obsessed with scripture journals and note-taking at things like firesides and when I'm in Sacrament meeting or other church meetings. Reticently I've decided to switch over from regular journals to sketchbooks. They aren't any more expensive and I just get mine from Walmart. I love using sketchbooks because they allow me to turn my notes into art. I am known for my sketchbook notes by everybody that I know. They are the best for personal study, listening to General Conference, Church classes, and Sacrament meetings. It is also a sneaky way to make yourself stay awake and pay attention in church, you know, because coloring books aren't appropriate when you're an adult. 

Here are a few pages from my sketchbooks.







4. Clean Reading

This was an idea I got from my favorite blogger Al Fox Carraway. When she reads The Book of Mormon she always starts with a brand new book that hasn't been marked. I've been using the same scriptures since I was eight and let's just say I got a little highlighter happy when I was a beehive. This time around I decided to give Al's method a try. 

I got a brand new cheap copy of The Book of Mormon and started reading. I found that with a clean copy I was more open to see how things apply to my life in this very moment, instead of focusing on what I thought about the versus when I was 12. Right now all of my markings have to do with missions and how to be a good missionary. I love it so much!

(from Al's blog because she's the bomb digity and I want to be her when I grow up.
I tried taking pictures of some of my pages but it's 1am and my lamp lighting just isn't cutting it.)


These projects have been a blast and a half and have made my scripture study a thousand times more meaningful. I'd love to hear some of your study methods so please comment!

I'm obsessed with The Book of Mormon and I know that it is true without a doubt in my heart. I have a testimony of the teachings written in it. I know that it is indeed another testament of Jesus Christ and I have felt the peace that it can bring to ones life. It is the whole reason I am planning on serving a mission; because I want everyone to have this same joy that comes from this book in their own lives. I also have a testimony that Joseph Smith was a true prophet and that he really did translate The Book of Mormon. I love this book and I love this gospel. 

My friend Briana gave me the cutest ceramic pineapple this week with the words "life is good" written on the inside because it reminded her of me. I think this just about sums up how I feel about The Book of Mormon.






Life is good.
I wouldn't have it any other way.




feel my sunlight




p.s. If you don't already have a copy, you can request a FREE one HERE