#knowHElives

ahhh I can taste spring in the air. It's wonderful.

I mean... It's spring break and both Easter and Conference are next week. I don't think life could get any sweeter.

I started working on mission papers and it feels fabulous! I had an interview with my bishop last Sunday and I am so excited about this new gospel adventure that I am about to embark on. (see what I did there?!) I also need to say thanks to my incredible young womens leaders who dropped off a cute "congrats on starting your papers" present earlier this week. It made my day. I have the very best leaders. I love you guys! 

One countdown finished and onto the next one! 55 days until I can submit my papers!

This month my school's seminary council extended a challenge that everyone spread their testimonies about Christ by posting pictures, quotes, and testimonies on social media with the hashtag

#knowHElives

You should all go look up that hashtag on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. It is all kinds of awesome!

And to wrap up this fantastic challenge we asked students (and teachers) to finish the sentence

"Because I know HE lives...."

This was what they said...

As you might have noticed I have a picture in there that said that I would "share my testimony on my blog" so here it is.

I have a testimony of Jesus Christ. I know He once walked the earth with the saints and he taught the truest doctrine of love. I know that He Atoned for all of my sins, and that He also Atoned for all of my pains and afflictions. I know that He died so that we might all be able to return to live with Him and our Father in Heaven again. I also believe that if I had been the only person that needed this pure act of love that He would still have done it because He loves me that much. I also know that He would have done the same for each of you. I know he was resurrected and that because of Him death has no sting. I know that He loves me so much more than I can even comprehend and that He wants what's very best for me. I know that He will direct my path as long as I'm willing to follow Him. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is in fact, HIS church and that He is the head of it which is why it is the only church with His complete gospel on the earth today. I know that He lives. Because I know that He lives I will prepare to dedicate 18 months of my life to His service by serving a mission. I will also dedicate every second after that to loving Him and building his kingdom. I will do this by not being afraid to share my testimony, by loving everyone around me, and by letting His light shine through me (hence the blog name...."feel my sunlight.") I promise to do my very best, and because I know that alone I will never be enough, I also promise to rely on Him everyday. Because He is almighty, and all-knowing. He is ever loving and everlasting. He is Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten of the Father. He is my Savior, And He is my Redeemer.

And I love Him.

What parts of your are changed...
#BecauseHeLives?

What are you going to do...
#BecauseOfHim?

How are you going to help others...
#KnowHelives?

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In addition to my testimony I also thought I'd add a "what I'm listening to right now" section because I know that you guys like them. I've been on a Christian music kick lately. {I've had my radio set to play K love for over a month.} So here is the music that have been playing through my headphones lately...

feel my sunlight

p.s. Who's excited for #LDSconf tomorrow and next week?!? I AM!

p.s.s. Shout out to all my seniors out there... ONLY ONE MORE TERM OF HIGH SCHOOL!

p.s.s.s. Sorry this is such a long post, but I just have to share this picture I found on Pinterest... It's the single cutest thing I have ever seen.

future sister missionary

I can start working on mission papers in two weeks...

...and on that note congrats to the following mega incredible people that I am privileged to be friends with that have received their mission calls...

Lauren- Papeete, Tahiti

Teri- Baltimore, Maryland

Dallin- Huancayo, Peru

Adam- Orlando, Florida

Okay seriously... all four of those goons would make it onto my list of "top favorite humans" if I were to make one, but I'm not going to because then everybody else would feel bad. You guys are seriously so incredible and I am so excited for you. Thanks for being such great examples for me to follow. I don't know if I can express how much you four have impacted my life and lets just say that I can't wait to join you! Y'all are going to do great things. 

I'm just going to dance around the topic of missionary work for a minute because that's the kind of mood I'm in.

I'm in a current stage of crazy. And by "crazy" I mean I just want to go on a mission so bad that it occupies a lot of my thought process. Everyone that is close to me could tell you the exact number of days I have on my countdowns to how soon I can start papers, and how soon I can submit them because I'm always telling people.

I asked one of my seminary teachers a few weeks ago what the best mission prep advice he had ever heard was. I already knew what he was going to say before he said it. 

He quoted Elder Bednar when he said to;

"become a missionary long before you go on a mission."

I rolled my eyes a little at that response. "Ya Brother Peterson... I've heard that already."

I obviously hadn't tried it yet.

For some reason I had it in my head that to "be a missionary before I go on a mission" I was supposed to dress up in a skirt and walk around the high school handing out pass along cards to the non-Mormon kids in the hallway and call it good.

But what I've come to realize is that "becoming a missionary" is much more than that.


Becoming a missionary means living like a missionary as much as I possibly can. No, it doesn't mean I will stop doing the things I'm doing, It just means I'm going to act and live a little differently.

It means I'll try my best to follow the missionary schedule. Wake up early and go to bed early. This is something I have a hard time with, but that I've found that the more I do it the easier it gets and the better I feel.

It means I'll dress modestly. I won't spend all my time in a dress, but I will make sure my clothes are appropriate and that they are sending the right message to people.

It means I'll change the kind of media that I surround myself with.
I love this clip from John Bytheway about marinating in today's media. Full time missionaries surround themselves with a different type of media. The music they listen to invites the spirit and they avoid anything that is mediocre. Imagine if we all did this in our every day lives. Imagine the kind of curve ball that would throw at Satan's plan.

It means I'll study. I'll study my scriptures. I won't just read because my seminary teacher told me to. I'll study because I really want to know and become like Christ. I'll study Preach my Gospel because I want to know the material I'll be teaching in six months. It means I'll study how to play piano. I haven't played since I was 9, but you'd better know that if by chance I get called to an area where nobody else knows how to play, we will be able to sing Sweat Hour of Prayer loud and proud every week. It means that I'll study my family history. I'll learn about my ancestors conversion stories, because in a sense their conversion stories are my conversion stories and if I can come to know them, I will be able to help lead others towards the gospel as well.

It means I'll put myself in situations where I will learn. I'll go to seminary, I'll go to church, and I'll go to mission prep, and I'll be doing my best wherever I am.

It means I'll be confidant. It means I'll swallow my natural inhibition to become shy and I'll talk to people. It means I'll bring up church topics with my friends of different faiths. It means I'll raise my had in seminary and that I'll be the first to share my testimony when prompted. It means I won't be afraid to be the Lord's mouthpiece.

It means I'll look for miracles in every day life. After Adam opened his mission call yesterday, I was at his house talking to his family. We got on the topic of car accidents and that led to the topic of the miracles we have seen in our lives. This just made me realize that if we are open to looking for them, the Lord will show us miracles. The Savior's life was full of performing miracles, but only those who had their eyes open could see them. As a missionary you need to have your eyes open and your heart softened for these kinds of experiences.

It means I'll be an example. I'll live in a way that isn't self-righteous, but in a way that lets others know that the Gospel is my happiness and that I want everyone to have this same happiness.

I love this video of sisters talking about preparing for a mission.





I'm not quite there yet, but I guess that's why the Lord has given me a little while to prepare.





What is some of the best mission advise you have ever heard?





feel my sunlight





p.s. Golly I'm not excited about the time change tomorrow.
p.s.s. I'm teaching Sunday school tomorrow all by myself.

I #KnowHeLives

My school's seminary has started a social media challenge to help spread our testimony about Jesus Christ and we're inviting you to participate!

This year our seminary theme scripture is Doctrine and Covenants 68:6 which says;

We decided this month to focus on the part of the scripture that says "That I am."

During Christ's life on this earth He taught of love. He showed the single greatest act of love that anybody has every shown. Christ brought to pass the Atonement. An act in which enabled all of mankind to be able to return to live with our Father. Without this Atonement we would be left to our own carnal state and be condemned to destruction by justice. 

However, since Christ was perfect He was able to pay the debt He did not owe, because we had a debt we could not pay.

This is mercy.

It is prophesied by prophets through the Bible, and Book of Mormon, as well as by modern day prophets, that Christ will come again to redeem his people.

But what about right now?

I haven't seen the nail prints in his hands or feet, nor have I talked with him face to face during this life, but I do know that he plays a part in my everyday life.

I know He lives. I know He lives today.

I can see the evidence in my life. In the way the sun comes up in the morning. I can hear it in a baby's cry. I can see it in the kindness shown by strangers, and the love shown by families. I can see it in the way the flowers grow, how the snow falls, and in the way He lights up the sky with diamonds. 

I first gained this knowledge when I prayed to ask if He was aware of me. I got an answer more powerful than I can explain. No, I wasn't visited by angels, I didn't hear a voice, or have a vision, yet the answer I got to that prayer was nevertheless powerful. It was just a simple peaceful feeling. A warmth in my heart that let me know that He was indeed there and that He was aware of me.

This is one of my very favorite songs about the Savior. For more about the artists in this song please visit www.notesofglory.com.

I know that He lives. I know that he loves me more than I can even comprehend. I know that he is all-knowing and almighty. Because I have this knowledge I trust Him to direct me in my life and I know that if I follow Him I will always remain on the right path. I also know that if I ever slip up and make a mistake that His hand will always be stretched out towards me ready to pull me back up. 

I believe in Christ. I believe in all that He has done. I believe that there are many great things that he is yet to do. I also believe that He remains a part of my everyday life and that He lives today.

As part of our social media challenge we ask you to share your testimony about Jesus Christ with the world through social media. 

To do this we challenge you to post quotes, scriptures, pictures, and personal testimonies to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and any other of your favorite social media sites and don't forget to use the hashtag #KnowHeLives.

Help us spread the good news of Christ with the world.


I love you all and want you to never forget that Christ loves you and is aware of you.




feel my sunlight

---

Also, shout out to Noelle Bybee for crushing it in the blind auditions on The Voice the other night. Noelle and I used to tumble together back in the days of velvet leotards. We're rooting for you Noelle!

Look how cute we are in our velvet leotards.

Buy her audition song HERE!

Whitney meets famous Mormons! [episode 1]

Whoohoo!!!

Here is the newest episode of "Whitney meets famous Mormons!"

JK that's actually not a thing... but wouldn't that be a cool show?! I think so.

It's been an INCREDIBLE month when it comes to meeting incredible people.

I mean... I don't think I'll ever write a post again where I can say I've met Mallory Everton, T.C. Christensen, Hilary Weeks, Al Fox Carraway, Dawn Armstrong, and Anthony Armstrong all within the last month.

Several weeks ago two of my friends, SaBree and Kenna let me know that Mallory Everton from Studio C was speaking in their stake. I'm a huge fan of Studio C and so of course I went! She talked a lot about being in the world, but not of the world. I adored everything about her talk, but my favorite was when she was talking about perusing your passions and she said to "go with what you love, because you will serve more people that way... And wherever you are in life, the gospel will only make you better at it."

She also gave me curly hair envy and inspired me to go back to my no-heat hair days.

haha thanks for being so awesome Mallory!

---

Since I'm on seminary council at my school I had the chance to help organize a morningside for the students at Layton High. We were so lucky to get T.C. Christensen come speak to us! For those of you who don't know who he is, he is the directer of 17 Miracles, Ephraim Rescue, and he also helped with the movie Forever Strong.  He also has a new movie The Cokeville Miracle coming out soon. He showed us clips from his movies and gave us behind the scenes information about the stories in his movies.

What stuck out to me was the faith of the incredible saints that came before us. They went through a Hell that is unimaginable to me. If it wern't for them I wouldn't have the gospel in my life, which is the single thing that has brought me the most amount of joy. I will forever bless the names of my ancestors that came before me. While I may not be asked to die for my religion as many of them were, I have been asked to live for it. And I hope I can do it in a way that would make them proud.

This morningside also made it to the Standard Examiner! Read about it HERE!"

---

Yesterday I got a text from my adorable friend Lexi saying that Hilary Weeks was speaking in her ward. I've met Hilary two times before and both of those times were with Lexi so she said that it just wouldn't feel right to hear her speak without one of the Reid girls there. haha Hilary is always one of my very favorite speakers and she is an even better singer.

What stuck out to me a lot in her talk yesterday where the words;

"He loves me & ALWAYS WILL"

God Loves us all the time. Not just some of the time. He knows exactly who we are and what we are doing. You matter so much to Him. Because of this love he has given us everything, but we can't accept this "everything" unless we decide to follow Him. He doesn't usually give us a long to-do list, so we need to follow with exactness. He will let our testimonies grow until He lets us graduate from this life. 

"The trick is to enjoy life and stop wishing away our time waiting for another day."

Here are a few of my favorite Hilary Weeks songs...

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And then TODAY was also a day for the books. If you've read my blog at all you probably know how much I love Al Fox Carraway. She is one of my all time favorite humans. I tell my mom all the time that "I want to be Al Fox when I grow up." I can never get enough of her enthusiasm for the gospel. It's seriously contagious. I've never seen a chapel so packed. I love love loved how when closing her testimony she said "in the name of Jesus Christ, my best friend, amen." Because he is my best friend and I want to be able to have the same kind of love and excitement for the gospel as she does.

After hearing her speak I just wanted to shout to the world that "I KNOW THE CHURCH IS TRUE AND THAT HAPPINESS IS REAL!" Because that is the kind of feeling she gives me when she speaks. One of my favorite lines from her talk was;

"The Gospel is the greatest thing you will ever be a part of... and I love that."

I also love that she took the time to talk to us and take a picture with us even though there were a BILLION people there. Also she remembered who I am which made me extremely happy. Thanks Al! Love you!

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I'm not even done yet...

While at Al's fireside I saw a few familiar faces. All of which played major parts in the movie

I got to talk to both Anthony and Dawn Armstrong who are the "missionary" and "missionary mom" in the movie.

They are both such incredible people. While waiting in line to talk to Al, Dawn came over to our little circle and talked to us for a really long time. She was seriously one of the NICEST people I have ever met. I swear she hugged me like four times.

She also promised us that she'd go with us to go see Meet the Mormons in Salt lake at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in a couple weeks... Like who does that?!

She just commented on one of my instagram pictures saying "You are such a doll!! It was my honor to meet you all tonight. Yeah for kept appointments! They bring the greatest friendships! Whoot whoot! Stay sweet precious girl!"

She's seriously my new favorite person.

We also got to talk to Anthony for a little bit and I loved how when we asked him to take a picture with us he just said "I'm nothing special... just a regular RM."

Excuse me bro... but you're in like one of my favorite movies. haha

He was seriously one of the most humble "movie stars" I've ever met. haha Thanks so much for taking the time to meet us!

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I am so thankful for all the opportunities I've been given to meet such incredible sons and daughters of God. I only hope that someday I can be half as good as these people. Thanks so much for all your enthusiasm for living the gospel. It makes me want to be a better person.

I have such a strong testimony that Jesus Christ really did die for me. That weather we are someone "Mormon famous", or someone that writes a blog with 14 followers, He knows who we are, and He loves us.

GO FORTH AND FEAR NOT. FOR THERE ARE GREATER THINGS IN STORE FOR YOU.



feel my sunlight

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p.s. I promise my life isn't usually this cool. I just am an expert at crashing other peoples firesides.
p.s.s. I promise to blog more often. I've missed this corner of the internet.

Serve the Lord inside His house

Salt Lake City, Utah Temple

I'm a terrible blogger.

I know.

*insert cookie cutter apology for not blogging in a long time.*

Oh boy I feel like I'm living life at a dead sprint... Which I realize is kind of an oxymoron, but still an accurate description.

I'm currently trapped in my room. My little sister is literally on a date right outside my room. Complete with fancy attire and sparkling apple cider. When she was telling my mom her date plans I just looked at them and said "I'll be in my bedroom making no noise and pretending I don't exist." In the most awkward Harry Potter voice possible.

I must say that I'm living up to it right now. I'm completely content to sit here in my pajamas. So here I am in my room listening in to my sister and her date whilst writing this post... They are currently freaking out over the fact that their pie is ready to eat... in case you were wondering.

Like I said above, my life is a whirlwind, but isn't it like that for everybody?

Wasn't it like that for the Savior?

I was sitting in a seminary class the other day when I came across a verse in the Doctrine And Covenants.

Back in May of 1833 The Lord had commanded the saints to build a temple. He gave the saints specific dimensions that the temple should be built to, and he also gave them instruction about how it should be dedicated and should remain pure.

Later in August of the same year the Lord continues his instruction on the building of the temple. In D&C Section 97 verse 10, the Lord states that;

"Verily I say unto you, that it is my will that 

my house should be built unto me in the land of Zion, 

like unto the pattern which I have given you."

That last line really stuck out to me. Obviously it is in reference to the pattern after which they should build the temple, but could it also be a reference to Christ and his mortal ministry?

The main reasons for Christ's descent into mortality were to #1 Atone for our sins and afflictions so that we might be able to return to live with our Father in Heaven again, and #2 to set an example, or a pattern after which we should follow so that we can know how to return to live with God again.

While Christ lived a perfect life free of sin, his life never was "perfect."

His life was a whirlwind.

During his mortal ministry he was abused and tormented, he was tempted, yet never gave into temptation, his followers doubted him, and he was betrayed by his closest friends. And ultimately, in his final days, he atoned for the sins and afflictions of all mankind, his innocent blood was spilled and he was unjustly killed by those whom should have loved him.

Luke 22:44 gives us a glimpse into the pain he felt...

"And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: 

and he sweat as it were great drops of blood 

falling down to the ground."

Yet even with these great whirlwinds in his life, he still was able to remain the perfect example.

One of my favorite examples that he set for me was his love for the temple.

Palmyra, New York temple

We read at the end of Luke chapter 2 that as a twelve year old boy Christ went to Jerusalem with his family, and when his family returned, he stayed behind and his parents knew not where. When his parents returned to Jerusalem to look for him they found him in the temple teaching. What I love about this story was that Jesus was not compelled to go to they temple by anyone else.

He did not wait for his young mens leaders to organize a youth temple trip.

Nobody told him to go. Nobody was even encouraging him to go, but still he knew that he should be doing His fathers work in His father's house.

When his mother inquired as to why he was in the temple he said;

"wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?"

As youth living in the latter days with almost unlimited access to the temple, we should be following Christ's example by attending more often.

Ogden, Utah temple

You need no other reason to attend other than the fact that you want to follow Christ's example, and that you want to serve your Lord. Just because you are young doesn't mean you need to wait until others tell you to attend the temple.

You don't need to wait until your young men or young women leaders organize ward temple days.

You don't need to wait until your parents ask you if you want to go do baptisms for the dead. You can organize it yourself. Just like in Christ's story, your parents will be bewildered by your willingness to serve God. And you will be blessed beyond measure.

I recognize that for some parts of the world where the temple is not in close proximity it might be hard to attend on a regular basis, but I do encourage you to attend as often as possible. For those of us who do live near temples, we can do better. There are youth that arrive at the Bountiful temple every Tuesday at 4:30 in the morning to assist in the Lord's work. Surely these youth are following the example set by the Savior.

Bountiful, Utah temple

I know that as we attend the temple we will be blessed. I know that we can all do a better job at serving our Lord inside His house, and I know that as we work towards this goal the Lord will smile down upon us and grant us blessings that we would never have received otherwise. I have such a deep love for the temple and the Lord's work.







I encourage everyone to attend the temple more now than you have in the past. If you aren't ready to attend the temple, I encourage you to work harder to become ready. The temple brings blessings, and the temple brings us closer to the Lord.

Likewise I promise to do a better job at attending the temple, even if that means waking up before the sun comes up, because this small sacrifice is insignificant in comparison to all that Christ has done for me, so ultimately I can do this little part to give back to him.



feel my sunlight

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p.s. Since I'm on seminary council, I helped organize a Seminary morning side for my school a little while ago and it made the news paper! Read about it here!

Guest Post by Shelby {Good Things to Come}

hola amigos!

Yesterday I was teaching one of my preschool tumbling classes when one of my three year old students that doesn't stand much taller than your average American Girl Doll (that's actually not true, but you get the point) gave me a hug and said "Teacher, you have skinny legs." 

And people wonder why I love my job so much. haha

I have something super awesome for my blog post today! Even better than hugs... and even better than three year olds that tell you that you have skinny legs...

The following blog post comes from one of the coolest chicks in all of blog land. Her name is Shelby and I've asked her to take over my blog for a day! She's kindly accepted. So enjoy her lovely writing, and then stay tuned for a guest post I wrote for her blog!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey Guys! My name is Shelby and I am so excited to be here guest posting for Whitney. You may remember me from this post. Whitney also did an amazing post here that you should definitely check out!

A little bit about me:

    - I blog over at Moore Light Shine

    - I love photography and design

    - I also love music.

    - I am Mormon. I try my hardest to live it and I absolutely love it.

    - I think the youth program is one of the most amazing things ever.

It is now February 4th, you probably set some awesome goals 35 days ago.

I know I did. How many have I completely stuck with? I don't know if I have 100% stuck with any of them, but I'm trying my hardest.

I’m not discouraged or disappointed because I’ve come to realize that the only way for me to be perfect is through Christ. So I’ll keep running towards him. I’ll keep trying my hardest. And he’ll keep standing there with his arms open wide ready accept me and you and help us become perfect. Isn’t that amazing?

Today I’m here to talk about keeping goals and sticking to things, whether they are new years resolutions or not. I’m talking about the kind of things that can seem tiring or worthless to some. The repetitive things that make you wonder if you can possibly learn anything else from it.

Everyone has something like that.

A standard they struggle to keep.

Something they just want to skip one night. Until it becomes 2. Then 3. Then 4 months.

It may be prayer, scripture study, going to church, media standards. Anything.

But I’m here to tell you to keep going. To keep moving. To not give up.

Because something bigger and better is waiting for you right around the corner. Your dreams are about to come true. Heavenly Father will be near you soon with his arms around you. Your Savior is ready now to give you hope, and peace, and joy.

All of these wonderful things are about to happen. But they won’t if you give up now.

You may want it so bad. You may feel like your prayers are being said to air. You may want to quit, But don’t. Because I promise your Heavenly Father is listening. He hears your prayers. He wants to help you. But he knows what’s best, so he waits until the perfect moment. You think you know the perfect plan, the perfect time. We humans think we have everything figured out. Ha! We don’t. Not even close.

We are so far from seeing the big picture we simply have to trust God and realize that his timing is not our timing, it is the best timing.

Don’t feel embarrassed or ashamed if you are getting discouraged. It happens to the best of us. While reading my scriptures the other day, I noticed a verse in Nephi that had never caught my attention:

“And it came to pass that I was overcome because of my afflictions, for I considered that mine afflictions were great above all.....” (1 Nephi 15:5)

Even Nephi, the great prophet and a faithful servant of God became discouraged. He became dragged down because the world was beating down on him. He let others affect how he felt about life and himself.

Later it goes on to say “And it came to pass after I had received strength(1 Nephi 15:6)

I love this verse because he received strength. He didn’t become strong through himself. He received strength from The Lord. And our Heavenly Father is ready and willing to do the same for you.

He is ready to comfort you and encourage you. He may not be ready to fix everything. But he is ready to help you. To strengthen you. To love you.

I know this is so true.

I absolutely love the quotes below.

“There is help. There is happiness. There really is light at the end of the tunnel. It is the Light of the World, the Bright and Morning Star, the “light that is endless, that can never be darkened. It is the very Son of God Himself….Cling to your faith. Hold on to your hope… Don’t give up.... Don’t you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead—a lot of it…... You keep your chin up. It will be all right in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come.”

{quote source}

Please don’t give up. Please keep going. Whether it is a new years resolution, just getting through the day, or deciding if you beleive in your Savior. Please don’t lose hope. Know that you have devine capabilities and that you are loved beyond comprehension.

I hope you all have a wonderful, spectacular, amazing day!

-Shelby

Through the eyes of God

Wow January has been eventful and I've failed to write about it... typical.

I could rattle off all the cool things that happened to me this month, but somehow I don't feel like this would profit you much.

Being on seminary council I was privileged earlier this month to participate in testimony meeting with all of the class presidents at the school, in addition to all the seminary council members. As expected from this type of crowd you can imagine the kind of spirit that was shared in this meeting. There was enough testimony to cover you head to toe in happiness and lets just say that the inside of my heart was coated like hot glaze poured over a freshly baked doughnut.

I don't know how else do describe it.

As I sat there listening to the people that I joke around with, the people I send funny text messages to, the people I pass in the halls, and the people I follow on twitter, I was amazed at the conviction I could see in their eyes. I listened as my peers bore powerful testimonies. As I sat there listening to these students tell just how much they love their God, I couldn't help but think; "MAN! God sure does love them too. And he loves them a whole bunch."

Ever since that day I haven't looked at anyone in quite the same way. I learned that day that God loves the people around me so much. I began to see others through God's eyes and I began to see just how much he appreciated their individual sacrifice and devotion towards him. I also began to see the potential that He see in them.

I've heard it a million times, In fact, I recite the same phrase every Sunday... "I am a daughter of my Heavenly Father who loves me." We have been told since we were little that God loves us, but never have I internalized this like I did during this meeting. God really does love all of the people around you.

God loves that little kid that draws you pictures, God loves your friend that is struggling to enjoy seminary, and God loves the kid that can't get enough of it. God loves your friend whose parents are getting divorced, God loves the Cheerleader, the Theater nerd, and the band geek. God loves the boy who wants nothing to do with the gospel, and God loves the girl that is a self-proclaimed weirdo, God loves the heartbroken, and God loves the repented. God loves the kid that has a million friends, God loves the kid that has no friends. God loves your teachers, and God loves your students. God loves that girl who just turned in her mission papers, and the boy still trying to decide weather or not he wants to serve. God loves you.

I encourage you to try this week to see people as they really are. As sons and daughters of the God Almighty. Try your very best to see them as heirs to the kingdom of God. And I promise you that if you earnestly seek to see people in this way you will begin to understand them as God understands them, and subsequently you will begin to see yourself through God's eyes as well. Because He loves you so much.

 I attended a fireside given by Mallory Everton from Studio C last Sunday and I just want to eccho her words when she said that "This {the gospel} Is a good place to be."

I know that the truest happiness has come into my life because of the gospel. It is the very best place to be and my greatest desire is for those around me to feel this same joy.




P.S. I got an acceptance letter to BYUI yesterday! While I'm not fully decided on where I will go to college yet, I was excited to get that letter! :)

P.S.S. Like I mentioned above, I got to attend a fireside given by Mallory Everton from Studio C last Sunday. It was amazing and one of my favorite firesides that I have been to. Mallory is my very favorite actress on one of my favorite shows. If you aren't familiar with Studio C you need to check it out right now. I love her enthusiasm for life and I loved her message about being in the world, but not of the world. Thanks for such an awesome fireside Mallory! It was so fun to meet you!

P.S.S.S. On Tuesday I was finally able to go do baptisms for the dead at the Ogden Temple for the first time since it's been rededicated. I also need to mention that these four goons in the picture with me are some of my very favorite humans and that I'm so glad to have them in my life.

P.S.S.S.S. One of my cute tumbling students drew me this.... I can't handle how cute it is!

P.S.S.S.S.S.
Last time I shared music suggestions I had several people tell me they loved it so I decided I'd keep it up! Here is what I've been listening to this week! Let me know what you think!