the one about the Sabbath

I'll be honest, when I was younger the Sabbath meant I could catch up on homework, take a nap, and watch movies, all without having to feel guilty about it. Yes, my parents taught me there were a lot of options for our Sabbath day observance, but I always chose the easy and lazy ones. As I have made personal decisions to realign my will, and my day, with those that the Savior teaches, I have seen such a change in my life.
"And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath." Mark 2:27 As I read that scripture I can only see God's mercy and compassion on us. He knew exactly how we would live our lives, especially in today's society. He understands and recognizes we have so much going on. We burden ourselves with to do lists and think we have to be doing something at every moment. He blessed us with one day that we could "rest from our labors." And on top of that, He gave us a commandment to honor that day! He wants us to take a break from the things we do every single day, as well as the stress that comes with it. When we take a break from work (or making others work), from school, and our to do lists; it is to help us draw closer to Him.
"...Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you..." Exodus 31:13 Our actions on the Sabbath are signs unto God of how we are willing to use the blessings He offers us. A few years ago I committed to no longer do homework on Sunday. Of course, there is no text or rule that says we cannot, it was a personal choice. To me, it wasn't the sign I wanted to give Him. I noticed such a difference that it made on my Sundays. I wasn't suddenly burdened thinking, "Oh I have to do this assignment before tomorrow." My Sundays were filled with the Spirit, which strengthened me throughout the week. Not to mention, I performed and felt better about my classes and my homework.
Recently, I have made other alterations on my Sabbath day observances and cannot believe how real the commandment and the blessings are! Simple changes like choosing to do family history, baking for friends, or visiting nursing homes have made Sundays so special and much more enjoyable, because they are now sacred.
Most importantly though, the Sabbath is His day for us to specifically remember His Son. As we enter the dedicated chapels all around the world, we prepare for the most important 15 minutes of our entire 168 hour week. The sacrament is one of our Heavenly Father's greatest gifts to us. It is there, that we contemplate our week and set goals to become better. It is there, that we partake of the bread and water which renew our covenants with Him. It is during those 15 minutes when we hear what must be the sweetest of prayers to remind us of our commitments to the Father, the love of our Savior, and the gift of the Spirit to be with us always. How significant those moments are that we let pass by without even a thought at times. Each sacrament meeting has become so important to me with these precious reminders of how loved I am, how loved we all are. Nothing has affected me more each week than having time to specifically ponder Jesus Christ's Atonement.
I am eternally grateful that Heavenly Father knows us better than we know ourselves. He knew that I needed a day to come closer to Him, to serve, to study, and to be touched by the Spirit. It is a renovation on my soul and prepares me to face my week with hope as well as a positive outlook. Our living Prophets and Apostles are inspired. We all can improve our Sabbath day observances. I'm thankful we have their counsel and their direction from the Lord, I doubt I would've ever identified it as an area to improve on. Their examples and their words inspire me to do more, to be better, and to try harder. Heavenly Father deserves our effort and our willingness to obey all of His commandments. I hope we each can do our part to give Him back His day and to make the Sabbath a delight.

the one about the power of the priesthood

I cannot put into words how entirely grateful I am to have our Heavenly Father's priesthood on the earth today, but more importantly be able to utilize it. The priesthood is the authority to act in God's name. The same priesthood authority that existed in the original church established by Jesus Christ exists in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints today. The Church is directed and led through this authority.
I had an amazing experience the other day, which once again has strengthened my testimony. I have been joining the missionaries on team-ups to help prepare me for my own mission. This particular night we were teaching [this amazing girl who i just love] about the priesthood. After our lesson, one of the Elders asked me when I had received a blessing last. I told him it was probably around the time I received my mission call. He then asked if I would like one then. Now, I must say I have never been afraid to ask for blessings, but I honestly didn't think I needed one. I simply thought he wanted to show our friend the power of the priesthood, which I thought was a little improper, but I agreed to have one anyway. I can honestly say I've learned so many things by that one blessing. First off, I did need one. I'm so grateful that this Elder was in tune with the Spirit to know that I was in need of comfort. Second, the Lord will always comfort His children. Third, He knows us individually. He knows our doubts, sorrows, fears, and our deepest secrets. I had just reached my one-month mark until I report to the MTC and so many emotions were filling up inside of me. I was, and am, so excited to serve! But I was also starting to feel very inadequate, I understand "the Lord doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called" but I couldn't help but feel so unprepared to teach His Gospel. I was scared, confident, excited, nervous, hopeful, doubtful and unsure of myself all at the same time. But most of all, I was absolutely terrified of something happening to my family while I was away. I know of people who have had to go through the trial of having a loved one pass away while they were serving, and this was my greatest fear of leaving. Of course I knew this was my calling and I knew I wanted to serve but nonetheless they were present, but I was sure (am sure) every missionary feels similar feelings and so I never once mentioned them to anyone. When this Elder gave me this blessing, he first told me of how proud Heavenly Father was of me and of the decisions I have made thus far. He told me our Father was so excited for me to serve the people in Florida and that He was looking forward to seeing the success I would have and the difference I would make. He said that Heavenly Father wanted me to know that I had been preparing for this my whole life and that I was prepared for it, and that I would be able to teach the lessons with ease and to not doubt my capabilities or myself. And then he said the most amazing thing. He said that I need not worry about my family while being away, because they would be protected and blessed for my decision to serve, that no harm would come to them and that this would strengthen each of them more than I could comprehend and it would be the greatest blessing that has come to our family. Of course I was crying, and couldn't believe our Father in Heaven had answered every single doubt. Who am I to doubt Him or His power? I was able to bear testimony of what had just happened to our friend and afterwards she received a beautiful blessing that also touched her just as strongly. I know that the power of the priesthood is real. Although, he could've felt similar feelings before his own mission, this Elder had no idea about my feelings toward my family at that time. It is only by the power of God that he could've given me the most perfect blessing to reassure me of my calling and His love for each of us. I'm so thankful for this experience I had to solidify my testimony once again on His holy priesthood and on Him.

the one about prayer

today has been stressful, and it's only noon.
let me start my story by explaining my art history class!
(i can vision all of your faces just light up about that!)
but really, its boring. very very boring and when its not boring its awkward
it is my biggest lecture this semester 200+ people or so (big for me at least!)
art history. thats exactly it. we analyze old famous art and compare and contrast with other old art
in a way it is interesting...sometimes, but for this post im exaggerating how much i dislike it.
its difficult memorizing names like Jacopo Pontormo, Artemisia Gentileschi, and Pietro da Cortona and their works when half of them are emulated of each other and you honestly don't care about the subject.
so i have a rough time paying attention and studying
another key factor in this story is because its such a huge lecture, we dont have homework, which is great! and not so great. we have 3 exams. 3 scores for the semester. each 1/3 of your final grade
now if you were a genius and aced each test, this is your class! but for us mere mortals, this is a big deal, means you HAVE to do well, or else your final grade sucks. you miss an exam? 0.
so exam #2 was today.
ill be honest, i always wait till the last day, so you can imagine i was up late last night,
still didnt feel comfortable with the information so i skipped my first class to study, 
was feeling pretty good about it so i started getting ready for class, 
when i dress up and actually spend time getting ready i feel more confident so i did just that
most of my classes start within a half hour, ex. 8:30, 9:30 10:30....
not this one! starts at 11! but for some stupid stupid reason that slips my mind and i continue getting ready as if it was any other morning, be ready to leave by __:05
i check my phone. 10:56. pretty proud of myself have a few minute left.
hits me like a ton of bricks, literally. i was dumbfounded and speechless.
10:57 i make myself move, and quickly! i literally have 3 minutes to make it downtown lincoln, park, run to class, get organized, and review. which usually takes me 20 minutes. throwing on clothes and almost in tears i race out the door,
driving like a maniac (a very safe and aware maniac if youre reading this mom/dad ;) ), 
all i can do is pray.
prayed the whole way, i cant say it was a very thoughtful prayer, more a plead for help.
i prayed for safety while driving like this
for there to be no cops on the highway for just this once
for the lights to be in my favor
for my teacher's heart to be softened 
for me to make it in to the room before the exam starts
for me to remember and apply the things ive studied for
and more.
repeat. rephrase. repeat. 
as i'm driving i see the only cop on this highway pulling another car over. (sorry to that poor fellow, didnt mean to get you pulled over!) 
i get to the stop light. green. turn. next stoplight. green. drive and miraculously another green.
i park, sprint to class and walk in. 11:09 pretty unbelievable.
everyone else has their exams. i walk to the front and the professor acknowledges my tardiness, hesitates for a second, walks to an empty seat and sets the exam on the desk. i thank her graciously and sit down, no time to fill out my personal information,
she immediately announces the slides for the exams will begin now.
(being an art history exam the slides show the pieces of artwork in which questions apply to, if you dont see the slides, there is no possible way of answering 90% of the exam)
i answer the questions and amazingly, i know every slide. after the slides 10 more questions without them. a little more difficult but went well. after i finish the personal information and hand in my exam i walk out the door in astonishment.
 and again i pray.
i thank my Heavenly Father for all he has done for me, even though it means so little in life if you think about it. 
i'm so blessed to have a relationship with my Father in Heaven and to know that if i rely on Him, He will always come through for me. 
the power of prayer is truly a miraculous thing. ♥