[Sister Butts] is, That [she] Might Have Joy

Need a pick me up?  I hear you.  Here is some comforting news for you: there is a God.  He is your Heavenly Father and He loves you very much.  He cares for you and wants you to be happy.  Need some proof?  In 2 Nephi 2:25 (in the Book of Mormon) it says "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy."  Whenever I've read this scripture, I've always thought of it in a general sense, but this morning I read an article that put it in a different light:

"Sister Butts is, that she might have joy."

God wants me to be happy in my life.  He does!  Everything he has done or will do is with the purpose to have me be truly happy.

This is why he has given so many beautiful things on this Earth to be grateful for.  If I just pause to look around me at the sky, the grass, the birds...I feel his love.  I feel happy.  :)

This is why he has given me commandments.  He knows what actions will lead me to destruction, so he has given me rules I must follow to keep me safe.  When I do, I feel joyful.  :)

This is why he has given me trials.  When I'm just coasting through a summer day with nothing to challenge me, I feel pretty lifeless.  But when I'm expected to do something hard, and I work at it over and over again I find satisfaction.  It may be hard at first, but in the end I am satisfied. :)

Scriptures, church, friends and family, leaders like President Thomas S. Monson, the list goes on of the things God has given me.  All for what?  All for the sake of true happiness.  The kind that stays.  The kind that is real.  You can't find it in a store, on a shelf, or on a specific day. 

All it takes is open eyes, an open heart, and a willingness to accept Christ more fully in your life.  "[You] are, that [you] might have joy."  Find the real stuff.  Let me know how it goes.  :)

Take a Deep Breath - FAITH!

It's winter.

I'm standing on the edge of a mountain, looking down at the steep slope that is before me.

I've skied this slope before, I know I can do it again, but looking down my legs start to quiver.  It's too hard.  It's too steep.  I can't do it.

I take a deep breath...

It's fall.

I'm standing on the edge of the boat, looking at the deep water that is before me, wakeboard in hand.

Nerves seem to gum up my actions.  I'm reluctant to get into the cold water, knowing what will be asked of me in a few moments.  It's too hard.  I can't jump the wake.

I take a deep breath...

It's summer.

I'm standing on the edge of a street corner, looking at the people walking towards me.

I talk to strangers every day.  The human race is actually quite nice if you give them a chance, but still I hesitate.  I'm fearful of what they'll say.  It's too hard.  I don't have what it takes.

I take a deep breath...

And I go.

Have you ever felt that paralyzing fear?  That build up of anxiety and uncertainty just before you make a decision?  In those circumstances you really only have two options: you let the fear keep you from taking that step forward, or you push past it and do it anyways.  Usually, the thing that keeps us from acting is our own self-doubt.  Nothing truely physical blocks our path, just ourselves!

Let me use an example.  It comes from "Cleansing the Inner Vessel". 

"Many of us are like the elephant that, as a baby, was tied to a large tree. It tried many times to pull away from the tree. It eventually gave up. And when the chain was later taken off the tree and attached to a small stake, the fully grown elephant never even tried to get away. By then, it had given up all hope of freedom and had become imprisoned not by the chain, but by its own set of false beliefs."

Sometimes when we are faced with opposition we fail multiple times and we allow that failure to give us the mindset that we can't do it.  This builds fear and is a difficult roadblock to break through.  Yet we must!  If we are going to reach the potential that is inside all of us we must break through our own self-limits!  How?  How do we take the step forward when our mind is screaming at us that we can't?

It takes faith.

We must learn to learn on Christ.  We must learn to trust Him.  He will prepare the way for us to succeed.  Even when we don't, we can have the faith that He will help us stand up, brush off the dirt of despair, and send us on our way to try again.  He has sent us to this Earth to succeed, and success isn't measured by outward results, but by the inner effort we put into it.

Through Christ's example and teachings, we can find the faith to keep moving forward.  We can have the peace to keep going, even if we do fall.  We won't be worried about what other people think because we will be entirely focused on doing His will, opposing opinions will cease to trouble us.  In Him we will find strength, in Him we will keep going to the very end.

Down the slope, I feel the rush of the wind and the snow beneath my feet.  The mountain quickly flies by at an exhilarating pace.

Into the water, then onto the water, I hang on tight to the rope that pulls me, handling the waves as they come.  I cut through the water, sending up a thrilling spray behind me.

Up to the person, I shake their hand and bear my testimony that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that through Him we can find the greatest strength and peace in this life.  A new light appears in their eyes, and I know that they have felt the truth of the statement.

I have succeeded.

They Shall Know My Voice

This is my Dad

Once upon a time I wasn't a missionary.  Save your gasps for later, there's more.  I used to work at a fast food restaurant as a cashier.  One day it was in the middle of rush hour, orders were coming in on the double from the drive through and the front and I was frantically trying to make shakes, fill orders, bag fries, and deliver food all at the same time.

With a dozen things calling for my attention and demanding my energy, I had blocked out all of the distractions from beyond the counter.  But everything I was doing came to a screetching halt as a familiar noise cut through the din of the dinner rush.  Freezing in my tracks I pivoted towards the sound.  "Dad!"  I exclaimed in surprise.  There in the middle of all those people, was my dad.

What was the noise that caught my attention?  A cough.  A simple, little, genuine cough coming from a person I had known and lived with my entire life.  You would think that a little noise like that wouldn't be heard above the din of the restaurant, but because I knew him so well, I immediately heard it.  We had spent a lot of time together and so I recognized the sound of his cough.

This experience reminded me a lot of the parable that Christ shared with His apostles about shepherds and sheep.  He said, "...he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 

"To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. 

"And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 

"And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers."

Sheep can recognize the voice of their shepherd because of the amount of time they have spent together.  Christ has said "I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine."  He is showing us in this parable that those that are followers of Christ will respond readily to His words and counsel because of the time they have spent together.

Now, this world is a busy one.  There are plenty of distractions around us.  I'd write a list, but I'm sure you could come up with a longer one.  It's hard to be able to hear the quiet promptings of Christ when we're busy focusing on other things.  Yet there is a way.  Just like my father's cough cut through the din of the fast food restaurant, Christ's voice can cut through the worldly pleasures and catch our attention.

How?

It takes time.

This could be seen as an impossible challenge because He doesn't live on Earth currently, we can't walk and talk with him physically just yet.  So how then can we spend time with Him?  The answer is to study the scriptures.  In 2 Nephi 32:3 it says, "...wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do."

The Book of Mormon and the Bible contain the words of Christ.  When we take the time to study them, we will be drawing nearer to Christ.  We will learn His will, and over time we will come to recognize more clearly His voice.

Sounds simple, right?  Reading a little bit of a book every day?  Perhaps there is something grander that we must do.  And yet, "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass."  It is a small thing, but with it comes the great peace and direction that comes from drawing closer to Christ.  If it's been a while since you've opened those pages, will you do so today?  And if you've never had the opportunity, will you make the time to try it?  The scriptures have changed my life, and I'm looking forward to the change I will continue to make as I seek to know Christ more fully in my life.

The Final Hour

Have you ever noticed how blessings, miracles, and answers usually come in the last moment possible?  Remember that time where you needed to get out of the door for something that was really important but the keys were lost and you were frantically looking all over the place but you just couldn't find it anywhere so you said a quick, frantic prayer and just before you were going to be late you found the keys just in time?

I know the feeling.

This past week we were planning on meeting one of our investigators at the front of the store.  This was important because we were going to introduce him to the Elders.  It was a struggle just to get the appointment because it wasn't easy to get a hold of him over the phone, and he would frequently forget appointments that we set up.  But tonight was going to be different.  Tonight, things were going to finally work out!

We met up with the Elders at the specified time and waited.....and called....and waited some more....the sun was going down, it was getting darker.  We kept calling, hoping that he would answer his phone, but still there was no response.  Twenty minutes after the scheduled meet up time the Elders looked at their watches.  It was time for them to bike home.  We looked at each other with a small amount of discouragement.  Another appointment had fallen through.

As we waved the Elders good bye, we got back into the car.  What else could we do?  We'd just keep calling and try to keep setting up appointments, but before we threw in the towel we decided to pray.  After the "amen" I looked up, half expecting to see our investigator pulling into the parking lot right then and there.

He didn't.

With a sigh and a check of the time, we decided to call him one last time.  To our

great surprise, he answered the phone after a couple of rings!  Work had held him later than he expected, but he was on his way!  With great excitement we called back the Elders.  "We got a hold of him!" We explained, "come back!"  The Elders were almost to their home by the time we called them, but they agreed to bike back.

We got out of the car and anxiously awaited the arrival of our investigator.  Ten minutes passed and the Elders showed up.  Ten more minutes passed and the Elder's asked us if we were pranking them: he still hadn't shown up.  We resumed our anxious phone calls.  Time was running out, we had a curfew to keep.

I'll admit, at this point my faith wavered.  He hadn't shown up before.  He wouldn't show up now.  He wouldn't answer his phone.  I felt bad for the Elders, knowing that they had biked that far only to have a no-show.  Sister Wright looked me in the eye and said strongly, "he will come.  You have to believe he will come."

Still I doubted.

It was 8:50.  Almost time to go home.  We had waited nearly an hour for this appointment.  Sister Wright was keeping her positive attitude.  I thought to myself, "do I believe?  Do I believe that Heavenly Father could help him come?"  Memories came to my mind of other times that blessings had come.  When did they come?  In the very last moment possible.

I relaxed.  This was just a trial of our patience and diligence.  Sister Wright was right: he would come.  It just would be at the last moment.  As I put my trust in Christ my worry and anxiety melted away.  A few more minutes passed and there he was; riding onhis bicycle, our investigator entered the parking lot.  We were then able to have a good lesson with the Elders.  A miracle indeed.

The question may come of why?  Why did we have to wait nearly an hour to have a lesson with him?  Why do we have to wait so long to receive much needed blessings?  So much pain and anxiety and suffering could be eased if he had just arrived at the appointed time: 8 o'clock. 

I think there are multiple blessings that come from this trial.  One, we learned patience.  We can't get everything we want right when we want it.  Like waiting for traffic to become less crowded or waiting for a red light when you're in a hurry, it takes patience to not get angry or frustrated at the situation. 

Along with that, we learned trust in the Lord's timing, not our own.  He knew that our investigator would come, we needed to trust Him that he would.  We need to put our trust in Christ that he will take care of us and that blessings will come.  He knows what we need.  As it says in 3 Nephi 13:32-33 "For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.  But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you."  We have to trust that this promise is true.

We also learned diligence.  We couldn't give up when our efforts seemed to be fruitless, we had to keep going and endure to the end.  Sometimes we're not going to get something right on the first try.  Sometimes things just won't be obvious and completely understandable in the first moment.  The key is to not let it get you down and discouraged but to keep going until things fall into place.

This lesson seems to be a repeat lesson.  Have you noticed that?  Whether it's a paycheck that hasn't come in yet, waiting for a job offer, or news in the hospital, we have to go through situations that are full of anxiety, stress, and lots of time.  What should we do in those situations?  As hard as it is, we are to relax and learn to let the Lord handle it.  Keep working, of course, keep doing our best to move forward, but build our faith in Christ.

He will take care of us as we strive to do our best.  If you're going through a rough point in your life where you don't know what to do, remember who is in charge.  His blessings usually come in the final hour.  Continue to pray, continue to work, and above all continue to trust in His plan.  :) Things will work out.  Let me know if there's a way I can help.  <3

STOP. Don't Knock on that Door!

A couple of nights ago Sister Wright, Sister Karony, and I were out checking up on people.  As a group, we decided we should check up on a person that none of us had met, and whom we knew nothing about.  (No, this is not abnormal.  We're missionaries, we do this every day.)  We parked the car and got out, laughing and talking with each other.  After double checking the address, we headed off to meet this friend we hadn't met yet.

We spotted the house and headed towards it.  The moment I stepped up onto the stairway I stopped.  I looked up, surprised.  I looked up and had this feeling...I wish I could describe it, but it simply felt like I should not go up and knock on that door.  Sister Wright was ahead of me, so I looked to Sister Karony to see if I was the only crazy one.

She had stopped too, and she looked at me and said, "Do you feel that?" I nodded.  "It's creepy." I quickly looked to my companion who was at the front doorstep.  She stopped just before she grabbed the door handle, and Sister Karony and I whispered for her to come back down.  She did so with much speed.  Once we had regrouped, Sister Wright shared her feelings that just before she touched the handle, she got this strong feeling of "No!"

The three of us looked up at the door, each wondering what had caused the prompting, and then walked back to the car.  We don't know what would have happened if we had knocked on the door, perhaps something, perhaps nothing.  We just know that we were warned ahead of time by the gift that we have all been given.

What gift is that?  The gift of the Holy Ghost.  He is the third member of the Godhead, and is given to all those who have been baptized and confirmed by priesthood authority.  He has many roles, but in summary His role is to communicate with us the things that God wants us to know.  Whether that is guidance to know which college we should go to, intelligence and understanding as we read the holy scriptures, or warning when there is unknown danger ahead.

He spoke to us through our thoughts and feelings.  We all made the decision independent of each other, but we all came to the same conclusion to not knock on that door.  He spoke to us in different ways because we are all individuals and unique.

How can we receive the Holy Ghost?  While we can feel his influence in our lives, the only way we can have him with us always is by confirmation.  By being confirmed by men holding the priesthood authority of God and living up to the covenants we make at baptism.

I'm grateful for the gift of the Holy Ghost, he has blessed my life in the past and I trust he will continue to help guide me to make good decisions in the future.  As I live righteously and keep the covenants I've made at baptism, I can have his influence with me always.

It's Better Than CHOCOLATE

So the other day my companion and I were walking through a supermarket, picking up enough food that would last us through the week.  As we were browsing the aisles, we saw a woman at one of those taste-testing booths.  Standing in the middle of the aisle with a lot of people milling around her, she looked a little uncomfortable at the position that she had been given within the store.

Do you know what she was offering?  CHOCOLATE.  Little free squares of delicious, wonderful CHOCOLATE.  Yet, no one was taking her offer of FREE chocolate.  Even as my companion and I walked past her booth she asked, "Would you like some chocolate?" And I passed down her offer and kept walking.

This seemed to be a common reaction from most of the people there, they'd glance at her and keep walking, only the occasional person would reach out to receive the gift.

Upon reflecting on this moment, I had to face palm myself.  She was offering FREE CHOCOLATE and I just walked by her without even pausing to taste it!  What was I thinking?  What was everyone else thinking?  I mean, hello we're talking about CHOCOLATE here people!  The brown stuff that is full of sugary goodness that people go crazy over!  You eat it in parties, give it away at Halloween, and mold it into funny shapes at Easter, it's the wonderful, desirable, indescribable CHOCOLATE...and yet we all just walked by it as if it was a normal day occurrence that we didn't want or need.

So why did all these crazy people pass up this opportunity to put a smile on our face and get a little bit fatter?  Obviously it wasn't the chocolate...my guess is that it was the woman manning the booth.  She wasn't comfortable or confident in her desire to give out the chocolate.  Perhaps this was her first day on the job, or perhaps she was thinking about other things, in any case I don't think the people there felt like taking it from her.  She wasn't excited, energized or enthused to do it.

Now, I'm not saying she should have been bouncing around like the energizer bunny, but perhaps a more confident smile would've helped others feel comfortable with taking the tasty treat.

Flash forward a couple of hours to two Sister missionaries walking down the street.  Up comes a person walking on the opposite side of the street.  "Hello, I'm Sister Butts.  Could we share a message with you about Jesus Christ?"  Come the words out of my mouth like I've done many times before.  The person looks at the name tag and responds a little uncomfortably, "no thank you, I'm good." and keeps walking.

Does this experience remind you of anything?

I was doing exactly what the woman in the store was doing.  I felt uncomfortable talking with people, I wasn't sure if anyone would want to hear what I had to say, I wasn't sure in myself and the person walked right on by, missing out on the opportunity to partake of the greatest gift given to man.

What is this "great gift"?   It's the knowledge of the gospel.  The way we can be cleansed from sin and guilt.  A way we can progress and become better every day.  A way to feel comfort in our deepest distress.  A way to find knowledge and guidance in this world of turmoil and trouble.  Direction.  Peace.  Power.  Ultimately, this gift is one of eternal happiness.

This gift comes from Jesus Christ and the sacrifice He made for us.  We can receive this gift as we believe in Him, repent of the things we have done wrong, make sacred covenants (or promises) with Him, listen to the quiet promptings of the Holy Ghost, and refuse to give up when it gets tough.  Our part is so small when it is compared to the sacrifice He has made.

This gift is so much better than chocolate.  It's non-fattening, it's longer lasting, you don't have to spend money to receive it, and it improves your very character.  Why then, why did that person pass us up from the wonderful opportunity to improve their life?

Likely it's because she had no idea that is what we were offering.  Why?  Because I was too scared to tell her more.  I needed to be more excited about the message that we share, the knowledge that we have.  I needed to be more bold, and more loving as I reach out to others.  I am going to learn from this experience.  I am going to share my testimony more and offer the gift of the Gospel with more zeal.

Why?  Because it's the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  He has offered it to me and I have felt the change in my own life.  I have felt the power, the comfort, and the direction that comes from it.  Who am I to withhold it from others?  If you have any questions, or if you know someone who is struggling with something difficult in their life, will you point them my way?  I'd love to give them a "free sample" of the gift our Savior has given me. :)

Taking Out the Trash

Today I wanted to talk about cleaning our apartments effectively.  (Or homes if you've got a bigger place to live in than most missionaries.)  As much as I would like to have someone come in and clean out everything for me, we can't have maids that do it.  So we have to do it ourselves.  Are you ready?  This plan is going to help you get your home clean in 3 easy steps!

First, go around your entire living quarters and collect all of those objects that are cluttering up your life.  Whether it's the wrappers to the chocolate you ate yesterday or that closet full of lotion you've received for every anniversary, birthday, and Christmas for the past 5 years, pull it out and put it in the trash!  That's right!  Into the trash!  If you don't really use it and it's taking up space and you don't really need it just let it go and throw it away!

Have you done that?  Great!  It's okay if you can't fit everything into the little garbage that lives under your sink on your first try, that's why we have extra grocery bags, so we can eventually fit everything...eventually...so after you've done that, you need to take the garbage out.  Yes.  Out of your house.  The garbage man won't come inside to take it all away, you've got to take it out to him.  

Sometimes that takes a little bit of extra work.  Maybe you have a really long drive way or you live 6 floors up in a high-rise apartment building.  Trust me, it's worth it.  You don't want all of those bags and bags of garbage stinking up your home, you have to get it out.  

If you're like most people, you don't just leave the trash bags on the the sidewalk.  No, you have to put it in a specialized compartment, formally called a "trash can".  That's the third step.  Use an authorized can to put your trash in.  And then...just walk away.  Leave it alone, don't go back to retrieve something, just return to your much cleaner home.

Doesn't that make you feel better?

You know...this process of cleaning out your home - taking out the trash - reminds me of something...it too is a process that we all must go through if we want to live happier lives.  It's called repentance.  I'll ignore your shudder and just keep going.

Have you noticed that?  Taking out the trash and repentance seem to have a negative air about it when really the whole reason it's there is to improve our lives.  To make it so we don't have to live with excess waste that we produce.  Now I'm not going to merrily skip down the hallway as I throw my trash into the "rubbish" chute, but perhaps I'm going to look at it a little
more like it's a blessing and less like it's the bane of my existence.

What does it mean to repent?  Basically it means we take out all of the things we've done wrong in our life, when we make mistakes and feel guilty about something we did we can change and live a happier healthier life.  Repentance is the way that we can be relieved of the things that hold as back.  How, do you ask? 

Well, by taking out the trash.

First thing you'll need to do is to do a self inventory of the things that you do or have done.  What are some of the things that just get in the way of things?  Eat up time?  Clutter your day?  Put them all in a mental pile.  What about some of the excess things you do that aren't really productive?  (You know, like that weekend where you spent 7 hours just watching movies?  I know.  I was there.)  Put them all together and become determined that they won't be a part of your life.  Make the decision to stop.

Next?  It takes a little bit of effort, but you need to make the effort to stop.  Ask for forgiveness from those you may have harmed, spend some time and effort on your knees talking to Heavenly Father in prayer about what is going on.  Prayer is a form of work, after all.  This process might be long and it may be challenging, but with every step you take you'll be closer to getting rid of the things that hold you down.

Just like you have to put your garbage in an authorized trash bin, there is only one way that we can be rid of our transgressions.  That way is through Jesus Christ.  We can't forgive ourselves of our sins and expect to be made clean, we simply do not have that power.  But He does.  When Christ suffered in Gethsemane and on the cross, He took our sins upon him, paying the debt and making it possible for us to be cleansed from it.

Just like the trash man though, he won't come into our houses and into our lives and forcefully take out the things that aren't good for us.  That would take no effort on our part and we wouldn't learn anything from it, nor would we appreciate it.  We need to do our part by asking for forgiveness and taking the steps necessary to give him our sins, to give him the things that we have done wrong.

When we have done that...we walk away.  We don't go back.  We don't say "just kidding, I think I'll keep this" to our favorite sins.  We don't remember the things that we've done in the past and hang it over our heads for eternity.  No.  Once it is taken care of by Christ's atonement, we have to trust that it's taken care of and to simply let it go.

You will receive more power in your life as you repent.  And just like we have to clean our apartments daily to keep them clean, we have to repent daily to keep ourselves free.  It's not a one-time event, or even a yearly thing like spring cleaning.  It is a daily process to do our best to live like Christ would have us live.  It is a powerful opportunity for us to feel an increase of light and joy in our lives.

As you repent your life will change.  You will be happier, and you will find the peace that you are searching for.  I know because this is what I have felt in my life.  My apartment is far from perfect, but I'm finding greater joy as I live in it.  Repentance makes that happen.  My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, makes that happen.  And I'm so very grateful that He has.