Sacrifice Brings Forth Blessings

"There is a price to pay for success, fulfillment, accomplishment, and joy. There are no freebies. If you don't pay the price that is needed for success, you will pay the price of failure." -James E. Faust

Yesterday (July 24), we were able to celebrate Pioneer Day at the Visitors Center. It was so fun to see these children enjoying learning about the sacrifices of the early pioneers who left their homes and came west. Many of them lost all that they had-- including their lives. But they did it because they knew that the Gospel is true. Their faith and courage was strong. They left all in the hands of their God. 

 We were able to teach stories about some of the early pioneers, sing songs, and play pioneer games with children and families. There were over 1,500 people who came and participated!

I have ancestors who came to America to be able to have religious freedom. One of my favorite stories is of my great-great-great grandmother, Emily Hill Woodmansee.

She was from Wiltshire, England. She first heard about the Gospel when she was 12 years old and couldn't be baptized until she was 16. She got a job to earn money to come to "Zion". She courageously boarded a ship in May 1856 with her sister Julia arrived to New York and traveled by rail to Iowa. She joined the Willey handcart company and walked through all conditions and made it to Salt Lake. She became a poet and several of her poems were set to music as hymns in our hymn book. One of those hymns is "As Sisters in Zion."

Something that she said that really sticks out to me is; 
"The flesh certainly was weak, but the spirit was willing."

I feel like this is true in every aspect of our lives. Our spirits are a lot stronger than what our mortal minds can comprehend. We can do a lot more than we think we can. It is amazing to think about the challenges that the Pioneers went through and all that they sacrificed. But all their sacrifices were definitely worth it. They have been blessed, and their sacrifices are blessing all their posterity today.

To sacrifice is to give up something we value for the sake of something of greater worth. 

"If we were not required to make sacrifices, we would never be able to develop the faith necessary for eternal salvation."

The sacrifices that we make for God will also bring blessings to us and to our family and posterity. I am so grateful to know that I can give my best to be able to make it back to my Heavenly Father and that the Savior has already paid the price to make up for what I lack. 

January 23, 2014

Dear Sister Greene:
You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in Arizona Mesa Mission. In addition to your calling to share the gospel, you will be assigned to serve in the Mesa Arizona Temple Visitors' Center in the Spanish Language. You should report to the Provo Missionary Training Center on Wednesday, April 30, 2014. You will prepare to preach the Gospel in the Spanish language.

Hace un año, recibi mi llamamiento misional! Recuerdo que yo habia estado esperando todo el mes para recibirlo. Yo recibi una llamada de la Oficina de Correo Postal esa mañana a las 6:45, y ellos me dijeron que mi llamamiento llego! Yo corri de mi casa lo mas rapido que pude para traerlo!

ONE YEAR AGO.... On January 23, 2014, I received my mission call! I remember I had been waiting all month for it to come. I received a phone call that morning at 6:45 from the Post Office saying that my call had arrived! I ran out of my house as fast as I could and went and picked up my call.

Let's be honest... I was shaking and crying a little... I was so excited! I couldn't believe that the day that I had been waiting for had finally come, and I was going to find out where the Lord had planned for me to go.

I had to wait until 7 that night to open it... The whole day I was antsy and thinking in my mind where in the world I would be going!

Cuando recibi mi llamamiento, senti el espiritu tan fuerte, y supe que habia sido llamada al lugar que yo necesitaba estar.

FINALLY, the time came for me to open my call. Everyone that I loved was with me. I was shaking so badly that I almost couldn't open it- I know, it sounds pretty dramatic.

Right when I read where I was supposed to go, I had an overwhelming assurance that this was the right place for me to go. I felt so happy, and as if the Savior was standing there with me. The feeling was indescribable!

"Lift up your heart and rejoice, for the hour of your mission is come; and your tongue shall be loosed, and you shall declare glad tidings of great joy unto this generation."

Doctrine and Covenants 31:3

I am so grateful that the Lord trusts me to be here. How can I not be happy, when I know that I am serving my Savior! I am so grateful for the Gospel, and for this wonderful opportunity that I have to share it with others!

Finding joy

Hello all! Well, to start off...

I am serving a mission in Mesa Arizona, speaking Spanish! I also serve in the Mesa Temple Visitors' Center. I have been out here for 8 months now. And I LOVE it! Some people think... "Mesa? Really? That's not very far from your home." 
Well, it's true. But I feel like this IS my home! 

Last month I received the wonderful opportunity to train a new missionary! Her name is Hermana Guevara. I am so grateful for all of the opportunities that I have to serve and learn!

Choosing to come on a mission has been the best decision of my life. Of course I had other options of what I could be doing with my life, but I am forever grateful that I had this option. 

Serving a mission isn't easy. I have learned to become REALLY humble. I am learning Spanish, and learning to fully serve others just as our Savior Jesus Christ did. Although sometimes it is difficult, and I don't always feel good enough; Sharing this message of our Savior Jesus Christ with others, and helping them become closer to him has brought me so much JOY.

"It is my prayer that you will experience a renewed and an expanded measure of the beautiful love of God in your lives; that you will find the faith, determination, and commitment to learn God's commandments, treasure them in your hearts, and live the gospel JOYFULLY. 

.....As you do so, you will be able to discover your best self--- Your real self. You will discover what it truly means to be a daughter of the everlasting God, the Lord of all righteousness."

-Dieter F. Uchtdorf  

I can say for myself that this statement is true. I have never felt happier in my life as I feel here serving the Lord. I have come to see who I really am. I have learned to experience real JOY.