McLean 2nd ward

  

 About 3 months ago I wrote a blog post about my wonderful Companion Sister Richards, she was such a tender mercy to me and was leaving the McLean 2nd ward where we served together. Now it is my turn to go.

I have LOVED being in this incredible ward and meeting so many new and wonderful people. I have learned and grown so much in the past 6 months. The true Christian love that I have seen exhibited through all the love and care has made me realize more than I ever have before how much of a tender mercy the community we have in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints really is.

As my companions and I have visited different members homes we have heard of countless examples of how other members have ministered to them. A while ago there was a blog post done by Robyn. A neighbor had left a note on her car that was just what she needed at the time. This is just one example among many. Countless meals have been given, testimonies have been shared, and spirits lifted and strengthened. Visiting Teachers and Home teachers have been there to serve those they visit. This congregation is truly what we call a 'ward family'.

In 3 Nephi 18 The Savior, in his visit to the Americas, teaches about the importance of church -- namely taking the sacrament-- but he also speaks of something else, how we need to pray for each other and help each other build our lives on his Rock, the rock of our redemption. That is really what church and the church community is all about, helping each other to build on the Rock of Christ so that we may all withstand Satan and his deceptions.

I am so grateful for the wonderful example I have seen in this ward of doing just this, of Building, nurturing, and strengthening each other. Sometimes it has been hard to be serving a mission in this ward, not because the missionary work itself is hard, but because I just wanted to be a normal member of the ward. I have loved teaching, and especially learning from each person I have met here!

THANK YOU!

Because of Him

 

We have been showing this Video to a lot of people recently which has made me reflect more and more on what I can do because of him.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." --John 3:16

I am so grateful for Christ and for All that he allows me to do. I know that it is because of Him that I am a missionary.

It is Because of Him that I can Drive in Virginia

It is Because of Him that I can be clean from all of my sins


It is Because of Him that I can be with my Family Forever

 

It is Because of Him that I can love all the wonderful people I meet.

I know that Because of Him All things are possible.

Have a Happy Easter!

From Fiery to Flowery

Once upon a time, Sister Hill and I were out visiting a few people. As we were walking we were playing a game we like to play, called 'relate that random thing to the gospel!' It is a fun game...it is always an interesting experience to try to relate things like crunched up leaves and abandoned tires to the gospel. This time the challenge was fallen blossoms from a tree.

I decided that they looked a little bit like darts. Having just listened to Elder Andersen's talk from conference about how we can protect ourselves from Satan and the weapons he uses, comparing it to a 'flowery' dart of the adversary made PERFECT sense to me! Yes, in case you can't tell there are probably still a few walls in my mind that need a little fixing, but let me explain a little bit more.

In 1 Nephi 15:24 it talks about how to overcome the fiery darts of the adversary. The way to turn the 'fiery darts' into 'flowery darts' of the adversary is through the word of God. In Alma 31:5 it talks about how we need to try the virtue of the Word of God. There really is a great power that comes into our lives as we do just that. As we make reading/listening/acting on the word of God more of a priority in our lives, we allow the tender mercies of the Lord to come into lives in ways that we don't even realize will happen as we start.

I am grateful for every source of the word of God that is available to us through the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and from living prophets. I have many experiences where this has happened in my life. What are some of your experiences? Feel free to comment and share...remember Sharing is caring!



 



What Greater Goodness?

During my junior high and high school French classes, we watched a lot of movies. What do movies in a French class have to do with tender mercies? Well, among all the Disney in French with English subtitles and the Les Miserable and Phantom of the Opera, there was one movie that really touched me. This movie took place during WWII at Christmas time. It was one of the many stories of the unofficial armistice on Christmas. That night the soldiers from across enemy lines made friends and the next day when the artillery was going to bomb them . . . or whatever it is artillery does . . . they warned their new friends and kept them safe for at least a short time.

Now as you can tell, I don't know much about war, but I do know a lot about friendship! I wrote a little while ago about family, I love my family! I think they are the best and I wouldn't trade them for a mountain of gold, but I am also incredibly grateful for my wonderful Friends.

"There seems to be a misunderstanding on the part of some men today as to what it means to be a friend. Acts of a friend should result in self-improvement, better attitudes, self-reliance, comfort, consolation, self-respect, and better welfare. Certainly the word friend is misused if it is identified with a person who contributes to our delinquency, misery, and heartaches. When we make a man feel he is wanted, his whole attitude changes. Our friendship will be recognizable if our actions and attitudes result in improvement and independence." - Marvin J. Ashton

I have a friend who has had a great impact on my life. She is a tender mercy, well, she is more of an angel. . . God sent her to me in 8th grade and she has been a HUGE part of my life. I know that I would not be where I am. I would not be a missionary right now without her influence in my life. The friends that we make should be the kind that will make us better, who will improve us and who will inspire us to develop the friendship that should be first in our life. The friendship of Jesus Christ.

2 of my wonderful Christlike friends

Kathleen H. Hughes (former Relief Society general president) in her talk What Greater Goodness Can We Know: Christlike Friends, says,

"It should be obvious to each of us that our ultimate friendship should be with our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. The Savior has affectionately said to us, “I will call you friends, for you are my friends” (D&C 93:45). His greatest desire for us, His brothers and sisters, is to bring us back to our Father. And the way for us is clear: develop in our lives, to the degree that we can, the qualities and attributes of Christ. Obey His commandments and do His work and His will."

As we develop our friendship with Christ, we will start to see His influence make us better. As we become better we become an example for our friends. I invite you to think about ways you can be a christlike friend to somebody else this week, and if you can't think of anything, remember . . . General Conference is this weekend, answers ALWAYS come when you listen!

P.S. I wouldn't trade my friends for a mountain of gold either...in case you were wondering :)

The Law of Tithing: A Gateway to the Lord's Tender Mercies

Another Guest Blog! Sister Bekah Vanderhorst shares some of her thoughts on the tender mercies of the Lord through tithing.



There have been many times in my life when it has been obvious that the Lord was watching over me or my family. One example was when my son was born 6 weeks early and had to be in the hospital for 3 weeks. It was a scary time and a busy time as I was in the middle of teaching my first year of school, and my husband, Grant, was in the last year of his college career at BYU. We could very clearly see the hand of the Lord blessing our son to grow healthy and strong despite his rough start, and helping Grant and I juggle our very hectic schedules at the time.

There have been other times in my life that I've recognized the hand of the Lord and His tender mercies, but they have not been so obvious. What might seem like a coincidence to other people, I consider a tender mercy. I have tied all of these small, tender mercies back to one principle: The law of tithing.

For those who aren't members of our faith, members of our church give one-tenth of everything they earn to the Lord, and we call this the law of tithing. It is a small way of us showing our willingness to give to the Lord's kingdom and a small way that we thank Heavenly Father for everything He has given us.
Some of Grant's coworkers have asked how we live in DC with a child (and another child on the way), and yet afford to only live on one income. Even though I tutor out of the home, the main source of our income is Grant's job. I'm sure it would shock his coworkers even more to learn that not only do we live on one income, but we live on 90% of an income, yet we have still managed to live within our means. While Grant and I have tried our best to live as frugally as possible, we know that the Lord has helped us in small ways.
For example, this past Christmas, Grant received an unexpected bonus from work. We were thrilled to have a little extra money to act as a buffer to our, but then about a week later, we had some issues with our car and had to get it repaired. The cost of the repair was only a few dollars less than the bonus that Grant had received. To some this might seem like a coincidence, or even a tragedy that we had to spend our bonus money on something as trivial as a car repair, but to us, it was the Lord's way of providing for an unexpected expense.
I remember when Grant and I were first married and I was working at a call center. We had just barely purchased car insurance, which was an extra $75 per month. Within that same month, I received a small raise at work, and when we calculated how much extra money I'd be getting a month, it was about 80 dollars.
There are so many of these small experiences with finances, that I know it's not simply coincidence, luck, or mine and Grant's hard work (though I do believe we have to be doing our best before the Lord can bless us). No, this is the Lord's tender mercies in our lives.

He not only has blessed us to live within our means, but the small spiritual blessings we have received have been wonderful. We have seen an added measure of the spirit in our home, and I have personally noticed that our family is more unified and harmonious when we all sacrifice together to live the law of tithing.

"We should not underestimate or overlook the power of the Lord’s tender mercies. The simpleness, the sweetness, and the constancy of the tender mercies of the Lord will do much to fortify and protect us in the troubled times in which we do now and will yet live. When words cannot provide the solace we need or express the joy we feel, when it is simply futile to attempt to explain that which is unexplainable, when logic and reason cannot yield adequate understanding about the injustices and inequities of life, when mortal experience and evaluation are insufficient to produce a desired outcome, and when it seems that perhaps we are so totally alone, truly we are blessed by the tender mercies of the Lord and made mighty even unto the power of deliverance." Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

--Bekah Vanderhorst

Family

A couple posts ago, I posted about how we are all children of God. The song "I am a Child of God" is one of the first songs I remember learning. The words go

 

"I am a child of God,

 an he has sent me here,

has given me an earthly home

With parents kind and dear"

 

As tempting (and sometimes true) as it sometimes is to change the words 'kind and dear' to 'kind of weird', family is one of the greatest gifts that God has given us.

 

 

     God has ordained a way for each of his spirit children to come to the earth. He has set commandments and guidelines for us to follow that not only make US happy, but provide the best way for the rest of his children to come to earth. The home is THE best place to learn. As we are growing up we learn from our parents, from brothers and sisters, from aunts and uncles, from Grandpas and Grandmas. We learn how to walk, talk, share, play, serve, and countless other foundational life skills that, when learned and applied bless us and countless others for the rest of our lives.

     I am so grateful for my family. I have wonderful parents and great brothers and sisters. I am so blessed to have been born into a home where I did have this generally ideal setting, but I know that not everybody has that chance. We aren't all born into a family where there are two parents that love and support you and each other. All families look different, have different interests, expectations, and values, but there is one thing that IS universal for all families, that is that the Gospel of Jesus Christ strengthens them.

 

    No matter what your family looks like . . . Single-parent, two-parent, lots of small children running around, teenagers, grown children . . . centering your home on Jesus Christ and his teachings is what will bring us closest together. In Matthew 11 Christ invites us all to take his yoke upon us and learn of him. As we do so we will find rest and peace, and as we help those around us to do so as well, they will find that same peace and it will create harmony. If we are all yoking ourselves to Christ, we will all be yoked together. What can you do to create a more Christ-Centered Home?

A Note for Robyn

Today's blog post is brought to you by a good friend, Robyn. She was baptized in November and is one of the kindest people I know. She graciously humored me when I asked her to share one of the tender mercies she had experienced.

 

What is a tender mercy? A Tender Mercy is an act of kindness to lift the spirits of another, whether done intentionally or otherwise. I experienced a tender mercy and didn't even realize it until several days later. I discovered a note hidden under my windshield wiper on my car. It's my back up car so I didn't see it until four days later. The note was a note from a friend who had taken her young son to our condo complexes' playground. She saw my car there and did it on a whim. I had been going through a hard time and this person knew it. Immediately I felt at peace and tears welled up. I know that tender mercies exist-- from personal experience.

--Robyn Reynolds