We Can Trust God in Good Times and Bad

I am thankful for my membership in and testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am grateful for parents who daily taught me about what is right and what is wrong and how I should live my life. My dad taught us and reminded us all often that if we put God first everything else will work out.

Right now the world is in a state of confusion and full of contention. It can cause us to often have an inner conflict. I am so grateful I can always turn to My Father in Heaven in prayer and to the Book of Mormon for peace and guidance.

My favorite scripture is, “Be still and know that I am God.” Whenever worries seem to pile up and chaos surrounds, I try to focus on that. Our Father in Heaven knows me and each one of us. He loves us and our families. He knows what is best for us, even when we don’t always understand. He is in charge. I try to remember that He is always there and that He has a plan and then go forward in faith.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said in the October 2020 General Conference, “The point is faith means trusting God in good times and bad, even if that includes some suffering until we see His arm revealed in our behalf. “ May we have the strength, each one of us, to remain faithful and to look up.

~Ann Flint

I Listen for His Voice Every Day

What a unique moment in my life to write you a note on why I choose to believe. I have some challenges I am facing right now that are weighing very heavy on my shoulders and in my heart. And while I am sitting here writing this, at my feet sit the fragrant aroma of yummy peaches, filling my nostrils knowing the deadline I am facing will prevent me from getting them bottled. Some things you just must let go.

A week ago my husband and I were studying the “Come Follow Me” chapters 3 Nephi 8-11. These are my most favorite scriptures we have. The people were gathered together at the temple in the land Bountiful and they were “conversing about this Jesus Christ.” Then they heard a voice and they understood not, “it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake; yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn.” “Then the third time they heard the voice they opened their ears to hear it; and their eyes were towards the sound thereof; and they did look steadfastly towards heaven, from whence the sound came.”

I listen for this voice every day.

As I have been listening, I have witnessed many miracles in the lives of my children, tangible miracles. I have witnessed miracles in my life, the finger of God reaching into my life and touching me and those I have stewardship over.

As I look out into the world on social media, the news, conversations of those around me, the fires on the west coast, the fear of Covid-19 I have found it all to be very loud and unsettling, wondering where the truth really lies. When I close my ears and mind to all of that and become still and open my ears and look with my eyes towards this other voice, a small voice, not a harsh voice, but a voice that makes my heart burn, I am comforted by the Holy Ghost letting me know that everything will be okay and that I am dearly loved and not forgotten by my Heavenly Father. Our Heavenly Father. President Russell M. Nelson said: “Does God really want to speak to you? YES!...Oh, there is so much more that your Father in Heaven wants you to know.”

As “I Choose to Believe” I hang on to the gospel principles I have been taught. I hang on to the covenants I have made with Him. I hang on to the teachings that happen in my home. I hang on to the gospel conversations I have with my adult children, their faith, their testimonies. My faith, my testimony, the Book of Mormon, are among my most prized possessions.

What an incredible time to be on earth, to witness first hand the unveiling of prophecy spoken to us in our day in the Book of Mormon. To be lead by modern day prophets in this dispensation. To be here with our loved ones offering love and support and having those actions strengthen our own testimony and bring us peace. Peace in Jesus Christ and his atoning sacrifice.

~Melinda LeCheminant

My Savior is Anxiously Waiting with Open Arms

As we have faced this 2020 adventure, I have been amazed and humbled at all the times that I have felt that Heavenly Father and our Savior are truly aware of us. From a promise by our prophet that conference would be unforgettable, remembering personal sacred experiences that “I know that God knows I know”, wondering how I can fulfill my primary calling and receiving opportunities to do so, receiving a prompting to know how to help one of my children, or enjoying the special spirit of having the sacrament in our home.

 The most recent experience of knowing that Heavenly Father and my Savior are aware of me and love me happened this past Sunday. I had become lax in my Come, Follow Me studies and decided to sit down and take notes on just 1 section from the week. As soon as I started reading, I felt a sense of peace and acceptance as if the Lord was telling me, “Welcome back. You’re ok. Keep moving forward.” These kind and loving thoughts give me the desire to move into this new moment and do a little better because my Heavenly Father and my Savior know me personally and they love me. They will never give up on us and are anxiously waiting with open arms to bless us.

 ~Lara Anderson

Video 2: I Choose to Believe

Sisters in our stake explain why they choose to believe as they go through challenges and trials of life. Video 2 of 2.

I Choose to Believe in God's Prophets and Restoration

Women's Conference Talk by Lynda Hansen

In December of 2011, my former husband went out to replace the brakes on my daughter's car. When he came back in, something in him had changed, and that day began the twelve-month death of our marriage. He had wanted something to listen to while he was doing his project and had searched and found a podcast that promised to "enlighten him about the Mormon church."

Our marriage had always been difficult. He was an addict, and we had spent years and thousands of dollars in counseling. Now his dive into anti-Mormon literature and podcasts became his new and favorite addiction.

He quickly became angry and disrespectful toward Heavenly Father and Christ in our home. He tried to get me to listen with him, but the negativity flowing from those podcasts immediately told me that I wanted nothing to do with them. SO MUCH ANGER. Instead of casting their burdens on the Lord and asking Him for healing, the people on the podcasts were telling the world how they had been wronged and they deserved revenge.

Despite the fact that I had told my ex-husband that I had experienced too many sacred and beautiful experiences with Heavenly Father and I would never turn my back on God, he began trying to corner me and force me to listen to his "new information." What ensued was feelings of confusion, fear, and panic. I felt like I had to hurry and find the truth about what really happened ... what did the Church say about this topic?

I Have Received a Witness

"Even when my life isn't as I expected or imagined it would be, I choose to believe. I choose to believe because I have received a witness that the Book of Mormon is true and that Heavenly Father loves me." -Your Sister

Experiences with the Scriptures Help Me Believe

"Even when others do not, or things are unclear, or it's easier not to, I choose to believe because of my experiences with the Book of Mormon." - Cassidy V.

Feeling Joy in Our Lives

by Courtney Hagberg

Growing up, I was raised in a home where my mother took us to church. My father was a member, but he was not active. He got baptized so that my mom would marry him. A year later they were sealed in the temple. He didn’t go back to the temple for 25 years.

Photo from LDS.org; used by permission

As a child, I didn’t realize what a sacrifice it was for my mother to take three kids to church by herself each week. She also worked and served as young women’s president several times. Now that I am a mother, my heart is beyond grateful that she stayed on the covenant path when it would have been so easy to not stay on the path.

As a teenager, I remember feeling sad and praying to my Heavenly Father and asking Him how to truly be happy. My prayer was answered in seminary. My seminary teacher asked the class, “Do you want to be truly happy and feel joy in your life?” Of course we all wanted that. He said the answer was to read our scriptures every day. I took that challenge and felt that joy.

Women's Expo: Experiment Upon the Word

Sharing Station Handouts

Experiment Upon the Word: 
For She That Seeketh Shall Find

presented by Marinda Burt

Click here for these notes in a PDF book.
Scroll below pictures for handouts.
Pictures of sharing station:

A Giant Leap of Faith

by Jan Meyers
Not all stories of faith deal with tragic moments or heartache trials in our lives that we strive to overcome. Even though those trying times have definitely been there in my life, I am choosing to write of another tremendous test of faith.

We were living in the greater Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, area. Our beloved stake president, now an area authority, invited me into his office to extend the calling of stake Relief Society president. Being totally blown away I began to list the reasons I could not accept that calling. In addition to my personal insecurities and feelings of inadequacy, I was a nobody. 

The former Stake RS President was the well-known and well-loved wife of a stake president who had served many years and she was being released for her husband to accept his call as an area authority. Second of all, this was Philadelphia! A huge geographic area with two inner city wards and one branch in which there were nine languages spoken fluently, and I would have to drive the traffic of the inner city--and I dread driving in big cities! It was not unusual for me to drive just under two hours to get to the furthest of the nine wards in the stake. 

And then it meant training these new Relief Society presidencies, many of whom were fairly recent converts with precious little, if any, experience in church leadership. And again, the calling entailed speaking regularly--in ward Relief Society women's conferences, in sacrament meetings, and at stake conference. And I do not speak well.

My kind stake president smiled as he patiently waited for me to finish listing my many weaknesses. He then asked if I had a testimony, and if so, was I willing to take a huge leap of faith into the dark or the unknown to accept the calling the Lord had in mind for me. After committing to a tremendous effort in prayer and an increased study of the scriptures, I accepted the calling on faith alone.

Testimony: Prayer Is Real

by Amanda Davis

I love the Book of Mormon. I never tire of learning from it. I feel closer to the people of the Book of Mormon every time I read it. They have provided some of the greatest encouragement of my life, and I look to them as great friends. I know they loved the Savior and all of our Heavenly Father’s children. I am thankful for their examples and faith.