Heavenly Father Lets Me Know in Big and Small Ways He is There

There have been so many times throughout my life where my Heavenly Father and His Son, my Savior, Jesus Christ have let me know they are there. Sometimes these interactions have been simple like the words of a song lending me comfort, a scripture answering a question or a neighbor dropping by with their favorite cookies on a day I really needed a friend. Other times they have been strong and powerful like guiding words given in a priesthood blessing or a miraculous healing. Always they come in a very personal way that lets me know that They know and love me. This past year has been no different. I admit I was overwhelmed when the first few days of the shutdown were followed by an earthquake. I had been praying to know how to have strength and faith to do all that I knew I needed to do. A few days in a row I kept waking up with the words to a hymn running through my mind. When I finally decided to go and read carefully through all the lyrics, I was led to the scripture Psalm 95: 1-7 that reminded me to be grateful and to “Hear Him.” I knew then I needed to make sure I was looking for His Hand in my life and Hearing what He was telling me so I could navigate my family through the rest of the year. So especially in these crazy and uncertain times I choose to believe because I know my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live, that They love me and that They will always be there to help me through it all!

~ Leia Perkins

I Stand with You as a Believer in Christ and His Gospel!

I choose to believe for many reasons, but one reason is because of my Love for my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and for the Peace I receive during troubling times as I choose to follow him. About 30 years ago I decided to fly from Utah to Chile to see if this Young Man that I was writing (yes, writing actual letters) was just a good friend or my future husband. After much prayer and scripture study and going to the temple, I felt peace about going to see him but felt worried about getting lost switching planes and had a little anxiety about being all by myself flying such a long way etc.

As I prayed and read my scriptures I felt these words leap off the page to me, “Be strong & Courageous do Not be afraid or discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9) Reading that over and over again in the scriptures brought so much peace to me, along with a blessing from my dad. I now have this scripture in my home to look at and it has reminded me in hard times, which this last year has been a personal Gethsemane for me, to know that he is with me! To know that he was with me on my trip to Chile 30 years ago, that I had peace and found my eternal companion. I think about the many times that we are told in the scriptures to remember, remember. I am filled with hope, when I look back on my life and see the hand of God and remember the many times the Lord was with me and has blessed me and my family. Still in General Conference it was a good reminder as I feel most of us are still going through some hard trials, Elder Holland’s reminder to us that “Christianity is comforting, but it is often not comfortable. The path to holiness and happiness here and hereafter is a long and sometimes rocky one. It takes time and tenacity to walk it. But of course, the reward for doing so is monumental.” I stand together with you amazing women as a believer in Christ and his gospel! I am a believer in modern day Miracles in our lives. I love General Conference. And it is one of the blessings of my life that help me have hope and get through hard things and help me to see that I am not alone in my trials. I accepted the challenge from Conference to study the 6th chapter in Preach my gospel and pick a Christ like attribute for me to work on. I selected Patience, it is helping me to remember to have patience in my trials. Specifically it says, “Patience is the capacity to endure delay, trouble, opposition, or suffering without becoming angry, frustrated, or anxious. It is the ability to do Gods will and accept his timing. When you are patient, you hold up under pressure and are able to face adversity calmly and hopefully. Patience is related to hope and faith-you must wait for the Lord’s promised blessings to be fulfilled.” So, I am working on being patient in the Lord’s timing. My hope is that as sisters in the gospel we can continue to lift and encourage each other along this sometimes rocky path. Sending lots of love and hope to all of you.

~Janae Arancibia

The Savior has Oft Times Carried Me

 

This year has truly been a trying year. Not just through the pandemic, but also through personal trials. It is a year that we are eager to be done with. The past two years have been exceptionally difficult for my family and me. Yet, it has also brought our family closer together. We have been more supportive of each other, we have leaned on each other, we have been more caring towards each other. I personally have greatly leaned upon my Savior. I can truly say that He has walked with me and oft times carried me. Through my diligent reading, studying and learning of the scriptures and of the teachings of our church leaders, and the countless books, my testimony and faith have grown immensely. Never before have I been this close to my Heavenly Father and my Savior. There is a quote that I would like to share that has greatly helped me: 

"No pain that I suffer, no trial that I experience is wasted. It ministers to my education, to the development of such qualities, faith, fortitude and humility. All that I suffer and all that I endure, especially when I endure it patiently, builds up my character, purifies my heart, expands my soul, and makes me more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called a child of God... and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that I gain the education that I came here to acquire and which will make me more like my Father and Mother in heaven." 

                                                                                                                    Orson F. Whitney

 My trials have been no different than yours. I hope and pray that through your difficult times, you too have been blessed with the Saviors hand in your life, and that your hearts are turned to Him for strength and guidance. And always know that our Savior loves you.

 Rebecca Sanborn

Seeing the Hand of the Lord in Your Life

Last November I was counseled through a Priesthood blessing to increase the amount of time studying the scriptures. I pondered the blessing for a few weeks and then decided on my plan of action. I’m so grateful for that blessing! As I read and studied the scriptures for a few additional minutes each day there were so many teachings that seemed to jump off the page, things that I hadn’t noticed before. As I look back on difficulty of these past several months it is the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon that has helped me to keep going. I have also found great peace in General Conference talks.

A few years ago I read in a book that President Eyring wrote in his journal about how he had seen the hand of the Lord in his life that day. I wasn’t much of a journal writer at the time but I decided that I could at least write a few lines as President Eyring suggested. Since then I have tried to write in my journal about how I had seen the hand of the Lord that day. As I began to record these experiences I became so much more aware of the blessings and the tender mercies me and my family were receiving on a daily basis. There have been days lately when it’s been difficult to come up with something to write about since most days aren’t real exciting and they all seem to run together. When this happens and I get down or discouraged I go back and read some of the entries from my journal. I am reminded of the many blessings the Lord has given me and how grateful I am for those experiences. It helps me to put one foot in front of the other and to move forward.

I Choose to Believe that the Lord speaks to us through the scriptures and the words of our modern day prophets and apostles. These words have brought so much peace and strength to my soul and I’m so grateful for the wonderful blessings that have come to me by studying the scriptures.

~Shauna Weidman