Several experiences with prayer this week

I have been really struggling with my calling as a Sunday School teacher for the 17-year-old class. I love teaching but feel like I don't invest what I should into preparing a lesson. I plan a myriad of lessons for school all week long and I'm mentally done by the time I'm ready to prepare another lesson for Sunday. This week I prayed to Heavenly Father about it and let him know my frustrations with the situation. I don't want to be released but a weekly lesson is too much for me right now. I just keep telling myself to hang on until January, but that is still several months away.

Today our Sunday School president asked to speak with me for a few minutes before I began class. He said he felt like he needed to put two people in each class and would I be okay with swapping lessons. I told him that was a direct answer to my prayer. I'm hoping it will begin soon. Prayers really do get answered. Sometimes quickly and sometimes they take awhile.

The other one is I prayed about what I could do for my sister Natalie after hearing about the terrible day she had had a week previously. I had the impression all week I needed to go visit her in Logan. And I kept telling myself that I just couldn't do it. Saturdays are big days for me in planning for the upcoming week. Finally, late Friday night I texted her and said that Ash and I were going shoe shopping and wanted to come up and take her to lunch. And then I hit send . . . at 11:10pm. It was that late. I got a reply the next morning and Ash and I made a girl trip to Logan. It was impromptu and fun and like Natalie told me, "just what I needed -- thanks for coming up." I followed through with a prompting and that always gives me confidence that I'm doing what the Lord needs me to do.

Is is convenient? I feel like never.

Will the Lord bless my efforts? Always.

* * * * * * * * * * *

A family update: Kiersten and Jason have moved into the basement of Grandma and Grandpa Ellis's house.

The commute is a bit longer to school and work but this will enable them to save a lot of money. Plus they get to hang with Grandma and Grandpa. What a treat for them. Jason even got permission to hang Christmas lights and convinced Kiersten to climb a tree to hang some there.

They both quit Costa Vida. Kiersten is working with Jason's mom at a Curves workout place, and Jason has gone back to being a server at Olive Garden in addition to both going to school full time.

Latest letters

Ninja in training. Erik's Halloween costume, I guess, complete with the missionary name tag. I'm a little jealous of the short sleeves.

I'm discovering that my weekly missionary email comes between 6:30 and 7:00 in the morning. This allows me to email back and forth for a minute. Even though Erik still manages to drive us crazy from 1000s of miles away, we miss him and he finds ways to bring some humor to our lives.

In his last email he told me he definitely bought the right phone because it allows him to do memes. This is what he does on P-day I guess. Ashlyn managed to lock us out of the kids computer by continually putting in the wrong picture password and NONE of us know the real password. The only person who might know is Erik, who unfortunately doesn't live here anymore. After waiting a week, he sent us what might work. Nope. After much trying we are able to get into the Kids account but not the Admin. Ahhhhhhhh!!!!! And he thought he would be funny by typing the the password hint as "Hahahahahahahah." How aggravating. One day we'll get that computer back to full working capacity, probably when Elder Erik makes his way back home in two years.

October 22 Letter
Here's a dumb missionary joke for ya'll. What is a missionary's favorite car? A convertible. 🤣 Anyway, like I said last week we are whitewashing our area, so we are getting to know all the members and all the investigators and others. Not a lot of super exciting stuff. I pass a tennis court every day on the bike ride to our area. I really wish I could just pause for an hour and go play, but I have more important things to do.We could get some new investigators by playing "beat you, teach you" but that isn't allowed. Bummer. I guess for this special edition 1 month in email I'll give you a pros and cons list. Here's a list of things that have been hardest for me. And I guess I'll throw in some good stuff too.

Biggest struggles so far of being a missionary:
1. Not playing tennis
2. No good music, and no, MoTab is not good music
3. No movies or YouTube, I guess I'll just say no media
4. No naps/Wake up at 6:30
5. I guess I also miss my family and friends just a little bit😁

Biggest blessings/ Pros:
1. Stronger testimony
2. I have more purpose/ I know what I'll be doing every day.
3. I'm out of the "Utah bubble" as people keep saying, which is a good thing to be out of for a little bit
4. It's not cold. In fact, its warm.
5. I can have a quadruple stacker PB&J and there's nobody to stop me.
     
On to my week, we taught an elderly couple named Sky and Clem. They are Catholic but their son's a member. They're really nice people and always feed us. We've also been teaching a Colombian guy named Manuel. He is also really fun to talk to and is really interested in our church. We've been talking to a lot of people and making ourselves known. We've also done a lot of service which has been fun. We got to do some digging the other day which was fun. This might sound kind of weird but I really miss my job and being able to dig with a shovel. Anyway, that's mainly what I spend my time doing. A lot of time is also spend riding bikes, we don't have a car, so we have about a 10 minute ride just to get to our area, plus an extra 5 to 25 minutes depending. We should be sharing a car soon though. 

Some highlights: 
I held an alligator head. We talked to a member that hunts alligators and had a whole huge freezer full of alligators that he had killed the week before. It was cool.

I went to Wendy's for my 1 month mark on Friday. And I did bring my frosty cards all the way from home, so I got 2 free frostys.

I did the worst thing ever. We were calling a member named Wanda to try to set up a time to meet with her. She didn't answer and we usually don't leave voicemails. Anyway, Elder Squires decided to leave one this time, but I didn't know that. This was late at night and we were in weird moods. Anyway, right when it beeped I was in the middle of saying "This is Wanda" in a really weird accent. Then Elder Squires freaked out and hung up. So basically a member we've never met now has a voicemail of the missionaries saying "This is Wanda" in a really weird voice and hanging up. Oh well. None of you need to know that or care, but that's what happened. 

I was told there were a lot of bugs here, that there are a lot of Alligators, that it rains a lot, and that the humidity makes things go soft. I guess I'm just lucky because I haven't dealt with any of that yet. It's been sunny, warm, and bug free. 

I try to keep my emails lighthearted, but seriously I have been learning a lot. I think I'm going to start putting a "Spiritual Spiel" (cool name, huh) in each of my emails, or maybe once a month. But here it is. 

SPIRITUAL SPIEL
My testimony of The Book of Mormon, Christ and the Atonement, and Prayer has grown so much. It has been great being a full time servant of the Lord, because if you put your trust in him he wont let his servants down. I've really learned even in just 1 month that sometimes you just need to pray and ask Heavenly Father to help you and to show you the way. This is a lot harder than it seems, but it does help immensely. There's no way I could leave home and come here and be a missionary day in and day out without his help.
   

I guess that's how you write a big long email about a pretty uneventful week. And as always, check this link out for all my photos. I got a photo with an alligator head, which is pretty sweet.

October 29 Letter
I'm 354,240,000 milliseconds into my mission. Not much happened this week. I'm not sure what to say. We did go to a Trunk or Treat which was fun. We were going to starve to death until my prayer got answered, so we aren't going to starve anymore. I also had to give a talk on Sunday about my favorite hymn, which was fun. I did a lot of service, knocked some doors, taught some lessons, and met with members.

Trunk or Treat was really fun. There were lots of good costumes. There's a kid named River that always wanted to race us and fight us. He thought he was the strongest person in the world because he dressed up as Black Panther. It was funny. 

One of my prayers was answered yesterday. I wasn't given the full amount of money for the month because I got here a little into the month. I also had to buy lots of hygiene products because I just got to the field, we also had 5 p days this month which means we had to go another month without money, and we're whitewashing our area so we had to buy lots of food and apartment supplies to get us started. Anyway, we have no money and no food and we have to go another week. I prayed that it would last its the week, but there was no way. We had a dinner today, and it was amazing. It was with Sister Boileau and her nonmember husband. They had cleaned out their food supply earlier that day and had 3 huge bags of food to be thrown out that wasn't even expired. She decided to give them to us. We now have food for a month. 

There are so many people that slam doors in our faces like Sister Young said. What's really been working for us is when they say "Leave me alone, go bother someone else, bye" we just offer our help with anything they're doing. We've gotten to talk to lots of people that way. They realize that we actually want to help them, not lecture them about repenting or anything like that. Anyway, life's good out here when I'm working. It's when I stop for a minute that I get homesick or start thinking about all the stuff I can't do. Like you said, I had an easy life before coming out, but I'm trying to always stay focused on my purpose. Time really does fly here. It's already been a month.

I also gave a talk 3 weeks in. And we had 2 investigators there that heard me, which is great. 

Little miracle in the classroom

When you invite God into all facets of your life, little miracles can and do occur. This year I have a student (whom I'll call Mr. T.) who struggles to be happy and do work. I've included him in my prayers, asking to know how to help him succeed. Several weeks ago our district had a professional development day with speakers and classes. As I was listening to the opening speaker and thinking about this Mr. T., the speaker said that we need to help students find their passion. And the thought that came to me immediately was "have him write about video games." Mr. T. LOVES to tell me all about his video games and their ratings and how to play them.

Fast forward a few days and Mr. T. wasn't wanting to do what I had planned for the class. I gave him a writing page and said,"Why don't you write about your favorite video game." Well, he immediately latched on to that idea and wrote two pages in one sitting. During morning meeting he asked to share with the class. They were all impressed he could write so much. Later that day I found an old 3-ring binder which I gave him to keep his writing pages in.

He's been taking it home and brings it to music where he normally likes to be disruptive and make noises. But not this past week or so. He sits and writes. I have had a breakthrough and am praying that I can continue to help him progress. Mr. T. even invited me to his house to play games and gave me a hug on the way out of class the other day.

God is very much aware of all aspects of our life. Work, play, home, spiritual, physical. I know I can get revelation for even the kids in my classroom. They are under my stewardship for six hours a day, and while I am still getting to know and understand them, God knows their name and their needs at this very moment.

How we ended up in Lake Point

Our high councilman talked about a time 15 or 20 years ago where he was part of a bishopric that specifically prayed for good people to move into Lake Point. Lake Point was a dying town without a lot of new, vibrant blood. He asked us to go home and think about what brought us here. He specifically wanted us to know that we were an answer to prayer.

Our journey here began in 2009. There was a recession going on and Tyler was itching to take advantage of the down housing market. Thus began our search for a house to buy and then a lot to build on, starting with Stansbury. Nothing panned out.

And then we remembered our family in Lake Point.  I'm not sure why it took so long to even consider looking out here.

We bought a lot and the rest has been history. There were several avenues we took to get to Lake Point and each one just never worked out. But this one . . . this one also had hiccups but over and over I have had that powerful witness that this is where we are supposed to be. The latest has been when I thought we might have to move due to a job loss, and again through different manifestations, the Lord let me know to be still and everything would work out.

Almost two years later we are still in our home. I could not imagine living or raising a family anywhere else. This is where I want my family to come home to. This is why we built this home . . . as a gathering place for our kids. This is where we have created memories.

Like Dorothy says in the Wizard of Oz, "There's not place like home." And home for us is Lake Point.

Answer to a prayer

"It was meant that life would be a challenge. To suffer some anxiety, some depression, some disappointment, even some failure is normal. . . . if you have a good, miserable day once in awhile, or several in a row, to stand steady and face them. Things will straighten out. There is great purpose in our struggle in life." --Boyd K. Packer

This last week.

Yeah, this last week.

Let's just say I'm glad it's behind me.

It should have been a good week.

I could have made it a good week.

For cryin' out loud, it was birthday week (and that's just what I did on my birthday . . . cried to my mom for an hour).

Doors for the job search seemed to shut one after the other.

Our check to pay off a 401(k) loan was lost in Kentucky for a week and a half due to bad weather and never made it on time. Thankfully they have worked with us so we won't be charged an outrageous penalty.

My washer broke. Thankfully I was almost done with laundry and only had to take two loads to the laundromat. But my goodness gracious . . . $5 to wash two loads. Hoping the repair man shows up tomorrow. The dirty clothes are oozing out of their baskets.

I lost the keys in our ward building and could feel the stress mounting. During my nightly prayers I asked Heavenly Father to please help me know where they might be. IMMEDIATELY the thought came to check where we always hang our car keys. Did I straightaway go check? No, I was nervous and waited until morning . . . and there they were, just like He said.

I know I have the power to make my days into any kind day I want it to be.

These are the days of . . . 
*"Trainings." Alex and his friends at school are in training for something. I thought at first it might be American Ninja Warrior, an ultimate obstacle course on tv. But after talking with another mom, it might be more Nacho Libre kicks and punches. We've talked about not doing this to other kids.

*Getting pulled over. Erik drifted through a stop sign on his way to work and was immediately pulled over. Thankfully he had his license on him and the cop just gave him a warning. I hope it scared the crap out of him that he'll be a little more cautious. I've told him that he cannot afford to get a ticket at his age. Not only will he have to pay the ticket but the rise in his insurance also.


*Kiersten getting her chance at concert mistress. She got to walk on stage with her teacher, the conductor, warm the orchestra up, and sit in first chair. Her friend Brianna usually has this spot, but Brianna didn't know the music. Kiersten was euphoric the night of her concert about this little turn of events.

Grace

Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.

-Romans 12:12

The past couple of days have been some downers. I am usually an upbeat woman full of faith and hope and optimism. But I let fear creep into my thoughts, bringing me pretty low. I went to the temple needing some assurance and some heavenly help and power from on high.

The word GRACE was whispered to me as I entered and I contemplated and referenced this word, waiting.

"My grace is sufficient for thee . . ." 2 Corinthians 12:9. This was a tender answer to my pleading for assurance from my loving Father in Heaven. His blessings and love are enough for me to get through these most difficult times. God's grace is sufficient for everything I lack and everything lacking in me.

"[I]t is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." 2 Nephi 25:23. I had been wondering why it seemed nothing was working in our favor and yet I felt I was doing everything I could within my power. I came to the temple asking about this and was pointed to this scripture. The Lord knows I am doing all I can and through his love and mercy and power He will make things right. One day this trial will end, saving us in a sense.

When the trials of life drive you to your knees causing you to realize how utterly dependent on the Lord you have to be, the only place to look is up. And God ever so patiently waits for us.

I came home, not feeling really any better, still wondering how to stretch our dollars. I was in a funk, needing to snap out of it, and decided a nap could help. Sometime during that nap, a delivery man, disguised as our bishop, handed Ty an envelope from a unknown benefactor. This is the second such envelope within a month containing a "sufficient" amount of funds.

Tyler and I are still so unsure how to handle this, wanting to pay it forward in some way. And so it sits, in a nightstand, waiting for the right time and the right use to manifest itself to us. The goodness of the people in our little community and ward has been incomprehensible as they continue to shower us with God's grace in rich abundance.

I once saw a quote that said something like this: "The gospel made us sisters; visiting teaching made us friends." I have found a new friend in one of the ladies I visit teach. She became aware of my "no good, terrible, very bad day" and gave me something to cheer me up.

I had told her that ice cream makes everything better. And she believed me. This was no easy task for her, having taken a chemo pill two days earlier that left her feeling very sick. What a gracious gesture. A gesture full of God's grace.

On a day when everything seemed to be wrong, God showed me through simple, small ways that he is still in the details of my life, very aware and concerned. God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs.

These are the days of . . . 
* Ash's math competition. Two mornings a week since October she's been attending early morning math in preparation for this competition between the elementary schools in the district. Her team took 2nd place, only two-tenths behind first. So far all the my kids have participated in early morning math and loved it. Some of those questions had me scratching my head.

*Grammar Nazi.  Every day should be two words unless you are using it as an adjective as in "My everyday clothes are sweats and a t-shirt." This is one of the most common misspelled words I see in print, on billboards, and even on an English teacher's bulletin board.

Are you there God? It's me, Missy.

Today has been a rough day. I've been subbing every day but nothing popped up today which left me feeling a little stressed.

It's been snowing all day and the sun is taking a winter hiatus. Normally, I would relish a day like today. To sit home and drink hot cocoa with one of my many books I'm in the middle of. Maybe in another life where life is more secure and comfortable.

I wonder what good I am doing in my calling. For three months I haven't put a lot of effort into it. Frankly, I've been a little preoccupied with other earthly concerns. I'm squeaking by.

I feel like my prayers have been bouncing off ceilings and walls and floors and just not quite making it out the door. There are several items on my plate that I really would like an answer too, but God wants me to struggle on.

I get to look at this 2017 theme for a few days in my office before I tack it up at the church. If anyone lacks wisdom and understanding and assurance and peace, it's certainly me. I know those answers will come; sometimes it means getting out of the boat with a heart filled with trust; sometimes it means to keep paddling that boat even if it's in circles.

In the midst of my blue day, one of my Laurels tagged me in an Instagram post. The original post said, "When serving in the Church we have the chance to make a big difference. Tag a leader who has changed your life!"

That one little tag of encouragement made all the difference and brightened my soul. I love each one of them. This calling has given me a small glimpse into one aspect of the atonement, the individual sacrifice for each person.

Christ did not carry out the atonement for all of mankind as a collective whole. He did it one by one. That is how I have tried to minister to these girls. One by one. A dance performance here. A text there. A note in the mail. A sunshine basket for another. I've wanted them to know they are loved most importantly as an individual more than a collective whole as the Lake Point Young Women.

Life is good. I often tell myself on bad days that "this too shall pass." However, those good days "too shall pass." It is inevitable that there will be bad days intermixed with the good. I'm grateful for one of my flock who sprinkled rays of sunshine into one of my stormy days.

Racing with a prayer

I completed my 7th half marathon and Kiersten and Nate both have two under their belts with the completion of the Crandall Canyon Half.

This was a harder race than the others due to a lack of training. I did get a couple of long runs in but not enough mileage. This summer was jammed packed with so many events that I just didn't have the time to devote. I'm so glad I didn't sign up for that marathon I was thinking about earlier this year.

Kiersten and Nate froze while we waited for the bus to pick us up

and transport us to the top of Huntington Canyon which was beautiful. We were dropped off by Electric Lake where a mist of clouds hung around the mountains. After we all boarded the bus, the race director offered a prayer. That was so impressive and something that has never happened before. I was touched by that simple gesture.

I also got reacquainted with a childhood friend at the race start but that's the last I saw of her. With only around 25 competitors you were bound to run a majority of it by yourself which I did. With no one to keep my eye on, I lagged quite a bit.

Nate took 2nd overall. I overheard a comment as he was exiting the porta-potty at the start. Some lady looked at him and said, "That kid's gonna beat us all." Kiersten did pretty well herself.

These two have improved a great deal in endurance and speed and were BOTH invited to HARC -- High Altitude Running Camp, a camp sponsored by their coaches. It is invitation only and in years past not many freshmen have been included. Kiersten was super excited to have Nate join her in this adventure. They camped in Big Cottonwood Canyon for 4 days and ran, Ran, RAN . . . mostly uphill twice a day.

I have never had to push or cajole them into running the miles they do. It is something they've wanted for themselves and they get up and do it.

School doesn't start until Monday and already we've had two cross country races. Settlement Canyon was a disappointment to both but the Highland Invitational was a success. Nate smashed his old time, coming in at 19:04. 

Kiersten also PR'd by about 40 seconds and was the first JV to cross the finish line from our school.


What's happening in my yard
I didn't get around to harvesting my artichoke and was pleasantly surprised to see a stunning lavender flower atop it one morning. It looks like the petal below it is about ready to flower also.

Good things
ripening apple tree
apple crisp
heck, anything apple in the fall

Gould family visit

Our guests who were family, and who became a part of our immediate family, have gone home. There was a touch of melancholy as we all woke up yesterday to a quieter than normal house.

There is talk already of a vacation to visit them sometime in the next year or two.

When Megan first approached Tyler about staying with us for two weeks this summer while they were in town for reunions, he immediately said yes. And then I had to remind him that the very week they were coming into town, I would be at girls camp and he would be in Wisconsin for work leaving them here alone with our kids.

Now I'm going to bare my soul here but just know I've done a complete reversal in the last couple of weeks. 

The first time we saw our Gould family was 2 years ago after many, many years. I wasn't sure how my kids would accept having people here whom they barely knew, and I thought they should stay with someone else, at least for those few days. Goodness, they were coming from half way across the country so why not spend some time with other family. None of my talking seemed to work and my kids assured me that they loved the idea of having them here. Talk about becoming as a little child with no reservations and so accepting. I prayed for peace in the situation and a week before they were to arrive, an email from Emily Freeman, a Time Out for Women presenter, showed up.

"There is one season in our family I will never forget. It was a season that began with a prompting. My girls and I were traveling in the car and we began talking about one of my favorite scriptures verses found in D&C 124:23, 'And it shall be…a house that strangers may come from afar to lodge therein; therefore let it be a good house, worthy of all acceptation, that the weary traveler may find health and safety while he shall contemplate the word of the Lord.' I asked my girls if we could try to make our home like that for one whole season. The type of home where people would feel something good when they walked in. I wanted them to come to our doorstep and find a welcoming home. A home where people could come to talk about Jesus."

Hello. Wake up call. Our home was to be a home where they felt comfortable and welcomed and might feel of God's love.

We put them up in Nate's room. Nate was kind enough to vacate himself and all his belongings for two weeks.

At girls camp I included in my testimony my strong feelings of the camaraderie and relationships that are strengthened when you live with people and break bread with them. There is a certain bonding that forges deep friendships. I've seen it with girls camp, with Kiersten and EFY, and when me and my siblings end up at home for the weekend. A couple of hours here and there just aren't comparable.

Well, after two weeks of living with the Goulds, I've done some serious repenting regarding the earlier feelings I had (I even told Megan of these feelings I had had and how grateful I was for the opportunity we had to get to know them better). I loved listening to Ash and Alex giggle and giggle with Hailey and Jaden one night . . . late one night . . . as they made up stories. Yep. I finally climbed out of bed to go snap a picture of their late night antics.

I loved watching Alex develop a bond with "his buddy" Megan as they worked out in the mornings and she helped him gather seashells at the beach.

I loved watching Erik take his younger brother and cousin and help them with a lemonade stand.

I loved getting to know Megan a little more through our casual conversations we had in the kitchen. I loved that my nieces Lexi and Maddie stayed for a few days and that Maddie got to come to church with us. I loved our movie nights and ice cream and slush parties.

This is an experience my family will not forget. It was a little strange at first, getting used to having extra people around, but the day they left was just as strange.

We have missed them and my soul is better for having them here.

*I had to pilfer a few photos because the ones I took of everyone on our front porch were so blurry when I opened them on my computer. I might be looking for a new camera.

What's happening in my yard

Loving the daylilies (red=Red Razzmatazz; white=Blueberry Candy) and blanket flower (Gaillardia X grandiflora) that are blooming this time of year when nothing else is. The blanket flowers are self-seeders and are easy to transplant all over the yard. They do not like a lot of water.

Good things
giggling cousins
horseback rides
pioneer faith

Personal Progress - Faith and prayer

Faith is not just a nice principle; it is a POWER.

Alma 32:21

Hebrews 11

Ether 12:27

The world's view of faith: You can have faith in anything and if you believe it long enough, it will come true. That is not true faith. It is simply being a good guesser.

True faith resides in things as they really are, in conjunction with the spirit. It is not second guessing the Lord. You know it's right even though you may not know how it is all going to unfold.

Jacob speaking of Sherem, a faith-shaker:

 And he had hope to shake me from the faith, notwithstanding the many revelations and the many things which I had seen concerning these things; for I truly had seen angels, and they had ministered unto me. And also, I had heard the voice of the Lord speaking unto me in very word, from time to time; wherefore, I could not be shaken.

Regardless of our own unique situations, what we want to try to create, what we need to establish, is a faith like that of Jacob, a faith that cannot be shaken.

Faith is about is about wanting what God wants. And how do we know what God wants? We pray. We don't just say prayers. We pray. As Enos prayed. With mighty prayer. Mighty prayer is sincere, focused, not necessarily long, is real and not rote or trite. It commands some energy and thought. And it's work.

Beginning my 3-week journey of praying morning and night, I had not been as consistent in the mornings. I usually would jump out of bed in a rush to get kids up and going and out the door. And before I knew it it was noon as I rushed about my day accomplishing the tasks I had outlined. That had to change. I made a goal to pray every morning before leaving the bathroom. That way I had started my day on good footing.

As I prayed during these three weeks, I prayed more earnestly that I would have the spirit with me throughout the day and that I would recognize it's promptings more. What I learned is that faith is not passive, a good feeling, or even wishful thinking. It is a real power that requires real work. And prayer is the means to tap into that power. I cannot even begin to describe the peace that comes from knowing that as I pray with real intent there is a God who hears me, who loves me, who knows my name, and knows exactly how I feel when life is either good or hard.

P. S. One of my most favorite "church" songs is called He Hears Me by Hillary Weeks. As a 17-year-old girl it touched me deeply the first time I heard it. The spirit was so strong as it quietly whispered to me that prayer is real, God is real, and answers do come . . . eventually.

Prayer

Prayer

Prayer's really important.

You can use it everywhere.

If you're in a situation,

The thing to use is prayer

If you're in a hard time,

And you think that no one cares,

Don't get in a bad mood,

Just say another prayer.

--Nathan Leary

October 2012

*He wrote this for a requirement for his Faith in God in cub scouting

Do you . . .

want to feel the love of God more powerfully in your life?

want to feel more in tune with His Spirit?

want to have the heavens opened to you daily?

There is a way you can feel a daily renewal of God’s everlasting love and drink from “the fountain of living waters” (1 Nephi 11:25). It follows a pattern set by the Prophet Joseph Smith when he went to a grove of trees early one morning in 1820 seeking answers to his questions. I speak of a morning devotional time spent in prayer, meditation, and scripture study. If you have a devotional every morning, even if only for a few minutes, you will be deeply blessed.

There is great power in setting aside quiet, prayerful, meditative time. In the stillness that accompanies our pondering, we can come to know the Father and His Son.

I know from personal experience the spiritual power that can flow into your life if you follow this practice. You will feel the love of God and a cleansing, purifying regeneration of your spirit (see 1 Nephi 11:22–25; D&C 50:28–29). You will experience moments of revelation, when the Spirit whispers to your spirit what you need to do to be a better father, a better mother, a better son or daughter, a better disciple of Jesus Christ.

I do know that if you continue to meet daily with Heavenly Father in the private chambers of your home, you will come to know Him and our Savior in ways you couldn’t otherwise (see 3 Nephi 19:16–23, 25–29). May you do so and have the heavens open to you in whatever glorious ways your Heavenly Father has prepared for you.

As we use daily devotional time to gain greater spiritual strength, we will better understand Heavenly Father and the Savior and His Atonement. We will taste of “the goodness of Jesus” and feel “with exceedingly great joy” the power of His eternal love.

Yoshihiko Kikuchi, "Opening the Heavens," Ensign, August 2009

Answers to Prayer

The pattern of our lives determines our eligibility to receive the promptings of the Spirit and to hear the answers to our prayers. Again, let there be no misunderstanding. Heavenly Father does answer our prayers, but often we aren't prepared to hear him.
--H. Burke Peterson, Ensign, June 1981

Erik's Primary teachers are some of the best. In the past they've invited the children in their class over to their house for dinner and to practice for their Class Presentation Sharing Time. They come to baptisms and send homework home each Sunday. They are Brother and Sister Harman and he's our former bishop. During Sacrament Meeting I read through Erik's homework on prayer. I enjoyed the story, but particularly loved what Elder Scott said at the end.

NO ANSWER
by Michelle Van Tassell Nielsen

God will give me, if I ask not amiss (2 Ne. 4:35).

“Drat!” Ben slapped the water in disgust as he watched his scuba man settle at the bottom of his uncle’s swimming pool—again. His two plastic turtles floated just fine, but the plastic scuba diver kept slipping from his hand and sinking like a stone. Ben couldn’t dive to get it, so he had to keep asking his brother for help. Ben knew that Heavenly Father helped people who had faith. When he had the scuba diver in his hand again, he closed his eyes and said a silent prayer: “Please don’t let my scuba man sink.” As soon as he had said amen, he opened his eyes and dropped the little plastic man into the water. It sank right back to the bottom. “Why didn’t Heavenly Father answer my prayer?”

A few days later, Ben came home and found his mom cooking squishy broccoli casserole with slimy sauce. Ben hated broccoli. “Please, Heavenly Father,” he prayed. “Let me have ice cream for dinner instead of squishy broccoli.” But Mom still served broccoli and slimy sauce for dinner.  

“Why didn’t Heavenly Father answer my prayer?”

One afternoon, Ben’s mom said he had to clean up his room in the next 15 minutes if he wanted to play video games. Ben’s room was a big mess, with toys, clothes, and books all over the floor. Ben wanted to play video games, but he didn’t want to clean his room. “Please let my room be cleaned by magic,” he prayed. Fifteen minutes later when Mom came back to check, the room was still messy. Ben was not allowed to play video games. “

Why didn’t Heavenly Father answer my prayer?”

As Mom tucked him back into bed, Ben told her about the scuba diver, the broccoli, and the messy room. “Why does Heavenly Father answer some prayers and not others?” he asked. “Heavenly Father always answers our prayers,” she said. “But sometimes the answer is no if we ask for things that would be bad for us. He wants us to learn here on earth. What did you learn at the swimming pool?” Ben thought for a minute. “I learned that some things float and some don’t,” he said. “And that I have a nice brother who will help me.” Mom nodded. “Then there’s the casserole. I’m sorry you think that broccoli is squishy, but it’s good for you. Why do you suppose Heavenly Father let you eat it?” Ben sighed. “Because he wants me to be healthy and strong.” “And finally the messy room,” Mom said. “Why didn’t Heavenly Father clean it for you?” Ben sat quietly for a minute, thinking. Ben frowned. “Heavenly Father wants us to do all we can to help solve our problems.” “Sometimes the answer is yes, and sometimes it’s no.” “And sometimes it’s ‘not yet,’ ” Mom added. From now on, I’m going to try to ask for things that are good for me. Heavenly Father knows how to answer best.” Mom gave him a hug. “I think that broccoli is making you smarter already!”

"[Heavenly Father] knows what is best for us. …

When He answers yes, it is to give us confidence.
When He answers no, it is to prevent error.
When He withholds an answer, it is to have us grow through faith in Him."
--Richard G. Scott, “Learning to Recognize Answers to Prayer,” Ensign, November 1989

One can devote countless hours to examining the experiences of others, but nothing penetrates the human heart as does a personal, fervent prayer and its heaven-sent response.

--Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, October 2004

This story reminded me of the time we were coming home from camping and decided to take a shortcut. It was a prettier route but some of it was washboarded and bumpy. Kiersten and Erik were little and I was 7 months pregnant with Nate.

Out in the middle of nowhere, our van got a flat tire. We'd only had our van a year or two and hadn't taken the time to figure out the spare tire. Tyler and I found the spare, but could not figure out how to get it off. All of our camping equipment came out of the van and we still could not find anything to help us. No manual, no instructions, nothing.

It was getting hot and I was to the point of starting to walk. We had brought the wagon and could haul two little kids if we had to. But before we did this I suggested we say a prayer. So out on a dusty dirt road, in the middle of nowhere, we offered a prayer of help.

We got up and continued to look for anything to help get the tire out from underneath the van. About 5 minutes later I returned to the back of the van. There sitting in full view was a white piece of paper detailing exactly how to get the spare tire off and change the flat. Just as we were finishing up the job (after being stuck for about 2 hours), a truck came along and offered to help. Heavenly Father knew we needed an immediate answer to our prayer, but we had to humble ourselves enough to ask.

To this day I have no idea where that white piece of paper came from. I know it was not anywhere in that van. We had literally unloaded everything and wouldn't have missed it just sitting there. Prayers do get answered. Most of the time we just have to be patient and wait. The answers will come.

AND in the words of Virginia Reed, a 12-year-old survivor of the Donner party: “Never take no cutof[f]s."