EDUCATION

I love school a lot and I'm so glad I have a school like this to go to.  I know how important an education is and how necessary it is in the world today.  I also know that knowledge is one of the only things that we can have forever.  So it is something I want to continue to always gain.  Because it helps with everything and in every situation, I think there is a reason that we are counseled to get an education and be learning all our lives.  Just because we are done going to school doesn't mean that we are done learning.

1. “...you need to do well in school and then continue your education beyond high school...in whatever you choose, it is essential that you become proficient so that you can support a family and make a contribution for good in your community and your country.” –D. Todd Christofferson (Brethren, We Have Work to Do)

2. “As a people, we rightfully place high priority on secular learning and vocational development. We want and we must excel in scholarship and craftsmanship. I commend you for striving diligently to gain an education and become an expert in your field. I invite you to also become experts in the doctrines of the gospel—especially the doctrine of the priesthood.” –Dieter F. Uchtdorf (Your Potential, Your Privilege)

3. “Opposite of what many had thought, prosperity and education seem to be connected to a higher likelihood of having traditional families and values.” – M. Russell Ballard (That the Lost May Be Found)

4. “Beyond ecclesiastical study there is the challenge of education. Resolve now, while you are young, that you will get all of the education you can. We live in a highly competitive age, and it will only grow worse. Education is the key that will unlock the door of opportunity.” –Gordon B. Hinckley (Let Virtue Garnish Thy Thoughts Unceasingly)

5. “You may plan on marriage, and hope for it, but you are not certain that it will come. And even though you marry, education will be of great benefit to you. Don’t just drift along, letting the days come and go without improvement in your lives. The Lord will bless you as you make the effort. Your lives will be enriched and your outlook broadened as your minds are opened to new vistas and knowledge.” –Gordon B. Hinckley (Let Virtue Garnish They Thoughts Unceasingly)

6. “...parents are entrusted with the education of their children and, ultimately, parents must ensure that their children are being taught what their Heavenly Father would have them learn.” –L. Tom Perry (Mothers Teaching Children in the Home)

7. “I urge you to pursue your education—if you are not already doing so or have not done so—that you might be prepared to provide if circumstances necessitate such.” –Thomas S. Monson (Three Goals to Guide You)

8. “The purpose of mortality is to learn and to grow to be more like our Father, and it is often during the difficult times that we learn the most, as painful as the lessons may be.” –Thomas S. Monson (God Be with You Till We Meet Again)

9. “As is evidenced in Peter’s reply and the Savior’s instruction, a testimony is personal knowledge of spiritual truth obtained by revelation. A testimony is a gift from God and is available to all of His children.” –David A. Bednar (Converted unto the Lord)

10. “May your attitude be one of humility and a desire to learn. How grateful I am for the opportunity I had as a teenager to attend early-morning seminary, for it played a vital role in my development and the development of my testimony.” –Thomas S. Monson (Believe, Obey, and Endure)

COURAGE

I think courage is one of the most important qualities to have.  It is so necessary when we go to school, when we go to soccer practice, or when we have to make a decision.  We will constantly be put in situations where we need to have courage to stand up for what we believe in and defend the things we know are true.  Having courage is something I have always striven for and tried to practice in my daily life.  I'm thankful for the companionship of my good friends and my family because several times I have not had to stand alone, but with other people.  However, in those times that we do have to stand alone, courage is what will get us through those tough situations.  My favorite scripture is Joshua 1: 9.  I love how comforting and reassuring it is that even though we feel like we are alone, the Lord is always with us and will always stay with us.

1.  “We are surrounded by the messages of the adversary: ‘Just this once won’t matter.’ ‘Don’t worry; no one will know.’ Decisions are constantly before us. To make them wisely, courage is needed—the courage to say no, the courage to say yes. Decisions do determine destiny.” –Thomas S. Monson (Decide Right Now)

2. “Finally, may you endure. What does it mean to endure? I love this definition: to withstand with courage. Courage may be necessary for you to believe; it will at times be necessary as you obey. It will most certainly be required as you endure until that day when you will leave this mortal existence.” – Thomas S. Monson (Believe, Obey, and Endure)

3. “As I contemplate all that you face in the world today, one word comes to my mind. It describes an attribute needed by all of us but one which you—at this time of your life and in this world—will need particularly. That attribute is courage.” –Thomas S. Monson (May You Have Courage)

4. “God has given us more than enough help to banish fear and give us courage, whatever we may face in life. As we reach out for His help, He can lift us toward eternal life.” –Henry B. Eyring (Gifts of Courage)

5. “This type of hope in God, His goodness, and His power refreshes us with courage during difficult challenges and gives strength to those who feel threatened by enclosing walls of fear, doubt, and despair.” –Dieter F. Uchtdorf (The Infinite Power of Hope)

6. “‘Stand ... in holy places, and be not moved,’ regardless of temptations or difficulties. I promise you that future generations will be grateful for you and praise your name for your courage and faithfulness during this crucial time of your life.” –Dieter F. Uchtdorf (Your Happily Ever After)

7. “Sometimes when you have made a mistake, you may have said afterward, ‘I knew I should not have done that. It did not feel right,’ or perhaps, ‘I knew I should have done that. I just did not have the courage to act!’ Those impressions are the Holy Ghost attempting to direct you toward good or warning you away from harm.” –Boyd K. Packer (How to Survive in Enemy Territory)

8. “When we do not retaliate—when we turn the other cheek and resist feelings of anger—we too stand with the Savior. We show forth His love, which is the only power that can subdue the adversary and answer our accusers without accusing them in return. That is not weakness. That is Christian courage.” –Robert D. Hales (That Is Christian Courage)

9. “Meekness is not weakness. It is a badge of Christian courage.” –Robert D. Hales (That Is Christian Courage)

10. “I promise you that if you will respond to the invitation to share your beliefs and feelings about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, a spirit of love and a spirit of courage will be your constant companion, for ‘perfect love casteth out fear.’” –L. Tom Perry (Perfect Love Casteth Out Fear)

MISSION

With the recent announcement by President Monson that girls can now serve their missions at the age of 19, the question of whether or not to serve a mission has been on my mind a lot!  I love the idea, but I'm unsure about what I am supposed to be doing right now.  Regardless, I am so thankful for missionaries and everything they do.  They are so willing to serve and have the right priorities and intentions in mind.  I am so grateful that my parents were always willing and able to have the missionaries over for dinner once a month.  They have always been such great examples, and I especially loved the few chances we had to meet with sister missionaries.  I'm thankful for their testimonies and willingness to serve the Lord because without them, my family would not be the way it is now.

1. “Preparation for a mission is important. A mission is a voluntary act of service to God and humankind. Missionaries support that privilege with their personal savings. Parents, families, friends, and donors to the General Missionary Fund may also assist. All missionaries, younger and older, serve with the sole hope of making life better for other people.” –Russell M. Nelson (Ask the Missionaries! They Can Help You!)

2. “The decision to serve a mission will shape the spiritual destiny of the missionary, his or her spouse, and their posterity for generations to come. A desire to serve is a natural outcome of one’s conversion, worthiness, and preparation.” –Russell M. Nelson (Ask the Missionaries! They Can Help You!)

3. “When I speak to our young missionaries, I often tell them they are in the middle of their missions. Whether they just arrived the day before or are to depart for home the day after, I ask them to think of themselves as always being in the middle.” –Dieter F. Uchtdorf (Always in the Middle)

4. “Whatever the circumstances and wherever they serve, the truth is that the Lord’s missionaries are daily sowing countless seeds of good tidings. Thinking of themselves as always being in the middle of their missions will embolden and energize these faithful representatives of the Lord. As it is with full-time missionaries, so it is with all of us.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf (Always in the Middle)

5. “...I admonish you to prepare for service as a missionary. Keep yourselves clean and pure and worthy to represent the Lord. Maintain your health and strength. Study the scriptures. Where such is available, participate in seminary and institute. Familiarize yourself with the missionary handbook Preach My Gospel.” –Thomas S. Monson (The Lord Needs Missionaries)

6. “...some of you may be shy by nature or consider yourselves inadequate to respond affirmatively to the call to serve. Remember that this is the Lord’s work, and when we are on the Lord’s errand, we are entitled to the Lord’s help. The Lord will shape the back to bear the burden placed upon it.” – Thomas S. Monson (The Lord Needs Missionaries)

7. “Let us consider our callings, let us reflect on our responsibilities, and let us follow Jesus Christ.” –Thomas S. Monson (Preparation Brings Blessings)

8. “...the strength that comes from several faithful generations of Church members is now becoming more apparent. We see more young men and women and more senior couples serving missions for the Lord...” –Dieter F. Uchtdorf (Developing Christlike Attributes)

9. “It is so important for you to understand that going to the temple for your own endowment, including the magnificent ordinances that prepare you for that endowment, are an integral part of your mission preparation and your mission commitment.” –Jeffrey R. Holland (Keeping Covenants: A Message for Those Who Will Serve a Mission)

10. “It is when an entire mission is united by the strength of every missionary’s integrity, every missionary’s personal covenant keeping, that we move mountains. When there is such unity and power, an endowment from heaven, coming to every individual in the mission, nothing can “stop the work from progressing.” It is in this way that the “truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent.” –Jeffrey R. Holland (Keeping Covenants: A Message for Those Who Will Serve a Mission)

FAMILY

I love my family!  They are my favorite people to hang out with and spend time with, especially now that I'm up at school.  I have been so fortunate to be able to grow up in a gospel-centered family and with so much extended family so close.  What I look forward to the most about going home at the end of the semester is that my entire extended family will most likely be together at one house.  Family reunions are the best!  I love that some of my best friends are cousins that I know I'm related to somehow.  I feel so blessed to know that my family is eternal and we will live together forever.  There is no better feeling than knowing the Plan of Salvation and what it provides for me.

1. “The great Russian author Leo Tolstoy began his novel Anna Karenina with these words: ‘Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.’ While I do not have Tolstoy’s certainty that happy families are all alike, I have discovered one thing that most have in common: they have a way of forgiving and forgetting the imperfections of others and of looking for the good.” –Dieter F. Uchtdorf (One Key to a Happy Family)

2. “Because forgiveness connects principles, it connects people. It is a key, it opens locked doors, it is the beginning of an honest path, and it is one of our best hopes for a happy family.” –Dieter F. Uchtdorf (One Key to a Happy Family)

3. “The family is the foundation for love and for maintaining spirituality. The family promotes an atmosphere where religious observance can flourish. There is indeed “beauty all around when there’s love at home.” –Quentin L. Cook (Can Ye Feel So Now?)

4. “There is nothing more important than honoring the marriage and family covenants you have made or will make in the temples of God.” –Henry B. Eyring (Families under Covenant)

5.“Our most important and powerful assignments are in the family. They are important because the family has the opportunity at the start of a child’s life to put feet firmly on the path home. Parents, brothers and sisters, grandparents, aunts and uncles are made more powerful guides and rescuers by the bonds of love that are the very nature of a family.” –Henry B. Eyring (Help Them on Their Way Home)

6. “...insisting that you have a picture-perfect family home evening each week— even though doing so makes you and everyone around you miserable—may not be the best choice. Instead, ask yourself, ‘What could we do as a family that would be enjoyable and spiritual and bring us closer together?’ That family home evening—though it may be modest in scope and execution—may have far more positive long-term results.” –Dieter F. Uchtdorf (Forget Me Not)

7. “We build deep and loving family relationships by doing simple things together, like family dinner and family home evening and by just having fun together. In family relationships love is really spelled t-i-m-e, time. Taking time for each other is the key for harmony at home. We talk with, rather than about, each other. We learn from each other, and we appreciate our differences as well as our commonalities. We establish a divine bond with each other as we approach God together through family prayer, gospel study, and Sunday worship.” –Dieter F. Uchtdorf (Of Things That Matter Most)

8. “...societies at large are strengthened as families grow stronger. Commitments to family and values are the basic cause.” –M. Russell Ballard (That the Lost May Be Found)

9. “Lessons taught in the home by goodly parents are becoming increasingly important in today’s world, where the influence of the adversary is so widespread. As we know, he is attempting to erode and destroy the very foundation of our society—the family. In clever and carefully camouflaged ways, he is attacking commitment to family life throughout the world and undermining the culture and covenants of faithful Latter-day Saints. Parents must resolve that teaching in the home is a most sacred and important responsibility.” –L. Tom Perry (Becoming Goodly Parents)

10. “...[parents] can hold family prayer, scripture study, and family home evenings and eat together as often as possible, making dinner a time of communication and the teaching of values.” –L. Tom Perry (Becoming Goodly Parents)

ATONEMENT

While listening to the 2012 Christmas Devotional, I realized how important it is for us to receive thankfully and embrace the gift of the Atonement.  President Uchtdorf talked about everything Christ did for us, and while we feel good when we give a gift, like Christ did, we also need to feel good about receiving gifts and using them wisely.  He said, "in addition to giving good gifts, we will strive to be good and grateful receivers."  It is so important for us to know that the Atonement exists for us to make use of and to practice both repentance and forgiveness.  I'm thankful for the opportunity I have always had to learn about the Atonement and use it so that I can live with my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ again, along with my family.

1. “Because of His infinite Atonement, we can be cleansed of sin and stand pure and holy before the judgment bar. The Savior is the Author of our Salvation.” –Dieter F. Uchtdorf (Christ, Our Hope)

2. “If we have sinned or made mistakes—if we have made choices that we now regret—there is the precious gift of Christ’s Atonement, through which we can be forgiven. We cannot go back in time and change the past, but we can repent. The Savior can wipe away our tears of regret and remove the burden of our sins. His Atonement allows us to leave the past behind and move forward with clean hands, a pure heart, and a determination to do better and especially to become better.” –Dieter F. Uchtdorf (Of Regrets and Resolutions)

3. “My prayer is that many of us will be together in the glorious future that lies before us. I bear you my testimony that your hope for those days will be justified. The Lord Jesus Christ, through His infinite Atonement, made it possible for each of you. Heavenly Father hears and answers your prayers of faith for guidance and for help to endure in your service for Him.” –Henry B. Eyring (The Caregiver)

4. “...our loving and wise Eternal Father in Heaven has provided the means to overcome this prideful gap. The great and infinite Atonement is the supreme act of forgiveness and reconciliation. Its magnitude is beyond my understanding, but I testify with all my heart and soul of its reality and ultimate power.” –Dieter F. Uchtdorf (One Key to a Happy Family)

5. “And because of the eternal and unfathomable Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ, the priesthood of God can be available even if you have stumbled or have been unworthy in the past. Through the spiritually refining and cleansing process of repentance, you can ‘arise and shine forth!’” –Dieter F. Uchtdorf (The Joy of the Priesthood)

6. “...in the midst of pain or loss, reassurance that the love of the Savior and His Atonement could produce a perfect brightness of hope.” –Henry B. Eyring (Help Them Aim High)

7. “But if you go for the Lord to bless others, He will see and reward it. If you do this often enough and long enough, you will feel a change in your very nature through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Not only will you feel closer to Him, but you will also feel more and more that you are becoming like Him.” – Henry B. Eyring (Where Is the Pavilion?)

8. “If you have made no mistakes, then you do not need the Atonement. If you have made mistakes, and all of us have, whether minor or serious, then you have an enormous need to find out how they can be erased so that you are no longer in darkness.” –Boyd K. Packer (The Atonement)

9. “...glorious doctrine is another witness of the all-encompassing nature of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He made salvation available to every repentant soul. His Atonement conquered death, and He permits the worthy deceased to receive all ordinances of salvation vicariously.” –Richard G. Scott (The Joy of Redeeming the Dead)

10. “For any whose lives are not in order, remember, it is never too late to make the Savior’s Atonement the foundation of our faith and lives.” –Quentin L. Cook (Can Ye Feel So Now?)

AGENCY

I am so grateful for my ability to choose.  When I think of agency, I always think about my patriarchal blessing because I am told that I recognized Satan's plan as a counterfeit and knew that receiving the gift of choice would benefit all of us.  I am also thankful for the gift of choice because I feel that I am blessed regardless of the choices I make.   I am either blessed for making a right choice, or have to endure consequences because of a bad choice.  When I make bad choice, I feel like the blessing is that I learn a lesson and what I can do to not make that same mistake again.  I am also grateful to live in a country where I have this freedom and I don't think there's any freedom I enjoy more than my freedom to choose.

1. “The first gift that Adam and Eve received was agency: ‘Thou mayest choose for thyself, for it is given unto thee.’ You have that same agency. Use it wisely to deny acting on any impure impulse or unholy temptation that may come into your mind. Just do not go there, and if you are already there, come back out of it.” – Boyd K. Packer (How to Survive in Enemy Territory)

2. “I am so grateful to a loving Heavenly Father for His gift of agency, or the right to choose. Each of us has come to this earth with all the tools necessary to make correct choices...decisions do determine destiny.” –Thomas S. Monson (Decide Right Now)

3. “Remember, though, that we retain the right and power of independent action. God does not intend that we yield to temptation. Like Jesus, we can gain all we need in the way of a mortal experience without yielding.” –D. Todd Christofferson (Moral Agency)

4. “...you have the precious gift of agency. I plead with you to choose to obey.” – Thomas S. Monson (Believe, Obey, and Endure)

5. “We have also been given the gift of agency. In a thousand ways we are privileged to choose for ourselves. Here we learn from the hard taskmaster of experience. We discern between good and evil. We differentiate as to the bitter and the sweet. We discover that there are consequences attached to our actions.” – Thomas S. Monson (The Race of Life)

6. “I mention first the right of choice. I am so grateful to a loving Heavenly Father for His gift of agency, or the right to choose...We who chose the Savior’s plan knew that we would be embarking on a precarious, difficult journey, for we walk the ways of the world and sin and stumble, cutting us off from our Father. But the Firstborn in the Spirit offered Himself as a sacrifice to atone for the sins of all. Through unspeakable suffering He became the great Redeemer, the Savior of all mankind, thus making possible our successful return to our Father.” –Thomas S. Monson (The Three Rs of Choice)

7. “The principle of spiritual self-reliance grows out of a fundamental doctrine of the Church: God has granted us agency. I believe that moral agency is one of the greatest gifts of God unto His children, next to life itself. When I study and ponder moral agency and its eternal consequences, I realize that we are truly spirit children of God and therefore should act accordingly.” –Dieter F. Uchtdorf (Developing Christlike Attributes)

8. “Brothers and sisters, in a world where everyone is granted agency, some of our loved ones may stray for a season. But we can never give up. We must always go back for them—we must never stop trying.” –Thomas S. Monson (General Conference Is for You)

9. “...the fundamental purposes for the gift of agency were to love one another and to choose God. Thus we become God’s chosen and invite His tender mercies as we use our agency to choose God.” –David A. Bednar (The Tender Mercies of the Lord)

10. “...let me use the example of a lesser law. It is a little like a teenager saying, “Now that I can drive, I know I am supposed to stop at a red light, but do we really have to be judgmental and try to get everyone else to stop at red lights? Does everyone have to do what we do? Don’t others have their agency? Must they behave as we do?” You then have to explain why, yes, we do hope all will stop at a red light. And you have to do this without demeaning those who transgress or who believe differently than we believe because, yes, they do have their moral agency.” –Jeffrey R. Holland (Israel, Israel, God is Calling)

PORNOGRAPHY

This semester, I have heard lots of stories from people in my ward and classes during Relief Society lessons and lectures that have been affected by pornography.  Every story was so scary and so sad, but they have made me so grateful that we have the opportunity to repent and receive forgiveness.  Something I plan on always remembering about this topic comes from my second semester at BYU-Idaho.  Our ward had the chance to have FHE with President Clark.  The only thing I remember from the meeting is the advice he gave to all the girls in the room.  He told us that before we got married, the most important question we could ask our future spouse is "How do you deal with pornography?"  While I see this as a really touchy question, I know of people who's marriages and relationships it has saved.  I'm thankful for the Holy Ghost and the influence He has in directing us toward the good and away from the bad.

1. “We cannot afford to have those who exercise the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God, waste their strength in pornography...” –D. Todd Christofferson (Brethren, We Have Work to Do)

2. “Pornography is especially dangerous and addictive. Curious exploration of pornography can become a controlling habit, leading to coarser material and to sexual transgression. Avoid pornography at all costs.” –Thomas S. Monson (Preparation Brings Blessings)

3. “Permissiveness, immorality, pornography, and the power of peer pressure cause many to be tossed about on a sea of sin and crushed on the jagged reefs of lost opportunities, forfeited blessings, and shattered dreams.” –Thomas S. Monson (Standards of Strength)

4. “No expense is spared to produce a product certain to be viewed, then viewed again. One of the most accessible sources of pornography today is the Internet, where one can turn on a computer and instantly have at his fingertips countless sites featuring pornography.” –Thomas S. Monson (Standards of Strength)

5. “Whether you wear a green T-shirt or a blue one makes no difference in the long run. However, whether you decide to push a key on your computer which will take you to pornography can make all the difference in your life.” –Thomas S. Monson (How to Make Good Decisions)

6. “Stay completely away from pornography. Do not allow yourself to view it, ever. It has proven to be an addiction which is more than difficult to overcome.” –Thomas S. Monson (Priesthood Power)

7. “...we observed that one can avoid most pornography and pornographic images just by making good choices. For the most part it is simply a matter of self-discipline not to go where pornography is likely to be found—physically or electronically.” –D. Todd Christofferson (Recognizing God’s Hand in Our Daily Blessings)

8. “...because it is so tragically pervasive, pornography could assault a person minding his own business quite by surprise. ‘Yes,’ observed Elder Maxwell, ‘but he can immediately reject it. He does not have to invite it to come in and offer it a chair to sit down.’” –D. Todd Christofferson (Recognizing God’s Hand in Our Daily Blessings)

9. “Are you following the counsel of the Brethren ... to avoid completely any kind of pornography?” –M. Russell Ballard (How to Show Faith in Christ)

10. “It is not surprising that some in the Church believe they can’t answer Alma’s question with a resounding yes. They do not ‘feel so now.’ They feel they are in a spiritual drought. Others are angry, hurt, or disillusioned. If these descriptions apply to you, it is important to evaluate why you cannot ‘feel so now.’” –Quentin L. Cook (Can Ye Feel So Now?)