A Missionary? YOU'RE CRAZY!

Missionaries coming and going. 18 months to two years. Listening to church music constantly, having a companion standing next to you 24/7.  Leaving your family to help other families see what this gospel is about. Skirts and suits all day, everyday. 6:30 am-10:30 at night. Learning a new language, becoming more accustomed to new and exciting cultures. It sounds exasperating, amazing, new, and most importantly an uplifting thing. You're 18 or 19 getting ready to leave. You are able to start your papers, able to put them in 121 days before the day you turn 18 or 19. Its amazing. Not only that, but the blessings the people you are serving are going to receive.

I never knew that I was gonna go on a mission. I always thought that it was always a guy thing and that the girls who went were just crazy. When the Prophet of the church changed the age, it changed for me too. When it changed I was still thinking that it was crazy for girls to go on a mission, but as I got older, things started looking towards that. All my dreams of going off to college started to fall through. Nothing seemed right. I needed guidance in my life, and going to church and seminary wasn't cutting it. I needed more. Friends and family left on their missions, both sisters and elders. Things in my life weren't good, they weren't right, but at my 17th "birthday" interview with the bishop, I knew I was ready. Ready for my Patriarchal Blessing. He said read this book. It was on Patriarchal Blessings. I started it, but I never finished it (I suck at reading/sticking to books). It took me a year and a half. I finished the Book of Mormon, my Personal Progress, and I finally finished the book. I was actually feeling more and more comfortable with receiving it. And let me tell you, it is such an amazing thing to have. To be able to have something come straight from your Heavenly Father. To have those blessings, and guidance in this life. With that Patriarchal Blessing, I knew exactly why things weren't working out. Why things were hard, and why Satan was and is still being so hard on me. Without doing Personal Progress, reading the Book of Mormon, and getting my Patriarchal Blessing, I wouldn't be going on my mission. It really has helped me guide my life and helped me fight my battles. I can't wait to leave and go on my mission. I am excited but super nervous. But if you're not nervous, you are NOT READY!
With the Lord on your side you can conquer anything. When things fall through, it was meant to happen.

I love you guys. Thank you to those who read this. It not only makes me happy to know that people are reading this (or at least skimming through it, cause who has time to read such a long blog entry.) But I am thankful for all the positive comments I receive back.

And I fail at adding pictures.

Love-
Hannah

It Has Begun!

The power of Satan has begun. Yes, the turmoil of him and his bad influence has become even stronger to me. Last week was my interview with the Bishop to start my mission papers. Sometime in April, I can submit them and receive them in a couple weeks. Its definitely going to be an amazing experience and I am so excited to go out and preach this gospel. Yes, life is hard and I put myself down a lot too. But I realized with a little help of my friend that I have got to stop putting myself down for that. It's not only bad for me, but its bad for the people around me. We constantly try to keep our heads up and keep our spirit high, but there are days when we just crumble and feel like the whole world is literally falling in on you. Like you are buried alive in the worldly things. As trying to keep your spiritual high, we sometimes fall down to Satan's level, where we think that the only thing we can do is find something that actually hurts us, not just physically, but also mentally and spiritually. And that's how he wins. Satan wins by not making you doubt your faith but breaking that bond with our Heavenly Father.

As Satan has really worked on me for the past couple months I have really began to kneel to the floor and pray to my father in Heaven. Not only when I doubt myself, but when I doubt others. I don't know why I wasn't really fond of getting on my knees a while ago, because it has been a true blessing in my life to have Heavenly Father right there comforting me and helping me when I am down. No, we won't receive our answers right away, maybe not the next day either, yet Heavenly Father KNOWS exactly when and where we need them. We might be taking a shower and you get that feeling of comfort and you know exactly what you need to do. We need to choose him.

One of my math teachers from my high school sent me the link to watch the LDS Devotional that was on Sunday (January 11th, 2015). I watched it last night which was monday. There were so many key points and helpful hints to help me keep my focus and to remind me of my purpose. I believe that, that was the main point of that devotional was to help us and remind us what our purpose is here in this life and why we are here. The speaker had told a story about a boat. Here is somewhat how it goes... "You are in a lifeboat, with nothing but rolling waves. The boat is equipped with oars, but which direction will you row, you see land and now you know what way to go. Does seeing the island give you both motivation and purpose? People who dont have a purpose are drifters. Have a purpose.."
This really stood out to me. We all have a purpose in life. Whether you know now or you knew years ago, we all have one purpose and that is to follow the commandments and return to our Heavenly Father in heaven. Satan is definitely going to be tempting and pushing you to not follow them, and thats where you go to your father in Heaven and pray that you can withstand his temptation, and say, "Get thee behind me Satan." Stand your ground, but most importantly STAND YOUR FAITH!


Be Strong and remember who you are! 

Have a good week guys! Love you all! :)
Hannah 

New Year, New Me!

Last year was a year full of change, full of hardships, full of beginnings, and full of ends. As the year came to a close, things started to hit me hard, from family, church, and friends. In the past year, I have definitely realized who my real friends are and who aren't. Who is  there for me and who isn't. I finally realized that I didn't care anymore, but then it hit me. I should care. I should care for MY future. I think the hardest thing for me last year was dealing with who actually cared and loved me. Daily I felt that no one would ever understand where I was at and where I was going. But there was ONE person who knew exactly what I was dealing with and that was my Heavenly Father. He knew my hardships and my problems. Days went by and I was just reading my scriptures and doing Personal Progress and those were the days where Satan would get at me the hardest and would make me feel like a nobody. Days still go by where I have Satan in my life, and where I feel like the world is crashing down around me. Some people know what goes on, while others don't. Tweeting daily and  pushing myself to be a better person. I have realized that I can change, but I can't change others. They have to change themselves.

This past week I made a deal to myself that I would be better at praying in the mornings and at night. Not watch Netflix, only listen to church music and church videos and I really saw a change in my attitude and my life. Yeah the people around me still were the same, but I had changed.

This was just the start to a great year. To start fresh, to start off right. I can't wait for this year. New things are happening, I made an appointment with my Bishop to start my mission papers. Things are great. I challenge you to make a difference. To #embark ye in the service of your God.

I thank those that are always there for me, who lift me up when I feel down, who comfort me in times of need and to my Heavenly Father in Heaven who is always there for me. And for my Savior Jesus Christ.

I love you guys!

Hannah

Matthew 5:14 "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid."