The Book of Mormon

Beneath every person is a past, a hill of trials, a longing hop. there are hints of sadness, confusion, anger, but also lasting glimpses of joy, love and happiness. There are words that bring you down, and phrases that life you up. There are winding tunnels of darkness, and little shimmers of light guiding you to the beautiful brightness at the end. There are detours and bumps., scenic routs and candid moments. Everyday is not easy, and every week is not great, but darkness can never overtake light and even on your bad days you can have it good.

 

I have a very strong testimony of the Book of Mormon that I cherish deeply. I know the power it has, and the influence it gives. I know it was translated by the prophet Joseph Smith with faith and love. The messages within the pages are ones of uplifting hope, comfort, and truth. Messages that can bring you out o the darkest moments and into a place of healing and light if you allow it. It can be difficult and captivating all at the same time, but never without rewarding blessings. It is a book of strength; one of divine advice and the perfect roadmap for life. I love it deeply, and I am so grateful to have the Book of Mormon in my life, the spirit in my heart, and the knowledge of the truth.

 

"The power of Christ is to counter all troubles in all times - including the end of times. That is the safe harbor God wants for us in personal or public days of despair. That is the message with which the Book of Mormon begins, and that is the message with which it ends, calling all to come unto Christ and be perfected in Him." - Jeffery R. Holland

"We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost." Introduction to the Book of Mormon

 

I would love to answer any questions you may have concerning the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and/or The Book of Mormon!

 

You can email me at holmesa28 {at} gmail {dot} com

 

You can learn more HERE and HERE.

To receive your own free copy of the Book of Mormon click HERE.

The church is true, and the book is blue!

 

Catch Up

WARNING: LONG POST AHEAD

 

I have been putting this off for too long. I am SO behind! So, we'll play a little catch up so I don't have to worry about it anymore.

 

B E A R  L A K E

 

A couple weekends ago, my siblings and I were able to spend the weekend with our beautiful mom in Bear Lake! It was so much fun, and quite the adventure! The weather was looking a little iffy when we first got there, so we spent the first afternoon and evening hangin out in our itty bitty cabin playing all sorts of games and chowin down on treats. Can't get much better than that right? We even got our party pooper brother to play some games with us!

 

 

The next day, we went to the lake! It was a little too chilly to get in the water, so we just played on the beach, but it was still so much fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We watched the sun set on the lake, played more games, and then headed home the next morning. It was such a great little trip, and so fun to spend time with our momma!

 

I N D E P E N D E N C E   D A Y 

 

I LOVE THE 4TH. I can't even express in words how much I love the 4th! And this years was probably one of the funnest I've had in such a long time! Which says a lot.(side note, why the heck is funnest not a word?) 

 

We spent it with my dad and had a blast. We woke up bright and early for the parade in our little town, then headed over to the next place for a second parade. Both my brothers were in them for the high school student government! We then spent the day hopping from celebration to celebration, sweating our brains out. Seriously, SO. HOT.

 

 

 

 

After all the celebrating in the parks, we headed over to my grandparents magical house and had boat races in the creek!

Mine lost every time. No big deal.

 

 

We went back home for a while, swam in our little kiddy pool (you're never too old for those) and then headed to the fireworks!

 

 

 

I wish I could explain just how great the 4th was, but there is just no possible way!

 

C A M P I N

 

After the 4th we went campin in the little campsite my grandparents have on their property behind their house! We had such a great time full of lots and lots of laughs.

^^ that little smirk on my brother's face is because he put sugar on two pancakes and salt on the other, and my dad had NO idea... yet... ;)

 

 

 

YYAAHHTTZZEEEE!!!!

 

 

 

P I O N E E R   D A Y   B E G I N N I N G   C E L E B R A T I O N S

 

I started the weekend off with these three little hooligans for a few days!

 

 

Yes, that's chicken noodle soup for breakfast.

 

 

Then last night, my sister and I headed up to WSU to hear the fireside that President Dieter F. Uchtdorf was speaking at and finished the night off with the firework celebration after!

 

 

 

President Uchtdorf's message was so touching. He spoke of the pioneer's and their trials and strength. One of my favorite things he said was that the best way to honor our pioneer heritage is to have compassion, to work, and to be optimistic. They were there for each other every step of the way with love and concern for one another. They woke up every morning with a clear and defined purpose to serve God, for each days progress mattered, and when they had every reason to shout that all was not well, the sang that all was well. They knew God had a plan for them, and despite all the tribulation, they still came.

 

I'm so grateful for the pioneers and for the spirit they brought to this beautiful state!

 
M I S S I O N   U P D A T E

I met with my stake president yesterday... now all that's left is waiting for my call to arrive in the mail! AHH!!! :)
 

Phew! I think I'm finally done catching up.. for now! ;) Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!

17,531 Hours

The air is heavy, my lungs are drowning in the moment. The silence is melancholy, with words lingering in the atmosphere. The hug that lasts a little longer than usual, the hands that remain locked together for as long as they can, the kiss on the cheek that means the world; It's the moment I dread and look forward to all at the same time. I've gone through it time and time again. It's torn my heart to pieces and scattered them across the world. It's always an unexpected emotion, a heartbreak, and a genuine excitement. The letters in the mail, the notification of an email, the update on Facebook, the little reminders that I'm blessed with worthy, inspired, absolutely incredible friends. I've fallen in love with testimony after testimony, stories and advice; I've fallen in love with all my boys. As I said goodbye to the last of them to go out into the mission field today, I also began the two month countdown for my little family of friends to make their way back home. Two years.  730 days. 17,531 hours. 1,051,897 minutes. It goes by a lot quicker than I could have ever imagined. Through them, I've grown, I've understood, I've learned, and I've gained a greater testimony and love for my Savior and the hastening of the work. Words cannot express how proud I am of each and every one of those missionaries, and there is not a doubt in my mind that the Lord is proud beyond measure too.

photo

God be with you til we meet again, Elders.

The Weekend + Easter

+ Minus from my dad, I got flowers for the first time from the male gender.

+ German chocolate has tickled my taste buds all weekend. 

+ I got to catch up with a friend who just returned from his LDS mission. (hence the chocolate from Germany)

+ I shopped until I dropped (literally) at City Creek with my madre and sister.

+ While shopping, I bought the most amazing dress, ON SALE. Praise to the clearance heavens.

+ Happened upon the cutest old time candy store. Hello sugar bliss.

+ Took the traditional Easter pictures with the fam. (Yay for self timer fails.)

 

+ Visited my mom for the afternoon.

+ Had Easter dinner with the extended family.

+ And lastly, I got to celebrate the life of my Savior, Jesus Christ. I am so grateful to be a part of this gospel, and to have the knowledge that I do. I'm grateful for the atonement. I know the strength that comes from it, the healing, and the blessings. I know that my Redeemer lives, and I need him every hour. I am His child, and I strive to walk in the light of His love. "He is risen! He is risen! He hath opened heaven's gate. We are free from sin's dark prison, Risen to a holier state. And a brighter Easter beam, on our longing eyes shall stream." Oh, how I love Him! Happiest of Easter's to you!

photo via Mark Mabry

Believe in the Good

Does it frustrate anybody else that the world seems to revolve around money?

You need food to live, you need money to buy said food.

You can't run around naked (dangit! jjuusstt kidding), so you need money to buy clothes.

Get an education, but pay thousands of dollars to attend.

Need to go somewhere? Go use the money you're barely hangin on with to buy some gas.

Want to do something fun? Treat yourself to something nice? I'm sorry, you don't have the means until next paycheck.

No need for me to go on. You know the frustration.

I have these unpleasant thoughts more frequently than I'd care to admit, and I hope I'm not the only one.

But as this reoccurring thought was swimming through my head today, I happened upon this video on good 'ole Facebook, and it enlightened my soul! 

We (...I) spend too much time doing things for the reward and/or the recognition. Don't get me wrong, I love so much to do things without all the hype afterwords. Being the "Unsung Hero", but I think it's human nature to be that way a little bit. After watching this video, my thoughts and goals have changed. Do things for the emotion. Be the good, and believe in the good. Like M. Russell Ballard said in the April 2011 General Conference talk Finding Joy through Loving Service, " Great things are wrought through simple and small things. Like the small flecks of gold that accumulate over time into a large treasure, our small and simple acts of kindness and service will accumulate into a life filled with love for Heavenly Father, devotion to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and a sense of peace and joy each time we reach out to one another." 

Doesn't this just warm your heart? It sure does mine. I hope we all can try a little harder to act on our promptings and have a greater desire to serve, no matter what the outcome!

And because this weather is PRIME, Happy Spring!

Yay for blooming yards!

Because of Him

"Jesus is the Son of God, our Savior and Redeemer. Because of Him, death is not the end, and life takes on new meaning. We can change, we can start over--and we can live again with God. This Easter, celebrate His life and discover all that's possible because of Him."

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has put out an incredibly written Easter story this year, and if you haven't seen it, I highly encourage you to read it. And the video above? Amazing. Put Easter back into perspective, bring the spirit of Easter into your heart and into the lives of others, and have gratitude towards our sweet Savior. Because of Him, everything is possible. "Because Jesus Christ is the Savior of all mankind it's possible for each of us to live again with God." You can read ''The Meaning of Easter'' HERE. 

[ picture via Ashley Parker Photography ] 

#BecauseofHim 

A Unique Phenomenon

"I promise that if you will listen, you will feel the Spirit well up within you. The Lord will tell you what He wants you to do with your life. In conferences we can receive the word of the Lord meant just for us." -Elder Robert D. Hales

The joy and excitement I have in my heart for Conference weekend is unreal. I have counted down the days, browsed through past conference talks, and have looked forward to this for SO long.

How grateful I am to have the opportunity to listen to the Prophet. To learn, to reevaluate, and to grow.

The motivation that comes through the spirit is irreplaceable and undeniable. I love the way my testimony is strengthened, and my love for the Savior is deepened. It never ceases to amaze me how there is truly something for everyone. No matter what your situation, feelings, or trials you are going through, there is guidance specifically for YOU. 

I hope you take the time to really listen to conference, and to share your thoughts with others.

Share your testimony, and listen to the testimonies of others.

The gospel is truly incredible.

Follow along with #LDSconf! 

(Ashley Parker Photography)

The church is true, and the book is blue!

S T . G E O R G E

First and foremost, go check out Diary of a Brown Eyed Girl for her weekly I am A Mormon Monday series.

Although I think you should read these every week.... I'm especially excited about this one, because it's ME!

I was thrilled when Kimberly asked me to be a part of it, and I have looked forward to it for a little while now! (I know, it's Tuesday... but I was hiking all day!)

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S T . G E O R G E

Welcome to Utah where one day it's 72* and the next it's a blizzard.

Needless to say, I have been looking forward to this weekend for a while!

Since it's spring break for the kids, we decided to go down to

 Zions since none of us have been there before.

Oh. my. gorgeous.

I don't know why it's taken me twenty years to get down here, but I'm so glad I finally made it!
We ended up on this hike that took us to a hidden canyon, and it was incredible.
It was harder than anticipated, but oh so worth it.
I'm definitely out of hiking shape, so it kicked my butt!

That lime green kills me. GOR-GEOUS.

It has seriously been the greatest trip.
Just wish Cade could have been here with us!
We're trying to convince my dad to stay one more day...
PA-LEASE???