It's our privilege!

“What a privilege it is to be able to go to the temple, where we may experience the sanctifying influence of the Spirit of the Lord. Great service is given when we perform vicarious ordinances for those who have gone beyond the veil… and in that process we attain that which comes of no other effort: we literally become saviors on Mount Zion. As our Savior gave His life as a vicarious sacrifice for us, so we, in some small measure, do the same when we perform proxy work in the temple for those who have no means of moving forward unless something is done for them by those of us here on the earth.”

-President Thomas S. Monson
“Until We Meet Again”
Ensign, May 2009

This is a great quote from President Thomas S. Monson. I loved how he said that we will literally be Savior's on Mount Zion. We are saving those who have passed on and in some small measure we are doing what the Savior did.I have had a wonderful experiences these last couple of days. Today in my family history lab, it was our last time meeting together. It was really sad because the lab tutors taught us how to use new family search, PAF, attaching images, and how to research. Getting into Family History has been an amazing experience. I have found those that need to get ordinances done. I have found those that have been lost for hundreds of years. A girl made a comment on when you do your own family names or even temple names. She said when you are in the waiting room in the temple waiting to do baptisms, think about the people who you are saving. Imagine them sitting next to you and their excitement. One thing that I have learned is to Respect Living Family Members Wishes. It is an important to make sure that you do not offend a family member, aunts, uncles, etc... We don't want to hurt any ones feelings. This is important.

I AM SO CLOSE!

I am so close to do baptisms for those who I have been researching! It is just around the corner. They have been waiting for hundreds of years to have the opportunity to receive the gospel. It is my responsibly and opportunity to make sure that I am worthy to do their work! They are waiting and they are cheering for us!

Yesterday I did baptisms in the Rexburg Temple. I haven't been there for awhile because I have been home for the weekends and for the holidays! It was nice to come back here. I actually went after my writing class. It was different because I was up and awake. I usually go in the mornings but this time I went in the afternoon. There was a huge difference and the feeling I felt. I saw and realized things that I have never thought of before. When you are alert and awake, the spirit will be there to inspire you!

Here are a couple of quotes from Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley that I heard in a couple of my family history labs that have made such a difference in my life.

“There is no greater blessing that you can have than to stand as a proxy in a great service to those who have gone beyond."
“And it will be your privilege and your opportunity and your responsibility to live worthy to go to the temple of the Lord and be baptized in behalf of someone else."
-President Gordon B. Hinckley
“Inspirational Thoughts,” Ensign, Apr. 2002, p. 4

“The work so performed is both remarkable and singular. It is a great work of love…”
-President Gordon B. Hinckley
“Temples and Temple Work,” Ensign, Apr. 2002, p. 4

The Long Thanksgiving Break :)

Thanksgiving break was so much fun and it was nice to get a break from school :) We had a great Thanksgiving dinner at my Aunt Patty's house. It was the best Thanksgiving. The whole family was there except Missy, Casey, Riley, Ryan, and Cooper. They were still in Omaha. It was nice to be together. I love my family and i was so excited to see everyone! My cousins are fun to play with. Nate and i were chucking pillows at Cameron :) it was so funny. Sometimes it would actually knock him down. That night was the REAL Finals! The MLS cup. We won in a shoot out! the game was sooo intense!The next day i went to school at lunch to visit PLT at copper hills. It was nice to see everyone and a lot of fun. I got to catch up with my High School friends. I miss high school in some ways but most ways... i don't.. haha. But College is nice. The next morning i went and did baptisms at the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. It was so peaceful from a crazy week. I love the temple, its a great place to be. I took a couple of pictures before i left

It was a really cold morning because my hair was wet, but it was definitely worth. The spirit that is with you is undeniable. I love it, i love what i do! Later that day My mom, mallory and I went to our families cookie exchange! It was awesome we got so many cookies. Me and Mal were so excited so we took a picture with our Thumbs up hehe..

I went to Omaha for 2 days! It was so awesome to see Missy, Casey and all of my nephews and neice :) It was fun playing hide and go seek wth them. I would hide around the corner and as they both walked by I jumped out and made a noise! They both screamed and jumped!After that we would all laugh and go hide again. My sister mom and I went shopping on black friday :D it was so much fun! I cant believe my mom went! after that i had to fly on the airplane by myself back to utah. I stayed at my friends house :) we watched the BYU game!!!! HECK YES!!!!! GO COUGARS, it was a great game... we won in over time! after that we went to the JAZZ game! we won... it was such a great night! I played YAhtzee for my first time :) it was fun! This break was awesome!

Back Home :)

So it is Finally Thanksgiving Break! On Friday, November 20 2009, my dad came and picked me, Preston, and Annalisa up from Rexburg. It feels great to be home with my family! I miss them so much. I finally got PANDA :) it was really good. On Saturday morning, me and my best friend went to do baptisms in the Oquirrh Mountain Temple! It was an awesome experience because I haven't done baptisms there for almost three months. When I was there, I had a thought go through my mind. I was thinking that no matter where you are at, you can always feel the spirit. and the work will always be going forth! It was cool because, no matter where i am at the spirit is always there. The spirit was so strong in the temple. There are so many temples around and the work is still the same! It really amazes me. This is the only true Gospel! I know with all my heart and soul. The temple is the place to be.

After the temple I went back home. Me and my mom went to our families cookie exchange. It was awesome!! We got so many cookies. The cookie exchange is where everyone brings there favorite cookies and lets everyone try them. They bring the recipe so that everyone can have it. It is always so fun to get together with my family. we are always so crazy! after the cookie exchange me and my mom went to my friend, Heather Love, wedding. She looked so beautiful. Her and her husband went through the Salt Lake City Temple earlier that morning. I am so proud of bothof them. Getting married in the temple is probably one of the biggest decisions you can make in your life because it will effect everyone in your family and your future family. Zach and Heather are so in love and it is amazing. I cant wait until i get the opportunity to get married in the temple. That is one of my biggest goals in my life is to get married to a return missionary in the temple of the Lord. Life is a great blessing. I feel so grateful for everything that I have. Being able to go to a University where I can feel the spirit all the time is a huge blessing. Being able to sing a hymn and prayer before class starts to invite the spirit is a blessing. I am grateful for everything I have. I love my family!! I am very happy with my life, it is wonderful :)

Our Ancestors are Waiting

Our Ancestors are Waiting…

“If the veil could be parted and we could see the world of spirit, we would likely discover many among them our ancestors anxiously praying and hoping their day of deliverance would come…. Their hearts are turned toward their children on who their hopes rely for deliverance from the
prison house.”

President Joseph Fielding Smith
“The Way to Perfection”

The temple is a beautiful place, a place where the spirit dwells! A place to get away from the world and sorrow! The temple is the Lord's house! I had such a wonderful spirit this week from going to the temple. I know that this is the only true church because of the feelings I have felt and from the experiences that I have had. The Lord is always there! Our ancestors are waiting for us! it is up to us! The quote from President Joseph Fielding Smith explains it! So lets deliver our ancestors from the prison house!

THANKSGIVING BREAK IS FINALLY HERE!

It is almost Thanksgiving, and I am so excited! I am excited to see Missy and kids and to be with my family. I miss them so much, But I know what I need to do. It has been a long 2 months! But iam almost done with my first semester of college. It is crazy. I am doing pretty good, my grades are high and Iam learning a ton! For Thanksgiving me and my parents are driving to Omaha Nebraska to see Missy, Casey, and the kids! I haven't seen them in a long time! they are getting so old. I will be there for about 3-4 days! then I will be flying back to Utah and be with my friends family! It will be a fun break, I lOVE my family!I just need to hang in there for one more week of school, then its the BREAK :) YES!!!

Still Searching!

I have been looking through my family names to see if I can take names to the temple and do baptisms! Iam getting so close! It is very exciting and I feel a wonderful spirit! Today, was a special day in the temple. I have had a rough week this week, and I felt like some one was holding me telling me that everything is going to work out. Some times you just want someone to be there to comfort you and take everything away! but these are the things that will help us to grow stronger and become a better person. Christ IS the ONE that will always be there.

I felt his hand in my life these last couple of days. I love him very much. He is my friend. I heard a quote the other day and it was really uplifting.

"A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future and accepts you today just the way you are."

Christ is my best friend, He knows all! We are under his wing, and I feel so grateful for these experiences. It takes a lot of faith to be out on your own. I know that I will never be alone because the Lord will always be on my side!

COLD morning!

So this morning was the first time that it snowed in Rexburg this semester! I woke up and I looked outside and everything was WHITE! it was crazy. It took me awhile to scrape and clean my windows! woke up at 5:40 then left by 6:15. It was freezing! It was scary to drive over to the temple because the roads were icy! I felt good by the time I got there. Baptisms today were really fun! the spirit was so strong. Today I helped people that were mostly from Germany! They had really cool last names. It is so much fun doing work for others and helping them Progress. Those who have passed on before us cannot be made perfect without us. We cannot be made perfect without them. They NEED us and we NEED them! This Family History class made me realize how important temple work really is! I hope that everyone will start setting goals to going to the temple and ACHIEVE them! This gospel is amazing and I know that it is true! We will be blessed when we do the work of the Lord and when we serve others :)

This week I have a had a tough time with school. Its been really hard but its getting better everyday. This morning I went to the temple to do Baptisms for the dead. It is such a wonderful feeling you have when you are serving. President Gordon B Hinckley says that when you go to the temple, you come out of the temple as a better person. He also said that their hope is in our hands. I feel so grateful that there is a temple so close to BYU-Idaho. I am so glad that I can do work for people that have waiting for a long time! Right now, in Family History, we are searching for our ancestors and see if they need their ordinances done! I am preparing to do my own family names and it is such a wonderful and exciting feeling to know that I am helping progress! Today was great! I love going to the temple to feel of its beautiful spirit and the joy it brings to everyone!I am very grateful for having this awesome opportunity!

Earlier this morning, I was able to do baptisms today in the Rexburg Temple. It was a really cool experience. While I was waiting, I pulled out my partiarchal blessing. Wow, it was cool to see how many different things pop out every time I have read it. Most of the names that I was baptized for were from Samoa! It was a really cool experience. As I was getting baptized I was looking for the time when that person was born. It blew my mind when I thought about how long that person has been waiting to recieve the gospel. When I came out of the font, I felt like I was there for a reason and I knew that I was in the right place. It was so beautiful when I walked out of the temple today! Ill post a picture later! Great Day :)

Baptisms on Friday 9, 2009 :)

Early on Friday morning, I got the chance to go to the Rexburg Temple with my best friend. It was an amazing experience to get up and to feel the spirit so early in the morning. It was cool to feel the difference of how I felt before I went and when left the temple. I felt that I was clean and fresh! While I was sitting there waiting to do the confirmations, the temple president spoke to us. He said that these are real people and they really are waiting for us! It is up to us and their hope is in our hands. Before, I knew that the people were real and they were waiting but when the president actually told us, it was different and I knew that I was doing the right thing and I was there to help those so that they can progress and move forward and receive those blessing. I am very grateful for the opportunity I had to go to the temple to feel of its joy and its light!

Trying Something New :)

Rusty and I at his Marine Graduation!


Shamu Shamu!

The San Diego Temple :)

So, all of the family and friends have blogs so i decided to try it. well i have recently been doing homework for my 1 month long tour to back East. i Cant wait to get everything done for it. I have been learning so much and i am so grateful for the opportunity to learn more about church history and actually going to see the sites! i have been writing my papers about Nauvoo, the Liberty jail, Kirtland Temple,the First Vision, and much more! it has been so much fun, but iam excited to get all of my work done.

Last week the family went to Rusty's marine graduation. It was very exciting! we also got to go to the beach, Sea world, and the San Diego temple!It was a very fun trip. The temple was gorgeous! cant really explain it in words. Sea world is probably one of the happiest places on earth :) seriously i was smiling and laughing the whole time.

Its weird to me to think iam not going back to highschool... im really excited but also really sad. i made a lot of friends in highschool and did a lot of extra curricular activities! i am gonna miss it! Its a bittersweet thing ya know? But life changes and moves on! now im off to bigger and better things :) im really excited for college! but really nervous... i dont really know how to cook or do a lot of things on my own. its gonna be tough but i know i can do it!