Santa came today!!!

Santa clause came today!!
Well, it was actually a surprise secret santa from our ward!
We were just hanging around the house getting ready to leave when someone knocked on the door. Lacie opened it to find two big Kohl's bags full of wrapped Christmas presents. WOW!
With the gifts came a card with a note. The note explained what every gift was and for whom. The girls got a pair of snow boots and church shoes each which are two things we REALLY NEEDED. Talk about tears of joy!!!!
I love this time of year. There is so much excitement, love, charity and joy in the air. I love thinking about my Savior Jesus Christ and the endless, omnificent love he showed for us by coming here, living the perfect life for example, then dying for us.
Christmas is a very special time of year.
Please remember why we have Christmas! Remember why it's called CHRISTmas and how it started and why we celebrate it.
Remember those out there who have less than you do like someone did for us. That's one true spirit of Christmas. Giving gifts. Like Jesus did for us. He gave his life as a gift for all of us.
Christmas is a good time to follow his example, and to reflect on all he has given us and all we have to give of ourselves in return.

Now we are so excited for Christmas morning! We have something exciting to look forward to for the girls instead of just dollar store presents. hee hee.

Wow thank you "Santa" for coming early this year!!

Peace & Happiness

You know, even though there's a LOT going on in our lives and we've been through a LOT since we've been married, and especially in the last 3-4 years, we still feel peace and happiness of a special type.

No matter what happens and the crap we go through and the crap that is said about us and to us and how we're treated by those who should be called "loved ones" and no matter how much we're judged and how hard we work to be put down again and again we can always know that we're doing our best and that we don't give up.

We've been hearing more and more of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, ones that have been to the Temples and been sealed for Time & Eternity, dropping away, losing their faith, and even some of them becoming agnostic or even Atheist.

How have we not done this ourselves?

Well, it's really simple, and because of how simple it is it's hard for people to really believe it and to know how to grasp and understand it.

Tyler and I may have a lot of gospel knowledge and yada yada, but the bottom line is this: keeping the commandments of God and keeping our covenants we've made with God from our baptisms and going through the Temple and then getting sealed.

The LITTLE things matter the MOST.

Reading the scriptures, praying daily, going to church, paying tithing, going to the temple, having Family Home Evening, etc. It does not require much at all to do these things. Oh, and a BIGGIE. Keeping the Word of Wisdom.

The Word of Wisdom is exactly that. A WORD OF WISDOM. It comes from God.
Those who choose to smoke and drink are literally clogging their spiritual pores. Oh sure laugh it up if you want to, or better yet, get offended LOL. But it's true. Just plain and simply that, it's true.
Doing things that are contrary to what God has asked us to do is damaging and damning in every sense of those words.

Tyler and I have been very, very careful to never break the Word of Wisdom, to always pay a full tithe, and keep up with our reading and praying and these things alone have kept our testimonies firm.

There have been countless chances we've had to leave the church or start to look into another religion or just quit, but how can one do that when they're sure about what they're doing is right and that the Spirit is with them, building them up, strengthening them, guiding them, supporting them, loving them, comforting them, and blessing them with miracles every day?

How could Tyler and I turn our backs on our ETERNAL FAMILY and our testimonies when God has given us so much and done so much for us?

If anybody needs a sign of proof about God's love and existence it's not in material blessings, it's not in healthy bodies, it's not in fame and fortune or recognition or a calm and event-less life. It's not a constant SUREITY of God's existence or of miracles or angels or truth or anything like that. It's not getting what you want or what you think you deserve or what you think would be best for you or your family. It's not even saving a loved one from death.
It's the fact that he let his Son suffer, bleed and die. It's the fact that he allowed his earthly children to torture, ridicule, reject, beat and then ultimately kill His Only Begotten Son. He allowed this because it was THE ONLY WAY that we could receive Salvation and hopefully Eternal Life if we so choose it. JESUS CHRIST IS THE SIGN. He is the proof.

No matter what happens to Tyler and I, or anybody else we know, Tyler and I always have this great PEACE and HAPPINESS that we feel on a daily basis, if even for a moment, that we have an Eternal Family. That we will be together forever, perfect, immortal, glorious, and with our family and friends who so choose to follow the same path. We know that there is a greater reward waiting for us after this life and it's worth all the hell and torment we could possibly endure in this life to attain all that God has promised us.

I know for a certainty that's indescribable that Jesus Christ lives and that he died for every one of us and lives now. I know with a strong hope and faith that my family, Tyler, Lacie, Sophie and I, will all be together forever and ever, never to die again, never to suffer again. I know that no matter what people say or do all around us, and while friends and family and people we don't know very well fall away and deny the faith and lose their faith and go off on their own ways and who snub us for our faith, that we are doing what is right and we are doing our best and we are choosing to keep the faith and we are choosing to do what's right and work as hard as we can to keep this.

Nothing is worth losing your family after death.
NOTHING.

And please don't try to comfort yourself into thinking that EVERYONE will be with their families forever, because they will not if they choose not to do what's necessary to receive this gift. Sure, we'll all live again one day, but there's a difference between being SEALED to your family and just living again. Tyler and I know this, and we're staying away from the things that could tear our Eternal Family apart, including not breaking the Word of Wisdom and all that other stuff I already mentioned.

This is my testimony and I just felt to share it.
In Jesus' Name.

Pray for change or pray for strength?

So lately a realization hit me. Tyler and I have been through a lot since before we got married and are still going through some really hard times. I've always prayed that my problems would go away or change or something would make the problems better or something like that. I was always thinking, "God never answers my prayers!!!" I got mad and blamed God and even started to doubt him and even his existence.

Well, in the last few weeks, or months I guess, actually, I changed my prayers for the most part to include something like this instead: "Please bless me with the strength, faith and encouragement to withstand these hard times"... etc. I don't repeat all my prayers. They're not memorized. I pray with my heart and mean every word I say.

So instead of praying for something to go away or change, I prayed for strength to deal with what I had to go through. Well, I shouldn't have to say this but I will anyway, it worked!
I have been at more peace and a lot happier since I've started praying like this.

I recently lost one of my best friends. I feel completely used by her and taken advantage of. I cried myself to sleep a few nights and couldn't sleep the rest of the time, even woke up super early and couldn't get back to sleep cuz I was just so upset over the entire ordeal.

I was super upset about all of this. So finally I prayed and asked Heavenly Father if he would help me shoulder this heartache. I knew I couldn't change any of it. I did the absolute best thing I could do to rectify and clear things up, but relationships never work if both people aren't willing to give their all to it. So I knew I had to go through this. And also to learn a lesson or two, or twenty, so instead I prayed for strength to go through it. Well, the next morning I woke up happy, refreshed, and not feeling all depressed or feeling any despair! I felt good!

I've found that instead of trying to get God to feel sorry for me and change my circumstances and praying for strength and faith to withstand or remain strong then my prayers are answered!!!
It makes me happy to know God IS THERE!!!!!! He DOES listen!!!!!

He CANNOT take choices away from people. So people will always be bad and mean, people will always be selfish and hurtful, people will always lie and steal, kill and abuse. People will always have their own choices to do whatever the heck they want!! So that will always directly or indirectly affect us.

Our own choices determine to an enormous extent the situations in which we find ourselves on a daily basis and they change the course of our lifetime all the time! So... God CANNOT take these choices away from us or anyone else. But what he CAN do is give us the strength to get through them!

He can "carry our crosses", so to speak, through all the hard times we have.
I mean, that's one of the blessings WE ALL HAVE thanks to the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
I love my Heavenly Father.... but I'm sure not even close as much as he loves me!!!!