Once a Week.

Since I have been endowed, February 11, I have gone to the temple.

I make it a point to go each week because I feel it is important in my life, to spend time serving others, as well as having intimate time with my Heavenly Father to ask and answer questions. It seems at the current moment I have a lot of things on my mind. My lease is about to be up and I am contemplating where to move, what to do, and all that wonderful stuff. What's awesome about my temple experiences, well one of the awesome things, is that I have been able to take through family names. I have done a lot of family history work and it has been such a blessing to be able to experience this time with those that I love. In the celestial room of the temple, you can ask any questions that you have, whereas outside the temple, you don't talk about things that happen inside the temple, not that it is secret, just sacred.

At any rate, I asked a question to a temple worker and she directed me to the temple presidency office, where I walked in and met with Brother Woodward, the recorder. I had full intentions of meeting with either the temple president or one of his counselors, but I know now that I was intended to speak to this man. We went into a back room and he asked me my question. I asked, he answered. He then asked where I was from, I told him I lived in LA but was baptized in Orange County. He told me he felt impressed to share a story with me. He told me how his great great grandmother met a young man when she was 17 who was a member of the church, and she wanted to get baptized. Her parents told her that if she got baptized, she would not longer be recognized as a part of the family. She was baptized and because of her, over 10,000 people are members of the church.

He and I both teared up as we sat in silence.

I told him that my family wasn't very keen on me being a member and that things had been rough since I had been endowed. He looked at me and smiled and said, "I could sense that."

We both sat in tears as he told me how wonderful of a thing that I was doing and to not give up or let the feelings of others stop me from being the member I am.

I hadn't planned about talking about my family, nor did that have anything to do with my question. Sometimes you hear just the right things at just the right time. I truly do believe that Heavenly Father sends the right people at the right time to share words of encouragement or comfort that we need to hear.

Turning the Other Cheek.

Like all gospel principles, you understand what it means, and it's easy to tell others what they should do when a certain situation arises, however, suddenly when the principle applies to your own life, it's like pulling teeth.

Turn the other cheek.

It seems simple, but being the bigger person is never easy. I am not sure where we as humans ever got the notion that things in life were supposed to be easy. We seem to grunt at everything that is difficult and simply expect life to be a breeze. I am guilty of this, I know. The fact is, trials come and when they come they shape our character. You can tell a lot about a person from how they handle life's unpleasant situations. That thought is slightly scary since I am sure I am not the best example of eloquently handling obstacles.

Sometimes you know a trial is coming, but even the knowledge of it cannot prepare you for the exhaustion both physically and mentally. I was raised to "kill people with kindness," however I often think the kindness will kill me... haha, since it is SO hard to do sometimes. I think of Jesus and how he was faced with prosecution and hatred and how his only response was silence. I pray that if I can't find the words to say that I too can simply love others and embrace them with silence as I turn the other cheek and continue on.

We can't control other people, and we can't allow other people to control us. If we simply do what is right, and are obedient to the gospel, all things will work out. In that I am fully confident.

"We are not perfect. The people around us are not perfect. People do things that annoy, disappoint, and anger. In this mortal life it will always be that way. Nevertheless, we must let go of our grievances. Part of the purpose of mortality is to learn how to let go of such things. That is the Lord’s way. Remember, heaven is filled with those who have this in common: They are forgiven. And they forgive."

—President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "The Merciful Obtain Mercy", General Conference, Apr. 2012

I Understand, Now I Ask the Same of You.

Disheartened from the events with my family yesterday I decided I would try and fill my mind with positive thoughts and began reading the conference talks, which have now been placed online. As I was reading the entire Saturday morning session, I paused to think and put myself in the shoes of others, those that really don't know or understand what I believe. I started to think about when I get sick and have some symptom. Before consulting with a doctor, I am quick to google everything I can about my symptoms and diagnose myself. By the time I am done with the search, I have given myself cancer and 2 hours to live. It always seems that way, the extreme.

With the internet at our fingertips, everyone tends to use it for knowledge, which in some cases can be very beneficial, and in other cases, can be misleading. Obviously, the only way to find out for sure what is wrong with you when you are sick, is to seek the professional advice of a physician. Likewise, the only way to find out the truth about a subject or a question, would be to go straight to the source. Ironically, my mother, along with other friends and family, never want to know about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints from me, or a reliable source like Mormon.org, they would rather obtain their evidence from somewhere else. When I have asked why, the most common answer is that MY site, or MY response, will be convoluted and biased. I beg to differ. I do not tell people to join the church, or push my beliefs on another, rather, I speak what I believe and let others form their own opinion.

At any rate, I decided to google about the Mormon temple and see what comes up.
Shock.
Disgust.
Sadness.
Nauseous.
Hurt.

Those are among the range of feelings that came to me as I read the entire session that occurs in the temple. I had heard that the session was online, so I was prepared for that. What I wasn't prepared for however, was the false commentary. Why not, if you are going to post stuff in the first place, post just that, the facts, and let someone else make their own assumptions from it. I was accused of being hypnotized, practicing in Satanic and witchcraft practices as well as being told that Sex, not Jesus, is at the heart of Mormonism. Well, if you know ANY Mormons, you know we are prudes :) all joking aside, that could be the FURTHEST thing from the truth! I now understand why my mother or family, or any person outside of the church may have the hesitance or assumptions they have however ignorance is not bliss, it is hurtful and false.

I often wonder why we as a church receive so much criticism and that fact along concludes how true the church is. No one lets Satan worshipers or agnostics, or Scientologist, or any other religion, consume the amount of time people spend on trying to prove that Mormons are a cult and worship the devil. If we worshiped the devil, wouldn't we do more things OF the world, like drink, and do drugs, and have sex with random people? We are living in a world where ethical and moral values are becoming extinct, but those that strive to keep them (Latter-Day Saints) are persecuted. Sure, we are all human, and no one is perfect, but if you were to think of a Mormon you know, most would say they are kind, family-oriented, service-giving, and well-rounded individuals. The fact is, nothing adds up, nothing makes sense when it comes to the "facts" people have about the church. Here is a suggestion- go to the source, ask a Mormon what they believe, I promise you they will tell you! Unless of course, you that afraid of hearing the truth.

Ask me what I believe rather than telling me what I believe.