I Am A Mormon Monday: Meet Sarah

 

About Me

Hey readers!! I am a blogger over at mrsdrapersstories.blogspot.ca.  I have been blogging for almost two years now and I love it! I just blog about whatever I feel like. Whether thats about my day, my opinion on something, or just blog some cool pictures. Blogs shouldn't have rules! Blogs are meant to be a reflection of you! And I am random!

What Is Hope and What Do I Hope For?

I feel that hope ties with faith quite well. I know I hope for things all the time. I hope to be better tomorrow, I hope one day that I will be a mother, I hope that I am a good wife, I hope for exaltation. I guess you could compare hope to wishing, but I feel like hope is more realistic, when wishes sometimes aren't as serious. If that makes sense! This is a hard question! Hope is the feeling of something better to come.

How Do I Live My Faith?

I am no perfect Mormon by any means, but I try really hard to be good. I think the most important thing you can do to live your faith is to just be a good example to those around you. When you are a good person, and have the spirit of Christ with you always people will notice the difference in you, and they will want to know what makes you special. I try and do that. I try and be compassionate, and a good friend to those around me. I also live my faith by fulfilling my callings. Right now my husband and  I are primary teachers, and my faith gets stronger when I teach these children of God the gospel. Also most importantly I try and pray to Heavenly Father often, and thank him always for the life I have been given.

I have a strong  testimony of this gospel. I believe it 120%. It is the most real, true thing in this world. I know God lives, and loves me, I know we have a prophet on the earth today. I believe the Bible to be the word of God. I also believe the Book of Mormon to be a true book. I am grateful I have the gospel in my life, for without it, I would not be as happy, as I am today.

 Thank you so much for having me Kimberly! It was so much fun! ...............................................................................................................
If you are interested in being featured on Diary of a Brown Eyed Girl for I Am a Mormon Monday, please contact me and I will send you all the details.  Email: bostonksox@gmail.com    

JUST IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING....

I testify to you that there is s God! He is real and personal and loving. He is also just. The fact that we can see, hear, and experience, all testifies of this fact that He is real and that He has a wondrous plan that allows us to partake of His goodness and creation all around us every day. I challenge you to try and find God in everywhere you look and in everyone you meet.

I Am a Mormon Monday: Meet Preethi

 

Blog // Facebook // Pinterest

About Me

I grew up as an Indian-Southern girl in the Heart of Dixie, Mobile, AL.  Yes, I had an accent (I often got strange looks...y'all doesn't usually correspond with dark skin), which I promptly lost after my dad's job took our family to Salt Lake City, UT when I was 16.  Of course, I had all kinds of teen angst about moving in the middle of high school ("but my friendsssss!") but ended up loving the city, my new school, and my wonderful new friends who were willing to include a newbie.

My senior year, I was an editor on our school's yearbook.  My sister went to the same school that year (so fun), so I drove her home and came back to work on a deadline.  I came back out to my car that night to find a sweet little note accompanied by a Kit-Kat bar from a new friend.  It was so thoughtful and jump started a little letter-writing friendship.

One day, as we were driving in front of the Salt Lake Mormon temple, I asked this friend about the statue on top.  He explained to me a bit about the angel Moroni and how he had delivered what would eventually be translated as the Book of Mormon to the first prophet of this dispensation, Joseph Smith.  Thus began many discussions about religion, which led to me eventually reading the Book of Mormon.  I was baptized a few months later.

Both that friend and I independently decided to attend college in Philadelphia.  I still adore that city maybe more than any other (oh, Sabrina's and Delancey Street and the Italian Market and Reading Terminal...I could go on but is it sad that 3/4 of the ones that immediately come to mind have to do with food?).  After graduating, I worked for General Mills, also in Philly.  Oh, and that one friend?  I married him. :)  We got married in the Washington DC Temple and also had an Indian ceremony as well as our reception at Mount Vernon.  The next year, after going on a 2-month traveling extravaganza to 4 continents and 14 countries, we moved to Washington, DC for my husband to start a job and for me to start a graduate program.

In my second year of school, our first baby, Nat (short for Nathanael) arrived on the scene and it was basically the best thing ever.  He's now almost 2 and is sweet, chatty, smart, and hilarious.  While hanging out (or wrangling, whatever...) at home with him, I do some very part-time marketing consulting in the field of public education, which I totally love.  Then three weeks ago, baby #2, Carina, made us a family of four.  She's an angel.

Oh, and some hobbies - I play the violin and sing, love to read, am an avid home cook (and a vegetarian), and am a pro at wasting lots of time on the Interwebs.  And, of course, I love putting together outfits!  Or at least make the effort so I don't feel like a total blob. 

What is hope and what do you hope for? 

I suppose to me, hope is a sort of desire, or something you wish will happen, but that you have a pretty good idea will if you're doing what you can.  It's not just something over which you have no control.  Which, to my semi-control-freakish self, is a relief.  I guess that's why, for me, it ties so closely to faith - it's not just an expectation of something totally off the wall or for which there's no precedent.  I have faith because I have felt and seen things that justify it.  To me, faith isn't blind - it's evidence-based, but just not the kind of evidence we're used to using in labs.  It's evidence of the heart and mind.  Hope is an extension of that and leads to expectation and desire built on faith.

The biggest thing I hope for, without question, is to always be with my family.  I was always super close to my family growing up, and, of course, that familial love is only magnified with two little kiddos now.  I'm grateful for the opportunity to make that happen.


How I live my faith

Whoo boy...that's a toughie.  Although I'm far from perfect at it, I try to live my faith through service, especially in my family.  I'm super lucky that my parents and sister both now live in the same city as we do, so that obviously presents opportunities for service (although if we're being strictly honest, they serve me far more than I do them).  But I think that as we at least open our minds to opportunities to serve, that's the best way to truly show the Savior's selfless love.


Thanks so much for having me, Kimberly!

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Interested in being apart of I Am a Mormon Monday?? Email me and I 
will fill you in on all the details! Right now I am booked through April 14th, 
but would still LOVE to add you to the list! Email: bostonksox@gmail.com 

 

I Am a Mormon Monday: Meet Jalynn

Oh hey!! My name is Jalynn and I am a fashion blogger at The Red Closet Diary. I started blogging in 2011 and have been so blessed from this little passion of mine. I did not start blogging because I am a size 0 and everything looks good on me. I started blogging because I LOVE fashion. Most girls do, I know. Just like musicians are passionate about music, putting together (modest) outfits, being creative, and expressing my style is what I am passionate about. On top of that, I have met amazing people, got to experience things I never would have, and have grown so much! I have been married for 10 months to the sweetest man in the world (seriously and I am a regional fashion buyer and I loooovvee working. I am blessed to be able to work in fashion and be a fashion blogger!

What is hope and what do you hope for?

Hope is wanting or wishing for something to happen or to be true. Hope is what drives me on a daily basis. Hope is what gives me confidence and the desire to achieve my goals. I have hope that one day I will have a beautiful little family and will be sealed to each other in the temple. I don't know when this will happen, but I know it will. I hope for a life filled with meaning and doing good.

How do you live your faith?

I live my faith by doing the best at what I know is expected of me. Faith is my compass through life. I have faith that I am here for a purpose and although I have many trials, the gospel is my anchor and I strive to do my best at all times. 

Thank you to Kimberly who hosts these awesome and inspirational posts every Monday! Thanks for having me! :)

Find me here: Blog || Instagram || Facebook || Bloglovin || Pinterest

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If you are interested in being apart of I Am a Mormon Monday, please contact

 me asap so I can add you to the list! Email me at bostonksox@gmail.com

Did You Think To Pray?

Prayer. It's such a simple principle right? But sometimes its so difficult. Sometimes we may forget to pray, we get "too busy" to pray, we don't feel worthy enough to pray, we don't know what to pray about. I have dealt with all of these reasons at some point in my life or another. Whatever the reason might be, we should "pray always" no matter what the circumstances may be. The words Did You Think To Pray come from a beautiful Hymn that I love so much.

In the lyrics of the Hymn, it follows a very simple pattern. It suggests situations in our daily lives, then asks the question that occurs in the second line "Did you think to pray?" We should engage in prayer every morning as the day begins. In Mark 1:35 we read of Jesus that, "Rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He departed and went out to a desolate place, and there He prayed." In this as in all other things He is our best example. We sometimes find ourselves too "busy" to pray, but who could have been more busy than Jesus in those three rushed years of ministry? On some occasions Jesus was too busy to even take time to eat!(Mark 6:31) But I seriously doubt that He neglected prayer. On the night before He called the apostles, He even spent the entire night in prayer.(Luke 6:12) If Jesus himself being perfect needed daily prayer, how much more do we need daily prayer? He set such a great example. I think about that all the time.

 Jeremiah told us that "The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning."(Lamentations 3:22-23) That "loving favor" is present every morning when we awaken, and is ready to meet whatever challenges the day may bring us. 

We need to take up the shield of prayer every day, and the sooner the better. The mind itself is a constant battlefield, and the sooner we take the offensive, the more likely we are to have the momentum of battle in our favor for the day. At the end of the great passage on the "Christian armor," Paul tells us that the first duty of the armed Christian soldier is, "praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance."(Ephesians6:18) Also in Colossians 4:2 it echoes the thought: "Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving." There is no better way to start the day, than by presenting ourselves for duty in the Lord's service and asking Him to bless our day that is before us!

Whatever you may be facing or going through, I simply ask you....

Did you think to pray???

Courage.

.

”Being brave does not mean I am not afraid.  Being brave means acting in faith.”  I know that many of you out there are struggling, including myself, having a really hard time dealing with all the trials and burdens that are placed upon your back.  I pray that you will each find the bravery you need to have the faith in the Lord to sustain you.

I repeatedly have been comforted and directed by many scriptures,  but there is one section of the Book of Mormon that absolutely has been my joy to refer to in time of need and to share with others who are hurting, weeping, distraught, bewildered, and weary. It is found in Mosiah 24 when the children of God cried out because their afflictions were so great and Amulon put guards over the people to watch them so that anyone found calling upon God to help them would be put to death. The account tells us that the people didn't raise their voices to the Lord their God. Instead they poured out their hearts to God, and he knew the thoughts of their hearts.

“And the voice of the Lord came to them in their terrible times, and they heard his voice, telling them to be of good comfort and to lift up their heads for he was mindful of them."

‘And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions. And…the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.’ (Mosiah 24:14-15)

Adversity? Who needs it? Everyone, because adversity well handled is really blessings in disguise

Read the book of Esther

I KNOW IT. I LIVE IT. I LOVE IT.

I am so incredibly grateful to have the Gospel in my life. When I think back the past few years since moving to Arizona, I am beyond humbled & just completely shocked and blown away with the direction my life has taken. The things I've done and seen have left me speechless. The things I have accomplished still surprise me. The people I have met. The courage I have seen & stories I have heard. The opportunities that have arose. Things have been greater than I ever could have imagined! The Gospel is the ONLY thing that brings true everlasting happiness and peace and I finally have it!

I love this post that I read last week post by Alycia from The Crowley Party. 

I love how open and honest she is, and that she is not afraid to step out and express what she feels.

Want to know more about what I believe, click HERE

Currently.

Trying to: get over being sick! this cold/flu thing is a nasty little bugger! going on 5 days now! grrr!! 

Meditating on: this scripture from the Book of Mormon:

"Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever. Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.

Alma 37:36-37

Lovin: these for the spring and summertime. I have some just like the Romantic Pink ones and they are so comfortable! It's like wearing sweats or yoga pants!

Reading: Finding The Angel Within by Pamela H. Hansen. I highly highly recommend this book! It's a must read!

Excited for: a fun girls night out on May 11th! Wahoo! Can't wait!

Waiting: on the Lord. Trusting in Him. Trusting in His perfect timing and plan for us to start a family. I know it will happen without a shadow of a doubt and when it does I will be shouting with joy and praising Him! I am holding onto His promises! He knows all my hearts desires and I know that if I delight myself in Him, He will give me the desires of my heart. (Psalm 37:4)

Lovin' Yourself

I want you guys to take a minute to think about something. Do you love yourself?

What's your answer? Yes? No? Some days yes and some days no?

How much we love ourselves really determines how much love we are able to give towards others.

If we don’t love ourselves in a healthy, balanced way, then we won’t be able to spread the love of God to those all around us because we can’t give away something we don’t have already to begin with.

When I met Josh and we became friends, I really took the time to figure out ME first.

I knew I had to be secure and love myself and God first before I could love anyone else.

What a huge difference that made. Now I am not saying that I don't have bad days where

I struggle with who I am...because I do. All the time. I am imperfect. We are all imperfect.

But I know how my Heavenly Father sees me. I know that He has singled me out and chosen me to be His child. He is pleased with how He made me and His love surrounds me all the time.

 I am the apple of His eye. I take so much comfort in this.

Now when I talk about loving yourself I am not talking about a selfish, 
self-centered kind of love for that is arrogant and puffed up. 

There is a balanced way to develop a godly appreciation
 for who you are and the talents & abilities that God has given you.

I think one of the biggest problems we have today is how we feel about ourselves. It seems many people have a broken record playing in their head that keeps repeating, 
“What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with me?”

We compare ourselves to other people (totally guilty of this) 
and wonder why we can’t look or act like they do. 

Satan wants us to feel bad about ourselves. 
He tries to mess with our thinking so we are always wondering why something is wrong with us. 
And many times we make the mistake of getting mad at ourselves because of it.

The Bible says that those who are in Christ have been made righteous.  

 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; 

that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

-2 Corinthians 5:21

This means that in Christ, we are as we ought to be. 
God created us. He approves and accepts us by His love and goodness.

Gods love is one of the most important truths we need to know. Loving God and then yourself in a healthy, balanced way is the first step toward fulfilling our destiny and becoming a vessel of God’s love so we can spread His love to others. 

Lately I have been pondering these questions......

How much joy do you have? 

Do you enjoy spending time with yourself? 

Do you spend enough time with God?


Meditating on this scripture lately also:

"According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will"

-Ephesians 1:4-5

Remember that God loves you unconditionally. 
He created your temperament, your talents, and all your other traits.
You are beautifully and wonderfully made in the image of a loving Heavenly Father.

We all have specific areas we can grow in and things to 
work on and that is quite alright. We are imperfect but God is perfect.

Come Listen to a Prophet's Voice

Coming this Saturday & Sunday, I get the chance to watch & listen to General Conference

I always get excited and look forward to General Conference.

It's one of my favorite times of the year! Counting down the days!

Josh makes a nice big breakfast each morning as

we cuddle up together in our pj's in front our tv.

The spirit is always so strong.

I receive answers to my prayers.

I recieve knowledge and inspiration.

I feel God's love more than ever.

I have been making a big effort to

journal more, not only for me but for

our children and future generations to come.

So far I have started a daily journal,

a scriputure/quotes journal,

and now a General Conference journal!

I came across this great idea on Crystal's blog, Jocelyn's blog and Lara's blog
I liked the idea so much that I decided to give it a try!

Yesterday my sweet Husband surprised me with two

leather journals and took me to Office Max to have

the pictures printed and lamenated. He literally took

the time to cut out every single picture, lamenate it

and then tape it into my journals for me last night.

BEST husband a girl could EVER ask for!!

 I now have a journal where I can record my favorite bits of 
wisdom expounded by our leaders over multiple conference sessions.  

Download HERE

I Believe in PINK

Jacket: Thrifted // Shirt: Victoria's Secret // Jeans: Ross // Ring: Big Lots // Wallet: JAVOedge // Shoes: PB&J Boutique

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