Missionary Work is Rigorous

“Missionary work is rigorous. It is demanding. It is difficult. It has never been easy and it never will be. It requires strength of body, strength of mind, strength of spirit.” Gordon B. Hinckley

One of the reasons we moved to the country was to allow our kids to learn a work ethic. We wanted to allow them the opportunity to be responsible for animals and the work it takes to care for animals on a daily basis.

My oldest son wanted to raise pigs. Since I’m a city girl, I really had no idea what it meant to raise pigs and my husband’s family had raised cattle. We built a pen and then bought four piglets. A neighbor donated an 800 lb. sow. We were set, or so we thought.

Those pigs were all Houdinis. They could get out of their pen in the blink of an eye. Of course, they only chose to do so when my husband was out of town. And, pigs are not like cows, horses, sheep, or goats—they don’t herd, they don’t come when you call, and you can’t “talk” them into their pen. In fact, when you get close to pigs, they usually scatter in all different directions.

Late one night, while my husband was away on business, I heard a noise out in the side yard. Sure enough, the pigs were out. I dressed and then asked my son (I still say I asked in a very nice way, though my son will argue that point) to come help since, after all, they were his pigs.

We spent the next hour or two chasing pigs up and down our driveway, through our yard, around the sheds, and into the fields. To say we weren’t pleased would be a mild description. Both my son and I were ready to make them all into bacon on the spot. The sow was the worst because anything that weighs 800 lbs. can really do whatever it pleases.

My son stuck it out, though, and we finally succeeded in putting them all back in the pen and then fixing the fence so they couldn’t get out again (or so we told ourselves). I think my son learned a valuable lesson that night—don’t give up, even when something seems impossible.

We worked our son hard during his teenage years with building fences, caring for animals, and working around our property (when you have almost 40 acres there’s always plenty to do). Even when he didn’t want to work, we made him get up and work anyway, all the while telling him it was preparation for his mission. I’m pretty sure there were times he didn’t believe us. I think he figured his mission would be easy compared to what we asked of him.

I think he now believes us. He’s been in the mission field for over 21 months and a constant theme when he writes is how hard it is to be a missionary. He says he’s never worked so hard in his life and never loved it so much.

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Faith in Jesus Christ

To better serve as a full-time or member missionary it’s important to have a basic understanding of the fundamental principles of the gospel.

The first principle of the gospel is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are often accused of not being Christians even though the name Jesus Christ is included in the title. The reason some claim we are not Christians is because of our belief that Lucifer and Jesus are brothers.

Other religions do not believe in the pre-existence where we all enjoyed relationships as brothers and sisters, and children to heavenly parents before mortality. We believe that we were all created as spirits before we were born. We learned and grew spiritually while in the pre-existence and for a time we lived in harmony and peace.

We believe that before Adam was placed on this earth we had a war in heaven. Lucifer, a spirit brother also known as Satan, presented a plan which included forcing all of mankind to keep the commandments while they sojourned in mortality. He promised not a soul would be lost because everyone would be compelled to live the gospel and in so doing would return to live with God after they left mortality.

Jesus, on the other hand, presented a plan that allowed each of us to make our own choices while on earth and to live the gospel at our own discretion. It would be up to each individual to make his own choices and then to live with the consequences of those choices. We would not be forced nor compelled. Only those who chose of their own free will to keep the commandments would be able to return to live in God’s presence after mortality.

Lucifer’s plan was rejected in favor of Jesus’ plan. Lucifer, or Satan, and his spirit followers were cast out of heaven and will never be allowed the opportunity to receive a mortal body.

Jesus and Satan are spirit brothers just like the rest of us. We all share the same Heavenly Father who created our spirits. It is only through faith on the Lord Jesus Christ that we may return to live with Heavenly Father again some day, “ . . . for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

It is this faith that drives us to live the gospel as we seek to replace our natural tendencies with spiritual ones. It is this faith that motivates us to make righteous choices even when they are difficult. It is this faith that induces us to sacrifice our time and selfish desires to serve God and share the gospel. It is this faith that refines us and perfects us as we live in mortality.

The most important thing we can teach others is to have faith in Jesus Christ. It is our message to invite everyone, everywhere to come unto Christ.

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Dreams

My favorite contestant, David Archuleta, did not become the next American Idol, but that's okay. I was so thrilled for David Cook. He was so sincerely touched. I loved watching him achieve such a fantastic dream. What a wonderful experience for him, and for all of those who participated in the contest this year.

It's important to have dreams and to work toward those dreams. My biggest dream was to marry in the temple and have a family with lots of kids. I'm thankful each and every day that I've been allowed to fulfill that dream. I love being a wife and mother.

It's also important to support others in their dreams, even if the dream seems unrealistic. When we wanted to move out to the country and raise lots of kids and animals we were told that it was just a "pipe dream." My grandfather fought against us every way he could because he thought we were making a mistake to move out of the city. He told me on several occasions as we went through the process of trying to move to the country, that he hoped it would fall through and we wouldn't be able to move. Fortunately, we were able to pursue our dream to raise our kids and animals in a rural setting.

My grandfather never supported my dream of marrying in the temple or having a large family. Time and time again, he would tell me how terrible it was to have so many kids and what a mistake it was (though he deeply loved each of his great-grandchildren after they were born). He once told me that if he'd known I would waste my life raising a bunch of kids, he would never have encouraged me to go to college. I have never regretted going to or graduating from BYU.

I think his non-support only made me stronger and more determined to accomplish my dreams. In a way, he was very good for me. And, he was a good man with a good heart who sacrificed his retirement to raise my sister and me. Grandpa and I just viewed the world in a different way and felt different things were important. Though he didn't support my dreams, in his own way, he loved me and wanted me to be happy.

Dreams are important for each of us and we should support the dreams of others. The world is a better place because of people's dreams.

American Idol

Wow--what a night. I loved the opening to American Idol. That announcer guy has quite a voice.

David Cook sang his first song and I thought he did a great job. He's amazing. When he teared up after his last song, it made me teary, too. I love how he can make a song his own by rearranging it.

When David Archuleta sang his first song, it gave me goosebumps. I love that kid. His voice is so pure and he sings with such emotion and conviction. I love to listen to him sing. He seems to be such a geniuinely good kid, too.

My teenage daughters can't decide who they like the most and which one they want to marry :).

This has been a great season with so many talented contestants. I am very excited to see who wins tonight. I think it's going to be extremely close because they are both so good.

My vote is for David Archuleta.

Ideas for Mission Prep.

Since the bar has now been raised for young people to serve missions, it is important for parents to realize that preparation for serving a mission starts long before the teenage years. Preparation should begin shortly after birth and continue throughout childhood and adolescence. Here are some ideas to help your son or daughter prepare to serve an honorable mission:

1. Set a pattern of prayer in your home. Have regular family prayer and encourage children to have their own personal prayers. Set the example by allowing your children to see and hear you pray.

2. Have regular Family Home Evenings. FHE was instituted many years ago as a way to combat the growing evil in the world. Today, our families are continually assaulted and the need for regular, consistent FHE is even greater than ever before. The home is the best place for children to learn the gospel.

3. Have regular, consistent family scripture study and encourage your children to have personal scripture time.

4. Set an example for your kids by always attending meetings, bearing your testimony often, magnifying your callings, and living the gospel the best you can. Our kids will remember what we do far longer than what we say.

5. Spend time with your children discussing the gospel. If you make it a habit to eat dinner together, this can be a great opportunity to talk about gospel topics as they relate to everyday happenings. Whether it’s discussing political news, weather catastrophes, or comments made at school, parents can use this time to effectively teach the gospel in a natural way.

6. Encourage your high school age children to attend seminary where they can study the gospel more in-depth on a daily basis. A strong gospel base will provide a missionary serving far from home the stability he or she needs when asked difficult questions by investigators.

7. Show your children by your actions how thankful you are for the gospel. Frequently expressing gratitude for the blessings of the gospel will communicate to your kids the importance of the gospel in your life.

8. Most importantly, provide opportunities for your children to gain and strengthen their own testimonies. Encourage them to pray for their own witnesses. A missionary who has gained his own testimony can rely on it when times are difficult. A mission is hard work and can be discouraging, but a missionary with a strong testimony will weather the difficulties.

Certainly there are no guarantees when it comes to teaching our children or having them serve missions, but heeding the counsel from the prophets and starting early may tip the scales in favor of a mission.

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Missionary Work By Example

It’s come down to the two Davids. I’m not at all surprised, they’re both so talented. David Cook has such an amazing ability to make a song his own. David Archuleta sings with such conviction and sincerity, he brings tears to my eyes.

I love to watch American Idol and see these kids not only share, but improve, their talents each week. They use their musical talent to share themselves with the world.

David Archuleta now has the world as his audience and has an opportunity to share something else with the world: the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I read that when he returned home shortly after President Hinckley’s death he was uncomfortable with all of the attention. He attended his seminary class and instead of focusing on his newfound fame, he bore a strong testimony of the gospel. He said how much he loved President Hinckley and what an influence President Hinckley had on his life. He didn’t want to talk about his experience on American Idol; he wanted to pay tribute to a prophet of God. What a great example.

Through our examples we have the opportunity every day to teach people about the gospel and about what we believe. The speech we use, the way we dress, and the subjects we discuss show people around us what is important to us. People watch us all the time.

When I was a teenager, an adult asked me why I didn’t drink beer. I responded that I wanted to obey the Word of Wisdom and had determined I wouldn’t drink alcohol even though it was a popular thing to do in high school. The adult told me he knew plenty of Mormons that drank beer and I was missing out by not partying—I needed to loosen up.

That conversation has always stayed with me. I never did drink beer or any other alcohol, but his comments made me realize what an impact others’ choices had made on him. The example set by others made him believe that the Word of Wisdom wasn’t really that important.

For good or bad, our example speaks so much louder than our words. We can say all we want about our beliefs, but the proof is in our actions. When we live what we believe, we are teaching others what is important to us. As we live the gospel the best we can, we are communicating to those around us that the gospel matters to us and we are doing missionary work.

We may never have the platform that David Archuleta has, but in our own sphere of influence we can be missionaries. We can show others the happiness and joy that comes from living the gospel. We can show them how the atonement works in our lives and how Jesus Christ can be our redeemer. We can do missionary work each day just by living our lives the way the Savior would have us live.

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I've Designed a Fragrance

In my book Heaven Scent my main character's mother wears a certain fragrance. This perfume plays a pivotal role in the story so with the help of Karlene Browning at Urban Botanics I designed this fragrance to tie into my book.




Hope (Heaven's Scent)

Meet Liza, a lovely and talented young woman from the book Heaven Scent by Rebecca Talley. As Liza proves herself a basketball star, everyone—from college basketball recruiters to the gorgeous Kyle Reynolds—seems to take note of her. Everyone, that is, except her own father, who has buried himself in his law practice.

When yet another broken promise finally leads to tragedy, Liza doesn't know if she will ever be able to forgive her father. It will take a miracle straight from heaven to help Liza see that she still has hope.

Hope is the name of the perfume worn by Liza’s mother in Heaven Scent. It’s a soft floral blend of jasmine, freesia and mimosa. This fragrance is pivotal in convincing Liza that despite her new reality, her mother is never far from her. Hope reminds us that families are forever and we are constantly encircled by their love.


Full bath and body package includes pre-mixed Urban Botanic product—an 8 oz. shower gel or bubble bath (select option below), 8 oz. body lotion, 2 oz. parfum spray, lotion pump lid, and puff scrubby (color dependent upon stock at time of order).

If you're interested in learning more you can go here.