Happenings

So, if any of you were wondering, mission things are coming along. I already have my passport and most of my immunizations too. I've been going to my stake's mission prep class where I'm the only girl so it's a little intimidating, but my teacher told me as I was leaving last time, "Way to keep the Elders on their toes." So I guess I shouldn't be intimidated. I've also got my interview with the bishop done and just need one from the stake president and I'll be good to go to the temple soon. Mom and I have been making skirts and so almost all of my clothes are done. I already bought my shoes and jackets and things.

Everything is working out nicely, and I am getting really excited to be leaving soon. I only have 2 and a half months! crazy, time is going by so fast. So I am also excited because Mom and Dad can't take me to the MTC because of work, so I'll be flying to SLC and Jared will pick me up to spend a few days with him before they take me to the MTC. I am excited to see them since I haven't in a while. I've actually seen everyone else more recently than him (even Zac) so it will be fun.

Oh, in other news, I have been made the Young Women Secretary for my ward so I have been really busy with that, work and my online class. Life is good though. I am excited for growing up and serving God on a mission. I know it is what He wants me to do right now in my life.

Last week all of the mountains surrounding Las vegas were covered in snow. It was sooo pretty.


Well that's all for now.

<3 Nyssa

"In the Strength of the Lord"

I am in an online religion class this semester called "Teachings of the Living Prophets." In this class we have to read 8 assigned talks each week and write insights that we receive on them. One of the ones that struck me the most this week was given by Elder Bednar in a devotional at BYU-Idaho in 2002, when he was the President of BYU-Idaho. It is called, "In the Strength of the Lord" and talks about the enabling power of the atonement. I had never really thought about this aspect of the atonement before I read this talk.

Here is the definition of Grace:
"It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts (emphasis added)."

I loved how Elder Bednar talked about some scriptures with reference to this enabling power of the atonement. Here Nephi was taken by his brothers and bound with cords. Nephi's prayer is this in 1 Nephi 7:17 -
"O Lord, according to my faith which is in thee, wilt thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even give me strength that I may burst these bands with which I am bound (emphasis added)."
I know I would probably have prayed for my brothers to let me go, but Nephi knew more about Christ's enabling/strengthening power.

Another scripture comes from Mosiah 24:14 where Alma and his newly converted bretheren were captives of the Lamanites.
"And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, 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 (emphasis added)."

God didn't take away their burdens, but gave them the strength to carry them.

Another example of the enabling power of the atonement came from Elder Bednar's own life:
"The greatest lessons I have learned about the enabling power have come from the quiet example of my wife in our own home. I watched her persevere through intense and continuous morning sickness and vomiting during each of her three pregnancies. She literally was sick all day every day for eight months with each pregnancy. That challenge was never removed from her. But together we prayed that she would be strengthened, and she indeed was blessed through the enabling power of the atonement to do physically what in her own power she could not do."

These examples made me realize that whenever I have pain or burdens that I don't think I can carry, I usually ask for the burdens to be removed. Every time I have had a kidney stone or a headache or cramps, I have always asked him for the pain to be gone. I have never once said, "Give me the strength to handle the pain." I will try to do that from now on. We weren't left to do things on our own. The atonement can help us to have the strength that we normally, by our own means, wouldn't have. Nephi wasn't strong enough to break the bands, but with Christ's help he broke them. I hope that as I try to use this more in my life, I can be more prepared to preach the gospel. I know of my own strength I won't be able to, but through the enabling power of Christ's atonement for me, I can have the strength to preach with power and testimony. I won't be afraid to open my mouth if I am strengthened by his grace, and that is extremely comforting!

Best of 2009

I have been blog surfing and I saw a lot of blog posts about the best things of 2009. Here's mine:

~ Finishing 2 semesters of college without any C's

~ Being roomies with my best friends


~ Road-tripping across the country with Ayenne's Fam


~ Getting accepted to and completing an internship at ISU

~ White water rafting without dying


~ Gallon challenge with Richard and Zac ( I would put a pic on here but trust me, you odn't want to see it)

~ Seeing Richard and Zac go through the temple and then on their missions


~ Dressing up for Anime Vegas with Richard's sis Emily


~ Visiting my Grandma who I never see for a weekend in October


~ Dressing up as "Aguila Rosa" for Halloween (Finally!)


~ Dressing up for HP6


~ Spending more time with close friends (and making smoothies!)

~ Deciding to go on a mission

~ Growing closer to my Heavenly Father than ever before

~Missing Richard, but finding happiness in the little things


~ Being in 2 Relief Society Presidencies and serving the girls in my ward

~ Finishing my last semester in Rexburg for a couple of years


~ Getting my mission call



~ Spending my last Christmas with the fam for a while
(visit Britt's blog for pics --> )

I'm so grateful for 2009 but am glad to move on to 2010. Hoping you and yours had a wonderful year, and if not, make 2010 the best year yet!

This is late...sorrry

So, I figured everyone who reads this blog already knows, but I got my mission call on Thursday. I'm going to the Canada, Calgary mission!

I"m so excited! and I leave April 14th.

Finals....

Oh how I hate thee... let me count the ways:

1) not enough time to finish things
2) teachers forgetting that their class isn't the only one
3) staying up late to catch up on homework
4) sacrificing food while you spend hours on things

Okay that's enough of a rant to last me a while.

I can make it through the next 3 days, right?

The only thing that's keeping me going is the fact that my bishop told me my call has been sent and is currently en route to my house!

YAYAYAYAYAYAYAY

It still kinda feels unreal.

anyway, I'll talk to y'all next time

Semester's almost over

This statement has some good and bad connotations.
I'll start with the bad: I will really miss my roommates. ALOT. We have grown so close this semester. Most of the last 2 and a half years have been spent with Sarah and Emily and it's kinda sad to think that we might not be roommates ever again. I don't think they know how much they mean to me, how much I admire them, or how amazing I think they are. Next Thursday will be a really hard day and I'm just coming to terms with that.









Here's the good: my mission call is supposedly coming on said last day of school. I got all my stuff together and met with the stake president on Sunday. He turned in my papers on Monday and now they are in the hands of church headquarters. It is pretty humbling to think that the prophet and apostles will see my picture and choose where I am going to spend a year and a half. If you are wondering, I spent half an hour yesterday looking at all of the different places that I could go. There are 365 open missions right now. I think I would be happy going to almost all of them.

I have already felt an outpouring of the spirit, and an increase in opposition from Satan. He really doesn't want me to do this thing. All I have to say to him is, 'too bad' cause nothing can stop me now.

I'm Home!

So, I drove home yesterday night with some people from Vegas for Thanksgiving Break. I do not suggest driving 10 hours starting at 5 pm. Bad idea! It felt like the longest car ride of my life. I think that part of it was the fact that the sun went down about a half an hour after we started driving, so it felt like 9 pm at 5. I am very glad to be home though!
So today I got my license renewed and it took me 2 and a half hours. I forgot how much I don't like the DMV. The next thing that I have to do is my doctor's appointment on Monday and then the Dentist on Tuesday. Then I should have my paperwork ready to turn in next week! By my calculations (of course this depends on how fast the Stake Pres gets things in) I should get my call either Dec 23, or Dec 30. I am pretty excited to figure out where I'm going :) And I only have 3 weeks of school left! It will be probably the hardest 3 weeks of my life, but I know that I can do it, and hopefully I'll have good grades to go along with it!