March Grateful List

I've been thinking a lot lately about my life and how blessed I am. Here's what I'm grateful for this month.

the temple
missionary work
windy days (for flying kites)
hot chocolate
my mom
rascal flatts songs
letters from missionaries
family
general conference
music
warm bread with honey
mom's cooking
4 weeks til my mission
the atonement
slippers
spending time with my fam
my job
the plan of salvation
living in America
lotion
emails on Tuesday nights
best friends far away
dessert
love of parents, and their support
my testimony


I could probably go on and on. I love where my life is right now. I am grateful for everything that I have :)

Go Hockey

I have never been a hockey fan, or ever really watched a game either, until the Olympics this year. I think it might stem from the fact that I am going to Canada in a couple of months, and Canadians love hockey. Also I turned on the Olympics and the US was playing Switzerland, so I continued to watch. And I am now hooked. So, I watched Canada barely beat Switzerland in a shootout after the US beat them 8-1 and I thought that we might have a chance of winning this thing. Then we beat Canada 3-2, and I thought again, we might just pull it off. So fast forward to today: Gold medal match between the US and Canada in Canada with a total Canadian crowd. Dad and I had just gotten home from church in time to see that Canada was leading 2-1 and there were 5 minutes left of standard play. I had almost given up when with 24.2 seconds left, we scored and tied and went to overtime. Man that was so cool. But then Canada won the Gold after 10 minutes in sudden death overtime. I have to say, even though Canada won, the US team gave their best and had such a good game, but so did Canada. I will watch hockey now every Olympics. hahah That is so weird for me because I really usually hate watching sports.

Pre-Mission Blues

I have been feeling a little off lately. Mostly just this week. I think Satan really wants me to feel unworthy of going on a mission. I only have 7 weeks until I enter the MTC and I am starting to feel nervous. I feel like maybe I won't be good enough or maybe people won't listen to me, and then I realized that I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't know for certain that it was right. God will help me with my weaknesses if I let him. In the mean time I will remember that I am a daughter of God, and do all of the things that I am supposed to. A girl in my ward who is a return missionary asked me to go to the temple with her tomorrow night and I think that I will feel much better after I go there.

I also want to thank my friend Jenny for always making me feel better. You said some things that really helped my testimony tonight. I am so lucky to have a friend like you, who is always thinking of spiritual things.

Love,

Nyssa

PS: Jared and Amber I really can't wait to see you guys!

Temple

Yesterday I was able to go to the temple to receive my endowment. It was nothing like I thought it would be (I don't think it ever is!) but I could feel the Spirit and I know that God wanted me to be there. I hope to go at least once a week before I go on my mission, and I am excited to learn new things there. All of the people that were there to help were so nice and they didn't make me feel dumb for not knowing what I was doing. I just love the peaceful feeling and warmth that can be felt there.

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!