In early America, citizens of the young country so recently tied to Britain celebrated Washington’s birthday on February 22. This grew out of the tradition of celebrating the king’s birthday, but since they “dissolve[d] the political bands” with the king, they couldn’t very well continue on with that, could they? States carried on the tradition even through the modern era.

In 1968 Congress adopted the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which designated, “Washington’s Birthday, the third Monday in February,” as one of the federally recognized holidays. There was a movement to create a holiday on March 4 that recognized all presidents (as if all are equally deserving of recognition), but that bill died in the Senate. Later, Congress passed Public LAW 90-363 that included moving the celebration of Washington’s birthday from Feb 22 to the third Monday in order to create long weekends. It’s only a cultural practice to perpetuate the misnomer of the holiday as Presidents’ Day.

Be kind, rewind and give it proper recognition.

Why?

Because Washington was born, American was born.

Because of his devotion to his troops of the Continental Army, he inspired their devotion to fight and win the Revolutionary War against impossible odds.

Because of his leadership and attendance at the Constitutional Convention, the country escaped failure and designed a government with enough legitimacy to pass state ratifying conventions and institute constitutional government that we still use over 200 yrs later.

Because he could have established himself as king and like the Roman Cincinnatus relinquished power and returned to his farm,leading the United States on a track of republicanism and constitutional government.

Because George Washington was born, America was born. When we celebrate Washington’s birthday, we celebrate the miracle that the American states joined in union.

Happy Birthday, Mr. President!

(I must say that Lincoln helped to preserve the union created at America’s founding. His birthday is February 12. May you keep him in your heart, too, but know the law officially recognizes Washington’s birthday, not Lincoln’s.)

As you can see, I’m celebrating George Washington’s birthday.

Don’t. judge. me.

Okay you can judge me.:) My admiration of George Washington is based on his realistic merits.

©2012 Mormon Insider. All Rights Reserved.

Katarina came from Sweden to serve on Temple Square in Salt Lake City with hundreds of other sister missionaries from around the world. Proficiency in varied  languages is crucial on Temple Square, since it is a highly trafficked destination for international visitors.  Good thing she’s fluent in English, Swedish and German, not to mention additionally conversational in Italian, Spanish, Mandarin and ASL. (We’ll get back to that ASL.)

At midpoint serving on Temple Square, sisters transfer to a different mission in the States for the door knocking form of finding in missionary work. It’s way more effective when people are coming to you with curiosity, but both experiences are meaningful and now cherished. Katarina and I were companions when she came to Texas from the Square.

She’s been to the States a few times before and this time came for 40 days visiting former companions around the country. She hit Los Angeles, Seattle, St. George, Salt Lake/Provo, a city in Arizona, Washington, D.C. and is finishing up in New York City. When I asked her if she wanted to see the Mall, which the iconic American memorials line, she said “I want to do what you do” implying she didn’t want to be a tourist.

Okay, let’s go to The Tombs, then.

The Tombs is a restaurant established by Georgetown University alum  just blocks from its campus at 1226 36^th St NW. Naturally, it’s a hangout for Georgetown students. Think the Max on Saved By the Bell only way cooler.  I was first introduced to The Tombs when one of my Jesuit professors offered to host our class there on the final day of our Religion in Latin America course.  He called it the “den of iniquity” because it’s a favorite bar for students.  It was one of those jokes he really meant.:) It was nice of him to host us since he had no department budget for such privileges. I wanted her to get  to see what an American university scene was like.

Then she made me envious when she said the Swedish government pays for all university, even masters degrees. I almost ended our plans for the evening reasoning she’d had a cushy enough life, but we already had some friends meeting up with us. I had to save face.  On we went.

We talked about the American university sports system since the Georgetown basketball away game flashed on flat screens around us.

We also talked about American food. My dish was dee-lish-us. Lamb ravioli. I’m definitely not a vegetarian. I highly recommend it.

Spending time with Katarina was so good for me. We picked up like we saw each other only yesterday, rather than years ago. Recalling experiences I haven’t thought about for years brought smiles to my face. Here’s one.

Katarina had an assignment on Temple Square to learn American Sign Language to support incoming visitors. Missionaries studying language add 30 minutes to their morning study for its acquisition. I studied ASL at BYU. It was my way of evading another math class since BYU allowed for a language to take place of a math credit for social science majors. However, I wasn’t that proficient. I had classes conducted completely in ASL, but had yet to gain fluency myself. Katarina taught me her gospel vocab and I shared what I could remember.

After some time daily practicing ASL, we saw two people signing in the parking lot of our apartment complex. However, we didn’t take the 40 steps to go over and talk to them. We went on our way. That night, while kneeling for prayer, Katarina said she regretted not talking to the Deaf girl we saw that day. She said she’s been spending all this time studying and we pass up the rare opportunity to invite someone to learn about the Savior’s restored gospel in their own language of ASL. I  shared her sentiment. We decided to pray for another opportunity.

For weeks, IN EVERY SINGLE PRAYER, which is a whole lotta prayers as a missionary, we prayed for “another chance with the Deaf girl.” Over and over and over. Again and again and again.

Then BAM. One day, we ran into her again. We didn’t miss our chance this time. We talked with her in a comprehensible way and asked if we could teach her. She agreed. Her boyfriend joined us.

My sign had never been so good as that lesson, neither has it been since. When teaching the “Message of the Restoration” the Spirit heightened my ability to communicate. It flowed more smoothly than I’d ever been able. We invited the couple to Church and they attended where a professional interpreter in our ward made the meetings more accessible to them.

Then they quit opening the door to us, which was unfortunate. Though LDS missionaries are persistent, they still get the hint.

I believe that we can influence God. Jesus taught in the parable of the unjust judge a woman received her request from the unjust judge simply because of her repetition in asking. Then, what of God? He’s a perfect Parent with the best interest of His children at the forefront of His priorities. I know when my nieces ask repeatedly for me to spin them around and around, I cave like a mushy mess because they love it so much. I want them to be safe, happy, well adjusted little ladies and as long as those parameters are met, I’m happy to do as they request of me, especially when they’re so grateful. I’m hardly a pushover, okay sometimes I am. This is how I view God. I believe that though the “Deaf girl” was not interested in being taught, God performed the miracle of opening her heart because of the faith we offered Him, enough to grant us our request. We just wanted another chance to talk to her. We received what we asked and beyond.

May you influence God by the faith you offer in the form of prayer. He will respond to what it is you request as long as it is within His parameters for your safety and eternal happiness. (Doctrine and Covenants 88:2)

Katarina and I attended the Washington, D.C. Temple this weekend for an ordinance session conducted completely in ASL. It’s the third Saturday of each month at 3:45pm. Signing again reminded me to remember, remember that I can influence God with my prayers.  He gave us “another chance with the Deaf girl,” He can do other things too.

In what way will you influence God?

©2012 Mormon Insider. All Rights Reserved.

©2012 Mormon Insider. All Rights Reserved.

A few years ago I attended a fireside (an infrequent evening Church meeting) in the northern Virginia area for LDS young single adults that featured Jenny. Before she came in, I was disagreeing with a friend who insisted Jenny Oaks Baker has four kids. There’s no way she has four kids, she’s way too young, I told him. What I didn’t say was there’s no way that petite woman has four children. I met her once before for a work event where she played at the New York Historical Society. Turns out, he was right. Part of the fireside included each of her four adorable children playing their instruments.

I run into Jenny every now and then in the northern Virginia area and just beam at her like an uber fan. She’s candid, which I love, and she freely shares her faith in the Lord, which I love even more. I’m always flattered that she remembers me.

I’ve been following Jenny via Facebook as she’s been shopping for modest dresses for her newly made music video and the Grammys red carpet. She was holding out revealing them until the big day and I’ve been anxiously awaiting the results of her search for modest and elegant dresses.

She totally nailed it. Modesty is so beautiful, especially as Jenny Oaks Baker does it.

See her featured in the Washington Post Grammys Fashion report.  Her dress is ravishing.

I love the black dress in her “A Whole New World Music Video”…and the red one. Okay, I like them all.

Check it out.

Here’s an article including a video where Jenny freely shares her faith in Christ.

©2012 Mormon Insider. All Rights Reserved.

As we were walking she said she didn’t want to ever complain about her pregnancy. She and her husband have been wanting a baby for over six years and it was only just now they were expecting. She said she wasn’t ever jealous of other women when they would announce pregnancies. She was sincerely happy for them, but it did bother her when women would complain about being pregnant. She said that she would do anything to feel a baby inside her and would never complain about the physical ailments that went along with it.

I really like this friend. No, make that I really love this friend. She’s a tremendous overall person and I’m inspired to be better just by her company. She reminded me about living with gratitude.

I am mindful everyday of living with gratitude and it makes my life happy and content. It’s no exaggeration. I really make a conscious effort everyday. I have a similar feeling as this friend, only it’s not about being pregnant, it’s about being married.  (My Mormon mode of thinking keeps me on a path of ordering marriage before babies.)

I’m honestly not ever jealous when people announce engagements and eventually follow through with the decision. I’m sincerely so happy about it. It’s a miracle to my mind that people even get married these days, so I’m happy someone is carrying on the existence of the institution. But, it bothers me like nothing else when I hear my friends or family members complaining about their husbands. It usually runs along the lines of being too tired to go out on a weekend or not taking out the trash as expected. I try hard not to get huffy about it, but it’s a trigger for me. If I had a husband like theirs, someone I loved who loved me back, who was too busy doing good things in their lives to complete everything that is expected of them, I’d be grateful for it. I wouldn’t be put out about taking out the trash myself. It’s the Mormon dream to live a happy family life and they get to live it.

This probably makes my stock as a girlfriend go up, just sayin’.

(Image from this Pinterest pin)

Along the lines of trying to achieve that greatest of personal successes, a happy family life, here’s my dating tip for those extending invitations, men or women. When someone asks “What are you doing on Friday night?” I’m not really sure how to answer it. Do you really want to know? If you’re asking on Wednesday, I typically already have plans. It’s best just to extend an invitation and let the invitee decide if they’re willing to readjust their plans. And it’s helpful as the inviter to pause a little bit after a person says they have a prior commitment. If they want to go out with you, they’d usually suggest an alternative time they’re available. If they’re glad they have previously arranged plans to escape directly declining your invitation, they wouldn’t suggest another time.

Just trying to help that marriage institution continue. You’re welcome.

©2012 Mormon Insider. All Rights Reserved.

Read the article here.

©2012 Mormon Insider. All Rights Reserved.

I don’t care that much for politics.

In college while at BYU, I helped campaign for Senator Orrin Hatch’s reelection. It wasn’t what I was expecting. I just thought it’d be more….more…meaty. I thought we’d be talking to people about Senator Hatch’s record and discussing policy directions while on good ol’ Americans’ doorsteps. Not so, “getting out the vote” felt like being a cheerleader. There were a few rah-rahs and some smiling and waving, but that was about it. No offense to the cheerleaders of the world, but I just wasn’t interested. Plus, Hatch was a well established incumbent. It wasn’t that exciting to advocate for him.

Even though I’m in the civic education field, I don’t follow Congress’ actions that closely. My friend, a consistent Fox News consumer, who knows me well enough to call me out would often question my lack of interest. It’s not that I’m not interested, I would tell him, it’s just exhausting to sift for the truth; everything has a spin in politics. I at least make an effort to resist intellectual dishonesty by reading the news more often than I view it, but because this takes lots of time, I usually only read a few lead articles a day. I’d occasionally watch the Republican debates, but not on a Saturday night, are you kidding? Not at least early on when Herman Cain was still in the running.

But Newt Gingrich has moved me to act. 

How is anyone taking this guy seriously?

I identify as a moderate conservative. I didn’t vote for change. With that said, I just assumed that the steady polling of “generic Republican” beating Obama would play out to mean the best candidate, clearly Mitt Romney, would get the Republican nomination.

Not so. By the time South Carolina came around Newt Gingrich was polling well.

I may not care that much for politics, but I care about my country and therefore I care about politics.

“I’m in” was my emailed response.

Newt has cheated extensively in both his professional and personal life. He may appeal to ultra conservatives with his rants against the elite media, but he doesn’t stand a chance in a general election against President Obama.

As speaker, 80% of his Republican colleagues voted him out of leadership and fined him $300,000 for ethics violations. After which, he left Congress to be what he calls a “historian” for Freddie Mac which is the institution that caused the biggest financial crisis of our time. Freddie compensated him $25,000 a month. Really? When did historians begin seeking to influence legislation, which is exactly what he was doing. Toast against Obama—the anti-lobbiest standard bearer these days.

He’s also cheated in his personal life. This isn’t just a question of who he chooses to have sex with, like we’d have to worry who he would be doing in the Oval office, or who would be doing him, it’s that he’s willing to betray a person he at one time promised before God to love and care for when she develops cancer in preference for another woman. Then he did it again with the next woman when she contracted MS. Callista, girl, red flags are waving around your perfectly sculpted helmet of a hair do. This guy is a slime ball. You’re next.  How someone treats the people closest to them overwhelmingly who they are as a person–slime ball.

Compare Newt’s family life to President Obama’s and then imagine a general presidential election. The president is obviously interested in his kids and cares for his wife. They actually like each other. He may not share my vision for America, but President Obama is a descent man. The public perception of  his family life alone would demolish Newt in a general election.

Not Newt. Not Obama.

However, South Carolina voters wanted Newt–40% of them at least. It turns out the state with a strong evangelical presence would prefer a man like Newt Gingrich to a Mormon–This article is worth your time to help gain some insight on that: Better to be an adulterer than a Mormon?: Evangelicals, Gingrich, and Romney.

That’s all for now.

I’m off for the night to hear Matt Bowman talk about his new book The Mormon People: The Making of an American Religion. The WSJ called it one of the five best on Mormonism. I don’t know if that’s true, I haven’t read it. My copy just arrived last night. I just know that Matt’s brilliant. Anytime we have a conversation on any Mormon topic, he unfolds so much depth that hours later when I’m trying to sleep, I keep thinking about what he shared.

I’m off.

Further reading:

Is Mitt’s Mormonism Responsible for South Carolina Loss?

©2012 Mormon Insider. All Rights Reserved.

[MollyMormon]:

A completely unofficial inquiry:

In the exchange between Governor Romney and Congressman Gingrich reported in this piece, the governor is reported to have said he would be thankful at the news that Fidel Castro had “returned to his maker,” at which the Gingrich quipped that he believed Castro was “going to the other place.”

This was a bit of otherwise playful sparring over a point on which they agree, namely that Fidel Castro is a truly horrible figure and that the US embargo and other long-standing Cuba policies should be maintained, all of which I agree with most wholeheartedly.

My question is whether Governor Romney’s response was shaped by LDS theology about what happens to the soul at death.  Why did he chose the phrase “return to his maker”?

[Colleague]

My reply:

[Colleague]:

Good question. I was watching that debate and knew the reference to which Romney was referring.

Latter-day Saints believe when we die we go to the spirit world to await resurrection. There’s a partial judgment there because the presence of God is so strong, people who have a great deal of sin are tormented by their awareness of it, but God isn’t necessarily physically there. He may be at times, but if He were to come to the spirit world physically, it would probably only be among the righteous. After resurrection there’s a final judgment where you physically stand before God and Christ will be on the Father’s right hand advocating for those who chose to receive His Atonement He freely offered.

An ancient American prophet named Alma described the spirit world as going “home to that God who gave them life.” That was the scripture to which Romney was referring.

Here are some excerpts from that chapter:

“There must needs be a space betwixt the time of death and the time of the resurrection.” (Alma 40:6) 

“Now concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection—Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.” (v.11)

“And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care and sorrow.” (v. 12)

“And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of the wicked, yea, who are evil—for behold, they have no part nor portion of the Spirit of the Lord; for behold, they chose evil works rather than good; therefore the spirit of the devil did enter into them, and take possession of their house—and these shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and wailing, and gnashing of teeth, and this because of their own iniquity, being led captive by the will of the devil.” (v 13)

“Now this is the state of the souls of the wicked, yea, in darkness, and a state of awful, fearful looking for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God upon them; thus they remain in this state, as well as the righteous in paradise, until the time of their resurrection.” (v. 14)

(v.11-14 link)

As we’ve talked about before, Latter-day Saints believe that God makes the gospel available to everyone, though they may not have had the opportunity in mortality. It is in the spirit world where people may accept the gospel and accept proxy baptism performed on their behalf in Temples, such as the one off the beltway. (The “gospel” is faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism by immersion by God’s authority, the reception of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands and faithfulness the best you can thereafter.)  It’s up to the deceased to accept or reject this.  We are responsible to perform the ordinances since we don’t know who will accept or not (you only do these for your ancestors, if they’re not your ancestors, you need a family members’ permission). Those who lived without the fullness of the gospel are judged according to the knowledge they had in the flesh in addition to their decision to receive a greater portion of the Atonement once they knew more about it. In my view, this shows how God can be just and require a very narrow gate for salvation, but is also merciful by making sure everyone has the opportunity to enter the gate if they choose.

All things are finalized at resurrection; there is no post-resurrection acceptance of the gospel. In my opinion, the option to accept the gospel after this life is available only for those at peace enough to hear it and decide upon it. People like Fidel Castro would be so racked with torment (I judge him to be bound for the prison portion of the spirit world) would likely not be open to hearing the gospel, but that’s just my own inference.

You could read the chapter on the 1918 revelation where Christ bridged the division between spirit paradise and prison during the three days after His crucifixion at http://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/138?lang=eng. It was then He commissioned missionaries to teach the gospel to those in prison. This came when the then prophet was pondering these scriptures after the death of his daughter– (1 Peter 3:18-19, 1 Peter 4:6).

On one other occasion Romney has used an LDS phrase in the debates. In SC when Newt was pressing him to release his taxes, he said he would not apologize for being successful, but he didn’t have anything to hide. “I’m honest in my business dealings” he said. This is a phrase from a Temple interview question, which is an interview where a LDS declares their life is aligned with the gospel’s teachings and can enter “the House of the Lord.” The question asks “Are you honest in your business dealings and with your fellow man?”

I hope that will suffice. Thanks for asking the question. I’m happy to respond to any curiosity I can.

Best,

[MollyMormon]

©2012 Mormon Insider. All Rights Reserved.

He hugged me hello and goodbye at the same time.

It felt really good because it was in a way to show me he cared about me without using words. We grew up together, so he knows me well. He knows the ways that I’ve tremendously changed with also staying relatively the same.

Men and women can be just friends. It depends on each of their mindsets, though. He and I dated in college and we’ve both concluded a romantic relationship isn’t going to work with us.  As we’ve moved onto a new life phase we’ve been sure to nurture our friendship because we both value it.

Can men and women be just friends? This viral video out of Utah State University addresses the question.

The guy with the sandwich cracks me up and the guy from 0:33-0:45 is just adorable. I like what he says, “…[Men] can be content with just friendship and we can be silent regarding those feelings, but we’re going to have them.”

Jesse and Patrick, the “young independent filmmakers,” edited the video well to show lots of attractive girls saying men and women CAN be just friends. Then they turned it to show in these instances the girls wanted to be just friends and the guys wanted more. However, I think it also goes the other way, there are men who want to be just friends with women and it is the women who don’t believe you can be just friends.

Then there are men and women who are friends with each other and neither is romantically interested in the other—happens all the time.

From my own experience there are men that I dated and really liked, but they broke up with me. They feel fine with being just friends, but I prefer not to be. I recently came across this “pin” on Pinterest that makes me laugh. It shows the feeling of the person getting dumped. The one initiating the break up, man or woman, would be comfortable being just friends. However, the one who wants more than friendship poignantly feels it’s not possible.

For me, if the person is someone I still determine could have relationship potential and they don’t want a relationship with me, I don’t want to be friends. If he’s not going to be kissing me, I don’t want to hear him cordially compliment my appearance. I don’t want him asking me for an update on my life and hear an update on his when I think the report could be better if we were together.  There are instances when the man wants only friendship and the woman doesn’t.

Then there are friendships between men and women where neither is interested in dating the other. It’s true, they do exist. Men and women can be just friends. I see it all the time. Further, I’m friends with men I grew up with who are now married. I love it when instead of cutting off friendship with them, their wives become included in the circle of friends.

Hmmm, now that I’m to the end of the post, I’m thinking I may have convinced myself that it’s more of an exception when men and women are really close friends without any romantic interest. I’m really only close friends with men with whom I have lots of history and retaining a friendship with them is worth the work. Otherwise, I don’t really pursue it and we’re really just casual friends or acquaintances and not the kind of friendship they’re addressing in the video.

Now I’m not sure.

What do you think? Can men and women be just friends?

Here’s a spoof on the original video by BYU student Stephen Jones. He’s best known for his starring role in the BYU library’s ad that went viral, New Spice: Study like a scholar, scholar viral video

©2012 Mormon Insider. All Rights Reserved.

“I picked it out,” I replied. I had just told her that Steve, a man I taught as a full time missionary, bought me the dress for my birthday I was wearing. It’s probably one of my new favs.

It’s a Shabby Apple dress. Some Latter-day Saint business women run this company. Turns out there’s a market for stylish modest clothes.

You can find previous posts about how Mormons wear a special underclothing as a reminder of their covenant to remember Jesus Christ at:

 Magic Mormon Underwear Gets a Mention at the Believing Brain Discussion

 Mormon Underwear: A Constant Personal Reminder to Always Remember Jesus Christ and Keep His Commandments

MacGyver Groupie and Lengthy Leggings

This dress is called Overboard and can be found here. It doesn’t come with the belt pictured.

I got this red belt at a BYU lost and found sale for $2.00. I’m just waiting for the day when some BYU grad (there are many in the DC area) reveals they lost one just like it.

Several people at Church independent of each other told me that I looked like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. The married missionary couple said it, the ward clerk and my friend who is “investigating” as we call it when someone is considering joining also mentioned it.

I was going more for the Fourth of July picnic in the middle of winter look, but whatev.

Remembering teaching Steve makes me smile.

An area leader came to our mission and promised us that if we contacted all the “part member families” in the ward, then by Christmas (in 6 weeks), we’d be teaching someone who would accept the restored gospel.

My companion and I prayed diligently in every single prayer, which as a missionary is a whole lotta prayers, that we could realize that promise in our little part of the vineyard.

Our ward clerk printed a list of everyone who did not have a member spouse.  Then we went about outreaching to people on the list.

I’ll never forget that day. Steve says he knew “it was over” when he saw us walking up because he felt it in his heart. We had no clue. At this point lots of people had shot us down, but we kept praying and kept inviting. We believed someone would be ready.

He had been taught by Sister missionaries years before, which is how he came into the Church. He had gone “less active” as we call it when someone has been baptized and quits participating in the community of Christ.  He was even an ordained high priest and served in that capacity for years before going less active. Being a high priest and walking away is a big deal to Mormons. Because such a person has a great deal of knowledge, God will hold them accountable to that knowledge.

Bishops had visited him many times before to invite him back and so did other missionaries. To put it politely, he wasn’t very nice to them.

Now was his time.

I asked if we could teach him the missionary lessons. Gruffly, he said he already knew the lessons—he even used to teach them himself.

“Then we can teach each other,” I replied.

“There’s no point in me going to Church because I’m not worthy to take the Sacrament,” he said.

“Then you can become worthy,” I replied.

The Sacrament to a Latter-day Saint is a sacred ordinance reminding us of the body and blood of Christ. It renews the baptismal commitment to always remember Jesus Christ and keep the commandments. If you quit keeping commandments, you are to abstain from the Sacrament until you realign yourself with them.

Steve said he was drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes, both are against the health code we believe is revealed from God for our time.

He agreed to have us back.

When we returned we were prepared to invite him to quit coffee right away and in later visits we planned to work with him on the cigs.

It was a Sunday when we came back. I was the one that invited him to stop drinking coffee.   He said he would and that he would stop smoking, too, and if he could stop smoking by Wednesday, he’d be to Church on Sunday.

I wish I had a picture of our faces. I hope I get to see that at judgement when my life is reviewed. We were surprised to say the least.

I asked if he was sure.

He was.

And he did.

Now he serves in the Dallas Temple every Saturday.

It was his time.

And we did find a part member family that we were teaching by Christmas and who later received the gospel by baptism. Well, they found us. We wouldn’t have otherwise found them because they weren’t on our list, but that’s another story.

I have lived over and over in my life that when we exercise faith through prayer, the Lord gives us spiritual power to bring about His goodness.

As I’ve mentioned before, God is really good at connecting people who should meet at the right time if we but exercise faith in Him. He works according to our faith.

I believe that a modern prophet prayed about where I should be called as a missionary and by the spirit of prophecy, I was sent to connect with certain people at the right time and invite them to come unto Christ and receive the restored gospel.

I’m not feigning modesty when I say it’s amazing to see it’s God working through me. Realizing answers to prayers isn’t because I have stored up awesome-ness. It’s God. But I do have a part in preparing myself to be His messenger.

Feeling the power of God move through me has forever changed my life. It motivates me to continue seeking after Him.

As I do, I meet  people like Steve.

That makes life oh so good.

©2012 Mormon Insider. All Rights Reserved.