The Necessity of Kindness

It seems like in today's world there is a shortness of kindness going around. It seems like our world is so full of hatred and negativity. There are so many nasty things that we as humans say to one another and let's be honest, it's disgusting. It hurts nobody for one to be kind to another. It is understandable that there are subjects to which many will never agree on, which is expected. We are all human and we don't need to completely agree on everything. What is not expected is treating others poorly because you disagree with one another. There are a lot of reasons that one may not agree with another, but these individuals can still get along without having the same views as those around you. There are a lot of opportunities to be able to learn about other people's opinions or views, but this does not mean that you have to agree with what is said. When those around you are even making decisions you don't agree with, it still does not justify treating them poorly. Keep in mind that I am not saying you have to keep toxic people in your life or have discussions with those who are just looking to argue, but just be kind and avoid situations in which there is a likelihood that one cannot be kind to another. Being kind does not necessarily mean that you agree with everything that another person believes, but that you choose to see a person as someone who needs to feel loved and befriended (because in all honesty everybody does).

It has always intrigued me to see that one can treat another so poorly simply because of a different belief. In my eyes it is so important to have charity to everyone. Notice that I didn't say we should show charity to everyone unless they have a different view than us. As a believer of God and Jesus Christ, I know the purpose and the value of showing love to everyone around me and being able to make friends, even if there is a difference of opinion or ideas between the two of us. We need to realize as humans that there is not a single one of us who is better than the other. We all make mistakes and learn from those mistakes. We are all human. That is part of our journey on this earth and throughout this life. To make mistakes and to grow. 

While looking online I saw a quote that said, “our days are happier when we give people a piece of our hearts rather than a piece of our minds”. This quote not only encompasses the thoughts I’ve been having the last few weeks, but also the thought that we need to be more aware of what comes out of our mouths. When we are speaking unkind things it has the possibility of affecting that person or group of people worse than intended. Not only does being kind positively affect those around us, but it positively affects us as well. 

When we look for the positives in others it gets us into a good habit of looking for the positives in ourselves and in all honesty, who couldn't use more of that within themselves. Kindness is not only important to show to other, but to ourselves. Vulnerability moment: I have a super hard time being kind to myself. I am constantly picking out things I could be doing better or things that I need to perfect. Let's be honest, nobody can be perfect in this life, but you can learn to be perfect for yourself and that's something that I really need to work on.

I think a lot of times, most people find it much easier to be kinder to others than we are to ourselves. While it is vital to be kind to others, we need to incorporate that into our own thinking for ourselves. We need to realize the affects that our thoughts have on us and the way that they can make us react when we are having negativity amongst ourselves. Positive thinking and self-kindness overflows into the world and we are more apt to become kinder individuals overall.

Self-compassion and self-kindness lead to love of ourselves and an outpouring of love to those around us. Kindness is key to leading a positive life. Stay real and be kind. 

Love,

MaShayla

The Full Circle Wrap-around of God's Blessings

There are many times in our lives where something happens, and we don't really know why. We may end up going a different route than we had planned for ourselves, end up making choices we didn't originally plan on making, or even end up getting answers to prayers that we were expecting a completely different answer from, or may not coincide with our original plans.

My freshman year of college (fall of 2017) I had decided that I wanted to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I was so overwhelmed with my prerequisite classes and in a panic that I wasn't going to get into the nursing program for the fall of 2018. I was stressed, so I wanted to turn to the only place that I knew would help me out in life. I wanted to share the gospel with others who hadn't yet been able to hear about it. I wanted to serve, and I'm not going to lie, I wanted to use the time to think about my path in life and see if I was on the right one. I prayed about going on a mission for nearly 3 months until I went home for Christmas break. I prayed asking God to guide my decision and asking God to help me know if serving a mission in the summer of 2018 was the right choice for me at this time. I was studying for my biology final when I was thinking about a mission when I received my answer. The words entered my mind ever-so-softly, yet stern and said, "not yet". I was confused. I sat and thought to myself, " but I want to go so bad. Why would that be the answer?". So convincing myself that it was my mind saying that out of fear, I prayed that night and asked Heavenly Father if the "not yet" was the correct answer, or if it was just me thinking. My heart warmed and I heard those distinct words yet again, "not yet".

I struggled with this, especially when I first understood. I thought "am I not good enough to go? Do I not know enough?". I then sat and prayed to Heavenly Father to help me accept this answer. Eventually, I was able to. I'm not going to lie, hearing those words was one of the hardest things that I have had to hear. I felt inadequate to go, and then, even a year+ after receiving that confirmation, I felt inadequate as a member of this church. Nobody had ever said anything to me about not serving a mission, and nobody and ever made me feel inferior because of it, but in my mind I had thought that because I didn't serve a mission, I wasn't as good of a person as the women who went on missions. I felt inadequate and lacking because I didn't go on a mission. But now, I am oh so grateful that I listened to the prompting not to go, even though, at the time, it was such a struggle.

As I have sat and pondered the past 3 years of my life, I have realized a lot of things. In the past 3 years I have been able to serve in various church callings, minister to so many people around me, learn lots of lessons related to what I want in a spouse and what I don't want and how I want to raise my family. I have learned valuable lessons in identifying when someone needs your help and when someone just needs someone to listen. I graduated nursing school (I ended up getting into the program for the fall of 2018, you know, the one that I was convinced I wasn't going to get in for), and I have been blessed with amazing friends and relationships that will last eternity. 

So, what does this have to do with a full circle wrap-around of God's blessings? Let me tell you. If I would have gone against that prompting, I still would have been blessed with lots of amazing missionary experiences, but I wouldn't be anywhere close to where I'm at right now. I wouldn't be a graduated nurse getting ready to take my national registry test, I wouldn't have gotten as close to some of my best friends, and I wouldn't have learned the many things that I have learned about relationships, and I would most likely not be in the awesome relationship I'm in now. I have had a surplus of blessings and I think that because I went through the process of being told not yet, I was more able to focus on what was happening in the present of my life, even though I had feelings of inadequacy, because I knew I was doing what I was supposed to do.

To those who served missions: I am so proud of you! That is such a courageous thing to do and you helped so many people, I'm sure more than you even know. Missions are such amazing things and they bring amazing blessings!

To those who haven't served missions or aren't able to serve missions: GOD DOES NOT LOVE YOU ANY LESS! You have just as much value in his eyes. You shouldn't feel inferior because EVERYBODY's life path is different. Everybody has their own path in life and that involves everybody doing different things at different ages. Not one person's path is the same, and that's what keeps life interesting. Blessings come no matter what, it all depends on the attitude we have. 

I can say these things because this experience is in the past. I know that in the present, things are hard and you don't understand them when you're going through them, but eventually, in God's timing, you will be able to understand why certain things happen and what you can learn from your experiences. You may find out in this life, you may not find out until the next life, but take comfort in knowing that no matter where your path takes you, or what answer to your prayers you receive, you are of infinite worth in the eyes of God. When you have your life planned, and Heavenly Father takes you on a different path, put your trust in him because he knows the whole plan and he knows eternity. You only know what is in your present time.

I am so thankful for the lessons I learned and the relationships I built within the past three years, and I am so grateful that I was able to listen and heed to the promptings of the spirit and not serve a mission. Not yet anyway. Don't be afraid to put your trust in God and take the path that he has for you! Rely on him through prayer and acknowledge the answers that you are given. You will be blessed as you heed the promptings of the spirit and follow YOUR path that Heavenly Father has envisioned for you. The best part is, when you heed the promptings and you are eventually able to look back at that decision, you will be able to see the full circle wrap-around of God's blessings, and acknowledge his hand throughout your life!

Love,

MaShayla

Relationships Vs. Happiness

You don't have to have a relationship to be happy. After having a few heart to hearts with a couple of dear friends in recent months, we felt the need to discuss things that have been on our minds. In one situation we were hanging out and I looked at one of them and said "I wanna have a deep conversation"  and so we started talking about life (I have done this with a couple of them at different times). We talked about how hard this age is because we are still young but we feel the need to be in a relationship. We feel like we need to be in a relationship in order to fulfill our complete happiness.
Now, I know we are not the only people in our 20's that struggle with this. This age is the age of intimacy vs isolation according to Eric Erickson's stages of development (sorry nerding out a bit). This is the time where we are searching for that and it is completely normal to want a relationship or want to have someone who we can depend on and trust. We want that connection.
My friends and I often turn to this topic when it comes to discussing things in our lives. We often talk about how we love being single and doing what we want and going on spur of the moment adventures with each other, but then we always add the but... but... it would be fun to have someone that you could invite on all of those adventures, it would be fun to just call someone up and say "hey let's watch a movie" or any other thing that people like doing with their significant others.
As we have talked about this it has made us realize a few things. 1. it is completely okay to have these feelings. It is okay to want something like that, 2. It is normal for this age, so we shouldn't wonder why we're so worried about it. It's normal to think about, and 3. just because you want it doesn't mean you should let it overtake your life. It is so important to focus on what's happening in the now.
Speaking from personal experience, if you focus on what is happening right now in your life it will make you so much happier and you won't become obsessed with the idea of needing a relationship to be happy. You can focus on your friends and your loved ones and school, or your job, or whatever you may be doing in life right now. You don't have to focus on trying to get a relationship and trying to "fulfill that happiness". There is a difference between wanting that fulfillment and obsessing over it and making it your sole focus.
We have talked about it a lot and we notice that when we are super focused on wanting a relationship, it makes us feel like we aren't good enough for anyone. We have realized that we are a lot more emotional and perhaps even more temperamental when we are focusing on it. If we focus on our friends and our schooling and just let whatever happens happen with the relationship part of our life, we are much happier and we don't feel pressured under the social norm of needing to find someone.
So, here's my advice to all of us:
1. Do not let YOUR HAPPINESS depend on a relationship. Sure they're fun, but you can have plenty of fun without them. You can truly discover yourself and you can learn exactly what you want in your future spouse.
2. Focus on the things that matter right now! The things that matter in this moment. The days are passing you by and soon you will be graduating from college, moving to a new town, starting a new job or whatever else people our age do. Realize that we are only this age once and we will only have these opportunities now, so seize the moment and allow yourself to find paradise in the life you're living now. Why waste our time focusing on the future when the now is so good?
3. Be adventurous. I'm going to say it again. WE ARE ONLY THIS AGE ONCE! Go on hikes, go sky diving, go camping. Do what you want to do with the people you want to do it with. You don't need a significant other to have fun. Go with your friends. Go with your family. Just GO!
4. Lean on your friends and family when you're struggling or needing someone to turn to. Just because you don't have a significant other doesn't meant that you don't have anyone that is there for you. You have support surrounding you, you just need to recognize it and realize that you need to reach out or they may not know anything is going on (haha pointing at myself). If you need someone, tell them. They won't know unless you open up. If they don't know that's when you may feel alone, so be free and talk about things that you need comfort or support for and I guarantee you that they will love you no matter what!
Finally,
5. Be open and discover you! Now is the best time to decide who you are and what you truly want in your life. It is a great time to decide on habits and lifestyles that you want to gain, goals you want to achieve, and the kind of person you are and want to become. I have been able to grow so much these past two years at school, and that growth stops when I am focused on the wrong thing. You do you ad decide what's best for you.
Now, I know this is a lot easier said than done. Trust me. I know. The only thing I can say is don't focus on the wrong things in life. Live in the now and love the life you live. If you don't love it change it.

Love,

MaShayla

Let's get real... LIFE IS HARD! There are so many decisions that you have to make. You worry if it will make you happy, if it will make someone disappointed, if you will lose your way, or just straight up if it is the right choice. That's the thing about life. Everybody is just trying to live theirs while keeping everyone around them and everyone they care about happy.
Let's get this straight, you can't go around trying to please everyone, you have to do what is best for you and the situation that you are in. The people who truly care about you won't be upset with you for doing what is best for yourself. They will understand.
There are times where you have to make a tough call, and hope that the people around you will understand, or maybe even realize and be thankful for the decision that you made later on.
I have had a couple of conversations with some friends who are such amazing examples to me. I go to them for advice and they are more than willing to open up and talk to me about tough decisions that they have had to make.
I have a friend who, recently, has become one of my very very best friends. She is one of the greatest examples to me. We have conversations that we don't really feel comfortable talking with anyone else about (except our parents), and they have so greatly helped me. She has talked to me about many things and decisions that she has recently made and her strength and drive amazes me. She is extremely dedicated and knows what she wants.
The advice that I have received recently from some of her personal life experiences has made me realize that she truly knows if she does what is best for her, she is able to do so because she realizes that that is what is best for her and her situation. She is able to realize that sometimes you have to put your decisions and situations before what others think because in the end, your life and the way you run your life and the decisions you make have nothing to do with most of the people's lives who have an opinion about yours.
Her strength has helped me to make some tough decisions, but I am so so thankful for that. I know that the right choice was made, and in due time, I will be able to appreciate it. I am so so thankful for her and her being able to show me and push me to be able to listen and follow what I feel is right in my heart and hear what I need to hear. 
Being able to realize what you need to do is a big step, but being able to actually follow through with what you think you need to do is an even bigger step.When you make a (good) decision and follow through with it, it is will make your life better.
Not only do decisions make life hard, but so does finding people who will support and understand you. It is important to find your people, and surround yourself with them. You need to surround yourself with the people who will support you and be there for you and not tear you down because you make a decision that wasn't their opinion or what they wanted you to do. Life is hard. Why make it any harder by surrounding yourself around those who are negative and unsupported?
Just think about your life, and realize that you are here to make yourself happy and feel at peace, not anyone else.
It is so important to look at your life, look at your accomplishments, look at the people you love, and realize that you have done so many amazing things! The truth is, every single one of us have done such amazing things in our lives, it just take the right pair of glasses to see that in ourselves and recognize it. Be proud of yourself, and let those around you be proud of you too!

(This is not my photo, it was on http://www.lovethispic.com/uploaded_images/297381-You-re-So-Hard-On-Yourself...take-A-Moment...sit-Back....jpg)

Love,

MaShayla :)

Missionary Work and Ministering

Missionary work is something that I am extremely passionate about. I have recently been struggling a little bit. I haven't been feeling as spiritual as I usually do, and I think it is because I am focusing, not necessarily on the wrong things, but on things that are less important than the amazing gospel of Jesus Christ. As I have been going through nursing school I have putting a lot of time towards that, and any extra time I have I try to spend with my friends. I wish that I could say it is justified, but in all reality, it's not. I should be spending a bit less time with friends and more time doing gospel centered things. I should be looking for more opportunities to minister and have missionary experiences.
Now, as I sit and think of ways to improve this, I can think of doing more scripture study and conference talk studying and things like that, praying for who needs to hear those things I am learning about so that I can share it with them. I can strengthen my testimony by helping others gain theirs.
Missionary work is so important and it is truly an amazing thing. If we can help others find their way to God, we can surely, only continue strengthen our own knowledge of God, Jesus Christ, and this gospel. Missionary experiences are so amazing and they require us to act upon promptings, be close to the spirit, and not be afraid of what others will think of us when we act upon these promptings.
All last year I thought about serving a mission. I prayed and prayed and kept getting the answer "not yet". I know now that that was due to me getting into the nursing program and Heavenly Father has plans for me with that. I recently have been finding myself wishing I would have gone on a mission, but the time was not right. I know that as I follow the Lord's promptings I will be blessed and I know that I am "serving a mission" right where I am.
You see, the thing is, we do not need to be called on a mission to be serving a mission. The more I have thought about this, the more I believe it is true. I have felt promptings and I have acted upon some. I have noticed that I as I do act upon them, not only does it help affect those that I try to help, but it also affects me. As I share my testimony, walk in faith, and try to keep the commandments, it strengthens my testimony and I can help lead by example, that is, only when I am doing what is right and what the Lord would want me to do.
Missionary work is about so much more than sharing the gospel with those around us. It is about serving those around us. Ministering. Loving. Being an example. Praying. Having faith. Listening. As well as sharing. Missionary work is about showing people that there is more to lives than themselves, and teaching yourself that others matter just as much, if not more than yourself. Missionary work is about charity and learning to see everyone through Heavenly Father's eyes. As we strive to serve and teach others we can strengthen and encourage ourselves. We have to learn to love Heavenly Father's children if we want to be able to make a difference in their lives.
I want to share my testimony that missionary work and ministering are truly some of, if not the most important things that we can do for others around us. We can share things on social media, be examples, answer questions, share our testimonies, and lead by example, and we may never know who it will help. Maybe someone just needs some encouragement that day, and that one little thing you share or say can greatly affect their day. Reacting to promptings is a huge part of ministering and missionary work. When we react to these promptings, it shows that we truly want to help encourage the growth of the Lord's gospel. I know that as we put forth our best efforts to help and minister and teach others, we too will be blessed with guidance in our own lives, and we will strengthen our own testimonies. I say these things, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

 Love, MaShayla :)

Choices and Joy

Recently, someone extremely close to me and I have had a lot of conversations on joy and happiness. I have sat and pondered these conversations that we have had. I have come to the conclusion that you can find happiness, eternally or temporally, but you can only find true joy, eternally. Joy can only be found when we truly excel happiness, and I believe that all of the happiness that is excelled is either eternal now, or has the potential to become eternal. The first example that I think of to give when I think of the word joy, is a family. The family bring happiness, but I believe that it exceeds happiness and gives us joy because we have the ability to be with our families forever. It all simply revolves around a choice. The choice to be sealed forever, eternally.
Choice are a big part of this life. Agency is the reason we are here on this earth in the first place. As I reflect on my choices in life, I am pretty proud of most of them. No matter what I have been able to learn something from all of them.
Choices are so important in this life. No matter what decisions we make, there will always be consequences. We will always have a reciprocation to our choices, whether it be good or bad. As we choose the things in life that make us happy we can be led to joy, but if we choose things that temporarily make us happy, they may not bring us true joy, and we may have made a decision that was for the there and then rather than for eternity. People make mistakes. It's human nature. We re NOT perfect. The important thing is that we learn from what has happened and don't let history repeat itself. As we learn from anything that has happened to us in the past as a result of our choices, we can use them to turn ourselves to eternal joy.
Sheri Dew said "there is one thing the power of God and the power of Satan have in common. Neither can influence us unless we allow them to". This quote really hit me when I first read it. It is a choice to listen to Satan, just as it is a choice to listen to our Heavenly Father. It is up to us to live the life we want. It is up to us to find our joy and grab hold of it and just never let go. We CANNOT afford to let others influence our agency if it will cause us to stray away from the destination of true joy that we are trying arrive to. I once saw a quote that said something like "we cannot make decisions without thinking about the affect it could have on future generations", which is something I completely agree with. If you have a way that you want your life to pan out, and you have a way that you want things to go in your life, you can't sacrifice one single choice for anybody who does not have your best interest in their mind.
You will have friends who know what you want and know what you desire and they won't invite you to certain things or tell you certain things because they know what you want in the long run. You will also have "friends" who will invite you to things and tell you things in situations that you don't want to be in and they know that, but they do it anyway because they have their best interest in mind. These "friends" do not have an eternal perspective in life and they want to live by the temporal things that this world has to offer. They have chosen to make a choice in the direction of Satan. But you don't have to. If you have, you an repent. You can fix it. The important thing is that you analyze everything you do, and ponder if it will better your life. Ask yourself, Will this choice make my life better?
We always listen to Troy Dunn on family car rides. He has one talk entitle "Life is a Football Game". In this talk he says something that has always stuck with me. He said something to the effect of "when you go to make a decision, think of your future kids watching on the big screen (he states earlier in the talk that we once were all in heaven in the 'locker room' waiting to get into the 'big game'. Watching our parents from up above, just as our kids are watching us) are they going to be saying 'Hey! Look! That's my mom/dad!!" or are they going to be sitting there ashamed saying "What are you doing?! You're running to the wrong end-zone"!
The point is, make decisions now, so that you can get to where you want to be later in life. I am not saying it is easy, but I am saying that it will be worth it. If we can power through our temptations, and get to where our Heavenly Father wants us to be (even including repentance. Repentance is such an AMAZING gift that the Savior gave us, knowing we were going to have to use it every single day of our lives) we will be so much further in life. We will be able to find TRUE "joy in the journey".
President Hinckley once said "The course of our lives is not determined by great, awesome decisions. Our direction is set by the little day-to-day choices which chart on the track on which we run". It is the little choices in day to day life that allow us to be able to feel true joy in our lives.
The atonement and the gospel is such a wonderful thing. We can come to find true joy as we make choices that bring us closer to our Heavenly Father. Everybody makes mistakes, but everybody has the opportunity to repent. Everyone has the ability to "try a little harder to do a little better". We have to trust ourselves. We have to allow ourselves to meet our full potential in order to find the true joy that Heavenly Father has in store for us. We have to trust our instincts and be able to decide to do what is best for us and our future. We have to do what will eternally make us happy rather than temporally because even if something makes you temporally happy, that happiness ends, where eternal joy, is for eternity.
I am not saying that there aren't going to be trying times, or times where you feel sadness or depression, and I am not saying that that is a choice. I am simply saying that  life can be made more full of joy if we are on the path of righteousness.
As this person that is extremely close to me and I have discussed joy, we have come to realize that joy is all our Heavenly Father wants for us. He wants us to live with him again and be joyous, and honestly, who doesn't want that for themselves?

Love,

MaShayla

Trust in our Heavenly Father

Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us. It is so uniquely and individually ours that there is no way that it could be the plan for somebody else. While knowing this, it is sometimes hard to let or understand why certain things happen. Elder Richard G. Scott counseled in his talk "Trust in the Lord" that "to exercise faith is to trust that the Lord knows what He is doing with you and that He can accomplish it for your eternal good even though you cannot understand how He can possibly do it. We are like infants in our understanding of eternal matters and their impact on us here in mortality. Yet at times we act as if we knew it all." Heavenly Father knows what he is doing, we just have to trust him and be patient while trying to understand what is going on. We cannot be stubborn and believe that we know what is best, above the Lord.
As we go through certain events in life we pray for things to work out one way, then they end up working out the way you didn't want them to and you may get frustrated, you may not understand why they are working out the way you didn't want them to... YET.  Although we don't understand why right away, the Lord will make all things known to us in due time. Elder Robert D. Hales stated "we may not know when or how the Lord's answers will be given, but in his time, and in his way, I testify, his answers will come". The truth to this quote just gives me the chills. This goes back to the thought of Heavenly Father knowing what he is doing. We may not know why it is taking so long or why we don't get the answer we want, but if we can be patient and trust in him, we will be able to see why and how these trials are/will be helping us.
While thinking of these things I read Elder Scott's talk. In this talk he says many amazing things that can help us understand. One awesome thing he says is "just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more (see Prov. 3:11–12)". Realizing this can be a game changer in how you trust in the Lord. When you are going through that trial and you don't get an answer right away, or it is not the answer you want, just know and understand that the Lord believes you are strong enough to handle it and it will only help you grow and strengthen your testimony, IF YOU LET IT. 
I want to ponder this thought for a second. If you let it. Heavenly Father can do all sorts of amazing things and allow us to go through all sorts of nasty trials. This is all for growth, but you will only grow if you allow yourself to have patience and "endure to the end" of the trial. You must hold fast and strong to your testimony to enable yourself to understand that there is a reason this certain thing is taking place in you life. Elder Scott enlightens us when he says, "when you face adversity, you can be led to ask many questions. Some serve a useful purpose; others do not. To ask, Why does this have to happen to me? Why do I have to suffer this, now? What have I done to cause this? will lead you into blind alleys. It really does no good to ask questions that reflect opposition to the will of God. Rather ask, What am I to do? What am I to learn from this experience? What am I to change? Whom am I to help? How can I remember my many blessings in times of trial? Willing sacrifice of deeply held personal desires in favor of the will of God is very hard to do". You see, the choice is up to us. We can let the trail strengthen or destroy us.There really is no in between. Although, with that being said, it does not mean that you can't struggle in the face of your trials.
A way to learn to trust and have faith in the lord is told in Elder Scott's talk. He explains that if we close our deepest and most sincere prayed with these three words, it will allow us to more easily accept our personal decisions as we go through these trials. These three words are "Thy will be done". If we can learn to accept the Lord's will, we can truly find peace as we go through our trials.

He has a profound paragraph to which reads "don’t let the workings of adversity totally absorb your life. Try to understand what you can. Act where you are able; then let the matter rest with the Lord for a period while you give to others in worthy ways before you take on appropriate concern again". This paragraph hit home with me. It all goes back to having trust in our Heavenly Father and having the faith and knowledge that he knows what he is doing. 

There is another important aspect of trusting the Lord throughout our trials and that is knowing that sometimes we can't get through them alone. This is where even more faith is required of us. Gordon B. Hinckley said "never assume you can make it alone. You need the help of the Lord".  This statement is a testament to me that no matter how strong I think I am and no matter how stubborn I am, thinking I can handle everything by myself, I will always need the Lord's help and if I would just turn to him I would be able to get through my trials easier with a bit less stress. 

I am forever grateful for the trials of life and the trials of faith that keep me on my toes and keep me trying to guess what comes next. I am so thankful for this gospel and all that it has done for me. I would be forever lost without it. I am thankful for the opportunity to grow in patience as I learn to wait for the Lord to answer my prayers and then learn how to hold fast to my faith when I don't get the 'right' (to me) answer. I am thankful for that the Lord trusts me enough to be a part of this gospel and share it with those around me. 

Love, 

MaShayla