#Humbling

 Hey y'all!

[Summary at the very bottom cuz I know not everyone has the time or attention span to read this.]

Apparently missions don't last forever :( and I've kind of been doing this for awhile so last week I got an email regarding  My Plan  basically this means part of my missionary responsibilities is planning some stuff for life after my mission. 

Please enjoy a short description of the existential crisis I've been experiencing as I try to make plans.

I've heard tales of a shoulder angel and a shoulder devil. Most iconically Kronk from Emperor's New Groove.

Well, I don't think I have an angel and a devil. This week I felt like I had a shoulder Jacob and a shoulder Esau. Esau likes eating jerky and takes a lot of pride in his hair and is real tough. Jacob likes growing food and flowers and is a real momma's boy. And, like, I'm both. 

Inner Jacob and Esau have been fighting over the birthright. But for me I'm just trying to decide which college to go to. 

Esau says, “Girl, you know which college you want. Just do it.“

Jacob says, “Sister Owens you know which college Heavenly Father wants you to go to and you know everything works out a lot better when you are obedient. Follow the prompting.”

I applied for and was accepted to the Jacob college but I still keep looking at the Esau college and selfishly wishing Heavenly Father will change his mind. But I know Heavenly Father is looking at me and saying, “Trust me.”

And so I'm trusting because Esau college is, for me, a mess of pottage. And right now I want it because I'm hungry and I've been working hard and I want easy. 

But Jacob college means eternal blessings not temporary comfort. Heavenly Father wants me to be happy and he wants me to become more like his son, Jesus, who seldom had it easy. Heavenly Father knows where that is going to happen. 

I am learning humility. It's been a hard lesson, but I'm learning.

Still holding to the rod,

Sister Owens

Summary: Choosing a college is hard. God knows more than you and me and all of us.

Cinderella (Sister Owens is not a shoe loser but she is a princess.)

 Hey y'all!

[Summary at the bottom cuz I know not everyone has the time or attention span to read this.]

Regarding Cinderella (2015 live-action)

Once upon a time my grandparents took me and my sister to see the live-action Cinderella movie at the theater. I fell in love with this movie because of its beauty and the message of courage and kindness. I watched it yesterday with Cordelia. Ten year old me was quite impressed and frankly so is twenty year old me.

Regarding Courage 

Earlier this year I was asked to give a little talk on courage for a young women's event in my ward. Courage is described as not being afraid of doing what is right, but has also been described as doing what is right despite being frightened. 

There are many scriptural examples of courage including the two thousand stripling warriors, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, Esther, Daniel, Nephi everyone who has ever had reasons to be afraid of doing the right thing and has done it anyways.

I think we have all been asked to do good things that are scary for us. I was asked to conduct zone conference a little while ago and it kind of made me want to cry but I still said yes and even though it was scary the whole time I did it because I knew that's what Heavenly Father wanted me to do. 

I really love Heavenly Father and I want to do what he wants me to do. 

Jesus felt this way too, in the garden as felt intense pain and loneliness when he said, "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” (Luke 22:42)

That's courage. Knowing something is going to be uncomfortable at best and doing it because you love someone. 

Regarding Kindness 

Once upon a time I had a constant brawl getting my locker combination correct in middle school. I want to say the lock was just tricky but no one else seemed challenged by it when they helped me get in the locker. This locker had me stressed all the time. Luckily, the girl with the locker above mine would notice my wrestles and offer to help. She was always so happy to help and she saved me from being late to class at least once a week. I'm so grateful for her kindness. 

I don't think she remembers helping me with my locker. I don't know if she remembers me at all. But I do remember her. I remember her kindness, her smile, all her help. I love her. Like really, I admire her so much even though I only know her from helping me open my locker nine years ago.

At the end of Hunger Games, Katniss, who's seen a thing or two and knows how good and how bad humanity can be, tells us about a sort of game she plays where she lists off every kind or good act she's seen someone do. 

There are times I like to play this game too. 

Kindness matters. Courage matters. 

Still holding to the rod,

Sister Owens

Summary: “Have courage and be kind.” -Cinderella 

Matthew 16

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/nt/matt/16?lang=eng 

Luke 22

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/nt/luke/22?lang=eng 

Hunger Games Quote

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/10611020-i-make-a-list-in-my-head-of-every-act  

I wrote this bad poem for you. 

Courage and kindness 

If we had more

Night would be shorter

Day longer

Every kind act is 

Reflected back

Every courageous act

Leaves the world a 

Little more lovely

Amen.

Boy Meet World episode 2 season 1 but like Book of Mormon Version

 Hey y'all!

[Summary at the very bottom cuz I know not everyone has the time or attention span to read this.]

Yesterday during my personal study I read Alma chapter 39 in the Book of Mormon. Here is the background information for the chapter:

Once upon a time Alma and his sons went on a mission. They preached the gospel to lots of people and it was great. Alma’s youngest son, Corianton, ditches his dad and brothers and flirts it up with this harlot chick named Isabel. Not cool. So Alma, being Corianton's Father and all, has a chat with Cory. 

Basically chapter 39 is that chat.

I used to want to skip over this chapter. It felt weird to read about Cory’s sins and his dad's gentle reprimanding. But yesterday I finally got it. I saw all the love in the chapter. The way Alma loved his sons so he brought them with him as he was preaching. Alma's older sons loved their father and their Heavenly Father and chose to be faithful missionaries. Cory did something abominable, he broke the law of chastity, but his father loves him so much he calmly talks to him and encourages him to repent and follow the example of his older brothers. And of course the love of the Savior who made it possible for Cory to repent.

I want to be like Alma. I want to love people enough to talk about uncomfortable things that will help them be better. I want to encourage repentance. I want to be like the dad in the prodigals son, welcoming sinners home, because oh, how they need a home and I want to celebrate their return. I want to be like Jesus. 

I guess the way to become like that is by remembering the mercy and grace Christ has shown me and then strive to give that to others.

In other news my great grandma turned 100!

Okay folks I love you all oh so much! 

Still holding to the rod,

Sister Owens

Summary: Listen to this hymn. Also my great grandma is so cute. 

Welcome Home

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/music/hymns-for-home-and-church/welcome-home-release-3?lang=eng

 

Hands

 Hey y'all!

[Summary at the very bottom cuz I know not everyone has the time or attention span to read this.]

Yesterday we had a sister's study activity. Which basically meant wearing pajamas, talking about things we want to do differently, creating goals and eating cookies. Wow, being a missionary is the best.

As we discussed our lives as missionaries one sister commented on how she felt when she was in the temple, explaining how her white dress and everything was beautiful until she would look down at her hands. 

This sister serves at the This Is The Place Monument, where missionaries dress as pioneers and help people learn about early Utah history and the way people lived in those times. This Sister is a blacksmith there and often gets scars and burns on her hands from the work and demonstrations she does. 

When she is wearing a dress for church or while she is in the temple in her white gown she feels self conscious and perhaps sometimes even ashamed of her hands because of the scars.

As she expressed this to each of us I couldn't help but see the parallels to Jesus Christ.

My dear friend, Jesus, also has scars from his service. No one served quite like him. No one suffered quite like him. 

President Thomas S. Monson, then Elder Monson, gave a talk entitled, “Hands” in this talk he speaks of the sanctity of hard working hands.

Of the Good Shepherd’s hands Elder Monson said, “This was the determined hand which drove from the temple the money changers. This was the loving hand that blessed little children. This was the strong hand that opened deaf ears and restored vision to sightless eyes. By this hand was the leper cleansed, the lame man healed—even the dead Lazarus raised to life. With the finger of this hand there was written in the sand that message which the winds did erase but which honest hearts did retain. The hand of the carpenter. The hand of the teacher. The hand of the Christ.”

It is a sacred privilege to be the Lord's hand as his service missionary. An honor even more for this sister who will forever look at her hands and find Christ. How sacred that her service should reflect the Savior’s.

“I think of his hands pierced and bleeding to pay the debt!

Such mercy, such love, and devotion can I forget? …

Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me enough to die for me!

Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me!”

His hands are always stretched towards us. Accept his hand. Let him help you. Oh how he loves you. When Jesus looks down at his hands he thinks of you. 

To this fellow missionary and representative of Christ, I humbly share, Psalm 24:3-4

“3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?

4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.”

Your hands are clean and you are worthy to enter the Lord’s house. Thank you for taking upon yourself the name of Jesus Christ. You are an exceptional representative of the Lord. However, I would kindly suggest that we find you some high quality, thick, leather gloves.

I hope all of our hands can be a little more like Christ's.

Still holding to the rod,

Sister Owens

Summary: Let us not be ashamed of the service we do in the Savior’s name. Celebrate those scars that make you more like Jesus Christ. Do more of what the Savior would do.

Sources

Hands

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1972/10/hands?lang=eng 

I Stand All Amazed

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/hymns/i-stand-all-amazed?lang=eng 

Psalm 24

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/ot/ps/24?lang=eng

 

Men's underwear, STL, & crying with people

 Yep. It's me again. You're welcome.

[Summary at the very bottom cuz I know not everyone has the time or attention span to read this.]

As of late I have been serving at the distribution center in Tooele. A distribution center is a place where people buy sacred clothing for ordinances and also books and CTR rings. It isn't exactly my most favorite place to be but that's not what service is about. To summarize my experience there I would say that I am learning much more about men's underwear than I'm interested in knowing.

The next order of business, I'm an STL now. STL stands for sister training leader and basically that means I am supposed to be real nice and also that I will probably need to talk more at missionary meetings. And a few other things.

Being a missionary has helped me to recognize some of my strengths and weaknesses. For example one of my strengths is my arm muscles, I beat all of my companions in arm wrestle contests. One of my weaknesses is adjusting to big transitions. In the last year (it's been a year) I've had some sacred opportunities to cry with people. I consider this a strength even though sometimes having a big heart means it's perhaps a little more heavy. Empathy has always been my superpower. It's probably my top Christ-like attribute, feeling things with people. 

I remember when it was time for my family to go and get flu shots my mom would take all of the kids at once in one appointment. I recall that while I didn't particularly enjoy getting a tiny needle poked in my arm it wasn't a terrifying or particularly painful experience for me. But it was for some of my siblings. They would cry and cry and cry and scream and it would always make me start crying too, I would feel so pained for/with them. I started needing to “go to the bathroom” when it was time for my younger siblings to get their vaccinations.

In recent times empathy has been more like crying beside my friend after they receive bad news. Or sitting in the foyer with students and listening to their experiences and for some reason I'm crying and realizing how much I love these students. With one of my companions it was feeling crappy and crying in the car with each other.

I used to think feeling so much because someone I loved was feeling so much was a little silly and sort of inconvenient. But this week I thought about how when choosing my service sites I wanted to be where Christ would be and I've been with people during times where they really needed Christ. Being a representative of Jesus Christ and being able to do what Christ would do for people is my favorite. 

In the scripture below a prophet named Alma is preaching to people at the waters of Mormon. Alma explains the qualifications for baptism, including mourning with those that mourn.

Mosiah 18:9

Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—

I'm grateful to be able to serve by being able to mourn with those that mourn. I'm grateful for the opportunity to love others the way Christ loves them and see everyone as a child of God. It's become sacred to me to have chances to fulfill my baptismal covenant to mourn with those that mourn. It helps me love the world despite… everything. I know people are good because I'm a person and I'm good. Certainly not perfect but good enough to give me hope.

Anyways joy to the world because we have our Savior. The good Shepherd is the goodest ever. I love Him so much. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Love you! 

Still holding to the rod,

Sister Owens

Summary: Sometimes my service situations are interesting and now I know more about underwear. #ohtheblessingsofservice They asked me to be a Sister Training Leader and I said yeah. Empathy. I love my Savior.

Testimonies are treats

 Hey y'all!

[Summary at the very bottom cuz I know not everyone has the time or attention span to read this.]

Happy Halloween!!!

One of my jobs at seminary is occasionally teaching the adaptive needs seminary class. It's been a sacred experience to testify of Jesus Christ with these beautiful kids and with their peer tutors. Everyone in our class is so friendly and the Spirit can easily be felt as we learn together!

This week I taught a lesson about the following scriptures.

Doctrine & Covenants 124:2-3

2 Your prayers are acceptable before me; and in answer to them I say unto you, that you are now called immediately to make a solemn proclamation of my gospel, and of this stake which I have planted to be a cornerstone of Zion, which shall be polished with the refinement which is after the similitude of a palace. 

3 This proclamation shall be made to all the kings of the world, to the four corners thereof, to the honorable president-elect, and the high-minded governors of the nation in which you live, and to all the nations of the earth scattered abroad.

I explained to the class that today we would be making proclamations of the gospel to the world. I said we wouldn't visit presidents or kings but we would go and share our testimonies with some neighbors. 

In the spirit of Halloween I made everyone missionary name badges so we could dress up as missionaries. Then we went testimony or treating. Much like trick or treating you approach someone's door and then rather than saying, “trick or treat” you bear your testimony and then you are given a treat.

First we visited Brother Hardy, the seminary principal. We knocked on his office door and he invited us all in. One by one we each shared our testimonies. Brother Hardy shared his too and he expressed to us that we had made his office a better place. I could tell he meant it because his eyes were filled with tears. I could feel the Spirit too. We got our treats and headed to our next neighbor.

The next person we visited was Sister Legge, our administrative assistant at seminary. We approached her desk and she was happy to receive our class. We introduced ourselves, (using our missionary titles) and again one by one bore our testimonies. I loved the way that some of our testimonies changed from the little walk between Brother Hardy's office and Sister Legge’s front desk. I love how beautifully and simply we each proclaimed the gospel truths we knew. 

We didn't have any more neighbors but I decided to close the classroom door and I pretended to be another neighbor. They knocked on my door and shared their testimonies with me. Testimonies are such powerful gifts. I cried as I listened to their pure and simple testimonies. I’m happy no one overcomplicated their testimonies, they simply shared what the Spirit told them to share.

As everyone settled back into their desks I shared the following scriptures.

Doctrine & Covenants 18:15-16

15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father! 

16 And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!

I closed my lesson with my testimony that sharing the gospel brings us joy! Everytime we share our testimonies we bring souls closer to Christ and we will have joy as we help others come unto Christ!

This Sunday is fast and testimony meeting. I invite each of you to ponder your own testimony. And, if you decide to share your testimony with your ward then I promise you will feel joy from bringing souls closer to Christ. Please remember we share our testimonies with words and deeds. Singing a hymn can be a testimony. Inviting someone to sit next to you can be a testimony. 

I testify that there is joy in bringing souls closer to Christ! I testify that Christ lives and He loves and knows each one of us! And, I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

I love you all! I hope you reflect on your testimony!

Still holding to the rod,

Sister Owens

Summary: My service sites are better than yours and testimonies bring souls closer to Christ which gives us joy!!! Also happy Halloween!

I'm Glad Strangers Got In My Car

 Hey y'all!

[Summary at the very bottom cuz I know not everyone has the time or attention span to read this.]

Happy Friday! Happy General Conference weekend!

This week I had zone conference! I volunteered to drive people because sometimes transportation gets a little messy for service missionaries. All of the missionaries in the zone met at a church house and then we all stood around in the parking lot talking until it was time for riders to find drivers. 

That morning I had been introduced to two new sisters who had very recently transferred home, Sister Fawson and Sister Smart. A few weeks before that I had met Sister Merritt as we were walking to our cars at the same time and sort of helping one another not get caught in another conversation so we could go home.

That morning the four of us were standing by each other and chatting. When it was time to go I said I could take four people and the three of them decided to come with me. My dad's car's name is Gator, I told the sisters this as we walked towards the car, and they agreed it was a very good name for this particular car. 

As we drove we got to talk with each other and get to know each other and listen to music. I enjoyed driving because I didn't have to participate in the conversation, I got to listen and I love to listen. They were all so funny and it was so uplifting. It was easy to be with them.

We stayed together throughout the whole day, although they couldn't leave me because I was their ride home. It was the first zone conference in this mission for all of us but because we had each other it wasn't really an anxiety inducing experience, it was just fun.

When our conference concluded one of these sweet sisters asked me, “do you think Gator wants to go and get ice cream?” And I said, “why, yes, I think he would.” So then we all went and ate ice cream together. Laughter and ice cream are such a good combo.

On the drive home we were deciding which ice cream flavors each of us would be if we were ice cream and they said that I would be cookies and cream because, “it's hard not to like.” That's like a huge compliment.

We have a group chat and I'm excited to get to know each of them better. Sister Merritt, Sister Smart, and Sister Fawson were evidence that God is aware of me, knows my heart, and loves me.

I know God is aware of you, knows your heart, and loves you. I hope that you're able to notice the tender mercies and evidence of God's love in your life. They are there, I promise. I promise it will get better.

Love you! 

Still holding to the rod,

Sister Owens

Summary: Zone conference= Yay! Carpooling with random strangers I met five minutes ago=Yay! Ice cream= Yay! You're going to be okay because God is watching out for you.