Freedom

                                                    Finding Freedom In Obedience
One of my favorite sayings currently comes from the August Ensign. One of the Articles is titled "We Found Freedom in Obedience".
This has hit home for me a lot the last couple weeks because though the road of obedience seems rough it is what leads us to a better ending. I have particularly found this in reading the scriptures.
Scripture reading and study is something that our leaders have asked us to do diligently and daily. Sometimes we feel alone, sad, lost etc. but as I have been reading the scriptures more and more I have been able to find how they apply to me specifically and I have found "freedom".

 
                In what aspect of your life do you need to apply obedience to become free?

                                         

                                                             Pioneer Day 2015 (:

                                      Sister Spring and I (: Almost half way through training (:

               Posseh's is our investigator and she is from Africa! She is the sweetest person ever. I love her she is family (: This is from her second time at church(:

           I may be a missionary but that doesn't mean that I am not still "Gymnast Abbie" (:
                                    Gotta love early morning exercising #MissionLife

                                                        Members and Missionaries (: 
   Last week we had an activity with Raleigh 1st ward where we brought the members together with the missionaries and brough snacks to share, played games and watched meet the mormons. I love that just by inviting someone to a ward activity the members of the church can do "Missionary Work". Always remember that you don't have to be knocking doors or teaching full on lessons to people who are not members to be a member missionary. It is truly so important for the members and the missionaries to be on the same page and to be working together! You as the members are just as important as we are as the missionaries.(:

  I challenge the members everywhere to start reading Preach My Gospel with their families because it truly is an easy way to become more missionary minded.(: After All President Mckay did say, "Every Member A Missionary" (:  I would also invite you all to listen to the talk called....
Preach My Gospel---- The Unifying Tool Between Members and Missionaries by: Erich W. Kopischke of the Seventy

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2007/10/preach-my-gospel-the-unifying-tool-between-members-and-missionaries?lang=eng

Ask the leadership in your ward this Sunday how you can become more involved in Missionary Work(:

 

                             Put the Lord first and He will help you know what to put second(:

                                                      A Miracle for the Raleigh Sisters(:

   It all started when we went to visit a potential investigator about a week ago. He had been someone that had been visited before, about a year ago, but did not seem very interested at all leaving his wife alone in the lessons. Something changed when we went and visited him last week; something changed in him. This man that had never really talked religion with anyone before opened up to us and started talking to us about what he believes and asking us questions. He eagerly left us with an assignment to study a certain topic for the next time we came. With big smiles on our faces we happily agreed and were on our way.

Fast forwarding now... we went and visited with him again a couple days later. We asked him if he had read the chapter in the Book of Mormon that we had left with him and without hesitation he said "yes!" and began to read to us his favorite verses. We continued to talk about his favorite verses and while answering some of his questions a man came out of no where. Literally out of NO WHERE. This man happened to be our investigators friend. He started talking to us and told us that he just had a feeling he needed to come pay his friend a visit because it had been awhile since they had seen each other. After he introduced himself and we learned more about his religious background he sat down with us. We gave him a Book of Mormon so that he could follow along in our reading and discussion. Throughout the discussion we invited him to come to church and he started asking us if we'd judge him because of some addictions he has in his life. We then began to explain that we don't necessarily support those things, but that we wouldn't judge him because that is not our place and that is essentially why we go to church so we can become better people.

 As we began to wrap up our meeting Sister Slade was talking to our investigator and I began to talk to his friend because I could tell a lot was on his mind. I expressed how good it was to meet him and that he could have the book we gave him. He got wide eyed and asked, "Really???" With a smile I said of course! Then he started telling me about how this was a miracle and that God truly answers prayers because he had been praying that God would provide him with a way to get a bible/ book of scripture and now he had one in his hands. What a happy moment this was for me. How truly blessed I am to be a missionary and that I along with my companion could be the answer to someones prayer.(:

   This was such an amazing experience because just hours before we were talking to a member about missionary "Special Moments" which is defined as moments when a missionary truly realizes that they have been put in the right place at the right time and it's no coincidence. This my friends was a special moment of mine, and I will NEVER forget it! Big or small Miracles happen everyday.(:

#NCRM #SisterMisionary

                                         How Has The Lord Prepared You For The Future?

  Growing up I had a strong passion for gymnastics. Though doing gymnastics was one of the best things I ever did it was also one of the hardest things I've ever done. I loved the sport with all of my heart and I couldn't go without it. As I continued to progress and move up in levels over the years it started to get harder and harder. My love for the sport did not decrease but everyday I would have to remind myself of the counsel one of my coaches gave me that I could not give up on a bad day. If I decided I wanted to give up I could but it had to be a day where I was at the peak of my performance and progressing in what I love. My coach was very smart because she knew where my heart truly was.

 Gymnastics taught me some really important lessons that will forever be apart of my life. The sport taught me how to endure hard times and be grateful for the good, to be dedicated, to spend my time wisely, and it taught me that I can't do everything on my own,especially when it came to my mental block on the beam. This mental block slowed my progression and it would slightly fade some days but then be back the next. The 3 years I dealt with this mental block was a very heartbreaking time. I loved the sport but I simply could not understand why my mind was doing what it was. My experience with gymnastics was not easy. I cried often due to great frustration that came from trying my hardest to do my best but sometimes I still felt like it wan't enough.
 
Fast forward now 2 years later after I stopped doing gymnastics. I am on the ultimate life changing journey of serving My God, and the lessons I learned from gymnastics are now being used today. I to this day honor the advice to "Not give up on a bad day", I am still working to endure the hard times with all my might, mind and strength, I have learned to appreciate the good because I have seen the bad. I still cannot do everything on my own because as it is said in Alma 26:12 "Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do ALL things"
 
  Due to these experiences I know that the Lord is always preparing us for the future because the rewarding yet difficult adventure that gymnastics took me on is much like the journey I am on now. I am someone who grew up in the church and have been through the bad and the good, but no matter how hard things have gotten I have not loved My Savior any less. At this moment in time I am serving a mission. I love the Gospel so much and it has blessed my life immensely in fact that is why I am here in North Carolina, "Because I have been given much I too must give" but sometimes it's hard because though you have the love and passion in your eyes, people often turn their backs and don't wish to listen to the things we have to say. I know that this life is not something for us to tackle on our own, that is why we must put our trust in Him. I love how this is laid out for us in Mosiah 7: 33 " But if ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all diligence of mind, if ye do this, he will according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage." Sometimes we must put our lives in the Lord's hands and simply say I have tried my best, now show me where you want me to go. I now invite you to consider the following questions..(:

   How is the Lord currently preparing you for the future? What will the experiences you are going through now teach you later down the road?

                                Is Your Tank Full or On the Verge of Reaching Empty?

           Well here I am, a Missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I have only been out about 2 1/2 months but I have seen my self make many little changes in my life that have made a big difference. It's funny how life works where the littlest things in our lives seem to change our whole view on things. My mission has showed me what things I truly need to make a priority in my life. In the past I could have been better at reading my scriptures, praying twice a day, using not as many repetitious phrases in my prayers, being on time to Seminary etc. I got so caught up in sports and friends and just life in general; time was flying so fast that I needed to reconsider my priorities because it seemed that I didn't have enough time for the "little things."  In Mathew 6:33 it reads "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all things shall be added unto you." I love my mission because it has taught me how to slow down and put the Lord first. Ultimately when we put the Lord first he knows how to comfort and lead us to know what things should come second.
    I like to think of it as you have a awesome big truck. With that truck you can do so many fun things! You can go mudding, you can use it to pull your trailers and boats to go camping and just have a good time with family. You can use it to take you to beautiful places like the mountains etc. But if the trucks tank is not full then it can't do anything for us. We must keep our spiritual tank full with the big things such as conference, but we also need the everyday small things like scripture, study, family prayer, etc. If we want the blessings of the gospel in our life it is essential that we seek for those things that help us grow spiritually, so that we can have that light and have that ability help other people get to that place where they can find the light of Christ. I know my Savior lives and that by the small and simply things our lives can truly be changed for the better.(: