I gave my first sacrament talk!!

I asked Bishop Patton if I could give a talk a few weeks ago, and he said yes! I spoke yesterday during sacrament meeting! Despite it being really short, I think it went really well!

I started off by sharing a verse from one of my favorite songs, "Buy This Town," by Lori McKenna. "If I could buy your pain, first I'd buy the great big sea; and I'd put that pain inside a box, and bury it so deep. If I could buy you back, the years you worked yourself to death, I would buy and waste your suffering 'til there wasn't any left." 

I then related this to Jesus Christ and the Atonement. I talked a bit about how it's common knowledge that Jesus Christ atoned for our sins, and how it's mentioned in Mosiah 14:5, and in 1 John 2:2. Then I went onto to say how He didn't just suffer four our sins and transgressions, but how he also suffered for the inequalities, the unfairness, the pain, the anguish, weaknesses etc., that we feel or experience. I shared a Timothy J. Dyches quote; "If you feel unclean, unloved, unhappy, unworthy, or unwhole; Remember, all that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ." I said that the Atonement isn't just for sinners; it is for all of us. It is there to comfort and reassure us, to help us bear our burdens, and it can mend what, for us, is beyond repair. The Atonement not only has the power to free us from our transgressions, or the power to comfort our pains; it also has the power to strengthen our weaknesses. The Atonement not only has a cleansing power or a comforting power; it also has an enabling power. I shared an example of this that I found in Mosiah, chapter 24, where Alma and his brethren were being persecuted by Amulon. In verses 14 and 15, it says that the Lord told Alma that He would ease their burdens, and then the burdens were! "The Lord did strengthen them that they could bear their burdens with ease..."

I then talked about how to fully take advantage of the powers of the atonement, or how to activate the powers. First, remember where you came from and where you are headed. By following the plan the Lord has made for you, following the commandments, keeping the covenants you made, and having an eternal perspective, we are able to meet our Heavenly Father again. The Atonement can help push upward and forward towards our eternal goal.  Second, we must feast upon the word of God. In 2 Nephi 34:3, it says, "Feast upon the word of Christ; For behold, the words of Christ will tell you all that ye should do." The use of the word "feast" is not accidental or by happenstance. The Lord doesn't want us to take "nibbles" of His word. He wants us to have all we can "eat." I didn't share this scripture, but I really like 2 Nephi 4:15-16. I know our Heavenly Father wants us to delight in the scriptures, and also really ponder on them. He wants us to take them to heart. Third, read/listen to talks given by church leaders. Fourth, go to the temple. Fifth, exercise faith in Jesus Christ. Sixth, sincerely repent. Seventh, be baptized. Eighth, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Ninth, follow the teachings of Christ for the rest of your life.

Then I bore my testimony of how I've felt or used the Atonement in my life.

I was super nervous, but I did enjoy it. I don't want to go back up to the pulpit any time soon. I don't know much about any other subject relating to the gospel. But then again, having to give a talk would give me another reason to want to learn more. :)




If you'd like to read the talks or articles I read in preparation for my talk, click on the links below.

1. 6 Ways to Activate the Atonement
2. The Atonement of Jesus Christ - His Life and Teachings
3. Of Regrets and Resolutions
4. The Atonement and the Journey of Mortality
5. Beauty for Ashes: The Atonement of Jesus Christ

Mormon Night at Dodger Stadium | The First Sister Missionaries

Today has been a GREAT day!
I am NOT a fan of the Dodgers. #SFGIANTS #AllDayEveryday
BUT I went to Mormon Night at Dodger Stadium with my ward, and it was so much fun! #BonusPoints, the Dodgers lost! I'm sad I missed the first pitch because Elder Bednar threw it, and he is my favorite apostle.
But I think I want to go to Mormon Night next year, too! And maybe, if God is willing, they'll be playing the Giants! ;)


Earlier today, though, before the game, I saw this really great video about some Church history, and it's about how the Church was inspired to let women join the men in the field. I've been debating whether I should serve a mission. This video inspired me! Elizabeth McCune didn't realize what a strong impact she had at the time, but she made such a huge difference!

I am so grateful for this Church! I love history. It is one of my passions. I feel so blessed that I get to learn new parts of American history because it is Mormon history, and as far as I know, it is hardly mentioned, other than in Utah or Idaho where the Mormon presence is overwhelmingly strong! Haha!



Watch the video by clicking on the link below!

• Elizabeth McCune and The First Sister Missionaries

My First Mormon Wedding!

Today, I went to a Mormon wedding! It's the first time I've been to a Mormon wedding! It was awesome!
Tim Sands and Emily Ramirez were sealed in the temple for all time and eternity earlier today! Now Emily Ramirez will be known as Emily Sands! They are such a beautiful couple!

I am honestly a little sad because I feel like I was just barely starting to get to really know them. And now they are gone. But I am grateful they invited me, despite not really knowing me!

The reception was beautiful! It's hard to believe that it was in the Van Nuys stake center cultural hall, which mostly looks like a basketball court, as most cultural halls do. Her dad really did make the place look nice! I just might have to hire him when I get married someday ;)

Her family is great, too! They definitely know how to have a good time! They remind me so much of my extended family, except my family drinks, and her family doesn't! That just means the Ramirez family really knows how to have a good time, because they can party sober! :)

Overall, it was just a good time!

Nicky and Andrew are getting married in August, too! Weddings are so much fun!

See ya later, Sister Olsen!

Today is transfer meeting, and Sister Olsen is getting transferred. :\

But Bishop Patton had invited me to have breakfast at their place today with the Sisternaries. Sister Olsen didn't know I was gonna be there. I kinda hid out in the living room while her and Sister Moore and Sister Young were in the kitchen. When I did enter the kitchen, I stood right next to her, but she didn't realize I was there for a good ten seconds. haha!

Her eyes were all red and puffy, so she had definitely been crying last night. I cried, too. She and Sister Moore were at FHE for maybe two minutes. When I drove home, I just started crying. My mom and my sisters gave me a weird look. I could tell they were thinking, "get over it." But Sister Olsen has become a friend to me, and I know I'm gonna miss her.

But, I also feel really blessed. She was in the Northridge YSA ward for six months, and I was in it for five of those. It's been fun! And I just know I'll be seeing her again someday!

Cinco De Mayo F(HE)iesta!

I planned my second FHE activity tonight!
This time, it wasn't so spiritual. :\

But it was fun!

I brought a piñata! And we made elote, or corn on the cobb but Mexican style! And handmade tortillas! And huevos (eggs) with chorizo! And we played loteria, which is a Hispanic version of Bingo, but it uses images, and you recite a little riddle for the image!

It was really fun! People enjoyed it, so much so that they even put the candy back in the piñata just to hit it again! :)

I planned my first FHE activity!

Yesterday, I was in charge of the FHE, that is, Family Home Evening, activity for the Northridge Young Single Adults ward. I know that in Family wards, FHE means families get together on Monday nights, and it's usually a spiritual thing. The entire time I've been in YSA, I don't think we've ever had a spiritual kind of activity. So I wanted to bring it back, but I wanted it to be fun as well.

I wanted to do improv. But knowing that, most likely, no one in the ward, including myself, has ever done it before, I had to come up with a way that it wasn't really improv, and that people would have something to go on. I created little prompt cards that the ward members would pick out at random, some of which were totally random, and hilarious, scenarios; and others that were based on stories from the scriptures.

Hilarity ensued.

But to backtrack a little, my spiritual thought for the night was really spot on, if I do say so myself, for the improv-esque activity. I watched this Mormon Message video about having couarge in really difficult situations, and one of the women in it said, "I know that God has a plan for me. It's usually totally different than the plan I have for myself. It's not always easier, but it's always better." And I also shared a short message from one of Elder Bednar's CES (Church Education System) Devotional talks. He said, "strong faith in the Savior is submissively accepting of His will and timing in our lives, even if the outcome is not what we hoped for or wanted." I related these two quotes to the activity by saying that life, much like improv, can take many unexpected turns. But if we have faith in the Lord and in our Savior, we'll be just fine.



To watch the Mormon Message, or to read Elder Bednar's talk, click the links below.

1. Mormon Messages: Courage
2. That We Might Not Shrink

I received my Patriarchal Blessing!

It was AWESOME! My youngest sister, Sofia, and Sister Olsen and Sister Moore went with me. As usual, the Sisternaries showed up late. Patriarch John has a sense of humor, so he told me to tell them not to let them into his house! But then he allowed them to be in his special-patriarchal-blessing-room during the blessing! It was so great. There were moments where he said certain things that made me nervous, but the Sisternaries were so excited about those same things; I could see their HUGE smiles from the corner of my eyes. haha!
I am so grateful that they were able to be there with me! I wanted to ask them as soon as I scheduled it, but I wasn't sure if it was normal, so I didn't. But last night they text me, and asked me if I would like them to join me! They said they got a prompting to ask! The Lord truly knows all! <3



Learn more about Patriarchal blessings by clicking the link below!

• Patriarchal Blessings