Hey everyone, It’s your girl Maddie
here. Before I leave for my mission I want to share my testimony with you all.
I know that the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints is true, and when I say that I mean that I have
prayed long and hard and felt the confirmation for myself that the teachings
and principles are of God. I know that He loves me, and that He loves each and
every one of us. We are His children and He is our Heavenly Father. He wants
what is best for us and our happiness.
I love people and understand that
everyone has the choice to believe what they want to believe in and I respect
whatever that is. It is not our place to judge people. Just as Christ said, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone...” (John 8:7). We are not perfect. Everyone makes
mistakes and messes up some times, and because of that Jesus Christ suffered and
died for all of us. I know that through His suffering we are able to repent, to
make right our wrongs, and be forgiven for our sins. Heavenly Father has given
us the blessing of choice, otherwise known as agency. We are free to live our
lives how we want. We are free to choose for ourselves right and wrong. I think
we need to respect that choice and live the best possible lives we can by
serving others and following His commandments.
We all have a purpose in life. God
has a plan for us, a plan of Happiness. Before our earth life we lived with Him
in Heaven. Then we came to earth to receive and body, have a family, and face
trials. He has given us commandments to live by, and principles to follow, and I
know that if we follow and do these things, then we will be able to return to
live with Him again someday. I know that our families can be together forever. We
will be able to achieve eternal happiness and joy, and who doesn’t want to be
happy?!
Life is not easy, but I know that
if we are constantly giving it our all, if we don’t give up, and if we have
faith in Him, then God will be there to guide us. All we have to do is ask. I
know that we can pray to our Heavenly Father and receive personal revelation to
problems in our lives or questions we may have.
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and
he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” (Matthew
7:7-8)
I have prayed and know for myself that there is a living
prophet, Thomas S. Monson, on the earth today who has been ordained of God to receive
modern revelation for us in these latter-days. (Why would God give the people
of old Prophets for guidance and not us?) I know that the Book of Mormon is
another testament of Jesus Christ that acts as an additional tool for us along
with the Bible.
I have
been raised in this Church, but I have not always known for myself that it was
true. I have prayed and asked for myself. Is there a God? Why are we here? What
is right? And through scripture study and by making good decisions I have
gained my own testimony and knowledge of the truth. It did not happen
overnight. I didn’t see angels, or receive a sign from heaven, I felt the
Spirit. A warm calming feeling and it just felt right. I had a choice. I choose
on a daily basis to follow the teachings of the gospel and the commandments of
God. It is definitely not easy, but it is worth it. I am happier when I do what
I think is right, and I can feel God’s love for me.
We all have our own struggles and
trials that we face in this life, and sometimes we may want to blame and turn
away from God. But it is in those hard times that we need to turn to Him most
for comfort and guidance. I know that God does not give us any trial that we
cannot handle. We face trials in our lives so that we can learn and grow
stronger from them. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?
Even if we do fall (and we will), no
matter how long, or how far, it is never
too late. We can always repent and turn back to God. You have never sinned too
much or have made the same mistake too many times, because Christ suffered for
us, we can return to live with our Heavenly Father again. If only we do our
part of living a righteous and worthy life.
I am so grateful for all of my friends
and family who have been there to support me through both my ups and downs. I
am thankful for the opportunity I have to serve a mission and to try and give
back, if only a little, for all the many blessings I have received in my life. I
know that God loves me and wants what is best for me. And that goes for
everyone else. I can’t wait to get out there to share this message with the
people of the Philippines and hopefully through this blog, with you all. I know
that it will not be easy, being in a foreign country and culture, speaking a
new language, but I know that if I am diligent, if I put in the work, and if I
have faith, then God will help and guide me.
Through all of your ups and downs,
I wish you the best! I hope that your life is going well and that you may receive
the answers to your prayers and questions! Remember that God loves you, Christ
loves you, and I love you. You are never
alone. Even when it feels like no one understands the pain and suffering
you are going through, Christ does. He suffered it all. Remember that. Making good choices
does not make life easy… but it does make it easier.
