Stars

This week was amazing! The sun is shining, there is warm weather (80° every day), and the work is moving forward! We are working with a lot of people right now and we are trying to help them find the truth. 

I read this story this week and just loved it! The lesson inside was just perfect for me at this time of my life and my mission. I hope you can glean something tailored to you.

"I learned the importance of real intent when I was a young seminary student. Our teacher challenged us to read the Book of Mormon. To keep track of our progress, he created a chart with our names down one side and the books listed across the top. Each time we read a book, a star was placed by our name. At first, I didn’t put much effort into reading, and it wasn’t long before I found myself getting further and further behind. Spurred by a sense of embarrassment and my innate competitive spirit, I started reading. Every time I got a star, I felt good. And the more stars  I got, the more motivated I was to read—between classes, after school, in every spare minute.

This would be a great story if I could tell you I finished first in the class—but I didn’t. (I wasn’t last either, by the way.) But do you know what I did get by reading the Book of Mormon? I know you are thinking “a testimony,” aren’t you? But I didn’t. I got stars. I got stars because that was why I was reading. That was my real intent.

Moroni was clear when he described how to find out if the Book of Mormon is true: “And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost” (Moroni 10:4; emphasis added).

Looking back, I can see that the Lord was totally fair with me. Why should I have expected to find anything other than what I was looking for? I never really stopped and asked myself why I was reading the Book of Mormon. I was drifting, letting worldly motivations guide me, only to find out that I had read the right book for the wrong reason. Real intent, is doing the right thing for the right reason.

It wasn’t until years later when I was struggling to decide whether or not to go on a mission, that I read the Book of Mormon with real intent. If I was going to spend two years bearing testimony of the book, I first needed to have a testimony.

I know that the Book of Mormon fulfills its divine purpose of testifying of the life and mission of Jesus Christ because I have read it with real intent." (Living with Purpose: The Importance of “Real Intent", Randall L. Ridd, Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults, January 11, 2015, Brigham Young University–Idaho)

What are you looking for?

As I read this talk I thought about why I am even on a mission. Did I do the right thing for the wrong reason? Did I go because it was just the "right thing to do"? Or was it because everyone else was doing it? Was it because I wanted to speak Spanish an show off my language skills? Or was it because I really wanted to serve the Lord? When our intent is genuine, and we do the RIGHT thing for the RIGHT reason we gain a lot more knowledge and blessings from Heavenly Father than we even deserve. 

But, sometimes we find ourselves doing the RIGHT for the WRONG reason. Some examples are reading our scriptures to check it off the list, saying our prayers just to say them, blessing our food just to talk over our food, going to church just because our parents want is to, etc. There are millions of examples. But, sadly, those kinds of desires and motives will only get us so far. We cannot go forward in life and expect to gain a deep and lasting testimony. Motives like that cause people to go less active and inactive. We have to do the RIGHT thing for the RIGHT reason.When we read the scriptures we need to really study them, think about what they are saying, apply them to our own lives and share them with others. When we pray we need to really talk to God, really thank Him for things you are grateful for right then and there, and not say things we don't mean. When we go to church we need to really think about the covenants we are renewing and not just go for friends and socializing. Like it says in Matthew 6:21 "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

Hermana Zimmerman

1. Valentine's Cookies!

2. The CTR boys club 

3. Raquel! We got to decorate her room 

4. The CTR girls club