Status

Dear Emmia and Kirk
    Have you ever wondered what your "status" is? It's there all the time on Facebook with the epic thought provoking question "what's on your mind?" (hopefully you know what this is and future technology hasn't made Facebook archaic) We usually type up something we've done or what color of shoes we wore today but it should be something more? The Google definition of the word status is "the relative social, professional, or other standing of someone or something." Huh what? Your status is your standing. on what? you might ask. Well it could be anything really but what is most important to you?

   I was thinking a lot about this; about how I used Facebook and technology before my mission (not much because of my lack of techy skill and when I did it was for random unimportant things) and how I use it now on my mission. I use it to uplift others and myself. I use it to help people find happiness through Jesus Christ. I use it to email my family every Preparation day and I use it to write you. Its a drastic change in my status.

   What causes great changes in you? For me it was being aware.

 Being aware of: 

God's love for me

Jesus Christ sacrifice for me

the children of God I see (which is everybody)

the hope in my heart.

   I change a lot but one thing stays the same: That I'm a Daughter of God. That will not change. It won't for you either. Nope, sorry. You are stuck being a son or daughter of God forever; eternity; all the time; siempre(always) And God will always love you forever; eternity; all the time. . . you're picking up what I'm laying down. Even if that girl in your English class doesn't even know you exist or your boyfriend just dumped you. Or you're a snot to everybody even yourself. God loves you. I love you.
  I realized what I should have been doing with technology all along. I should have been letting people know I love them. That's ultimately what my status is all the time now. That's why I'm so weird (cause God made me that way and I am that way) and that's why I'm trying to figure out all these computery things so I can spread happyness
My "status" is happy my purpose makes sense, and I am weird.
 Love,
     Ryn.

Turning

     Well just recently I have gone through some big milestones in my life. You know the events and the moments in them that you'll remember for a lifetime (until you're senile)? That's what I'm going through. For those of you who don't know I am a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and I serve for 18 months. Well I just got to my half way point. And if that's not enough I just had my 20th birthday. At first, I took it as a double spiritual slap to the face. Satan, (you know the bad guy that whispers horrid things to us to make us feel down about ourselves so we don't reach our full potential and tries to convince us that we should hide our light from others? yeah him) he was really trying to drag me down. And the funny thing is I was given him power to do it!! And I didn't even realize it. So I was going through this junk and kind of coasting on the path when I learned about affirmations; telling ourselves positive things in the mirror to ourselves.
      I love when God who knew I was going through a hard time (even when I didn't know it) helped me out and even gave me the tools to get better. I love God's mercy. All I was praying for was answers to why I was feeling so down when I should feel happy about all these amazing events in my life and God gave me not only the why but the how.
      The ladies might appreciate this. I remember when I was little and I was in ballet and trying (and failing) to spin. Me, being my little self I didn't know how to spot; where you look at one thing while spinning so you don't get dizzy. That's how I felt when Satan was trying to drag me down. I wasn't focusing on what I needed to. I felt all of those unhappy emotions like anger, frustration, doubt, annoyance, worry, fear, confusion, unfairness and they just spun me around in circles. That's what life is like if you don't have anything solid to focus on. You just end up going around and around, turning to and fro and you end up getting dizzy and falling down. But with something to focus on you can dance through life with a smile on your face.
  So I invite you to find something to focus on. Something solid for you so that you can move forward with all you got, no matter what stands in the way. Let me know what you come up with. :) For some it might be their career, their family or a simple something they do everyday.
      For me, my focus is the most solid thing I know to keep my eyes on: Jesus Christ. He will be there forever and because I will always exist and have a forever spirit, like everyone else, its nice to have a forever thing to focus on. He is my Guide and my Savior. He loves me and helps me with anything. Whenever I focus on Him
    I really don't know where you are at in life, if you like cats or dogs, have religion or not, if you are a pepper or a salt person but I want you to think about this next question:

If you knew that someone had lived every moment of their lives for you, then gave that life up just for you:

how would that make you feel?

how would you live?

what would you do for that person?

I know Jesus Christ did this for me and His sacrifice makes me feel like I am important and I know that I am. I want to live my life for Him and I will be like Him and serve Him by helping people like He did. I will focus on Him and turn to Him every time my life takes me for a spin. I will trust Him. I will be His, always.

When life gets away from you, pray to the One that gave it to you.

     Life tends to get away from most of us. Whenever I hear people say a phrase like this one I tend to picture someone buying a huge Mastiff dog and trying to take this big pooch on a walk. I can just see in my head this poor someone being dragged by the horse-sized dog until they finally let go: hence life has "gotten away". Its a really comical and sad picture to me. Comical because when I was little that always happened to me with my sister's dog; a Great Pyrenees, and sad because I believe they (and me) could have had some help if they had asked for it. In my opinion we can all choose to have some help with our life. In the King James version of The Bible, Jesus Christ tells us this: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." -Matthew 11:28-30.
     Well I think almost everyone falls under the category of "heavy laden". We all have worries, concerns, troubles, trails: its a part of the "life" that sometimes gets away. But for me and for anyone who wants Him to, Jesus Christ can help us. He has already helped us through The Atonement He can strengthen us to get through all the burdens of life.
      If you need help ask God. Simple as that! James 1:5. "If any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God that giveth to men liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." God loves us and wants to help us. So don't let life get away or get in the way of His pure love. Seek after it, and He will be there for you.
                                                              WE ARE NOT ALONE!!!
                                                                        D&C 88:63