Day 6

Dear READER,


It's interesting how things all fall together. I've been thinking a lot about the one and the priesthood. And today in Church one of the talks just tied everything together for me. It was so interesting. Here are some of the key points I took from his talk. First off his talk was on covenants and it was really, good. All the speakers did a really good job today it was a wonderful sacrament meeting. Ok so his points:

• Be known as a covenant maker. I don't know there is much else to add to that it's very clear. I want to be known as a covenant maker and a covenant keeper.
• We can't make any covenants on our own. Most if not all covenants are made through the priesthood. Blessings, Baptism, Temple work, Marriage.
• Covenants are made on an individual basis - one by one.

Yesterday in my blessing that I needed to prepare myself to receive revelation the Lord had for me. First off what a great thing to hear from the Lord. He has things he wants to tell me to reveal to me and I need to be ready -- how cool. But today in this brothers talk he mentioned that we received revelation in the temple. It hit me right there in Sacrament meeting exactly what I needed to do in order to help me be open and prepared for revelation ---- 'Jenessa, go to the temple!!!' clears as day.


I met with one of the Bishopric today in order to get set apart in my calling as a member of the compassionate service committee in my Relief Society. I've had a hard time moving into this ward. I don't know why as I didn't really know anyone from the other ward really well and I've moved tons of times and come into new wards and it's been just fine. I think I felt like I was finally in a place where I could start getting to know people and my calling as a Visiting Teaching Coordinator was falling into place and I was loving it. So this change has just seemed a bit harder than normal. Anyways back to the Bishopric member. I needed to get set apart and he was already late for PPC but decided to do it anyways. Instead of just coming in and doing the setting apart he sat and talked with me for about 15 min. He asked me what my concerns were with my calling, what I was doing out here, where I was from and so on. I think it was the first time since I've been out here that someone has actually cared how I felt and what I was actually doing. He didn't rush it at all --- it was just what I needed. I needed someone to care. To understand that I'm just not another member of the church. He ended up missing all of PPC, which is really sad but today he helped the one and I am very grateful for it.


I have the most wonderful Visiting Teaching companion. She is AMAZING!!! And she views and does visiting teaching like I do....like a missionary. Today was set up our appointments for the week to visit our sisters and then we had comp. study. For those of you who served mission you will understand that comp. study is very important and it helps in planning out your lessons. Well we did it just like we did on our missions and it was wonderful. Just WONDERFUL!!!!

On the topic of Visiting Teaching. I have never ever been visit taught my entire life. It's kind of bugged me just because it made me feel that my Visiting Teachers didn't care for him. Well today in Church my Visiting Teacher found me, introduced themselves, and set up an appointment to come and see me. How cool is that. They seem like really sweet women and I am so excited to get to know them better.


I can't believe it's like mid-march. I am going to be in Texas for the rest of the month so today while planning I was planning for April. Can you believe that --- time really does fly. I need to learn how to live more in the moment so that I don't miss anything.



Yours Truly,

Jenessa

Day 1

Dear READER,


It was interesting today as I relearned something about prayer. I learned that the Lord sometimes just likes to hear from us. Yes just to acknowledge that he is there and to talk with him.
I always love talking with my Dad. No matter what I have going on in life or how stressed I am, after talking with my Dad I feel great. Well I found that the same works while talking to my Heavenly Father. I had known this but had somehow forgotten. So as I said my prayers today and just talked with Heavenly Father - told him how I was feeling, what was going on, what I was afraid to do that day, and what I was excited about....I had that same feeling of GREATNESS that I get after talking with my Dad. It wasn't anything important that I said. I wasn't praying for something I needed or anything else I just went to talk with my Heavenly Father. It was a wonderful experience and I would recommend it to everyone.

I use the time in the morning on the Metro to read my Scriptures. I am reading the Book of Mormon and am currently in 3 Nephi. The Lord has just appeared to the Nephites. I am loving it. I really like it because everyone is super quite and leaves you alone. I have a paperback copy of the Book of Mormon and a yellow highlighter and that is it. And I just read for the 30 to 45 minutes I'm on metro in the morning. It starts my day out right and I am spiritual fed.
Well this morning as I was standing at my transfer point to get on a Blue line train - reading my Book of Mormon minding my own business. This women started to watch me, more then I liked. It wasn't even inconspicuous. She turned her whole body at me and just looked at me. Me feeling a bit awkward and knowing for a fact that I did not know her tried to dig deeper into what I was reading. Finally I though she is never going to stop, just ask her what she wants. I looked up at her and went to ask my question when she said "so what book are you in?". Taken back for a second I said, "3 Nephi, Christ is just appearing to the people of Nephi.". The conversation went from there. She is a member of the church and just didn't know how to ask if I was as well or if I was investigating since it was a soft cover Book of Mormon and my book mark is a pass along card.
Anyways it was fun to meet another member of the Church while on the metro. She has just been called to be the assistant girls camp director. I think that is one of the coolest callings ever. You get to plan cool fun activities, hang out with a bunch of silly girls, and party the entire time. How cool is that. The world really is becoming smaller every day.

One of the sweetest thing happened today. I am walking 26 miles on May 4th with the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. Each walker is supposed to raise $1800 before then in order to put towards helping women with Breast Cancer and finding a cure. Well I'm at $500 and have been finding it really hard to get any type of donation. So this sweet thing, one of my friends put together this facebook post and sent it to everyone she knew. It stated that I would be walking and was working on raising $1800 for this walk and asked them to support me and make a donation. I got all emotional when I saw it because she had taken the time and effort to put something together that would help me. How sweet was that.


Everyone keeps saying that the snow is coming and that we won't have work tomorrow. I feel like they say that every time and then the snow never comes and I still get to go to work. Even if we don't have to go in tomorrow I will still have to work from home because this is the busiest time of the entire year and I have so much to do.

My flowers from my Birthday are dying. They used to feel my entire apartment with their aroma but know they just sit their and wilt. I think I am going to add a biweekly flower allowance to my budget.



So -- if you have gotten this far you might be thinking wow this is not like Jenessa's usual post, it's all over the place and really random. I don't write in a journal. I have a really hard time just sitting down and doing it and when I do sit down to do it I feel like I have to write everything and start from where I left off. I type a whole lot faster then I write and I only write the thing I think are somewhat important. So I'm going to try writing entries like this along with my other posts. My reasoning is because as I am reading the Book of Mormon I realized that the only reason we have it or any other piece of scripture is because someone sat down and wrote it. I also was commanded my an apostle of the Lord to write a journal or keep a history so here it is.



Yours Truly,


Jenessa

NEW YEARS GOALS for 2013

Dear READER,

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!!!!!! HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow 2013 is finally here and I don’t know if I’m ready for it, what the heck I am so ready for 2013. I am planning and setting goals and really determined to be well amazing. (We will get back to that word ‘amazing in a minute.) I hate how we all make goals for New Years and by the summer we’ve failed so we are thinking ‘ok by Christmas what can I accomplish?’ and ‘well I’ll just start on it next year’. I HATE that. So my very first goal of the New Year’s is to never give up on what my goals are…no matter how hard they are or how bad I might be doing at them.

As you might have already noticed I’m going to let you be a part of my goal setting this year for 2013. I am really excited for this year; this is going to be my year.

So before I list my goals I would like to tell you what my 2013 motto is. I actually got it from someone else but it hit me like a brick so I decided to use it. My motto for 2013 is…………………..Drum roll please……………………………………… “Expect Amazing!” It means knowing you can do it before you even start. Know that whatever I put my mind to will be fine, not just fine but amazing. It means that I need to believe in myself and what I can do because in the end it should be amazing. I can’t really put into words how it hit me and how it makes sense in my mind and heart but it’s what I’m going with. I’ve already printed it out and have it on the bathroom mirror, the fridge, the T.V. stand and in my office at work. It’s what I am aiming to be and do. So when you read my goals and thing I plan on doing this year, just know that I have Expect Amazing with each of them. So without any further delay and rambling on, here it is for 2013.

Be absolutely Amazing!!!!!!!!  The end, no I’m kidding sorry I just thought it was really funny J

-          Loose the weight. I have 70 lbs I would rather be without so this year is the year I say goodbye to it all. If you are my friend and if you are still reading at this point you much be my friend, you will understand that when I invite you to a Zumba class or say no to going out for lunch it’s not because I don’t love you or that I think you are fat. I just want to do something that doesn’t deal with food and that will be beneficial to me. I also just really love Zumba and think you should come.

-          I want to become a work out feen. I want to know how to work out and work out good and hard.

-          I am going to learn more about sports….especially football and soccer, but also basketball, baseball, hockey. I’d say more but I think for this year I will just focus on the major ones. Then next years (2014) move on to things like tennis, golf, and so on. HONESTLY we’ll have to see how far I get with this one, but I am expecting amazing so I’m going to know them and enjoy them.

-          I am starting my Graduate studies this summer for Event Planning. I am either going to get the certificate, or just the full out Degree or both. I don’t know but I will be starting in June.

-          I intend to get a bicycle. Yes a real one, that you use outside and everything. I would love to have a basket on it but that is optional. I want it because I live right next to the bay and this lovely path and I want to ride my bike on it.

-          In May I have a work meeting in Orlando Florida. It is one of our biggest meetings and I am fully in charge of it.  So after that I am spending three to five days in Disney World, which is going to be amazing.

-          I want to walk in a few events like the ‘walk for a cure’, and ‘walk for children something or other’. So I will be keeping my eye open for events like this and then I will be attending them.

-          I want to date. At least once a month go on a date with someone. Either him asking me or me asking him. But I am determined. I just now have to muster up the courage to do it.

-          I am planning and am determined to be in Germany for Christmas or actually week before Christmas. I have a jar full of coins to use for it and also got a bonus at work which will be going to it. SO I am really excited about it. It’s taken a long time to get there but I’m finally going to be there.

-          I am going to be able to pay off my Student Loans this year. Well my loans form BYU-Idaho. I don’t know about my graduate program as of it. I do know that my office pays $4,000 a year for school so that will help it will all just depend on what I do. BUT the BYU-Idaho school loans will be paid off YEAH!!!!

-          I want to come prepared for Church (having all the reading done and prepared with questions and such) every Sunday. This shouldn’t be a problem this year as I start this new schedule of Church from 3:00pm to 6:00pm (worst ever but that’s ok I will find the positive in it somehow and you will probably hear about it in post later on down the road.

-          I would like to start my Institute program, which will include starting, working on and graduating from institute. I believe it’s a four year program like seminary was but we shall see.

-          I want to attend cultural and festive events in the area. I want to never regret not going to something I could have or would have enjoyed if I would have just gotten out of the house and done it. This might include making new friends who will go with you to these kinds of things. (plays, musical concerts, festivals, and such)

-          I will/want to attend the temple twice a month. If not more….depending on the month and times and such. But at least twice a month I will be there.

-          One of my goals I will be working on and it includes my temple attendance, church participation, institute and my other scripture and spiritual goals is that I want to have the gospel in my bones. (I’ll explain this in a later post as it deserves one to the whole concept).

-          I want to get my family together twice a month for Family Home Evening via Skype. I would like to have them be on the Christlike attributes intermingles with the For Strength of Youth as that is where some of our family is. A month for a topic is a good start and will help us as we strive to be better at the attribute and concept.

-          I would like to know the girls better in my R.S. as the Visiting Teaching Coordinator; I want to magnify my calling to the best of my ability. So I want to get to know the girls by name and really work on know their needs and the needs of companions and so forth. I can’t help if I’m not willing to learn and know.

As I am reading through my list I find that I have more and more things come to mind. So I’m stopping before it becomes impossible. I hope your New Years was a good one. I pray that this year (2013) will be a wonderful one for you and you r loved ones.

Yours Truly,

Jenessa