"When You move, I'll move"  

Ever meet those people that make following God and Christ easy? Make it seem like how the heck are they doing that? I would be so freaked out, crying, turning up my hands in anger. I have many people like that in my life. And sometimes I just want to shake them and shout, "HOW DO YOU DO IT?!?" I am a Christian, and I have a very difficult time following the promptings of Heavenly Father when I know it is the hardest decision to make- not the one I truly wanted.

We say that we are Christ followers, but are we really? I know that may seem dramatic, like, "Uh, honey, I definitely am." I am a strong believer in the cliche "actions speak louder than words." And I take that to heart when it comes to my relationship with The Lord. It's not always the easiest for me though. I ask for answers and to be guided, but, when I know it's going to be so hard & complicated, I keep asking and saying I am not fully, one hundred percent sure of the decision because I know what will have to come of it- trusting The Lord to protect my heart. If you're anything like me, it takes a lot to fully trust in someone. So, sometimes I find it very difficult to give everything, and I mean EVERYTHING to a person that I don't even know is listening to me. I can't see Him, can't call Him on His iPhone or Instagram Him or even see what He is up to on Twitter. I just have to have this blind faith that He's got me and loves me- no strings attached. So, how the heck am I able to do that? To be blindly following Christ, only getting a small corner of the 1,000,000 pieces yet to come? I'll tell you why because I have proof that His love does exists.

I have been through a lot in my 21 years of life. More than I thought would ever come, more than I thought I would be able to handle. But, I did it. I did it because the strength I got through those obstacles were not my own, but His. The Lord gave me part of His strength because He knew I could do it. He believed in me when no one else did, when no one else could understand what I was going through, He did. And even though I couldn't physically talk to Him, I felt this overwhelming sense of calmness. A sense that everything was and will work out. BUT, only if I had faith in Him. Only if I truly followed Him with my whole heart and whole mind and whole body. I truly followed Him.  And that's the best part of Him. We don't need to have things lift off tables magically or to run into the one you've been waiting for to marry like in the movies to have proof that He's with you if you want Him to be. You just have to trust Him with everything you've got. Including your actions.

Let your actions do all the talking for you, with God, Christ, family, co-workers, friends, dogs, just people. Let Heavenly Father see you really do trust Him with how you respond to your promptings. You don't need words to tell Him you love Him, He can hear your thoughts of your heart, but, He will know you mean business when you act on that. When you step out of your comfort zone and stand up for what you know you should be doing.

And for those of you who aren't believers of God. When you're struggling, as we all are, I ask one small thing- just bow your head and say, "God, I may not believe in You just yet, but I need You. I need You to help me, to lead, to let me follow you, I need a strength that is not my own." If you pray, I promise you will feel a calmness and protection. You may not get an answer right away, none of us really do, but when that answer does come, know He's got your back and He loves you more than you can even imagine.

Full of stuffing & gratitude 

November 27th, 2014- the traditional day of Thanksgiving. This is the day where we are up earlier than we would like getting the house ready & then ourselves. Where the home smells like turkey, stuffing, yams, cranberry sauce, and tons and tons of pie. A day where we go around the table saying things we are thankful for- family, food, jobs, school, etc, all the standard answers. A day for being grateful. But, shouldn't we be grateful on days without pumpkin pie?

Last Sunday, I was able to teach a lesson about being grateful IN our circumstances rather than afterwards or for certain things. There is a difference about being grateful to go through obstacles that God has put in our paths. To be grateful that He trusts us with such an important part of our lives. At first this was really hard to understand. How can I be grateful in my circumstances? Do I count all the blessings I have been given in my life? Do I pray? I didn't even know what "being grateful IN circumstances" meant, until I tried to do it.

I decided that during my struggles I will be grateful. I will be grateful to be in the present with our Father in Heaven. I will be grateful to have the struggles I have. I will be grateful because I know that the worries and challenges that are in my life are the one's I am meant to have. The one's I am meant to overcome. A women in my church, during the lesson said something that really made me think. "Rather to have my struggles than someone else's." Everyone goes through different obstacles in their lives, but there is one thing that can all pull us back together, and that is to be grateful in anything we come across. Because what if we didn't have those standard answers to be grateful for in our lives? What if we didn't have a family, or food, or jobs, or school? Could we still be grateful?

Instead of being grateful for things, we need to just be thankful overall. The scriptures just talk about a general gratefulness rather than being specific on what to be grateful for. And maybe it's time we adopt that into our own lives. To just be grateful, period.

 https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances?lang=eng&query=grateful+in+any+circumstances

"Look into each others eyes"

I know this might be very random, but I had to share my engagement photos with you! They were so great & very awkward at some points. Our wonderful friend and photographer had us be cheesy and lovey dovey- in front of her. I usually am not that way, so it was quite the experience! But here are some of them! If you want to know who are photographer was, let me know!

I am a Convert & so are You. 

Hello bloggers!
My name is Erin. I am a convert of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. My blog is show others the true struggles of being a member of the church, and that those same struggles apply to anyone, regardless of church.

When I think about my conversion story, people are always amazed at my "strength" and "courage." They say it took a lot for me to overcome all the obstacles that were put in my path. And yes, while that is true, it does not just apply to converts of the church. I have learned through testimonies of others that the same struggles and strength are needed to people who have lived their whole lives as a member. Just because people are raised in a church does not mean that they are followers of Christ or have a testimony of Him. I want people to understand that. To understand that no member of the church is alike, and gaining their testimony is very unique from all others. My testimony of Christ did not come until I was 18. The process of getting involved in the church can be overwhelming, but, those who feel the Spirit know that there are so many wonderful things to come of it. I was so incredible scared of what people would think of me, what my family would say, and if my life would stay the same. But the truth of matter was, it wasn't going to know matter what I did. Being baptized & converting to the church would forever change not only my life, but me as well.

I was involved with another church for the better part of 3 years. I loved it very much & there were many people that became like family to me. Deciding to leave that part of my life was by far the hardest decision I have had to make so far in my life. But when I did that, I knew that this was apart of my conversion story. The rest is like anyone joining any church. I had meetings with missionaries to talk about more of the faith and for me to pray about it constantly. I went to the church activities, met new people, and attended church every Sunday- all before I was an actual member! Even though that might seem a little extreme, that's what I had to do to see if this was really where I was meant to be. Obviously it was.  Through these things I gained a stronger testimony that Heavenly Father is real and it is because of Him that I have these promptings.

I am not the only convert in my church. Everyone is. Just because you are raised within a church does not mean that you instantly have a testimony. In fact, it is sometimes harder to gain it when everyone around you is telling you, you have to have one. People go through obstacles and challenges that allow their faith it either grow or wither away- just like a flower. In order for people to be able to blossom they have to have their own testimony. Everyone is a convert of any church. And they have the testimony to prove it.

On March 8th, 2014 I became a member of the church. It was the most heart breaking, emotional, wonderful, joyful experience in my life. I am blessed to be apart of a church that accepts me for me & encourages me everyday to be better for our Father in Heaven. And at the end of the day, isn't that all we all want? For people to push us, encourage us, and keep us accountable so that one day we can go to Heaven?