Prayer:

The key to all healthy relationships is communication, is it not?
Well, why would that be any different between our relationship with
Heavenly Father and ourselves? To me, it only makes that communication
more sacred.

PRAYER ----> the way we are able to communicate with God as we express
the desires of our heart and give thanks for all we have received.

The bible dictionary gives us a beautiful definition as it highlights
the significance of prayer when it states that prayer aligns the the
will of the child with the Father, but by securing "for ourselves and
for others blessings that God is already willing to grant but that are
made conditional on our asking for them". How important it is then for
us to not give cliche and memorized prayers. If we want personal and
specific blessings, ought we not to ask for them in such a way as we
offer personal and specific prayers?

Prayer goes beyond just asking though. Yes, we may feel we are in need
of a great many of things, but do we not already have a thousand
blessings as well? And where do those blessings come from?? All
together now...GOD!

Let's remember two things:
1. "Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking
things for granted."
2. "Sincerely giving thanks not only helps is recognize our blessings,
but it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel love." -
Thomas S. Monson

Personally, I'd much rather have the blessings of heaven pour down on
me as I unlock the doors of heaven through being grateful. I know that
as we live in thanksgiving that God's love and protection will be more
apparent to us. I've seen gratitude do just that in my life and it
assure you, it will work for you too. As it does, praying will be part
of who you are.

"As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward
God (namely, God is our Father, and we are His children), then at once
prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part" - b.d. Prayer

Prayer may seem like such a basic thing, and it is, it lays the
foundation for many things. But, just because something is basic, that
doesn't mean it is small or insignificant. In my life, prayer plays
the opposite role. Through prayer I am able to feel loved, comforted,
guided, blessed, strengthened, forgived, peaceful, humbled, understood
- the list is remarkable. GOD IS REMARKABLE!

Life's a party.

Life: As we are walking along, setting goals for ourselves, sometimes
God decides those goals aren't exactly what he was hopping for because
there is something more critical we ought to work on. By presenting
certain trials or people in our life, we are able to align our will to
his and learn just what those things are he would have us accomplish.
In the end, if we are humble, we are always able to see that his way
was what we really needed.

Party: I vaguely remember being a youngin. And by youngin I mean about
5 or 6. When we were little, piñatas were the thing to do! I hated
being blindfolded, oh the disadvantages. And then being spun after
you're already blind?! Who on earth thought of that?? I remember
watching my cousins go, blindly being forced into circle after circle,
and then faced in the wrong direction only to walk away from the
piñata they wanted to hit. We would all laugh until they found their
way to the piñata, then we held our breaths. Would they hit it?
Secretly I wanted them to so I could charge the scene and grab the
sweets! But then if they did that would mean my chance would be over!
No dinosaur smacking for me. Man, I wanted to show off my wicked
softball swing I'd been working on all summer!

Life is a party: luckily in life we don't have to worry about our
cousin succeeding in connecting the bat to the paper mâché structure,
we each get our own piñata. However, with each piñata I'm afraid we
still have to go through the torture of being blindfolded (going
through the veil) being spun around (satan's and his servant's cunning
deceitfulness) and then being mocked at because we don't know which
direction we are walking toward (worldly pressures judging us for
being unique and following our own guide). It's tough.
Luckily we know we have the most loving father who only wants the best
for us. When we are trying to do what's right and when are sincerely
seeking for the sweets, he will be there, whispering in our ears which
way we ought to turn to do so.
In life, our path to this piñata is a whole lot longer than at a
child's birthday party. The pathways is full of twist, turns,
potholes, speed bumps, forks in the road and every other deterrence
you wish to add. (Silly satan, tricks are for kids!) Although that
sounds treacherous, may I reaffirm that hope I previously mentioned?
Our kind, loving, protective Heavenly Father is mindful of your every
step "for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee"
(Hebrews 13:5).

I am so grateful that He is there to stable me and to guide me, just
as he is for you! There is no way we are able to obtain that reward,
which is so much greater than anything we can imagine, without him.
Let him be your guide.

Mini update:

There are so many thoughts going through my head right now on
different posts I want to share - different topics I could rant about,
different pictures I want to show, and many stories that would be
enjoyable.

Maybe I should start getting better at remembering to update this bad
boy so things don't have to be so hard?
There's an idea.

For starters, recently I had a change up of scene. I am now serving in
Rego Park, an area in Queens, NY, and I love it here! I'm still trying
to learn how to be a city girl and to be honest, I'm really quite
enjoying that process. The city is growing on me! This new ward, Rego
Park 2, is remarkable! The members love missionaries and missionary
work and they are so kind and friendly, always making jokes and
laughing up a storm. The funny thing about this ward though is the
majority of them speak English. A blessing and a curse. I can hold my
own in Spanish but if you can speak English? Heck, let's do that then.
One more highlight about this area: I live next door to the church!
(just like back at home in Cali) but the thing is, it's not just a
church, it's the mission office too! By golly gee, I am a lucky bee!

Now, let's talk companions. It's funny how with each and every one of
my companions, I seem to be a different person. They bring out certain
characteristics that other companions don't. With one companion,
missionary work was all there was, jokes were beyond us and there were
never enough people to visit. With another companion, every little
thing we did was new and exciting wether we succeeded or failed.
Everything was joyous! With one companion I had, sarcasm became the
only language I knew. Another, we had so much fun together that
through the laughter and smiles people were able to see true joy and
wanted to know how to get that for themselves. The differences between
them all astound me. I am grateful for each and everyone of my
companions and am excited for those I will be able to serve around in
the future as well!

My current companion is very thoughtful in what she does. She thinks
of the reasoning behind things, her purpose and her desire. She is
such a good example to me in that aspect. I find it intriguing to
pinpoint the reasons I do what I do as I reflect on those stories that
helped shape me into who I am today.

As I reflect on my own background I tend to draw parallels and relate
my odd happenings to the journey of life. This includes big things as
well as small things.

I decided that within the next few weeks I will document some of these
things I'm learning and noticing. Maybe short posts won't be as
daunting to me and I can share my experiences more regularly...

Enjoy!