Moses 1:18-20

"And again Moses said: I will not cease to call upon God, I have other things to inquire of him: for his glory has been upon me, wherefore I can judge between him and thee. Depart hence, Satan. 

And now, when Moses had said these words, Satan cried with a loud voice, and ranted upon the earth, and commanded, saying: I am the Only Begotten, worship me.
And it came to pass that Moses began to fear exceedingly; and as he began to fear, he saw the bitterness of hell. Nevertheless, calling upon God, he received strength, and he commanded, saying: Depart from me, Satan, for this one God only will I worship, which is the God of glory."

After 102 days of praying and reading about prayer, can you proclaim, “I will not cease to call upon God”, as Moses did? Have you developed a personal relationship with your Heavenly Father? Do you have other things to inquire of Him because you know He will answer?  Do you know the goodness and glory of God and recognize that Satan’s power pales in comparison? Do you know that when temptations come that as you call upon God, He will strengthen you? Have you felt what it is like to be in God’s presence? Do you know that when Satan tempts you not to pray, when you proclaim your desire to worship only God, Satan must depart? Do you know that you are a daughter of God and that He has a work for you to do? Have you felt the power of prayer in your life?

It is has been a wonderful blessing in my life to focus on the power of prayer, and I pray that each of you have been blessed as well. Heavenly Father is real. He knows who you are. He knows your name and has a plan for you. He will strengthen you to withstand temptation. He loves each of you.  We are His daughters. It is my hope that each of you have made a commitment to call upon God every day and invite His influence and guidance into your life. Through prayer, Heavenly Father is reachable at any time and any place. Just believe!

Love, Sister Linnell

Moroni 10:3-5

"Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

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.

And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things. "

Through the power of the Holy Ghost, we may each come to a knowledge not only of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon but of all things. There is so much confusion in the world. We have so many voices speaking to us telling us to believe a certain way, and it is hard to know who to believe. Advertisers want you to believe in their product so you will buy it. Politicians want you to believe them so you will vote for them now and in the future. Those encouraging you to lower your standards feel better if others believe as they do that sin brings happiness. Often times it is selfish desires that are the motivation behind others wishes for us to follow and believe.

Do you want to know what to believe and what is truth? Put this scripture to the test. Study it out. Ponder. Ask with a sincere and honest desire to know. Then listen.

Each of us hear in a different way. Some have a clear idea come into their mind. Others feel a pounding in the chest. And a quiet peace and calm will come to some. But, the answer is always preceded by a genuine desire to know.

The knowledge will come when we ask because we want to know truth. The scriptures teach us often to ask, and you will receive. If you desire knowlege, ask, then listen, and obey.

Love, Sister Linnell

1 Nephi 2:16-19

16 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers.

17 And I spake unto Sam, making known unto him the things which the Lord had manifested unto me by his Holy Spirit. And it came to pass that he believed in my words.

18 But, behold, Laman and Lemuel would not hearken unto my words; and being grieved because of the hardness of their hearts I cried unto the Lord for them.

19 And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying: Blessed art thou, Nephi, because of thy faith, for thou hast sought me diligently, with lowliness of heart.

When I think about Nephi, I picture a man with great wisdom and confidence.  We're reminded in this scripture that Nephi was not very old.  He lived in a time of great turmoil.  There was contention in his family, and in his city.  So many different people were telling him different things that he should believe and feel.  When you think about it like that it kind of sounds familiar, doesn't it?
Nephi made a choice.  He chose to ask, in prayer, what was right, and he was blessed for it.  That same ability and same blessings have been given to us.  Nephi's blessings came because of his faith and because he sought diligently.
"Diligently" doesn't mean that the first time Nephi asked, he received a vision or a definite answer.  Definitions of diligently include "constant in effort to accomplish something" and  "characterized by steady, earnest, and energetic effort."  We all have the power to be diligent.  To continue trying, to keep pushing forward, even to start again when we have slipped.
I am so grateful for my testimony.  There are two components of my testimony that I consider to be the greatest gifts in my life.  First is my knowledge that my Heavenly Father knows me by name, and the second is that, no matter how long it has been or what I have done, He hears me each time I come to Him in prayer. There have been times in my life that I have struggled with great trials, and this has helped me.  But more significantly, it is the day to day trials, and sometimes simply getting through each day, where this has become even more important to me.  Without this knowledge, I don't know how I would keep going.  There would be times that all of this simply wouldn't be worth it. Times that I felt too alone, and life too heavy. How grateful I am that during those times, small, simple, tender mercies happen in my life that remind me about what I already know and have simply momentarily forgotten.  When I stop and think, I realize how often those tender mercies happen.
At the age of 17, I had a pretty good testimony.  Nothing earth shattering, just a quiet assurance that the things I had been taught all of my life were true.  One night, after a week at Education Week listening to great speakers, my friend played a song for me.  The song was "Never A Better Hero" by Kenneth Cope.  While listening to that song, I came to know, in a way that I could never deny, that my Heavenly Father knew me by name.  Years later, though I haven't always lived a perfect life, I still know this.  This knowledge has been my rock and my salvation through the years.  I am so thankful for the testimony that I have been able to share these last few months.  It has been strengthened through my sharing and through hearing the thoughts and testimonies of so many others.  Prayer works.  He is listening.  He knows you and He loves you.
I look forward to spending the week with you!

Love, Sis. Norris

John 16:23-24

23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.

24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

Each day as I go through my routine of things that need to be done. Usually I am doing dishes or making my bed, one of my children will come and ask me if they can play or they want me to take them somewhere or they are hungry and want me to make dinner. I can usually foresee their needs but not always.

Heavenly Father is a God, he loves us and he knows us better than we know ourselves, he knows what we need before we even know. He gave us the gift of free agency, so to stay true to that gift we get to make the choice whether we want his help or not. He is there all we need to do is humble ourselves and ask for help. Sometimes that is the part that trips me up. The humble myself and ask. I get going along in my day and try to do things on my own, sometimes I forget to ask for help. Then something will go wrong and that's when I remember hey, I am not alone I can ask for help. It is funny because I am always telling my children, if you would just come and ask me for help with that I could help them and they would not have gotten hurt or maybe their task would not have been so hard.

Heavenly Father is just waiting for us to ask him for help. He wants us to be happy. Then we can have joy.

This is my last opportunity to participate in this blog. I have learned so much from reading the scriptures each day and have enjoyed reading the postings from the other leaders. My testimony of prayer has grown because of it. I only wish I was better with words and could convey better what is in my heart. I am grateful for this opportunity.

I am looking forward to camp. I know they were inspired to have prayer as our theme. I love the spirit that I have felt there the last couple of years. I am looking forward to participating in what the camp leaders have planned for us. I know they have gone to alot of work in our behalf.

Thank you!!!

Love,Sister Madsen

Helaman 10:4-5

4 Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments.

5 And now, because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will.

The Lord plainly teaches us through Nephi's example not to be selfish, put others first, magnify our callings, and work diligently and he will "bless us forever".

It may seem like we have everything figured out and our path is the way we want it to be, but sometimes the Lord has a different plan; a better plan that we can not see from our perceptive. He knows us and what path he wants us to take, we just have to reach out to him in Prayer and Ask and Go forward in Faith.

The Lord wants us to be Happy and to live according to his will. He loves you and knows you better than anyone. We just need to keep the commandments like Nephi and earn the Lord's trust and blessings, so that we can have the spirit with us to lead us and guide us back to him.

I know the Lord has blessed me in my life when I am doing "HIS" will. When I am reading my scriptures, saying my prayers both morning and night, attending the temple, fulfilling my church responsibilities and all the other things that bring me happiness. He blesses me, I know without a doubt he does bless me!

Love you,
Sister Anderson

Psalms 27:1-4

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.

Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple."

Do you live the gospel out of fear or because you have a testimony of its truthfulness? Do you pray each morning because you fear what might happen if you don’t? Or do you pray because you have faith that Heavenly Father hears your prayers? Sometimes fear becomes our motivation behind doing good things. But, faith and fear cannot coexist. One gives way to the other. For example, if we pray because we fear Heavenly Father might punish us or won’t help us if we don’t, then we allow that fear to prevent us from feeling His love and exercising faith and trust in His guidance.

I have five children, and I would find it incredibly sad if my children spoke with me out of fear that if they didn’t then I wouldn’t help them with the things they need. I desire a relationship with my children based upon their knowledge of my love for each of them and my desire to help them be the best they can become. Heavenly Father wants the same for His children.

Just as fear diminishes our ability to exercise faith, developing our faith will lessen any doubt or discouragement we may experience. Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught: “Faith is a gift of God bestowed as a reward for personal righteousness. It is always given when righteousness is present, and the greater the measure of obedience to God’s laws the greater will be the endowment of faith”. If we desire less doubt and more faith, we must be more obedient. Faith is increased by exact obedience to the small, simple things in our daily lives.

If fear, darkness, and discouragement prevent you from a loving relationship with your Heavenly Father, increase your willingness to be obedient. Pray more frequently. Read and ponder the scriptures with more diligence. Prepare to learn as you attend your meetings. Seek to be in the temple more often. As you do these things, His light in your life will increase. Circumstances may not always change, but your faith and understanding will.

I testify that the Lord is our light. When His presence is near, fear and darkness will depart. Pray to Him simply because He loves you.

Love, Sister Linnell

Moroni 7:9 & 48

9 And likewise also is it counted evil unto a man, if he shall pray and not with real intent of heart; yea, and it profiteth him nothing, for God receiveth none such.

48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.

I know that through sincere prayer we become like Christ, because we come to know Christ.

When I was in Seminary, I saw a video that really touched me that I’ve never forgotten. There were some boys in Scotland, who were on an outing and decided to explore some old castle ruins towards evening. One boy climbed up some ruins, and before he knew it, it was dark. As he tried to climb down, he got stuck on a ledge that he couldn’t get off. The other boys went for help. Soon, one of the other boys’ fathers came and stood below the frightened boy. He told him to jump, and he would catch him, but the boy couldn’t see the man in the blackness below, and was too afraid to take that step out into the darkness. He was coaxed by the man to no avail. Then, he heard the voice of his own father, who had come to help his son. The boy stared into the darkness below him, trying to make out his father’s form, but couldn’t see anything but blackness. His father promised him that if he jumped off the ledge into the darkness, that he would catch him and that the boy would be safe. I’m afraid of heights, so I can imagine the fear that that boy must have felt. But, he knew his father. He believed his father, and he jumped into the darkness below him into the safety of his father’s arms.

How do we get to know and trust our Father in Heaven as this boy trusted his earthly father? How do we become like our Savior Jesus Christ? How do we become "purified even as he is pure?" How do we become sons (and daughters) of God? We do these things by turning to our Father in prayer, by spending time with Him in conversation and in scripture. I know that as we try to do His will, as we ask for His guidance in our daily prayers, as we read the scriptures looking for His council for us that we will become like Him. Our will will become His will. Our hearts will be turned to Him. We will be filled with His love and with His Spirit. We will become the followers of Christ that we know we were meant to be.

I know that our Father in Heaven loves you. He knows you. He wants nothing but the best for you. Turn to Him in prayer. Read in the scriptures His words for you. He will make so much more of your life than you could possibly make of yourself. Trust in Him.

Love,
Sister Jones