Having Faith

Faith is descriped as complete trust or confidence in someone or something.

Many people these days say that they have trouble having and/or keeping faith. for some that is understandable and for me at the same time I have struggled with the "complete" part. there are things that always seem to help me.

1. Pray daily: praying daily helps me not only stay in touch with my Heavenly Father but it helps me to be thankful for the many things that He has given to me

2. Read my scriptures: this helps me by renewing my faith in the things that Heavenly Father done for many others. Such as healing the blind and sick and being humble enough to give of Himself to others.

3. Being of service: when I give of myself I know that I am acting Christ like and making my Heavenly Father happy. Know that my Heavenly Father is proud of me and happy make my faith renewed because in that moment I can feel His spirit.

4. Asking for help: when you ask for help you are allowing Heavenly Father to show through to other people.

5. Go to church: this helps by being with other believers and renewing coventants made at baptisim. I feel the holy spirit the most when I am at a chaple and even more so when I am in the temple. These are honestly my favorite places in the world.

I am not saying that faith is easy but, I am saying that it can be done. My hope for all reading this is that they know that complete trust in Heavenly Father is possible. I also want everyone to know that Heavenly Father loves you and will never leave you when you need Him the most!!

~Brie~

Pumpkin Cake Pops

Ok these look hard but are super easy to make. I thought they looked like fun I will be making tons of these this year!!

Ingredients

• One 13×9 cake – make it from scratch, or make it from a box.
• 1/2 cup cake frosting – use already made
• Orange candy melts, or white candy melts colored with oil-based food coloring
• Green Tic Tacs (for the stems)

Special Equipment

• Lollipop Sticks
• Wax paper
• (optional) Edible Pen or Marker to make jack-o-lantern faces
• styrofoam block
• toothpicks

Instructions

1. Start by making the cake and letting it cool completely. Cut the corner crusts off to help the cake mixture keep a nice consistency.
2. Spoon the cake into a large bowl and crumble it up with a pastry cutter.
3. Add in the frosting. Combine with the pastry cutter.
4. Form the cake/frosting mixture into quarter-ish-sized balls and place them on a baking sheet lined with wax paper.
5. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or on a double boiler, according to package instructions. Be careful not to overheat. Dip a lollipop stick about 1/4″ into the chocolate and then halfway into the cake ball.
6. Repeat the process on all of the cake balls. Now, somehow finagle your freezer so that you can pop the whole baking sheet in to chill for about 10 minutes.
7. Get your candy coating ready. Dip each cake pop in and roll it a bit, using a knife or spoon to help get it coated. Use a toothpick to skim off any excess coating.
8. Push the green Tic Tac into the top as a stem immediately, because the candy coating sets up fast. Use the Styrofoam block to hold the pops until the candy sets up.
9. Once dry, feel free to draw on faces with an edible pen. Enjoy! :)

~Brie~

Juice Box Mummy

Ok moms, dads, grandparents, and whoever has small children here is a fun and easy halloween project to do

What you'll need:

• Empty cardboard juice box container
• 2 tablespoons rice
• Fold top sandwich bag
• Tape
• Black and white construction paper
• Scissors
• Glue stick
• 2 medium wiggle eyes
• White craft glue

How to make it:

1. Cut open the top of the juice box container, rinse and dry thoroughly.
2. Place rice inside sandwich bag. Roll up the bag and secure with tape. Place bag of rice inside juice box and tape the top closed.
3. Cut a piece of black construction paper, large enough to cover the top half of the front of the juice box. Glue it in place.
4. Tear white construction paper into strips and glue them around the box, leaving a small section of the black paper visible for the eyes.
5. Use white craft glue to attach two wiggle eyes to the black paper.

Tips:

1. Instead of rice, use sand or pebbles, enough to add some weight to the box so that it does not fall over.
2. Construction paper is available in large packages at your local discount department store.
3. A glue stick works better than white craft glue for a smooth, flat finish.

~Brie~

My Baptism!!

Well everyone it is official I had the honor of choosing and being baptized into what I believe is the truest church in the world!!

My baptism was just BEAUTIFUL!!!

My mother in law Linda did the opening prayer. The bishop was there to not only baptize me but he also talked about the importance of baptism. The Jane one of my wonderful visiting teachers gave a talk on baptism. It was beautiful and I know that she was speaking right to me and that Heavenly Father was giving her just the right words to say. After that I was baptized and the feelings are felt were beyond anything that I have ever in my life felt. I was so over joyed and comforted. Then we can back and Nolan gave a talk on receiving the Holy Ghost which was wonderful. My darling husband Adam did the closing prayer which I was very thankful for.

The best thing about my day was all the people that were there that surrounded me in love and kindness. I am truly blessed to be part of such a true church that treats everyone like family.

And the first fruits of repentance is baptism; and baptism cometh by faith unto the fulfilling the commandments; and the fulfilling the commandments bringeth remission of sins;
Moroni 8:25

~Brie~

My Husband Is The Greatest Missonary

As some of you may know I was not raised in the LDS church but I have chosen to become a part of a wonderful church with wonderful people and values. My journey has been a some what long one and has come with a lot of soul searching.

In my journey I have met many wonderful missonaries but, prehaps the greatest missonary I had is my husband Adam. Adam has been a church member his whole life. When I first wanted to know more about the church Adam was the one who encouraged me to seek the right answers. Adam answered all the question that I had and when he could not answer anymore he and his parents set me up with the sister missonaries.

Through out this whole process Adam was the one who in our private moments loved, supported, and prayed with me. He is still that wonderful "missonary" man that he was then. I think the greastest lesson that Adam tought me was that you dont have to be perfect to be a member of the church you just have to be trying.

Adam was the first person I came to with questions then his parents and then the sister missionaries. Because of all those wonderful people who guided, loved, and prayed with me I am where I am today. Now I get to spend all eternity with my Heavenly Father and loved ones and for that thank you will NEVER be enough!!

~Brie~

Just A Kind Word

"Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don’t judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone’s differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn’t handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another’s weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other"
— Marvin J. Ashton

As I read the quote above I am reminded of where I first heard it from. I was in a relief society meeting at church. We were talking about how people judge others and how we judge ourselves. I strongly believe that women are the worst judges of not only themselves but others. We have a nack for finding the faults in us and eachother. We pick eachother apart and bring eachother down all the time for short comings. I am guilty of doing this in gossip that I think does not hurt anybody because it is not shared with others but, it does hurt it hurts me spirtually and it hurts Heavenly Father to know that I am doing his job by judging someone else.

So ladies my chalenge to you is lets all STOP, THINK, and LISTEN before we bring ourselves or another sister down. I know that I am going to be working much harder on this because I would hate to have to answer to Heavenly Father for being disrespectful to anyone he made including myself!!

Heavenly Father
I come before today and I pray that you help me
Please help me not to judge myself and others
Please help me to keep my words kind
Please help me to see things from other peoples point of veiw
Please help me to know that I am perfect just the way you made me
I thank you father for making me and all of my wonderful sisters
Please continue to bless me my family and friends
In the name of Jesus Christ
Amen

~Brie~

The Articles of Faith

Below are The Articles of Faith. They are plain and simply just what we as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe. I hope that you will read them with an open mind and open heart to understand a little bit more of what our church is about.

1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression.
3. We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
5. We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.
7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.
8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.
11. We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

~Brie~