Christ as the Center of Life.

Christ.. Centering my life on Christ.

I know that Christ is the ultimate way to get back home.

I know that with Christ and through Christ we can do anything.

I know that life is scary and challenging and I know that Christ knows that.

He feels what we feel.

He has been through what we are going through.

And because of that, we can lean on him and borrow some of his strength. 

We can talk to him and be heard. 

Not only heard, but understood. 

We can rise up to the challenge and conquer intimidating things.

We can face our biggest fear. 

Heal our biggest heart ache. 

We can know, with out a doubt, that we are loved.

That he knows us.

We can know that we are blessed.

One of my best friends, Krista, showed me this quote last year.

I think of it always and how it applies to life daily.

"We know that Jesus experienced the totality of mortal existence in Gethsemane. It's our faith that he experienced everything-- absolutely everything. Sometimes we don't think through the implications of that belief. We talk in great generalities about the sins of all humankind, about the suffering of the entire human family. But we don't experience pain in generalities. We experience it individually. That means He knows what it felt like when your mother died of cancer--how it felt for your mother, how it still is for you. He knows what it felt like to lose the student body election. He knows that moment when the brakes locked and the car started to skid. He experienced the slave ship sailing from Ghana toward Virginia. He experienced the gas chambers at Dachau. He experienced napalm in Vietnam... He knows abut drug addictions and alcoholism...On a profound level, he understands about the hunger to hold your baby that sustains you through pregnancy. He understands both the physical pain of giving birth and the immense joy. He understands about rape and infertility and abortion...He understand your mother-pain when your five-year-old leaves for kindergarten, when a bully picks on your fifth-grader, when your daughter calls to say that the new baby has Down's syndrome. He know your mother rage...when someone gives your thirteen year old drugs, when someone seduces your seventeen year old. He know the pain you live with when you come home to a quiet apartment where the only children are visitors, when you hear that your former husband and his new wife were sealed in the temple last week, when your fiftieth wedding anniversary rolls around and your husband has been dead for two years. He knows all that. He's been there. He's been lower than all that. He's not waiting for us to be perfect. Perfect people don't need a Savior. He came to save his people in their imperfections. He is the Lord of the living, and the living make mistakes. He's not embarrassed by us, angry at us, or shocked. He wants us in our brokenness, in our unhappiness, in our guilt and grief."
 (Chieko Okazaki, "Lighten Up", 1993).

I know that Christ can heal, help and be our guide for he is our biggest example.

I know that if we make time for him and put him first, that anything is possible.

Especially with this coming school year..

If we always remember to read our scriptures, pray, visit the temple, and be of service..

Then I know he will help us when we need it.

I know he will lift us when we are down.

I know this, because I know he would anyways.

He would already be there for us. 

Right beside us, carrying us through the trail.

Carrying us through the day.

All in all.. I realized that through this next year, if I center myself on Christ, every thing will fall into place. 

I realized it's silly of me not to lean on him or to seek his guidance.

It would be like going to the wrong way, making a wrong turn, when the map shows exactly where to go and how to get to where you want to be.

It would be like not taking your  book to class when you know you have an open book test. 

It would be like not utilizing a valuable source or comforter.

It would be like telling him that all the work that he did for us..

That all he went through for us.. 

wasn't necessary.

But he has already done that for us.

He has already bled from every pore for us.

He has already suffered all things, good and bad, for us.

He has already paved the way and made it possible for our happiness.

So why wouldn't he want our happiness?

I know. I know. I know. that he does.

That is why he went through such things. He went through it all for us.

He did it, so one day, he can see us smile. Smile all the time.

So one day, he can see us happy. Happy all the time.

So one day, he can see us with tears of joy in our eyes.

and most of all..

So one day, he can see us back home with him and our Heavenly Father.

He is leading us to happiness.

So why not take his hand and follow him?

Why not trust in him?


Love, Madeliene..
-Happy Sunday :)

3 Nephi 9:14

Yea, verily I say unto you, 
if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. 
Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you,
 and whosoever will come, him will I receive; 
and blessed are those who come unto me.

Adventure #2. Stake Youth Conference.

Complete.

The past three days we focused on being like our Savior and coming to Christ.

"As we strengthen our testimonies of the Savior, we recognize God' love and strive to be examples of the believers."

We seek after these things. These things being the words of the 13th Article of Faith.

It was amazing to see my group, as well as the other groups, work together and get to know each other. 

To learn about each other and to strengthen each others testimonies.

We played together.

We danced together.

We served the Lord and our community together.

but most of all, we learned together. 

We learned of the love that our Heavenly Father and his Savior really have for us. We learned that we are not alone. That there is always someone there for us and by seeking after such things we can go to the temple. We can have pure happiness with our families and be with them for forever. 

What a blessing that is.

I love to see the temple. I am going there some day. The temple is the most sacred, most beautiful place here on this earth. You can always learn new things in the temple. It will always teach you what is true and that feeling you feel there is what we always want to feel like. Hope, Love, Peace, Happiness. That is what the gospel has to offer. Having the gospel in our lives and the temple in focus. The temple as our goal, will get us to where we are supposed to be. 

We can make it to the temple by following the guidelines that have been given us. By seeking after these things. By searching, pondering, and praying about the scriptures. By being a good and righteous example. By following our examples. Those people put here on this earth to lead and guide us. To help us along the way. With Christ being the ultimate example.

"Just as our Redeemer gave his life as a vicarious sacrifice for all men, and in so doing became our Savior, even so we, in a small measure, when we engage in proxy work in the temple, become as Saviors to those on the other side."               -President Gordon B. Hinckley

We can still be like our Savior, for not only people still living today, but for those who have passed on.

We are sacrificing our time and giving our service to those spirits. When we go to the temple, we are serving our Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ. We are showing that we care about other people and we want to help them make it back home. Just like our Savior did for us. He paved the way for us to get back to him. 

Be worthy of the temple. To live righteously so you can be comfortable in the House of the Lord and in our Saviors presence. So we can be better examples. So we can be like him. So we can help others on this journey. 

"I urge our people everywhere, with all of the persuasiveness of which I am capable, to live worthy to hold a temple recommend, to secure one and regard it as a precious asset, and to make a greater effort to go to the House of the Lord and partake of the spirit and the blessings to be had therein." -President Gordon B. Hinckley

I am so grateful for the people I have been able to communicate with and get to know over this adventure. How great it was for me to meet new people and to grow friendships. You touched my life in ways you will probably never know. Thank you for your examples. Thanks for standing up for what you believe in and showing who you truly are.

Thank you to the boy who stands up and bares his testimony and encourages others to bare there testimonies. Thank you for being the example, for setting the standard.

We all played a part. 

We all made it happen.

And together, we truly are/can be Examples of the Believers.

We Seek after These Things.

Love, Madeliene.

26.2

I have always wanted to run a marathon.
I tried to train for a half last year but didn't make it.
Still a goal for the future though.
Hopefully I can run a half or a 10K this summer!
That is if I can evern run a 5K first! :)

Love, Madi Louise.