Example of the Believers.

Do you realize that people are watching you?

Do you realize that someone is either thinking...

"Wow, I want to be just like them." 

or "Oh, I totally learned from there mistakes."

There not judging you. But just watching.

Seeing what you do and how you act.

Seeing if you'll represent and stand up for what you believe in.

People are always trying to figure out who they really are.

They also do this to others.

I love to watch people.

I love to watch people serve.

I love seeing people happy and smiling.

I love it when I'm driving and seeing a young mother playing with her baby boy in the autumn leaves.

I love to see someone help someone in need.

I love it when people go out of there way for others.

This world is such a wonderful place. 

We have so many responsibilities and opportunities.

We have so much that we can do and accomplish.

Thats why we are here.

We are here to give.

To grow.

To learn.

To be happy.

I've been thinking about this quote constantly lately.

Responsibility of Latter-Day Saints

"We have laid upon us as a people a greater charge, a greater responsibility than any other people have ever had in the history of the world. We are responsible for the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ to all who have lived upon the earth, to all who now live upon the earth, and to all who will yet live upon the earth. No other people have had so great a responsibility as that. God bless the faithful Latter-day Saints who carry in their hearts the love and respect of the great doctrine of the eternity of the family, and the tremendous doctrine of vicarious work for the dead." -Gordon B. Hinckley

Simple stated. We have a responsibility to show who we stand for.

To let others know that we know Christ.

That we know who we are and that we are proud of who we are.

We have so much to give.

So much work to do.

We are children of a Heavenly Father.

SHOW IT.

love it.

and most importantly, LIVE it.

"Let others know him, because they know you."

Have that light in your eyes.

That burning testimony in your hearts.

That sweet feeling of the spirit surrounding you at all times.

To those of you that do.

Thank you.

You bring happiness to my life constantly.

I hope you realize that no matter who you are.

No matter what you do.

No matter what your circumstances are.

No matter how many mistakes you have made.

You are always loved.

Everyone makes mistakes.

Your supposed to.

Opposition in all things right?

Keep on going. 

Life is hard, but thats the only way to find happiness.

Love, Madeliene Louise

striving to live my life like this..

One day your dreams will become mine, My dreams will become yours, and together our dreams will become reality.

One day. In the far away future.

After I have served a mission.

After I have learned exactly who I am.

Once I've lived my life and studied abroad.

Once I've finished growing as an individual..

I hope for what every other girl hopes for.

Yep, marriage.

The perfect guy. 

 Not perfect, but perfect for me.

I hope to have a darling family.

To raise my children and to love them.

I need that guy who will hold me when all is wrong.

When my flashbacks from the past bring me down.

When the present isn't going just how we had planned.

I need someone to communicate with me.

Someone I feel comfortable talking with and telling them exactly how I feel.

I need that person that doesn't scare me. That looks at me and knows what I need.

I need loyalty and complete honesty. 

I want someone to truly love me.

So I can love them back.

I need to be cared for. and I need to care for him,

I need a healthy relationship where things get resolved when they go wrong.

I need that guy that makes me laugh.

Who puts a smile on my face.

Who I am completely myself around.

Who takes me on crazy adventures.

I want someone to roll down hills with me.

to look at the stars with me.

to go on midnight walks with me.

to kiss me in the rain.

I'm your typical girl.

But most of all.

I want that guy with the burning testimony.

a return missionary.

someone who knows the church is true.

someone to hold my hand in church.

to bare his testimony to me when I need it.

to give me a priesthood blessing.

to discuss topics of the gospel.

to pray together.

study the scriptures together.

to go to the temple together.
to learn and grow with.

I hope wish and pray that I live my life in a way that I can find this person who makes me truly happy.

Someone I can love.

and be in love with.

Someone that completes me.

makes me a better person.

lifts me up.

pushes me to do what is right.

One day, when the time is right, I'll find him.
For now, I'm happy being me.
Taking life as it comes.
Dealing with the trials.
Praying for help when they come.
Loving every second I have.
and being grateful for all my blessings.

The gospel is true ladies and gentleman.
Its the only thing that keeps me truly happy.
Living its principles brings true happiness. I promise you that.

Live. Laugh. Love.

Not Even Once.

First Time.
Every Time.
All the Time.
Always.
No Matter What.

Keep your head up.

Love, Madi Louise:)

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.

Adventure #1. Girls Camp!

Complete.
Possibly the most amazing week of my life.
With the most amazing leaders and young women.
These girls are my friends.
They are everything I need.
They lift me up and teach me by there example.
Words can not explain how much we all grew together over the past week.
I'm so grateful for the opportunity that I had to get away from the world and to just focus on what really matters.
It puts your life into such a different perspective that I needed to remember.

Over all.
I learned that with Christ...
you truly have everything.
I may not be perfect. For no one is.
But I know with Christ, I am one step closer.


Our whole camp was centered on him and finding our way back home.
We focused on each value and learned about each one and why it is important.
some of my favorite quotes..

"Virtue is a requirement to have the companionship and guidance of the Holy Ghost. You will need that guidance in order to successfully navigate the world in which you live. Being virtuous is a requirement to enter the temple. And it is a requirement to stand in the Savior's presence. You are preparing now for that time."


"Integrity means always doing what is right, regardless of the immediate consequences. It means being righteous from the very depth of our soul, not only in our actions but, more importantly, in our thoughts and in our hearts. Personal integrity implies such trustworthiness that we are implacable of being false to a trust or covenant."


The most amazing experience was the last day, before testimony meeting.
I'm not sure how to write about this experience or share it because it means so much to me.
and all of the other girls.
Words can not describe how it felt.
Words can not describe the over powering feeling that was in that room.
Words can not re-live the experience.
It was truly special and truly sacred.
I hope and wish that everyone could have that experience and feel what we all felt.
That feeling brings hope.
It gives us light. It leads the way.
We know what to do and we know how to get back home.
We all can do it. For the path has been paved.
It's up to us to decide to follow it or not.
To seek Christ in our life and to come to him.
He is always there. We just need to run to him.
To knock, and he will open up the door unto us.
He wants to let us in.
He loves us.
We are Sons and Daughters of our Heavenly Father.
and our Savior, Jesus Christ, died for our sins.
He loved us that much..

Each girl had a section from The Living Christ that we would recite for each other.
My section .. "He was the Firstborn of the Father, the Only Begotten Son in the flesh, the Redeemer of the world. He rose from the grave to become the firstfruits of them that slept."
It was such a powerful thing as each girl stood and read there part.
Christ was and is the center of our lives and we will strive to keep it that way.

That much I will never forget.
Those experiences we shared together, away from the world and as young women will remain in my heart for forever.
Thank you for that.
I needed you all in my life.
We are all here for a purpose.
For someone else, for ourselves, for everyone.

Love, Madeliene Louise

We Believe.

This song is so beautiful. 

The gospel is true.

That is all I have to say.

Love, Madi Louise.

I love to see the temple.

I'm going there some day.

mount timpanogos 

New Port Beach

Rome (to be finished in 2013)

Salt Lake City

San Diego

Gilbert, Arizona (to be finished in 2013)

Brigham City, Utah (to be finished in 2012)




Aren't they beautiful?

they never cease to amaze me.

Love, Madeliene. 

Some Motivation Please.

To: Me.

    There are so many different things and opportunities that life has to offer. So many choices and decisions to make. So many paths and roads to choose from. Maybe some that aren't the best, and definitely some that bring true happiness. The best thing about life though, would have to be that even if you make a wrong choice, or make a wrong move. If you travel down the wrong road for a minute, you can always turn back. You can always turn yourself around and make better decisions the next day. It may take you only one wrong turn, it may take you multiple. You may mess up again and again. But you can always turn your life around. "You can always be a better person tomorrow, than you were today." That is honestly one of the best quotes. Right there it simply says that you can make it even if you do something wrong. You can get back up and tray again if you fall. If you hit a rough spot, there is a way to be happy again. To have our trials lifted and those pains, sufferings, and sins taken away. There is always someone there for you. 

        That one person is your Heavenly Father. He loves us. He knows us. No doubt about it. He created you and he wants you happy. He wants you to be a good example to those around you. He wants you to be a leader. To get back home. He wants you to inspire and to bring your friends and family with you. He made all of his children for a purpose. He made us for eachother. We are here for others. He put us in the families we are in for a reason. We are there to help them, and them help us. They will help us. They already have. Every day they do and every single day they will always be there for us in one way or another. Life is hard, its a challenge. It's supposed to be. If it was easy.. What would be the purpose? We are so lucky cause we know what the purpose is. We know what we have to look forward to and we know where are are going. We have a purpose, a calling, a role. My biggest fear is to get back and to know that I didn't do all that I could of done. That I didn't finish my duties, my callings, that i didn't fulfill my purpose. Hopefully, I can. Hopefully I can do what I'm supposed to do to please those around me.

I am so grateful for the gospel and the wonderful family and friends I have today. I am so grateful for my blessings. I am so blessed. I need to remember that. I need to thank him and show it. Through my actions... by getting down on my knees. By using all that I have been given. By fulfilling my purpose. By never giving up and always turning to him. 

Love, Madi Louise.

-Just reminding you to keep going. 


"Trust in the Lord. 
Lean on him even if we don't understand. 
Follow him and we'll be saved. 
Give your will to God because he loves us, 
he wants us to succeed and he wants us happy."

A tribute to our advocate.

                              

Since today is Easter. and Easter is all about Christ.

I found it fitting to write a little about him.

Today I learned a definition to a word that I had heard before.. but never understood.

The word is advocate.

a person who speaks or writes in support or defense of a person, cause, etc.

In The Living Christ it says: "I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father".

Christ not only died for our sins, but he will stand up for us and help us get into the celestial kingdom come judgement day. 

He is our friend. He literally wants us to be happy and to make it back home.

He is our advocate, our help, our defense.

He is on our side through trails and through hard times.

He loves us unconditionally.

We always have the ability to turn to our Savior. Even if you feel unworthy, I promise that you are always worthy of the Saviors love.

"He was the First-born of the Father, the Only Begotten Son in the flesh, the Redeemer of the world. He rose from the grave to become the firstfruits of them that slept."

He died for our sins and was resurrected for us so we could have a way.

He was humble, meek, and submissive. 

and most of all, he had faith and trusted the Lord.

He trusted him so much that he fulfilled his plan.

He made it possible for us to feel peace when all is going wrong.

He made it possible for us to have hope in the midst of a storm.

He made it possible for us to live again.

To be with our families again and to be happy.

He made it possible.

If it wasn't for our Brother, our Savior, our Messiah I don't know where or who I would be.

I know that the Atonement is real and very powerful.

I know that Jesus died for us, for me, for you, for everyone so we could be happy.

I know that whatever comes your way that you can always have a way out. 

or at least, some comfort.

He paved the way, he marked a path, all we have to do is want it. To knock, and he will open up and let us in.

He will never leave us alone. 

He knew that we would need help. He knew we couldn't do this alone. So he came down and bled from every pore. He was crucified.

and mocked.

and spit upon.

He was ridiculed.

and even then, he plead for Heavenly Father to forgive them. He said that they don't know what they have done and to forgive the people who have done him wrong. He was on there side, he was there advocate, even when they weren't his. Even when he was hanging on a cross with nails in his feet and hands. A crown of thorns on his head. He prayed for them who did this to him. That is how much he loves us. 

That is a lot of love. 

I can't even imagine. It is not even comprehendable for me how much pain and suffering he went through for all of us.

Along with Heavenly Father sending down his Son to suffer for us, I believe that he also sent us our friends and family for a distinct reason and a purpose.

He knew ahead of time who we would need at specific points in our lives. 

and those people are here for us on earth.

and our Heavenly Father and Savior are here to comfort us through prayer.

 For Jesus Christ, I am grateful.

I love my Savior. I love all that he did for us. 

He is my example, my friend.

I recognize his love. 

He loves you.

Please turn to him. Pray to him. 

He will comfort you.

He lived and he lives today.

"He was the First-born of the Father, the Only Begotten Son in the flesh, the Redeemer of the world".

Happy Easter.

-Madeliene