"You Don't Have to Be Perfect to Be Worthy"

  I work at a call center and when we start to run out of people to call or it gets slow, coworkers discuss a lot of things. Sometimes we vent about the job and the rude people on the phone or the frustration we have with the financial aid office at BYU-I, but today it was different. We actually talked about some deep stuff! Since I study and work in Rexburg, Idaho, 98% of the population is LDS and since it's a college town most of my coworkers are my age. A majority of the meaningful discussions we have are actually about the gospel and our own personal journeys to where we ended up that day.

  Today we had a long discussion about how we knew if we made the right choice or if we are leading a life God wants us to live. Some of it was whether it was going on a mission, marrying the right eternal companion or what major you decided to pick. There was something that I noticed about each story that we all had in common. We were all waiting to have the perfect answer and we felt like we weren't receiving it because we weren't perfect or our situation wasn't the ideal. I feel like this is more common than just within the LDS employees at a calling agency. It's a church wide mentality and I noticed that it was a driving force in why a lot of the inactive members I taught on my mission lost their way. No matter what they did, they felt like it was never to be good enough. It makes sense because our doctrine teaches that perfection is in fact a goal and there is always something that we can improve on. In no way am I dissing on this doctrine or disagreeing with it, I think it is a marvelous goal. As a natural reaction though, being human and imperfect, we may all feel as though we have to obtain perfection in order to earn what we want or what God wants for us.

  This is something that I struggle with and I think it's something that I taught myself on my mission. You know we are always told that you have to be an obedient missionary in order to see miracles or get a baptism. I always felt that the cancelled baptism from an investigator or a less active not showing up to church was because I wasn't a perfect missionary that transfer. Looking back I realize that it was their agency and I did try my very best to follow all the rules I needed to follow. One thing I failed to learn on my mission was even though I could be 100% perfect in all I do, life will never be be perfect. I mean look at Our Savior Jesus Christ. He did absolutely everything He could. He WAS and IS the only perfect being to ever come to this earth and life for him ended in betrayal. It ended in lashings and being hung on a cross. But because He was obedient AND the Son of God, He also rose in glory the third day, being the first ever to do so.

  The point of this post is to tell you that your best is good enough, although not perfect, it is good enough for the Savior and for our Heavenly Father. Some days you won't have the desire to go to church. Some days it will be a struggle for you to read your scriptures because of a busy schedule. Sometimes you will have doubts and your testimony will shake. Sometimes you won't always make the best decisions. AND THAT'S OKAY, because it is part of being human. If we never had those instances, what would be the point of coming to earth? I always thought that if I made one wrong move or if I didn't feel like going to 9 am church, that God would make me pay for it later. I thought that if I didn't make the right decision every time, it threw me off the path that God had for me and I was doomed to live a miserable life and pay for my actions every day for the rest of my life. That is not the nature of God and if you feel like that, it's Satan making you feel that way.

There are 3 things that I have learned to do when I start to feel this way:

1. Learn the acronym CPR. Every return missionary seems to know that when your church attendance, prayer and your habit in reading the scriptures is consistent, you feel good. I would also add temple attendance to endowed members. Focus on the small and simple things. The thing I struggled with is coming home from my mission and not being able to study for 3 or 4 hours in the morning and because of that, I felt I was sinning. I felt guilty. I learned that it's quality not quantity. As a missionary I was able to study for that long because of my schedule but once I started working and going to school, it just wasn't realistic. As long as you feel the spirit and it's quality time with the Lord, whether praying or reading the scriptures, it's enough for Him. You and Him both know what your best is. Figure out what that means to you in your situation. I find that when we do these simple things, other gospel principles like service and missionary experiences, will find its way into our lives. Everything just falls into place.

2. Don't compare your discipleship to another's. Every situation is different and people make different choices. We are all trying our best to follow Jesus Christ and it varies in appearance. It has been a mistake of mine to compare my decisions to those of others. I view myself as "not worthy" of gospel blessings because I don't go to the temple as much as so and so or go to Tuesday devotionals like so and so or do the same things as so and so in order to keep the Sabbath Day holy. My mission president once said that comparison is a sign of pride. You either compare yourself to see if you are better than another or you compare to tear yourself down. Both are destructive and are not God's plan. Focus on your situation and what discipleship looks like for you. Do a self-assessment every once and while to check if you can do anything to improve. We can always do a little better but don't set too many goals tow here you are overwhelmed. If you pray to God to know what to focus on, He will tell you what He sees as important for you.

3. You don't have to be perfect to be worthy. The Savior in the Book of Mormon states, "I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men..." (Ether 12:27) Jesus Christ is the one who actually gave us our weaknesses. He knows us perfectly and knows what we want. God isn't going to say "Oh well because you failed to read you scriptures on September 16, 2012, you can't marry Tyrone Mather even though you love him very much" or "Man, you didn't have the perfect attitude when you went to church 10 years ago so you won't get that job you've wanted for forever." That's just not His nature. God loves you and so does Jesus Christ. They love you so much and want you to be happy. They want you to marry your best friend, they want you to get the career of your dreams and they most importantly want you to return to His presence. You do not have to be perfect for them to want those things for you. You do not have to be perfect to be worthy of God's love. He loves you no matter what you do and will help you make things right if you make a decision that does't make you happy.

  1 Nephi 17:13 says, "And I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led." Before when I read this, I would have thought that God already had a step by step plan for me that would be laid out for me to figure out and if I messed up, I failed the plan. That I had a set decisions that I had to make that God already planned for me to make and if I varied from that plan, He would punish me. Now I see that this "theory" is wrong. What I have learned is that God is with us every step of the way making decisions with us. When we mess up He says, "That's part of the plan too. Rely on my Son Jesus Christ to repent and feel better. Let's move on from here and let's see how you can be happy." He makes the best out of our weaknesses. He makes our mistakes beautiful. He allows us to make our own decisions in order to be happy and we can know that as long as we are keeping the commandments, we are always going to be happy. We are always going to be living a life that He would want us to lead. We will never be perfect in this life but we will always be worthy.

Drug of The Rising Generation

  I get asked a lot about the posts I make on Facebook and especially the articles that I share about pornography. It's a topic that I feel more people should talk about and take more seriously. I go to a private LDS University up in Idaho and we talk about dating a lot up here and when I say a lot I mean it's part of the curriculum in some classes. I remember going to church for the first time at the University and participating in a Q&A session with our clergy about dating. The very first question that came up was how to deal with pornography whether it's with yourself or the opposite sex. My bishop answered by saying "It's not a matter of IF you have seen pornography anymore, it's a matter of WHEN was the last time and what the young man did when he did see it."

   Just like many others in my generation, I struggled with pornography in high school and found the temptation to view it when I was up at college. The first time I came across it was late at night at my Aunt's house where I ventured into the paper-views. The dark side of Direct TV.  From then on it was occasional on my iPod touch or my laptop. I was never addicted and it wasn't like I couldn't go without it. You just scroll through your Facebook and things pop up, it sparks curiosity and you keep watching. At first I felt like I was the only girl who ever watched pornography but that same Sunday my bishop said that out of 3 years up at the University he found that it was pretty even between the genders who came to him for help. The point I'm trying to make is that pornography is everywhere now, it's more accessible and it doesn't discriminate. Like my bishop said, it's not if anymore and the most important thing is how we react in those situations.

  After that church that day, I actually stumbled upon something positive. It's a movement called Fight The New Drug (FTND), which is an organization dedicated to fighting the porn industry and educating the public about the effects of pornography. This website not only brought so much comfort to me in teaching me that I was not alone but that it is a world wide issue. The graph shows the growth rate of sexual related crimes just in the United States. It has increases 275% since 1980.

   The launch year of the internet was 1990 and 1991 and since then sexual crime rates have been consistently on the rise. Although a lot of variables can go into these statistics, one cannot deny the times and technology that line up with the different data. Even Ted Bundy, one of the most known serial killers of our time, warned us about the effects of pornography and how accessible it was even back when he was interviewed. The amazing thing about this video is that he talks about things that wasn't backed up with science at that time. If this doesn't turn you away from porn than I don't know what will. He said that all the men that he talked to that were like him, "without exception, were deeply involved with pornography." According to a serial killer, crime like rape and murder are rooted back to their involvement with porn.

   There are many types of pornography including child porn, anime porn, bestiality porn and many more. In child pornography the children are as young as an infant and in some cases still have their umbilical cord attached. Some mix bestiality and child porn together and other porn uses violence and near death scenes to arouse. If you think that sex trafficking isn't happening near your, for my American readers, Super Bowl weekend is the largest sex trafficking event IN THE WORLD. It's time we all get educated here in the states. We see all these sex trafficking documentaries on TV filmed in Nepal, India and Cambodia but yet we are ignorant to the fact that it's happening in our own neighborhoods.

   I could write articles and articles about the negative effects that the porn industry has had on our world as we know it today. If you would like to know more, I would strongly suggest that you check out fightthenewdrug.org. If you think that you don't need to educate yourself on this topic than you are naive to the world around you. If you have a son or daughter that is 10-12 years old then chances are they have already seen pornography because they are the average age of someone who views porn for the first time. If they don't learn from you, they will learn it from their friends and our society. This is an issue and a menace that affects every family and individual in the world.

  I have seen in my own life and in the life of those I know, how damaging and destructive pornography can be. It tears families apart and leave individuals broken in it's wakes. It is directly like to sexual assault, rape, sex trafficking and many other wrongs done to others. It destroys love, humanity and compassion. It can become an addiction just like heroin or meth and can lead people to do things they never would have seen themselves doing. It destroys the heart, brain and soul of an individual. It is the most evil thing that could have happened to humanity in my perspective. We need to raise awareness, prepare the next generation, learn from our mistakes and build a better future. Sex was a God-given gift to enjoy between husband and wife and a tool to create families. It should be kept that way. I agree with FTND when they say, "Porn kills love." May we fight to protect that sacred human emotion and use it against porn.

Sources: fightthenewdrug.com and the book The Growth of Incarceration in the United States (graph is found on page 44)

Charity Takes Understanding

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we believe that all truth is part of Mormonism. Although there are some doctrinal differences between us and Muslims, there are more similarities than there are differences. Jesus Christ was capable of perfect love and charity because He knew what was important to those He was serving and was aware of what they believed. Whether they were a Samaritan or a Greek, He respected all cultures and saw each of them as children of our Heavenly Father. Here are some similarities between Mormonism and Islam:

1. Islam is not violent nor does it teach violence as a means to gain power or take advantage of others. One example is found in Holy Quran: 2, 208 “O You who believe! Enter absolutely into peace (Islam). Do not follow in the footsteps of Satan. He is an outright enemy to you.” Islam has a direct translation to peace. As members, we also believe in peace and love towards our fellow men. Christ taught us to love our enemies and bless those who curse us.
2. The Holy Quran is sacred scripture in which they hold most sacred. It is so special to them that once a Quran is printed; it is never destroyed because it is thought to be literally from the mouth of Allah (God). The eight Article of Faith describes our feeling to the scripture when it says, “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.” We love our scriptures, search for peace in their pages and live our lives according to what is found within their covers.
3. One doctrinal difference is that we believe that Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten of the Father and that He atoned for the sins of the world. Even though there is that difference, the feelings towards Him are similar in nature and feel like His mission is sacred. They believe in God just like you do and esteem Jesus Christ as a great prophet and miracle worker. Quran, 3:45-47 states, “(Remember) when the angels said, “O Mary, God gives you good news of a word from Him (God), whose name is the Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, revered in this world and the Hereafter, and one of those brought near (to God).  He will speak to the people from his cradle and as a man, and he is of the righteous.” She said, “My Lord, how can I have a child when no mortal has touched me?” He said, “So (it will be).  God creates what He wills.  If He decrees a thing, He says to it only, ‘Be!’ and it is."
4. Muslims love their families just as a Christian or Jew. Islam.org explains, “A sensible and well-balanced family system is the very foundation of a happy life. Indeed, it is the root of an advancing civilization. Religion comes to take human beings nearer to Allah.” They love their children and want to do good in the world just like everyone else. The Family Proclamation states the family is ordained of God. Families are sacred to both religions.
5. For Mormons our sacred clothing would be the temple garment. Just like our garments, Muslims have an outward expression of their love for God and it’s called the hijab. Not all Muslim woman wear a hijab and a hijab is not a symbol for terrorism. It is a representation of modesty as a woman and dressing your body as if it was a temple or a sacred gift from Allah. It depends on the woman, the country she was brought up and what she feels is the best way to show her devotion to God.

Love stems from understanding and education is the conduit to understanding. We believe in the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. May we take our Savior’s invitation and love others as He would have us love.

Pictures... September 2014

Omgoodness... Is not this the cutest voice you have ever heard! I love
her so much!

 Because we were so busy we didn't even take pics of Anita in her

little white jumper! So sad! We were too busy cleaning up the water

but we took pics after :)

 Seriously, I love this old lady so much I can hardly stand it. She is

76 years old and can talk for twice that long. She always calls us her

angles when come to visit her every Friday at 4!

 Eventful baptism... Accidently overfilled the font... My district

leader was sooooo mad.... But we still had the baptism!

 It was also poring rain! I have a feeling it's just going to get colder!

 After Anita's baptism we took Patty, Anita, Natalie and Juana Franco

to the Women's Conference and had a blast! We then went to Denny's and

had a little girls night. I said I would pay for Hermana Franco and

home girl kept choosing the $15 dollar steak meals. Hermana Valdivia

convince to get the $7 one instead! Thank goodness!

 Left to Right: Hermana Mena, Patty, Juana Franco, Hermana Valdivia,

Natalie, Me and Anita

 When YW have your iPad during a lesson :) :) :)

Long time no email!

Well actually.. I just didn't send one last time... My bad! Sometimes
you just get so caught in doing things that you forget you actually
have a family at home..

This week was super duper fun! We taught a lot and had some really
good lessons. Updates on Francisco Benavidas: he is doing really good
and has such a desire to learn. He used to be in the military and has
so much knowledge of the world. He tells us all these stories about
how he used to serve in the Middle East and how much he learned from
the different religions. His stories are so beautiful! We had a church
tour with him where we come on a weekday to the church and show him
around teaching the purpose of each room. My favorite was when we
taught him in the sacrament room and how important repentance is.
Updates on Anita: She is golden! Today we are going over at 5 to go
over baptismal interview questions. Last week we went over to get her
baptismal program ready and she already had everyone picked out in her
little folder she made for all her church stuff! She is so ready!

We were at the temple so much too! Last Saturday we went to do
baptisms for the dead with Marlene and then she wanted to do the
endowments for her dad this Saturday. We got there right when she told
us to and then we waited for her... And waited... And waited! An hour
later she texts us saying she couldn't go because she has a headache.
And we are all the way in temple square! So me, Mena and Alegria did
an endowment session just us girls and then went to go get something
to eat since our ride wouldn't be there til forever! Then we went to
the re-dedication of the Ogden temple Sunday and seriously... Life
changing! Even though the first one I was kinda dozing off the second
one was really good! My favorite part was before when they played
tabernacle choir and showed the celestial room! Patricia Cortès came
and sat next to me. It was so awesome to see her there and listening
so well. Her sister in law and her niece also came but it was
different for them... The whole time the mom was fidgeting and not
really paying attention, braiding her daughter's hair and talking...
It made me think... A lot of our less actives always talk about how
they want to go through the temple but yet they don't come to church.
They aren't keeping the covenants they have already made and they want
to make more that requires more? The temples are so beautiful but the
covenants we make are far more stunning than any chandelier or
painting. Don't they know that the beauty of the temple is only a
reflection of the promises we make inside?

The reason why I mention that is because my mission has really changed
how I view covenants. To me covenants should be your #1 priority in
your life and when you understand the importance of them, you begin
understand how much love your Heavenly Father has for you. It took
Patty 18 years to finally except the gospel but when she did she knew
that she was making a promise with her Savior and all that accompanies
it and to follow Him for the rest of her life. Do we know the weight
of our covenants and the blessings that come from them? Do we know
what we are and have promised when we decide to be baptized? Are you
living up to your covenants? Are you thinking of those covenants when
you take the sacrament? Is a recommend just a ticket to see the
mysteries inside a Latter-day Saint temple?

I remember my first time through the temple and how much I felt like a
princess. It wasn't because I was sitting in a room made for one but
because the covenants I had made that day were with my Father in
Heaven the King of all the Universe and The Prince of Peace, My Savior
Jesus Christ. I testify of covenants and that through them we can
progress in this life and through the eternities. We can be perfected
and sit down as Priests and Priestesses with our Redeemer Jesus Christ
and loving Heavenly Father. I know They live and this is Their gospel.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is God's kingdom
restored to the earth. I testify of temple and that they are the only
way our families can be together forever. I love each and everyone of
you and hope you have a fantastic week!

Hermana Ritter

6 months!

Hola familia y amigos! Como están? 😁
Can I just say how crazy it is that in a year I'll be going home?! I
can't believe how fast the time has gone. I woke up yesterday thinking
it was Friday!

Well, the area is picking back up and we are working with a lot of
people! We have Anita, Patricia's daughter, who has a baptismal date
for September 27 and then we found a new investigator and put him on a
date for October 11! We are seeing miracles in this area and it's
because we are trying our best everyday! I feel so blessed to be
serving in this area with the members, my companion and the people we
visit!

The other day I was reading in Ruth and it really touched my heart. In
Ruth 3:10-11 it reads:

10 And he said, Blessed be thou of the Lord, my daughter: for thou
hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning,
inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich.

11 And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou
requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a
virtuous woman.

By now all of her family has died besides her mother in law, Naomi.
Her sister in law has already left and found another life but Ruth
tells Naomi she will never leave her side. The reason why everyone in
the town knows Ruth as a "virtuous woman" is because of her works and
who she is. She trusts in The Lord and has true charity. That's what
kind of woman I want to be when I leave a year from now and I know
that if I loose myself in the work I will find her.

I am so grateful for this opportunity I have to be serving the
children of God. In these 6 months, I have come to know and love my
Savior more than I ever thought possible. Using the Atonement everyday
has helped me to council with Him in every step along the way and do
His work the way He would want. Doing His will has become the most
important thing in my life. I have never been as happy as I am now and
I owe it all to my Heavenly Father. I know that they live and love us.
They called Joseph Smith to RESTORE their church once again on the
earth and the Book of Mormon is evidence for all of the above. I love
this gospel so much and my mission for strengthening my testimony of
these things. It has truly changed my life.

Love you all and hope you have a fantastic week!
Hermana Ritter

Week #1

Well my baby is almost a week old! I seriously love being a trainer.
It's a lot of hard work but I know that with the Lords help that I can
help her become the best missionary she can be! Her name is Hermana
Mena and she is the oldest of 4. Her mom is currently in jail and her
dad is raising them all by himself. She seriously.... Is the best
ever!

So this week I really had a lot of fun! We were super busy and we put
someone on date. Anita Rodrigues! Patty' little girl! I'm so excited
for this family and they deserve the best. We taught a lot and found a
lot of investigators too. Our area is being blessed because Hermana
Mena is such an awesome missionary!

I love this gospel so much and am grateful for the opportunity to
share it. The love I have for this ward... I never new I could love
this much until I came out on my mission. My mission is seriously
changing my life and making me a better person. I love my Savior and
all He has done for me. True happiness lies in knowin Him.

Hermana Ritter