Growing Toward the Light

Plants grow and thrive in sunlight. We grow and thrive in the light of Christ. I love to be surrounded by green, growing, living things; I often find comfort in the thriving plant life in the outdoors. Unfortunately, I don’t have much of a green thumb, and I haven’t had… Continue reading

The Struggle to Grow Intellectually

Struggling is a part of life, especially in education. It is through our struggles, however, that we truly learn to grow. Making my way through community college and university hasn’t been all easy. Most classes I passed without too much struggle, but I can recall some classes that stressed me… Continue reading

No Trial Is Wasted

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Just as our Savior came to know us through his suffering, we come to know and love our Savior through our trials. A few years ago during a scripture study, I realized that as the Jaredites traveled across the sea, they encountered “furious wind” that created “mountain waves.”  This must… Continue reading

Repentance is Cool

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We should not feel ashamed, scared, or angry about repenting. Repentance is an opportunity to heal, grow, and understand God’s love for us.  When I was serving as a missionary, my mission president would always enthusiastically say, “Repentance is cool!” I thought it sounded cheesy, but it was true. It… Continue reading

The Path to Creativity and Growth

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Creativity is often viewed as a rare gift, but it is in fact a mastery of skills. Such mastery is exactly what we need to be intentional with our growth. This life is a time for us to learn and grow, but often we struggle to know how to achieve… Continue reading

Embracing the You That You Are

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God loves us perfectly, so why don’t we love ourselves? In today’s world, we can easily get bogged down by questions about our self-worth. Why are we not as pretty as our friends? Why can’t we perform as well in school as the other students? Why don’t we ever get… Continue reading

Testimony: Another Thing That Makes You, You

When we share our unique testimonies, we contribute meaningful insights to others’ lives. We are all unique people with individual life experiences. It makes sense that our testimonies are unique too. In a general conference address entitled “The Power of a Personal Testimony,” Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf helps us recognize… Continue reading

Understanding the Gift of Pain

Recognizing the purposes for pain can help us see it for what it really is—a gift from our loving Heavenly Father. Have you ever thought about what it would be like to never feel pain? As appealing as this sounds, Brother Derrel Higgins, a professor at BYU-Idaho, explains why pain… Continue reading

Trials Can Be For Your Good

Our success and happiness are determined by how we choose to react to trials. By Heavenly Father’s eternal design, mortality wasn’t meant to be easy. Though trials may weigh us down, we can face them with confidence as we look to Christ. The challenge? To have an eternal perspective in… Continue reading

It’s More Fun in the Philippines: 56 Years of Faith

Because of the strength and resilience of Filipino members, the Philippines now has more than 100 church stakes. The growth of the Church in the Philippines has been a miracle. Since the first missionaries arrived in 1961, more than 100 Church stakes have been organized in the Philippines. It’s the the… Continue reading