Lovin' this Season

Dear Fourth Graders,

Have you ever heard of the phrase, "Distance makes the heart grow fonder"? Well, I am only a few hours into fall break and I am discovering that there is a lot of truth to that statement.

So.......

See ya on Monday!!!

And trust me when I say that I will love each of you a whole lot more.

Love, Mrs. Gish

I Believe in Christ

A couple of weeks ago, my church held a conference. This conference takes place two times a year and it is where all the members of our church from all around the world take time out of their weekend to listen to messages from the leaders of our church. The actual meeting is held in Salt Lake City, UT, but most people watch it on t.v. in their homes, go to their local church buildings to watch a live broadcast, or listen/watch from a livestream on the internet.

As always, it was very uplifting. I know that all those who spoke were inspired by God. Many of my prayers and questions were answered. So many topics were covered and I learned a lot. However,there was one thing that really stuck out to me. One of the leaders spoke about how we can all be followers and disciples of Christ. And if we are, then we must be bold in testifying of Him. For some reason this really hit me. We have Facebook, blogs, twitter (although I am not involved), texting, e-mail, and so many ways to communicate with others. But how many times in my life have I ever used these wonderful devices to share my beliefs?

It seems that in the news lately, especially in regards to Mitt Romney running for president, there has been quite a bit of speculation about whether or not Mormons are Christians. Well, I am what you would call a "Mormon." I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know that many people have different definitions of what makes a Christian and so I won't try to convince anyone of what I am.

But what I can tell you is what I know, what I feel, what I believe, and what makes me who I am. I love Jesus Christ. I believe in Him. I try to follow His teachings, and this is my testimony of Him.

I am a daughter of God. He created me, my spirit, my body. He knows me and He loves me. I lived with Him before and He sent me to this earth so that I could learn and grow. He wants me to learn so that I can become more like Him. Like any loving parent, He wants me to reach my full potential. I must learn to be faithful, patient, humble, meek, charitable, giving, loving... and much more! God also knew, that as a mortal, I would never be perfect. So He came up with a plan. He sent His firstborn son, Jesus Christ. Christ loved me so much that He was willing to leave His throne above and come down to this earth to fulfill His father's plan. He came and lived a perfect and sinless life so that I might have a perfect example to look to. He then suffered for all my sins, hung on the cross, and died for me. Because of this, I am able to repent, change, be forgiven, and become better. Not only did Christ suffer for my sins, but he felt all my pain, sadness, and suffering. He felt it all. When I experience hardships in my life, I can turn to Him because He understands. I do not understand His Atonement as much as I would like to or as much as I should, but I have felt its' power in my life. I have felt it lift the burden of sin from me and I have felt it strengthen me in times when I felt I could go no further.

I know that after Christ died, He rose from the grave. He still lives and He watches over me. Because of His great sacrifice, I may also have eternal life and I will have the opportunity to live with Him and my Heavenly Father in His kingdom. Nothing gives me greater comfort than to know that there is a purpose to this life and that there is something wonderful to look forward to when my time here on this earth is done.

I have felt the love of Christ in my life more times than I can count. Sometimes that love comes in the form of miracles, great or small. Or sometimes it simply comes in the form of a kind word or service from someone else that I really needed at that time. Sometimes that love comes when I am kneeling in prayer and a peace and warmth fills my heart and I know that I am heard. Sometimes when I am teaching my fourth graders and I start to get frustrated, I say a little prayer in my heart and suddenly I see these kids differently. I understand them a little bit better and I feel a love for them that I don't quite understand. I know that this is Christ filling me with the love that He has for each of these children. His perfect love for each of these children.

There is no doubt in my mind or heart that Jesus Christ is my Savior. It is through Him, and only Him, that I will be able to return to live with my Father in heaven. I love Him so much for that. I know that the only way I could ever repay Him (and nothing will ever be enough) is to try my best to follow His example and His teachings. To love as He loved. To serve as He did.

If there is ever anyone that wants to know if there really is a Christ, all they need to do is kneel down in prayer and ask. If they have pure intentions and a real desire to know, God will make it known unto them. They will feel love and peace like they have never felt before, telling them that it is true. I know I have felt it and I would never deny it.

If you have any questions about my beliefs, please ask! Also, you can visit mormon.org or lds.org and read more from other members and leaders of our church. It would be selfish of me to know of the perfect love my Savior has for me and then not share it with others. That is not what He would want and so I am now committing to be better.

One year ago this nice guy asked me to marry him.

I said, "Yes."

Duh.