Seeing isn't Believing. Believing is Seeing.

If there is one thing I have learned in the last 11 months of my life, it is how much that Heavenly Father knows and loves us. This simple knowledge is something that I want to share with everyone. Mormon, Catholic, Protestant, Jew, anyone who will listen. God loves you. You are His child.

There is something so pure and simple, but so comforting in this knowledge. He wants us to be happy. He wants us to find success. This success may not be worldly success, like a lot of money or a big house or fancy car, but spiritual success. I have seen that those that seek out the success that is not of this world are just happier. Those that understand not just who they are, but "whose they are" (Elaine S. Dalton) come to have more joy, peace an happiness. This all starts when we let go of our pride and start living by faith.

Faith is a concept that is simple. It can been simply understood through a verse in the Book of Mormon, in the book of Alma, chapter 32 verse 21 which states, " And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true." Faith is not a perfect knowledge. Faith isn't just something we have, but something we act upon. This faith in Jesus Christ helps us to feel the love that our Father in Heaven has for each and everyone of us.

Faith is something that to develop takes work. We don't just wake up one morning and say "Hey! I have faith!" We must read our scriptures, say our prayers, go to church and act with real intent to know that our Savior is there. This real intent means that before asking, we already must have our mind made up to act upon whatever answer we receive.

Now, many of you probably have asked questions in prayer. You probably have wondered if God is even listening to you. I promise you He is. I promise you He is wanting to hear from you. Sometimes they way we ask our questions to our Father in Heaven makes all the difference. I have come to know on my mission that when we ask simple yes or no questions, it makes all the difference. 

When we have this belief, our life has more purpose. We have more drive to do good. Most of all, we know we are not alone. We never stand alone when we have Faith in Jesus Christ. Remember a simple phrase from a classic Christmas movie when you are wondering about faith: "Seeing isn't believing, believing is seeing." 

As we seek out this faith, we really can know that we are never without love, comfort and companionship of our Savior and our Father in Heaven.

I love you all and know He does too :)

Love, 

Sister Mackenzie Esmond

It's YOUR Time to Fly

I like to write. It is something I love to do. Something I've loved to do fora very long time. I want to study English when I get home because of how much I enjoy words. Putting words together to make meaningful statements, to prove an argument, to tell someone how I feel is something I love dearly. Especially poetry. I love putting my thoughts into a poem. Last week in district meeting, we were asked to write as we listened to an excerpt from the Book of Mormon, Second Nephi Chapter 4. (To read click here). Well, this poem was the result of that reading.

FLY

His eyes watch me

  Wet with tears

 I try to fly, and fall.

       Again  and again and again

   I am too prideful and too ashamed to listen to my mentor

He wants me to improve

  Get better. 

     Be able to fly, to soar.

His love is immense and 

   Unfathomable

       He believes that I can do it.

        He wants to help me

   But do I let Him?

     Do I let Him show me the way?

Do I understand what He truly desires...

      What he desires for me?

Do I understand that He is on my side?

   He is rooting for me to win?

 He knows me and wants me to succeed!

   So why do I keep my pride?

  Why don't I let Him take over?

        Why don't I let Him help me?

                     Why do I wallow in fear,

                                  Doubt,

                Despair?

Why do I not put my faith in Him

                                   In whom I will find peace,

                                             Joy

                       Confidence?

Why do I torture myself, 

   While He is waiting to set me free?

I will listen to Him.

               I will spread my wings

                    I will not look back

                        I will keep going

                            I won't give up

                                                I will put aside my pride.

        But most of all...

I will let Him help me

   As I try again fly.

This poem was the thought that so many people have a grand potential, but don't reach it. We all desire to reach our full potential. We want to be better. We want to do something productive with our lives. We want to make a difference. We want to fly.

How can we do this though?

We need to know our Father's will for us. We need to seek Him, to come unto Christ. As we do this, we will see our purpose in life. Everyone of us is a Child of God and He has a plan for us. He has a way. We need to seek it out and seek Him out. If we let Him help us, we can all fly.

Stop waiting for something to happen. Seek God. Seek out your divine potential. It's your time to fly. It really is your time to soar. Stop stopping God from letting you reach your potential. Yes, it will be hard. Yes, it will be insane. Yes, it will be unpredictable. But it will be for the best. Stop being complacent with who you are. You can grow and gain intelligence. Become better. Let's become who God has in mind.

I love you all and love who you can become! Keep going and keep working :)

Love,
Sister Mackenzie Esmond

Making Shoes

We all have been put into a position where we have big shoes to fill. It could be at work, school, a relationship, any situation you can think, it is a daunting task. Those shoes may be massive and seem impossible for your small feet. I know this has happened to me. Many times, I've felt like I have big shoes to fill that I just can't.

But, I realized something recently. We need to stop trying to fill the shoes of others and learn to love the shoes we're in now. We need to realize that we don't have to be just like the people around us. We need to be ourselves. This can be hard, especially when who we are may not be popular or perfect. But this world isn't what matters, what matters is that you love who you are and desire to improve everyday. 

Here's how I see it. We are all cobblers, making our shoes. Everyday we design them a little more, tweak what we have, and make them our own. This isn't an easy task to create the perfect pair of shoes. Sometimes we mess up and have to undo parts of the shoes that we have began. Sometimes, maybe the color is wrong, the size, or we stitched up a spot we shouldn't have. This is really what life is like. We are constantly creating ourselves with every day, every decision we make

Much like a cobbler uses tools to mold shoes, we have tools to
 mold ourselves like the scriptures, prayer, church attendance,
and keeping the commandments.

This world is so focused on who you are and who you were. Very rarely to people see the potential that their fellow man may have. We were each given gifts and talents to be able to become what God knows we can. There is a reason that we are told not to judge. It is because we, as mankind, have a hard time truly seeing the potential in our fellow being. Simple as that. We all have tools and supplies, but are working out the kinks in our design.

We need to look at people and figure out that just because their shoes are different, it doesn't make them more or less than any one of us.

Humility plays a huge part in this. Humility is (at least I think) a very misunderstood attribute. Some people think that humility means that if they accept any compliment in any way they are being prideful. That to be humble, you must be down on yourself. This could not be more wrong. Humility is knowing that you can always improve and knowing that God is greater than you. This doesn't make you any less or more than another person, it make us equals.

A reason many people judge is because sometimes people get smudges on their shoes. They mess up, they fall. They sin. Here's the deal: Next time you start judging someone because of their sins, think about what smudges you have on your shoes. No one is perfect and only our Savior, Jesus Christ, has ever been perfect. Through Him, those smudges can be cleaned off. But everyone has a pair of dirty shoes they are always trying to clean. Because the master Cobbler, our Savior, has done it all, through Him, we our shoes, our souls, can be made clean. 

This is the key: as you go out, remember that every person in the world is in the process of creating and making their pair of shoes. They are all at different stages, but all with the same focus: To create a pair of shoes that fits them perfectly. There is a design that our Father in Heaven has for us, each and every one of us. As we humble ourselves and seek His guidance, then we shall become more like our Savior and be able to reach shoe perfection. 

I love you all!

Love,

Sister Mackenzie Esmond

Kind Words and Acts of Service

Okay, so I've noticed a trend over the last few years. This trend is that it is cool to hate on other people. It is cool to humiliate other, put them down. This trend results biting words, hurtful actions, and broken hearts. It has caused there to be a rise in kids feeling down about themselves. Not just children, but anyone affected by it is brought to have consequences of the actions of others.

Yes, I am talking about bullying.

I know bullies have been around forever and their is many a person who will say they are "anti-bullying". But are you really becoming part of the solution? Do you think of others less because of who they are? Because of their background, culture, accent, race, lifestyle? Do you "joke around" about someone else? You know, this is all bullying as well.


This is coming from someone who has been the person that has been picked on, had people speak cruel words behind her back, and just be flat out mean to her face. I've spent many a time crying, heartbroken because of a snide comment made. I've had to fight back tears in front of those that make them to pretend like I was strong enough. I wanted to retaliate, but knew it would never get me anywhere. I've learned that there is someone who has been there before.


I want you to go back in time with me a little less than 2000 years, to the city of Jerusalem. There was a man who lived there who went about doing good everyday, but was constantly humiliated, people tried to bring him down, and rumors spread. He was betrayed by someone he believed to be a friend, denied by those he spent most of his time with, and cruelly beaten and hung on a cross. Yes, I am talking about Jesus Christ. He was bullied worse than any person ever has been on earth. But did he falter and fight back? No. As Christ hung on the cross, he prayed and said to the Father, "Forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Even after all that torture, Christ still loved those that cruelly treated him. We are to emulate his example, which means, those that wrong us, we must forgive. This can be hard. It is hard. But it is necessary to find complete healing. How do we set ourselves up to forgive? This is the big question that many have.

Honestly, I think a lot of has to do if we are willing to serve those that wrong us. When we serve them, we are truly following our Savior's example. He served every single person, whether they treated him correctly or not, he still served them. We must find ways to serve our fellow man.

We also need to remember that every single person is a Child of God. We are His sons and daughters sent to earth to learn, grow and obtain our bodies. We have all made one choice in common. This choice was to come to earth in the first place. Part of this, though, was that we would be tested and need to learn and grow. While it is wrong to be mean, we shouldn't be mean back. Even just a simple compliment may catch someone off guard.

A true end to bullying starts in the home with a mother and father that teach kindness to their children, that teach respect for others and to look for ways to serve throughout the day. It starts when kids learn how to receive and give compliments and as we are taught to stand up for what we believe in, but it is okay for others to have different beliefs. It begins with an understanding that every person is unique and beautiful in their own way. It will be reinforced as parents and adult mentors set the example. Speak kind words and show kind actions. That is what is going to end bullying. No amount of televised campaigns or talking about it, but through the examples that start in the home.

Look for ways to show others kindness as you go throughout this week. See how it improves your mood. Be especially kind to bullies, they usually have more problems that we know. Don't judge your fellow man, love your fellow man. Show the love that God has for each and everyone of His children through your actions. I know He loves you all.

I love you all!

Love,
Sister Mackenzie Esmond