One Year Later...

It's been one year since the day I entered the Provo Missionary training center today to serve in the Arizona Mesa Mission. I don't know how to even put into words how I am feeling, though I am going to try. I have had so many wonderful experiences, I don't even know where to start!

I guess I will start by saying thank you to everyone who has been a part of this journey thus far. I think back to where I was one year ago today, and where I am now and see how much change has occurred. There is something so beautiful in the trials and tribulations and strife I've had that has turned me into someone I actually like.

It all started with that first day in the MTC. My companion and I over 12 days became best friends and I made some incredible friendships with people I still love dearly. I know that the experiences we had together shaped many of us and started our missions off on the knowledge that we do have a loving Heavenly Father who cares about us, listens to us, and puts us with the right people at the right time. So to everyone of you that was part of that: Thank you. You are near and dear to my heart.

My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and 

thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;

And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; 

thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.

Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall 

hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands.

Doctrine and Covenants 121:7-9

After 12 days of nothing short of missionary boot camp, I finally got to Mesa, Arizona and was assigned my trainer. Her name is Sister Sacher. She had only been out for 3 months at the time she was assigned to train me. I could not have asked for a better trainer. She was and still is an incredible missionary and woman! We laughed, cried, and saw many miracles together. She taught me what it means to rely on the Lord and the true meaning of Faith. If it weren't for her kind love and patience, I don't know what I would have done. Heavenly Father knew again who I needed to be with. Not only that, but I think about the people we served. There was many a time our faith was tried, but it was amazing to learn how obedience really does bring blessings. I know that when we follow the commandments, we do find blessings.

What shall we then say to these things? 

If God be for us, who can be against us?

Romans 8:31

Three months after being put with Sister Sacher, I found myself being transferred. It was with my companion in my second area I feel like I found myself as a missionary. She showed me how to lose myself in the work of Salvation and how easy it is to teach at all times. We had our ups and downs, as with every companionship, but our short six weeks together stretched and pushed and helped both of us grow. Thank you, Sister Snyder! I learned so much and we taught many a great lesson together.

Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, 

whereunto thou art also called, 

and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

1 Timothy 6:12

My next stop on this journey was an area that I grew quite fond of. Not only did I get the opportunity to have 2 companions in this area, but this was the area that taught me how to teach. My companions and I had mentors and friends that truly cared about us and the love we felt was incredible. This area was also the area that my companion, Sister Hillam, and I started something we called "Operation Noah". We were serving in a Young Single Adult ward. The idea was to give each person in the ward a Book of Mormon to mark up and to hand out, thus "flooding the ward with missionary opportunities by giving them the tools to catch the wave." Cheesy, I know. But this was when I realized how powerful the Book of Mormon is. I've always known that it is the keystone of our religion. But I learned that without the Book of Mormon, we would have no religion. I would not be where I am now having seen the growth, the miracles and the hand of God like I have. I know the Book of Mormon is true. It really is another Testament of Jesus Christ, our Savior and King.

\

And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, 

we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, 

and we write according to our prophecies,
 that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.

2 Nephi 25:26

My faith was tried once again as I was transferred out to Globe, Arizona. This was huge. It was my first time training and I was scared to death. Sister Chase and I packed up our car and drove up to the mountains. There was a fear of the unknown that I felt deeply. I knew that obedience brings blessings and protection. So that's what we did. We knew that if we listened to the promptings of the Holy Ghost, we would be okay. This was a rougher area of the mission, but an area I grew to love nonetheless. We had one particular miracle that I received permission to tell her story. Her name is Lindsay. Our bishop called us and told us to give her a call. Her husband was a member, but had not been to church in a very long time. They had just had a baby shortly before we met them. When we went in, we knew from the moment we met her, she was special. There was just such a sweet spirit in her home. As we taught, she readily accepted baptism. Lindsay was baptized just a couple weeks ago and I am so grateful to have gotten the opportunity to get to know her. She taught me once again to trust in my Heavenly Father. My 3 months up in Globe was hard, but it was a wonderful and miraculous experience. 

O be wise; what can I say more?

Jacob 6:12

Now, I'm in my 5th area with my 7th companion and we are learning, growing and seeing miracles each day. This area is as special to me as every area I have served. I have met wonderful people and know that the Lord has a purpose for me here. As I reflect on how the last year has been, I realize that when we truly give up our will to the Lord's, we will find blessings. I know that He knows us and is there every step of the way. He knows what He needs of us. But do we know what He needs of us? I council all of you to pray and seek in your heart, in the scriptures, and in church what the Lord needs of you. He is waiting to make an ordinary person do something extraordinary. 

Now we shall say no more 

concerning their preaching, 

except that they preached

 the word, and the truth,

according to the spirit of 

prophecy and revelation; 

and they preached after the 

holy order of God by 

which they were called.

Alma 43:2

I love you all!

Love,

Sister Mackenzie Esmond

Written In Stone

There is something that is going on in today's world that makes me rather sad. There is a desire to change the word of our Father in Heaven. There is a turning moral issues into political saying now that things are legalized then they are okay. Here's what we need to understand. God's law overrules the laws of the land any day.

Society is changing, yes. But in a good way? No. The world is more and more shunning good as evil and "intolerance" and "unacceptable". Following the commandments of our Father in Heaven, the true way to happiness is null and void in their eyes. Sexual sin is rampant and if you disagree with the way the world thinks you are completely intolerant and should be persecuted for your beliefs. We must realize that there are standards and laws the God has set in place, that He carved in stone with His finger. These commandments are ones we must follow. We need to understand that "Sin, even if legalized by man, is still sin in the sight of God. His doctrine is not ours to change." (Russell M. Nelson, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles). 

Will the world accept that we see things differently? Nope. They won't. A call for acceptance of evil has made good evil to accept. This is where we need to realize that persecution and tribulation is coming or has already come. Many do not think that the way we see the issues at hand today is right because it doesn't justify sins being committed. 

At the end of the day, the justification of sin is what people are searching for. They want to stop feeling guilty for the things they are doing that are contrary to the Laws of the Lord. These people desire us to feel guilty for not helping them justify their sins. In a sense, they want us to deny of Father and our identity for their temporary gratification. 

Many who have given in feel guilt and shame. This guilt and shame can only be relieved through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It is through what happened in the Garden of Gethsemane that we can find peace and cleansing of our sins. Mosiah 3:17 states: "And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent." It is only through our Savior that we can find salvation and forgiveness.

Here's the deal: This world is a wicked place. It is full of people who have been influenced to do evil. But they are still children of God. While we are not to accept the sins that are being committed and legalized by man, we still need to love each and every person. Every person, no matter who they are or what they stand for, is a child of God. They are our Brothers and Sisters.

 We need to keep the commandments that we are given. The first and greatest commandment is to "Love God". This shows us that we need to put God's will above the world's and God's law above the world's. The second greatest commandment is to "Love thy neighbor as thyself". What this is saying is that we need to realize that we are all children of a loving Heavenly Father. As we remember these two principles, any issues that the world's view may conflict with God's view will be able to make themselves clear unto us. God works in rights and wrongs, black and whites, no gray area. 

Let's live His commandments. Let's follow His plan. Let's live so that we can return to be with Him again. Let's remember who we are and what we stand for before we are tricked by the adversary into believing his way, not our Father in Heaven's.

I love you all!
Love,
Sister Mackenzie Esmond

Musings on Marriage

"There is a truth universally acknowledged that a young man of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." The quote goes something like that. For some reason, this has popped into my head. Why? I don't know... But it did. It may be the fact that for some reason many things I have been studying in my personal study everyday seem to talk in some way shape or form about marriage. There is something that is very well known about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and very noticeable. It is that many of the young men and women of the church marry young. Many of my friends are married, some are expecting children. I am 20. I never wanted to be a 19 year old bride... Well, I've overcome that 19 year old part. I do wish to get married in the Lord's time. But why is marriage so important? Why do we seek to find a spouse? Shouldn't we be more worried about getting our degrees, finding a career, or having a good time? Here is what I have learned about marriage lately.

1. Marriage has an effect on our eternities, not just our earthly life. 
We believe that the institution of marriage is meant to endure eternity. This is the purpose of a temple marriage. A temple marriage is performed by someone who holds the authority to seal a couple together for time and all eternity. This power is referenced by Christ Himself while He is addressing His apostle, Peter. He says, "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Matthew 16:19) This is called the priesthood authority, the authority and power from God to act in His name. Through this authority, we can be bound as families forever. To dwell in the presence of our Heavenly Father, this must be something we have. We need to be together as husband and wife to dwell with our Heavenly Father. This makes marriage a high priority in our lives.



2. Do we seek to please God or Man?
Man desires us to focus on career, money, prestige, position, worldly power... But we can't take any of this with us. We need our education, jobs, and those things for this life, but we won't need them in the next. We can take very little with us except our knowledge gained and, if we are sealed for time and all eternity, our family relationships. I would rather please God and be married and have my marriage be centered on the teaching of Jesus Christ than be a billionaire. I know this is His plan, so I am going to do my best to follow it.

Here is the thing: I've wanted to get married for as long as I remember, but I never knew how important marriage is until recently. I thought it would be just something that if it happened, that would be great. But now, I realize it isn't something to be delayed. It is something to be sought out and to be prayed about and to be led by the spirit to know when and who I will marry. I think of so many people who delay it and who decide it is okay to live with a boyfriend or girlfriend without being married. I just don't understand where anyone believes this is okay. God set up marriage from the beginning and I stand as a witness that if we follow His teachings, we will be blessed and be able to find eternal happiness. If we decide to marry, life isn't going to be perfect. It is going to take work. But we can find eternal happiness at the end of this period of trial and tribulation.

I promise that as we take this into consideration, we will see that there is nothing wrong with marrying the right person at the right time for you in the right place.

I love you all!
Love,
Sister Mackenzie Esmond

Truth Taught in All Thing

If anyone has ever met my family, you may know how much we love movies and movie quotes. There is something about it that as long as I can remember we have loved. It's just how we are. There are a few movie quotes that I especially like because they remind us of some really key principles that lead us to true happiness.

"Remember Who You Are. Remember... Remember..." (Mufasa, The Lion King)

This is something my mother says to us constantly. Every time we left the house or anytime she dropped us off somewhere. She would tell us to "Remember who you are!" I know I have mentioned it before, but it is so important to note that we are Children of a Loving Heavenly Father. He cares about us and wants us to be happy. He wants us to speak with Him through prayer. As we pray and seek Him, He will guide us through our lives.

"You is Kind. You is Smart. And you is important." (The Help)

As we come to know that we truly are children of a loving Heavenly Father, we know we matter. Especially within our family unit. We are someone that can make a difference and we each do make a difference each day. With every choice we make, we are influencing those around us. We are important in our own families and in the eyes of God. Even if you feel minuscule, remember that you do matter.

"The time has come, Harry, where we must choose between what is right, and what is easy." (Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire)

This is a time in history where there is an easy path and the right path. The easy path is to live in the world, to ignore the commandments of God and to justify sin. It is to seek out temporary pleasure instead of eternal happiness. The right path is to live the way our Father in Heaven would have us live. It is more difficult and takes a lot of effort, but it is the only way to true and eternal happiness. It is following the commandments, reading our scriptures, attending church, living promises made with our Heavenly Father. It is the right path, and we should follow it. But it is our choice.

"To love another person is to see the face of God." (Les Miserables)

The first and greatest commandment is to love God. The second is to "love thy neighbor as thyself". When we love other people, we are fulfilling this commandment. We are truly understanding charity, the pure love of Christ. As we strive to be like our Heavenly Father and love all mankind, we will be able to see them as they can become, instead of as they are.

"I am a nice shark. Not a mindless eating machine. If I am to change my ways, I must first change myself. Fish are friends, not food." (Finding Nemo)

Okay, while this one is rather silly, it illustrates a desire to change. The sharks decided they no longer wanted to be mean and live the lifestyle they were. They wanted to overcome the natural shark. Much like we need to over come the natural man because "the natural man is an enemy to God." (Mosiah 3:19) As we make the resolve to change and stick with it, then we can change and become a disciple of Jesus Christ (a nice shark). 

These thoughts go to show us that we can find truth in anything. But the fullness of the truth lies within the pages of the Book of Mormon and the Bible. The two in conjunction give us the complete truth and show us the way to Salvation. You can come to know for yourself by reading and praying about the Book of Mormon to know if it is true. 

I promise that if you do this, you will seek a remission of your sins through baptism. You will know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to a 14 year old boy, Joseph Smith, through whom the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the same church that Christ set up upon the earth was restored through Him and we have a living Prophet today. I know that Christ lives and wants us all to come unto Him! Let us accept His invitation and live our lives in accordance with His laws to be able to utilize fully His sacrifice which is the one and only way to salvation. I know this to be true.

I love you all!
Love,

Sister Mackenzie Esmond

Valentine's Misunderstanding

There is something so sickeningly sweet about Valentine's day. Like, sick to my stomach puke up my dinner sweet. Honestly, I am not the biggest fan. I have often thought it was a day that was just an excuse for couples to be extra couple-y and girls to demand presents from their significant others. Well, as I have come to think about it... My opinion hasn't changed much. BUT BUT BUT I think there is something often missed about Valentine's day. I have two points I wish to address.

1. Valentine's Day doesn't have to revolve around romance.
Valentine's day is the day of love and romance. Ew. But I think that often times, we can get caught up in the romance and forget the love. There are people who need us to express love to them more than anyone else. This is our families. Valentine's day is a day to look at the beauty of Love and to appreciate the people who show love often to us. These are the people who we should use Valentine's day to celebrate.

In some cases, this could be a boyfriend, girlfriend, fiance... But really, have we ever thought that maybe it is just our families that we could show our appreciation for the love they give us? As I have realized this, I realize how many opportunities I have missed moping around on Valentine's day to utilize it to the fullest.


2. Love is something misunderstood.
Now, the ultimate question: What is Love? (Baby don't hurt me! Don't hurt me! No more! Sorry... couldn't resist). Love is a complex and deep emotion. It is something so beautiful and something this world takes for granted. It is the feeling in the depths of our souls for another human being. Love what we should strive for. It is what we should search for. There is no greater feeling than to love and be loved. Love is losing all selfishness and wanting to make another happy. Seeing this other person happy makes you happy. Love is what our Father in Heaven feels for each and everyone of us. It is what he wants us to feel.


Let's lose ourselves and learn to love. Not for what someone appears to be, but for the depths of their soul For the actions they do and the words they speak. Let's serve one another and show our love through our actions. Let's be a person worth loving. If you can't love you, how can you love another?

Stop thinking that love is expressed constantly through gifts and worldly things. Let's say "I love you" more. Let's serve our fellow being and show God's love to all mankind. I love being a missionary because you really do learn to love others more than yourself. As we strive to love as God loves, we will become more like our Savior.

Let's Review!
Let's learn to love like our Savior. Why can't we use Valentine's Day to show our families how much we love them? How about this year, we do that? Take a moment and tell you parents, siblings, cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. you love them and you will have your eyes opened to see how much that their Heavenly Father loves them. He loves all of you and wants us all to learn to love so we can become more like Him.

I truly do love you all!!

Love,
Sister Mackenzie Esmond

What I learned from a Visa Waiter

Our life plans are not what we expect. Rarely do plans work out. Heavenly Father is watching though to see how we react to what happens to us.

Sister Guertler and I hold up the Shield of Fath
and the Sword of Righteousness!

For the last 6 weeks, I've been companions with Sister Guertler. She and I have had a lot of amazing memories together, taught a ton of lessons, and done the Lord's work.We were quite the pair. What makes Sister Guertler different is that her plans were changed drastically by coming to the Arizona Mesa Mission. Her mission call was actually to Juiz De Fora, Brazil. She was, what we refer to in missionary terms as, a "visa waiter". Her visa to be able to live in Brazil for 18 months had not come yet. She had gone through the language training for Portuguese at the missionary training center, expecting to get her visa in the MTC. Well, it didn't come. She was reassigned here to the Arizona Mesa Mission. But you know, her attitude was a complete trust that the Lord knew what He was doing and she was perfectly fine with staying in Mesa for her whole mission if that was His will. Last Thursday, however, she got exciting news that her visa had come and is currently on her way to, if not already in, Brazil.

What I learned from Sister Guertler's attitude was empowering. When we turn our life over to the will of the Lord, accept that He really does know best, then things do get better.

I think of Joseph of Egypt. He was sold into slavery by his brothers, put to work for Potipher, cast into prison due to false accusations and whole lot of other trials, but he never lost his faith. He trusted that as long as he was faithful to the commandments, he would be okay. We all need to develop this attitude. We need to realize that things will be okay as long as we are living the commandments and doing our best. Even when we fall, we have the atonement of Jesus Christ. Through that, all of our weaknesses can get better and we can learn and grow from our mistakes.

By abiding by the Lord's laws, we are blessed immensely. By accepting His will, we see miracles. Sister Guertler showed me that with her faith that her visa would come when the Lord needed her to go, until then, she was an Arizona Mesa Missionary. She and I worked and had success. We never gave up and never slacked because she was "only a visa waiter". This attitude was incredible and admirable. I have been blessed to learn and grow for my experience and wish Sister Guertler all the best as she starts her new adventure in Brazil!

Remember: Heavenly Father has a plan, you just have to be patient, press forward, be patient, and wathc the beauty of life unfold before you!




I love you all!

Love,
Sister Mackenzie Esmond

Entitlement vs. Self-Reliance

"Work work work! There is no satisfactory substitute!" Hard work is hard. It isn't something that is easy. It's not supposed to be. That is why we must realize that there is a trend in this world that needs to be stopped.

This trend is laziness. We all have our lazy days, but when we have 6 out of 7 days that are "lazy days" a week, there is a problem. When your priority is to beat that level on your video game or facebook stalk someone for the millionth time, then there is something that needs to change.


In the current generation, there is a sense of entitlement. There is a sense that you should automatically have what your parents have. There is a lack of work ethic or drive. This is something that saddens me. Temporal entitlement should never exist. You are not entitled to anything on this earth, temporally and spiritually.

When we have feelings of entitlement, we are automatically prideful. We automatically have sinned. Simple as that. We have a Father in Heaven who loves us so much that He gave us His only begotten son to sacrifice for the whole human race, male, female, lived at any time period, to be able to be redeemed. Were we entitled to this? No. Do we deserve it? Not necessarilly. Did Heavenly Father desire us to have this? Absolutely.

Here's the deal. Until we realize that we have to do work and have to actually work for what we want, we aren't going to be happy. When we have things handed to us, we don't get the satisfaction of earning what we get.

My dad is one of my heroes. He is also the hardest working person I have ever met in my entire life. He will do anything to make sure that out family has food, shelter, clothing, and the ability to pursue our talents and passions. He worked hard and I have seen the happiness he has from his hard work. He finds satisfaction in being able to know that it is through his help, his children are becoming who they want to be.  This has been an amazing example to me. I have a desire to one day to have the work ethic of my dad. I know that it is what has kept my family afloat.



Self-Reliance is true happiness. Entitlement just brings pride, greed, and misery. Let's choose to be hard working, generous, and serve others to be happy. Let's be hard workers, then we will truly earn what we have. That is the key to happiness. We cannot be happy when all we do is sit around. Let's get up and go to work. Let's learn what it means to work for what we have. Let's learn how much joy hard work can bring.

"Get on your knees and pray, then get up and go to work."

I love you all!
Love,
Sister Mackenzie Esmond