Sound Familiar?

You know... As missionaries, we love mail. We love getting letters A LOT. We always look forward to the chance of receiving something that reminds us that people actually care. Letters are the best!

Well, imagine opening your mailbox and finding a letter addressed to you. The return address is from you as well. You are confused and don't remember writing yourself a letter. You open it to find a single piece of paper, perfectly folded. This is what it say:


Dear You,

   I'm you. You're me. I'm that voice that is always with you. I'm that voice that will always be with you. You want to get rid of me but you never will. I'm with you forever. Silencing me is impossible. I'm that devil inside of you. The one that will always bring you down, bring you doubt, bring you lower. I love my work. It's horrible, but wonderful. Don't try to argue with me. You know I speak truth. I'll lie to you forever. You know it's true though. 

You are ugly. 

You have no one. 

You will never be accepted. 

You will never be happy.

The one you care about... They'd be crazy to look at you. 

You aren't worth anyone's time. 

No one cares about your tears. 

No one cares that you exist.

No one will ever love you. 

These lies I speak are the truth. You will forever believe them. You do what I say. You can't expect to think I am being untrue. I'll lie to you forever. I'll lie to you truths. 

Try to beat me. I know you can't.

Forever yours,

Your Little Devil


Wow. You can't believe you would write yourself such a horrible note. But how often do you find you saying these things to yourself? We constantly are down talking ourselves and mistaking degrading comments for humility. We think that by making ourselves look bad, we are being humble. When, in reality, all we are doing is denying that we are of divine worth.

Now move your thought to Christ, the most humble person to ever walk the face of the Earth. Did He ever speak poorly of Himself? No. He knew who He was. He knew that He had a purpose. He knew He was the only begotten of the Father. He lived up to His potential. Are you?

Ask yourself this question:

• Are you in any way degrading yourself?
• Do you always think you can't do something?
• Do you believe you will never be good enough?
• Do you think you are alone?

How did you answer? I know I am guilty of all of these things. This Easter season is a great reminder that Christ has made all possible. Do you have low self-esteem? Well, He can help you remember who you are. This is especially powerful because of what He did for us. He died for YOU. The wounds in His hands are tokens of His sacrifice for YOU. He was resurrected and made it possible for YOU to return to live with your Heavenly Father. YOU ARE WORTH IT! Let's change that part of the letter to yourself to remind yourself of the truth.

You are a beautiful Child of God 

You are never alone. 
You are accepted by Christ. 
You can find true Joy.
You are worth loving.
You are worth time and effort. 
God counts your tears. 
Your existence is changing the world around you.
You are eternally loved.

Now, doesn't that sound better?

So next time you are in a state where "Your Little Devil" keeps telling you that you aren't worth it, remember that the prints in Christ's hands say otherwise. You are worth more than the world to Him. That is enough to know to carry you through and help others to see that you know who you are and will stand and own that you are a Child of God and you have a Savior who forsook the world so that you can overcome your trials, sins, and all manners of pains to return to live with them again.

I know this is true and promise that you can know for yourself through prayer and asking if this is true. 

I love you all!
Love,

Sister Mackenzie Esmond

Watch Me

I have realized one of my biggest pet peeves in the world is when people tell me I can't do something, or anyone is told they can't achieve or become anything. The worst is when someone is told they will never amount to anything, that they will never be able to change anything. Honestly, this is the single most demeaning thing you can say to another human being. So, to quote a two word sermon from Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Stop it."


You read that right. "Stop it." I will just come out and say it. The talk that happens about another human being, another child of God, saying that they will never change or amount to anything or make a difference needs to stop. Some people are okay with accepting the status quo, others are not. Just because you don't have the faith in yourself that you could make a change, doesn't mean another person can't have the faith to do so. I want you to think about all those who have achieved great things. Someone along the way more than likely said that they wouldn't be able to do it. They would not be able to reach their dreams. Many dealt with ridicule because of their dreams, but they persevered. They did something worth remembering.

I think of a woman who was a recluse. She wrote poetry that people scorned and laughed at her for being who she was. Only a couple of her poems were published during her life. I think of a man who suffered from different mental illnesses, but was a painter. He was told he would never be worth anything because his paintings were not in sync with the current style of art. I think of a young boy who wanted to fight a giant, but his brothers laughed at the thought.

Emily Dickinson, Vincent Van Gogh, and David are people we now know as a brilliant poetess, one of the greatest painters of all time, and King David through whose line of descendants came Christ.


I think of Christ himself. He was scorned. He was told He was not who He said himself to be. He was persecuted. But He performed the greatest, most selfless act known to mankind. Christ suffered for the sins of the world and broke the bonds of death. He was told it would be impossible. He was told that He did not have the capabilities to do so. But did He just accept it? No. He knew what He needed to do. He knew His mission. He knew who He was. And we now have the way to return to our Father in Heaven because of Him.

You have the power to make a difference. Many people will say, "Don't worry about things you can't change." When I hear this, I think about the degrading and disappearing of morality in the world, the common place use and abuse of drugs, alcohol and other harmful substance. I think about how we are seeing basic human rights stripped and the voices of wicked attempting to silence the voices of the righteous. My favorite verse of scripture is Romans 8:31, "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" This shows that with God on our side, we can achieve what we want to. You want to make a difference? You want to do good things? You want to change the world to be more aligned with God? Well, He wants to help you achieve
that.

Next time someone says, "You can't change it, so don't worry about it." Think about what you want to change. Is it because you know it is morally wrong, goes against the commandments of God or prevents the gospel of Jesus Christ from being moved forward in it's fullest? If so, then God is going to be on your side.

Don't ever, EVER, let anyone tell you you cannot make a difference. Because God needs you to. He is backing your righteous stances. Dare to stand alone, because you are never alone when God is on your side.

So next time someone tells you that you can't make a difference, that you can't change, that you can't do something. Look at them and say, "Watch Me."

I know you were made to make a difference. You can change the world. You just have to believe in yourself.

I love you all!
Love,
Sister Mackenzie Esmond

The Power of #

Okay... I'm going to confess something. I quite frankly did not know what the point of this thing called a "hash-tag" was until just a short while ago. I know... Where have I been for the last 13 months? I can answer that... In Mesa, AZ... As a missionary... Where we have no idea what is really going on in the world because we are dedicating our lives to serving and teaching about Christ. Sooooooo I am a little slow on the uptake. On top of that, I enjoy social media, but you have to realize, I just really don't understand why people post 95% of the things they do.

Diverting from the subject for a moment, this last weekend was GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!! YAY!!!! It was fabulous. There was a talk in particular by Elder Marcos A. Aidukaitis of the Seventy. In it, he spoke of the internet. Regarding just surfing the internet, he said, "One should not roam through Garbage."

Okay, back to hash-tags. How can hash-tags help us not to roam through garbage, as Elder Aidukaitis directs?

Okay Okay Okay... Let's think about this. The purpose of a hash-tag is to group posts of similar content together. I think about the different hash-tags I have seen. #ChristLives, #LDSconf, #Restoration... Here's the thing. These aren't utilized to their fullest. Let's do that!

We can change the internet, one hash-tag at a time as we flood the internet with virtue. Yes, it may take some thought. Yes, it may take a bit more effort. Yes, it may be out of your comfort zone. But let's do something worthwhile with this thing. The internet CAN be great, as long as we stay away from the garbage of the world. By this, I am referring to inappropriate and downright vile images, text, and video you can find. This is destructive to the spirit.

Since I've been online as a missionary, it has been so nice to see how my Facebook has gone from something rather dramatic and annoying to something that is flooded with virtue with countless posts about Christ. I challenge you all to flood your news feeds and your friend's news feeds with uplifting and feel-good (aka Spiritual) thoughts. Use images, conference quotes, scriptures, brief, powerful statements. We CAN change the world. Why don't we do it? Let's #HashTagTheGospel. Let's talk about #faith, #repentance, #baptism, #GiftOfTheHolyGhost, and #EnduringToTheEnd. Let's #PlanOfHappiness. Let's #TruthRestored. Let's #YourTestimony.

Stop being timid. Now isn't the time to hide what you believe. Now is the time to #SpeakOutForRighteousness and not let your voice be silenced by the world. The evolving wickedness wants the voice of the righteous to be stopped. So let's not let it. Believe and broadcast. Respect others, but still don't be afraid to #StandAsAWitness.

My challenge and invitation is for you to use these hash-tags and others that you think up to start sharing your testimony, but always add in #ChristLives. Let's see if we can get this trending and start #FloodingTheInternetWithVirtue.

Example Posts for anyone who may be a bit confused:

• "'There are no endings, only everlasting beginnings.' (Dieter F. Uctdorf) I am so grateful for the #PlanOfHappiness in my life and that #ChristLives to make it possible!"
• "'Church was amazing today! I am always uplifted by the messages. #ChristLives. Enough said."
• "Headed to the Easter Pagaent tonight! What a wonderful way to celebrate the Easter season! #ChristLives." 

Do you accept? Do you understand? Comment below to sign up with the challenge and/or ask any questions.

I promise that you will see miracles by using this tool to try to change the world!

I love you all!
Love,
Sister Mackenzie Esmond

Call Me Crazy

I want you to think back to 1776. None of us were alive, I'd hope.... But this year was extremely important. Why? It was the year that several men signed what we know as the Declaration of Independence. Okay, now I want you to think about a few of these men. George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson... Think about what they were doing. They were declaring their independence and liberty from England, the largest and most powerful empire in the world. When you think about it, they were a wee bit crazy.

Okay, now go back a few hundred years to Martin Luther. He saw corruption in the Catholic Church as he read through the bible, in particular the sales of indulgences. He decided he needed to do something about it, thus beginning the reformation with the posting of his 95 thesis. He was fighting against the largest church in the world that had so much control it wasn't even funny. He was a wee bit crazy.


Christopher Columbus. He decided that maybe there was a better and safer way to travel to India than going down and around Africa. He felt as if he was being pulled to go west instead of east. As he traveled west, he landed on a land no European knew of. We now know this as the American Continents. Because of him, we have our home now. But, you have to admit, he was a wee bit crazy.

Last one, Galileo Galilei. As a scientist, he was testing some of the theories of the day. He realized there were many errors that were commonly accepted such as the earth was flat and everything orbited around the earth. He realized the earth and mankind were not the center of the universe. Again, he shared his findings with those in charge at the time. Once again, he was persecuted and put on house arrest for believing this. They all thought he was a wee bit crazy.

My point? These 4 examples show us that it is possible for one person to change the world. It shows us that it is possible for us to discover something new, create new ideas, and most of all, make a difference. What do they all have in common? People around them believed they were a wee bit crazy. And when you put yourselves in the shoes that surround them, I can see why. What they were doing was revolutionary. It was something no one had ever thought of, or at least no one had the guts to stand up for.

I want you all to think of someone you believe to be crazy. Are the crazy because they have a way of thinking that you don't agree with? Many believe is. Many believe that Mormons are crazy because we believe that God still speaks to His children today by the same means that He did in biblical times, namely Prophets. Many think we are crazy because we live moral lives jut as taught in the bible. Many think we are crazy because we follow the basic 10 commandments plus a few more. Many think we are crazy because we are happy all the time because we know that there is hope in happiness hereafter. Many think we are crazy because of the claim that we have the fullness of the gospel. Many think we are crazy because we say we have the authority of God to act in His name, the same Priesthood authority given to prophets of old and Christ's original apostles. Many think we are crazy for believing God has laid out a plan for us. Many think we are crazy because we have the same organization that existed in the Church of old. Many think we are crazy because we believe the family unit to meant to be eternal, not temporary. Most of all, many think we are crazy because we can  know for ourselves if this is true.

Call me crazy, for all I care. Call me crazy for having read the Book of Mormon, prayed, and received my personal witness that the true Church of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth. Call me crazy for spending 18 months of my life to share this incredible message of hope and joy with others. I would rather have the courage to be called crazy than the cowardice to follow the crowd. Call me crazy. Go ahead. But don't you ever doubt that I believe this with all my heart, mind, might, and soul. Don't ever doubt that I will always defend and stand as a witness of Christ. Don't ever doubt that you can believe with the same conviction I have. I know you can.

If you doubt me, then test me. My conviction is deep rooted into my soul that my lips, actions, and thoughts will never cease testifying of my Savior. I know He lives. I know He loves us. Most of all, I have the fullness of His gospel in my life and wish to share with anyone who is willing to listen. Comment, send me a Facebook message, whatever. You have questions, ask. I will do my best to help you find them because I love you. Why? You are a child of God. I am a child of God. That makes us family. To quote a favorite movie, "Ohana means family. family means no one gets left behind." I don't want to leave a single one of you without the light that I have in my life of the full, restored gospel. If you want to stay in the dark, that is your choice. But never can you deny that I have invited you to find out for yourself why Mormons are considered crazy and to finally know for yourself that Christ's church is once again on the earth.


I love you all!
Love
Sister Mackenzie Esmond