Avatar: Energybending

 Against all odds, there is another "Avatar" post.  Originally I had planned on sticking to the four general bending arts, but I have had a few requests (or demands) that Energybending have it's place as well.  So, here we are!  Energybending!

Long before Firebending, Aribending, Waterbending, or Earthbending, any of the four nations or the Avatar, there was Energybending.  Energybending is the ability to bend life energy.  People would bend the energy within themselves.  By bending a person's life energy one can give knowledge instantly or remove one's bending completely.  It is a very dangerous art.

To bend another's life energy, your own spirit must be un-bendable.  If there is any sign of weakness  in one's spirit (or bendability), they risk being infected by the spirit of the one they are bending and can be corrupted and or even killed.  

"The true mind can weather all the lies and illusions without being lost. The true heart can touch the poison of hatred without being harmed. Since beginning-less time, darkness thrives in the void, but always yields to purifying light". (The Lion-Turtle)

Energybending can come with a cost.  But those who have a strong spirit can master it.  In the series, there are only two known users of this art: Aang and the Lion Turtle.  Aang (the Avatar) is faced with a giant moral dilema at the end of the "Avatar" series;  he can either kill the evil Fire Lord Ozai (which is what the Avatars of the past guide him to do), or follow his heart and let him live.  Ozai is the epitome of evil and one of the greatest Firebenders ever (if not the best).  To let him live would allow him to strike back again one day, but killing him would go against everything Aang stands for.

So, what does he do?  Aang realizes that the only way for there to be peace and still have Ozai live is for him to Energybend Ozai, taking away his Firebending.  Aang had the spiritual strength needed for the task.

Aang was prepared.  He studied, pondered, and worked hard.  He also stayed true to his beliefs.  I realize that this may sound repetitious, but it's the little things that matter.  To build up our spirits, we must study, ponder, pray, and work!  We are at war with Satan.  He is strong, but we are stronger.  We will win!  To win, our spirits must be strong.  Satan is constantly working at our spirits.  He tries to weaken us, corrupt us, and destroy us spiritually.  By doing these seemingly small things, we will stand victorious.  So, read your scriptures.  Study them.  Go to church.  Pray.  Serve others.  Obey the commandments.

Be a master Energybender!  Have a true heart, true mind, and solid spirit.  No weakness.

No More Slugs!

If you are at all disturbed by bugs or slimy type things, I advize you to read another post.  Actually... you should probably still read this one.  Just don't look at the pictures.

Woodland doesn't seem like that long ago, but I guess it was.  One of the awesome things about serving in Woodland (out of the thousands) was the house we lived in.  Yes, we had a house.  All to ourselves.  It was quaint and had all sorts of fun little what-nots around every turn.  Let's just say, when I first got there, all I could think was "NO WAY?!?!"  It seemed just perfect, up until the day our little "friend" came to visit.

Hey Wait....Where'd They Go?

Everyone in my family has played soccer at one point or another growing up.  Usually it is the first sport my parents sign us up for.  This may be because my dad is obsessed with soccer (seriously though, he watches it on the Spanish channel (he doesn't speak Spanish....)), but also because it's just plain awesome.  When my family moved from California to Utah, one of the things my parents made sure to do was to sign us up for soccer.

Game day.  You know what that means; put on the uniform, socks, shin guards, cleats, hair up, war paint, and game face.  Okay, no war paint, but the rest is true.  We loaded into the stereotypical soccer mom van and headed out.  On the way there it was the pep talk: "remember what you practiced this week."  "Doesn't matter whether you win or lose, as long as you have fun."  And all the good parent pre-game talks.  There was an addition to the regular talk.  This was "now, your soccer coach will be taking you home.  So be sure you remind him." 



I'd like to say I remember the game, but I don't.  Cut me a break, I was eight.  But, I think it went well.  After the game we high fived the other team before getting the long awaited treats!  For better treat enjoyment, we had to eat them while playing on the playground equipment.  Every child knows this.  What treat doesn't taste better as your hands touch all the play equipment? 

Be Persistent

"Gee, Brain. What are we going to do tonight?  The same thing we do every night, Pinky. Try to take over the world."  Day after day, week after week, these 2 little rodents kept at it.  One day the world would be under Brain's control.  If there was an award for being persistent, it would go to these 2.

Being persistent is something I have either a) really gotten and beaten to a pulp or b) non-existent (or asked just once).  Certain things were easier to be persistent about, like asking my mom if I could go hang out with a friend or when dinner was.  Just ask my mom, being persistent wasn't an issue.  But, when it comes to asking our Heavenly Father, I was lacking. 

I was in the habit of asking maybe once or twice for something, but not much past that.  God loves us.  If you have gotten anything from reading my blogs, I hope it is that simple truth.  Because He loves us, He wants to hear from us.  He wants to know the desires of our hearts.  He wants us to ask Him for things.  The infamous James 1:5 says it all.  "1If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."  If we have a questions or lack "wisdom," we can ask God and He will give us the answer.  No question is a dumb question to Him.



Now, back to being persistent.  How does this apply to prayer?  It is essential!  Okay, in my mind, if someone only asks for something once, I'm not as inclined to think it is important to them.  It's like a phone call.  If someone calls me only once, and doesn't leave a message, I tend to not call them back.  But, if they leave a message, I probably will.  If you call a million times, leave messages, text me, and call from other phone's, I'll definitely call you back!  At that point you are either dying or have something extremely important to say or ask.  It is the same with God.

We have to continue to ask and pray for things.  He will answer in His own time and in His own way, but He will answer.  So, "are you pondering what I'm pondering?"  Be persistent and be ready for the answer, whatever it may be.

Stayin Alive or Biting the Dust?

Many many years ago, in a state not so far away, I wasn't a missionary (gasp!).  Yes, once upon a time I was a real person that did things other than preaching the gospel.  One of those things was working at the local recreation center as a pool coordinator.  While working at the pool, I was able to become certified as a CPR instructor.  Last night, I was thinking about the 2 songs used when doing CPR.  I realize this sounds a little strange, but hear me out.

The compressions for CPR are supposed to be about 100 beats per minute.  An easy way to know if you are doing that is to get a rhythm going in your head.  There are 2 songs I know that are the exact beat needed when doing CPR, "Stayin Alive" and "Another One Bites the Dust."  Obviously, one of them is a LOT more encouraging then the other....

Being an acronym lover, CPR has become a whole new thing while on my mission.  It usually stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation,  which keeps us alive physically.  In mission terminology it is Church, Prayer, and Reading.  Those are the things that help keep us alive spiritually.  It seems so simple right?  That's because it is.  The catch is, we have to continually do those things.  If we take a break or stop, our spirit suffers for it (or "Bites the Dust).  "....by small and simple things are great things brought to pass."  It is the little things we do each day that keep us on track and healthy spiritually.  Stay Alive!

Answers

There has been a lot on my mind lately.  So many questions and concerns that my head has become it's own swirling cosmos that seems to have no end.  Needless to say, I have had a lot to sift through.  Things I thought I knew and had planned out are being questioned.  Concerns about what lies ahead have become rather daunting.  How can peace come to such a madhouse as this?  First, I said a handy dandy prayer and asked the Lord for some guidance.  That's always the answer it seems right?  To pray.  But it is true and it works! 

Have you hit a wall?

My companion and I were talking before bed last night, reflecting on what we had done last week.  What we had accomplished, what we needed to do.  We came to the conclusion that we have a long ways to go.  Not only did we look at this last week, but the previous weeks that we have been together.  A realization came to us, that we had hit a wall.  We have become stagnant.  There is a barrier we have hit that we just haven't been able to break through.  How many times do we hit walls?  Challenges or times in life that we hit a rut that we just can't climb out of.  A wall we can't climb over.  What can we do to overcome this?

The first thing we do is pray.  Ask for guidance and what we can change.  The next is to reflect on what we have done, and how we can improve.  What things are we doing that are holding us back?  I realized that there are many things I can change.  More than I thought.  It has taken some humbling and accepting that there is always room for me to change and do better.  Set the bar higher.  Each day there is a higher 100% we can achieve.  A higher best.  I need to continue to hit the bar I have set, then push it higher.  By doing these things I know that I can break through this wall that has blocked my way.  I know I can do it, and that others can do the same with their challenges.  Christ overcame all of our challenges.  Through Him, we can do the same.  Let's burst through these walls in a heroic manner!  Superman style.

LIfe of a Sister Missionary part 10: The Final Chapter: The Sacred Hour

9:30-10:30

You'd think that we would have one hour to read a book, tell ghost stories, and bake cookies.  But alas, you'd be wrong.  This hour is a very important one for missionaries.  This is when we update our daily records, prepare for bed, write in our journals, and ponder upon how we can best help the people we serve.  It is the perfect time to receive inspiration.  And it is the most difficult hour to use wisely.  It is easy to get distracted by talking to each other, reading the Ensign, or playing on the piano.  However, this is the time to decompress and ponder, and to prepare for future lessons.  This hour ends with a prayer (shocked?) and bed.  As you can see from this series, we strive to focus each hour of the day on the people we teach, so that we can "earn our pillow" each night.  That is what being a Sister Missionary is all about. 

-Sister Nestman and Sister Franklin

Life of a Sister Missionary part 9: Well companion, what do you want to do tomorrow?

Before Planning

After a long day of work, we top it off with a little planning.  Each night for 30 minutes we plan for our next day.  We fill each moment of the day with: what we will do, teach, where to go, who to visit, who to call, and what to study.  Almost everything in the day is planned out for every hour in the day, plus backup plans.  All of these plans are written in our handy dandy missionary daily planner.  Of course, we begin the planning, with a prayer.  We pray for guidance and direction as to what to plan.  After we fill each hour, we outline the lessons we will teach.  We make a list of things to do.  We plan out what we will study the following day in our personal and companion studies.  And we set goals for the day.  During all of this, we strive to be guided by the Spirit.  We are representatives of Jesus Christ; we are sent to do what He would do.  At the end, we pray (YAY). 

After

Back home, I did nothing like this.  I sorta had a list of "to do" items in my head, but I definitely didn't know what I was going to do each moment in the day.  My time is so much more effective now.  It isn't wasted on things that I don't want to do or that have no use.  Planning allows for my time to be spent doing things I want to do rather than things that I just "end up" doing because of poor planning, like watching a TV show I don't like, or sitting and doing nothing.  I would much rather be swimming, out with friends, or reading a book by Orson Scott Card.  Proper planning = an awesome day.

God has a sense of Humor

Today I am taking a break from the "Life of a Sister Missionary" series to share with you an experience I had.  Yesterday was a day to remember and I thought it appropriate to share what I learned.  The day began as all others do on the mission.  Things were going great.  We were teaching, it was sunny, and everything was wonderful.  Most days are like this.  The Spirit is always there and you just can't help but feel happy about life.  However, my day took a very drastic turn.

Something happened that made me mad, well, furious.  Worst feeling ever!  As soon as I got mad, the Spirit left me.  There are few times in my life that I have felt the Spirit completely leave me, but never on my mission.  The anger I was feeling turned into complete frustration and confusion.  The only thing I could think to do was to pray.  Pray for guidance, peace, comfort, and forgiveness.  I have no idea how long I was actually on my knees, but it was for a long, long time.  It was one of the most powerful experiences I have had!  I was literally crying to the Lord to help me, to show me what I was to do, and bring me back from the lost state I was in. 

As I was praying, I realized that the Lord gave me this trial for me to learn and grow.  It was an answer to my prayers.  You know that common phrase: "be careful what you pray for?"  Wow is it true!  The last few months I have been praying for charity, to see people the way Jesus Christ would.  Heavenly Father must have a sense of humor.  Praying for charity, in my mind, did not equate to becoming infuriated, but it is how I needed to learn.  It taught me how to view things from another's perspective; how to respect someone else's opinion even when I don't agree.  What I really needed was to be humble.

After a lot of reflection, I am grateful for my little "break down."  It has helped open my mind and heart to the changes I need to make.  The Lord answers our prayers.  Not always the way expected, but always the way that will help us best.

Life of a Sister Missionary part 7: Learning with the Companion

Hour 2 is companion study.  Companion study begins with a song (you thought I was going to say prayer, that's coming).  Music is a wonderful way to invite the Spirit.  I will confess, my voice is not the greatest, but that doesn't stop me from singing praises to the Lord.  The next step is the opening prayer.  Have I stressed prayer enough?  We pray for guidance and to know what insights to share with one another, what to talk about, and how we can work together best.  After the prayer, we read from our missionary handbook, the rulebook for missionaries.  As representatives of Christ, we need to know how to act appropriately.  How we can be better representatives of Him.  Then, we share what we learned during personal study.  I can't count the number of things that I have learned from my companions.  Not only do I get the chance to study for myself in personal study, but I get to hear what my companion learned.  It is a humbling experience.  There is so much you can learn from someone else.  There are things I never dreamed that my companions would teach me.  Once we have discussed what each of us has learned, we plan what to teach during the day and what we can do to better help the people in the area.  We end with a prayer, of course.  Companion study has helped me so much!  My family better be ready because when I get home, I intend on having companion study.  Someone will have to be recruited to join me.

Life of a Sister Missionary part 2: Morning Prayer

After the dreaded wake up, the day begins with prayer. 3 Nephi 18:18-19 reads "18 Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for ^aSatan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.  19Therefore ye must always pray unto the Father in my name;"  When the day begins with prayer, we are able to avoid temptation.  It starts us off on the right foot.  As a missionary, we consecrate our day to the Lord.  Nothing begins until we say a prayer.  We pray more times than I can count.  We pray before we leave, before we go in to a lesson, twice during the lesson, after the lesson to thank the Lord, before we eat, etc., and end the day with a prayer.  The day becomes the Lord's.  It invites the Holy Ghost to be our 3rd companion.  I know that the Holy Ghost can be a companion to anyone who seeks him, who seeks the Lord.  James 1:5 ^aIf any of you lack ^bwisdom, let him ask of God, that ^cgiveth to all men liberally, and ^dupbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Do you have a streak going?

"You want to get a streak going.  You can carry a streak forward, but when you start losing a few you can get in a real dive."  Personally, I don't think President Monson was applying this statement just to sports.  We learn in science from Newton's first law that "an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force".  Our daily efforts to do what's right can be considered our "spiritual streak". 
At first, it is hard to start.  Starting from ground zero is always a daunting task.  An unbalanced force is necessary to get that streak going.  But what force can help?  Well, here's a couple of things that have helped me out.
1.  Pray daily.  By doing this, we invite the spirit into our lives.  "As you make a habit of approaching God in prayer, you will come to know Him and draw ever nearer to Him"1.  Heavenly Father wants to hear from us.  He is there for us whenever we need him.  His line is never busy. Moroni 7:48 reads: "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, ^apray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true ^bfollowers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall ^cbe like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be^dpurified even as he is pure. Amen" 2.
2.  Study the scriptures.  Scripture study is key!  The purpose of the scriptures is to draw us closer to Him.  They testify of Christ and lead us to eternal life.  Daily study will help us to be receptive to the promptings of the Holy Ghost.  It is also how we put on our daily "armor" to protect us from the things in the world.  Helaman 3:29-30 reads "Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the ^aword of God, which is ^bquick and powerful, which shall ^cdivide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and ^dnarrow course across that everlasting ^egulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked— And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the ^aright hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out" 3.
3.  Attend Church each week.  It is a commandment, plain and simple.  The Lord has asked us to set one day apart, Sunday, for worship and rest.  Sunday is a day for us to partake of the Sacrament and remember what our Savior has done for us.  "Our Sabbath-day behavior is a reflection of our commitment to honor and worship God" 4.  By going to church and keeping the Sabbath Day Holy, we will be filled with joy and peace.
By doing these 3 things, it will be the start of a whole new streak.  You will be able to feel the spirit more abundantly in life.  It will make it easier to continue to make right choices and stay on the straight and narrow path.  We will be prepared for the things that the adversary will throw at us.  Starting them may be rough and you will face challenges, but I know that the Lord will provide a way for you to be able to do them all.  He will help you down the path and help keep you there.  The "spiritual streak" is the "streak to success".  Get the ball rollin'!

Mail Time

In my heart, I will forever be 5 years old.  Each time I check the mail I find myself singing the Blues Clues "Mail Time" song.  No matter what age you are, what race, or where you are at, it is always nice to get a letter.  There's just something special about it.  It shows that someone has thought of you.  That someone has taken time out of their day to write you or send something to you.  Life is so fast pace and hectic it seems now-a-day.  There just doesn't seem to be enough time to accomplish anything.  Between work, family, school, and other activities, time just flies right out the window.  There are many times that I have been guilty of being overly busy, but was I really?  Was there really too much to do?
Just as we feel too busy sometimes to write a letter or give someone a call, it can be just as easy to forget to talk to our Father in Heaven.  As excited as I am to get a letter from someone, our Heavenly Father is that much more excited each time we kneel down to talk to him.  Unlike mail, email, or a telephone, Heavenly Fathers line is always open.  No worrying about stamps, how long it will take, or if we have the right number, address, or any of that.  His line is always open and ready.  All it takes is us taking the time to talk to Him.  He is always there for us, waiting patiently for us to talk with Him.
I know He is there for us at all times.  He is there to lift us up when we are down.  To answer the questions in our hearts.  To comfort us, help us, guide us, and give us what we need.  There is always time to pray.  Even in the most hectic of days there is time.  Heavenly Father is NEVER too busy to talk with us, try not to be too busy to talk to Him.

Live Long and Prosper

We are all here in this life for a reason.  Preach My Gospel states: "Our purpose in this life is to have joy and prepare to return to God’s presence."  Our Father in Heaven wants us to be happy and wants us to have joy.  "This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now." (President Thomas S. Monson) 

The time to prepare is now!  For us to prosper in heaven, we need to do all we can in this life to prepare.  What can we do to prepare ourselves?  By doing the simple things.  Read the scriptures, pray, keep the commandments, go to church, and strive to be better then we were yesterday.  Find joy in this life by preparing for the next.  Live Long and Prosper

Our "Pillar of Light"

16....I saw a pillar of ^clight exactly over my head, above the brightness of the ^dsun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.

  17 It no sooner appeared than I found myself ^adelivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I ^bsaw two ^cPersonages, whose brightness and ^dglory defy all description, ^estanding above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My ^fBeloved ^gSon. Hear Him! (Joseph Smith History 1:16-17 (http://scriptures.lds.org/en/js_h/1)) 

When Joseph Smith inquired of the Lord, he saw God the Father and Jesus Christ.  Not all of us will have an experience like Joseph did, but we can all have our own personal "pillar of light".  The prophet Moroni tells us:

  3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how ^amerciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ^bponder it in your ^chearts.

  4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ^aask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not ^btrue; and if ye shall ask with a ^csincere heart, with ^dreal intent, having ^efaith in Christ, he will ^fmanifest the ^gtruth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. (Moroni 10:3-5 (http://scriptures.lds.org/en/moro/10)).

This is a promise, that if we ask God, He will give us an answer.  Whatever question's we may have in our hearts can and will be answered.  The Lord will bring light into our hearts and minds as we diligently seek Him out.  But, to get a SPECIFIC answer, we must ask a SPECIFIC question.  The Bible dictionary states "The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them".  The last part is what sticks out to me.  "....conditional on our asking for them".  Joseph Smith asked a specific question, and got a specific answer.  If you aren't asking specific questions, start.  Let the Lord show you your own "Pillar of Light".

Life

This morning while studying I found myself reading about life on earth.  Why we are here and what is the purpose in life.  In the May 1998 Ensign Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Twelve Apostles gave this analogy: "This is the day of our mortal probation.  We might compare our eternal journey to a race of three laps around the track.  We have completed the first lap [our pre-earth life] successfully and have made wonderful progress.  We have started on the second lap.  Can you imagine a world-class runner stopping along the track at this point to pick flowers or chase a rabbit that crossed his path?  Yet this is what we are doing when we occupy our time with worldly pursuits that do not move us closer to the third lap toward eternal life, the greatest of all the gifts of God".  This isn't the time to stop and "pick flowers".  We are to prepare to meet God and have joy.  By doing what the Lord asks, we will find joy.  Let's not worry about things that are "worldly pursuits".  I know that now is the time to prepare for that third lap.  The basics are how we prepare.  Study the scriptures, listen to the prophets words, go to church, pray, and daily strive to be the best you can be.