Showing posts with label Mormon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mormon. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Zion's Camp!






Little by little, I am starting to see that there is a reason that I had these 3 months in Ohio before my mission! This past week, I had the amazing opportunity to hear from Elder Holland with the rest of the missionaries in the area.  I got to shake his hand and listen to him speak for over an hour!  It was truly such a blessing, and so much of it was exactly what I needed to hear as I am preparing for the Philippines.  
Then, at the end of that week I got to go to Zion's Camp!! It was a weekend in Kirtland with Sister Dalton and other Young Single Adults from all over the Eastern United States.  Sister Dalton was awesome, and gave us such great council.  I hadn't appreciated living near Kirtland until this weekend!  There were groups from Virginia, Wisconsin, Ohio, D.C., and Illinois!   I actually met a returned missionary from the Philippines, Sam!  She was such a tender mercy and gave me a heads up on so much that I'm going to see over there.  My favorite advice she gave was, "Just become a Filipino!" She made me so excited!! I also had such a blast with Emily.  She is such a sweet heart and I feel like we grew so much closer over the weekend!

Life is good in Kirtland!!

Monday, May 12, 2014

I love to see the temple.







I had the wonderful opportunity to go through the temple for the first time this Saturday!! I went to St. Louis where my Aunt J lives. My grandparents were also able to come from Texas.  It was such a neat experience.  I felt such peace and a presence of the spirit.  I know what it means to really escape from the world inside!  I am so thankful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints.  It brings me blessings and happiness every single day!

Life is good at the temple!

Sunday, April 20, 2014

My Sisters of Freshman Year



Today was the last Sunday I had with my Relief Society.  Each one of the girls in my hall had such a big impact on me over the past year.  All of them have so many amazing qualities that I have been able to learn from.  I wouldn't trade the memories I've made with them for anything in the world.  From the ridiculously late nights, to the birthday celebrations, to the wonderful experiences at church on sunday, this year was unforgettable.  

Audrey is so wonderful.  She is so beautiful and such light in our hall.  Her sister is serving in the Philippines too, and so I feel like we are bonded forever.  She is always around to do something fun and to listen when I need to talk.  
Kate is seriously the biggest sweetheart.  I couldn't imagine her ever getting angry or saying a bad word against anybody.  She is brilliant, and such a hard worker.
Karisa is our RA and she is a blast!  I always know that I can go to Karisa for anything. Even if it was 4 am, I know that she is always there to help me out.
Morgan totally adorable. I always see her come out to the hall and check out her cute outfits in the mirror before she leaves.  She is so kind and was always fun to see at the football and basketball games as a cheerleader!
Kennedy is one of my favorite people I've met this semester!  She is so comfortable in her own skin and her crazy attitude always makes everybody laugh and smile.
Emilie might be a little quiet, but she has the biggest heart.  I always see her smiling and being kind to those around her.
Lizzie! Liz always makes me so happy when I run into her (:  She is hilarious and someone I am so comfortable talking to about anything.
Oh my goodness, Destiny seriously makes my heart smile. All she has to do is walk into the room and my mood turns to instant joy.  She is always happy and has a genuine love for everyone around her. I don't know what I'm going to do without her hugs.
McKenna is probably one of the most beautiful people I know both inside and out.  Despite her absolutely stunning appearance, she does not put herself above anyone.  She is so much fun to talk to and is such an example of kindness and purity.
Joshlin is so so much fun to be around.  She is always being a total goof and making everybody around her happy.  My favorite memory of Joshlin was when she performed for the ward talent show.  She is an amazing and absolutely hilarious speaker.  Studio C-sign Joshlin up!
Awee, I can't even say Kealani's name without smiling! Anybody that meets Kealani instantly falls in love with her sweet spirit.  She makes me laugh so hard and is so generous with her free candy outside of her door for everyone.
Tiffany is the bomb.  She is a little soft spoken but seriously is the life of the party!  She loves her gangster music and is almost always smiling.  Some of my best memories from this year were spent with this girl!
CADY LADY! Cady has become one of my best friends this year.  Her light and integrity have strengthened so many girls in our hall this year.  I love her so much because she's always looking to have fun, but she won't lower her standards for anyone or anything.
Nat probably doesn't know how much of an effect she's had on me this year. She is such a strong person with an amazing testimony.
Caroline is the best.  My favorite memory with her was definitely her organizing the cup prank on the hall below us.  She is a blast to be around, but also a great listener.  Every time I talked with Caroline I felt that she genuinely cared about what was  happening with me.
Sara is the epitome of a best friend.  She is literally everybody's best friend in our hall.  She makes whoever she's talking to feel like a million bucks.  The world would be a better place if everybody were like Sara when it comes to genuinely loving those around her.  I love her SO MUCH!
Julie is the cutest and I was lucky enough to have her as my visiting teacher! If you need someone to feel something with you, she is the one to go to.  She was excited with me when I was, and sad with me when I was sad.  My favorite memory of her was when she came to visit teach me and said exactly what I needed to hear without even knowing it.  Her frequent kind and thoughtful texts made me love her so much.
Jennifer is one of those people where you continue to discover crazy and awesome things about her every time you talk to them.  She is an amazing artist and photographer!  She is honestly a great friend to everyone around her, but especially to Nat.  They are the cutest best friend and their genuine care for each other was such an example to me.
Ashley is awesome.  She is so smart in both school and church, and is such a great example of obedience.  I know that no matter what, Ashley is going to be doing the right thing. She has an amazing spirit and courage.
Lindsay is so much fun!  If you're ever looking for something fun to do, or someone to have fun with, she is your girl.  She's got an awesome testimony and a light that shines when she smiles.
Auburn is one of the first people I met this semester.  She is so adventurous and good at whatever she puts her mind to.  Just recently I was stranded at a mall in Provo and she dropped everything to come get me and my broken bike!
Erica!! Well, Erica is my roommate and I have shared so many laughs and memories with her this year. She is probably one of the most driven and hard working people I know.  She is so happy and bubbly almost all the time. I couldn't have picked a better roommie!
Gabby if first of all, so gorgeous.  She is amazingly talented, but would never hurt a fly.  She has a quiet, sweet spirit about her that brings so much to our hall. She was my visiting teaching companion this semester and I love her so much!
Nicole is the best.  She is always so much fun to be around! Everytime I would pass her in the halls she would check up on me to see how I was doing. 
Malia has been such an example to me this year.  Just last week, when Ashley was sick she dropped everything to take her to the urgent care.  She is so reliable.  I know that if I ever need anything she will be there in an instant.  She is totally adorable and is going to be the best mom!
Kit holds a special place in my heart this year.  She is a true radiant of happiness and the love of Christ. She is always energetic and full of excitement.  Her huge smile and loud laugh will be something I never forget.
Calli is a total riot and I love it.  My favorite memory of her is scaring her at night in the bathroom what seemed like time and time again.  She says things exactly how they are and is always so much fun.
Stephanie was who I got to visit teach!  She is so sensitive to everyone's feelings around her.  She is so thoughtful, kind, and hard working.  She is exactly obedient, and is truly such a Christ like person.
Kim is so funny.  Our love for hilarious tv shows like The Office and Friends bonded us from the start. I love sitting in her room talking with her.  If anyone is in need of a good laugh, Kim is the one to go to to bring a smile to your face.
Cassidy is so beautiful inside and out.  I loved watching her love life blossom over the year.  One night, she even gave me the how to on how to be a good kisser.  She is totally beautiful and fun and just a great person!
Katie is such a great girlfriend to have.  Not only does she give flawless fashion advice, but she's a great listener too.  She helped me modernize some of my missionary clothes this year and has always been a great person to talk to.  She is so beautiful and trendy, but so gentle and kind too.


I have truly felt Heavenly Father's love for each of the girls in my Relief Society.  I will take what each of them has taught me this year and carry it with me as they have changed me.  These girls really have become my sisters.  We have made a bond that is unbreakable, and learned so much from each other. I am so sad to say goodbye to them, but how lucky am I to have met people that make saying goodbye so hard?

Life is good with my wonderful Relief Society. 


Friday, April 18, 2014

Because of Him



Because of my Savior Jesus Christ, I have found everlasting joy in this life.  At times when I have felt alone, He has been there to comfort me.  I am sealed to my family for all eternity.  Because of Him, I have been able to overcome past mistakes and become better.  Because of Him, I can mess up again. And again. And again. But my sins can be washed away. Because of Him, I can love others with a pure love.  Because of Him, I can be a better me.  Because of my Savior Jesus Christ, I can one day live to stand before Him.

I know that my Redeemer lives.  I know that he suffered in Gethsemane and died on the cross so that all mankind may be saved and resurrected.  I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to grow close to my Savior.  He has become my friend when I feel alone, my rest when I feel overwhelmed, my peace when I am scared, and my encourager when I feel down.  At this wonderful Easter season, I hope to be able to love Him more fully. 

Life is good, #BecauseofHim

Monday, April 7, 2014

General Conference

LDS General Conference was this weekend, and I was lucky enough to attend in person!  The choir, the talks, and being on temple square with thousands of people was such a great experience.  My favorite talk was definitely Elder Holland's.  I love that I can pray about a question and have it answered through the talks given by the prophet and his apostles.  I also ran into a Sister Missionary from the Philippines!! I was SO HAPPY to be able to talk to her! She got my e-mail address and said that she would try and write me soon (:







I am so thankful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! I know that it is Christ's church and it is lead by Him.  I know that Thomas S. Monson is a real modern day prophet who is the mouthpiece for Christ.  I am so lucky to be able to live so close to Salt Lake City and have the opportunity to go to General Conference.  I hope I can take all that I learned this weekend and be a little better now! (:

Life is good at General Conference!

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Another great week!

Well it was another great week here in Provo! I'm so blessed to get to go to school and do such fun things all the time!

 On Thursday I went skiing with some friends!  Auburn is Canadian, and I am proud to say that I did a pretty good job keeping up with them!  We went on blacks almost the whole time and I only wiped out once.. hehe

 This baby came in the mail! I can barely even read the first verse, let alone pronounce it correctly.  It blows my mind that I'll be able to read this whole thing in a year from now!  I also went to Flags and Stuff in Provo and bought myself a couple of Philippine flags. Yay!

Cady, Erica and I went to see Vocal Point on Friday!  They were SO GOOD!  This is Parker, one of the singers.  Turns out he's actually an RA in Helaman, and I saw him after the concert in my lobby! 

On Saturday I went with these awesome girls to Color Me Mine!  We threw a surprise birthday party for Jessica.  It really was a surprise because her birthday isn't until May.  But since we won't be here we did it on Saturday!  

Life is good cause its always a party in Provo!

Monday, March 3, 2014

God knows me.




Today I taught Relief Society, and it was just such a great lesson for me to learn, I had to blog about it! Destiny and I based our lesson off of a devotional recently given called "Nevertheless I went forth" by Anthony Perkins.  I'm at a time in my life when I am making SO many decisions.  What to major in, where to live, whether or not to serve a mission, before I know it marriage.  And sometimes it's hard to know whether or not you're making the decisions Heavenly Father wants you to. We talked about how God isn't going to lay out every decision we need to make for us.  He isn't going to give us every step of our journey.  He expects us to act in faith and take a step into the dark before He leads us with His light.  Elder Scott said, "When you are living righteously and acting with trust, God will not let you proceed too far without a warning impression if you have made the wrong decision."

I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for me that is better than any plan I could possibly devise for myself.  I remember one Saturday on the way home from a temple trip, I was talking to one of my youth leaders, David Foutz.  We were talking about my plans for college and my future.  He told me that if Heavenly Father let him decide what his life would be like, he wouldn't be nearly as happy as he would be now because he has let Heavenly Father help guide him in the choices he was supposed to make.  He said that Heavenly Father knows me better than I know myself and has a plan that will make me happier than I could ever imagine.

Well, I learned for myself this week that he was so right.  Before I got my mission call, I was sure that I would be going Spanish speaking.  Both of my parents served Spanish speaking, latin america missions, and I had taken 4 years of Spanish.  I thought that out of everywhere in the world, that is where I would be the happiest.  I was sure that if that letter didn't read somewhere like Mexico or Guatemala or Honduras, I just would not love my call as much as I could have.  Well, it turns out Heavenly Father knows me better.  That letter read the Philippines, Manila mission.  I cannot tell you how much joy and peace and happiness and excitement and love for Filipino people I already feel.  Every time I talk about the Philippines I feel the spirit so strongly and I just feel so happy!  I KNOW that I am supposed to go the Philippines.  I am so grateful that Heavenly Father didn't give me what I THOUGHT I wanted, but what He knew was best for me and would make me the most happy.


Just as I know that I'm supposed to go to the Philippines, I know that I was put at BYU in my ward in my hall for a reason.  God knew that we were all supposed to be together and that we would become great friends and learn from each other.  This picture is from this weekend.  A group of my friends went to see Comedy Sportz, it was hilarious!  It was a comedy club that was completely clean and so funny.  Then afterwords we went to Sammy's for pie shakes.  I am just so thankful for the group of friends I made this year.  Nobody in this picture knew each other before coming to BYU, and know I can't imagine what life would be like without them.

God knows us, and He loves us so much.  Even though sometimes it seems like we don't get answers to prayers, He is always there guiding us.  He has a hand in my life, and I know it because I see it everyday.  

Life is good when I have faith in God's plan for me.

Thursday, February 27, 2014

I'm going to the Philippines!

Dear Sister Lockwood: 
You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  You are assigned to labor in the Philippines Manila mission.  It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 18 months. You should report to the Philippines Missionary Training Center on Friday, July 18, 2014.  You will prepare to preach the gospel in the Tagalog language.











Well, its official!! I am serving a mission in the PHILIPPINES! I cannot even believe it. I'm going to wake up in the morning tomorrow and wonder if I dreamt this whole thing up. All I can say is that I am so humbled, excited, terrified, and blessed.  I love my Heavenly Father so much, and I know that this call came from Him.  I was so shocked when I read the letter, but now I am getting more excited by the second.  I had no idea where the Philippines even was, and I pronounced "Tagalog" as "Tagalong" like the girl scout cookie…hahaha.  But now that I've figured out that the Philippines is off the coast of Asia, and Tagalog is similar to the Spanish language, I'm feeling a little better.  I already feel like I LOVE the people.  Seriously just looking at pictures and hearing about the culture makes me so excited to meet with the people of the Philippines.  There's going to be lots of crazy adventures and new experiences, that's for sure.

I know that God lives and that He loves me and every single person walking this planet.  He has a plan for each of us. I know that it is His plan for me to go to the Philippines and bring people unto His son, Jesus Christ.  I feel so humbled and grateful to be able to represent my Savior as I go across the world to teach His gospel!  

LIFE IS SO GOOD BECAUSE I'M GOING ON A MISSION TO THE PHILIPPINES!

Monday, February 24, 2014

We are loved.


After an extremely long weekend of work and feelin pretty low, this was a great reminder for me.  No matter how frustrated or lonely or inadequate I feel, I know that my Heavenly Father and my Savior love me.  Through them, each day can be a new day!  So today, the sun is shining, I don't have to go to work, I have so many awesome people around me, and I am choosing to be happy! 

Today is Monday, but life is good!

In other news, MY MISSION CALL IS COMING THIS WEEK!

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

I hope they call me on a mission!


My mission papers are officially in! I met with the stake president tonight, and he let me press the send button to send them off to the Salt Lake Mission office!  I cannot wait to find out where the Lord has called me to serve!  I've known for a few years now that I wanted to go on a mission, it's just so crazy to me that the time is actually here.  There are so many reasons why I want to go, but the most important reason is because I love my Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ. I want to show them that I love them with all my heart.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is Christ's restored church, and it has brought me so much joy and happiness.  I want to go out and bring other people the same blessings and happiness that I have!  

Life is good when I'm waiting for my mission call!

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Assassin day 1.



So one thing I've learned about myself since coming to college.. I am overly competitive. Like way way too competitive. Its awesome because it makes things super fun and intense, but it can be a flaw too sometimes.  Anyways, I have the best ward in the ENTIRE WORLD. And right now we're playing Assassin with basically half of us.  Its a game where you have to go around killing teams with a marker.  Erica and I are a team and we had to hunt down Cady and Hunter.  It was funny because we're all super close friends.  But after a pretty intense day with lots of running and screaming, I got them both out!  I just love BYU.

Life is good when I'm playing assassin with the ward!

Monday, February 3, 2014

Best day EVER!


So I know there's probably some rule somewhere that says you can't blog more than one post a day, but  I am literally the happiest girl right now because MY RELIEF SOCIETY GOT 100% VISITING TEACHING!!!  It sounds so dorky and molly-mormon, but we set a goal as a presidency to get it by the end of the semester and we did it in the first month! I seriously live in the best hall and have the greatest relief society on the whole planet. I've only been President for a month, but the joy and love that I have felt already has been amazing.  HAPPY DAY!

Also, for anyone who is not LDS and reading my blog, Relief Society is what we call the organization of women in our church.  So, here at BYU, my hall is my Relief Society.  I got called to be the Relief Society President just over all the girls in my hall.  And Visiting Teaching is the assignment that we have for all of us to go and see how each other are doing.  So each person has a partner, and they are assigned girls to go visit teach, meaning that they just go and share a message or treat and see if they need anything! And every single girl in my relief society did that! 

Life is good when we do our visiting teaching!!

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Kindness goes a long way

I'm home! After a crazy long day, I made it back to Wadsworth! I was running on a full 2 hours of sleep all day, and there was a huge storm in Salt Lake so my flight was delayed by like 4 hours, so I missed my connecting flight. It sounds like a really terrible day, but I found people I knew in the Salt Lake airport, I made super kind friends on the plane, and I was lucky enough to get a standby seat on my last flight back here to Cleveland! Its so fun meeting total strangers who become your friends by the end of the day. It helps me remember that there are so many amazing people in the world who are always trying to help each other out. The guy next to me on the plane was even playing games with me on his iPad by the time we landed.  So what could have been a terrible day turned into a kind of fun day actually! Its so important to always be a friend to the people around you, because you never know who needs it. 
So now I'm home sweet home! I got to see my mom on her birthday. Its so weird to me that my little brother has his license and is driving around... I love laying in my bed and being around people that love me! The next 2 weeks are gonna be great.


Life is good when you are kind to others.

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Christmas at Temple Square!










Merry Christmas! So even after decorating our room, I still was pretty sad about not being home this month, but I'm actually loving being in Utah around this time of year.  Our ward went up together to go see the lights on temple square.  Temple Square is so beautiful any time of the year, but with every tree lit up and the snow and the nativity it is seriously amazing.  We got to hear a choir sing and the snow was so pretty. People come from all over to see the lights and hear the choirs sing, but I'm lucky enough to just live 45 minutes away!

Being in Utah really helps me remember the true meaning for the season.  I love going to a school where Christmas can be celebrated without having to worry about being politically correct. It is so cool to see thousands of people all come together and celebrate Christ's birth.  I am so thankful for my Savior and for His life.  I would be nothing without Him, and I hope that I can remember His birth and life as we celebrate Christmas this year.


Life is good at Temple Square at Christmas time!


Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Merry December!















Yay its December! It snowed a ton here in Provo, so me and Erica put up the Christmas decorations! My mom sent me the old advent calendar that's always been up in my house and Erica brought a tree from home, so now our dorm feels like Christmas! I even have a wallflower that is a Christmas scent (: Also, Marmee gave me her old camera and I'm seriously in love.  Me and Tay went outside today and took pictures in the snow.  I don't think I'm too bad at taking pictures! (; Just 2 weeks until I get to go home and see my family..I am seriously counting the hours I am so excited.  This long without them is really tough.
Also, I am officially started on my mission papers! I have decided to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  I will probably be leaving early next summer. 

Life is good in the Christmas spirit!