To the Folks Back Home; Why?

Over the last 18 months I've been serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It has been the most fun, thrilling, unexpected, sacred year and a half of my life. I've been able to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ to all my dear Hispanic friends and to my fellow southerners. I have grow to love and appreciate both cultures. However, because I have been assigned to labor in this part of the Lord's vineyards I haven't had an equal opportunity to let the folks back home know why I chose to dedicate myself to The Lord and His work for a period of my life.

Many of you from home know that for a long time I was a rebel without a cause. I spent many nights with good friends living the country song "red solo cup". To be honest I didn't hate that life, I actually really enjoyed it, but constantly found myself stuck in the same situation,same problems, and same solutions. I started wondering if there was something that would actually make me happy for more than a night. I never managed to find it until I was reintroduced to the Book of Mormon by two young representatives of Jesus Christ. At first I just thought they were cute and fun to be around. With time, I understood that the happiness and joy they had was an outcome of their testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They actually believed in everything I thought my parents were crazy for trying to make me believe. "How do they know it's all true?", is what I thought. "How will I ever be able to be as happy as them after I've made such huge mistakes looking for the happiness the have?"

I continued to stick around the missionaries and started going back to church. As I began to leave my old life behind I started noticing that my struggles became easier to bare, I felt more direction in life and a sense of who I was beyond the party girl. The main source to receiving this new perspective was the Book of Mormon. A book of scripture written by prophets here on the American continent thousands of years ago. It was filled with stories of people finding faith, direction, and hope from and in God. I was able to find the happiness that I had been looking for for so long in this book that, to be honest, is more than just a book. It's like a big instruction manual for how to be happy in this life and in the life to come.

I was told by the missionaries that if I prayed to know if it was truly more scripture from God, that God would give me an answer. I didn't believe them at all. I just kept reading to continue to feel good.

I still remember how everything felt that night. I was sitting in my college bedroom by myself reading the Book of Mormon. Nobody else was home. As I was reading I felt this deep burning desire in my heart to know if it was all true and what significance it had in my life. I decided to get on my knees and offer a prayer. It wasn't anything fancy. I just simply asked my Heavenly Father if Joseph Smith was a true prophet and if the Book of Mormon was true. My dear friends, in that moment I cannot completely describe to you the way I felt. My heart and mind went blank. The worries, doubts, and challenges I had been facing with changing my life around all left my mind. All I could feel was peace. I knew that was my answer. Since that day I have never been able to deny that I knew the Book of Mormon was true. It has completely changed me.

Since that day I have always known where I could turn to find true and everlasting happiness. I didn't always stay on the path but I can tell you now, as I've lived the gospel, that it is the only way to be truly happy. A happiness that doesn't leave. Yes, I still have struggles which many of you have read about in emails but they are easier to overcome. I don't have to wait until the weekend to find happiness, I feel it everyday. I am still the same KC, just a little bit more refined and sure of my divine potential as a daughter of God.

So, here's my invitation to you. I invite you as your friend, sister, cousin, granddaughter, niece, or whoever I may be to you to read in the Book of Mormon. Do as I did and as an acient prophet directs and ask of God if it is true. I promise you as a representative of Jesus Christ that you will find EVERLASTING HAPPINESS and a sure knowledge of who you are, why you are here, and that your Father in Heaven wants you back. You will know exactly how to return to Him.

I testify that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth. He does have more for us! What loving Father wouldn't want to give more to His children? I testify that the Book of Mormon, as well as the Bible, is the word of God. It will only bring you closer to Christ. I have testified of these things the last 18 months of my life to my dear friends in the South. I have seen lives changed, families repaired, hearts healed, guilt swept away, and purpose of life found.

So, when you see me next week and wonder why I don't do the things I used to do or why I left home for 18 months, take my invitation to heart. When you do, you will know why!

Game 5

Game 5. It is the tie breaker game of a volleyball match. Any volleyball player knows that when game 5 comes, it's crunch time. It is the moment that you dig down deep and give everything you've got left in you. You have already played 4 exhausting games and hundreds of rallies, but all of that will only be worth it if you win game 5. To put your whole heart on the court in these final minutes of a match you have to be physically, mentally, and emotionally prepared.

My volleyball coaches from high school taught me just how important it was to be prepared in all aspects for when it came to these 15 crucial points. I took what they had tuaght me to my college coach and asked if we could implement their workout, called "Game 5", into our game prep. To break down exactly what the "Game 5 workout" entailed, we would practice for about three hours at the end of the day and then in addition to practice we would do an intense 15-20 workout that would max out our bodies and minds. Most of the time, I never thought that I would live through those 20 minutes.

Feeling the same way as I did in those workouts, as we walked in the blistering Tennessee heat as missionaries, I couldn't help but compare the game 5 workout to the gospel.

Just as the workouts prepared my team for the mental and emotional battle of winning game 5, our scripture study, daily prayers, and church attendance can prepare us to overcome any temptation or battle we may face in this life, and eventually gain eternal life.

All of my years of playing volleyball I didn't read my scriptures, say my prayers, or go to church. I was always away at tournaments and didn't see them as something that would be of any benefit to me. I made a lot of preventable mistakes that could have been avoided if I had prepared myself to face the situations I was in. It wasn't until my mission that I understood that studying the scriptures, saying daily prayers, and attending church are the little habits we need to make in life to be prepared to win in any "game 5" situation. "For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors."

Some people might think that these simple primary answers, whether we do them or not, will not have any effect on our eternal destination. Personally, I think this is one of the biggest lies Satan feeds us. I KNOW that as we do the simple task of daily prayer, scripture reading, and church attendance that Satan will have less influence upon us and we will be able to keep our minds focused on our ultimate goal. As my college team and I diligently and whole hearted committed ourselves to push through the 20 minutes of brutal workouts, after we had already sat in classes all day, worked, and practiced for 3 hours, we were blessed to see the results. That season we were victorious over every 5th game we played, including the 5th game of the NWAACC Championships.

Now is the time to prepare to meet God. I promise that as we put the effort in to do the small and simple things, The Lord will perform miracles in our lives. "That by small and simple things are great things brought to pass." I've seen how studying the words of the prophets, prayer, and attending church has not only blessed my life but it has given me a completely new perspective on how precious this time is that we have to prepare to meet our Father in Heaven. Personally, I can't wait for this day. I can't wait to stand before my God and tell him that I tried my best. That I put in the extra effort needed to be prepared. That day will be the best "game 5" that I have ever won.

These simple principles matter. Going to church EVERY Sunday matters. Picking up your scriptures for 30 minutes out of our busy day matters. Conversing with your Father in Heaven matters. What you are working for as you make these a priority in life is much more grand than a championship trophy....it's eternal life, with God the Father and His son Jesus Christ.

23 Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves--to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life. (2 Nephi 10:23)

What will you choose?

Should I talk to the Bishop?

There I was sitting in my car in the church parking lot. The trunk or treats, Sunday mornings, and young women activities I had in that very spot consumed my mind. I never thought I'd be in the position I was, at that moment, in this same place of happy memories. I wondered what happened initially to lead me into the hole I had dug for myself. I didn't want to do what I was about to do. It was going to be really hard, embarrassing, and uncomfortable. I didn't know what I was supposed to say in the next few moments, what would be said to me, and especially, what was going to be thought of me. All I knew deep in my heart was that what I was about to do was right and would bring me the relief and peace that I was searching for. So I unbuckled my seat belt, walked in the church, knocked on that familiar door, and was greeted by my smiling Bishop.

 

My Bishop at the time was like a second Dad to me. Because of this I definitely didn't want to tell him all the mistakes I had made. However, I proceeded into his office. I sat down in the chair, sitting directly across from him, and just smiled like nothing was wrong. In that moment all I wanted to do was bolt out the door and run away from all my problems, but I didn't. We opened with a prayer and the Spirit that filled the room consumed my soul just as it had during my first temple interview as a 12 year old. I knew that what I was doing was right. With tears running down my cheeks I confessed what I had done. We both cried. We talked. We read from the scriptures. When all was said and done, I stood up, gave my Bishop a big hug, cried some more, thanked him for being understanding, and walked out the door.

 

When I went to my car I felt as if this extra burden I had carried around for so many years was gone. I had truly given all my problems, worries, mistakes, and weaknesses to The Lord through His servant. I felt this great rush of hope that everything would be okay.

 

I felt free.

 

Our Bishops are servants of God. We don't confess our "big" sins to them so they can judge us and tell us what horrible people we are. We counsel with them because they know how to help us overcome our weaknesses and shortcomings. They are directed by our Heavenly Father through the Priesthood authority to guide us through the repentance process. Not once did my Bishop tell me I was a lost cause for doing the things I had done or that I would never be able to be clean again. He always hugged me, as I imagine my Father in Heaven would, and said "you are so special, your Heavenly Father loves you so much, as do I, and you will make it through this."

 

Our Savior loves us. He knows how to help us. He cannot take our burden if we are not willing to hand it to Him. He says " for ye know not but what they will return and repent, and come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I shall heal them; (3 Nephi 18:32)". He wants to heal us. Some sins are much bigger than others. We are counseled to confess these sins to our Bishops because Heavenly Father knew they would be easier to bear with someone guiding and supporting us.

 

When Christ was suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane His loving Father sent him an Angel to strengthen Him as He bore all of our sins. My bishop was that Angel for me.

 

I cannot express the gratitude I have in my heart for the love and support of my Bishop and for the courage my Father in Heaven gave me to go see him. I remember going back to my Bishop a few months after my initial meeting with him, sitting in that very seat, across his desk, when he looked at me with tears in his eyes and said, "Sister Schmit I feel that you are worthy and ready to hold a temple recommend again and enter into the House of The Lord." I have yet to experience a more powerful witness of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

 

I know it's not easy. Your Savior knows it's not easy. Despite it not being easy, it is so worth it. If you are burdened down by guilt, sorrow, or pain caused my sin, I plead with you to confide in your Savior and listen to His counsel to go speak to your Bishop. I promise you will receive the guidance, comfort, and peace that you are yearning for. It was the best decision I have ever made.

 

You will be set free.

 

"Yea, I say unto you come and fear not, and lay aside every sin, which easily doth beset you, which doth bind you down to destruction, yea, come and go forth, and show unto your God that ye are willing to repent of your sins and enter into a covenant with him to keep his commandments." (Alma 7:15)

 

"But as oft as they repented and sought forgiveness, with real intent, they were forgiven."(Moroni 6:8) 

What Would Jesus Do?

The other day my companion and I didn't know why we needed to walk down this certain street. It was dark, we were about a mile from home, and it was getting late. We said a prayer and asked Heavenly Father where we needed to go. We felt that the street we were on was where we needed to be, so we kept walking. Then we came to this cute little cafe where a woman was sitting outside by herself. We said hi to her and asked how her night was going. Looking into the cafe we saw there was a big crowd inside that she had seperated herself from. Wondering why, we asked her if she was okay. She began to cry. She told us her fears of crowds and how she thought she would be able to overcome just this one night but she just couldn't combat it. We talked with her. We told her that God loves her and knows her. We hugged her. She thanked us for stopping and went on her way.

I don't know the struggle that anyone around me is having at this very moment. I can't read their thoughts. I don't know their hearts. But God does. He knows you and I, very personally. He may not be able to physically be with us right now but that is why He has you and I. We are His daughters and He has sent all of us here to lift, encourage, love, and comfort just as sisters should do for each other.

As I have been on my mission I have met some amazing women that have had a great impact on my life. I've also met many women that I could never see myself loving in a sisterly way, but yet I have tried my hardest to reach out with a helping hand to them. I've come to realize that yes, you and I are so different, however we will always have one thing in common. We are daughters of God, we are sisters, and we need each other!

My little sister, Kallie, is my best friend! I don' think there is anything I wouldn't do for her. Why do we, as women, not have that same love for all the other daughters of God around us, despite the differences we do have?

Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson stated a fact in which I take very seriously now. She said "To be sisters implies that there is an unbreakable bond between us. Sisters take care of each other, watch out for each other, comfort each other, and are there for each other through thick and thin. The Lord has said, “I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.”

I get so sad as I see the world becoming more and more selfish and not kind. It is like finding golden treasure when you find a friend who you know truly cares about you. As women I vote we change this!

Let's lift each other rather than point out our differences. Let's speak kindly, instead of ridicule. Let's put the feeling of love towards our sisters over the feeling of jealousy. Let's reach outside our circles and welcome someone different in. Let's be willing to respond to the little voice in our heads nudging us to go help the elderly women put her groceries in her car. Let's stand up as sisters in Christ and show the world that God does exist through our love and actions towards one another.

The famous saying "What Would Jesus Do" just popped into my mind.

He tells us what to do:
"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." -John 13:34

"The Savior has commanded us to love one another as he has loved us; to clothe ourselves “with the bond of charity” as he so clothed himself. We are called upon to purify our inner feelings, to change our hearts, to make our outward actions and appearance conform to what we say we believe and feel inside. We are to be true disciples of Christ." -Howard W. Hunter

Let's do what Jesus Christ has commanded us to do and love our sisters around us! Let's make the world happy again!

Because of Him

 Do you know who this is?

 

Because of Him you don't have to feel alone in this world. He is our personal Savior. His name is Jesus Christ. He was sent to this earth to live and die for us. He suffered every feeling of pain, regret, sorrow, heartache, depression, loneliness, illness, etc. He has felt it all. He is the One who was nailed to the cross. He, however, is the One who rose again three days later.

When we think no one else in this world knows what we are feeling we can take comfort in the knowledge that He is our faithful friend who will never leave us alone. When we feel like our world around us is crashing down we are able to find peace in His way. When we feel like all hope is lost, we can count on Him to take us by the hand and guide us to a better tomorrow. When we can't seem to find our way out of darkness, we can trust in Him to be our light.

He knows you. He knows how to help you. He stands before us beckoning us to "come unto Him" and be healed.

"Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail.

Behold, I do not condemn you; go your ways and sin no more; perform with soberness the work which I have commanded you.

Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.

Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the nails in my hands and feet; be faithful, keep my commandments, and ye shall inherit the kingdom of heaven. Amen." D & C 6:34

 

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD." John 16:13

#BecauseofHim I have become a new person

The Lost Sheep

 I grew up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All of my childhood I sang "Jesus Wants me for a Sunbeam" and "Popcorn Popping". We had family scripture night and attended church regularly. My parents taught me that I am a child of God. They did everything they were counseled to do. There came a time when I reached my young adult years and I left the church. I put myself in all kinds of situations that got me in trouble. I got to a point in life where I saw no way out of the hole I had dug for myself. I felt hopeless and "too far gone."

 

I don't know what it is like to be a parent. I don't know the heart ache that comes when your child strays from everything that you've tried to teach them. I don't know what it's like to have sleepless nights worrying whether or not they will come home.

 

Despite all of this, there is one thing I do know.

I know what it's like to be that child that is worried over, prayed for, and desired to come back home.

 

I know what is needed from parents to make it back onto that straight and narrow path.

 

I don't know the situation your family may be going through with a child that has strayed off that path but I only have one piece of advice for you. LOVE THEM.

 

I know the power that unconditional, non-judgemental love can have on oneself when feeling as the one lost sheep. I can testify that it will have more of an impact on your child than yelling, punishment, or disownment. Christ, our perfect example, showed us what to do when we have a child that strays. Through the parable of the one lost sheep out of the 99. "What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?"

 

Why would he expect any different from those with children? Doesn't he expect us to love them despite of their weaknesses, trials, and shortcomings?

I know there are many Latter-day Saint parents around the world who have a child that has gone against everything you taught them. I was one of them, and I know many others that have left. This is my plea to you as parents. Love your children as Christ loves them. The Atonement of Jesus Christ applies to all of us, including your child. Keep praying. Keep fasting. Rely on the merits of your Savior who knows the heartache you feel and the despair your child feels. Trust in Him.

I am a witness of the unconditional love my parents showed me through my mistake making years. They triumphed in my small success, rather in my failures. They savored the time I did spend with them and made me feel like I was loved, despite the life I lived. The most meaningful thing they have done since I came back is forgotten all the pain and heartache that I had caused them. They "remembered [my] sins no more." I will never ever forget what they did for me.

Your child needs you. Don't give up on them. The scriptures say, "And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!" What if that one soul is your child?

As long as the days, months, or years may seem, I can promise you as a representative of Jesus Christ that your love with never be wasted.

Hocus Pocus and Caramel Apples

We are going to do a little throw back to Halloween for this post...

A few years ago Halloween night came around and I remember everyone getting ready for the parties and texting me and asking if I was coming. The thought came to my mind.."You can go and just enjoy everyone's company, you don't have to participate in anything. Just have fun, it's harmless." Then I got a text from my best friend saying. "Do you want to come over to my house and we can make caramel apples and watch Hocus Pocus together?"

"Which should I choose?" I thought.

I felt like the cartoon character with the little angel on one shoulder and the little devil on the other.

I knew what the right decision was in this situation.

I knew that staying with my best friend would be the safest option and is what Heavenly Father would want me to do.

But yet, that little devil was still on my shoulder saying "No, go to the party, you wouldn't want to upset all of your friends by not going."

IT WAS SO HARD! I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!

Ladies, we all have values. Sometimes they are a little lower than we should set them but we all should have some. I know what it's like to be faced with the desicion between what you want to choose and something that you should choose. I know how influencial friends can be. I am the biggest people pleaser in this world, and I know that it's hard.

BUT

You need to stand up for what you believe in! I got myself into a whole bunch of situations that I would have never been in if I would have stood up for what my values were. I did, with the help of Heavenly Father, choose to spend that Halloween night with my best friend watching Hocus Pocus and making caramel apples. Did I feel like I was 10 again? ABSOLUTELY! However, it was so much more fun and fulfilling being there with her and doing something worthwhile rather than living with the regret of going to that party.

You may not have had the specific situation I had but you have had one similar. Whether it be deciding to uphold your standards of modesty, of clean language, or of appropriate music and movies. What every it may be, we all go through decision making every day.

Whatever your struggle BE STRONG  and

STAND UP FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN!

 

Regarless of who is convincing you to do something. I have lots of family that believe differently than me but I have to be firm in what I know and in my values. It doesn't mean I don't love them because they don't decide to follow 

                                                                                             the path I follow, I still love them the same, I just

                                                                                             CHOOSE to walk a different path.

Someone who loves me so much always left me saying REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE.
So, Who are you? What do you want to stand for?

An Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ said:
"O, youth of the noble birthright, make your decision here tonight: “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded” (1 Ne. 3:7). There is power in His way. There is no greater joy in this life than to be found in His service. I bear you my solemn testimony that a decision to live according to His law will bring you life eternal."

My volleyball coach always asked me,
What legacy do you want to leave?
I invite you to ask yourself that same question the next time that you face a challenging decision that will determine the legacy you leave. Do we have the moral courage to stand firm for our beliefs, even if by so doing we must stand alone?