Be Intentional

This week I studied two different topics: being intentional and how I can purify my heart. These two topics are surprisingly connected... 

Here are the things I really liked:

- living with a purpose: the importance of real intent (2015 devotionals)

-obedience- full obedience (Brewerton 1982)

-opening our hearts (Lund 2008)

-clean hands and a pure heart (bednar 2007)

I didn't learn a ton about being intentional, besides the fact that it is so important! Here is why: first in the words of sister craven "if you want to know anything, you have to do something." Everything that's worth having takes effort, and by doing the small and simple things we will know. But... doing isn't enough- in the devotional that I shared above, it expresses the need to have the right goal. Because where your eyes are set, is where you will go. One of the stories shared in this devotional is about a young man who is in seminary. They are told to finish the book of Mormon. Every time that someone finishes a book, they get a star, and after a while this young man didn't have any stars- so he decided that he needed to read the book of Mormon so that he wouldn't be the only one without stars. He read in every spare moment, and he finished the book of Mormon! But that's not the point of the story- he didn't get a testimony, he got stars. Because that was his goal.

In Matthew 6:21 it says "for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." There is the answer to my second study. To purify our hearts is to set our goal to the celestial kingdom, to align ourselves with God's will for us. Where is your treasure?

A way that we can recognize God's will for us is through the Holy Ghost- in a talk by Elder Lund he says "while none of our hearts are perfect, the more diligently we strive to eliminate impurity, or push out things which do not belong there, the more we open our hearts to the Holy Spirit." Knowledge, guidance, comfort, etc. is carried unto our heart (2 Nephi 33:1) but not into- we need to accept it and open our hearts to it! I'm really trying to focus on what my goals are right now, because I know that when I reach them, I want to have done them for the right reasons- not just to get stars. What are your goals right now?

Lastly I just really liked this quote by Elder condie: "pride is concerned with who is right. Humility is concerned with what is right. When we humble ourselves, the spirit will always tell us what is right." Don't let pride get in between your relationships. The relationships with my family and friends are soo important to me, and I don't want anything to get inbetween them, especially something as small and unimportant as pride.

As for fun things this week- there were a lot of good experiences!

- I had an online English student come to the inperson class and recognize me immediately! I've been teaching her since my first week here in the field- and she came and gave me the biggest hug!

- I am so converted in the importance of bringing members to lessons! They have such strong testimonies and they don't need an invitation to share them, or help explain! They come in willing to help out in any way, including extending invitations! 

- also im learning to like avocados this week:)