Tender Mercies.

This past week, God has blessed me with tender mercies.
Today, I was able to be a tender mercy to another.

On my way back from class today, I came across a woman who was blind walking around campus.
As I passed by her, I heard her whisper, "Where is that bench? I thought it was close by?"
My immediate thought was, keep walking she'll find it.
Or she may feel embarrased if I ask if she needs help. You know those people that don't like to be helped?

Anyways.
I walked a little farther away and something inside of me  clicked and turned to her and said, "Can I help you find anything?"

She sounded surprised. I told her to take my hand and I would guide her to the closest bench.
She plopped down as soon as her guiding stick hit the bench.
She gave a sigh of relief. She said her legs had been really sore and she really needed to rest them.
She thanked me graciously.
A huge smile came across my face.
I responded, "Anytime, have a good day."

I didn't blog this as a "Go Lauren, you're so great!" or "Wow, brag much?"
I just wanted to share it because I was grateful for the opportunity.

If the Savior was here, he would have done the same. I hope to be blessed with more opportunities to give a tender mercy to someone in need.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Here we go!

In 8 weeks...

my Tiny House Project will be due
and
Jake will be home!

Bring it.

thank you.

God blesses us with tender mercies every day.
Often times he does it through people.
Here are a few...


to the girl that commented on the top i was wearing as i was walking home from class yesterday.
to the girl that cracked a joke with me while i was walking down the hill to my apartment.

for my roommate katie who cleaned our apartment today so we can feel the spirit better.
for mckenna for telling me that i'm beautiful.
for jordan driving me home, so i didn't have to walk home alone in the dark.
for my dad calling me to see how i was doing.

Happy Birthday, Jake!

Happy Birthday, brother!

 It's brother Jake's birthday today.

He is currently finishing up an LDS mission in the Chile.

He will be home in 59 days, roughly 8 and a half weeks.

I seriously cannot wait.

For those of you that have had siblings leave on missions, I'm sure you know how exciting this is.

I'd like to just share a few things that I love about him:

He has always been an example to me. In every way.

His love for the Lord is so powerful, that he was willing to leave his family to serve Him.

He is amazing with computers. No lie.

He is a great member of the LDS Faith, even before he chose to serve a mission. He has always taken his callings, church meetings, etc. very seriously.

He is a celebrity with all the old people in my ward. This is no joke. They all love him. Jake is amazing with elderly people and is constantly visiting them, serving them or just talking to them at church.

He has a way of being strong when it seems impossible.

He gives great advice, even though he is more than 5,750 miles away from me.

He reminds me of my dad, which is a huge honor. He is loyal, service oriented, kind and loving.

He is my brother. :)

Swimming

is my release.
I went today.
It made my day.
Best feeling ever.

Creeper Week, here's the deal

So if you have been Facebook stalking me lately,
you would know that it's Creeper Week this week.

First off, this is not a National Holiday or even a recognized holiday.
I made it up, last year.
As an excuse to talk to a guy I had been crushing on.
We got started talking about being creepy, stalking one another, etc.
I then created "Creeper Week," as an excuse to keep tabs on him, ish.
Quite ridiculous right?
Oh well.
We always do ridiculous things when it comes to love hormones.
Right?

Gratitude

  I am grateful for...

Church

My family

Trials

Fasting

Great roommates

Sweet notes from friends

&

Especially these girls...

Kailey & Katie

Aubree, Katie, Kailey & Lisha

Dad

Yesterday, was my Dad's birthday.

He's the kind of man, that I would love to marry someone just like him.
 
He loves my mom. He is always looking for ways to serve her, tell her he loves her and is a listening ear for her.

He loves his children and tells us that daily.

He loves our Savior and makes sure that as a family, we study the scriptures and pray together.

He is supportive of me in every way.

He honors his Priesthood and is always willing to give me Father's blessings.

He was, and still is there for me for every huge moment in my life. Starting from my baby blessing, my baptism, swim meets, high school graduation, seminary graduation, moving me up to college, and so many others.

He always sets time to talk with me. Anywhere from religious conversations, boy talk, homework questions or any other random conversation.

There are dozens more of things I could say about him, but here are just a few!

I love you so much, Dad! I cannot wait to see you in a few weeks.

Goodness

Gracious.
Life is going dandy.

Thank heavens.
For a while there, I needed a muzzle on it.
Hahaha.

Stay Strong.

I'm in a writing kind of mood.
This past week was really hard for me.

There were tears. A lot.
Late night phone-calls to home.
My classes were extremely stressful.
Feelings of insecurity and not knowing my place.
Debating on sticking with my major.
Frustrations, late nights and home-sickness.

It was rough.
I wanted to click the invisible 'pause button' in my life and not have to deal with anything.

But with the help of my family, loved ones and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I got through it.

I realized...

My Savior is my best friend.
I am extremely blessed.
I have to rely on my Savior more than I ever have before.
I need to pray more, read my scriptures more and share my Faith.
Music that is clean and uplifting really helps me stay on track.
My friends are always there for me.
I am confident in who I am.
My Faith is very important to me.
My parents are the most amazing individuals and I appreciate their love and support.
I was accepted into the USU Interior Design Program for a reason.
I am strong.

Thanks for listening.
Happy Sunday.

xoxo,
lauren

God will never put you through anything you can't handle.

life is challenging.
sometimes i feel like i can't be succesful.
sometimes i give up too easily.

i don't know what i would do without my religion in my life.
i have been so overwhelmed the past few days that listening to a prophet, going to church or saying a prayer...
makes me feel so blessed and helps me get through the day.
life is hard but you gotta just keep going.

i wonder sometimes how i got into my major.
my professors tell me day after day how honored we should feel to be accepted into the program.
20 got in.
50-60 applied.
very blessed i may say.
for some purpose, for some reason, this is where i'm supposed to be.

i get out of classes everyday wondering what just happened.
it's really overwhelming.
i went to go talk to one of my professors today, telling him i felt way over my head & i wasn't getting anything.
he told me it's like telling a fish how to swim after being thrown in water.
it takes time to get used to new material, new workload and a new major.
he said keep pushing through.

i really need to stop focusing on myself.
when we are in the service of others, our answers to our prayers will be answered.
let us all put trust in the Lord and remember everything works out.

It's a Saturday. A good one at that.

People in my aparment complex were up early this morning, for the USU/Auburn game.
And they yelled a lot.
That was at least 12 hours ago.

Now, it's 10:15 at night and they are still going nuts.
I must be missing a memo.

The 80's dance was insane last night.
Insane, in a good way.
Aubree, Kenna and I rocked it going back in time.
My hair will probably be plastered with hairspray for a few weeks. But it's all good.
We went on a Beto's run. That was so fantastic.

I woke up early this morning and got a ton of homework done.
A great mix of history, sketching and life science.

Jordan and I went to Cafe Rio today.
And I learned how to drive stick.
But, don't ask me to do it on the spot. Much more practice is needed.

Hi, I'm a Mormon

I'd like to share with you a tad of what I believe....
(What you see below, is my profile on mormon.org, on the bottom of my post, there is a link to it.)

Why I am a Mormon

I was raised in the LDS faith, but that is not WHY I am a Mormon. It was definitley a huge influence of my choice though. My parents are both LDS and raised me with LDS principles and lifestyles, but I was never forced. I chose it because there is a special power in this gospel. A power that is personal and touches each soul differently. It is a power that I cannot deny.

I am a believer of prayer. It keeps me connected to my Savior and Heavenly Father. Without the guidance that I have received through prayer, I would not be where I am today. I have experienced trials and hardships, but with my knowledge of this gospel, I have gotten through it. I can feel the love of my Savior and Heavenly Father and that alone makes me love this gospel.

Jesus Christ died for each of us, he died for all of OUR sins, so that we may live with him again. He gave up everything for each of us. With that knowledge, that is why I am a Mormon.

Personal Stories

Please explain the part prayer plays in your life?

Prayer is an essential and daily tool I use in my life. Prayer is a very powerful and personal connection I have between my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Prayer has become a very vital part of my life. I use prayer as a time to ask for help during hardships, to just pour out my gratitude for what I have been blessed with, to pray for those that need help or just to talk.

Prayer is how I gained my testimony of this gospel. During my youth, I had studied this gospel and I felt it was true, but it was not until I prayed to know if it was true, that I had received a powerful witness that this was indeed true. Prayer has been there for me to help assure me of the truth of the things I have taught.

How I live my faith

I live my faith by how I dress, what I say and what I do. I conduct myself appropriately and surround myself with those that build me up and I put myself in situations where I know that I am living the standards I am taught. I strive to pray daily, read my scriptures and serve those around me. It is the simple things we do, that develop us into who we want and need to be.

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