LDS Blog Challenge Day 1

So I think by now, all my friends realize that I am pretty bad at posting on my blog. But I am showing slight improvements. Anyways, on Saturday I decided I was going to do one of those 30 day blog challenges. I picked one out and was going to start yesterday. But we had a really good sacrament meeting on how we should use technology as a missionary tool so I wanted to do an LDS blog challenge and was VERY disappointed to only find one when I Googled it. So since I am not creative enough to make up my own, you get the only one I could find :-P I got it from this blog.

01. When did you (or your ancestors) become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints? What has this membership meant to you?

Well my Daddy joined the church in 1986 I believe. For some reason, I can't remember right now.. But I am pretty sure it was 1985 or 1986. I officially joined the church July 27, 1997. I cried like a baby and didn't want to because of my fear/dislike of water my whole life. Which is embarrassing to admit but it's true. My parents finally coaxed me in and it is definitely in the top ten of best decisions of my life. I wish I had the pictures from that day but they are at home in Wisconsin. And Chris joined the church on June 6, 2009. And I do have the pictures from that day :-)

What has this membership meant to me?  Well it has meant a whole lot to me. It has affected every single aspect of my life.  How I dress.  How I act.  How I dated.  Where I got married.  My family growing up.  What I ate.  What I drank.  How I lived my life in general.  When I was 16 years old, I got my patriarchal blessing.  I cried the day I got it because the Spirit was so strong in that room and every time since when I read it, I feel the Spirit and different parts of it stick to me.  Because they are what the Lord needs me to focus on at that point in my life.  Or it's what I need to hear at that moment to feel the love of my Heavenly Father and feel the comfort of a strong spiritual hug from the man who created me.  Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has taught me who I am, why I am here on this Earth and where I am going after this life.  It makes life a kazillion times easier when you know those three things.

And the last way I can think of right now that being a member has affected me is when my grandfather died last year.  I have always had a hard time with good-byes whether it be for a few months or for the rest of my life as is the case with the death of a loved one.  But I can honestly say that his death was the "easiest" for me because I had really grown in my testimony that I would see him again and that he was in heaven happy and free of pain.  I knew that he was with his mom and his son again.  And so his death was still very hard and very painful but I got through it because of my testimony of the gospel and of the Plan of Salvation.