A Message from Beffy

So my friend, Kierstin, was very influential and supportive of my being a counselor for RFG. She is now currently serving a mission in Alabama. In my letter to her as I was preparing for retreat, I asked her for advice to give the girls. I wanted them to hear from a missionary who has to live it everyday. Unfortunately, due to her leaving the MTC and going to the mission field, she lost my address, so I didn't get her letter until after Retreat was over. She still gave wonderful advice and I want her words to still be heard.

"First thought was 'faith without works is dead' (James 2:17-18). Down here in the south, almost everyone confesses Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, but not everyone follows His teachings. We must do more than simply know and believe, we must ACT on that belief and DO His will. AS we consistently do His will, the Gospel will become part of who we are. This leads to my second thought: consistency. One of my favorite quotes is by Richard G. Scott: 'We become what we want to BE by CONSISTENTLY being what we want to become each day.' I recently read a talk by Kevin W. Pearson called "Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ" in which he says almost the same thing: 'faith [is] a principle of power [that] comes from a CONSISTENT pattern of obedient behavior and attitudes…We get what we focus on consistently.'"

She also wrote down the scripture 2 Nephi 25:23 which states: "For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do."

I echo and add my testimony with Kierstin's. Katie showed us the scriptures that tell us that wherever our hearts are, there is our treasure also. When we focus our hearts and thoughts on Christ and living with Heavenly Father again, that is when we receive true treasure. The treasure of the blessings, miracles and tender mercies that we need to become the best we can be. It isn't the large and flashy decisions that show your commitment to live it, but the small, daily decisions that will display our knowledge and willingness to live it. It takes consistent decisions to truly be disciples of Christ.

I asked another missionary friend who is also serving in Alabama for advice. She said, "My companion just shared with me a scripture, 1 Nephi 22:22-26 which basically says that the righteous have no need to fear. I was just thinking that it's so important to do all the little things. Praying, reading our scriptures, going to church really do strengthen our testimonies and increase our faith. We should be living our lives the same in both public and private. And realty I think the biggest thing is to just be an example. Have the light of Christ shine in your eyes. Become more like the Savior by turning outward or working on one of the Christlike attributes found in chapter 6 of Preach My Gospel. I think we forget how much of influence we can have on others. Members of the church or not, we can all come unto Christ through the help and example of others. There is always more to learn ways to be better and as we live righteously I know we will have more opportunities to share the gospel with those around us."

While the Sunday School answers seem small and little, they helps us to truly form the foundation we need to gain the knowledge and testimonies that we seek for. As we develop our testimonies, that is when we can truly Live it. Learn it. Live what you learn.

--Beffy