EMPOWER

When I was home for Christmas break I was having a late night conversation with two of my main girls, Casey & Nicole. With the new year approaching naturally we were talking about new years resolutions and what we wanted to improve on. Casey told us about this blog that she had seen that suggested on just picking one word for the new year and to then base your resolutions/goals around that word. Brilliant right?! She told us that her word was:listen. I immediately knew what my word would be.

EMPOWER.

1. Empower myself

2. Empower others

3. Empower my testimony

Over the past few months, I have come to love that word and grow a deeper appreciation for what it really means. Once it clicked that I can do anything, literally anything, that I put my mind to, I knew that I could soar. I started looking up scriptures and quotes to coincide with my word choice for the year. That led me to find my quote of the year.

"Correct knowledge of and faith in the Lord empower us to hush our fears because Jesus Christ is the only source of enduring peace. He declared, “Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me” (D&C 19:23). -Elder David A. Bednar 

I LOVE that. I know that Jesus Christ is my only true source of peace. I know that everything He has done for me and continues to do for me empowers me to BECOME. I heard this quote so many times on my mission... "It's about becoming," God doesn't care so much as where we are now but as where we are going. We shouldn't forget that. 

Because of this I searched out ways to serve. Yesterday, I started this mentor-ship program through BYU. Girls Empowered. Its a ten week program where college aged girls go to a nearby middle school to help troubled young girls realize their potential and live up to it. Finding this flyer was heaven sent. I know that God gave me this opportunity to help me work on my goals. We were all paired off with our own girl that we will mentor for the ten weeks. We played a fun get to know you game that involved skittles which of course the girls were all about. I fell in love with my fourteen year old girl as I listened to her talk to me about her hopes and dreams. After the girls left the counselor who has worked with them for awhile now talked to us about how hard their lives are and what they are going through. Our hearts broke for those cute little girls. How could anyone their age be going through things like that? Its not right. Our hearts also rejoiced when the counselor told us that we are going to make a huge impact in these girls lives. It will be something they will never forget. And I have a feeling neither will we.