He Suffereth It

I once asked someone how much she loved her mother. She said she loved her "so much." Then I asked her what she would do for someone who loved her so much that He would take all of her guilt and fears and pains and illness and anger and sorrow and then continue on to give His life for her so that she could be happy. She responded with "everything." I told her to think of how much she loved her mother and to combine that love with how much her mother loved her. Then, I asked her to multiply that feeling by 100. The Savior has more love for each one of us than 100 times the love that we have for one another. That love is INFINITE, that love is ETERNAL.

Just like that, Christ did everything for us. So what do we do for Him? If it isn't "everything" then maybe we need to take a step back and change that.

1 Nephi 19: 8-9

"And behold he cometh... And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught, wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it; yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men."

As I was reading these verses, I found myself reading and rereading them. "...he suffereth it..." He suffereth my pains. He suffereth my sorrows. He suffereth my weakness. He suffereth my choices. "...he suffereth it..."

He endured so much pain, and so much sorrow, and so much persecution...for me. And what have I done? Sinned. Sinned again. Sinned some more. Why? Because I have weakness. But guess what? Because of Christ--because He suffered--I am not a "sinner." No. I am a Repenter! When I make a wrong choice, I don't wallow in it; I don't let it swallow me whole! I repent of it. I change. Why do I change? Because I owe it to Christ; I owe it to the One who "suffereth it." Every time. Without question. And He knows that I owe it to myself. That's why He suffered it all.

So here is my promise, as public or as unseen as this may be:
I will NEVER take it for granted.
"...he suffereth it..." And because He suffereth it all, I repenteth.

I will go to church EVERY Sunday. I will get there EARLY. I will reflect on the fact that "...he suffereth it..." for me. I will strive to remember that Christ and my Father in Heaven love me. I will partake of the sacrament and renew my promises to Him weekly. Because "...he suffereth it..."

Christ loves me. He loved me from the beginning and He loves me still. He will always and forever love me. And HE LOVES YOU!

So who are you going to become? And what are you going to do?

With love,
Sister Johanna Mae Palmer
A California Riverside Sister Missionary

For God So Loved

I have realized--on my mission even more so than before--that people deal with things a whole lot differently than one another.

While some may lose all sense of belonging when a loss comes, others will cry for a time and then move on. Still, others will merely label it as another chapter in their life or another door that has closed and never even pause. There are many varieties of pain, and so, there are many varieties of processing such pain. One thing that will never change, no matter the situation or who is affected, is the love that our Savior, Jesus Christ, has for each and every one of us.
The nature of the Savior is the same as the nature of God. Love. Their personalities come out significantly in the book John in the Bible. Chapter 3, verses 16-17 state,

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in
Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
"For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved."

Thus we see that God is truly a loving God; in fact, so loving that He allowed Jesus Christ to come down to this wicked and cruel Earth, so that Christ could show His love for us, and provide a way for us to gain salvation. That is true love. And this is why, in John 10:30, the Savior says,
"I and my Father are one."
Then, in John 15, knowing that we are human, we again learn of their love, but this time He clarifies. In verses 23-24, He proclaims His love for us and how it is like the love that His father--our Heavenly Father and our God--has for us. They are two separate beings, unified under their love for us.

As Christ lovingly knelt in the Garden of Gethsemane, He bled from every single pore, and suffered every single pain. As He cried out in pure agony, He took on YOUR weaknesses; He took on YOUR pains; He took on YOUR guilt; He felt YOUR emotions. He saw YOUR face. He knows you. He knows you better than you know yourself.

If what Jesus Christ has done for each and every one of us is not enough; if it is not the greatest representation of true, pure, undying, selfless love; if it is not the greatest comfort to you; if this knowledge does not make you want to be a better person, then you need Him in your life right now even more. Because He is, without a doubt, YOUR Savior and Redeemer, and you cannot change that.

You are loved! Always remember that!

Sincerely,

Sister Palmer
A California Riverside Missionary

Jesus Christ

Life is sometimes really difficult. Actually, often, it is so confusing that it almost seems impossible. Missionary life is no different, but for some reason, I thought it would be.

For some reason, I thought that being set apart as a missionary would automatically make me immune to the diseases of the world. Not physical ailments; I can deal with that. I mean being spiritually... wracked. I mean the colds, illnesses, and diseases of the mind and soul that human nature and the worldly vices cause.

Somehow, I had gotten it into my mind that missionaries are always super spiritual, and always Christlike, and always excited about everything, and always happy. I thought those things came easily to missionaries. They were like superheroes in my mind: people to aspire to become like. What I didn't realize is that I was aspiring to become like Christ, because He is the only person to walk this Earth that could ever match that description. The only person who could match the definition of a good missionary the way I saw it, is Jesus Christ. The same Christ that makes us Christians.

Time and time again, I have been told that I am not Christian. I can point out on my name tag and the name of His Church, Christ's name, a million and two times and they still will not see it. That's how it is for them, though. I was reading in John as I thought about this. John is my favorite book in the Bible I do think. It's so full of just what I need! He was talking about how there were those who did not recognize Christ even though He stood right before them.

I want everyone to know, it is okay. It's alright that many do not recognize that missionaries and members alike are representatives of Christ. Some may never will see Him in anyone. As sad as it makes me, it is their choice to come closer to Christ, not mine. And it is not our place to judge them for that. There will come a day when they will understand, and that day, I hope you will stand with Christ. Knowing Him.

Sincerely,

Sister Palmer
A California Riverside Missionary

Be BOLD

Help! We need missionaries!

I know missionary work is not easy--I do it day in and day out--but how I feel when I have the chance to share and to testify, keeps me going. It's something I will never regret doing, and something I will never cease to participate in. Full-time missionary or not, I'm called to serve, and so is every member of Christ's church.

Whether it be in visiting teaching, in a conversation with a friend, or on a mission, boldness is the key to a successful discussion.


This week, I did a write-up on being BOLD. On Tuesday, our District set our own accountability for this month. We decided that the thing that would help us the most as missionaries would be to have better companionship studies. We set the commitment to study out of Preach My Gospel and do a role-play every day as a companionship. That day, my companion and I did the activity on page 199 in Preach My Gospel. Following our role-play, I decided to write "5 Steps to Boldness" before I went to bed that night.

5 Steps to Boldness:

Step #1: Be confident in Christ and in God; they know what they're doing.

Step #2: Be confident in yourself.-- God trusts you enough to have put that person in your path. He believes in you, so you better believe in yourself!

Step #3: Know it! Fact it!-- What you know is not just a belief. As Jacob, Ammon, Amulek, Alma, Peter, and so many more, you KNOW these things are true. You know it so much that you sacrificed 18-24 months to tell others about what you know. You know it so much that you went out of your way to prepare. You know it so much that you are willing to talk about it. You know it! So always say things as fact, because Christ did come, and He does live, and He wants nothing more than every child of God to be a member of His church--so that they can receive the blessings that come from following Him.

Step #4: Scriptures!-- The spirit will be there every time you use the Book of Mormon, because it tells it like it is: Truth. Many times, people are afraid to use the Book of Mormon with those who don't believe in it, but if they are truly searching for the truth, they will hear truth and feel truth when you read.

Step #5: Eliminate Fear-- Fear cannot dwell where faith resides. Pray, read the scriptures, role-play, fast, share your testimony, be obedient, accept a calling, reach out to someone! You will gain strength as you build your faith.

Reach out to someone today. Send them to http://www.mormon.org/ ! Offer a blessing! Invite them to church or to a church activity! Just do something! I promise that you will see miracles if you make the effort to be a true disciple of Christ.
Be bold! Be true! Be loving! The Lord will be there to guide you. You are never alone in this, so keep the faith!

Sincerely,

Sister Johanna Mae Palmer

A Sister Missionary in the California Riverside Mission

Because of Him

In preparation for Easter, I thought I'd do a lot less talking, and a lot more sharing of an awesome movie! It's called "Because of Him."

Many people do not know that "Mormons" are actually Christians. We believe in, have love for, and worship both night and day, the one and only Jesus Christ. This video came out April 13th, 2014. It's about 2 and a half minutes long and is absolutely profound. This movie was created by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in celebration of what we know to be true about Christ. Let's watch, shall we? :)

I know, with all of my heart, that Christ came. He lived; He died, and He lives again. We NEVER have to fear, or be alone, because He paid the ultimate price. He did that for us. I promise that as we learn more about what He did, the truth of the message will change us. We will become stronger, smarter, and more loving to one another. I testify that He has the greatest love for all of us, and that He truly does live again. 

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Align Yourself with Christ

I never walk up to people who are smoking. In fact, I avoid them at all costs. I have asthma and secondhand smoke makes me cough and sputter and my lungs contract and I'm miserable for days. But one day, while we were talking to people in a parking lot, I had this feeling that I NEEDED to talk to these two people. 

At first, I told God "No, I can't."

Then the feeling got stronger, so I told Him that He needed to help me to not cough or have an asthma attack during the conversation. Putting full trust in Him, I walked up to the person smoking and said "Hi, how are you tonight?"

No response just turned away. ...Great! Awesome! No problem! I kept talking.

"I'm Sister Palmer and this is Sister Gowans, and we are representatives of Jesus Christ. Do you have faith in Jesus Christ?"

A pause...a long one.

Then, for some reason, she turned around and wiped away what might have been a tear. "I'm so sorry. I just walked out of that store, and I was so mad, and I knew I would disrespect you if I did not calm down first. I saw you were ladies of the Lord and I just really did not want to offend you."

"Okay, have a nice...wait what?!" I didn't say that, but I was thinking it! Instead, I said (and I'm positive this was the Lord's doing because I don't know how I could have possibly done it without Him) "We are going around offering special prayers on homes and families from the Savior. Would you like one?"

WHAT. AM. I. DOING??? I'm being a literal vessel of God.

We said the special prayer with her and her mother and then talked about what they were feeling. Peace. Comfort. "It's like Christ is really here right now." YES! Because He is! He's always there for you! And then she said this:

"We know Christ is always there with us, but sometimes, we don't live the way we need to to recognize Him. My mom and I were just talking about how we need to find the right church. We need to find Christ again."

WHO HOO! Someone who sincerely loves Christ, and is a wonderful person, and is just... honestly amazing and truly inspiring.

"As representatives of Jesus Christ, we go around and teach people how to align their lives on His pathway. Would you like us to come to your house sometime this week and teach you more about how to walk in His footsteps?"

Brothers and sisters, God is real. He loves each and every one of us, and that is why there are people out using a HUGE chunk of their time to bring you His word. We do it because He asks us. We cannot do this without Him, and we cannot do this without help.

Member of the Church of Jesus Christ or not, we all need to align ourselves with Christ. And when we have done that, we need to re-align our lives with Christ. We are human. We are imperfect. And the only way to become perfect is to follow the example of the only person who ever walked this wicked Earth and stayed perfect. We must reach out to others, trust in the Lord, and act upon the feelings of the spirit. If you do not feel the spirit, then you are not close enough to Christ to do so. Get closer. Then you can hear His whisper in your ear, and you
can become so much greater.

I promise you that as you find Christ, your life will be so much better, and you will begin to recognize the miracles in your life. This is not an empty promise. I strive to draw closer to Christ every single day, because I know that what I did the day before brought me closer to Him yesterday, but it is not enough to bring me closer to Him today. I know that if I had not made the effort to pray and study and be like Christ, I would have never found those two ladies. They have families. They needed comfort and help. They needed a miracle from God. And because I prepared myself, I was blessed by God to experience that miracle with them.

This church is God's church. It is the only one led by and organized by God. And it truly blesses all.

In the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen.

Missionary Misconceptions

There are some misconceptions about Latter-Day Saint missionaries.

We often get confused with Jehovah's Witnesses and are shot down right away. When we begin to teach someone who takes the time to listen, they don't really understand the point of us being there.

For those who don't know who we are or what we do, here's an explanation:

As missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, our purpose is to INVITE others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, the gift of the holy ghost, and enduring to the end. INVITE. That's what we do. We invite and help. That's all. We don't force you into submission or pressure you into it, we don't need more numbers in our church congregation, and we don't want your money. We are here to give you a chance to come closer to Christ. Whether you are a member or not, you can and will benefit from having the missionaries in your home as regularly as possible.

Here are a few of the things I get a lot:

"You're really young. How old are you?"

Yes, I am young. There is no question, most of us are. I am 19. Some of the Elders are 18. We are just kids, plain old kids. We have not been trained from birth for manipulation and persuasion, as some believe. We have not gone to special training camps or academies. We are not all super unique, or talented, or genius. We are just young people who have found Christ, and we absolutely love following
His example.
We are not there to just talk. If you need someone to just talk to, we can help find a friend who will listen, but we are on God's time, not our own.

There have been many stories and many times where, when we begin to teach someone, this person looks forward to our visits and we absolutely love visiting. Once we ask that individual to commit to baptism, he or she says, "Oh...well, I just like you. I don't believe in your church." If you have done this, let me ask you this: Why did you like them so much? Is it because they were good listeners? Did they make you feel good when they came over? When they spoke, did it feel like they were smart and mature and fun and confident?

That is because they are CALLED OF GOD. Worthy members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, who hold the proper authority from God to do so, have placed their hands upon those missionaries' heads and have set them apart from the world. They are God's messengers to bring you unto Christ. To INVITE you to hear the wonderful message they know to be true. They love God. They know He loves them. But most of all, they know that God loves you.

They are sincerely there to baptize you and to get you to church. But that sounds less than it really is. If you are ready to be baptized, it means you have found Christ. You are doing the things you need to in order to become like Him. When you go to church, you are showing God that you not only have faith in Him, but that you are trying to earn the blessings that He wants to give you.

Missionary work is not easy, it is often not fun, and we don't get anything from being a missionary.

Why do we do it? Because our families are forever. We want yours to be too. Because we are happy. We know who we are, where we come from, and where we are going. We want you too as well. 

It's simple. Missionaries are good people. Flat out truth. Because we try so hard to be.

So become a missionary. Bring someone unto Christ. If that means you must first come unto Christ, then do so. You will NEVER regret it.

With love,

Sister J. Palmer

California Riverside Mission

P.S. Check out Mormon.org!