Application Activity

I seem to be spending an appropriate amount of money on tithing and offerings, which is what I set aside money for before I even think about any other expenses. I have long known that if a full and honest tithing and reasonable fast offering are the first expense that is covered when money is made, the Lord will bless the payer with the ability to either stretch their current resources or bless them with ample opportunity to add to their income. When I lived on my own and also when I lived with my parents, I always set aside money for tithing and offerings first even if I didn't have a lot of money and the Lord made it possible for me to have enough to get through the month.

I think I sometimes spend more money than I should on impulse or personal buys for others, as I get walking around downtown or in a department store and find something that is interesting and that others might enjoy having, which is a feeling that parents probably get when they are shopping and see something their spouse or children might like to have. I don't have a spouse or any children of my own yet, but I like to do things for other people whether it be service for others or doing things for my family because I like to see them happy and comfortable, but sometimes I end up spending a little more money than I should on making them happy instead of making them happy or meeting expenses that need to be met.

I seem to be spending too little money when it comes to actual things that I do for myself, as a lot of money goes towards tithing, food, bills, and covering the bills of others. I am very happy to help others and make sure they are taken care of whether it be my family or things I buy to give to others, but I would like to buy things for my personal enjoyment a little more than I actually do. Even if things for myself come from a thrift shop, I would like to buy more things that are just for me. I'm not very good at doing things for myself and I need to get better at it in order to maintain good enough emotional health that I can be of help to others when they need it.

 I have to admit that after doing this activity, I am not overly worried about my personal spending habits because ever since I have started bringing in my own money, I have always paid my tithes and offerings first and the Lord has always helped me to have enough money to get through each month. I always am very careful about what I spend to the point where my own mother calls me a 'miser' in response to the great lengths I go to be frugal. I am always generous about making sure others get what they need after I have met the needs of the Lord and my own needs and I know I will be blessed for helping others after making sure God is honored and I am taken care of.

 The financial calculators I accessed at the Provident Living website were 'Where is my money going?', 'How much should I save for retirement?', and 'Would spending a little less and saving a little more make a difference?'. I found them very interesting, as I have been rather concerned with where my money has been going ever since I was old enough to start paying for things on my own. I do monthly budgets in my head all the time, but it is interesting to actually see how much I spend on paper whether it's through my monthly bank statement or me actually writing my income down on paper and then writing down expenses and their amounts down. It keeps me responsible, as when I see where my money's going, it makes me protective over it.

I found the financial calculator 'where is my money going?' to be the most interesting to look through and utilize because it showed me that although I have a good amount of expenses to take care of using what money is available to me, I am blessed to not only be able to cover personal expenses, but also support my mom financially because I make tithing and offerings a priority and I show the Lord that I trust He will take care of everything if I have enough faith to put Him first. Through using that calculator, I also gained an insight into how many expenses actually exist and how important it is to be fully aware of your income and allocate it responsibly so that no expenses are neglected or postponed until there is sufficient money.

Teach A Friend

I began by first going over the SQ3R study technique which is Study, Question, Read, Review, and Recite, which are interesting ways to study. I then turned my focus to the topic of work by talking about Moses 5:1 and how before Adam and Eve fell, they were taught about work so they would have the opportunity to create a sense of unity with one another. After the Fall, Adam and Eve had the opportunity to actually come together in unity in order to complete work that was not only essential to their survival, but also essential to the continuation of man.

Mom said that what was taught in Moses 5:1 makes sense because if Adam and Eve wouldn't work, who would do the things that would meet their needs? Because of the Fall, Mom said, Adam and Eve were told that they needed to work in order to achieve anything needed for survival. Mom also said that if for some reason, Adam and Eve couldn't work, the Lord would probably meet their needs just because God isn't one to let others suffer needlessly when they are giving it their all.

There were five questions asked about work in class and they implored us to think about who we know that is a hard worker, what evidence there was to support that they were a hard worker, what was admirable about them, what other desirable traits they possess, and how their work ethic relates to their other desirable traits.

I then said that one can make work interesting by learning all that can be learned about it and that it is our attitude about what we do not necessarily what we do that matters. Mom said that in job searching, one should always research the company that they are applying to and also about the good they have done for others, as companies often want to know what a job seeker knows about their company.

In terms of disliked jobs, Mom said that she has worked for a commercial laundry facility before and didn't enjoy it and also that we my brother and I were little, she would work alongside us when she needed us to do something because that was the best way to teach us. According to Mom's wisdom, a good way to learn how to like a job that you don't like is to do volunteer work because it teaches you how to not only like work, but to also appreciate what you have. Volunteer work also teaches us organization and Mom said that if we are not organized, we are muddled.

My focus then turned to a discussion on the difference between leisure and idleness and I started by talking about how D&C 42:42 says that we should not be idle nor be rewarded for idleness. There were questions in class about if there is a clear difference between leisure and idleness, how we can know if we are being idle and when we are engaged in leisure, and how we can ensure that any leisure time we have doesn't slip into idleness. I actually think that sometimes, idleness can be a way for people to rejuvenate themselves after working themselves into exhaustion.

In conclusion, Mom said that there are activities that definitely qualify as idleness and that there are also activities that definitely qualify as leisure. Mom also said that engaging in leisure activities is more than likely to motivate you to have a good attitude while idleness is more likely to dampen your attitude, also adding that one has to firmly make their mind up about what they are not going to do with their time and they also have to make up their mind about how they can and will spend their time productively.

I then concluded with a quote by President Gordon B. Hinckley that was read in class, which said the following, "Believe in yourselves, in your capacity to do something remarkable. The work of the world is done by ordinary people who have learned an extraordinary way."

Discussion Board Responses
Before we engage in a work, we need to think about our motivating behind getting involved. We need to ask ourselves if our motivation is our own or if we are just doing the work because others expect us to even if we do not believe in it. We need to believe in a work and the good it can do for either ourselves or others before we engage in it, as engaging in a work is committing to it and we shouldn't make a commitment to something we don't have a belief in that is our own. The belief of another is not enough reason for us to engage in a work; we have to have the desire to do it and the belief that our contribution will mean something.

It is an awesome thing when someone is so motivated by their love of God and Christ that they want to good for everything and everyone out there. However, we need to remember that if we neglect our own well-being in the pursuit of doing good for everyone else, we will not have the Spirit to be with us and have it help us know who to help and how to help them. We need to put ourselves first, as the Lord has and always will put us first, and when we are strong enough to help others, the Lord will guide us to who He wishes us to help and show us how to do it.

 There is nothing too great or too small when it comes to the work of the Lord and nobody is any more or less important than anyone else when it comes to getting involved. The Lord knows our hearts, our capabilities, and what we can grow into if we are given the opportunity and take full advantage of it when it is given. Even though others may see certain callings as being greater or lesser than others, the Lord knows where we will be best and when we will be best there and nobody knows anything better than the Lord. Christ gave us the Atonement so that we could look beyond our imperfections and strive to become our best self on the journey to perfection that we are all invited to undertake. Look at each work God asks you to do for Him as important, as all who are willing and worthy to participate in God's work shall be rewarded for their sacrifice. God does not exclude people from participating in His work, people exclude themselves from participating in the Lord's work by being unwilling to make necessary sacrifices or unworthy of the Spirit that will help guide the faithful in the work.

Teach A Friend

A budget to me is an organized way to take care of everyone and everything that is important to you.

Mom said that a budget also divides our needs from our wants.

I then asked Mom questions about dealing with unexpected expenses, unexpected income, how to check your budget progress, dealing with impulse buying, and how to make budgeting seem like less of a waste of personal time.

In terms of unexpected expenses, Mom said that one can save or earmark a certain amount of income when one is doing well financially so that there will be money readily available when a need for money comes up unexpectedly. When it comes to unexpected income, Mom said that after paying tithing and offerings, you can maybe pay a month ahead on some bills and also put money away for a rainy day. Just because you have extra money doesn't mean you have to spend it all on frivolities all the time.

When it comes to checking budget progress, Mom said the best thing to do is to keep running totals of everything and she finds it awesome to learn things about finances, as she is currently studying the accounting portion of the Office Essentials course she is taking at vocational school. In terms of dealing with impulse buying, Mom said that one needs to stick to their pre-planned budget first and foremost and if there is any extra money, a special account should be made for the extra money and it can be saved up for something that is really wanted later on.

Mom said that when it comes to people finding that budgeting takes too much time, maybe they also need to budget their time a little more wiser than they do. If people have an hour or two to do frivolous things like Facebook, Mom said they have an hour or two to sit down and make a budget.

I then asked Mom how goal setting is useful when it comes to personal financial management and she said that one will spend their money stupidly if they don't have clear direction for it, as we know where our money needs to go and we need to make sure it actually gets where it needs to go.

After that, I read a quote by President Monson that said, "When performance is measured, performance improves. When performance is measured and reported back, the rate of improvement accelerates."

I then explained that the parable of the talents found in Matthew 25 explains that the Lord gives all of us opportunity to learn, expand on what we are given, or refine what needs refining. If we make the most of a few blessings by faithfully enduring and cherishing them for what they are by using them, we will be given many blessings. If, however, we do not make the most of what we have, we shall lose our smaller blessings for not using what we were given when we were given it.

I then asked Mom what her insights were about financial management when it came to the parable of the talents and how we could apply insights about it to our lives.

Mom said that the bottom line is that if after you take care of your needs, you blow your money on momentary pleasure, you won't have anything available for lasting pleasures when the opportunity to have them comes along. In terms of applying our insights about the parable of the talents to our lives, Mom said that by following our budget, maybe we will end up having to adjust our wants because our needs obviously come first. Even if we pay tithes and everything else first, if we are then frivolous, we can't really expect to receive the blessings that paying a full and honest tithing will bring into our lives.

I concluded by saying that God knows we are capable of anything, we just have to believe in ourselves enough to do something about it. In order to succeed, we have to want to discover and expand upon the abilities we have been given by God and we do that by carefully balancing our needs and our wants into priorities and also remembering that the things we do are not as important as the attitude with which we get things done.

Lesson 10 Preparation

Lesson 10 is about personal finances and started by looking at the section labelled 'Personal Finances' on the lds.org website. It emphasized greatly on spending less money than you actually make and how saving a little bit here and there can come to be beneficial when a rainy day comes. Paying tithing fully and honestly, making and following a budget, and also avoiding debt were also mentioned and they are important because paying tithing brings blessings and budgeting allows people to make room in their finances for tithing without worrying about it. Avoiding debt allows people to save money and also keep to their carefully set budget, which is necessary in today's world because people can be so attracted to worldly things that they forget to be wise with their money.

I then watched a video by Elder Robert D. Hales called 'Becoming Provident Providers.'

Experiencing and possessing something doesn't mean we have to go into debt, but we can find a way to budget simple pleasures into monthly expenses as long as we take care of our spiritual and temporal expenses first. For the needs have to come before the wants in order to be successful.

I then turned my attention to a talk called 'Earthly Debts, Heavenly Debts' by Elder Wirthlin and it talked about how we needed to be wise when dealing with both. Being able to survive in mortality sometimes requires that people go into debt in order to gain what they need to build themselves a safe and comfortable living while alive, but there is a fine line between safe and comfortable. Safe living may be very simple, but not provide all the comforts one wishes to have. Comfortable living may provide everything that is wished for, but may not necessarily be spiritually or temporally safe.

Debt is bondage and why would we want to go into an earthly debt when we are already in debt to our Savior, Jesus Christ, because of how He saved us through the sacrifice of His blood and life?

Hence, because of the Atonement, we are in debt spiritually and we are in debt temporally as mortals.

There were tidbits of counsel given in the talk that everyone should read and heed
1) Pay tithing.
2) Spend less than earned.
3) Save a little of what you make.
4) Honor any financial obligations to keep debt from building up.
5) Teach others to follow an example of financial responsibility by showing them how.

I then read through a pamphlet called 'One For the Money' created by Elder Marvin J. Ashton that was, according to the Pathway lesson page, based upon an address given by Elder Marvin J. Ashton in the April 1975 welfare session of General Conference.

 There were guidelines of how to be fiscally responsible mentioned in the pamphlet:
1. Pay an HONEST Tithing - 10% of your earnings.
2. Learn to Manage Money, don't let it manage you.
3. Learn self-discipline and self-restraint in terms of spending.
4. Make and live by a budget.
5. Learn and teach the importance of working and earning your money.
6. Teach others to make wise decisions concerning money.
7. Teach others how to contribute to the family welfare.
8. Always seek to continue your education/lifelong learning.
9. Work towards owning a home.
10. Get Insurance
11. Learn how external forces affect finances.
12. Get a food storage and emergency preparedness supplies.
optional: Get a debt elimination calendar when you DO get into debt.

I then watched a video about how Elder Robert D. Hales encourages us to stay out of debt and live frugally as he recounts a story from the early days of his marriage, when his wife exemplified the principles of provident living.

To joyfully live within your means is to make the most of what you have when you have it and not do foolish things to expand what you have, as what will be the cost of making foolish choices for more?

What is worth enough to us to buy? We shouldn't spend on that which has no value to us, but we should remember that we are of great value to God and Jesus Christ and that is why Christ spent his blood and life to buy us out of the darkness where mankind had resided since the Fall.

I took the quiz twice because I got one, a question that asks what our greatest hunger as children of God is, wrong even though I thought it was right. I got 19.5 out of 20 - 97% and I am proud of it.

My initial discussion post went like this:

Debt limits one's free agency because it stops people from making decisions about their future, as debt is a remnant of the past that is unresolved until it is paid off. One cannot transition from the past to the present or even to the future on an emotional, spiritual, or mental level until they have resolved everything in their past that threatens to destroy any hope of a pleasant future. Being able to survive in mortality sometimes requires that people go into debt in order to gain what they need to build themselves a safe and comfortable living while alive, but there is a fine line between safe and comfortable and we need to use our agency, plus the gift of discernment that God has given all of us, to determine what is safe and what is comfortable, or if we can somehow combine a little bit of each and still live within our means.

Safe living may be very simple, but not provide all the comforts one wishes to have. Comfortable living may provide everything that is wished for, but may not necessarily be spiritually or temporally safe. If we choose to live within our means, we are being safe with our spirit and our finances and neither will suffer because there is safety in living within your means and avoiding things that could lead to problems. If, however, we seek to be comfortable for however long we are in this life without any regard to how we will spend the next, we may end up compromising our financial security and our spiritual safety because with comfort, we often make choices that compromise our moral values.

Lesson 9 Reflections

Today marks the preparatory period for Lesson 9, which is about Work and a SQ3R study skill.

I am reading about the SQ3R technique and it is a technique to help with retention using the following:

Survey
*Read a chapter title.
*Go over the introduction.
*Read section headings and opening sentences.
*Read pictures and their captions.
*How many pages are in the chapter?
*If there is a chapter summary, read it.
*Does anything about the chapter stand out to you?

Question
Use who, what, where, when, how, and why to make questions for yourself that will make your studying more productive.



Read
Read the material to find answers to your questions and any other pertinent information.

Recite
Recite your questions aloud and also recite answers aloud to practice retention.

Review
Review your questions and also review the answers so they stick in your mind.

I am now looking at the following scriptures and learning what they have to say about work.

Moses 1:39 - God's work and God's glory is to give us the Atonement and the Plan of Salvation so that we might have immortality and eternal life.

Exodus 35:2 - The Sabbath, which is Sunday, is for resting from the work we do the other six days.

Psalms 90: 17 - The Lord gives us gifts and abilities in which we can do His great work and the work we are meant to do to glorify Him and our journey of growth. We are the beauty of the Lord and when we work for good, we become more beautiful and more like Him.

D&C 42:42 - Man is not meant to be lazy. We are meant to work and not be idle with our time or with the abilities that God gave us to do great things. We cannot benefit if we put forth no effort.

Mosiah 4:27 - We shouldn't try to work beyond our abilities nor seek to do things beyond our capabilities. We should apply consistent effort to doing our best in all that we can do and not focus on applying shoddy efforts to that which is beyond our abilities.

D&C 75:3 - Go forth with what God has given you and do not hesitate to do good, nor do not find safety in idleness simply out of fear that you may fail.

D&C 58: 26-29 - If we don't gather knowledge and use our agency to take some initiative, we will not accomplish anything and no reward will be given to us. We should be anxiously engaged in doing good and living well because our efforts can bring forth much good. However, we are responsible for ourselves and if we wait until we are commanded to do good, how much are we cheating ourselves out of blessings that could have been ours had we done good by our own motivation?

Excerpt on Work and Self Reliance - D&C 60:13 - Don't waste our time being idle; invest our time in doing productive things and living a righteous life to the fullest.

Reflections on a Consecrated Life - Elder Christofferson
A consecrated life is:
-full of labor

-All true work is sacred.
-work sustains and enriches
-only work that inspires, motivates, uplifts, sustains, and benefits others is work worth doing.


The Value of Work - Bishop J. Richard Clarke
What is work?
-A blessing from God.
- Fundamental to spiritual and temporal salvation.
-A challenge AND a blessing.
-Honorable
-Good therapy
-a matter of integrity
-a way to set high personal standards for ourselves.
-A way to invest in personal development
-A blessing.
-A way to teach responsibility.
-Our divine heritage
-A part of our theological doctrine and future state of existence.

I then read a talk by Bishop H. David Burton called 'The Blessing of Work'

Study: Noted vocabulary word, "See the end from the beginning."
Question:
*Who: We can all work if we desire to improve ourselves.
*What: Knowing how to work can allow an easier time at finding work in challenging times.
*Where:
*When:
*How:
*Why:

I also practiced the study skill by reading a talk from President Uchtdorf called "Two Principles for Any Economy:
Study:
Things that stood out:
"It is often in the trial of adversity that we learn those most
critical lessons that form our character and shape our destiny."

"The Lord loves the laborer! He
said, “In the sweat of thy face shalt
thou eat bread,”

“The laborer is
worthy of his hire."

“Thrust in your sickle with all
your soul, and your sins are forgiven
you.”

"It’s in the doing, not just the
thinking, that we accomplish our
goals."

"Strive to increase your
knowledge of all that is “virtuous,
lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy.”
11 Seek knowledge “by study and
also by faith.”12 Seek with a humble
spirit and contrite heart.13 As you
apply the spiritual dimension of faith
to your study—even of temporal
things—you can amplify your intellectual
capacity, for “if your eye be single
to [God’s] glory, your whole [body]
shall be filled with light, . . . and [comprehend]
all things.”

Question:
*Who can use and benefit from these principles? Anyone who wants to learn how to work and does it.
*What are the principles? Work and Learn
*Where can we apply the principles? Everywhere and anywhere.
*When should we use these principles? All the time.
*Why are these principles important? Work is an antidote for anxiety, an ointment for sorrow, and a doorway to possibility, according to the talk. Learning helps us to face life's challenges gracefully.

I then watched a video called 'A Work in Progress' that is a personal testament to hard work.

When we put God first, He WILL bless us even if we don't see it right away!

I got 19.5 out of 20 on my second attempt at the quiz, as I misread a question the first time. 98%!

I also posted on the discussion board.
*******
Application Activity

The work I completed was serving a mission from March 2013 to March 2014, but there was a great deal of work involved in just getting to the point where I was actually able to go and do the work as one of the Lord's missionaries. My story is about how attitude may stop the Lord from sending you on a mission or giving you blessings even though He knows you want them and would benefit from them. It's hard enough to prepare for a mission, but it's even harder to actually give the attitude that you are willing go wherever the Lord should choose to send you, even if it is the LDS Welfare Services Field Office Bishop's Storehouse in the town where you currently live. I originally wanted to serve a mission in 2009 after spending time with missionaries helping them with their work, but I wanted to go away from home and not be at the storehouse, as I was influenced by locals who said that going to the Bishop's Storehouse isn't a real mission and that one doesn't serve a real mission unless they go away from their home. The influence of those mocking voices and desire for the notoriety that came with serving any type of mission away from home made my thoughts and heart go against serving where the Lord wanted to send me and made me demand my will over the Lord's.

I ended up applying for a mission three different times, but nothing worked out and I was very frustrated and not realizing that my attitude was the problem. Like Joseph Smith when he first came across the plates, my mind and heart were not in such a place where I was ready to take on the work of the Lord and I was given what I consider a merciful reprieve of four years, as Joseph was, to have many experiences that would be temporally difficult, but bring me closer to the Lord. After getting denied for a mission in 2009, I applied to go to school away from home so I could work on being away from home and learning how to survive away from home, but I was denied admission. After that I decided to make myself better by volunteering at the extended care facility at the local hospital and later at the assisted living facility when it was built. Because of the volunteering, I was able to grow in my love for helping people and making them happy and that led me to pursue education in the Therapeutic Recreation field in 2010.

Unfortunately, because of the prejudice that comes to people with disabilities in that people don't wish success for them, that schooling only lasted until 2011. I had been doing fairly well in the general subjects, but found difficulty among peers and teachers who did not take the time to understand or make accommodations for my type of disability. That was a great blow to my confidence, but I engaged in a brief employment that enabled me to get on to disability after being let go for not keeping pace with what was expected. As a result of the job, I also moved away from my family dwelling in Raymond into Lethbridge where I was able to experience living with other people and living away from home. Living away from home helped me to have confidence and learn self-reliance skills that I would later use on my mission. I also attended a lot of Institute to help build my spiritual strength and it also helped me develop social skills. I even had and took the opportunity to truly forgive my dad for what he had put me through because of his drinking and that truly opened my Spirit to being taught whatever the Lord wanted to teach me.

When the later months of 2012 approached, I finally had an opportunity to approach my current bishop about a mission and this was in a family ward, as I had stopped attending a YSA ward at 25 due to a prompting from the Spirit that I had done all I needed to do there. Because of my disability, all the bishop would offer me was a service mission, but my attitude had changed and I was very ready to go wherever the Lord would send me on a mission for however long He wanted me to serve.

After I had decreed that willingness to serve the Lord's way to both myself and my bishop, the process of filling out papers and getting them submitted went surprisingly fast. I had gone through the temple in 2010, I had gotten my driver's license, and even though it wasn't really necessary for my type of mission, I also managed to get my wisdom teeth pulled. Not long into 2013, I received my call to serve at the LDS Welfare Services Field Office and Bishop's Storehouse for a period of no less than 12 months.

From the moment I was set apart as a missionary, an event where my mom, dad, and brother were present, I strived to make the most of my mission and cherished every moment that I wore that nametag. I was able to meet and work with so many wonderful missionaries and also help so many people who were in need of physical nourishment. Not too long into my mission, there was a very devastating flood in High River, Alberta and the storehouse sent many supplies out to the area so that the storehouse in the Calgary area wouldn't become overwhelmed. Not only did I help with that, I also was able to go to High River twice as a missionary and help with clean up efforts, which were much appreciated. There were so many wonderful experiences that I had in my mission that I kept a blog of everything in addition to my journal so that I wouldn't ever forget any part of it. It took so much time and humility to get on a mission that I didn't want to waste one second of it not being grateful for it, as a year goes very fast when you give yourself to the work of the Lord.

****

Teach A Friend

I again taught my mother this week while we were doing our laundry at the local laundromat. I began by first going over the SQ3R study technique which is Study, Question, Read, Review, and Recite, which are interesting ways to study. I then turned my focus to the topic of work by talking about Moses 5:1 and how before Adam and Eve fell, they were taught about work so they would have the opportunity to create a sense of unity with one another. After the Fall, Adam and Eve had the opportunity to actually come together in unity in order to complete work that was not only essential to their survival, but also essential to the continuation of man. I borrowed five questions that were asked during the gathering about work that implored us to think about who we know that is a hard worker, what evidence there was to support that they were a hard worker, what was admirable about them, what other desirable traits they possess, and how their work ethic relates to their other desirable traits. I then said that one can make work interesting by learning all that can be learned about it and that it is our attitude about what we do not necessarily what we do that matters. My focus then turned to a discussion on the difference between leisure and idleness and I started by talking about how D&C 42:42 says that we should not be idle nor be rewarded for idleness. In my lesson, I used three questions that were brought up in class about if there is a clear difference between leisure and idleness, how we can know if we are being idle and when we are engaged in leisure, and how we can ensure that any leisure time we have doesn't slip into idleness. I actually think that sometimes, idleness can be a way for people to rejuvenate themselves after working themselves into exhaustion. I then concluded with a quote by President Gordon B. Hinckley that was read in class, which said the following, "Believe in yourselves, in your capacity to do something remarkable. The work of the world is done by ordinary people who have learned an extraordinary way."

Mom said that what was taught in Moses 5:1 makes sense because if Adam and Eve wouldn't work, who would do the things that would help them meet the needs they had in the fullness of mortality? Because of the Fall, Mom said, Adam and Eve were told that they needed to work in order to achieve anything needed for survival. Mom also said that if for some reason, Adam and Eve couldn't work, the Lord would probably meet their needs just because God isn't one to let others suffer needlessly when they are giving it their all. In terms of a person who Mom sees as a hard worker, she said that her friend from Raymond, Alvin Nickle, is a hard worker and evidence of his work ethic can be found in the fact that he is 73 years old and goes to work out at a farm nearly every day. Mom said she admires him because he honors his priesthood, he is a hard worker, and is very diligent when it comes to doing his family history. Mom also said that her friend is honest and believes in an honest day's work for a honest day's pay. In terms of disliked jobs, Mom said that she has worked for a commercial laundry facility before and didn't enjoy it and also that we my brother and I were little, she would work alongside us when she needed us to do something because that was the best way to teach us. According to Mom's wisdom, a good way to learn how to like a job that you don't like is to do volunteer work because it teaches you how to not only like work, but to also appreciate what you have. Volunteer work also teaches us organization and Mom said that if we are not organized, we are muddled. In conclusion, Mom said that there are activities that definitely qualify as idleness and that there are also activities that definitely qualify as leisure. Mom also said that engaging in leisure activities is more than likely to motivate you to have a good attitude while idleness is more likely to dampen your attitude, also adding that one has to firmly make their mind up about what they are not going to do with their time and they also have to make up their mind about how they can and will spend their time productively. She also said that sometimes, idleness is her way of rejuvenating after she has worked so hard that she needs a break from anything related to work. ********* Learning Report My goal this week was to apply for work, ask about volunteer opportunities, or do some sort of service. I am happy to report that applied for three jobs this week and even though I haven't heard back on any of the jobs as of yet, my effort applying for them has reminded me that I am certainly capable of applying for work. Even the simple act of applying for work shows the Lord, others around me, and myself that I am being valiant in the quest of not only carefully budgeting the money I get from disability, but also in the quest to find work so that I can add some money to an emergency fund and create less of a strain on my guaranteed income. I will keep looking for work and/or volunteer opportunities, as I enjoy being productive even on guaranteed income The most important thing I did on Friday, which is when I began this assignment, was take time for myself after investing time towards getting an assignment completed. Since I am under 30 and still able to attend Institute whenever I wish,I took myself to Friday Forum at the local Institute building and enjoyed a nice lunch with a group of other people while we watched two segments of 'Meet the Mormons.' After Friday Forum, I went on the bus downtown to the local YWCA and selected a 'Stocking of Hope' for which I can buy Christmas presents for a family in need, as I always try to do something charitable for Christmas each year that will truly benefit others. I invested my me wisely by not only taking care of my mental/emotional health by going to Friday Forum, I also took time to access resources that will help me to perform some very meaningful service. The most important thing I want to remember from this lesson is a quote from President Hinckley than came up during Thursday's gathering, which reads, "Believe in yourselves, in your capacity to do something remarkable. The work of the world is done by ordinary people who have learned an extraordinary way." I really like this quote a lot because it reminds us that like the truths of the gospel, we are plain, but very precious and because of the Atonement, we don't have to remain ordinary or plain. Because of the Atonement, we don't have to learn how to live in a state of plainness without hope of being able to do and be better; through the Atonement, we can become refined and learn how to live in a way that is beyond ordinary. We are children of God first and foremost and that means we are extraordinary and of a very royal heritage. However, we often forget that we are so much more than plain and we are very fortunate to have the ability and freedom to access the Atonement so that we can be reminded through and by Christ that there is more to us than we believe. That is one of our weaknesses as mortals; undervaluing ourselves because we are undervalued by others. We are beloved and precious by our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and the Atonement enables us to not only remember that, but also helps us to live up to our heritage. *** Discussion Board Replies The scripture verses I read in this week's lesson were very insightful and I have much to say about them and I have much gratitude for the insight they provided. It says in Moses 1:39 that God's work and God's glory is to give us the Atonement and the Plan of Salvation so that we might have immortality and eternal life. In order to do God's work, we have to be in a position where we can feel the spirit and that requires us to realize that we first need the Atonement for ourselves before we can share the knowledge of it with others. Along with the Lord's work, however, we are faced with doing temporal work that is expected of man on a daily basis in order to survive temporally. For six days, we do this work, but on the seventh day, we are commanded to rest and engage in things that will rejuvenate our body and Spirit. The Sabbath, which is Sunday, is for resting from the work we do the other six days and without taking rest from our labors, we become overwhelmed and unable to function either temporally or spiritually. The Lord is very aware of the fact that we have both temporal and spiritual responsibilities, as we are given such responsibilities to test and try us that we might be able to become perfect by the personal that these opportunities do for us. The Lord gives us gifts and abilities in which we can do His great work and the work we are meant to do to glorify Him and our journey of growth. We are the beauty of the Lord and when we work for good, we become more beautiful and more like Him. To neglect our responsibilities in favor of making ourselves comfortable and remain in our comfort zone, we exhibit both frailty and foolishness because we are not trusting the Lord to guide us as He has promised. We also exhibit frailty and foolishness when we try to go beyond our abilities without the help and instruction of the Lord, as we are trying to test God and His admonition that there is a proper season and path for everyone. We need to trust in God and work with what we has given us, as He will help us to make the most of what we have been given so long as we are willing to push forward in faith with our best efforts. If we do not try our best, however, and use what we have to do what we can for the Lord, for ourselves, and for others, we are cheating ourselves out of opportunities that will help us grow and also blessings that we can receive for trusting the hand of the Lord to uplift our lives. The Lord is willing to help us if we ask, but He cannot and will not force us to take help that we are not motivated to ask for. If we do not ask of God, we will not receive. If we ask of God, we will receive. I can apply these principles to my life by constantly being aware of what God has given me and that Christ' Atonement is allowing me to look beyond myself so that I can do great things. I can also use what God has given me to not only bless myself, but to also bless others who are in need of helping hands, as I never know how my talents might bless someone else. Most importantly, however, I need to continually realize that I cannot trudge through mortality alone and that I too have struggles that will need the help of the Lord and that I need to ask for His help more often and also trust that He will help me to feel his Spirit and see His hand in my life so long as I keep myself worthy to do so. Before we engage in a work, we need to think about our motivating behind getting involved. We need to ask ourselves if our motivation is our own or if we are just doing the work because others expect us to even if we do not believe in it. We need to believe in a work and the good it can do for either ourselves or others before we engage in it, as engaging in a work is committing to it and we shouldn't make a commitment to something we don't have a belief in that is our own. The belief of another is not enough reason for us to engage in a work; we have to have the desire to do it and the belief that our contribution will mean something. It is an awesome thing when someone is so motivated by their love of God and Christ that they want to good for everything and everyone out there. However, we need to remember that if we neglect our own well-being in the pursuit of doing good for everyone else, we will not have the Spirit to be with us and have it help us know who to help and how to help them. We need to put ourselves first, as the Lord has and always will put us first, and when we are strong enough to help others, the Lord will guide us to who He wishes us to help and show us how to do it. There is nothing too great or too small when it comes to the work of the Lord and nobody is any more or less important than anyone else when it comes to getting involved. The Lord knows our hearts, our capabilities, and what we can grow into if we are given the opportunity and take full advantage of it when it is given. Even though others may see certain callings as being greater or lesser than others, the Lord knows where we will be best and when we will be best there and nobody knows anything better than the Lord. Christ gave us the Atonement so that we could look beyond our imperfections and strive to become our best self on the journey to perfection that we are all invited to undertake. Look at each work God asks you to do for Him as important, as all who are willing and worthy to participate in God's work shall be rewarded for their sacrifice. God does not exclude people from participating in His work, people exclude themselves from participating in the Lord's work by being unwilling to make necessary sacrifices or unworthy of the Spirit that will help guide the faithful in the work.

Application Activity

We had to set a goal relating to self-reliance using the S.M.A.R.T. formula and then write a letter, acting as our future self, to the self we are right now. I chose a goal relating to employment.

My goal this week is to look for work, volunteer opportunities, or engage in service projects/errands that are compatible with the spare time I have after doing my Pathways work and church calling. Even though I have an invisible disability and am on government disability because I am not expected to work, I still like to spend time volunteering or doing service projects/errands because it helps me to feel productive and it also helps my mom, as she is in school full-time until the end of December. I may or may not find something in terms of paid employment, but I can either do errands/service or volunteer to show gratitude over what I have been given.

 

I haven't done more than pass out a few resumes from time to time since I started school because I wanted to be available to do whatever needed to be done while my mom was in school and I also wanted to see how much time school would take, as Pathways is currently my main job. I haven't been successful in finding work thus far, but there are always opportunities to volunteer in my community and even if I can't find work, I can use my time by volunteering and doing service.

 

I will measure my progress by talking to at least one organization about volunteering, doing one service project, or handing at least one resume out to a business this week. I may not find work, as I have come to see that employers are somewhat wary of hiring people with invisible disabilities, but I am going to give it a good, honest effort. If I have talked to at least one organization about volunteer work, participated in a service project, or applied for one job, I will consider my goal successful because trying and failing is better than not even trying to succeed.

My goal of trying to find work, looking for volunteer opportunities, or doing at least one service project or an important errand is attainable because making a good, honest effort at searching for opportunities is always attainable if enough time is set aside to do so and enough effort is put in. I will find time to work on this goal as long as I put my schoolwork first, as it takes only a couple of hours on Monday, Friday, and Saturday to get done if I just sit down and focus, so I have the other days, save for Sunday, in the week for errands, job searching, service, and looking for volunteer opportunities.

Right now, my priority is keeping up in this educational program so that I am able to pursue additional education when the time comes should the opportunity be there for me to do so. My family is having a tough time financially, though, so I am looking for seasonal work or casual work to try and alleviate a bit of the burden, but my search hasn't been successful thus far and it's a bit concerning to me as even with some days allocated for Pathways, I want to be able to help a little more financially. I use my disability pay to help with bills, but it is still a financial strain and maybe earning a little money from casual or seasonal work would help ease that strain.

 

Another priority I have is also helping my family and even if I can't find work right now, I can ease my mom's burdens by running errands for her and also help look after the family dog during the week that she doesn't have time for because of school. My family, my education, and being able to serve in the Church are my top priorities right now and when I have time for other things, I want to find a way that I can help others help themselves or to just feel good about themselves.

 

In terms of investing time wisely so I can achieve my goal, I go to church on Sundays and spend the time after sacrament meeting in the nursery so that others can go to class and not have to worry about the welfare of their little ones. After church, I come home and spend time with my mom and the dog doing whatever we can do together, as there is limited time during the week to spend time together right now until my mom's course is finished at the end of December. I allocate time on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays to complete all the work I need to do for Pathways and I can easily spend Tuesday, Wednesday, and spare time on the other days to look for work, look for volunteer opportunities, or do things that will either be a benefit to my family or those who are in need of helping hands. I try very hard to be of help to others after taking care of my priorities.

 

Letter to my past self:

Dear Heather,

The world is constantly changing and though you are probably already aware of this, we must always be prepared for these changes because life does not always work out how we plan it to. Life can often get in the way of the best made plans, but if you are prepared for the possibility of everything and anything happening, you will be able to make the most of the challenges life brings with what you have and what you can do. There may be times in which you have only yourself and God to rely on, as others may be too focused on their own challenges to be of help, and you need to know how to take care of yourself.

I know your disability has made things harder for you, but do not give up on yourself or on the Lord, as the Lord will never give up on you. Having a disability doesn't mean you or others can discount your abilities; you just have to work a little harder at showing others that you are capable of doing great things for yourself and them. Mom always told me that the world wouldn't change for me, that I would have to change for the world and to survive in the ever-changing world, you need to not only know how to do that, but also apply that knowledge.

You may or may not be on disability funding forever, but if you are, use it wisely through paying tithing, budgeting, and saving a bit for rainy days. Don't just do nothing with your time because you have an income from disability or from a job if you happen to get one you can keep; engage in volunteer work or do service projects that will not only help you express gratitude for what you have been given, but that will also help others learn how to help themselves. Involve your husband and children in the process of budgeting and in the process of helping others, as families do better when they engage in Christ-like activities together because they learn to better appreciate one another and the talents that everyone has. Also be aware of finances, how much money is available to get through each month, and where the money goes; if you don't live beyond your means and pay your tithing and fast offerings, blessings will come.

You did great by having a home storage supply when you lived with your family of origin and on your own with roommates, but keep on having a supply of food and emergency money wherever you go, as life happens and you saw that when Dad got cancer and ended up passing away from it. It was because of your monumental spiritual strength and your strong testimony of the gospel that you were able to see his death as God's way of allowing him to grow and develop spiritually away from the chaos of mortality. The experience you had with Dad should encourage you to not only take care of yourself spiritually, but also take the time to stay physically healthy so you are in a position to take care of others, including those who will join your family in time. When you are healthy, you can better feel and respond to the promptings of the Spirit, so make good choices so that God can better take care of you and your life.

As far as education goes, my dear, I love that you are so eager to learn new things and do your best in everything you engage in. Secular education may not always be an option, but make the most of what you can do with it and also cherish the learning opportunities that come with the blessings of eternal marriage and taking care of children whether they are yours or not. Every job, every experience, and every choice should be considered an educational opportunity that should be cherished, as those moments pass as quickly as time does. Don't take for granted the ability and freedom you have to learn, as not everyone in the world has the right to learn and most likely wants to. Cherish any blessings that the Lord sends you, especially those of marriage and family, as you will be held accountable for how you react and care for those blessings.

Always engage in the opportunities that come for you to pursue lifelong learning whether it be through work, school, your family, or your life experiences. The best experiences you will have, however, is being able to utilize the Atonement to feel the Spirit and have enlightening, adventurous things happen because you listened to it. Stay close to God, as God is your Father in Heaven and loves you so very much and always hold strong to the gospel as long as you live, as it will give you strength to endure all things yet to come. The Lord has provided and will provide useful people and other resources to you that you may continue to move forward in faith as time and life progresses. Stay strong, stay spiritual, and never ever give up on God or on the life He wants you to have, as He and Jesus Christ will never give up on you.

Sincerely,

Heather Leigh Cameron

Teach A Friend & Learning Report

I taught my mom what I learned in Lesson 8 during the two hours we spent in a traffic jam and I began by saying that life can be prepared for, but planning should not overrule being prepared, as plans do not always turn out as planned. Preparation helps people make the best of what life gives them even if things don't end up going according to plan.

To my comments about needing to always be prepared because life doesn't always turn out as planned, Mom said that life is not guaranteed and had she really thought about it, she could have been better prepared for Dad's sudden illness and death.

I then talked about how D&C 88:124 says that we should not waste our time and whatever God gave us, or else we could and will lose them. Wasting our time results in us losing our time and whatever gifts God may have given us, as He will take away what we do not use.

After doing some exercises as a class to this Blessercize video that the lead students for the week found on YouTube, it was then said that exercise ties into self-reliance because exercise helps one to be healthy and one cannot be self-reliant if they are not healthy.

It was then asked of us what event has positively shaped our life in terms of self-reliance and I said that my mission, a year long service in the local Welfare Services Field Office and Bishop's Storehouse, positively shaped my life. In my mission, I learned that I could be self-reliant by gaining confidence from helping other people and feeding off their joy. I also helped others to be self-reliant through training I provided to new missionaries and also helping others who had utilized the storehouse to volunteer there so they could properly express their gratitude for it.

Mom said the event that shaped her life is knowing that we were prepared for everything that happened to our family when the 1995 flood hit High River, as we ended up having to evacuate at 5:30 in the morning and go to a friend's house that was on higher ground. Mom had a 72 hour kit prepared and we were able to take it with us when we had to leave in a hurry, Many years later when the family lived in Raymond and there was a fire on the Ridge, Mom said she helped organize and settle people at the Church and also had supplies for both people and pets prepared just in case leaving had to be done in a hurry.

I then summarized the previous concepts that had been learned in Pathways, as the lead students had summarized them during class for everyone's benefit. The previous concepts were the Learning Model/Honor Code, Disciple Leadership, Lifelong Learning, Academic Planning/Career Exploration, Decision Making, Time Management, and Information Literacy/Academic Planning.

When it came to discussing the previous concepts, Mom said that each of the lessons has strengthened her in a lot of ways and really made her think. She also said that the lessons have caused her to think how everything in her life has affected her and how it has made her a better person.

My focus then turned to D&C 29:35 and how it says that God's commandments are eternal and are given for both the body and spirit. In response to the words in D&C 29:35, Mom said that we as LDS people have the sure knowledge of not only the commandments, but also of their significance in the eternal spectrum. She said that it's something we need to consider as we have not only been taught many useful things, but that all things have a purpose. She added that God put things on the earth for the good of man.

During class, only four principles of self-reliance were touched upon: education, health, home storage, and work and I came up with how they connected to self-reliance. Education teaches you skills for work from the beginning of your life and continues to teach you useful things whether it comes from inside or outside of the classroom. Health is important as you need to be healthy in order to be self-reliant. Home Storage is needed because it helps us to take care of ourselves when circumstances don't allow us to rely on others or stores. Employment teaches people how to work whether it be through paid work, through volunteer opportunities, or even through school. People on disability or welfare that cannot work can still volunteer to show gratitude and productivity.

Mom's thoughts on Home Storage were that we might not have a lot of good stuff in our storage a lot of the time, but we have life-sustaining stuff. She once had a bishop from a storehouse tell her that food from the storehouse isn't there to sustain lifestyle, but to sustain life.

In class, we then got into groups, picked random objects from a bag, and then discussed how it related to self-reliance. The group I was in picked an umbrella and I then likened it to the four self-reliance principles that we had discussed in class. In terms of education, the umbrella teaches us how to protect ourselves from rain. In terms of health, the umbrella teaches us how to deal with a rainy day physically, mentally, and spiritually and the lesson there is to turn to whatever good thing may give us comfort in hard times. When it comes to Home Storage, an umbrella is a reminder that rainy days do come and that we are capable and commanded to prepare for them. It also teaches us that employment helps us to have a way to prepare for the rainy days when they do come.

I then read Mom three quotes that I got in class about how self-reliance intertwines with service and interdependency and that even though man can be self-reliant, nobody is good at everything. We need to be in a position where we are spiritually prepared to help others when the need arises. In terms of interdependency, we need to be willing to take time to give of ourselves and also be humble enough to accept help when we struggle, as God often offers help to us by way of others desiring to be of service. We need one another to serve as a strength to others and we need others to serve as strengths to our weaknesses and shortcomings. All of us need God to help us with that which we cannot handle on our own and with the help of each other and we especially need Christ when it comes to being able to let go of our sins and our ability to move beyond them.

Mom said that in terms of service, the greatest act of service comes to each of us each week when the sacrament is served, as through the sacrament, we serve one another and we are allowing the Savior to serve us when we partake. She mentioned that on her computer screen, she has a picture of people passing the sacrament and that the Savior turns out to be one of those passing the sacrament. Mom added that we need to keep in mind on a daily basis ways that we can do service unto others.

Learning Report
Looking back at the previous lessons, I have to admit that the most difficult thing for me was admitting to myself that I still had so much to learn about things I had been taught since I was old enough to understand things for myself. I have learned much through gospel education and through the example of my mother and other faithful individuals in my life, but as it says in the lesson about lifelong learning, there is always something new you can learn about a subject you may have knowledge about. A long time ago, I heard someone say that if you are done learning, you are dead and I suppose if you stopped learning because it was too much work, your brain and spirit would eventually waste away from lack of use. I've always loved learning new things and I am very aware that if I do not keep learning, I will eventually forget what I know and slip into ignorance. Even though I have a disability, it is very possible for me to learn whatever I want to learn, it just takes a little extra effort and application for me to get the hang of it. I am grateful that Pathways has helped me to learn new ways to learn and appreciate the freedom and opportunities I have to keep learning. I am also grateful that because of the Atonement and Plan of Salvation, I can learn much not only in this life, but also in the next.

The most important thing I want to remember from this lesson is the talk by Marion G. Romney titled 'The Nature of Self-Reliance' and it talked about how man is free to choose their way and that includes choosing to be self-reliant, as we are all invited to find our own way in mortality and how can we do that if we don't know how to care for ourselves and meet the needs that will come during our journey through mortality? We need to learn how to and actively take care of ourselves so that we can be in a position to care for others through the stewardships we will be given in the Church and also in our own families of creation. In relation to that, I also liked what D&C 29:34-35 said about how we MUST be responsible for ourselves and cannot rely on another's testimony to get us through trying times, as there may be times when we will have very little but the spiritual reserves we have been taught to build. If we have none, then we will feel the consequences.

The haves should teach the have-nots how to become haves by first showing them charity so that they can know what it feels like to be loved and then help them to know what it means to share that love through service, as they then can know that their contributions can benefit yet another in need and that they are worth something to God, so much so that Christ freed them from their burdens. the Lord's laws, including self-reliance, are permanent and therefore, the responsibility we have to learn and actively take care of ourselves is also permanent, as it is an eternal teaching and will continue with us after death.

Discussion Board Responses
In terms of asking for help and also in terms of giving help, we need to be humble enough to not only give of our excess, but to receive from the excess of others when our resources have run dry even after all of our best effort has been put forward. By being willing to receive help, we are showing that we are willing to allow the Lord's love to benefit us and allow Him to bless others who take the time to care. By being willing to give, we are showing gratitude for what we receive. By being willing to learn these principles, we are admitting to ourselves and to God that we can face the reality that we may very well need to use the principles of self-reliance to help ourselves one day or that we will need to act in humility and allow others and God to help us when we end up facing a time of great need.

In today's world, nobody is immune from having a time where they are in need of either personal/spiritual support or in need of physical support. All of us will go through times where we lack substance to survive or where we lack the hope to survive, but knowing that the Atonement is there and is for us to use for both sins and sorrows should give us enough comfort and courage to use it and know that we are loved unconditionally by Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ no matter who we are or where we are at in our lives. We think we can rely on ourselves and that nobody else can understand what we go through, so we are afraid of asking others for help because they will not understand and judge us for being so imperfect. Christ, however, went through everything and anything that mortal man has and will gone through, so He understands and He and God are willing to listen and help by way of others when we are in need; all we have to do is ask with sincerity and be humble enough to accept loving help however it may come. We are instruments in God's hands for others as others are instruments in His hands for us.

Through the years that my brother and I were growing up, I had watched my mother and father always keep a food storage and emergency supplies handy in whatever house they happened to live in. I personally thought that having a food storage was cool, as it often had food we liked to eat in it, but I didn't know why. As I got older, however, I was taught the reason for the food storage was to have something set aside in the case of a rainy day. When I went on to the Provident Living website and also during the times I have visited the Visitor's Centers and Welfare Square in Salt Lake City, I am very amazed at the amount of effort and preparation that the Church has put into making sure that people know how to rely on themselves and also into providing access to resources that can be used if there are ever times where people cannot rely on themselves for whatever reason.

There will be times where we all need help, even if it is just needing to know how to be self-reliant, and the website has very detailed information about how to go about making yourself more self-reliant. Although we can never be fully self-reliant, as we are not good at everything and need both the Lord and others to help us when it comes to our weak areas, we can do our best to do what we can in being self-reliant. If we do what we can with what we have, we will be able to worry less about ourselves and focus more on helping others when times become difficult.