Through the Lord, I Can Do Hard Things.

Day 30: I finished!! I am so proud of myself!! Okay so for this last post of my Book of Mormon reading and also until I'm back in a year and a half, I feel like I just should bear my testimony of the gospel. I know that this church is true and I am so grateful for it. It has led me down the right path and without it I would be headed in the complete wrong direction. I have a testimony of the Book of Mormon and I know that fi you read it and then pray to know if it's true, Heavenly Father will answer you. I am very very excited and nervous and a little scared to go on a mission, but I know that through the Lord, I can do hard things. 

If any of you wanna see what I'm up to during my mission, Emily will be posting on a blog for me. :) here's the link: http://hermanamcintyre.blogspot.com/ 

I love you all and I'll see you in 18 months! Adios!! :)

Last One's

Whenever I'm counting down to something there's always a saying that I use quite frequently. This is the last time I'll (fill in the blank). As I've been counting down the days until my mission, there's been quite a few of them. I can't think about them too much or I start crying and then it's a mess! So here are a few of my "Last One's":

Last day of work...

Last trip with my sister (well part of them anyways)...

Last time seeing Jacqueline...

Last time being all together as a family...

Last Dentist appointment...

Last day being 18....

Last time I see Jessica, Jen, Chris, Katy, Ryan and Grace (since they can't come to my farewell)...

Last hair cut...

Last date with Emily...

And many many more! Then there's ones that are coming up like:

Last fast Sunday...

Last time I see my family...

Last time I see my friends...

Last time I listen to music...

Last full day at home...

Last family dinner...

Last date with my dad...

Last thirsty Thursday...

Last time swimming...

Last day in Idaho...

I could go on for awhile but I won't. You can just imagine all of the "Last One's". It's pretty sad to think about but I am so excited and ready to go serve the Lord for a year and a half. Watch out people of Paraguay! Hermana McIntyre is on her way!! :)

All it Takes is a Little Faith

I'm really sorry if I have annoyed you with all of my posts, but I'm almost done so just hang in there with me for one more after this one! I, for one, am so proud of myself! I have stuck to my goal and read every day and what a blessing it has been! :) I have learned so much and have grown a ton as a person. Whenever I had a spare moment I would grab my glasses and Book of Mormon, go out on the porch, and get readin! I have loved every minute of it!

Day 27 - 29: (Mormon 8 - End of Ether) So Ether is now one of my favorite books in the Book of Mormon! There is soooo much to learn in every verse. But chapter 12 of Ether is all about faith and it was very fitting to my life right now. In 6 days, I will be leaving my family, friends, and comfort of my home to go to Paraguay for a year and a half. It takes a lot of faith to do that on my part and on my families part too. I have to trust in the Lord that what I'm doing is right and that I will be safe and whatever happens is supposed to happen. So it says a ton of times in chapter 12 that nothing can happen unless you have faith. Heavenly Father cannot bring blessings and miracles unto you unless your faith is completely in Him. One verse (verse 6) in particular says, "...faith is things which are hoped for and not seen..." This gospel takes a lot of faith. Faith that Heavenly Father really does exist, that He loves me and knows me. Faith that there is a place beyond this earth and that after this life, Heaven will be awaiting me. Faith that Joseph Smith isn't just some crazy man who wrote a book, that he translated it by the faith that he had and the power of God. All of those things are not tangible. They cannot be touched or carried or held. All you need is just a little bit of faith at first. If that's all you can give than that is enough. Your faith will grow as you read the scriptures and pray. I know this to be true and I believe with all of my heart. 

Choose your Path Wisely

Day 19 - 26: (Alma 46 - End of 3rd Nephi) That's a lotta days....I really am sorry but seeing as I leave in 8 days, I have had so much to do! Now don't you worry, cuz I know you were, I have read every single day! I just haven't had the time to post, so sorry if it's a lil' longer than usual. I'll try to keep it brief. 

The first thing is from Helaman 14:30-31. It says, "And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free. He hath given unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might choose life or death; and ye can do good and be restored unto that which is good, or have that which is good restored unto you; or ye can do evil, and have that which is evil restored unto you." So, last semester at BYU-Idaho I took this Book of Mormon class and my professor would say, "ACT AND DON'T BE ACTED UPON!!" at least once every day. So now that is stuck in my head and I am grateful! Everyone on this earth has agency. We can all choose to do good or to do evil. So it is up to us if we go to Heaven or Hell. Harsh, but true.

The next and last thing is a verse that I used to be very confused by when I was younger, but now I LOVE! It's in 3 Nephi 27:33 "Enter ye in at the strait gate; for strait is the gate, and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few there be that find it; but wide is the gate, and broad the way which leads to death, and many there be that travel therein, until the night cometh, wherein no man can work." Okay, so when I was little, I was like, "Wait a minute! Why would Heavenly Father make it so that the way was narrow to get back to Heaven?!?!" Shouldn't it be wide so that we wont fall off of the sides? But now I understand! Heavenly Father has given us a straight and narrow path that is super easy to follow so that we can easily make it back to Him. It's kinda strict, and sometimes hard, but in the end so worth it! Then the path to death and Hell is pretty wide. There's lots of ways to get there, you don't have to do one specific thing to end up there. You could lead one life style, then another, then another, and would still end up in Hell. So my advise..choose your path wisely.