inside - out

Inside - Out



As girls (even sister missionaries) we are constantly worried about how we look -- if we're pretty enough.

Photo Credit : Sister Jaleisa Dori Jones

I remember in high school there was a girl, a couple years older than me, that I really admired. I thought she was SO beautiful. She seemed to have a glow and all the friends and happiness in the world. One day, a while after this girl had graduated, I realized something I hadn't before: her beauty came from within. I knew what kind of girl she was because of how she acted. She was modest in dress, and kind, she attended seminary and participated regularly, I knew she read her scriptures and had a relationship with the Savior.

"Beauty comes from the heart

It's something that always starts on the inside

Pretty comes with a glow, its something that always grows from the inside 

When you smile"

>> Aaliyah Rose - Inside Out <<

Receiving His Image in Our Countenance

Photo Credit : Megan Cox

Now, on my mission, I have the opportunity to be surrounded by so many missionaries and lots of different people, and I have noticed something; there is something about the light of Christ that makes people beautiful. There really IS a light that comes into our countenance as our relationship with Him grows. We become happier, kinder, and people recognize it -- though they may not know where it comes from. 

We become more beautiful because we are more like Him.

"And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church... Have ye received his image in your countenances?"

>> Alma 5:14 <<

"When you live close to God and His infinite grace, you wont have to tell -- it will show in your face."
>> Unknown <<

~ Sister Kohler ~

CHANGE

It has often been said that the only constant in life is change. Boy, I don't think there is any better place to learn that than the mission field. 

Because of Him, we can change

This past transfer I have learned so much about change, and the power each of us have to change. 

"The greatest miracle of all is the changing of the human heart."
>> Cloyd Christensen <<

Just as I was feeling comfortable in my area and with regular missionary work, I was asked to train a brand new missionary coming straight from the MTC! That in itself was a frightening prospect for me... And then I found out that not only would I be training a new missionary, but I would be training her in a brand new area! Two new wards plus Visitors' Center duties. Well, I was surprised and nervous to say the least. 
I was scared for the change, for the responsibility, all of it really! I prayed more than I ever had the previous months of my mission. I prayed that He would help me in my new calling and strengthen me in my weakness. The Lord truly does call us in our weakness. 

~ Baby Beach ~ 

There is another kind of change, somewhat different than circumstance and surroundings, It is the changing of the human heart. 
So often in life I have found myself in a position where I needed to change my heart. It has not been easy and oh, how it has been hard! Changing our hearts can hurt, it can be very difficult; in fact, it is rarely easy, but it can be just what we need -- and it often is. 

I have a testimony of change and the miracles that it can bring. I have learned humility, the power of faith, diligence, I have learned to rely on my Savior Jesus Christ and my Father in Heaven. 

"For with God, nothing shall be impossible." 
>> Luke 1:37 <<

I know He has someone magnificent in store for me to be, I am more than my weaknesses, I can accomplish all things through my Savior. I love my mission and the blessings it brings.

Cassie's baptism ~ Age 9

"There is nothing so unchanging, so inevitable as change itself... There is a constant that allows us to use change for our own good, and that constant is the revealed eternal truths of our Heavenly Father."
"Very few of us feel adequate to meet those changes with our own talents. How grateful we can be for the strength of Jesus Christ which helps us with the changes brought by new callings and increased responsibilities." 
>> Marvin J. Ashton <<


~Sister Kohler ~