June 30, 2024 • 54 mins
Have you ever felt like you wanted to grow closer to Christ but don’t know where to start? Our guest, Sierra Larson, shares how her pivotal experience at a fireside with Elder Bednar brought a renewed sense of direction and clarity by highlighting the importance of choosing Christ and His covenant path despite life's temptations. Sierra’s story is a moving testament to the power of feeling pursued by the Lord and the joy that comes from spiritual rebirth.
We wrap up by exploring the simplicity of gospel living, warning against the dangers of perfectionism, and how reflecting on our powerful covenant relationships with Christ enable us to produce miracles and become spiritually reborn in Him.
Please reach out to me if you are interested in sharing your story! I would LOVE to hear from you. :)
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
Hello everyone and welcome to More Than Coincidence
, remembering Jesus Christ inyour Story as the author and
finisher of our faith, ourSavior writes personal
experiences into each of ourlives which can later strengthen
, empower and bring us peaceupon reflection.
This podcast is dedicated tosharing these anchoring memories
(00:26):
from everyone's unique storiesin order to collectively
remember and testify of thereality of Jesus Christ and his
presence in our lives.
I'm your host, lily, and I'mvery excited to share these
experiences together.
Good evening everybody.
Tonight we have Sierra on thepodcast.
How you doing Great, hi,welcome, welcome.
(00:48):
Would you mind introducingyourself for everybody?
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Sure, my name is Ciara Larson.
I currently live in Tampa,florida.
I'm in the Brandon Stake.
I'm serving as the Stake ReliefSociety president right now.
Um I am in the air force, uh,serving with the chaplain corps,
and I am.
I am also a therapist, so umI'm a licensed clinical social
worker.
I specialize in trauma and um Isee clients in illinois and
(01:21):
also in florida via telehealth.
So I really love doing that.
Wife and mom of three, I havethree kids, yeah, nolan, hazel
and Marcy, so they're five,three and one, and I love tacos
if anybody that knows me knowsthat Sierra loves tacos Me too.
(01:44):
Tacos are the best my mainthing, like I yeah, I literally
just like ate three of them justnow.
I love tacos.
That's awesome.
That's like yeah, so yeah,that's me.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
I super appreciate you taking the time to chat with
me and I'll just ask you thequestion, Sierra what memories
do you have in your life thatyou reflect on, that prick your
heart and remembrance of ourSavior Jesus Christ and anchor
you to him?
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Okay.
So yeah, there's always a storythat I tell and I love telling
it because it's just soincredible to me and I love
telling it because it's just soincredible to me.
I'll start by bringing up Ithink it was Elder Kieran at a
general conference that said youknow, the Lord is in relentless
pursuit of you, and I lovedthat.
(02:36):
I wrote this whole song on itbecause it just pricked my heart
, like you said, like, and Ijust and I think it has so much
to do with my story andrealizing that you know, I I was
(02:58):
pursued, like you know, as achild of God, and so I was born
in the church.
My grandma was a, was theconvert in the family, so she
joined the church in ChicagoHeights back in I think the 70s,
and so that was just amazing,you know, at the time, like she
joined the church and my family,you know, stayed in, and so I
(03:19):
was raised in the gospel.
I've always had a testimony of,you know, christ and of
Heavenly Father, and I feel likethe world just wants to tell us
like, oh, you need money to behappier.
You need to be in thisrelationship to be happy.
You need to be noticed and youknow all of these things to be
(03:41):
happy.
And so I just felt like I guesskind of like wayward, I guess I
don't know.
I felt like I was in the church, you know I was doing my best,
but at the same time, like Ijust still I was like one foot
in, one foot out, like I wantlike almost like two different
lives, you know, yeah, and itjust really got to a point where
I had to choose and I knew Iwanted to choose Christ.
(04:04):
Like I knew, like I'm like theline, the lines are splitting.
Which side do I?
Speaker 1 (04:09):
go and I'm like I want to be over there with
Christ.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
But I just like, didn't know how, like, I was
really trying, but I'm just likeI don't know where to start,
like I want to go do the wholeJesus thing.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Yeah, no exactly, but I just didn't know where to
start.
Like I want to go do the whole.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Jesus thing?
Yeah, no, exactly, but I justdidn't know how to start, you
know, and it was.
It was great because I went toa fireside and I was living here
in Illinois, so, but I live in,I lived in Southern Illinois,
so it's right by Missouri, andso I think it was like the St
Louis stake at the time hadElder Bednar come for a YSA like
(04:49):
Q&A thing.
This was years ago, I think,2011, 2012.
And so I decided to go.
I was still on the fence but Iwas like I never really met an
apostle before, like I didn'tgrow up in Utah, so I'm like I
don't, I never really met anapostle before, like I didn't
grow up in Utah, so I'm like Idon't know, this is kind of cool
.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
I've been in Utah a long time and I haven't met an
apostle either, so you're good.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
I don't know in my head.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
They're all just like walking around when everybody
gets to see them all the time.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
You know that's funny , so so for me it was going to
be really exciting to see youknow an apostle and um, I just
had this really distinctimpression like you need to
prepare to go to this, and I waslike okay, so I like did my
best like I, you know, prayedand like tried, you know, to be
prepared.
I got there early, I sat downand, right, you know, just kind
(05:39):
of meditated and pondered andand um, oh man, I remember when
he walked in, there was thislike presence.
You felt like the spirit sostrong, but you also felt like
that this is an apostle likethis, this man has like
(06:00):
authority, like this is anapostle like.
And you felt that when hewalked in and um, I remember
everyone's like asking theirquestions, um, there were a
bunch of like really goodquestions asked and he was
answering them just so well.
And um, there was um a questionhe, they, they had asked like
(06:22):
different things about, um, justlike the church and policies,
and like what's this like,what's that?
That's like.
I remember that one questionsomeone asked was like what's it
like to see Christ?
and he was like, well, you know,if you have a relationship with
him, you'd know you wouldn'thave to ask me that you'd know
what it's like to be in hispresence, something like that.
(06:44):
I hope I didn't misquote him.
That's really interesting.
So that was yeah, it was sopowerful.
And the theme for me that nightwas that our generation, like
you guys, are going to do thiswork.
You guys are going to likeyou're so important to the work.
You got to do all of thesethings.
You have this great work to doand I had already had my
(07:08):
patriarchal blessing, so I knewthat I had this like role.
Like I knew that I was supposedto do this thing right and I
wasn't sure what it was, but Iknew I had this work to do right
and so I was just like I getthat I'm supposed to be doing
this work, but I don't know how,so I just like raised my hand
and I stood up in front of.
In my head it was like hundredsof people.
It probably wasn't that full,but, remembering it, it was like
(07:29):
full.
A bunch of people and it waslike thousands of people and I'm
just standing there with my mic.
I don't know who, whomever wasthere, but I'm standing there
and I just like I asked thisquestion.
I'm like we know we're supposedto do this work, but like,
(07:52):
where do we start?
Yeah, and it was like I justremember his eyes.
I can see him now, like Iremember his eyes, like staring
into my soul, and I like I wasso uncomfortable because I was
like don't look at my soul rightnow.
He sees me.
He sees me, you know, but itwas so.
It was so powerful, but it wasalso loving, yeah, and he looked
(08:13):
at me and said, sierra, whatI'm about to tell you you
already know, but you need to bea good girl.
And I was like, oh, my goodness, and he's.
He went on to tell me, like,you need to be a good girl and
it's through your example thatyou're going to be able to like,
share, you know this witness ofChrist and you're going to be
able to go and and serve and, um, do all of these like
(08:35):
incredible things and preach thegospel to a world, and your
children are going to serve andyour children are going to just
do all of these amazing things.
I'm not married at this time.
Like oh, and so little like whyis a me is like.
I get married, I have kids,which I knew but it was just
nice to hear an apostle say thatlike prophesy over my life I
(08:57):
like that's literally what itwas.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
Yeah, it's like, it's like a second patriarchal
blessing.
Basically is what that soundedlike it really?
Speaker 2 (09:04):
was and some things were almost quoted like it was
very, it was so powerful, wow,and I just remember that and I
just remember him telling melike Siri, you need to be a good
girl, and I liken it like youknow, paul, on the road to
Damascus right like it was justsuch a like extreme intervention
(09:24):
for me of like, no, like Godwas like I know you, I see you,
I know that you're willing.
This is what I need you to doright like I need you to like
leave this behind and I need youto become someone else.
Yeah, and I was totally willingto do that.
I just didn't know how.
And when he said, like you needto be a good girl, I was like,
(09:45):
oh okay, so I'll just do that.
Because right before and andnot that I you know I think I
just was like really cherrypicking my you know my
commandments, you know I don'tknow how to say that, but there
were some that I was like thisis a serious commandment, I'm
gonna keep this one.
But there were others that Iwas like this is a serious
commandment, I'm going to keepthis one, but there were others.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
I'm like that's just a suggestion, right, right.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
For me, being a good girl just meant like no, like
everything, all the commandmentsRight.
Oh, you meant all of them, andobviously I probably sound so
ditzy right now, but like I waslike no, oh, you mean all of
them, all of them, and I waslike yeah, oh, you mean all of
them.
All of them mean I was like,yeah, no, all of them, right,
(10:29):
okay, um, but I remember toogoing up to like shake his hand,
and I never felt moreuncomfortable in my entire life,
like I didn't want to look athim.
I just like I was souncomfortable because I was just
like you know and I I knew thatif I were to die that day,
that's how I would feel in theLord's presence, and I wasn't
(10:49):
okay with that.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
Wow, that's really interesting.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Yeah, and I just was like you know, not you know, and
so it was just from then on Iwas like, okay, I wasn't you
know, I wasn't like I wish Icould be.
Like, yeah, the next day I wasjust just like the saint and I
never did anything wrong, but itwas just like the start of the
process for me.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
And that process was so beautiful because it was like
striving.
It wasn't so much like all atonce, but it was just like you
know, um, president Nelson saysthe Lord loves effort.
Like I was putting effort intobeing obedient, I was, instead
of just like kind of doingwhatever, like I was intentional
(11:34):
about keeping the commandmentsI was intentional about my
prayers.
I was intentional about, youknow, becoming somebody else,
becoming someone in Christ, andthat intention really just led
me on this amazing journey andjust deepened my relationship
(11:55):
with Christ so much.
So then, not too long afterthat, I ended up graduating
early, uh.
So I graduated uh undergrad inthree years and I took that
fourth year and I had feltreally inspired to move out to
Las Vegas, which I'm like.
I feel like I'm the only personin the world that's ever been
inspired to move to Las.
(12:16):
Vegas.
I promise it was of the Lord,but it was, and it was an
amazing experience um being outthere.
But it also taught me, like youknow I had, I still had some
ways to go, like I still had aways to go and um were you just
working out there or like what?
Speaker 1 (12:37):
like I was working, it was like an internship that
took you there.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
No, no like, literally, I graduated on a
Saturday, um, and then, no, Igraduated, I think, on a
Thursday or Friday.
Saturday I like had agraduation party and I think
Sunday I went to church, I got ablessing and me and another
friend like hopped in the carwith two suitcases and like
moved out west.
(13:01):
Like it was so wild but it wasso divine, like when I tell you
there were so many miracles.
I should have been homeless somany times out there.
There were so many miraclesthat, yeah, and I love it.
So this is such a like sidestory, but it's coming to mind
in because I guess father's dayis tomorrow but so one of the
(13:22):
one of the like miracles thatended up happening.
I didn't have a car when I wasout there and I had this job
interview.
I had gotten a ride out, but Iwas going to take the bus back.
I'm terrible at publictransportation.
I got lost on this bus bussystem.
I had, like my phone was dying.
I was calling my mom, who calledmy uncle, who called a family,
(13:43):
an old family friend that was aneighbor to my family a long
time ago, um, who ended upsomehow, by some miracle,
finding me um, because my phonedied, found me, picked me up, we
went.
He fed me, fed me, he went, wewent to fridays and then, um, we
went, he, he took me back andhe's like let just borrow one of
(14:05):
my cars.
Like you can borrow my caruntil your car gets here,
because I was getting a carshipped out.
He's like you can borrow one ofmy cars right and I was like,
oh my gosh, and like, just sucha good family friend and him,
him and my grandma actuallyended up getting married.
Yay, so like and I mean it waslike I want to say eight years,
(14:25):
seven or eight years later,because he asked me about her.
Then he was like how's yourgrandma, don't worry about it,
like you're not gonna like talkto my grandma, but it was like
meant to be yeah, they gotmarried, oh man.
I think they've been marriedmaybe two or three years now
yeah, I think they're coming upon there.
(14:45):
Yeah, so it's just like crazy.
Like going out there was soinspired because that was always
the story about him like mygrandma knew that he like took
good care of his granddaughterhe had no, he had no reason to
otherwise, you know.
But now just I know, got himsome points.
I think that's so they'remarried.
That's legit yeah, that hasnothing to do with anything that
I'm talking about, but it'sjust an amazing story.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
But I feel like that's just part of the web,
isn't it Like it was this onerandom thing that was like a
ministering angel that happenedto be a blessing in your life
and now in your grandma's life.
But I feel like that's how Godworks, isn't it?
Absolutely, it's like theserandom little things that you're
like, but I feel like that'sthat's how God works, isn't it?
It's like these random littlethings that you're like.
I have this really funny storyand Jesus is like yeah, I plan
(15:31):
that definitely, definitely so.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
Yeah, we call him Gramps, so shout out to Gramps.
He'll probably listen to this,but yeah so fun yeah, so, yeah.
So then, um, so I'm out inVegas, I'm working.
Um, I used to be one of thosepeople that are like in the
Sam's Club, like the people youdon't try not to make eye
contact with because there's somany stuff, yeah, right which
was also super awesome becauseit made me like not afraid I
(16:00):
ended up serving a mission.
this is kind of spoiler alert tothe end of the story, but it
I'm maybe not afraid to knockdoors Like I could go up to
anybody and talk to anybody,because I literally was sitting
there for hours a day talking topeople as they walked by trying
to sell these like hairstraighteners and pierogies and
stuff Right right.
It was an amazing experience andit definitely prepared me for a
mission.
(16:20):
But anyway, going back of how Ijust ended up going on a
mission was so I had been doingthat.
I think I ended up leaving thatjob.
I found another job.
But I got my degree inpsychology.
I knew I always wanted to be atherapist.
My plan was always to have aprivate practice and so I was
(16:42):
like do I go to UNLV?
What do I like?
Have a private practice?
Um, and so I was like do I goto UNLV?
What do I like?
Where do I go?
What do I do?
Do I get this job?
Do I stay here?
Do I um, go on a mission?
Like, what do I do?
So I went to the temple,because that's where I go when I
have big questions and um.
I love the temple, I love thetemple.
I just such like, just like aplug into Like it's just like an
(17:05):
amazing place.
So I was in the Las Vegas templeand I was doing baptisms and I
was just kind of sitting justlooking at the baptistry.
I don't even think I didbaptisms that day, I don't think
I could.
I think it was in between, likeshifts at work or something.
But I think I think it was inbetween, like shifts at work or
(17:28):
something.
Um, but I think I just didconfirmation.
So I'm just sitting there likepraying, trying to figure out
what I want to do, and um, atemple worker came in and was
like hey, like who are you, youknow, talking?
And all of a sudden she justgoes have you ever thought about
serving a mission?
And I was like, actually, likeI filled out my papers once but
I never finished.
Yeah, and she was like youshould really like think about
(17:49):
serving a mission.
I was like, okay, I'll thinkabout it.
And so then I'm just sittingthere praying, like whatever you
do.
And then a second one comes up,like later, and it's just like
everything's not about surveyadmission you're like you might
(18:09):
have had to tell me twice, butyou don't need to tell me three
times.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
I'll go finish my paper.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
That's so cool.
That's what I did.
I like went home and finishedpaperwork, um, and it was
awesome.
It was the best experience ever.
Yeah, I, uh, I went um.
There's so many things thatlike got me on my mission too.
I went, ended up going um.
So my, so my mom and my, my uh,my dad, dad, so I have my dad,
(18:39):
my dad, dad, my dad dad, um, andmy mom are divorced um and so,
um, he's not a member and so heand he hasn't really been a big
fan of the church at this time,like before my mission and stuff
, and um, I was always just like, oh, I'm gonna have to tell him
I'm going to mission, he's notgonna support it.
Um, and I ended up telling himit was just like such a miracle
(19:01):
that he like flew out to Vegasand like we did this like epic
road trip, like across like hebrought me all the way back to
Illinois and helped me get mystuff, like um, I stayed with
him for a couple weeks before Ileft and it was just really like
he was just so supportive hewas, so I was so surprised
because I was so like.
I was like, oh, no, he's notgonna.
(19:23):
Yeah, I was so worried, but no,he's just so supportive, which
was to me.
It was so like I was like, ohno, he's not gonna.
Yeah, I was so worried, but no,he's just so supportive, which
was to me.
It was just like a huge miracle.
And then it ended up um,because I was, you know, I was
working, but I was workingcommissions and stuff, so it
wasn't like.
I was making a ton of money outthere, and so my my dad, um, and
my like, and my mom the onesthat are married still, um and
(19:46):
my grandma, all were, like we'll, we'll pay for your mission.
Like, just go, we'll pay for itwow and when I went, all three
of them, for some reason oranother, got like a promotion or
a job or something that theywere making like 20 percent more
than what they were making forall three of them like it was
(20:08):
just like the most incrediblething they were making, like 20
percent or whatever more.
They got like raises and all ofthis stuff while I was gone, um,
because they were payingpermission, so it was like a
really cool thing.
Speaker 1 (20:21):
Yeah, um, but yeah, I served oh, sorry, I was about
to ask you where you served inthe dominican republic.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
Yeah, santiago mission.
So I, oh my goodness, everyonethought I was dominican.
I'm not dominican, um, uh, likeby blood.
I say I'm dominican by heart,but not by blood.
But but I love the dr.
The people are amazing.
I was in the most amazing areasum, my first area was like mal,
and then I went to porto plataabout now navarrete, like all of
(20:54):
just the most beautiful placesin the world and the most
amazing people, such um, justamazing christians, like it's a
very christian country, um, andthat's it's really cool to see
everybody just like praisingchrist.
You know, all the time like youknow, and like just so
unapologetic, just likecompletely like yeah, like
(21:17):
anything.
They'll say.
They're like how, how are youtoday?
They're like thank the lord,I'm doing great.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
Like you know like cool, yeah, like in one.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
you know, in spanish they're just like oh, every,
every day is just the Lord givesme blessings.
It's just the way that, in theway that they talk, the way that
they are, so it's the bestmission in the world.
They actually just made it intotwo missions now, so that's
been pretty cool, but, yeah,there are so many miracles on my
mission that just were amazing.
Um, the biggest thing about mymission, though, I will say
(21:48):
because, like I said earlier,you know there's.
So the world says like you needthis to be happy, you need that
, you need, you know all ofthese things, but on your
mission, all of that gets takenaway, like, yeah, you know, you
have no money, you know youdon't have you're like not
dating you're, you know you'renot like.
All of that stuff is gone.
And you're left with Jesus, likethat's all you got Right.
(22:08):
That was such a blessing for me, though, because I had never
been happier.
You know, it was just me andChrist, and even though my
mission was really hard, I willsay that, like my mission, I got
my appendix out.
My mission I don't know howmuch of this.
I had a medical issue, yeah, um, and we don't know what it was,
(22:34):
so it was never diagnosed asanything so I have to be careful
about this, because um it wasnever like diagnosed as anything
.
Um, they couldn't figure outwhat it was right um, what I
think it probably was after likeresearching later, was an
electrolyte imbalance from likea stomach thing that I had, um,
(22:54):
but basically like kind of dieda little bit yeah, I died on my
mission, but it's okay, I cameback.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
It was like it was just for a second.
My pulse came back, you know,but I think it's so symbolic,
but it's okay, I came back tolife.
It was just for a second.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
My pulse came back, you know.
But I think it's so symbolic.
I think it's so symbolicbecause you know we're supposed
to die right Like we're supposedto be spiritually reborn
through.
Christ.
Exactly, yes, exactly, youliterally had that on your
mission.
Yeah, it was such arepresentation of that for me
(23:25):
because I did not come back thesame person at all.
Like at all, like if anyone'sknown me before my mission and
knew me after, like I'm not thesame person at all and I'm so
grateful for that.
It's been such like a journeyand just the Lord, just like the
(23:47):
love he just loves me so muchand it it was my mission was
such an example to me of likethe power of being obedient and
having faith, like those twothings right, because if you're
obedient, you know obediencebrings blessings.
Right, but like what it does isit gives you access to the
(24:08):
spirit.
Because the things that Godasks you to do, it's not just
like because he feels likeasking you to do it, it's
because those are the thingsthat will offend the spirit.
Like if you or that, or youknow what I mean like if you're
doing those things, it's gonnaoffend the, the spirit, right,
right.
And so he asks you not to dothem.
And so when I wasn't doing thethings that would offend the
(24:31):
spirit and I'm just focused ondoing all of the things that you
know heavenly father asked meto do, right, I just had, I was
just full of the spirit and Icould make decisions easier, I
could speak by the spirit, Icould like act, you know in a
way, and you know as the as amissionary have, the ways that I
(24:52):
was able to pray in faith andover people and and those things
and the delegated authority.
I had to do that and the powerthat came from that was amazing,
like when President Nelson Ihave such a strong testimony of
women that can um that he saiduh, I think it was plea to our
sisters that we need women thatcan call down the powers of
(25:12):
heaven and realize miracles.
I hope I didn't misquote that.
I'm a really bad quoter but goand look at it.
But I mean, it's something tothat effect.
It's the essence.
Yeah, you got it.
Yeah, that's the essence of it,right, but just I learned how
to do that on my mission.
I learned how that faith tolike, that faith and obedience
(25:32):
to just call down the powers ofheaven, to minister to other
people and no matter what it is.
And I've used that ever since,like I came back from my mission
, I've used it in my callings,I've used that in chaplaincy,
I've used that, you know, in somany ways and it's been so
powerful.
It's been like I can't even Icould fill three podcasts of all
(26:12):
the miracles that I've seen,you know just over, miracles and
blessings over my kids,miracles and blessings over
other people, my covenantalrelationship with Christ,
because I've gotten more joywithin that relationship and
I've become a person that Iappreciate and enjoy and love
(26:32):
way more within thatrelationship.
I don't really like myselfoutside of it Anytime.
I feel, like I'm like notpraying enough, or you know, not
not praying enough, but likewhen I feel disconnected from
the Lord.
I'm like oh, sierra, you'rekind of a grump, like you're not
really that fun for me to bearound myself you know.
But when I am, you know, whenI'm praying and and and not
(26:54):
praying just to pray, butpraying to have that close
relationship, to talk and tostay connected with the Lord,
like when I'm in that space, itis joyful.
It's so joy it doesn't matterwhat's going on in my life, like
I'm still able to feel joy uponthe circumstance, but it's a
joy that overcomes any darknessand any hard time, because I
(27:23):
know that the Lord lives and Iknow that he loves me and I know
that he's there for me and Iknow that you know it's going to
be okay and it's going to workout in whatever way it needs to,
because the Lord, you know isthere yeah.
And I have that, that trust, butmy mission really built that
trust and I've been able to usethat.
But kind of going back to mypoint of like being a different
(27:44):
person, so I think it was notthis last chaplain conference,
so like I don't know if you knowthis, but every October during
general conference they do likea like chaplain conference,
which I never knew yeah, so youget like extra conference, which
is really cool, so if you everthink about being a chaplain.
That's like one perk you canlike even if you're a
(28:07):
spirituality in October.
Oh my goodness oh my goodness,it's amazing.
And so we had, um, elder Irenecome and speak to us and after
we got to go up and shake hishand and, oh my gosh, it was the
most amazing thing because nowI'm like, I'm in my uniform, you
(28:28):
know, I go up and I shake hishand and I just look into his
eyes.
I'm like one, I can look intohis eyes.
That's a change.
That's a change.
It was such a change and but Ifelt so comfortable there, like
it was just I was able, for likea split second, to just feel
like love and joy and peace andwarmth all in, like this.
(28:50):
The time it took to shake hishand and walk away right and
like, you know, like he started,like he was tearing up, I was
tearing up, I was tearing up,like it was, but it was just
like just one second.
But it was the most amazingexperience because it was such a
contrast to when I met ElderBednar.
Yes, not that Elder Bednar isamazing, but I just wasn't.
Speaker 1 (29:07):
But it was.
It was you that changed, it wasme.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
Right.
Speaker 1 (29:09):
It was you, in a spiritually different place.
Speaker 2 (29:12):
Completely.
I was, I was, I was completelya different person.
I'm a completely differentperson, you know, and and I
think you know, I this last,come follow me.
I know people are listening tothis later, but we just did Alma
five Right, and just listeningto it, like, have you been
spiritually born again of Christ?
Like, yeah, I have, and if so,can you feel so now?
(29:35):
Yeah, I still do, and it's sojoyful and I get so excited
about that and I just, and sothen, at this point, like I just
want to share that, you know,like I would want to say, like,
you know, everybody can havethis, everybody can just start
fresh, can be someone different,doesn have to be defined or by
(29:58):
their past or you know who theywere.
Like, they get to be new andthey get to be new in Christ and
I think that's what arelationship with Jesus Christ
does is it completely changesyou to become this person that
you never even imagined you'd be.
I never.
I didn't so much know what achaplain was you know growing up
(30:18):
Like.
I don't know what that is Like.
I never wanted to serve amission.
I got out of my patriarchalblessing and I looked at my
grandma, um that you know, theone that converted and um, I
looked at her and I was like howam I supposed to do all this
without serving a mission?
I'm not going, yeah.
(30:43):
I definitely went um.
The answer is I wasn't gonna doall that without serving a
mission, but that was okay.
Um, but yeah.
So I just really appreciate thegospel for personally, what
it's done for me, because I feellike I am a this this is sounds
(31:07):
weird, but I feel like I'm oneof God's miracles.
Because if if he, like changingwater to wine was his first
miracle and everyone was like,oh, like you completely changed
a whole person inside and out.
Speaker 1 (31:19):
Yeah, exactly, and he literally can do that with
everybody, with everyone likeand and like we don't deserve.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
I didn't deserve it.
Like it's just so humbling,it's like you love me that much,
you love me so much, you sentan apostle yeah, literally an
apostle to come like get me backon the right path.
Like that to me, when you knowelder kieran says like he's in
relentless pursuit of you, likethat to me is relentless pursuit
yeah like he will stop atnothing if you're open and
(31:52):
willing, all he can't changeyour will, that's the only thing
he can't do.
Like, you have to be willing.
And if you are even a littlebit even willing to be willing,
right like yeah, if you evenhave a desire to believe, right
like, willing to be willing hecan work with that.
Speaker 1 (32:07):
Did you plant the seed?
Have you planted the seed inthe good soil?
Are you nurturing the good soilright?
Speaker 2 (32:12):
exactly, exactly.
So, yeah, that's my storythat's.
Speaker 1 (32:17):
That's amazing.
Well, I had I had just so manythoughts while you were talking.
I should have wrote them alldown.
My first thought was I love howyou were talking about being
able to be in a space to havethe spiritual clarity to I don't
know, to call down the powersfrom heaven, like to me.
That's something that I'vereally been pondering about.
At least, when President Nelsontalks about it, he make it seem
(32:40):
really simple.
I feel like whenever I thinkabout it or I try and like study
it, I'm like, oh man, like Ireally want to understand this,
and I think the fact that you'resaying no, I'm still able to do
these kinds of things within mycovenantal relationship with
Christ, I think is reallypowerful.
Kinds of things within mycovenantal relationship with
Christ, I think is reallypowerful.
And do you have, do you haveany other kind of like thoughts
(33:04):
or things you might want toshare specifically about that?
Because I think that that issomething really important that
a lot of women need to know andto hear is when we are in that
covenant relationship withChrist, there is power and that
we can produce miracles, youknow, if it's his will.
Speaker 2 (33:20):
So um, first thing, I would say, like, just exactly
how I like, how I do it, I don'tknow Like, for me, I feel like,
first have the spirit and don'toffend it.
If you're going to have thespirit and when I say have the
spirit, I like to think of itlike you're hosting, like you're
inviting the spirit over toyour house you need to be a good
(33:40):
host.
You can't have, like the musicthat's going to offend it.
You can't have, you know,whatever in your home that's
going to offend this reallyimportant guest because it's
going to leave, right, or he'sgoing to leave, you know, right,
or he's gonna leave, you know.
And so I try and think like thatand try and keep my myself like
(34:01):
in a place where I can feel thespirit when I need, when I need
it, like I or try, and you know, have it as much as I can.
And from there I just listenand I say what do you want me to
do?
Like, where are we?
What do we need?
And um, I've had just reallypowerful experiences where it's
like um, I've learned, if I'mministering to someone or if I'm
(34:24):
talking to someone, I pray forthem.
They tell me they needsomething.
I ask.
I've asked people in theairport before.
It's been really awkward, butI'm like, hey, it's kind of nice
though, to be a chaplain,because people expect you to be,
like you know, churchy, I guessso it's not like out of norm,
like that's like who you are andit's who I am anyway, but like
it, it just kind of helped me,so I would, I would was talking
(34:46):
to someone at the airport,mentioned that I'm a chaplain,
um, they were going to likebasic um.
I was like, can I pray with you?
Like can I pray for you?
Um, and so just like prayingwith people because that's
something I've learned too likeworking with other denominations
, like if we say like, oh okay,well, I'll keep you in my
prayers, other people will pray,like other churches is like my
(35:08):
holy envy.
Like other people will be likewe're praying now.
Like we're praying now.
I pray in hospitals all the time, like, and it's just like I
love it because there was, oh,I'll give you an example.
So there I was, in the hospital.
My kids have asthma, so I'm inthe hospital a lot.
They're fine, everyone's fine,but we just have to go to the ER
(35:29):
a lot.
So I'm in the hospital with oneof my kids I can't even
remember who it was and I hearthis lady crying in the bathroom
talking about how much painshe's in and she's like this
person, like the doctors can'tfigure it out and and she's
crying and I'm like, oh, I'llpray for her and I keep trying
to leave and the spirit's likego back.
Yeah, I'm like but, she's in thebathroom and I don't want to
(35:50):
tell like this is like go back,go back.
And I'm like, but, but I don'twant that.
It's like, no, you.
I was like, okay, okay, I'mgonna stop being willful, I'm
gonna start being willing.
I'm like, okay, I'll wait.
And I just knock on the doorand I'm like, hey, you know, I
heard your conversation is um,and I like to say this just
because it makes me feelcomfortable.
But I was like you know, um,you know, I heard your
(36:11):
conversation, um.
I might have said I'm a chaplainmaybe I didn't, but I was just
like um, can I pray with you?
Can I pray for you?
And she's like, oh, my gosh,yes, she's on the phone.
She's like this lady just camein and she's gonna pray for me.
And so we just prayed.
And then she was like I wasgetting ready to leave.
She's like, nope, I'm prayingfor you now.
And then she's like prayingover my daughter and like
(36:32):
everything or no, I think it wasmy son that was sick, I, I
don't know Whatever, but yeah,it was my son.
He had this leg thing and Iactually really was freaked out.
If it was asthma, I probablywould have been okay, but he had
something.
He's fine, but he had thisthing with his leg and she
prayed for me and it was justsuch a powerful experience.
But it was like such a prayerof faith and healing and I don't
(37:08):
, you know, I don't know, Ican't, I wish I could be like.
Yeah, I ran into her later andshe was completely healed, like
I didn't, I don't know, but Ihave faith that she would like
she was comforted.
I know she was comforted and sheprobably was healed Like she
could have been, you know, andasking like okay, and like you
kind of just listen for whatthat person needs, and then you
say it and you have faith thatlike god's gonna give it to them
.
And obviously I'm not layinghands, I'm not like, I'm very,
(37:29):
I'm not like doing all of thepriesthoody things, I'm not
putting oil on or whatever right, but it's a prayer in faith
asking for, like listening tothe spirit and praying in faith
and asking for what that personneeds and having faith that, as
an obedient covenant keepingperson in in the gospel and in
(37:53):
the, you know doing what I'msupposed to be doing and in the,
you know doing what I'msupposed to be doing, being led
by the spirit that those thingslike will be granted by the lord
, if it has, if it's his will,right, right, I don't know how
different.
I've never given a priesthoodblessing.
I don't know.
I can only ask my husband, butI've talked to him about it and
(38:15):
he's like, yeah, it feels prettymuch like that.
I don't know, I'm not sayingthat that's like a priesthood
blessing or anything like that,but I am saying that it's still
powerful.
I am saying that it's stillpossible for us as women with
faith and keeping our covenants,being obedient, doing all the
things we're supposed to, to beable to bless people's lives in
(38:37):
a way that isn't superficial,but in a way that is so powerful
that you know can calm thestorms of the sea, that can heal
the sick, that the lame canwalk, that you know comfort and
the spirit and the power ofheaven can be upon the people
that we're praying for in a waythat I don't think that we all
(39:02):
fully grasp collectively, um,and maybe we do, I don't mean to
generalize, but I thinkcollectively.
If we understood that, whatcould we do in this world?
Yeah, right, like wecollectively, as women, really
(39:25):
exercise that to its fullestpotential and went out and
ministered in that way.
Right, it's powerful, it'sreally powerful and you know
there will be so many blessingsand miracles upon the earth.
I love the.
There was a talk where he wastalking about like how people
(39:45):
were raised from the dead.
Do you remember?
Speaker 1 (39:48):
that one?
Yeah, it was from this pastconference.
Speaker 2 (39:49):
Yeah, yeah, and I was like, yeah, I believe that,
like, I believe that thathappened and I believe that that
still happens, and I believethat, like I believe that that
happened and I believe that thatstill happens, and I believe
that there are angels, I believethat people are miraculously
healed, the way that Christ, youknow, just touched the garment
and she was and it dried up andit when healed, you know, and by
his word, you know, I, you know, by his word it's healed and
(40:15):
and I know that that's true, Iknow it and and you know, as we
continue to build faith in that,you know and have faith that
that can be possible and that isnot only something that men
have access to, but we as womencan, can access that as well.
Yeah, and in that way, you know, listening to the spirit, being
(40:38):
led by the spirit, praying withfaith and calling down the
powers of heaven right um, bythe spirit.
You know, as we do, that we'llsee more of those kinds of
miracles throughout the earthright, and we can be ministering
angels yeah, yeah, go ahead.
Speaker 1 (40:54):
Well, one of my thoughts I was thinking as you
were talking about that is doyou feel like we maybe over
complicate the gospel then andthat that is kind of something
that is a pavilion that kind ofcovers us and blocks us from
this true potential?
Because as I'm sitting herelistening to you say all these
things, I'm like man, like Ireally wish, I really wish I
could do these things, but I'msure, in order to do that, I
(41:15):
have to read my scriptures fortwo hours a day, I have to pray
for X amount of time and reallylike, how do you really give
your prayers this intention thatyou're talking about?
How do I really, you know if,oh my gosh, ministering so hard?
You know, I feel like there areso many things that we feel
kind of go into what makes usspirit, what makes a spiritual
(41:39):
person, or what gives us, whatqualifies us, I guess, for that,
in order for us to have all ofthese blessings, does that make
sense?
Speaker 2 (41:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (41:47):
Yeah.
So you feel like you'recomplicating it too much, or
maybe it it it actually doesrequire a lot of energy, or
maybe it's just a little morenuanced than that.
Like this is something I'vebeen pondering about because I
feel like for me, I'm a reallyperfectionistic person.
I have I'm a really a type.
I have a lot of tendencieswhere it's like, yeah, gold,
(42:08):
participation trophies, yeah, Idon't do those.
It's like I'm either in withJesus or I'm out and today, if I
didn't get all this stuff inthat I want to do for Jesus,
then I'm a failure right, yeah,so I know, for me, in my own
world, I kind of complicatethings and I feel like when I,
when I see the world from thatway, I don't have hope or I
don't have faith that I canaccess these miracles.
(42:28):
That you're, that you'retalking about so what would you
say to someone like me who'slike yeah, you know what?
Speaker 2 (42:34):
that sounds nice, but yeah, so I okay so many things,
so I get that's a whole anotherpodcast you probably do again.
But, um, I actually so I'm atherapist and I actually see a
lot of members who struggle withlike perfectionism and stuff,
right.
Um, and I I'll say this I do mybest with the scriptures.
(42:59):
Like I open my script, like youknow, I have days where I sit
and I read I probably like I'llread really great, like it's a
good, it's a good scripturesession, or I'll listen to you
know my podcast and I'm justlike fully in it and I'm just
getting all of theseinspirations, like I have those
days, um, I have days where I'mlike, oh, it's been a couple
(43:20):
days, I've run my scriptures,man, okay, my bad, you know, and
I'll like, I'll repent and I'lljust try again, you know, and
so, um, and I still am able tolike to feel the spirit and do
these things.
I think for me personally, I'mreally strict about like certain
things.
I'm strict with the do nots andI'm working on the deuce, if
(43:43):
that makes sense.
So I'm really strict with thelike.
You know, don't watch anythingthat would take make the spirit
feel uncomfortable.
I'm strict with like.
I listen to a lot of Christianrap because of my past life.
In my past life, I listened toa lot of hip-hop and I really
still with like.
I listened to a lot ofChristian rap because of my past
life and my past life, Ilistened to a lot of hip hop and
(44:05):
I really still like like thesound, you know like the the
rhythm and I love to dance andyou know so.
so now I listen to all justChristian music and it's a lot
of like the the don't that Ireally focus on, but and I'm
just trying my best right nowwith the dues, Like that's, like
you know, praying and withintent and reading my scriptures
(44:26):
and going to the temple, likeall the dues.
I'm striving in um the don'ts,I'm just like I've, I've done
that.
I don't want to do that Like.
That's kind of like where I amwith that, you know.
But I think, like I said, theLord just loves effort.
I don't, I don't yeah, you know, if you want to.
In that context, like, do weovercomplicate things?
(44:48):
Sometimes I think we do.
When I talk to people that feellike you know'm not, I'm not
enough for the lord um, and orI'm like I'm not where I need to
be, I'll say things like well,just put your scriptures out on
your table and look at them oncea day.
(45:09):
If you can do that, you didyour job that day.
And then the next week I wantyou to like go and touch it,
like don't read it, don't pickit up, just touch it, yeah.
And then the next week maybe,like flip the pages and put it
down, like pick it up, put itdown, and then, like you know,
and so on and so forth.
Speaker 1 (45:28):
It's the intention.
Speaker 2 (45:30):
It's the, it's the intention and I think it's the
process.
You know, it's the process ofbecoming like christ, right,
it's not that you need to belike christ right now, right,
because that's a process andwherever you are in the process,
as long as you were in processof it, you're in where you're on
(45:52):
the path.
God said stay on the path.
So you're on the path.
If you're trying, if you'restriving Right, and I think that
as long as you're doing that,you're okay.
Like you can have the spirit,you can do these things.
I will say that on the days thatI do a really good scripture
(46:14):
study tend to be the days whereI talk to someone that needed
that, that scripture that day,or I needed it, or someone like
you know.
So I will say that that it'shelpful.
I will say that if I'm moreintentional about my prayers and
I'm listening to the spirit asI'm praying, I tend to get
(46:35):
inspiration to pray for peoplethat I probably wouldn't have,
and I find out later why I had afriend, and it's so funny.
It always surprises me and Itell my husband like I can't
believe that happened.
He's like you do this all thetime.
Speaker 1 (46:47):
I don't know why you're surprised by it.
Speaker 2 (46:51):
So I had this friend that was having a baby, yeah,
and I just remember feeling soinspired to just pray so hard
for her as she had this baby.
I just was so worried about herand I'm not normally, you know,
I didn't really have a reasonto worry, but I was just so
worried for her.
and then I found out, likemonths later, that she had had
this like terrible complicationand that she like you know, you
(47:15):
know, and it was a miracle thatshe, it wasn't worse and and
it's just those kinds of thingsthat you know, that day when I
felt inspired to say that prayer, like that's what I needed to
be doing, right, and, as long asyou're open and willing, the
Lord can take that.
You know, I I left one time Iwas at I, I was at bootcamp, or
(47:37):
not bootcamp, like OTS but Icall it bootcamp for people that
don't know what that is, but um, I was at bootcamp and I
remember just feeling soinadequate for some reason.
And the Lord just verydistinctly said I didn't call
you to do this because what didhe say?
Cause you were confident orsomething like that.
I was like, I didn't well geethanks, no, but he said I called
(48:01):
you to do it because you werewilling.
I knew you would do it becauseyou were willing to go and do it
.
And sometimes that's all weneed is just our, our willing
hearts.
Um, I mean, I'm 32 and I'm astake release society president.
When I got that phone call Iwas like yeah, that sounds
really intimidating.
I mean I have like I just had mybaby.
She was I don't even know.
(48:22):
She was like like six monthswhen I got called.
So I had this like six monthold baby I'm.
You know, I just got, like Iwas going on my orders, Like I
was like what?
And one of the things my stakepresident said and I actually
love that he said this, so it'snot like I wasn't offended at
all but he said we called twoother people and they turned us
(48:45):
down and we really need somebodyto do this, and it was like the
same thing.
I didn't call you because youwere competent, I called you
because you were willing.
Yeah, because the Lord.
I mean I could try my best and Icould be the, I could be the
most competent on the planet,but the Lord could do so much
more with me with a willingheart, than he could do with
somebody that like thinks theyknow it all and thinks they know
what they're doing.
If you're, if you're willingand open and what's the word
(49:10):
like malleable, submissive toGod, like he works miracles
through you.
You don't even like you put inyour best effort, but the effort
that you put in he multipliesby so much.
So you could read one scripturethat day, and that one
scripture could save someone'stestimony if you shared it with
them.
So I I wouldn't so much focuson you know, am I doing
(49:34):
everything perfectly?
I would focus on am I, am Itrying, am I striving, and am I
willing to get better, and am Iwilling to listen, you know?
So, yeah, I hope that answeredyour question.
Speaker 1 (49:46):
No, I think that was great.
I got goosebumps.
I was like okay, I'm willingGod, I'm willing Jesus, I'll try
, I'll keep trying.
Speaker 2 (49:54):
That's all he wants, you're good.
Speaker 1 (49:56):
Yeah, well, if there are, are there any other final
thoughts that you have or anyother things that you would like
to share, or would you justlike to leave us with a
testimony?
Speaker 2 (50:04):
I'll leave you with the testimony.
I know that our heavenly fatherloves us all of us, every one
of us so much that he sees us.
He loves us in in our worst andbroken state, like we have,
(50:24):
like we feel like we're justlike down in this pit and down
in the dumps and feel like wecan't get out and that we feel
so unworthy and just buried bygrief and mistakes and
loneliness or whatever it is.
And he sees that all perfectlyand he loves us still.
(50:44):
He loves us so much that hesent his son, his only son, and
let him go through tragic andgruesome and the most
unconceivable, like pains thatwe like, literally just like,
(51:05):
can't even fathom.
His child right, his baby, hisperfect baby, put him on a cross
for us and there was no waythat we were even remotely
deserving of that, knowingexactly how wicked and awful we
were.
He did that for us because heloves us and there's nothing
(51:34):
that we could possibly do thatwould negate that love.
And he is desperate to be withus again, in the way that a
parent is desperate for theirchild um, any parent that would
be separated from their child,like that desperation and and
longing for that child to bewith that child again.
(51:56):
He feels that immensely, um,and there's nothing that again,
nothing that we can do to totake that away.
Um, I know that we are all aschildren and we all can feel
that love um I'm grateful forand I I believe and know that
(52:19):
the gospel has been restored toits full glory and it's on the
earth today that um, all thekeys that are held in the temple
, um, and the work that we dothere is sacred and I invite
everyone listening to go to thetemple or think about the temple
, or read about the temple orjust like, be Christ-centered
(52:43):
and temple attending in whateverway you can, because the world
distorts so much.
There's so much distortion inthe world about what's true and
right and good, and if you go tothe temple, you'll reorient
yourself and understand whattruth is and what right is and
(53:06):
um, and have a clearunderstanding of who god is, um,
so I invite you to go and Ibear my testimony of that.
I know the Lord is inrelentless pursuit of us and he
will not stop.
He will not stop and if weallow ourselves to even be
(53:26):
willing, to be willing to followJesus Christ, it will change us
and we will become like him,and that's the goal of life is
to strive to become like christin any way we can.
We to love god and love peopleas best as we can.
(53:46):
And if we can do that andstrive to do that, I believe
that we'll come to a time wherewe will be in his presence and
we will feel worthy to be there.
And I testify of that and Iknow these things are true, and
I say this in the name of JesusChrist, amen.
Speaker 1 (54:03):
Amen.
Well, thank you, sierra, foryour time tonight, and I really
appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (54:09):
Yeah, of course, thank you.
Speaker 1 (54:12):
Thanks again for tuning into More Than
Coincidence, remembering JesusChrist in your story.
Please follow us on socialmedia or share us with a friend.
If you have an experience you'dlike to share, feel free to
reach out tomorethancoincidencerememberhim
at gmailcom.
I can't wait to hear all of theamazing memories you all have
of our Savior.
(54:32):
See you next time.
Hello everyone and welcome to More Than Coincidence
, remembering Jesus Christ inyour Story as the author and
finisher of our faith, ourSavior writes personal
experiences into each of ourlives which can later strengthen
, empower and bring us peaceupon reflection.
This podcast is dedicated tosharing these anchoring memories
(00:26):
from everyone's unique storiesin order to collectively
remember and testify of thereality of Jesus Christ and his
presence in our lives.
I'm your host, lily, and I'mvery excited to share these
experiences together.
Good evening everybody.
Tonight we have Sierra on thepodcast.
How you doing Great, hi,welcome, welcome.
(00:48):
Would you mind introducingyourself for everybody?
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Sure, my name is Ciara Larson.
I currently live in Tampa,florida.
I'm in the Brandon Stake.
I'm serving as the Stake ReliefSociety president right now.
Um I am in the air force, uh,serving with the chaplain corps,
and I am.
I am also a therapist, so umI'm a licensed clinical social
worker.
I specialize in trauma and um Isee clients in illinois and
(01:21):
also in florida via telehealth.
So I really love doing that.
Wife and mom of three, I havethree kids, yeah, nolan, hazel
and Marcy, so they're five,three and one, and I love tacos
if anybody that knows me knowsthat Sierra loves tacos Me too.
(01:44):
Tacos are the best my mainthing, like I yeah, I literally
just like ate three of them justnow.
I love tacos.
That's awesome.
That's like yeah, so yeah,that's me.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
I super appreciate you taking the time to chat with
me and I'll just ask you thequestion, Sierra what memories
do you have in your life thatyou reflect on, that prick your
heart and remembrance of ourSavior Jesus Christ and anchor
you to him?
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Okay.
So yeah, there's always a storythat I tell and I love telling
it because it's just soincredible to me and I love
telling it because it's just soincredible to me.
I'll start by bringing up Ithink it was Elder Kieran at a
general conference that said youknow, the Lord is in relentless
pursuit of you, and I lovedthat.
(02:36):
I wrote this whole song on itbecause it just pricked my heart
, like you said, like, and Ijust and I think it has so much
to do with my story andrealizing that you know, I I was
(02:58):
pursued, like you know, as achild of God, and so I was born
in the church.
My grandma was a, was theconvert in the family, so she
joined the church in ChicagoHeights back in I think the 70s,
and so that was just amazing,you know, at the time, like she
joined the church and my family,you know, stayed in, and so I
(03:19):
was raised in the gospel.
I've always had a testimony of,you know, christ and of
Heavenly Father, and I feel likethe world just wants to tell us
like, oh, you need money to behappier.
You need to be in thisrelationship to be happy.
You need to be noticed and youknow all of these things to be
(03:41):
happy.
And so I just felt like I guesskind of like wayward, I guess I
don't know.
I felt like I was in the church, you know I was doing my best,
but at the same time, like Ijust still I was like one foot
in, one foot out, like I wantlike almost like two different
lives, you know, yeah, and itjust really got to a point where
I had to choose and I knew Iwanted to choose Christ.
(04:04):
Like I knew, like I'm like theline, the lines are splitting.
Which side do I?
Speaker 1 (04:09):
go and I'm like I want to be over there with
Christ.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
But I just like, didn't know how, like, I was
really trying, but I'm just likeI don't know where to start,
like I want to go do the wholeJesus thing.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Yeah, no exactly, but I just didn't know where to
start.
Like I want to go do the whole.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Jesus thing?
Yeah, no, exactly, but I justdidn't know how to start, you
know, and it was.
It was great because I went toa fireside and I was living here
in Illinois, so, but I live in,I lived in Southern Illinois,
so it's right by Missouri, andso I think it was like the St
Louis stake at the time hadElder Bednar come for a YSA like
(04:49):
Q&A thing.
This was years ago, I think,2011, 2012.
And so I decided to go.
I was still on the fence but Iwas like I never really met an
apostle before, like I didn'tgrow up in Utah, so I'm like I
don't, I never really met anapostle before, like I didn't
grow up in Utah, so I'm like Idon't know, this is kind of cool
.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
I've been in Utah a long time and I haven't met an
apostle either, so you're good.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
I don't know in my head.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
They're all just like walking around when everybody
gets to see them all the time.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
You know that's funny , so so for me it was going to
be really exciting to see youknow an apostle and um, I just
had this really distinctimpression like you need to
prepare to go to this, and I waslike okay, so I like did my
best like I, you know, prayedand like tried, you know, to be
prepared.
I got there early, I sat downand, right, you know, just kind
(05:39):
of meditated and pondered andand um, oh man, I remember when
he walked in, there was thislike presence.
You felt like the spirit sostrong, but you also felt like
that this is an apostle likethis, this man has like
(06:00):
authority, like this is anapostle like.
And you felt that when hewalked in and um, I remember
everyone's like asking theirquestions, um, there were a
bunch of like really goodquestions asked and he was
answering them just so well.
And um, there was um a questionhe, they, they had asked like
(06:22):
different things about, um, justlike the church and policies,
and like what's this like,what's that?
That's like.
I remember that one questionsomeone asked was like what's it
like to see Christ?
and he was like, well, you know,if you have a relationship with
him, you'd know you wouldn'thave to ask me that you'd know
what it's like to be in hispresence, something like that.
(06:44):
I hope I didn't misquote him.
That's really interesting.
So that was yeah, it was sopowerful.
And the theme for me that nightwas that our generation, like
you guys, are going to do thiswork.
You guys are going to likeyou're so important to the work.
You got to do all of thesethings.
You have this great work to doand I had already had my
(07:08):
patriarchal blessing, so I knewthat I had this like role.
Like I knew that I was supposedto do this thing right and I
wasn't sure what it was, but Iknew I had this work to do right
and so I was just like I getthat I'm supposed to be doing
this work, but I don't know how,so I just like raised my hand
and I stood up in front of.
In my head it was like hundredsof people.
It probably wasn't that full,but, remembering it, it was like
(07:29):
full.
A bunch of people and it waslike thousands of people and I'm
just standing there with my mic.
I don't know who, whomever wasthere, but I'm standing there
and I just like I asked thisquestion.
I'm like we know we're supposedto do this work, but like,
(07:52):
where do we start?
Yeah, and it was like I justremember his eyes.
I can see him now, like Iremember his eyes, like staring
into my soul, and I like I wasso uncomfortable because I was
like don't look at my soul rightnow.
He sees me.
He sees me, you know, but itwas so.
It was so powerful, but it wasalso loving, yeah, and he looked
(08:13):
at me and said, sierra, whatI'm about to tell you you
already know, but you need to bea good girl.
And I was like, oh, my goodness, and he's.
He went on to tell me, like,you need to be a good girl and
it's through your example thatyou're going to be able to like,
share, you know this witness ofChrist and you're going to be
able to go and and serve and, um, do all of these like
(08:35):
incredible things and preach thegospel to a world, and your
children are going to serve andyour children are going to just
do all of these amazing things.
I'm not married at this time.
Like oh, and so little like whyis a me is like.
I get married, I have kids,which I knew but it was just
nice to hear an apostle say thatlike prophesy over my life I
(08:57):
like that's literally what itwas.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
Yeah, it's like, it's like a second patriarchal
blessing.
Basically is what that soundedlike it really?
Speaker 2 (09:04):
was and some things were almost quoted like it was
very, it was so powerful, wow,and I just remember that and I
just remember him telling melike Siri, you need to be a good
girl, and I liken it like youknow, paul, on the road to
Damascus right like it was justsuch a like extreme intervention
(09:24):
for me of like, no, like Godwas like I know you, I see you,
I know that you're willing.
This is what I need you to doright like I need you to like
leave this behind and I need youto become someone else.
Yeah, and I was totally willingto do that.
I just didn't know how.
And when he said, like you needto be a good girl, I was like,
(09:45):
oh okay, so I'll just do that.
Because right before and andnot that I you know I think I
just was like really cherrypicking my you know my
commandments, you know I don'tknow how to say that, but there
were some that I was like thisis a serious commandment, I'm
gonna keep this one.
But there were others that Iwas like this is a serious
commandment, I'm going to keepthis one, but there were others.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
I'm like that's just a suggestion, right, right.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
For me, being a good girl just meant like no, like
everything, all the commandmentsRight.
Oh, you meant all of them, andobviously I probably sound so
ditzy right now, but like I waslike no, oh, you mean all of
them, all of them, and I waslike yeah, oh, you mean all of
them.
All of them mean I was like,yeah, no, all of them, right,
(10:29):
okay, um, but I remember toogoing up to like shake his hand,
and I never felt moreuncomfortable in my entire life,
like I didn't want to look athim.
I just like I was souncomfortable because I was just
like you know and I I knew thatif I were to die that day,
that's how I would feel in theLord's presence, and I wasn't
(10:49):
okay with that.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
Wow, that's really interesting.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Yeah, and I just was like you know, not you know, and
so it was just from then on Iwas like, okay, I wasn't you
know, I wasn't like I wish Icould be.
Like, yeah, the next day I wasjust just like the saint and I
never did anything wrong, but itwas just like the start of the
process for me.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
And that process was so beautiful because it was like
striving.
It wasn't so much like all atonce, but it was just like you
know, um, president Nelson saysthe Lord loves effort.
Like I was putting effort intobeing obedient, I was, instead
of just like kind of doingwhatever, like I was intentional
(11:34):
about keeping the commandmentsI was intentional about my
prayers.
I was intentional about, youknow, becoming somebody else,
becoming someone in Christ, andthat intention really just led
me on this amazing journey andjust deepened my relationship
(11:55):
with Christ so much.
So then, not too long afterthat, I ended up graduating
early, uh.
So I graduated uh undergrad inthree years and I took that
fourth year and I had feltreally inspired to move out to
Las Vegas, which I'm like.
I feel like I'm the only personin the world that's ever been
inspired to move to Las.
(12:16):
Vegas.
I promise it was of the Lord,but it was, and it was an
amazing experience um being outthere.
But it also taught me, like youknow I had, I still had some
ways to go, like I still had aways to go and um were you just
working out there or like what?
Speaker 1 (12:37):
like I was working, it was like an internship that
took you there.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
No, no like, literally, I graduated on a
Saturday, um, and then, no, Igraduated, I think, on a
Thursday or Friday.
Saturday I like had agraduation party and I think
Sunday I went to church, I got ablessing and me and another
friend like hopped in the carwith two suitcases and like
moved out west.
(13:01):
Like it was so wild but it wasso divine, like when I tell you
there were so many miracles.
I should have been homeless somany times out there.
There were so many miraclesthat, yeah, and I love it.
So this is such a like sidestory, but it's coming to mind
in because I guess father's dayis tomorrow but so one of the
(13:22):
one of the like miracles thatended up happening.
I didn't have a car when I wasout there and I had this job
interview.
I had gotten a ride out, but Iwas going to take the bus back.
I'm terrible at publictransportation.
I got lost on this bus bussystem.
I had, like my phone was dying.
I was calling my mom, who calledmy uncle, who called a family,
(13:43):
an old family friend that was aneighbor to my family a long
time ago, um, who ended upsomehow, by some miracle,
finding me um, because my phonedied, found me, picked me up, we
went.
He fed me, fed me, he went, wewent to fridays and then, um, we
went, he, he took me back andhe's like let just borrow one of
(14:05):
my cars.
Like you can borrow my caruntil your car gets here,
because I was getting a carshipped out.
He's like you can borrow one ofmy cars right and I was like,
oh my gosh, and like, just sucha good family friend and him,
him and my grandma actuallyended up getting married.
Yay, so like and I mean it waslike I want to say eight years,
(14:25):
seven or eight years later,because he asked me about her.
Then he was like how's yourgrandma, don't worry about it,
like you're not gonna like talkto my grandma, but it was like
meant to be yeah, they gotmarried, oh man.
I think they've been marriedmaybe two or three years now
yeah, I think they're coming upon there.
(14:45):
Yeah, so it's just like crazy.
Like going out there was soinspired because that was always
the story about him like mygrandma knew that he like took
good care of his granddaughterhe had no, he had no reason to
otherwise, you know.
But now just I know, got himsome points.
I think that's so they'remarried.
That's legit yeah, that hasnothing to do with anything that
I'm talking about, but it'sjust an amazing story.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
But I feel like that's just part of the web,
isn't it Like it was this onerandom thing that was like a
ministering angel that happenedto be a blessing in your life
and now in your grandma's life.
But I feel like that's how Godworks, isn't it?
Absolutely, it's like theserandom little things that you're
like, but I feel like that'sthat's how God works, isn't it?
It's like these random littlethings that you're like.
I have this really funny storyand Jesus is like yeah, I plan
(15:31):
that definitely, definitely so.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
Yeah, we call him Gramps, so shout out to Gramps.
He'll probably listen to this,but yeah so fun yeah, so, yeah.
So then, um, so I'm out inVegas, I'm working.
Um, I used to be one of thosepeople that are like in the
Sam's Club, like the people youdon't try not to make eye
contact with because there's somany stuff, yeah, right which
was also super awesome becauseit made me like not afraid I
(16:00):
ended up serving a mission.
this is kind of spoiler alert tothe end of the story, but it
I'm maybe not afraid to knockdoors Like I could go up to
anybody and talk to anybody,because I literally was sitting
there for hours a day talking topeople as they walked by trying
to sell these like hairstraighteners and pierogies and
stuff Right right.
It was an amazing experience andit definitely prepared me for a
mission.
(16:20):
But anyway, going back of how Ijust ended up going on a
mission was so I had been doingthat.
I think I ended up leaving thatjob.
I found another job.
But I got my degree inpsychology.
I knew I always wanted to be atherapist.
My plan was always to have aprivate practice and so I was
(16:42):
like do I go to UNLV?
What do I like?
Have a private practice?
Um, and so I was like do I goto UNLV?
What do I like?
Where do I go?
What do I do?
Do I get this job?
Do I stay here?
Do I um, go on a mission?
Like, what do I do?
So I went to the temple,because that's where I go when I
have big questions and um.
I love the temple, I love thetemple.
I just such like, just like aplug into Like it's just like an
(17:05):
amazing place.
So I was in the Las Vegas templeand I was doing baptisms and I
was just kind of sitting justlooking at the baptistry.
I don't even think I didbaptisms that day, I don't think
I could.
I think it was in between, likeshifts at work or something.
But I think I think it was inbetween, like shifts at work or
(17:28):
something.
Um, but I think I just didconfirmation.
So I'm just sitting there likepraying, trying to figure out
what I want to do, and um, atemple worker came in and was
like hey, like who are you, youknow, talking?
And all of a sudden she justgoes have you ever thought about
serving a mission?
And I was like, actually, likeI filled out my papers once but
I never finished.
Yeah, and she was like youshould really like think about
(17:49):
serving a mission.
I was like, okay, I'll thinkabout it.
And so then I'm just sittingthere praying, like whatever you
do.
And then a second one comes up,like later, and it's just like
everything's not about surveyadmission you're like you might
(18:09):
have had to tell me twice, butyou don't need to tell me three
times.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
I'll go finish my paper.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
That's so cool.
That's what I did.
I like went home and finishedpaperwork, um, and it was
awesome.
It was the best experience ever.
Yeah, I, uh, I went um.
There's so many things thatlike got me on my mission too.
I went, ended up going um.
So my, so my mom and my, my uh,my dad, dad, so I have my dad,
(18:39):
my dad, dad, my dad dad, um, andmy mom are divorced um and so,
um, he's not a member and so heand he hasn't really been a big
fan of the church at this time,like before my mission and stuff
, and um, I was always just like, oh, I'm gonna have to tell him
I'm going to mission, he's notgonna support it.
Um, and I ended up telling himit was just like such a miracle
(19:01):
that he like flew out to Vegasand like we did this like epic
road trip, like across like hebrought me all the way back to
Illinois and helped me get mystuff, like um, I stayed with
him for a couple weeks before Ileft and it was just really like
he was just so supportive hewas, so I was so surprised
because I was so like.
I was like, oh, no, he's notgonna.
(19:23):
Yeah, I was so worried, but no,he's just so supportive, which
was to me.
It was so like I was like, ohno, he's not gonna.
Yeah, I was so worried, but no,he's just so supportive, which
was to me.
It was just like a huge miracle.
And then it ended up um,because I was, you know, I was
working, but I was workingcommissions and stuff, so it
wasn't like.
I was making a ton of money outthere, and so my my dad, um, and
my like, and my mom the onesthat are married still, um and
(19:46):
my grandma, all were, like we'll, we'll pay for your mission.
Like, just go, we'll pay for itwow and when I went, all three
of them, for some reason oranother, got like a promotion or
a job or something that theywere making like 20 percent more
than what they were making forall three of them like it was
(20:08):
just like the most incrediblething they were making, like 20
percent or whatever more.
They got like raises and all ofthis stuff while I was gone, um,
because they were payingpermission, so it was like a
really cool thing.
Speaker 1 (20:21):
Yeah, um, but yeah, I served oh, sorry, I was about
to ask you where you served inthe dominican republic.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
Yeah, santiago mission.
So I, oh my goodness, everyonethought I was dominican.
I'm not dominican, um, uh, likeby blood.
I say I'm dominican by heart,but not by blood.
But but I love the dr.
The people are amazing.
I was in the most amazing areasum, my first area was like mal,
and then I went to porto plataabout now navarrete, like all of
(20:54):
just the most beautiful placesin the world and the most
amazing people, such um, justamazing christians, like it's a
very christian country, um, andthat's it's really cool to see
everybody just like praisingchrist.
You know, all the time like youknow, and like just so
unapologetic, just likecompletely like yeah, like
(21:17):
anything.
They'll say.
They're like how, how are youtoday?
They're like thank the lord,I'm doing great.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
Like you know like cool, yeah, like in one.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
you know, in spanish they're just like oh, every,
every day is just the Lord givesme blessings.
It's just the way that, in theway that they talk, the way that
they are, so it's the bestmission in the world.
They actually just made it intotwo missions now, so that's
been pretty cool, but, yeah,there are so many miracles on my
mission that just were amazing.
Um, the biggest thing about mymission, though, I will say
(21:48):
because, like I said earlier,you know there's.
So the world says like you needthis to be happy, you need that
, you need, you know all ofthese things, but on your
mission, all of that gets takenaway, like, yeah, you know, you
have no money, you know youdon't have you're like not
dating you're, you know you'renot like.
All of that stuff is gone.
And you're left with Jesus, likethat's all you got Right.
(22:08):
That was such a blessing for me, though, because I had never
been happier.
You know, it was just me andChrist, and even though my
mission was really hard, I willsay that, like my mission, I got
my appendix out.
My mission I don't know howmuch of this.
I had a medical issue, yeah, um, and we don't know what it was,
(22:34):
so it was never diagnosed asanything so I have to be careful
about this, because um it wasnever like diagnosed as anything
.
Um, they couldn't figure outwhat it was right um, what I
think it probably was after likeresearching later, was an
electrolyte imbalance from likea stomach thing that I had, um,
(22:54):
but basically like kind of dieda little bit yeah, I died on my
mission, but it's okay, I cameback.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
It was like it was just for a second.
My pulse came back, you know,but I think it's so symbolic,
but it's okay, I came back tolife.
It was just for a second.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
My pulse came back, you know.
But I think it's so symbolic.
I think it's so symbolicbecause you know we're supposed
to die right Like we're supposedto be spiritually reborn
through.
Christ.
Exactly, yes, exactly, youliterally had that on your
mission.
Yeah, it was such arepresentation of that for me
(23:25):
because I did not come back thesame person at all.
Like at all, like if anyone'sknown me before my mission and
knew me after, like I'm not thesame person at all and I'm so
grateful for that.
It's been such like a journeyand just the Lord, just like the
(23:47):
love he just loves me so muchand it it was my mission was
such an example to me of likethe power of being obedient and
having faith, like those twothings right, because if you're
obedient, you know obediencebrings blessings.
Right, but like what it does isit gives you access to the
(24:08):
spirit.
Because the things that Godasks you to do, it's not just
like because he feels likeasking you to do it, it's
because those are the thingsthat will offend the spirit.
Like if you or that, or youknow what I mean like if you're
doing those things, it's gonnaoffend the, the spirit, right,
right.
And so he asks you not to dothem.
And so when I wasn't doing thethings that would offend the
(24:31):
spirit and I'm just focused ondoing all of the things that you
know heavenly father asked meto do, right, I just had, I was
just full of the spirit and Icould make decisions easier, I
could speak by the spirit, Icould like act, you know in a
way, and you know as the as amissionary have, the ways that I
(24:52):
was able to pray in faith andover people and and those things
and the delegated authority.
I had to do that and the powerthat came from that was amazing,
like when President Nelson Ihave such a strong testimony of
women that can um that he saiduh, I think it was plea to our
sisters that we need women thatcan call down the powers of
(25:12):
heaven and realize miracles.
I hope I didn't misquote that.
I'm a really bad quoter but goand look at it.
But I mean, it's something tothat effect.
It's the essence.
Yeah, you got it.
Yeah, that's the essence of it,right, but just I learned how
to do that on my mission.
I learned how that faith tolike, that faith and obedience
(25:32):
to just call down the powers ofheaven, to minister to other
people and no matter what it is.
And I've used that ever since,like I came back from my mission
, I've used it in my callings,I've used that in chaplaincy,
I've used that, you know, in somany ways and it's been so
powerful.
It's been like I can't even Icould fill three podcasts of all
(26:12):
the miracles that I've seen,you know just over, miracles and
blessings over my kids,miracles and blessings over
other people, my covenantalrelationship with Christ,
because I've gotten more joywithin that relationship and
I've become a person that Iappreciate and enjoy and love
(26:32):
way more within thatrelationship.
I don't really like myselfoutside of it Anytime.
I feel, like I'm like notpraying enough, or you know, not
not praying enough, but likewhen I feel disconnected from
the Lord.
I'm like oh, sierra, you'rekind of a grump, like you're not
really that fun for me to bearound myself you know.
But when I am, you know, whenI'm praying and and and not
(26:54):
praying just to pray, butpraying to have that close
relationship, to talk and tostay connected with the Lord,
like when I'm in that space, itis joyful.
It's so joy it doesn't matterwhat's going on in my life, like
I'm still able to feel joy uponthe circumstance, but it's a
joy that overcomes any darknessand any hard time, because I
(27:23):
know that the Lord lives and Iknow that he loves me and I know
that he's there for me and Iknow that you know it's going to
be okay and it's going to workout in whatever way it needs to,
because the Lord, you know isthere yeah.
And I have that, that trust, butmy mission really built that
trust and I've been able to usethat.
But kind of going back to mypoint of like being a different
(27:44):
person, so I think it was notthis last chaplain conference,
so like I don't know if you knowthis, but every October during
general conference they do likea like chaplain conference,
which I never knew yeah, so youget like extra conference, which
is really cool, so if you everthink about being a chaplain.
That's like one perk you canlike even if you're a
(28:07):
spirituality in October.
Oh my goodness oh my goodness,it's amazing.
And so we had, um, elder Irenecome and speak to us and after
we got to go up and shake hishand and, oh my gosh, it was the
most amazing thing because nowI'm like, I'm in my uniform, you
(28:28):
know, I go up and I shake hishand and I just look into his
eyes.
I'm like one, I can look intohis eyes.
That's a change.
That's a change.
It was such a change and but Ifelt so comfortable there, like
it was just I was able, for likea split second, to just feel
like love and joy and peace andwarmth all in, like this.
(28:50):
The time it took to shake hishand and walk away right and
like, you know, like he started,like he was tearing up, I was
tearing up, I was tearing up,like it was, but it was just
like just one second.
But it was the most amazingexperience because it was such a
contrast to when I met ElderBednar.
Yes, not that Elder Bednar isamazing, but I just wasn't.
Speaker 1 (29:07):
But it was.
It was you that changed, it wasme.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
Right.
Speaker 1 (29:09):
It was you, in a spiritually different place.
Speaker 2 (29:12):
Completely.
I was, I was, I was completelya different person.
I'm a completely differentperson, you know, and and I
think you know, I this last,come follow me.
I know people are listening tothis later, but we just did Alma
five Right, and just listeningto it, like, have you been
spiritually born again of Christ?
Like, yeah, I have, and if so,can you feel so now?
(29:35):
Yeah, I still do, and it's sojoyful and I get so excited
about that and I just, and sothen, at this point, like I just
want to share that, you know,like I would want to say, like,
you know, everybody can havethis, everybody can just start
fresh, can be someone different,doesn have to be defined or by
(29:58):
their past or you know who theywere.
Like, they get to be new andthey get to be new in Christ and
I think that's what arelationship with Jesus Christ
does is it completely changesyou to become this person that
you never even imagined you'd be.
I never.
I didn't so much know what achaplain was you know growing up
(30:18):
Like.
I don't know what that is Like.
I never wanted to serve amission.
I got out of my patriarchalblessing and I looked at my
grandma, um that you know, theone that converted and um, I
looked at her and I was like howam I supposed to do all this
without serving a mission?
I'm not going, yeah.
(30:43):
I definitely went um.
The answer is I wasn't gonna doall that without serving a
mission, but that was okay.
Um, but yeah.
So I just really appreciate thegospel for personally, what
it's done for me, because I feellike I am a this this is sounds
(31:07):
weird, but I feel like I'm oneof God's miracles.
Because if if he, like changingwater to wine was his first
miracle and everyone was like,oh, like you completely changed
a whole person inside and out.
Speaker 1 (31:19):
Yeah, exactly, and he literally can do that with
everybody, with everyone likeand and like we don't deserve.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
I didn't deserve it.
Like it's just so humbling,it's like you love me that much,
you love me so much, you sentan apostle yeah, literally an
apostle to come like get me backon the right path.
Like that to me, when you knowelder kieran says like he's in
relentless pursuit of you, likethat to me is relentless pursuit
yeah like he will stop atnothing if you're open and
(31:52):
willing, all he can't changeyour will, that's the only thing
he can't do.
Like, you have to be willing.
And if you are even a littlebit even willing to be willing,
right like yeah, if you evenhave a desire to believe, right
like, willing to be willing hecan work with that.
Speaker 1 (32:07):
Did you plant the seed?
Have you planted the seed inthe good soil?
Are you nurturing the good soilright?
Speaker 2 (32:12):
exactly, exactly.
So, yeah, that's my storythat's.
Speaker 1 (32:17):
That's amazing.
Well, I had I had just so manythoughts while you were talking.
I should have wrote them alldown.
My first thought was I love howyou were talking about being
able to be in a space to havethe spiritual clarity to I don't
know, to call down the powersfrom heaven, like to me.
That's something that I'vereally been pondering about.
At least, when President Nelsontalks about it, he make it seem
(32:40):
really simple.
I feel like whenever I thinkabout it or I try and like study
it, I'm like, oh man, like Ireally want to understand this,
and I think the fact that you'resaying no, I'm still able to do
these kinds of things within mycovenantal relationship with
Christ, I think is reallypowerful.
Kinds of things within mycovenantal relationship with
Christ, I think is reallypowerful.
And do you have, do you haveany other kind of like thoughts
(33:04):
or things you might want toshare specifically about that?
Because I think that that issomething really important that
a lot of women need to know andto hear is when we are in that
covenant relationship withChrist, there is power and that
we can produce miracles, youknow, if it's his will.
Speaker 2 (33:20):
So um, first thing, I would say, like, just exactly
how I like, how I do it, I don'tknow Like, for me, I feel like,
first have the spirit and don'toffend it.
If you're going to have thespirit and when I say have the
spirit, I like to think of itlike you're hosting, like you're
inviting the spirit over toyour house you need to be a good
(33:40):
host.
You can't have, like the musicthat's going to offend it.
You can't have, you know,whatever in your home that's
going to offend this reallyimportant guest because it's
going to leave, right, or he'sgoing to leave, you know, right,
or he's gonna leave, you know.
And so I try and think like thatand try and keep my myself like
(34:01):
in a place where I can feel thespirit when I need, when I need
it, like I or try, and you know, have it as much as I can.
And from there I just listenand I say what do you want me to
do?
Like, where are we?
What do we need?
And um, I've had just reallypowerful experiences where it's
like um, I've learned, if I'mministering to someone or if I'm
(34:24):
talking to someone, I pray forthem.
They tell me they needsomething.
I ask.
I've asked people in theairport before.
It's been really awkward, butI'm like, hey, it's kind of nice
though, to be a chaplain,because people expect you to be,
like you know, churchy, I guessso it's not like out of norm,
like that's like who you are andit's who I am anyway, but like
it, it just kind of helped me,so I would, I would was talking
(34:46):
to someone at the airport,mentioned that I'm a chaplain,
um, they were going to likebasic um.
I was like, can I pray with you?
Like can I pray for you?
Um, and so just like prayingwith people because that's
something I've learned too likeworking with other denominations
, like if we say like, oh okay,well, I'll keep you in my
prayers, other people will pray,like other churches is like my
(35:08):
holy envy.
Like other people will be likewe're praying now.
Like we're praying now.
I pray in hospitals all the time, like, and it's just like I
love it because there was, oh,I'll give you an example.
So there I was, in the hospital.
My kids have asthma, so I'm inthe hospital a lot.
They're fine, everyone's fine,but we just have to go to the ER
(35:29):
a lot.
So I'm in the hospital with oneof my kids I can't even
remember who it was and I hearthis lady crying in the bathroom
talking about how much painshe's in and she's like this
person, like the doctors can'tfigure it out and and she's
crying and I'm like, oh, I'llpray for her and I keep trying
to leave and the spirit's likego back.
Yeah, I'm like but, she's in thebathroom and I don't want to
(35:50):
tell like this is like go back,go back.
And I'm like, but, but I don'twant that.
It's like, no, you.
I was like, okay, okay, I'mgonna stop being willful, I'm
gonna start being willing.
I'm like, okay, I'll wait.
And I just knock on the doorand I'm like, hey, you know, I
heard your conversation is um,and I like to say this just
because it makes me feelcomfortable.
But I was like you know, um,you know, I heard your
(36:11):
conversation, um.
I might have said I'm a chaplainmaybe I didn't, but I was just
like um, can I pray with you?
Can I pray for you?
And she's like, oh, my gosh,yes, she's on the phone.
She's like this lady just camein and she's gonna pray for me.
And so we just prayed.
And then she was like I wasgetting ready to leave.
She's like, nope, I'm prayingfor you now.
And then she's like prayingover my daughter and like
(36:32):
everything or no, I think it wasmy son that was sick, I, I
don't know Whatever, but yeah,it was my son.
He had this leg thing and Iactually really was freaked out.
If it was asthma, I probablywould have been okay, but he had
something.
He's fine, but he had thisthing with his leg and she
prayed for me and it was justsuch a powerful experience.
But it was like such a prayerof faith and healing and I don't
(37:08):
, you know, I don't know, Ican't, I wish I could be like.
Yeah, I ran into her later andshe was completely healed, like
I didn't, I don't know, but Ihave faith that she would like
she was comforted.
I know she was comforted and sheprobably was healed Like she
could have been, you know, andasking like okay, and like you
kind of just listen for whatthat person needs, and then you
say it and you have faith thatlike god's gonna give it to them
.
And obviously I'm not layinghands, I'm not like, I'm very,
(37:29):
I'm not like doing all of thepriesthoody things, I'm not
putting oil on or whatever right, but it's a prayer in faith
asking for, like listening tothe spirit and praying in faith
and asking for what that personneeds and having faith that, as
an obedient covenant keepingperson in in the gospel and in
(37:53):
the, you know doing what I'msupposed to be doing and in the,
you know doing what I'msupposed to be doing, being led
by the spirit that those thingslike will be granted by the lord
, if it has, if it's his will,right, right, I don't know how
different.
I've never given a priesthoodblessing.
I don't know.
I can only ask my husband, butI've talked to him about it and
(38:15):
he's like, yeah, it feels prettymuch like that.
I don't know, I'm not sayingthat that's like a priesthood
blessing or anything like that,but I am saying that it's still
powerful.
I am saying that it's stillpossible for us as women with
faith and keeping our covenants,being obedient, doing all the
things we're supposed to, to beable to bless people's lives in
(38:37):
a way that isn't superficial,but in a way that is so powerful
that you know can calm thestorms of the sea, that can heal
the sick, that the lame canwalk, that you know comfort and
the spirit and the power ofheaven can be upon the people
that we're praying for in a waythat I don't think that we all
(39:02):
fully grasp collectively, um,and maybe we do, I don't mean to
generalize, but I thinkcollectively.
If we understood that, whatcould we do in this world?
Yeah, right, like wecollectively, as women, really
(39:25):
exercise that to its fullestpotential and went out and
ministered in that way.
Right, it's powerful, it'sreally powerful and you know
there will be so many blessingsand miracles upon the earth.
I love the.
There was a talk where he wastalking about like how people
(39:45):
were raised from the dead.
Do you remember?
Speaker 1 (39:48):
that one?
Yeah, it was from this pastconference.
Speaker 2 (39:49):
Yeah, yeah, and I was like, yeah, I believe that,
like, I believe that thathappened and I believe that that
still happens, and I believethat, like I believe that that
happened and I believe that thatstill happens, and I believe
that there are angels, I believethat people are miraculously
healed, the way that Christ, youknow, just touched the garment
and she was and it dried up andit when healed, you know, and by
his word, you know, I, you know, by his word it's healed and
(40:15):
and I know that that's true, Iknow it and and you know, as we
continue to build faith in that,you know and have faith that
that can be possible and that isnot only something that men
have access to, but we as womencan, can access that as well.
Yeah, and in that way, you know, listening to the spirit, being
(40:38):
led by the spirit, praying withfaith and calling down the
powers of heaven right um, bythe spirit.
You know, as we do, that we'llsee more of those kinds of
miracles throughout the earthright, and we can be ministering
angels yeah, yeah, go ahead.
Speaker 1 (40:54):
Well, one of my thoughts I was thinking as you
were talking about that is doyou feel like we maybe over
complicate the gospel then andthat that is kind of something
that is a pavilion that kind ofcovers us and blocks us from
this true potential?
Because as I'm sitting herelistening to you say all these
things, I'm like man, like Ireally wish, I really wish I
could do these things, but I'msure, in order to do that, I
(41:15):
have to read my scriptures fortwo hours a day, I have to pray
for X amount of time and reallylike, how do you really give
your prayers this intention thatyou're talking about?
How do I really, you know if,oh my gosh, ministering so hard?
You know, I feel like there areso many things that we feel
kind of go into what makes usspirit, what makes a spiritual
(41:39):
person, or what gives us, whatqualifies us, I guess, for that,
in order for us to have all ofthese blessings, does that make
sense?
Speaker 2 (41:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (41:47):
Yeah.
So you feel like you'recomplicating it too much, or
maybe it it it actually doesrequire a lot of energy, or
maybe it's just a little morenuanced than that.
Like this is something I'vebeen pondering about because I
feel like for me, I'm a reallyperfectionistic person.
I have I'm a really a type.
I have a lot of tendencieswhere it's like, yeah, gold,
(42:08):
participation trophies, yeah, Idon't do those.
It's like I'm either in withJesus or I'm out and today, if I
didn't get all this stuff inthat I want to do for Jesus,
then I'm a failure right, yeah,so I know, for me, in my own
world, I kind of complicatethings and I feel like when I,
when I see the world from thatway, I don't have hope or I
don't have faith that I canaccess these miracles.
(42:28):
That you're, that you'retalking about so what would you
say to someone like me who'slike yeah, you know what?
Speaker 2 (42:34):
that sounds nice, but yeah, so I okay so many things,
so I get that's a whole anotherpodcast you probably do again.
But, um, I actually so I'm atherapist and I actually see a
lot of members who struggle withlike perfectionism and stuff,
right.
Um, and I I'll say this I do mybest with the scriptures.
(42:59):
Like I open my script, like youknow, I have days where I sit
and I read I probably like I'llread really great, like it's a
good, it's a good scripturesession, or I'll listen to you
know my podcast and I'm justlike fully in it and I'm just
getting all of theseinspirations, like I have those
days, um, I have days where I'mlike, oh, it's been a couple
(43:20):
days, I've run my scriptures,man, okay, my bad, you know, and
I'll like, I'll repent and I'lljust try again, you know, and
so, um, and I still am able tolike to feel the spirit and do
these things.
I think for me personally, I'mreally strict about like certain
things.
I'm strict with the do nots andI'm working on the deuce, if
(43:43):
that makes sense.
So I'm really strict with thelike.
You know, don't watch anythingthat would take make the spirit
feel uncomfortable.
I'm strict with like.
I listen to a lot of Christianrap because of my past life.
In my past life, I listened toa lot of hip-hop and I really
still with like.
I listened to a lot ofChristian rap because of my past
life and my past life, Ilistened to a lot of hip hop and
(44:05):
I really still like like thesound, you know like the the
rhythm and I love to dance andyou know so.
so now I listen to all justChristian music and it's a lot
of like the the don't that Ireally focus on, but and I'm
just trying my best right nowwith the dues, Like that's, like
you know, praying and withintent and reading my scriptures
(44:26):
and going to the temple, likeall the dues.
I'm striving in um the don'ts,I'm just like I've, I've done
that.
I don't want to do that Like.
That's kind of like where I amwith that, you know.
But I think, like I said, theLord just loves effort.
I don't, I don't yeah, you know, if you want to.
In that context, like, do weovercomplicate things?
(44:48):
Sometimes I think we do.
When I talk to people that feellike you know'm not, I'm not
enough for the lord um, and orI'm like I'm not where I need to
be, I'll say things like well,just put your scriptures out on
your table and look at them oncea day.
(45:09):
If you can do that, you didyour job that day.
And then the next week I wantyou to like go and touch it,
like don't read it, don't pickit up, just touch it, yeah.
And then the next week maybe,like flip the pages and put it
down, like pick it up, put itdown, and then, like you know,
and so on and so forth.
Speaker 1 (45:28):
It's the intention.
Speaker 2 (45:30):
It's the, it's the intention and I think it's the
process.
You know, it's the process ofbecoming like christ, right,
it's not that you need to belike christ right now, right,
because that's a process andwherever you are in the process,
as long as you were in processof it, you're in where you're on
(45:52):
the path.
God said stay on the path.
So you're on the path.
If you're trying, if you'restriving Right, and I think that
as long as you're doing that,you're okay.
Like you can have the spirit,you can do these things.
I will say that on the days thatI do a really good scripture
(46:14):
study tend to be the days whereI talk to someone that needed
that, that scripture that day,or I needed it, or someone like
you know.
So I will say that that it'shelpful.
I will say that if I'm moreintentional about my prayers and
I'm listening to the spirit asI'm praying, I tend to get
(46:35):
inspiration to pray for peoplethat I probably wouldn't have,
and I find out later why I had afriend, and it's so funny.
It always surprises me and Itell my husband like I can't
believe that happened.
He's like you do this all thetime.
Speaker 1 (46:47):
I don't know why you're surprised by it.
Speaker 2 (46:51):
So I had this friend that was having a baby, yeah,
and I just remember feeling soinspired to just pray so hard
for her as she had this baby.
I just was so worried about herand I'm not normally, you know,
I didn't really have a reasonto worry, but I was just so
worried for her.
and then I found out, likemonths later, that she had had
this like terrible complicationand that she like you know, you
(47:15):
know, and it was a miracle thatshe, it wasn't worse and and
it's just those kinds of thingsthat you know, that day when I
felt inspired to say that prayer, like that's what I needed to
be doing, right, and, as long asyou're open and willing, the
Lord can take that.
You know, I I left one time Iwas at I, I was at bootcamp, or
(47:37):
not bootcamp, like OTS but Icall it bootcamp for people that
don't know what that is, but um, I was at bootcamp and I
remember just feeling soinadequate for some reason.
And the Lord just verydistinctly said I didn't call
you to do this because what didhe say?
Cause you were confident orsomething like that.
I was like, I didn't well geethanks, no, but he said I called
(48:01):
you to do it because you werewilling.
I knew you would do it becauseyou were willing to go and do it
.
And sometimes that's all weneed is just our, our willing
hearts.
Um, I mean, I'm 32 and I'm astake release society president.
When I got that phone call Iwas like yeah, that sounds
really intimidating.
I mean I have like I just had mybaby.
She was I don't even know.
(48:22):
She was like like six monthswhen I got called.
So I had this like six monthold baby I'm.
You know, I just got, like Iwas going on my orders, Like I
was like what?
And one of the things my stakepresident said and I actually
love that he said this, so it'snot like I wasn't offended at
all but he said we called twoother people and they turned us
(48:45):
down and we really need somebodyto do this, and it was like the
same thing.
I didn't call you because youwere competent, I called you
because you were willing.
Yeah, because the Lord.
I mean I could try my best and Icould be the, I could be the
most competent on the planet,but the Lord could do so much
more with me with a willingheart, than he could do with
somebody that like thinks theyknow it all and thinks they know
what they're doing.
If you're, if you're willingand open and what's the word
(49:10):
like malleable, submissive toGod, like he works miracles
through you.
You don't even like you put inyour best effort, but the effort
that you put in he multipliesby so much.
So you could read one scripturethat day, and that one
scripture could save someone'stestimony if you shared it with
them.
So I I wouldn't so much focuson you know, am I doing
(49:34):
everything perfectly?
I would focus on am I, am Itrying, am I striving, and am I
willing to get better, and am Iwilling to listen, you know?
So, yeah, I hope that answeredyour question.
Speaker 1 (49:46):
No, I think that was great.
I got goosebumps.
I was like okay, I'm willingGod, I'm willing Jesus, I'll try
, I'll keep trying.
Speaker 2 (49:54):
That's all he wants, you're good.
Speaker 1 (49:56):
Yeah, well, if there are, are there any other final
thoughts that you have or anyother things that you would like
to share, or would you justlike to leave us with a
testimony?
Speaker 2 (50:04):
I'll leave you with the testimony.
I know that our heavenly fatherloves us all of us, every one
of us so much that he sees us.
He loves us in in our worst andbroken state, like we have,
(50:24):
like we feel like we're justlike down in this pit and down
in the dumps and feel like wecan't get out and that we feel
so unworthy and just buried bygrief and mistakes and
loneliness or whatever it is.
And he sees that all perfectlyand he loves us still.
(50:44):
He loves us so much that hesent his son, his only son, and
let him go through tragic andgruesome and the most
unconceivable, like pains thatwe like, literally just like,
(51:05):
can't even fathom.
His child right, his baby, hisperfect baby, put him on a cross
for us and there was no waythat we were even remotely
deserving of that, knowingexactly how wicked and awful we
were.
He did that for us because heloves us and there's nothing
(51:34):
that we could possibly do thatwould negate that love.
And he is desperate to be withus again, in the way that a
parent is desperate for theirchild um, any parent that would
be separated from their child,like that desperation and and
longing for that child to bewith that child again.
(51:56):
He feels that immensely, um,and there's nothing that again,
nothing that we can do to totake that away.
Um, I know that we are all aschildren and we all can feel
that love um I'm grateful forand I I believe and know that
(52:19):
the gospel has been restored toits full glory and it's on the
earth today that um, all thekeys that are held in the temple
, um, and the work that we dothere is sacred and I invite
everyone listening to go to thetemple or think about the temple
, or read about the temple orjust like, be Christ-centered
(52:43):
and temple attending in whateverway you can, because the world
distorts so much.
There's so much distortion inthe world about what's true and
right and good, and if you go tothe temple, you'll reorient
yourself and understand whattruth is and what right is and
(53:06):
um, and have a clearunderstanding of who god is, um,
so I invite you to go and Ibear my testimony of that.
I know the Lord is inrelentless pursuit of us and he
will not stop.
He will not stop and if weallow ourselves to even be
(53:26):
willing, to be willing to followJesus Christ, it will change us
and we will become like him,and that's the goal of life is
to strive to become like christin any way we can.
We to love god and love peopleas best as we can.
(53:46):
And if we can do that andstrive to do that, I believe
that we'll come to a time wherewe will be in his presence and
we will feel worthy to be there.
And I testify of that and Iknow these things are true, and
I say this in the name of JesusChrist, amen.
Speaker 1 (54:03):
Amen.
Well, thank you, sierra, foryour time tonight, and I really
appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (54:09):
Yeah, of course, thank you.
Speaker 1 (54:12):
Thanks again for tuning into More Than
Coincidence, remembering JesusChrist in your story.
Please follow us on socialmedia or share us with a friend.
If you have an experience you'dlike to share, feel free to
reach out tomorethancoincidencerememberhim
at gmailcom.
I can't wait to hear all of theamazing memories you all have
of our Savior.
(54:32):
See you next time.
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3. Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.