Hello! So I've decided to create this blog as a way to share my thoughts as well as my testimony of the gospel online. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the gospel has blessed my life in so many ways. I am a convert to the church and as of January 17th, 2014, have been baptized 5 years. I am also trying to become an artist. I am 17 and love to draw and paint. Art is one of my passions, and I hope to study it more in the future. I returned home from a camp called Especially for Youth (EFY) yesterday. This past week was my fourth time at this camp and I just LOVE it. It is usually my favorite week of the year, and this week was no exception. We stay at Southern Virginia University in the beautiful town of Buena Vista (it's named that for a reason) and get put into groups, called companies. We spend the week studying the scriptures, listening to devotionals, attending gospel-related classes, dancing, playing games, eating, and getting to know our group members and others. This year I was roommates with a good friend from church and I made a lot of good friends both in and outside our company. It was an amazing experience to be studying the gospel and interacting with teenagers of my faith all week, to learn about people, and to eat food and act silly with them. I may write more about this later, on what I learned and experienced. When we arrived back home in North Carolina, my mom and I went to a festival. Every year this park system in our town puts on a festival and I guess raises money for the park. There is food and artwork and music and it's pretty nice. But as my mom and I were going there, I noticed some people with signs at the street corner. I'm not sure what exactly you call them- they're not protesters- but they had their signs telling about God and one of them was yelling at someone. Their overall message was how God was angry with sinners and how they would not go to heaven after this life. It was kind of unsettling to hear them yell. As we walked away I thought how great it is to know that God loves us. I know that although we disappoint God when we sin, we always have a chance to try again. I know that because Jesus Christ suffered for our sins, he knows the temptation that we go through and understands how hard it is for us everyday. I am so grateful that our God is a forgiving God, that He won't abandon us or condemn us when we sin- He will always be there, asking that we return unto Him, repent, and try again. I love having His love in my life and I know that as long as we try, sincerely try, and keep trying, God will be pleased with us. We can keep trying all of our lives, but as long as we never give up, as long as we always return to Him, we will be good in the sight of God.