This past Wednesday, I was at the Hilliard church helping my cousin get ready for Girls' Camp when I got a phone call from my wonnnderful mom, who called to not ask, but TELL me that I'd be giving a talk this Sunday about the power of personal prayer. I'll admit, at first I was just a litttle irritated that the Bishop was asking me to speak when he HAS to know how much I hate sitting down and trying to write these things, & especially getting up in front of 100 people or so & talking about it. But I knew that I was gonna have to do it one way or the other, so I sucked it up & started thinking. After several days of procrastination, I started seriously organizing and writing my thoughts down at about...11 o'clock last night..? So, I'll try not to fall asleep up here.

When I first plopped down in front of my computer, I had absolutely no idea what I was going to write about. So, being the Internet-dependent teenager that I am, I Googled all sorts of things that could relate to the topic, but I couldn't find anything that sparked my train of thought. Realizing that I was getting no where, I decided to stop frantically searching the web & actually have a personal prayer. 30 minutes later, while I was cleaning the running mascara off my face, I remembered this kind of weird experience I had with prayer.

My dad's in the Navy, & we used to have to move around quite a bit, so obviously my brothers & I had to change schools a lot. Most of the time, we didn't transfer until a few weeks after the actual first day of school. I'm a pretty shy person, so naturally, I was terrified of my very first day in a new place. I was scared of not making friends, getting lost, & just not knowing what to do. My mom had always taught me that wherever I was, no matter what was going on, I could always pray if I felt sad, scared, or even angry. On my first days at my new schools for 2nd, 4th, and 5th grade, I followed my mom's advice and prayed either right before I left, or on the way to school. When I walked into Ms. CUffley's classroom for 2nd grade, I wasn't even nervous; I only felt calm & joyful to be with other kids my age. When my 4th grade teacher, Ms. Carpenter, assigned me to my first seat, the girl beside me that I met that day grew to be my best friend. Finally, in 5th grade, everyone treated me kindly and I made my way into a group of friends within the first week of going to Driver Elementary. I was happy for a while, but then my family started having some problems, and I kind of lost my rock.

I started having this "rebellious" stage, where I didn't want to go to church anymore. I didn't want to be a Mormon. I didn't want to do anything that I used to love. I wasn't even up for praying, because I didn't want it to calm me down like I knew it would. I just wanted to lock myself in my room and be angry at the world.
After my parents divorced, my mom told us that she needed really strong emotional support from her sister, and that we would be moving down to a little town called Kingsland. I, of course, threw a fit about not wanting to start over again, like it actually would've influenced her decision to stay here or not. A few short months later, I found myself in the front office of Camden Middle School filling out last-minute papers to have me officially enrolled. Mind you, this was the only first day in a new school that I hadn't prayed beforehand. When my 6th grade teacher, Ms. DuBois, introduced me to my class, no one said anything or even smiled at me. They acted the same way for a long time, probably for at least a month and a half, even when I made an effort to speak with them. I didn't make a real friend for like 3 months.

I always thought that it was because they thought I was a freak, or that everyone was in some seriously rude cliques, but now I get the feeling that it was just how different saying a prayer can make you appear vs. not saying one at all. Praying brings your faith and your heart out, so everyone can see it lighting up your face. It makes you happier, calmer, and simply helps you keep it together. Personal prayer helps develop your one-on-one relationship with our Heavenly Father, and makes you stronger in the gospel when you receive more blessings from it. In Matthew 7:7-8, it says -- "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." Heavenly Father always hears and answers your prayers; you only have to be willing to listen and obey. When you are righteous and give a meaningful prayer, the power from it could very well change your life or another's for the better. I challenge each and every one of you to strive to pray every single day of your life, and see what changes you notice in your daily feelings and thoughts.

Striving to have at least one prayer to myself each day has built my testimony so much. I testify to you that there IS power in personal prayer, and it's a very important part of our daily lives. I believe that God does listen to all of us, and gives us what we need, even if it's not in the form that we particularly expected or wanted it in. I also believe that anything is possible through the power of personal prayer, and that it can give you the courage and strength to do anything.