She returned from her Virginia Commonwealth University crew team regatta to find out the prophet of the LDS Church had announced that young women could serve  missions at age 19 instead of 21.

She immediately asked VCU if they could put her scholarship on hold so that she could serve a mission.

Tomorrow, after months of application and preparation Megan will begin her mission and at her own expense will live among and serve the people of Santiago, Chili.

This announcement has impacted the number of women serving missions world-wide.  Fredericksburg will see more women missionaries because of this announcement.

You can learn more about Megan here.

Mchael Kitchens, Don Jenkins, Rob Carver and Dexter Burlew

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has recently added its 15th congregation in the Fredericksburg area. Called the Accokeek Ward, it will serve a growing population of Mormons in northern Stafford County.

Michael Kitchens is the Fredericksburg Stake president, a lay leader of a group of congregations (similar to a diocese). He said:

“Our church membership continues grow at a remarkable pace in the Fredericksburg region. Just a few months ago we opened a new chapel in Spotsylvania and now we’ve created a fifth congregation for those in North Stafford. It wasn’t that long ago that we only had one assembly of believers in this part of Virginia. Today there are more than 5,200 Mormons in the greater Fredericksburg area who meet in 15 congregations in this region, including a special congregation for young people who aren’t married and one for those who speak Spanish. Our area now has the highest concentration of Latter-day Saints east of the Mississippi.”

Leading the new Accokeek Ward is Bishop Rob Carver, who said:

“During the week I work for NASA, but nights and weekends are dedicated to serving the Lord and his people.”

Carver who grew up in Utah and served as a missionary from 1985 to 1987 in Germany, as did his wife, Debbi.

The Carvers have lived in Stafford County a total of 12 years most recently moving back to the area in January of 2012 after a stay in Texas. They have five children; three are still at home

Joining the new bishop in leading the Accokeek congregation is Don Jenkins, who serves as first counselor, Dexter Burlew as second counselor. Those who serve in such positions are not paid but serve as volunteers.

There are more than 90,000 Mormons in Virginia and the church now has more than 14 million members worldwide

The event is for LDS youths from Massaponax to McLean, and is hosted by the Fredericksburg Stake, which is similar to a diocese.

Stake President D. Michael Kitchens said:

“In a few months many of our young people will enter the world of work, college, or missionary

service. We see this evening as providing a wholesome atmosphere where their confidence

and standards are upheld. It will reinforce their love for and relationship with Jesus Christ. It is

worth every effort to be there for them. Improving their future is our main concern.”

You can keep up with the prom efforts on Facebook. And look for a story soon in the Free Lance Star’s religion section.

The Rev. Arthur Umbach, director of spiritual life and facilitator for the Southeastern District of the  Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod, presided over the dedication of the Christ Lutheran Church annex, which will include class rooms and office space for this growing congregation.

Worship will remain at 9:30am, followed by Christian education classes and Sunday School at 10:45am.

Christ Lutheran Church in Ladysmith is  at 17470 Center Drive, Ladysmith Business Park, Ladysmith, Va (behind Gusippies Restaurant).

Daniel Floyd, senior pastor at Lifepoint Church, has published a book about pursuing God’s vision for your life.

Here is a Q and A with Floyd:

Q: What inspired you to write “Living the Dream?”

Archaeologists in London recently announced that skeletal remains found underneath a parking lot in Leicester belong to England’s much-maligned monarch Richard III. King Richard III, the last of the Plantagenet kings, was overthrown and killed at the Battle of Bosworth field in 1485 by Henry Tudor, the first of the Tudor kings and father of Henry VIII.

I have always been fascinated by history, but more than the dates and places, I am intrigued by the people—their stories and lives. It was the desire to know more about my own family story that led me to spend years researching my family history.

Recently, I discovered that one of my ancestors from the early Colonial period was actually descended from the royal Plantagenet family, making Richard III my 6th cousin, 19 times removed.

Having so much information about the life and death of family members who lived over 500 years ago is virtually unheard of. When I look at the majority of the entries in my family history database, I am struck by the fact that most of them consist of nothing more than a name, birth date and death date. Just three generations back, the people who are my great-grandparents become faceless names on a sheet of paper.

In the book of Job, we find one of the most eloquent descriptions of the fleetingness of life ever written:

“Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble. He comes out like a flower and withers; he flees like a shadow and continues not.” (Job 14:1-2).

The people who have gone before us loved deeply, planned for their futures and faced trials and hardships just as we do today. They worked hard and built lives for themselves, but just a few generations later, all of that is reduced to just a dash on a page.

The reality is that the only thing that will last after we have gone is the impact we have left on the lives of those around us.

Proverbs 13:22 tells us that “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children.” Even more than striving to bestow a material inheritance, we should make leaving a rich spiritual legacy our first priority.

One way to do this is by sharing the Bible with our children. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says, “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”

The truth of Scripture will have a greater impact on our children’s lives than anything else we could teach them. When we share our love for the Lord with them and tell them about the rich gift of salvation available to them through Jesus Christ, we are leaving a spiritual legacy for generations to come.

Another way to leave a spiritual legacy is by living a godly life. 1 Timothy 4:8 says that “Physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”

When we live our life in a way that causes someone to see the difference following God makes, we cause those around us to want to know more about the God we serve. Living our life in a fashion that shows the world our priority is to please God has eternal value because of the good that we do and the positive impact we have on others lives as a result.

Finally, 1 Corinthians 12:27 states, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” This passage goes on to describe the different positions and gifts given to Christians so that they may build up the body of Christ. When we use our gifts to build up the local church, it can become a beacon of light and truth to those who come after us.

By following these biblical principles, we can leave a legacy, a spiritual inheritance that will affect the lives of others for all eternity.

Heather Ablondi is a women’s ministry speaker and author who resides in Fredericksburg. You can contact her through her website, heatherablondi.com.

Spotsylvania County residents who dread braving heavy traffic on State Route 3 to get to a post office have a new option.

Roz and Jeff Pearce of Spotsylvania opened Mail & Gift Connection last month in the former Ben & Jerry’s in Harrison Crossing Shopping Center. The grand opening will be from noon to 2 p.m. on March 2.

“We’re already getting a lot of repeat business,” said Roz Pearce. “People say, ‘I’m so glad you’re here. There’s no place like this around here.’”

Their store offers more than 25 shipping/postal and business related services, as well as a wide range of related retail products. Roz Pearce said she thought concentrating just on the mail side of the business would get boring, so they added gift items as well.

The couple decided to go into business for themselves after moving back to Spotsylvania County from the Atlanta area about a year ago when Jeff Pearce retired from his government job.

Roz Pearce had worked in human resources in Atlanta but had a tough time finding a job here that was in her field. She and her husband had talked about going into business for themselves for years and decided to take the plunge.

They researched various franchises, but decided to go with The Mail Box Stores Inc., the fastest-growing developer of mailbox stores in North America. Instead of offering franchises, the company sells a turnkey package that includes training and support for $82,900.

“They get you totally set up and continue offering support after you open, which is awesome” Roz Pearce said. “There’s a lot to learn.”

The Mail Box Stores also helps its customers scout and secure locations, but the Pearces had looked around Stafford and Spotsylvania counties and decided that they wanted to be in Harrison Crossing.

The shopping center on State Route 3 gets a lot of foot traffic, and the closest post offices for people at that end of the county are the small office in Spotsylvania Towne Centre or the one in Orange, Roz Pearce said.

Staff from The Mail Box Stores did help the couple deal with the property owner and secure their lease.

“They pretty much hold your hand all the way through,” she said.

Mail & Gift Connection’s services include shipping, packaging, full color copies, notary service, secure shredding, key duplication, passport & ID photos, computer time rentals, Internet access, business cards and letterhead, and mailbox rentals.

It also carries shipping supplies, office products, greeting cards, Jim Shore Collectibles, Tyler Candle Company candles, jewelry and gift baskets.

The store is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.

Cathy Jett: 540/374-5407

cjett@freelancestar.com

Every so often, a television series comes along that is so gripping it becomes a part of our collective conversation. I am reminded of shows from my childhood like “Dallas” and “M*A*S*H.” More recent series like “Lost” and “American Idol” also come to mind. These are the shows that feed watercooler conversations the mornings after they air.

Within these shows, there always seems to be that one episode that takes our breath away and leaves us reeling.

For fans of the show “Downton Abbey” (spoiler alert!), watching the tragic and untimely death of Lady Sybil several weeks ago was like being blindsided by a freight train that we never saw coming. Twitter and Facebook feeds went crazy with people mourning the death of this fictional character.

I think that one of the reasons shows such as these have such profound emotional effects on us is because we see pieces of ourselves in their characters. Their very human flaws and weaknesses serve as warnings to us of what can happen when we make similar mistakes.

The episode in which Lady Sybil dies could be used as a case study for what happens when we allow pride and prejudice to cloud our judgment. Lord Grantham ignores the warnings from the “lowly country doctor” in favor of a more prominent physician who carries a title before his name. He allows the fear of offending someone of social distinction to come before the welfare of his own family—resulting in the horrible death of his youngest daughter.

We are all familiar with the verse from Psalm 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” But that verse is certainly not the only instance where pride is mentioned in the Bible. We can find the topic of pride no less than 47 times throughout Scripture.

Pride and its consequences led to the downfall of a long list of biblical characters, including the Israelites’ first king, Saul. In fact, we need to read no further than the first few chapters of the Bible to see pride rear its ugly head. It was pride that led Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit in her desire to be like God.

Warnings about the dangers of pride can also be found in the writings and traditions of other cultures. The Chinese say, “Who flies not high falls not low,” and, “A great tree attracts the wind.” An Eastern proverb states, “What is extended will tear; what is long will break.”

In our own lives we can see the negative effects of pride. Relationships are broken because we are too proud to admit that we were wrong and apologize. The arrogant person rejects authority, which can lead to the inability to hold down a steady job or failure at school. Fear, worry, anxiety, hatred, anger and violence are all fueled by pride.

Unfortunately, it is at times of spiritual triumph that the Christian tends to be most susceptible to pride. The famous author C.S. Lewis wrote that there is only one split second between experiencing the innocent pleasure of pleasing God and the insidious slide into self-congratulation.

The Bible tells us the antidote to pride is humility. Paul tells us in 1 Peter 5:5 that we are to “clothe [ourselves] with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Humility is realizing that everything you have, everything you are, all that you have been given are gifts from God.

Cultivating the habit of thanking God, mentioning by name all of the good things He has done for us, is one way of combating pride in our lives. Thanking God for what He has done allows us to enjoy the pleasure and triumphs He provides without succumbing to pride in our own efforts.

By “[entering] His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; [giving] thanks to Him and [praising] His name” daily we will cultivate an attitude of humility and experience the many blessings that God promises to the humble. (Psalm 100:4)

Heather Ablondi is a women’s ministry speaker and author who resides in Fredericksburg. You can contact her through her website, heatherablondi.com.

I truly believe that the first person to use the phrase “terrible twos” had not yet experienced the joy of parenting a 3-year-old. A 3-year-old child can be just as stubborn and unreasonable as a 2-year-old, but with a greater ability to express opinions.

The other day, my 3-year-old daughter was playing in the kitchen by herself while I got some cleaning done around the house. As she chatted away to her dollies in the cutest sing-song voice, my heart swelled with love for her.

A little while later I realized she had become quiet, and as any parent will tell you—silence and toddlers are not a good combination.

When I went to investigate, I found that she had taken every napkin from the table and shredded them into hundreds of little pieces. Her behavior went from bad to worse when she defiantly refused to help clean up the mess she had made. In the process of being scolded, she looked up at me with her big brown eyes, stomped her foot and yelled, “Don’t you say those things to me!”

It wasn’t funny at the time, but looking back I have to giggle because I realize that we don’t really change much when we become adults. We don’t like being told what to do and we especially don’t like being told that what we have done is wrong. Nowhere is that fact more evident than in the Christian faith.

It is in our nature to gravitate toward what makes us feel good. The Christian bookstore best-seller shelves are lined with what could be considered nothing more than glorified self-help books. Churches that preach feel-good sermons promising wealth and prosperity are packed to capacity.

Isaiah’s description of the people of Israel from thousands of years ago can easily be applied to us today. “This is a rebel generation a people unwilling to listen to anything God tells them. They tell their spiritual leaders, ‘Don’t bother us with irrelevancies.’ They tell their preachers, ‘Don’t waste our time on impracticalities. Tell us what makes us feel better. Don’t bore us with obsolete religion.’” (Isaiah 20:9–10)

Ouch. I don’t know about you, but that one hurts. Like a stubborn 3-year-old I have stomped my foot at God and said, “Don’t you say those things to me!” when I am confronted by some sin or inadequacy in my life.

But when I read my Bible, I realize that God is not some cosmic killjoy up in heaven just waiting for me to mess up so that He can smite me.

No, just as a parent does for a beloved child, He tells us things that may be difficult to hear for our own benefit. He knows the pain our sin or inaction can bring, and because of His great love for us, He wants to spare us from those negative consequences.

In fact, He wanted so badly to free us from the consequences of sin that He sent His own Son to this Earth to pay the penalty. But Jesus was not the gentle, hippy-like, “Jesus Christ Superstar” figure we have made Him out to be. Yes, He loved all people and He accepted even the worst of sinners, but He also said some really difficult things—things that people then and people today do not want to hear.

In advising his young protégé, Paul told Timothy that, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16)

Just as I instruct my 3- year-old because I want her to grow up to be prepared to live a successful life, God instructs us so that we might be ready to do the work He has set before us. He also promises that we will be made complete—a desire that is woven into the fabric of our very being.

Instead of rebelling against the difficult instructions of the Bible, we should embrace them. When we do, we will live the life that God always wanted us to live. It won’t necessarily be easy, but it will always be good.

Heather Ablondi is a women’s ministry speaker and author who resides in Fredericksburg. You can contact her through her website, heatherablondi.com.

In recent weeks, the sports world has been rocked by the revelation that Notre Dame football player and Heisman Trophy finalist Manti Te’o’s deceased girlfriend never existed.

For those not familiar with the story, T’eo won the hearts of college football fans when he led the Fighting Irish to a 20–3 win against Michigan State just days after the loss of both his grandmother and his girlfriend, Lennay Kekua.

We watched an emotional Te’o tell of how he would fall asleep listening to Kekua breathe on the other end of the telephone line as she lay in her hospital bed fighting a battle against leukemia. We were inspired by the strength and commitment of a young man who continued to press on toward his goals in the face of such tragic loss.

Unfortunately, after the release of an investigative report by the sports website Deadspin, we now know that Lennay Kekua’s life and death were a complete fabrication.

There is no way for me to know whether or not Te’o was a perpetrator or victim of this terrible hoax, but one thing I do know for certain is that someone, somewhere lied.

I think we can all honestly say that we have not been involved in such a profound and complicated deception such as this; but, unfortunately any lie, even the so-called “little white lie,” is a sin in the eyes of God.

Proverbs 6:16–19 says, “These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift to run to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among the brethren.”

Did you notice that God mentions lying twice in the list of things that He hates? He also includes it in a list with sins that we would consider horrific—including murder.

The reality is that, unlike God, we have come to accept lies and lying in our society. Our politicians lie to us and we are not even surprised; in fact, we have come to expect it. The covers of our magazines lie to us by showing us airbrushed images of unattainable perfection. We cannot even expect honesty from our heroes anymore, as evidenced by Lance Armstrong’s recent revelations.

Numbers 32:23 tells us that our “sin will find us out”—a truth that aptly describes the sin of lying. We all know that one lie tends to lead to another, and another, and then another until we are trapped by our own tangled web of deception.

Paul exhorts us in Ephesians 4:25 to “speak truth with [our] neighbor, for we are members of one another.”

Christians and followers of God must commit to be truthful in all circumstances, not just because it is pleasing to God, but because to do otherwise would damage our testimony for Christ.

I believe the two main reasons that we lie are to protect ourselves from the consequence of some other sin we have committed or to protect those around us from hurtful truth.

By embracing humility and trusting in God, we can confidently be honest in all circumstances even when we are faced with a negative outcome.

When we are worried about hurting the feelings of others, we can remember Colossians 4:6, which tells us, “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each other.”

In everyday terms, we are to be tactful in the way that we answer those we love.

Since God is the God of truth and love, by staying close to Him and asking Him to give us the strength, we will be able to keep our commitment to always “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15).

Heather Ablondi is a women’s ministry speaker and author who resides in Fredericksburg. You can contact her through her website, heatherablondi.com.