The Plan of Life

So, due to lack of any ideas of my own, I'm just going to refer you to the blog of Elder Coles. He briefly and simply describes the reason we're here and why God has given us so much! Enjoy!

The Big Test

Avoiding the Appearance of Evil

So the other day while on exchanges with Elder Adams, we decided to have a feast. We found some old steaks in the freezer, and decided to grill them up. Elder Adams had also brought us the gift of some Martinelli's sparkling cider. You just gotta love some bubbly apple juice. So the whole situation ends up looking like this:

Looks real good, right? Just the wonderful example a missionary should be. From far away and without close inspection, it looks like I'm the Elder with the alcohol problem. Which, of course I'm not, but is that the image that I want to have? Paul taught in 1 Thessalonians 5:22:

"Abstain from all appearance of evil."

Pretty simple right? As we avoid even the slightest appearance of evil, then its especially hard to let evil come into our lives! It creates that buffer zone between us and the things that Satan is trying to put into our lives. President James E. Faust said:

“My strong advice is, if there is any question about your personal conduct, don’t do it. It is the responsibility of prophets to teach the word of God—not to spell out every jot and tittle of human behavior. Our moral agency requires us to know good from evil and choose the good. If we are trying to avoid not only evil, but the very appearance of evil, we will act for ourselves and not be acted upon.”

As we avoid the appearance of evil, we become an example to everybody. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 5:14-16:

"14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

I know that as we put down these things that may simply "appear" evil, we can become great examples to those around us. Jesus Christ was the ultimate example. I know as we follow His footsteps and do the things He has asked us, we can find greater joy in this life and freedom from the evils of the world.

Atonement

So we all know, the Atonement is one of the greatest, most important thing in our lives. Without it, in reality, we have nothing! But with it, we have everything! Jesus Christ has given us the greatest gift that ever was. One of my favorite scriptures is Alma 7:11-12:

"11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities."

He suffered every kind of pain, so we don't have to. Because of His sacrifce, He knows exactly what we need, that He can "succor" us, or help us according to our problems. I'm so thankful for this, that no matter what my problem is, I can always turn to Him and He will give me the strength and the help that I need.

Jesus Christ lived the perfect life so we don't have to. Because of Him, we can be forgiven of our mistakes. Lets face it, we all mess up every now and then. But because Jesus Christ has already suffered for our sins, we can be forgiven.

I'm so thankful for Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for us. He loves us so much that He gave us such a great gift. I know that as we choose to follow Him, we can be forgiven of our sins. Christ is the only way that we can return to live with our Heavenly Father.

"And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent." Mosiah 3:17

Becoming Childlike

As 19 and 20 year old missionaries, we have to do the best we can to be dignified, mature representatives of Jesus Christ. We're teaching the most important thing in the world right? We teach a very serious message about how Jesus Christ's church has been restored to the earth. We must do everything we can to show that we should be taken seriously. Then something like this happens:

Yes that's my companion Elder Donohue in the Batman mask holding the sword. Is he going out to fight crime? I'm not too sure. But what I do know, is that sometimes its hard to suppress our childlike sides. Even at 19 years old, swords and Batman are pretty cool. But is that all bad? Jesus Christ taught in Matthew 18: 3-4: 

"3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

Jesus Christ said it Himself! We must become as children to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Its that important! When we are truly childlike, we will do anything we can to listen to the commandments of our Heavenly Father, just as a child listens to their parents.  Christ taught again, this time to the people in America, in 3 Nephi 11:
 
"37 And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and become as a little child, and be baptized in my name, or ye can in nowise receive these things.

38 And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God."

There it is again! When we humble ourselves, even as a child is humble, we become willing to take the simple steps of following Jesus Christ's example. We can all humble ourselves before God and be willing to listen to what He has for us, because He obviously knows a lot more than us. As we do as Jesus Christ says, and humble ourselves as a child, we can find more happiness in our lives and receive many more blessings that our Heavenly Father has in store for us. So I invite everyone to embrace those childlike feelings we all have, and turn to Heavenly Father for help.

So I can't get anything to work! I think its these computers at the library, so stay tuned for my next post!

Bike Ride!

So this P-day we decided to do something crazy and go on a bike ride instead of playing basketball. First off this is crazy because we all love basketball! How could we skip it?? And second off, I'm definitely not a bike rider! But when we heard about these awesome bike trails out by Old Hickory Lake, we had to hit them up.

But first off, we had to get some grub from everybody's favorite place, Wendy's! I enjoyed a nice chicken sandwich and a delicious Frosty, which may have been my first mistake!

So we get to the beginning of the trails, and we're just feeling awesome and excited, even with our dorky helmets on.

We're feeling awesome, we just had what I thought was a good meal, and we were going to something wholesome, healthy, and good for us.

By the time we get done with the trail, I'm dying! I'm totally out of shape, and as mentioned before, I'm not a bike rider. Plus eating Wendy's before over-exerting myself was just no good. So we barely get back, and I'm seeing spots and ready to throw up. Leaving me in a condition like this...

So why did I feel like this? Was it because it was good and healthy? Doubtful. Was it because I'm so fat? Quite possibly. But I'm pretty sure it was all the Wendy's!

We can relate this lovely story to our lives. Are we filling ourselves with things like bad media, profanity filled music, and anti-Word of Wisdom things? Although they might not seem too bad at first, just like my frosty, but they always end up hurting you. Even if we go to church and read our scriptures and do whats right and healthy, like a wholesome bike ride, we will always end up hurting ourselves.

When we fill our lives with only good things, like celery and yogurt, everything comes out better! There's no better substitute for junk than the Book of Mormon! The Book of Mormon can teach us so many things and tell us what we can do to avoid situations that end up making us feel like garbage.

So I invite everyone to cut the "junk"(old blog post! check it out!) out of your lives so that when we do these truly wholesome, enlightening things like reading the scriptures and going to church, they can really make a difference for the better! We can grow closer to our Heavenly Father and better notice His hand in our lives. I know that as we strive to constantly improve ourselves, we receive more blessings.

Elder Dallin H Oaks

I've had a huge lack of ideas lately, so what better to do then to rely on somebody who can say everything so much better than I can?

I love this talk about desire. It really goes to show how important our desires are in our lives. Its when we start desiring something that we begin to make changes.

Alma 32: 27 says:

"But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words."

Everything begins with our desires! Elder Oaks speaks wonderfully on the topic, better than I ever could.

Plus he's got a cool name.

Hmmm

Well I don't have anything super huge to blog about today! Is that sad or what? I guess I can just talk about what I read recently! I've been reading in the Doctrine and Covenants lately, which I love! There is a lot of cool stuff in here. One scripture I read recently is in Section 8 Verse 2:

"2 Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart."

This is exactly how the Holy Ghost talks to us! When the Holy Ghost talks to us, it never is anything huge! Its just a feeling you feel in your heart! A feeling you get when something you read or hear is true! I love Elder Bednar's talk in this latest General Conference The Spirit of Revelation.

He likens revelation from the spirit to light! He compares the difference between flipping on a lightswitch and having immediate light; to the rising sun, which slowly brightens the sky until it is finally day. The spirit works in the very same way! Sometimes it comes around with a 2x4 and smacks you in the head. Thats when you immediately know something that God wants you to know. Sometimes our answers are more gradual, and it takes time to realize and figure out what God wants you to know.

So while you're praying and pondering whatever is going on in your life, keep in mind the MANY different ways that Heavenly Father answers prayers. Sometimes things just fall into our laps, and other times we have to work for it. Just stay dilligent and working hard, and Heavenly Father will always answer your prayers.

Junk

Sometimes we accumulate junk that we don't need in our lives. We plan for sometime when we might "need"it, but it almost never gets touched or used. We got to experience this first hand in the parking lot of our apartment building. One day, we came outside and there was a lone shopping cart, just hanging out in the parking lot. Nobody knew where it came from, or what purpose it was for. A couple days later, along came another shopping cart!

There's a red one by the tree if you can't see it.

Now we're just wondering whats going on. What is the deal with these shopping carts? Surprisingly enough, a couple days later, there was a third shopping cart! Its like they were budding from each other or something! We never truly understood the reason for the shopping carts, or where exactly they came from. But soon enough our parking lot was full of this "junk" that we didn't want.

Our minds can fill up with junk in the very same way! While it might not be bad things, shopping carts aren't bad, but they get in the way of the better things. We may occupy our minds with the things of work, school, or anything else that is going on, and forget to fill it up with the things of Christ.

But how can we fill our minds with the better things? Think of a hymn! Something as simple as that can push bad thoughts out of our mind, and bring in good thoughts. Reading the Book of Mormon is also an amazing idea! Helaman 3:29-30 says:

"29 Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked—

30 And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out."

Sounds pretty powerful! If we fill our minds with the "word of God" we really can be brought the the right hand of God. I know that as we keep our thoughts completely on Him, everything else around us falls into place. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and it truly tells us everything we need to do in our lives.

Not Enough

Sometimes things just aren't enough. Eight hours of sleep just isn't enough when you need 12, vanilla ice cream isn't enough when you wanted rocky road, and meat loaf just isn't enough when you wanted steak. Have you ever had this problem? When nothing is ever enough? We experienced this in the MTC.

When we got to the mtc, they gave us a little packet about staying healthy. (Can you believe that? Missionaries are totally the most healthy people ever.) Included in this packet was a silly excercise band. Essentially a big rubber band.

Yeah, pretty exciting eh? How are you supposed to exercise with that?? Maybe I was doing it wrong, but it just was not enough. So then we had a different, more effective idea.

Yes, thats right. We did squats with our companions on our shoulders. Thats my lucky companion Elder Goodwin right there. Then we finally reached that "enough" level that we were looking for.

Joseph Smith had the same concern. Which church was it that had "enough"? He wanted the best he can find with the most truth, the right teachings, and the true power of God. Joseph Smith finally prayed to God to find out which church it was that had "enough".

The best way to describe his experience is in his own words. He said:

"I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!"

Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ, and was told that none of the churches had "enough" to be called Christ's church. Joseph Smith was called as a prophet to restore the very church that Christ had set up here on this Earth. This church would have "enough" to let us return to our Heavenly Father again. With Christ's restored church we have a full knowledge and power to help us return to Him. We truly have "enough".

Green Jello

What's with Mormons and their green jello? I'm pretty sure its just a Utah thing, I dunno. But coming from Utah green jello is a pretty awesomely big deal. Even with crazy things like fruit, carrots, or anything else healthy found in the fridge. For St. Patrick's day I was lucky enough to have my best friend back home send me some delicious lime jello.

See that excitement in my face? That's how amazing green jello is. And yes that large pink bowl was the best thing I could make it in. It was quite delicious.

So once again, why are we so obsessed with this? So what, its jello! We love it because it is delicious and it makes us happy. Just like the gospel! Being a member of the restored church of Jesus Christ makes us so truly happy that we can't hide our obsession with it, just like the jello! You don't make a batch of jello just for yourself do you?? No! You make it for everyone! Everything about the gospel is meant to be shared, just like jello. We know that this is true and how much it blesses our lives, and we want everybody around us to experience that. This is why I chose to spend two years of my life teaching of this perfect gospel. It'd be selfish not to share it with every single person that I can!

The gospel of Jesus Christ is truly a happy thing. The knowledge that it brings really gives us the strong foundation we all need in our lives. Unlike jello, which is all wiggly and unsupportive, Jesus Christ is the strongest, surest foundation that we can build ourselves upon. Helaman 5:12 says:

"12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."

Jesus Christ can help us through anything that is going on through our lives. No matter what is changing, I know that our perfect older brother Jesus Christ is always there for us. I know that during our afflictions, there are even better things we can turn to than green jello, despite its jiggly deliciousness. The restored gospel of Jesus Christ can give us true satisfaction and peace that we are all looking for in this life.

Ugly Couches

Everybody has sat in them before; that ugly, old flower couch. Many people have grandparents with couches like these. The ones that instantly grab your attention and give you the great need to plant yourself right in the middle of it. They're almost always comfy, and are always weird combinations of colors and flowers. Who even designed these couches anyways???

Luckily enough, we have one of these couches in our apartment. Its orange, and also incredibly comfortable.

Don't you just want to sit on that? It just beckons for a nap! Luckily enough for us, we have a matching chair as well!

Why am I blogging about this couch?

Just as ugly couches call for us to sit in them, the prophet and apostles call for us to listen to them! See the connection?? Alright fine its a stretch, but I just love this couch.

With conference coming up, what better opportunity do we have to come and listen to them? Especially since we can watch them from our couches! As we sit and listen to their talks, we can find the peace and comfort we are looking for in our lives. The prophet and apostles show us the way to find the perfect joy that comes from our Heavenly Father.

Our old, ugly flower couches can give us the physical comfort and rest we need, and the prophets give us the spiritual rest that we need. See the connection? Just as we want to sit on every old, comfortable couch; we want to listen to every word that is said by the apostles and prophets. They might be old as well, but they know way better than anyone else of what we need to do to feel more of God's love and return to Him.

I know that as we listen to conference this Saturday and Sunday, we will be led to the spiritual comfort we all are looking for. I know that as we prayerfully watch conference, we will be blessed with the information that we need. Conference is something that everybody can get something out of. Just as we all enjoy sitting in comfy couches. Prophet Thomas S. Monson will never lead us astray. As we follow him we will find true spiritual comfort, better than any comfort any old couch can provide.

Oranges!

Have you ever drawn a face on some boring, plain object? Maybe I'm just crazy, but once you draw a face on something and give it a name, you become attached. I'm sure everyone has made this mistake before in their life, whether it was a balloon or some other silly object. We always form some crazy relationship with these inanimate objects with faces. It's always heartbreaking when these new-found friends are eaten, popped, or lost. Why do we torment ourselves like this? I made this mistake the other day with my two oranges. My companion Elder Coles aptly named the first one Voltron, and the small one Voltret.

Aren't they cute? Now the problem is, how are we supposed to eat oranges with that much personality? The sad thing is, its been about a week and those silly oranges are still sitting on top of the fridge.

So why am I blogging about this? Who cares about old oranges with faces?

Our Heavenly Father feels the same way about us! Well almost, I guess we're more important than oranges. But our Heavenly Father has given us our bodies, our faces, and a name! We are His spiritual children. He is always going to take care of us, no matter how old and rotten we may become. Heavenly Father is far more attached to us than can be even described! He loves us so much that He places us on top of the fridge, or on this Earth, so that we can grow and learn things for ourselves. (Or ripen! See this analogy is getting better and better as it goes on!)

Despite how much we might stay off the path that our Heavenly Father has set for us (or begin to rot), He's always going to love us and do His best to keep us safe and on the path. (Like putting oranges back in the fridge to stay fresh!)

I know that our Heavenly Father loves us so much, and because He loves us He has given us our bodies so that we can experience things for ourselves. I know that He has given us the plan of salvation, so that we can reach our perfect "freshness" and live with Him again.

Testimony!

What is a testimony?? Its what you know to be true! Thats it! Do you know that chocolate cake is delicious? Then you have a testimony of it! Do you know that basketball is the greatest sport ever? Then you have a testimony of that as well!

All of the experiences we have can make our testimonies grow. If we go to church, and it makes us happy, then we have a testimony that church is awesome! Because you know it makes you happy it becomes part of your testimony! Cool huh?

There's great power that can be found when we bear our testimony. Alma chapter 4 talks about the prophet Alma going out to teach the gospel to the wicked people. Verse 19 says:

"19 And this he did that he himself might go forth among his people, or among the people of Nephi, that he might preach the word of God unto them, to stir them up in remembrance of their duty, and that he might pull down, by the word of God, all the pride and craftiness and all the contentions which were among his people, seeing no way that he might reclaim them save it were in bearing down in pure testimony against them."

Its by pure testimony that Alma was able to teach these people. Alma was a great prophet, and all he had was bearing testimony! He was able to bring thousands unto Christ through his testimony.

We all have a testimony just like Alma. We may not be a prophet called by God to preach the gospel, but our testimonies can be just as powerful. Who can tell you what you don't know for yourself? There is no way that anybody can deny a "pure testimony". That is something we have for ourselves; that we can constantly rely on to keep us strong and help us bring others closer to Jesus Christ. I know that as we share our testimony with others, we can bless the lives of everyone around us. Every time we share our testimony, it becomes a little bit stronger. I invite everyone to share their testimony with those around you.

Word of Wisdom

I know I know, us Mormons are crazy. No coffee in the morning? Smoking isn't that bad, is it? Why do we have all these crazy eating and drinking rules? Becuase its fun? Nah. Why do we have the Word of Wisdom then?

Its because God told us so!

D&C 89 is the full revelation Joseph Smith recieved from our Heavenly Father after asking if they should use Tobacco. Verse 4 kinda talks about why we have the Word of Wisdom

"4 Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation—"

Its a warning! God knows what can and will happen to us. He knows everything! Should we take such a warning lightly? Of course not!

There's 5 simple things that the Word of Wisdom says to stay away from:

Coffee, Tea, Tobacco, Alcohol, and Illegal Drugs

I know I know, it seems pretty hard. But with this simple commandment comes promised blessings! Verses 18-21 say:

"18 And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones;

 19 And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures;

 20 And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.

 21 And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen."

Doesn't that seem great? And totally worth it? I know it is! Our Heavenly Father promises to bless us! Everybody wants great treasures of knowledge, who wants to pass up on easy knowledge? As we keep the Word of Wisdom our bodies are clean of the things that might bring us down and distract the Holy Ghost from helping us in our lives. We can be more receptive and be able to receive even more blessings on top of that! Just because our bodies are cleaner!

I know that as we keep the Word of Wisdom we will feel closer to our Heavenly Father. He will bless us for doing what He has asked and for keeping our "temples", or our bodies, clean. As we keep His commandments and constantly strive to do what is right, we will continue to feel of our Heavenly Father's love and His happiness for us.

The Gift of Eternal Life

So I was reading in Helaman chapter 5 today, and  this scripture stood out to me. Verse 8 says:

 "8 And now my sons, behold I have somewhat more to desire of you, which desire is, that ye may not do these things that ye may boast, but that ye may do these things to lay up for yourselves a treasure in heaven, yea, which is eternal, and which fadeth not away; yea, that ye may have that precious gift of eternal life, which we have reason to suppose hath been given to our fathers."

Doesn't eternal life just sound amazing?? Its better than any reward than we can have here on Earth! D&C 14: 7 says

"7 And, if you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God."

The greatest gift that God can ever give us! He doesn't just want to give us a big house or a fancy car, He wants to let us live forever in His glory. But wait there's more! Because our Heavenly Father loves us so much He not only lets us have eternal life, but we live eternally with our families! This "greatest gift of all the gifts" just got even greater!

But how do we receive this gift?

D&C 7:6 tells us!

"7 Seek not for riches but for wisdom, and behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich."

So first we seek for wisdom! But what should we learn? Where can we go to find such wonderful "wisdom" about receiving eternal life?

The Book of Mormon! Our favorite book in the world right?? Right??? 2 Nephi 31 tells us exactly what we need to do! Verse 13 tells us:

"13 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel."

There it is! All in one scripture! Have faith, repent, be baptized, and receive the holy ghost!

Seems pretty easy now doesn't it? But there's one more step. Verse 20 will tell us:

"20 Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold,
thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."

Endure to the end! Thats it! All we need to do is "press forward" and we "shall have eternal life"!

I know that as we follow these steps our Heavenly Father does give us this great reward, and we can live eternally with our families. I hope we all can do our best in enduring to the end so we can receive "the gift which is greatest of all the gifts of God".

Joseph Smith

Joseph Smith, through his childlike faith, asked our Heavenly Father which church he should attend. I know that God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him and told him that Jesus Christ's church was no longer on the earth, but through Joseph Smith that very same church would be restored. This link tells us a lot about Joseph Smith, there's also a good movie on there that shows us more about his life and his experience.

http://www.mormon.org/joseph-smith/

I love being out here and telling the story of Joseph Smith. I know that he really did restore Christ's church on this earth. I also know that with the Book of Mormon, we have the fullness of the gospel. The Book of Mormon is a wonderful testament to how true the church is and how Joseph Smith really was a prophet of God.

Christ's Healing Power

I know that Jesus Christ has suffered all things, so that He can know how to help us in our struggles. Because of His great selflessness, He endured so much pain and sorrow. He knows each of us personally, He's our big brother how could he not? I know that by following Christ, and humbly asking for His help, He will give us the strength to endure our trials; whether they be something small like a stressful work day, or tragic events such as losing a family member. Alma 7:11-12 say:

"11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

 12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities."

We need to realize the importance of that statement, according to the flesh. Because Jesus Christ suffered the exact pains and sicknesses we have, He knows exactly what we need. Its according to the flesh, which is us, that he can heal us and give us strength. He knows our individual needs, and as long as we're doing everything we can, He will give us everything else we need.

It is truly on our faith and obedience that we receive the blessings we need. Why should we be rewarded for not doing the things we're supposed to? Once we have done our part by going to church, reading the Book of Mormon, praying, and doing all that we can; we can then turn to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ for help. When we have complete faith in Him and His healing power, He will give us all the help we need.

This talk by Elder Kikuchi describes some of the power that comes from Jesus Christ that can heal us.

The Healer's Art

I know that Jesus Christ suffered for every one of us, so that He can heal us and give us strength in our time of need. He really is our brother and He lived the perfect life so we don't have to. I know that it is through Him that we can return to live with our Heavenly Father and our families for all eternity.

Nothing Huge

Well I don't have anything big and important to say today, so I'll just tell you to read the Book of Mormon! I don't ever say it enough, do I? There's not many books out there that can affect our lives the same way the Book of Mormon does. No matter what we're going through in our life, the Book of Mormon answers the questions and gives us the peace that we are always looking for. I'd like anyone to find another book that does that!

I love that Joseph Smith restored the church of Jesus Christ here on this earth. How else could we be happy all the time? Its through this church that we can feel true joy coming straight from our Heavenly Father. There's a cool little story in the Book of Mormon about the joy that comes from our Heavenly Father. Alma 27: 17-18 says:

17 "Now the joy of Ammon was so great even that he was full; yea, he was swallowed up in the joy of his God, even to the exhausting of his strength; and he fell again to the earth.

 18 Now was not this exceeding joy? Behold, this is joy which none receiveth save it be the truly penitent and humble seeker of happiness."

How sweet is that? We can have so much joy that we just pass out! But it only comes from doing the things which God has asked us, and He will give us that "strength exhausting" joy.

I know that its been such a blessing to have been raised in this gospel and I plan to do everything I can to help everyone receive this joy for themselves. I know that the Book of Mormon really is the word of God, saved for us so that we can know that Jesus Christ is our savior. And I know that by following the teachings of the Book of Mormon and doing everything we can we will receive "exceeding joy" from our Heavenly Father.

Alma and Amulek

So I read one of my favorite Book of Mormon stories today, the story of Alma and Amulek! Its a great example of Faith and trusting in the Lord. This story shows us that even if bad things are happening, we can rely on our Heavenly Father to help us and give us the strength we need to keep going.

Alma Chapter 14 starts out with Alma and Amulek teaching to the people of Ammonihah and their wicked leader Zeezrom. Zeezrom believes their words, but the people don't! So they lock Alma and Amulek up and start burning the people who did believe them. So as Alma and Amulek watch as all these innocent people are being killed, Amulek says to Alma:

12 "...Behold, perhaps they will burn us also."

But then Alma replies:

13 "...Be it according to the will of the Lord. But, behold, our work is not finished; therefore they burn us not."

Alma didn't even flinch! Can you imagine how much faith that took? He's watching his people die and they're next in line, but Alma knows that God will deliver them. His faith was so strong in following what the Lord would do that he wasn't even scared to die. He completely trusted in God to save them from death. Even after spending many days in jail they hung on to their faith. Finally, after all their afflictions God delivers them out of jail. In a pretty spectacular way too!

"26: And Alma cried, saying: How long shall we suffer these great afflictions, O Lord? O Lord, give us strength according to our faith which is in Christ, even unto deliverance. And they broke the cords with which they were bound; and when the people saw this, they began to flee, for the fear of destruction had come upon them.

 27: And it came to pass that so great was their fear that they fell to the earth, and did not obtain the outer door of the prison; and the earth shook mightily, and the walls of the prison were rent in twain, so that they fell to the earth; and the chief judge, and the lawyers, and priests, and teachers, who smote upon Alma and Amulek, were slain by the fall thereof.

 28: And Alma and Amulek came forth out of the prison, and they were not hurt; for the Lord had granted unto them power, according to their faith which was in Christ. And they straightway came forth out of the prison; and they were loosed from their bands; and the prison had fallen to the earth, and every soul within the walls thereof, save it were Alma and Amulek, was slain; and they straightway came forth into the city."

I like the part in verse 28, how it says according to their faith. If they had not believed that God would save them, then they would not have been saved! But because they continually believed in God and trusted in Him, huge miracles happened. It is according to all our faith that we receive our blessings. Although buildings don't crash in around us, we can still receive help for our problems that we're having. As long as we trust in God and rely fully upon Him, we will always receive the help and the strength we need to get through our problems.

The Book of Mormon!

Hey so everybody out there should be reading the Book of Mormon! Its incredible how such a little book can truly bless our lives. 2 Nephi 32: 3 says:

"...Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do."

Who knows what the Words of Christ are???
The Book of Mormon of course! If we have any questions in our life, we can pray to our Heavenly Father and find the answers we need right here in the Book of Mormon! It really does "tell you all the things what ye should do."

I know that the Book of Mormon truly is the word of God, and as we read it we become closer to God. Once we know that the Book of Mormon is true we know that Joseph Smith really did translate it by the power of God. I invite everyone to read it and to ask for themselves if it is true. I know that this book was saved for our time, so that we may have the Fullness of the Gospel.

Prayer!

One of my favorite scriptures is 2 Nephi 32: 9. It says:

"But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul."

Prayer is the best way that we can feel closer to our Heavenly Father. When we pray we show him our willingness to follow him and do the things we have been asked to do. Prayer is a way we can show our gratitude for the things which our Heavenly Father has given us, which is everything of course! It should not just be when we need help, but even when times are good we should continue to pray. As we pray regularly we receive more blessings, and we come to recognize God's hand in everything that we do. When we go throughout our day, we should pray and ask for any help that we need, no matter what we do. Then as the scripture says, God will bless us and help us grow as we go throughout our activities. We then become stronger in everything that we do. Who doesn't want God's help with them all the time?

The story of the 2000 stripling warriors is a perfect example of having complete faith in God. Through prayer they consecrated, or devoted, their efforts to Him, knowing that God would deliver them into safety. Here's a few scriptures from Alma 56 that talk about how strong their faith was that they would be safe, as long as they fought with the strength of our Heavenly Father.

"45 And now I say unto you, my beloved brother Moroni, that never had I seen so great courage, nay, not amongst all the Nephites.

 46 For as I had ever called them my sons (for they were all of them very young) even so they said unto me: Father, behold our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall; then let us go forth; we would not slay our brethren if they would let us alone; therefore let us go, lest they should overpower the army of Antipus.

 47 Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.

 48 And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it."

If we consecrate all of our doings through prayer, whether it be just reading the Book of Mormon or going to church, we become stronger and we can be blessed, just as the Stripling Warriors were. I know that prayer has been a huge help in my life, and that through prayer we can all feel closer to our Heavenly Father.

I love this talk by Elder Cook. He talks a lot about how the Plan of Salvation is important to us.

Our Father’s Plan—Big Enough for All His Children

I know that our Heavenly Father created this plan for us, so that we can be happy. He created this Earth and our bodies for one purpose: "...to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" Moses 1:39. I know its through His plan we can return to our Heavenly Father and enjoy eternal life with Him and our families.

My New Blog!

Well I finally made a blog that I can talk about all the wonderful things we do as missionaries. I can talk about the stuff I've learned and hopefully you can learn and benefit from it. We as missionaries are out here to bring everyone we can unto Christ by teaching them the importance of the Book of Mormon. By reading the Book of Mormon we can understand the role Christ has in our lives and be able to feel the love of our Heavenly Father even more. I know that the Book of Mormon has blessed me in my life. I know that through it we can be closer to God than ever before. As Joseph Smith said "it is the most correct of any book." I also know that it is through Jesus Christ and his sacrifice for us that we can return to live with our Heavenly Father. I know that my life has been blessed through the gospel and that all of our lives can be blessed as well. I know that through Joseph Smith God restored His gospel here on the earth, so that we can once more receive the blessings of heaven. Thomas S. Monson is the living prophet today. He receives revelation for us so that we can know of the things to do to return to our Heavenly Father.