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.