My Misson Experience

My mission has been a great experience.  The Lord has done so much for me!  My Savior, through the power of His Atoneing sacrifice, has literally changed my life.  I owe everything to Him who did what I could not do for myself!  I love Him.  I know I still have a lot I need to do, but I know through Christ it is possible.  It is possible to return to live with my Father in Heaven after this life is over.  I thank my Savior!

I feel like Ammon who said, "Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever."(Alma 26: 12).

I will forever remember this mission experience! 

I love these verses of scripture in Mosiah 2: 20-24,

20 I say unto you, my brethren, that if you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you, and has kept and preserved you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another—

21 I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants.

22 And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you.

23 And now, in the first place, he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted unto him.

24 And secondly, he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast?

My Savior has done so much for me.  He has helped me and taught me so much!  I am thankful I came on a mission.  I know that this great work is true.  I know that God called Joseph Smith to be a prophet, and through him the exact same church Christ established was restored again to the earth.  This is Christ's church.  A living prophet is on the earth today!  I know this is true. 

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Testimonies of The Book of Mormon

The Testimony of Three Witnesses

Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come: That we, through the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, have seen the plates which contain this record, which is a record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites, their brethren, and also of the people of Jared, who came from the tower of which hath been spoken. And we also know that they have been translated by the gift and power of God, for his voice hath declared it unto us; wherefore we know of a surety that the work is true. And we also testify that we have seen the engravings which are upon the plates; and they have been shown unto us by the power of God, and not of man. And we declare with words of soberness, that an angel of God came down from heaven, and he brought and laid before our eyes, that we beheld and saw the plates, and the engravings thereon; and we know that it is by the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, that we beheld and bear record that these things are true. And it is marvelous in our eyes. Nevertheless, the voice of the Lord commanded us that we should bear record of it; wherefore, to be obedient unto the commandments of God, we bear testimony of these things. And we know that if we are faithful in Christ, we shall rid our garments of the blood of all men, and be found spotless before the judgment-seat of Christ, and shall dwell with him eternally in the heavens. And the honor be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, which is one God. Amen.

Oliver Cowdery

David Whitmer

Martin Harris

Ask of God

James 1: 5 reads, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."

To upbraid is to reproach or censure.  When it says "upbraideth not", it means that God will not get upset with us for asking.  It is actually quite the opposite, God wants us to ask Him!  He wants to help us!  What a great invitation!  Who wouldn't want to ask God, who knows everything and has the ability to help them personally? 

God is our Loving Heavenly Father

God is our loving Heavenly Father.  We are spiritual sons and daughters of God.  He loves us so very much.  He wants to hear from us through sincere prayer.  He has a perfected glorified body.  We are created after the image of God.

We believe in Jesus Christ

We believe in Jesus Christ!  I believe and know that Jesus Christ is my Savior.  He is the Son of God.  I know He came and Atoned for my sins.  I know He lives!  It is only through Him that salvation is possible.  He is who all the prophets testified would come.  He will come again. 

Everything is possible only because of what He did.  Without Him, all would be lost (see Alma 34: 9).  He is at the head of this Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  I love Him!  He has spoken and He still speaks.  Through a living prophet, He leads us today.

I love the Bible and its witness of the Savior.  I love the Book of Mormon and its witness of the Savior.  I love my Savior!

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Hard Times?

This is so true, we will have hard days.  I know that even though things seem so tough and difficult to face, the Lord will not leave us comfortless.  He will help us!  I love the the scriptures they teach us so much about this. 

1 Nephi 21: 14-16 read, "But, behold, Zion hath said: The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me—but he will show that he hath not.  For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel.  Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me."

The Fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ Has Been Restored

The fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ is on the earth.  The exact same church that Christ set up while He was on the earth is here.  It is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  Jesus Christ stands at the head of the church.  He leads and directs the church through a true and living prophet today.  I know that this is true.  My invitation to you is to consider the evidence and pray and ask God yourself if this is true.

Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ

Throughout history God has called prophets.  There has also been many instances of apostasy.  Apostasy is when people choose to reject the prophets and their teaching.  When people chose to reject the prophets, God would withdraw His priesthood authority from the earth.  When the time was right, God would call another prophet to restore His gospel anew.  God even sent His Son, Jesus Christ.  Incredibly, people even rejected and crucified Him.  With the death of Christ and the rejection of His Apostles, the world fell into a dark night of apostasy.


God loves us so much that when the time was right, He again reached out to His children in love. After the long night of darkness and apostasy, God called another prophet to restore His gospel anew! This prophet is Joseph Smith!

Prophets

Throughout history God has called prophets. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and many others. They were called of God and given the priesthood, which is power and authority given to man to act in God's name. They taught the people about Jesus Christ and what they needed to do to follow Him. Amos 3: 7 reads, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." Everyone has their ability to choose, some chose to follow their teachings and others chose not to. When the people followed the prophets, they were blessed. When the people chose to reject the prophets, God would withdraw His priesthood authority to teach and administer the ordinances of the gospel.

"A Foundation Whereon If Men Build They Cannot Fall"

Life is hard.  Everyday seems to have its own set of challenges.  Some storms of life are little showers that pass relatively quickly.  Some storms of life are tsunamis that could destroy almost everything.  With a pretty much unpredictable forecast if events in life, how can we not get washed away?  The answer is Christ!  He is the unchanging solid foundation we can build on!
Helaman 5: 12 reads, "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."

"The Gospel is Simply Beautiful and Beautifully Simple."

I love the teachings of the gospel.  I know what I need to do to be happy.  As my mission president puts it, "the gospel is simply beautiful and beautifully simple."  We either follow Christ and are happy, or we don't and are not happy.  It is simple.  When we do make mistakes, we humbly turn to Chrisrt and use His sacrifice and repent.  It is our choice, we don't have to yeild to sin and evil.  God is our loving Heavenly Father; He will never turn His back on us.

"The Race"

attributed to Dr. D.H. "Dee" Groberg

Whenever I start to hang my head in front of failure’s face,
my downward fall is broken by the memory of a race.
A children’s race, young boys, young men; how I remember well,
excitement sure, but also fear, it wasn’t hard to tell.
They all lined up so full of hope, each thought to win that race
or tie for first, or if not that, at least take second place.
Their parents watched from off the side, each cheering for their son,
and each boy hoped to show his folks that he would be the one.
 
The whistle blew and off they flew, like chariots of fire,
to win, to be the hero there, was each young boy’s desire.
One boy in particular, whose dad was in the crowd,
was running in the lead and thought “My dad will be so proud.”
But as he speeded down the field and crossed a shallow dip,
the little boy who thought he’d win, lost his step and slipped.
Trying hard to catch himself, his arms flew everyplace,
and midst the laughter of the crowd he fell flat on his face.
As he fell, his hope fell too; he couldn’t win it now.
Humiliated, he just wished to disappear somehow.

But as he fell his dad stood up and showed his anxious face,
which to the boy so clearly said, “Get up and win that race!”
He quickly rose, no damage done, behind a bit that’s all,
and ran with all his mind and might to make up for his fall.
So anxious to restore himself, to catch up and to win,
his mind went faster than his legs. He slipped and fell again.
He wished that he had quit before with only one disgrace.
“I’m hopeless as a runner now, I shouldn’t try to race.”
 
But through the laughing crowd he searched and found his father’s face
with a steady look that said again, “Get up and win that race!”
So he jumped up to try again, ten yards behind the last.
“If I’m to gain those yards,” he thought, “I’ve got to run real fast!”
Exceeding everything he had, he regained eight, then ten...
but trying hard to catch the lead, he slipped and fell again.
Defeat! He lay there silently. A tear dropped from his eye.
“There’s no sense running anymore! Three strikes I’m out! Why try?
I’ve lost, so what’s the use?” he thought. “I’ll live with my disgrace.”
But then he thought about his dad, who soon he’d have to face.
 
“Get up,” an echo sounded low, “you haven’t lost at all,
for all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall.
Get up!” the echo urged him on, “Get up and take your place!
You were not meant for failure here! Get up and win that race!”
So, up he rose to run once more, refusing to forfeit,
and he resolved that win or lose, at least he wouldn’t quit.
So far behind the others now, the most he’d ever been,
still he gave it all he had and ran like he could win.
Three times he’d fallen stumbling, three times he rose again.
Too far behind to hope to win, he still ran to the end.
 
They cheered another boy who crossed the line and won first place,
head high and proud and happy -- no falling, no disgrace.
But, when the fallen youngster crossed the line, in last place,
the crowd gave him a greater cheer for finishing the race.
And even though he came in last with head bowed low, unproud,
you would have thought he’d won the race, to listen to the crowd.
And to his dad he sadly said, “I didn’t do so well.”
“To me, you won,” his father said. “You rose each time you fell.”
 
And now when things seem dark and bleak and difficult to face,
the memory of that little boy helps me in my own race.
For all of life is like that race, with ups and downs and all.
And all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall.
And when depression and despair shout loudly in my face,
another voice within me says, “Get up and win that race!”

"Touch of the Master’s Hand"





By Myra Welsh

T’was battered and scarred, and the auctioneer
Thought it scarcely worth his while
To waste much time on the old violin,
But held it up with a smile.

"What am I bidden, good folks," he cried,
"Who’ll start the bidding for me?"
"A dollar, a dollar," then, two! Only two?
"Two dollars, and who’ll make it three?

"Three dollars, once; three dollars, twice;
Going for three . . . "But no,
From the room, far back, a grey haired man
Came forward and picked up the bow;

Then, wiping the dust from the old violin,
And tightening the loose strings,
He played a melody pure and sweet
As a caroling angel sings.

The music ceased, and the auctioneer,
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said: "What am I bid for the old violin?"
And he held it up with the bow.

"A thousand dollars, and who’ll make it two?
Two thousand! And who’ll make it three?
Three thousand, once; three thousand, twice;
And going and gone," said he.

The people cheered, but some of them cried,
"We do not quite understand
What changed its worth?" Swift came the reply:
"The touch of a master’s hand."

And many a man with life out of tune,
And battered and scarred with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd,
Much like the old violin.

A "mess of potage," a glass of wine;
A game, and he travels on.
He is "going" once, and "going" twice,
He’s "going" and almost "gone."

But the Master comes and the foolish crowd
Never can quite understand
The worth of a soul and the change that’s wrought
By the touch of the Master’s hand.

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Repentance and Change

Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we have the opportunity to repent.  Repentance is more than cleansing us from sin.  We all can repent.  If we exercise faith in Christ and repent, we can be free form feelings of guilt and shame caused by sin.  I really like what Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the quorum of the Twelve Apostles said:

The Book of Mormon

I have a testimony of the Book of Mormon!  I have read it, and I have felt the Spirit testify to me.  I know that it is God's word.  It contains the fullness of the everlasting gospel.  I know that by the gift and power of God, Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon.  It is another testament of Jesus Christ.  The only way to know if it is true is to read it and pray about it.  If you want to know if it is true, find out yourself!  

Believe Him

Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount taught, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.  Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?  Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?"(Matthew 7: 7-11).  The power and importance of prayer is just one of many things that the Lord Has taught us.  A question that I would like to bring up for us to ask ourselves is: do I believe Him?  There is a difference between believing in Him and believing Him.  Do we believe Him?

Worth of a Soul

"Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God;"(Doctrine and Covenants 18: 10).  How great we may ask?  It is so great that He gave His life for all of us.  "For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him.  And he hath risen again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of repentance.  And how great is his joy in the soul that repenteth!"(Doctrine and Covenants 18: 11-13).

"Come unto me"

Christ has given the call, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."(Matthew 11: 28.)   How do we come unto Christ?  We heed the call.  We do what is right, even when it is hard.  We love and serve others.  We repent and become something better.  We do the best we can.

Easter, Remembrance of Christ

Easter is all about Christ!  It is a celebration of what He did for all of us.  Easter is a time to remember the death and resurrection of our Lord.  A time to remember the sacrifice made; a sacrifice that we could not do.  "For behold, he surely must die that salvation may come; yea, it behooveth him and becometh expedient that he dieth, to bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, that thereby men may be brought into the presence of the Lord."(Helaman 14:15).  A sacrifice that has opened the door to Heaven.  Opened the gate to all if we repent and turn to Him.  "Yea, thus we see that the gate of heaven is open unto all, even to those who will believe on the name of Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God."(Helaman 3:28).

"Peace, be still."

"Peace, be still."  This is a simple phrase that the Savior used to calm the storm in Mark 4: 39.  He was awoken from his sleep in the middle of a great storm(verse38), "and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?"  He calmed the storm, and in verse 40 "said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?"  The Lord of all is willing to help us through our storms of life if we but ask Him.