"Come unto Christ and Be Perfected in Him..."

Over the course of my mission so far, I have realized there is such a special feeling being at a baptism and witnessing their determination to follow Christ.
 I have often reflected on what it is that makes these events so special.

  This past weekend we were able to see two Burmese children make that special promise with their Heavenly Father. I thought to a previous night when we had taught them about following Jesus Christ  and asked each of them why they wanted to be baptized. The boy answered, "So I can receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost." And the girl answered, "So I can return to live with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ one day."

  And here they were, dressed in white and ready to be baptized!

 Over the past month and a half we had taught them how to pray, and this past week they would take our nametags and teach us all about how God calls prophets. They had learned so much and LOVED IT in a way that I admired. With whatever they learned they would practice and review all week. They would even have their dad pretend to be the student and they would pretend to be missionaries and teach him.



As they each got ready to enter the water I was reminded of a scripture;

 

"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.

 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."

I know that there is so much power in the promises we make with our Heavenly Father. I know that He always keeps His promises. As we enter in and strive our whole lives to keep our promise, or covenant to Him, I know the blessings of God can be each of ours, and our eternal hopes will be realized.
   In The Book of Mormon, Jesus teaches the people and us the importance of these things, He says;

  " And no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end.

   Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day." (3 Nephi 27:19-20)

I love this scripture because it encompasses the hope of these two children that my companion and I have grown to love. It is my hope I can be more like them, filled with the bright hope and faith of Christ and a determination to follow Him.

Choose the Right

Lets face it. We live in a world of increasing complexity. How thankful I am for clarity and direction that the Gospel of Jesus Christ brings into my life.

It is meant to be Black and White.

Wrong and Right

When everything seems grey and unclear

and before you turn to fear

Ask yourself: 

When you are faced with a choice or want to know whether something is good or evil, you can ask yourself, “Does it invite me to do good? Will it strengthen my faith in Christ?”

Moroni 7:15-17

Indeed we can with confidence,

 CHOOSE THE RIGHT

Testimony of a Prophet

  Recently my companion and I have had the opportunity to teach several Burmese children about Jesus Christ and His Gospel at their parents' invitation and request.

   We have really enjoyed our time with them. This past week we talked about the role of Prophets in leading us to Jesus Christ. 

It was such a joy to share with them that God continues to call prophets today starting with Joseph Smith. 

 In my life I have gained a personal conviction that God and Jesus Christ really did appear to Joseph at the tender age of 14 in answer to a humble prayer of which Church was Christ's church.

   I know that Christ answered Him that he should join none but was to be an instrument in Christ's restoration of His Primitive church that He had established anciently.

   This knowledge of prophets today strengthens my faith of God and Jesus Christ's love for us. That God is the same yesterday, today and forever and will never leave us without clear guidance and direction.

  

 I am so thankful for the Prophet Joseph Smith, for bringing forth the Book of Mormon through the gift and power of God, and his role in restoring Christ's church to the earth once more.

In one of my favorite hymns called "Praise to the Man" the lyrics of the first verse are;

"Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah!

Jesus anointed that Prophet and Seer.

 Blessed to open the last dispensation,

Kings shall extol him and nations revere."

Can People Change?

So the other day my companion and I found ourselves in the apartment of a member of the church that had been struggling and had not been to church in a long time. Of course we were there to find out why and to see if there was anything we could do.
   As we spoke with him and asked questions we discovered the things weighing on his soul were grave indeed.
  He was discouraged as he felt in his 5 years of being a member that people cannot really change. That they will always revert back to their original nature. Sure it may be possible for a short while, but as philosophy often advocates we are what we are and we cannot TRULY change,
 (what a condemning thought, or at least severely depressing).
   We didn't know what to say, but we set up a time to meet with him at a later day expressing that we had faith in him and wanted to discuss further even though he expressed that he did not desire to waste our time.
   As my companion and I discussed this morning, we knew that change was possible, lasting change, we had seen it in our own lives. But how to convey that to a friend with little hope and struggling faith we were not sure.
   As we studied and prayed we came the the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

  President David O. McKay summarized power and purpose of the gospel of Jesus Christ in this simple phrase:

"The purpose of the gospel is...to make bad men good and good men better, and to change human nature."

I have learned on my mission more than ever that the Atonement is how we apply the Gospel of Jesus Christ and obtain the change spoken of by President David O. McKay.

   The purpose and point to life is to CHANGE. My companion, Sister V. said it perfectly, "If people cannot change then there would have never been an Atonement."

 Our friend did have one thing right. We have limited capacities in our own abilities to change and "to put off the natural man." It does not make sense that a person could seek to become more divine in their predisposed nature without divine help.

   I want to share with you that I know that is why Jesus Christ sent His Son as Sister V. previously mentioned.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life"(John 3:16)

In the Book of Mormon, King Benjamin explains:

"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father" (Mosiah 3:19)

I know that the reason we are here is to learn grow, become and to change our vary natures to be more like Jesus Christ that we may one day abide His glory and live with God forever. How thankful am for the hope and peace this knowledge gives to me. I know that is our message of hope to the world. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Thank Heaven for Moms

AKK! So I just realized I never published this "Tribute to Mothers" post on Mother's Day weekend. Super tacky, for which I apologize. But I know many people are thankful for their mothers year round, and women love being appreciated spontaneously, so I figure and hope that this will be read and that mothers will feel special and others can be edified.


My companion and I had a unique opportunity the other day.


 We went to go visit this mother and daughter who we had not been able to get a hold of in a few months. Every time we did go things seemed to be quite perfect, the house in good order and were doing well leaning on each other. We loved to be around them and their good spirit and were excited for an opportunity to visit again.

Upon our arrival, we came upon a very different scene. The house was in slight disarray and the mother and daughter were somewhat in distress. We asked how they had been and if they were okay.

The mother opened up to us and asked us sincerely how we had gained such a good relationship with our mothers, how our mothers earned our respect and so on. We were so touched and for two different reasons. First, that they would open up to us so sincerely with something so personal but also something so special and important. And second that we could both say that our mothers were among our closest friends who we respect and love.

We had also been in similar situations where that relationship had its struggles and so we were able to help.

We both expressed that before our mom was our friend she was our mom. In small ways we were able to summarize what our mothers meant to us and briefly share experiences how our mothers greatly influenced where we are today.

I love  what Elder Ballard stated in the April 2010 General Conference:

 

"A mother-daughter relationship is where a daughter learns how to nurture by being nurtured. She is loved. She is taught and experiences firsthand what it feels like to have someone care about her enough to correct her while continuing to encourage and believe in her at the same time."

I am so THANKFUL for moms!!

My mom is my best friend and  I'd love to show you a picture, but  alas, she is allusive to the camera.  She has been my best friend, and though she has braved and endured many trials, whenever there was a sincere need, she was always there. And a big thing i never realized or appreciated till we were seeking to help this wonderful mother is what a huge sacrifice it was to her to have to follow through and play the bad guy. Looking back it was definitely harder on her than on me and I am so grateful for that and the many other sacrifices she made to help me learn, grow, and succeed.

We ended that meeting talking about the gospel and eternal families. We testified how the Restored Gospel of  Jesus Christ reveals to us truths concerning the eternal nature of the family. We assured them that for the labor of love we share now, we can enjoy the blessings of those relationships for eternity.
  I know that no good effort of my mother was ever wasted, for which I am so grateful.

To Thirst No More

It is warming up here in the South States. Our Mission President's Wife is telling all of us to be sure to be hydrated for the oncoming summer.

   My companion and I purchased our water bottles today, we had been running around all afternoon  and by the time we got home is was SOO THIRSTY!

  In the Holy Bible as well as the Book of Mormon it talks alot about thirst.

In Amos 8:11-12  it talks about a famine;

11 ¶Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a ^afamine of bread, nor a ^bthirst for water, but of hearing the ^cwords of the Lord:

12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall ^arun to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.

God foretold of a time where the human soul would thirst and hunger from the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We seek for the well of water that springs up into everlasting life, that nourishes and fills what nothing else can satisfy.

John  4:14

14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

And yet still today there is famine and thirst of the soul.

God also made a promise those lost in famine and honest seekers of truth.

Isaiah 41:17

17 When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them

.

I know that promise is real. Just as I can run into my apartment and fill my water bottle to overflowing; I am able to partake of the Fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

How grateful I am that God knows the needs of the souls of whom He created. That after Christ left the earth and the Apostles with Him, in 1820 God had heard the cried of the righteous of His Protestant children and restored  His Gospel.

One of my biggest challenges is helping those wonderful friends of other faiths see that what they had historically fought for and seek today has been brought back.

  Our invitation to the world, or the ladel of eternal water we offer to our thirsting brothers and sisters is the Book of Mormon. Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

  I invite the world to sample for themselves and taste and see if it fills the soul to overflowing.

A Book of Mormon Porphet states in Alma 32:42;

42 And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.

I hope you all have a great week and stay HYDRATED! physically and spiritually

Are Mormons Christian?

So I had a great friend message me on Facebook that was bothered by all of the negative posts and comments she was seeing about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day saints, also known as "Mormons."

This is about the 3rd time lately that I have heard a comment from someone on facebook that is blatantly anti Mormon, to the point of saying they worship a false god. I have never heard this. I know many Mormons and they serve the same God we do, just in a different way. Please tell me what this animosity is against them. I'm absolutely not trying to start an argument. I'm truly curious to hear the answer and learn what others believe.

She then shared the explanations and responses of here say that has been known to circulate the web.

And to those of you who may be sincerely wondering I thought I would lend my response.

 "Are Mormons Christians?"


   I would like explain there is only one way to really know.
  Go to the Source. It is a great way to ensure you get credible information.

And a more direct source than that would be to Pray and ask. i think too often we as Christians forget that on our journey of faith we are to ask questions in prayer. In Matthew 21;21-22

 21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have ^afaith, and ^bdoubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this ^cmountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
 22 And all ^athings, whatsoever ye shall ^bask in ^cprayer, believing, ye shall receive.

That is a promise from God. If we ask, He will answer. If we truly have faith in Christ, we need not be afraid to ask God "are Mormons Christians" "is what they teach true?" Has Christ really restored His church on the earth today the same as he has anciently?" "Is the Book of Mormon True?" "Is Joseph Smith thy Prophet?"

I know God will answer these questions. He has done so for me and millions of others. If we are sincere seekers of truth, shall we not rely on the source of all truth?

In James chapter one verses five and six it reads;

 5 ^aIf any of you lack ^bwisdom, let him ask of God, that ^cgiveth to all men liberally, and ^dupbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
 6 But let him ^aask in ^bfaith, nothing ^cwavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

The pattern of prayer and asking in faith has been a pattern in my life that has only brought greater joy and happiness on multiple questions I have faced in life. This scripture promotes faith and not fear. And as Christians we know it is by faith that we are lead.