Appreciating the Pioneers

This weekend I am visiting my grandparents in Omaha, Nebraska. They're serving at the Winter Quarters Trail Center. I can't wait to tour it and learn more about the pioneers who paved the way for the church! I'm so grateful for all that they have done. This summer our stake is having a pioneer trek and with all of the chatter and preparing events, I am super excited for it! My mom has recently found a lot of her ancestors and almost every day I hear a new story. It is so powerful! I hope to get into it too. There is such a sweet spirit here and now I don't want to leave. I'm looking forward to enjoying this weekend and having my testimony strengthened through the pioneers and learning about their history. I will write more later this weekend on what I have learned. See you in the next paragraph! (really a couple days later. . .)

Wow this place has such a special spirit. I've come to appreciate even more what the pioneers did for us. They were all so faithful and trusted in the Lord without hesitation. It makes me look back on my life and think that if I were asked to do what they did, if I would have enough faith to leave everything behind to follow the prophet. When our family was touring the Kanesville Tabernacle this morning, there was a scripture on the wall which shows the faith of the pioneers and now is one of my favorite scriptures. "Lo, we have left all, and followed thee." (Luke 18:28). Would you leave all to follow President Monson? Recently, the reminder to continue to kindle your testimony has been taught to me and it is so true. When you strengthen your testimony in little every day ways you will be able to make the right choice when hard decisions come in your life.

We were also able to tour the Visitors Center which is next to the Winter Quarters temple. Throughout the tour my family members shared some amazing personal experiences and stories that really made me think about the Plan of Salvation. We are so blessed to have this knowledge. There are 7 billion people on this earth. Only .002% (15 million Church members) of the world knows that we lived before we came here, that we will see our loved ones again, and that we can live with them together forever in God's presence. I think I take it for granted too much. The pioneers really understood that knowledge because there were many who sacrificed their lives for us. They knew that life went on.

Next to the temple there is a cemetery where they buried all of the pioneers that died while at Winter Quarters. Some of them are my relatives. And it really brings everything into perspective. One view from the Visitors Center you can see the cemetery and the temple next to each other. Life does not end at the grave. There's a scripture in the Book of Mormon that my grandfather shared. I read over it when I read the whole Book of Mormon but I didn't appreciate as much as I should've.

             "And if Christ had not risen from the dead, or have broken the bands of death that the grave should have no victory, and that death should have no sting, there could have been no resurrection. But there is a resurrection therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ."

One last point I would like to make goes back to when I mentioned that the pioneers relied on the Lord. We can all relate to the trials that they went through. They had to get over mountains, blaze new trails, and go without food sometimes. Although most of us do not have these struggles we have our own mountains. They can be mental, emotional, spiritual, or physical. I know that if we build our foundation on Christ (Helaman 5:12) and keep our faces turned to Christ that we can overcome our mountains. Jesus Christ is the way. Without him, we would not be able to return with those that have gone before us to never be separated again. 

I know that this is true. Satan will not be able to tempt us if we put Christ before all. He is my Savior. I love him so much. Without him, I would have no purpose. I seek to bless others because of Him. The joy that I have in my heart right now I know is because of Him. I love this Church so much. There is a prophet on the Earth today that leads and guides this Church on the right path. Keep on Keepin' on. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.  

Our Weekly Promise to God

This morning I was studying my scriptures and I had the thought of working on my Duty to God a little bit. I love the new format! It really does prepare the young men for our missions. Anyways, I was studying about the sacrament prayer and it came to my mind that this would be a good blog post to do! I feel like sometimes some members of the Church (and even me), take this sacred ordinance for granted. We get to receive a cleansing of our sins every week! That's so awesome! I'm so grateful for that. We start off our week with a new start. I love it. So to understand what really happens I thought I would include the sacrament prayers and discuss them a little. 

Doctrine and Covenants 20:77,79:

"O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it; that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him, and keep his commandments which he has given them, that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen."

"O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee, in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this wine to the souls of all those who drink of it, that they may do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them; that they may witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they do always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them. Amen."

So, these prayers are really powerful if you study them closely. When we partake of the bread and drink of the water, we promise to always remember Him, keep His commandments, and take His name upon us. In return, if we do this, we will always have His spirit to be with us! Isn't that sweet!?! And we are not perfect, so as long as we are willing and striving to do these things, we will have the Holy Ghost with us. 

In today's world there are so many distractions and it can be hard to always remember Jesus Christ. Luckily, the Church has numerous resources and helpful reminders! I ordered my own CTR ring (Choose the Right), and it always helps me remember who I am representing and who I am indebted to for giving me the opportunity to live with God again. Jesus Christ paved the way for you and I, and without Him, there would be no way to return. I am eternally grateful that Heavenly Father was willing to give up His Only Begotten Son. For ME! :) Another resource is seminary for youth. It's so awesome waking up every morning and hearing a message about the Gospel. My day is different without it. Those who aren't in seminary? Set aside a time each day to study your scriptures. Whether it's for 5 minutes or 20, that time spent will give you the power and the strength to get through your day. 

One of my favorite ways to receive strength and one that I lean on the most is through prayer. The Bible Dictionary gives great insight on prayer: "As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God, then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant but that are made conditional on our asking for them." 

And when we use these many things that God has given us to get through our hard weeks, we will still fall short. We will still sin. But, we need not be ashamed. Because last that I heard, our Church isn't for perfect people. We are all imperfect. We strengthen each other as we work our way back home. Dieter F. Uchtdorf says it much better than I can: "Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God's love encompasses us completely. ... He loves every one of us, even those who are flawed, rejected, awkward, sorrowful, or broken.”

I know that we can receive strength through the sacrament prayer. If we are just willing to do those three things, we will be blessed with the Spirit. And with the Spirit, nothing can stop us. I know that Christ is my Redeemer. Without Him I would be lost forever. I'm so grateful for how much Heavenly Father loves me, though I have imperfections. And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

Firm in the Faith. 24/7!

Life is tough. My atmosphere that I live in Ohio I know has gotten at least 10 times worse in past 5 years. The world's standards are plummeting. The Lord's commandments do not change. His standards for us do not waver. We must be firm and steadfast during these hard times. It is coming to a time that there is no more gray area. You cannot depend on another's testimony to protect you from the adversary. If you are seeking for your own testimony, pray for the Lord's help. Read from the Book of Mormon. This book brings peace and comfort into your life. It is the keystone of our religion. Read it and pray. Serve those around you. There is no greater feeling than serving your brothers and sisters. 

Conversion is your responsibility. The True to the Faith book teaches: "No one can be converted for you, and no one can force you to be converted. However, others can help you in the process of conversion. Learn from the righteous examples of family members, Church leaders and teachers, and men and women in the scriptures." The Gospel of Jesus Christ contains the strength needed to overcome the temptations that we all deal with every day. This church brings happinness that will bless your life for eternity. In the Book of Mormon there is a promise in the introduction. If you really think about what is being said, it's powerful. "Those who gain this divine witness from the Holy Spirit will also come to know by the same power that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, that Joseph Smith is his revelator and prophet in these last days, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the Lord's kingdom once again established on the earth." Now, what do we do once we gain this testimony? 

Our answer is found in the book of James. "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him." We must endure to the end. Remember your ultimate goal: to return to your Father that gave you life. Satan is doing all that he can to distract you from that. He has plagued music, television, movies, and even your friends at times. Satan is the best at what he does. No one is better in the skill of deception. He has been hard at work for over 2000 years. He is working his hardest on us. We have the skills to thwart him though. We were reserved to face him at this time. We have been given so many resources to help us along the way. In closing, I would strongly encourage you to watch this video. I felt the spirit and gained a greater testimony of staying firm in the faith. 

I love this Church and that we can strengthen each other through our testimonies. I love all of the bishops and other leaders that do all that they can to help us. I'm so grateful for the missionaries out there who are sacrificing 2 years of their lives to bring the happy message of the Gospel to families all over the world so that they can be together with their families for eternity. May we all be good examples. Come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness. I know that as we do this we will receive strength that cannot be obtained through man. And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.