The Challenge

We all got to go to the Hill Cumorah yesterday for a mission-wide conference. I will admit, I really love those rare experiences that the whole mission gets together.
Our mission has been changing a lot within the last year. We have amazing missionaries and the work has really progressed a lot! More people are finding their way to the waters of baptism and even more are listening to the message that we as missionaries share.
The BIG challenge was given to us yesterday. Our goal as a mission is to read the Book of Mormon together as a companionship and to finish it in one transfer. For all of those who don't know, a transfer is six weeks and the Book of Mormon is 531 pages. That equates to 13 pages a day or 7 chapters! I was really surprised when they asked us to do this. 13 pages a day is quite the load! But, what comes from reading the Book of Mormon? Promptings from the spirit, peace, joy, revelation, happiness, and I could list off a whole page of things that come from reading the Book of Mormon. 
Why would President ask us to do this? Well, we want to have the spirit with us at all times and reading and praying are two things that we can do to build unity which then makes it possible for us to teach with the spirit.
My companion and I just started reading this morning and I can already feel the spirit more abundantly.
I testify that the Book of Mormon is true and that by living the principles found in it, we can draw closer to God. See what the leaders of the church have said about it Book of Mormon. 

Pornography

There is a plague that has swept the whole earth. It is as spiritually destructive as the poison from a deadly snake. Many people have fallen victim to it and it has consequently caused misery, heartache, and divorce. The very computer that you are using to read this post can be used to access this plague and to bring it into your own home. This plague is pornography.

Pornography is increasingly becoming a huge factor of divorce. Pornography leads to other serious sins and encourages cheating on a spouse in a marital relationship. God's plan for us is to be happy, to have families and find joy in them and being with them for eternity. That is His plan: to be happy! Why would we allow this destructive plague into our lives? There really is no reason besides our individual lusts.

Please take the time to listen to this talk by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland Place No More for the Enemy of My Soul

All those who have found themselves caught in this plague, PLEASE get help. Please visit this website to find help to get yourselves free from the guilt of using pornography. http://combatingpornography.org/cp/eng/

Prayers Answered

As missionaries, we go around and we will knock on peoples' doors. This is what we call "tracting." It's not my favorite thing to do due to a natural fear of talking to people that I don't know personally and we get the occasional nasty responses from people. It's all part of tracting, we just go past the ones who aren't ready to hear the Gospel and try to find the ones who are ready to listen.

We were tracting one day and came across one lady in particular that was very rude to us. We tried inviting her to the Hill Cumorah pagent but she wasn't too happy that we were there. She went on to tell us that we didn't need the Book of Mormon, that we were being led by foolish people, and that we were confused and so on and so forth. I was bothered by this encounter. The Spirit had left and the spirit of contention had found his way in. I kept asking myself why so many people were against us. Why was it so hard? I thought about those things the rest of the day and into the night. I found myself praying for some relief.

The following morning brought the same questions again. Satan had stuck me with a sliver that kept festering as time kept going. I prayed a long time that morning for relief. After I was done praying, I picked up the scriptures and started to read. I was in 2 Nephi 28 and I received the answers that i was looking for. The prophets prophesied that there would be widespread apostacy throughout the world. What is happening in the world today should be no surprise to us because Nephi Prophesied about it 2,600 years ago!
I went on to read in 2 Nephi 29 and received even more comfort than before.
How to we receive answers and revelation to our prayers? Well, we pray for guidance and direction and then we have to act. Nephi, in the Book of Mormon, didn't pray and then wait for an answer. He prayed and then did his best effort. He says, "...I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do." He relied on the fact that God would answer his prayers and he followed the Spirit.
I love what Elder Bednar said in the latest General Conference about receiving Revelation.
I know that God does answer our prayers. All we have to do is ask for His help.

The Picture

I was looking through a lot of different pictures that I have with me all the time and I came across one that was of myself. No, I didn't look and think, "Wow, I miss my old life!" It was quite the opposite. I looked at that picture for a few minutes looking into the eyes of who I once was.

"What's different? What's changed?" I asked myself, not sure how I could answer that question.

This question has been on my mind since that time that I had an encounter with myself. I have often looked at that picture over and over. I don't know why, but it's like I was trying to tell myself something.

I figured it out this morning! I looked again at that picture and saw a young man staring at me just smiling. I happened to turn around to see the reflection of a missionary in the mirror...It was me. I had changed. I was the person that the young man in the photo had dreamed of becoming.

How did we become the people that we are today? There are many different experiences that we go through in our life. How we react to those experiences will shape who we are and will determine our character. We are essentially refined.

I like the way that Jesus Christ uses the word "refine" as He speaks to those in the scriptures. 3Nephi24:3

Just as a silversmith heats silver until he can see his image in the silver itself, so does God allow us to be in trials and adversity until He can see His image in us. We all have our "Refining moments." But, we can be assured that God will help us to become what He wants us to be.

3 Nephi 22: 7-8, 10

God is real. He is there to help us up when we fall down. He wants us to reach our full potential. I know that is true.

Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration

Mormon Tabernacle Choir "I Know That My Redeemer Lives"

Joseph Smith

This last week has caused me to think a lot about the church and more especially the humble beginnings of it. The church was once just a small handful of people who all believed in the Prophet Joseph Smith. Now, church membership has grown to 14,000,000 world wide. All of those people have considered the story and testimony of Joseph Smith and have prayed about him and the Book of Mormon. They have received a witness of their own through the power of the Holy Ghost. I am one of them. I have searched the scriptures diligently, pondered what I have read, and I have followed the exhortation of the ancient prophets; I've prayed with faith to know if it was all true or not. I am a missionary today because I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the Lord's church established on the earth and that through Joseph Smith we have this Gospel. Thomas S. Monson  is a real, living prophet today. He is a prophet called by God.

There is much attacking the church and the truth in this day and age. People call Joseph Smith many terrible things that I hope no one will ever call me due to the vulgarity and cruelty that makes me cringe. Joseph Smith was many things, but he wasn't a coward! How many times were there that he could have denied what he had seen? How much pain and affliction did he suffer through because he wouldn't deny it? What could his life been like if he would have denied everything? He probably could have lived a semi-normal life...But he wouldn't deny the fact that he had seen God and our Savior Jesus Christ. He was willing to be mocked on every hand. He would drug out of his home in the night to be tarred and feathered while his wife had to witness. He would be chased from his home and be faced with threats to himself and his family. He would be imprisoned many times and eventually killed because he would not deny what he had seen.

Today, we have the Book of Mormon as another witness and testament of Jesus Christ because of the sacrifices and afflictions of Joseph Smith . Having the Bible and Book of Mormon together makes the path to Salvation clear. We must follow that path so we can return to the presence of our Father to dwell in His kingdom.

I love the testimony of Jeffrey R. Holland in his talk "Safety for the Soul"

I echo my testimony in that of Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, and Jeffrey R. Holland. The Book of Mormon is the word of God and has been kept away from the world for our time. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is true. I bear my witness of it in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. Amen.