Traditions

My Dad always likes to say that traditions can be bad. He often points to slavery as an example of a bad tradition. Because of this my whole family has kind of adopted the view that traditions aren't really all that great of a thing. So there are very few things that my family does ritually. The things that my family does are usually more spontaneous than anything and don't tend to continue to be done for very long periods of time.Somehow despite everything my family does to push back against traditions we still have one that we do every year without fail.

It is Christmas Eve day and the whole McConkie family has gathered together to my parents house for a celebration. From about ten o'clock in the morning to six o'clock at night the kitchen at the house will be full of activity. My Mom, my Dad, and my sisters busily work on making nutballs, toffee, fudge, and Norwegian cookies. When a batch of these sweets is finished they are placed on plates and wrapped in plastic. My brother and I then hurry out into the streets with the plates of sweets and deliver them to our neighbors.

Once all of the candy is finished and delivered my parents start work on the real reason everyone has come to the house. Lasagna noodles start to be boiled, sausage is cooked, and the french bread is buttered. All of this is in preparation for the Christmas Eve dinner that night. As the lasagna cooks the rarely used dining room table is set with my Dad's Finnish glass dishes. These dishes come out only once a year and are immediately put away after being washed. Everyone in my house can tell that we are going to have a good dinner tonight.

When the lasagna is finished it is placed on the table with many of the other foods that have been bought and purchased for this special night. My brother and I eat tons of lasagna and down lots of Cherry Seven Up. My Dad shares stories while we eat and these stories have us laughing and crying as we hear them. It is pretty easy to see why my family has waited all day long for this dinner. As we finish the meal my brother and I help clean the table and take the dishes to be washed in the kitchen sink.This is the only time of the year that my brother and I don't care too much about performing this chore.

Once the dishes have been cleaned and my Dad has carefully placed them back in the buffet it is time to go and brave the world. My Mom puts on her large winter coat and the rest of us put on our winter jackets and prepare to head out into the cold December night. We walk down the street from our house towards the courthouse. The whole way we toss snowballs at each other and slide on the ice. At the courthouse we look at the lights and make obnoxious comments about the silly Christmas displays that have been setup. This is just the first part of our trip this night. Once we have had enough entertainment at the courthouse we make the walk to the Tabernacle for our last stop of the evening.

At the Tabernacle my family finds the same old Nativity scene that sits on the lawn of the Tabernacle every year. My brother and I fight to see who can push the button in front of the Nativity. Once I finally am able to push the button a Narration echoes from the loudspeakers and begins to tell the story of the birth of Christ. Lights flash first on Mary, Joseph, and the Babe, then onto the shepherds, and finally upon the Wisemen. As we watch the scene it is hard to forget the true meaning for Christmas and why my family has gathered together this night. Once we have listened to the narration several times my family leaves and heads back to the house to go to bed.

It has always been funny to me that my family has kept this tradition because no other traditions have ever really lasted. But every year on Christmas Eve without fail we find time to get together as a family, to share a meal, and to then go see the Christmas lights. This is a tradition that I don't mind because it helps to bring my family together and to help us reflect on why we have Christmas. We have it for our families and to help remind us of our Savior, Who makes it possible for us to have families. I will always be thankful for Christ and His birth because without it I wouldn't have my family.

The Gift of My Parents

It was nearly thirty years ago that my parents were sealed for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake Temple. Even though these two college students were married on the darkest day of the year they have enjoyed a successful marriage. I haven't ever and will never doubt whether my Dad truly loves my Mom. The same goes for my Mom because I know that they care about each other and will do anything for the other. My parents have been the best of partners and the greatest example to me and my siblings.

My Mom has always been the kind of women who tries to help everybody no matter what condition she herself might be in. As a child I watched her service to the people in the community. My Mom would spend many hours working and maintaining flower gardens at the local elementary schools. Hours that were already going on top of the many hours she spent working on the extensive vegetable and flower gardens that my family maintained at our home. On top of this my Mom helped to drive kids to school every morning and from the time I was in first grade to my senior year of high school she packed me a lunch everyday.

When I was in elementary school my Mom decided that it was time to return to college. She had been a student at the University of Utah when she and my Dad had met. But when my parents started having children my Mom left her education behind so she could focus on raising her family. With both me and my brother in school the time to finish her studies had come. This time in my Mom's life was one of the toughest that she had ever experienced and a time that made me appreciate my Mom even more.

I can remember my Mom would drop me and my brother off at school every morning and would then make the drive from Brigham City to Logan. She did this pretty much everyday of the year even when the canyon was filled with snow. While at school she filled her time with many studies as she earned her degree in photography. My Mom spent many long nights at the Utah State campus developing film and working on projects that she put her heart and soul into. When she was done with those projects she would then return home to see her family that she loved so very much. Despite everything my Mom was doing at school she still made time to be a Mom and to help out with whatever school projects me or my siblings seemed to be doing. I can really say I don't think I would have passed any classes if it hadn't been for my Mom.

I know that my Mom's return to school was very stressful on my Dad. When he was a student at the University of Utah he had fallen madly in love with my Mom. The two of them had married with the hope of spending their time together. With the majority of my Mom's time being spent at the college my Dad found that he wasn't able to spend time with the redhead he loved so much. Yet my Dad knew that school was where my Mom needed to be and that it was important to her and that he needed to help her out. Everyday my Dad would finish his teaching and coaching duties at school and would hurry home to help take care of his children. For several years it seemed as if my Dad exclusively made all the meals at my home.

I know that the years my Mom spent at college were hard times for my Mom and Dad as they missed the companionship of each other. Yet these times have been a blessing for them and for their family. Me and my siblings grew to love my Mom for the time and effort she spent to help us out even if it meant even later nights than she should have been doing. We also grew to love my Dad for the things he started doing for us in the absence of our mother. Yet the people who were blessed the most were my parents who were able to see just how much they loved each other during those years.

I and my siblings are grateful for my parents and for what they have done for all of us. Because of their brave examples all of us have turned into pretty good kids. My Sisters were both married in the temple and my brother is now preparing to serve his mission. I'm thankful for my parents and for them for raising my family in the Gospel.

Joy to the World

Two thousand years ago in a little town called Bethlehem a birth occurred that would forever shape the world. In the town of Bethlehem was born a little child name Jesus. Jesus was born in a destitute situation. Born among animals to a virgin mother and a father, who was a carpenter. To the world this birth would seem insignificant. No child born in this kind of situation could amount to much and wouldn't be able to change Judea let alone the whole world. But this was the most significant birth ever.

Little did the world know how much of a role Jesus had already played in their history. Little did the world know that thirty-three years from the birth of Jesus would occur the most important event in all the eternities. The birth of the baby Jesus had been looked forward to for millenia. When He came all history was marked from His birth and even today we look forward to His coming again. Everything in our world revolves around this baby, who was born in a stable. But why is He so important?

The first man, Adam and the first woman, Eve both looked forward to the coming of Jesus Christ. Because of their transgression in the Garden of Eden Adam and Eve had fallen. Man was now vulnerable to sin and to physical death. Because of sin man was separated from God and could not on his own pay the price needed to return to God. But our Heavenly Father knowing that the Fall was essential for the growth of man had already provided a way for the redemption of mankind. That way was through His Son, Jesus Christ.

From Adam on down the prophets and followers of God testified of Christ and preached of Christ. They looked forward to the coming of Christ knowing that He must come. The prophet Nephi wrote about Christ so that future generations might know that Christ would come to redeem mankind (2 Nephi 25:26). Can it be too big of a surprise that at the birth of the Son of God that angels appeared to herald the birth? (Luke 2:8-14) Or that a star appeared in the sky and made the night as day? (3 Nephi 1:15) Or that wise men came bearing kingly gifts? (Matthew 2:1-12) It is not when the mission of the Babe is laid before us as it so clearly is in the scriptures.

For the next thirty-three years the Son of God worked in the flesh among the children of men. He performed miracles, the greatest of sermons, and went about doing good to everyone that He met. Yet His own people reject Him and crucified Him. It would appear that the Son of God had failed His mission based on earthly means. He established no earthly kingdom (John 18:36), didn't deliver Judea from Roman oppression, and was killed (John 19:30). But the death of Christ wasn't the end of His mission, it was just part of the greatest event in history, the Atonement. For on the third day after His death Christ rose from the tomb and signaled the defeat of death and sin. He had paid the price for every sin ever committed by mankind. Because He did this man was now able to live again and to be freed from the guilt and suffering that comes with sin. Man was now redeemed.

The mission of Jesus Christ continues today as He continues to strengthen us and allow us to do all things (Phillipians 4:13). We can look to Christ and know that everything will be okay as long as we live the Gospel in our lives and gain faith in Him. To gain a testimony is simple is to read, pray, and then act. That is the message of Christmas as we approach this time of the year. So remember that over two thousand years ago a little baby was born in a stable and that because of Him we can all be happy.

Follow the link to learn more about the birth of Christ.
christmas.mormon.org

Equality

Oftentimes in life it can seem as if things just aren't fair. All of us at one point or another have wondered, "Why is that person blessed with that gift and not me?" We might even say, "If God is a loving God and if He is a fair and Just God, why is He letting that person have it easy, while I'm having such a hard time?" It may appear to us mortals that God plays favorites with His children. In all actuality God loves all of His children equally and doesn't favor one over another.

In a world where there are very poor people and very rich people, people with incurable diseases, and people being treated cruelly and unfairly it can seem as if God doesn't care. But there is nothing farther from the truth,

For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

Moses 1:39

Everything that our Heavenly Father does is centered around us and about making us better. Just like earthly parents should want the best for their children our Heavenly Father wants what is best for us. And what's best for us is having eternal life and being able to live with Him for forever.

The way that God had made it possible for us to receive eternal life is through the gift of His Son.

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.

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

John 3:16-17

God gave us the gift of Jesus Christ, a gift that allows all of us to be able to live again and to receive all of the blessings that our Heavenly Father has promised us. 

The gift of Christ is greater than anything else that we could receive and as said before allows us to receive all of our Heavenly Father's blessings. Riches, good health, and popularity as important as they may seem are nothing when compared to the happiness provided through Christ when we live His Gospel. What does it gain us if we own the whole world, but do not live the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Does anything matter if we don't have faith in Christ, if we don't repent, if we aren't baptized, and if we don't endure to the end? Nothing matters if we don't have the Gospel. For the Gospel is eternal while everything in this life ends.

Now I can't say why bad things happen to good people and I don't know why it seems as if some people are more blessed than others. But I do know that:

...the Lord knoweth all things from the beginning; wherefore, he prepareth a way to accomplish all his works among the children of men; for behold, he hath all power unto the fulfilling of all his words. And thus it is...

1 Nephi 9:6

So I know  that whatever happens in this life that it will be for my best interest. I also know that all that is unfair about this life will be made up in the next. For remember the greatest gift of God is that of His Son and that gift is available to each everybody. All it takes is to find out more and to live the Gospel. By studying from the Bible and the Book of Mormon we can learn more about this gift and realize how true the words of the prophet Nephi are when He says:

...for [Christ] doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.

2 Nephi 26:33

I testify that this is true in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

A Strong Finish

During the four years I spent running cross country I ran a lot of different races. Now when I refer to different races I am not referring to the course alone, but to how I ran the race. Because as I found out no matter how many times I ran a course my experiences were always different than they had been the time before. In fact the first cross country meet I ran I did very poorly at and had to hobble along to the finish line. The second year I ran the race I finished second place. Then the third year I ran the course I had a terrible time. From running that one race three times I was able to find out that there would be times when I could run a race easily and times where it would be a struggle just to finish.

Every single race was absolutely different regardless of time of year, the amount of experience I had under my belt, or how the last race I had run went. But no matter how the race went I knew two things every single time I ran. The first was I would be done running in at least twenty minutes if not faster. The second was that no matter how I started the race the most important part was that I finished the race and that I try to finish strong.

Some of the races that I had in high school were pretty terrible. In some of my races I wanted to give up within the first mile. But I always hung on and never gave up on the race no matter how tough the first couple of miles went. By the time I hit the last mile and half or the last quarter mile I would try my best to run my hardest and to finish strong. I knew that if I could sprint in down the homestretch that I would feel good about my race and would be willing to go out and run my next meet with a little less apprehension.

From my experiences with cross country I learned to liken mortality to a race. There are some racers who float along with ease and post really good times. These people could be likened to those who have the Gospel in their lives and have somehow always made the right decisions. Some people have started out the race slowly, but are gaining speed as they learn the Gospel and start living its principles in their lives. Yet there are some who maybe started the race strong and given up on the Gospel or maybe even those who have never heard the Gospel in their lives and feel like they are failing. There are many different racers in this life just like there are many different runners in a 5k.

Now a cross country 5k is relatively short race and takes a small amount of time to run. Life is the same way and just like a 5k it can be discouraging. As we run this race of life we will oftentimes seem as if people are passing us by. We flounder at the back of the pack trying to keep pace while others move on ahead as if they are Olympic marathoners. At times like this it can seem as if it might be better to just drop out of the race and say "Well I tried, but it just wasn't for me."

When the race gets tough it is best to remember that unlike a real 5K we are never truly out of the race and that we can finish strong. The Gospel of Jesus Christ allows us to use the enabling power of Christ's Atonement to receive the extra boost that we need to finish the race. As we build our efforts upon faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end we will be more confident in our lives and in the things we are doing. We will know that at the end of this race we will not be ashamed by our "finishing place".

Rely on Christ and He will help you to overcome the obstacles and challenges that you face in this life. He will not let you down and when you get to the end of this life you will be satisfied with your experience. For in the end we will all receive the same reward and it matters not how we started, but how we finished.

Complications

As a young child my parents would read to me every night before I went to bed and every Sunday too. As I grew older I started read on my own more and more. Gradually I went from picture books, to a few chapter books, and then onto full length novels. I loved to read and would oftentimes stay up late into the night reading. Many nights I could be found asleep with a book by my side and the lights still on. I loved reading because of the knowledge that I gained with every word and every paragraph.

The main reason I read was because I loved the things I learned. I had a decent enough memory that I could read something once and remember all the details of what I had read. Once something was in my head it wasn't leaving and I immediately wanted to share what I had read in the encyclopedia, from a book on the French and Indian War, or from a fantasy book. It didn't matter what it was I just wanted to let people know what I knew.

As a fifth grader I participated in a Geography Olympiad. It was during this time that my knowledge of things kind of got me into trouble. In one of the events at the Olympiad we were asked a series of questions. The first person to buzz in and give the correct answer received points for their answer. I knew the answers to every single question that was asked in the event and was the first one to respond to every single question. On one of the questions I buzzed in and gave the correct answer, but then I continued to elaborate on the answer and by the time I was finished the judge was too confused that she gave the other team a chance to answer. The other team then gave the answer I had given with a lot less added detail. That was the only time they scored.

Even though I won the competition by a lot I was frustrated that I hadn't gotten all the possible points. I complained to my mom and asked her why I hadn't they given the points to me when I had given the correct answer? My mom taught me a very important lesson that day. She told me that if you want someone to know what you are saying then you should be simple. That way there is no way they can see things in the wrong way. She told me that even though I knew a lot of information that I should try to keep things simple and that way people would have an easier time understanding me. This lesson has helped me a lot a s a missionary.

As a missionary my purpose is to help other to come unto Christ by helping them learn more about the Restored Gospel. Now the Gospel of Jesus Christ when stripped to the bare bones is really simple. It is simply having faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. All of those are simple and easy steps. Yet oftentimes missionaries and members can over complicate the simpleness of the Gospel.

As members we first learn the Gospel very simply. We learn that through Jesus Christ we all can be cleansed from sin and live with our Heavenly Father. We know that we must change our ways, be baptized for the remission of sins, receive the Holy Ghost to help guide us, and then we must continue to try and be good people for the rest of our lives. As we mature in the Gospel we begin to learn more about why we do these things and we begin to learn more of the mysteries of God. We want to share these mysteries with the people around us and let them know what we know. But we often find ourselves scaring off these people as we teach them way more than what they are ready for. Confusion and fear will follow when this happens and will sometimes lead people away from the Gospel.

As members, as missionaries, and as disciples of Jesus Christ we need to keep things simple when it comes to sharing the Gospel with our family and friends. Because the Gospel is simple and has been made that way for a reason. The reason is that He wants all of His children to return to live with Him. As Paul said "I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it..." (1 Corinthians 3:2) Start off with the simple truths then move onto the more complex things. If we keep to the basics then our friends will be able to learn and accept the Gospel more easily. Don't over complicate things.

As spiritual children we need to keep things simple.

Grateful for the Blessings of the Gospel

The month of November signals the return of many things. Pumpkin flavored beverages and cookies are seen commonly in this month. Along with the return of very early Christmas music and decorations. Even though all of these things are good reasons to remember November I don't want to spend too much time on any of those things. Instead I want to talk about Thanksgiving Day. Especially the attitude that holiday should foster in all of us. The attitude of gratitude.

Being grateful is something that all of us must do if we wish to truly be happy in this life and receive all of the blessings of the Gospel. During my teenage years I had a bishop who exemplified someone who was grateful and was happy with his life. My bishop was always thankful for everything he had. Yet he didn't have tons of things, he didn't live in a big house and he often made the comment that he had just enough to meet his needs. Yet it seemed like he had everything in the world because he was grateful for the things he had. My bishop was always willing to share what he had with others whether it be his time or the temporal things he had. He did all of this willingly because he knew the things he did have and he knew that they were from God.

That bishop I had in my teenage years is a man that I really look up to and I will always remember him fondly. The gratefulness that he shared with me and others was infectious. Along with that gratitude came a happiness that he shared with many people. Grateful people can truly help brighten the people around them. But the opposite effect can happen when people are ungrateful for the things that they have. I have met many people who seem to have everything nice cars, a wonderful place to live, lots of money and many other worldly possessions. Yet most of them are not satisfied with what they want. They always want what is new and what is better. This ungratefulness brings complaining and a general dissatisfaction with life. This attitude is sadly very easy to spread.

Even if we do not have all the worldly possessions that we want or that we think we need we can still be grateful for what we have. And even if that list is short there are even greater blessings that each one of us receives that we should be grateful to have. We can be thankful for our testimonies, eternal families, and most importantly God's Son Jesus Christ. When we remember these blessings that are always available to us then we can find happiness and see that we have more in those blessings than anything else this world has to offer. We have the love of a Heavenly Father who is willing to give us eternal happiness.

In this month we have a lot to be thankful for. We must let the spirit of thanksgiving and gratitude be something that we carry through this month and the rest of our lives. We must avoid focusing on the things of the world and remember the things of God. In this month also lies Black Friday a day that encourages us to go deeper into debt, to seek after things that are not important, and to be ungrateful. This day is the counterbalance to being thankful.Let us try to focus on what we have and the blessings that our Heavenly Father has promised us instead of those silly unimportant things. Because as we are thankful our love for our Savior will grow and so will our happiness. For in the end we can all be thankful for a loving God.

Online Missionary Work

Even though I have only been a missionary for a little over a year and several months I have seen a lot change in missionary work in that short span. During the first few months of my mission my companion and I would come in every night and spend thirty minutes pouring through the contact information of people willing to meet with the missionaries. When we had filled our day with actives we would then take up to another thirty minutes writing down the contact information of the people we had met with that day. Keeping this information up to date was always important in case new missionaries came in and needed to know who to visit. I can remember having to get really good at writing really small to be able fit in the needed information.

At the beginning of my mission I can remember spending a lot of time talking to people on the street and going from door-to-door looking for people to share the Gospel with. A lot of times it seemed as if our results didn't end in much and it could be very frustrating. I had been told right before I entered the mission field that soon missionaries were going to be able to use Facebook and iPads. I really wanted to use an iPad and a couple of times shared with my first companion that I couldn't wait until it would be announced that missionaries would get these devices. My companion was amused by my wish and told me not to worry too much about getting iPads and that we probably we're going to be using one.

For awhile my companion was right. For six months we went along using our old paper records and our old methods of spreading the Gospel. But at six months into my mission it was announced that we were going to be allowed to use Facebook for proselyting purposes. Then after Facebook was announced the missionaries were all given iPads. The iPads helped to take a lot of stress out of the stressful life a missionary. I can remember how much easier it was to keep records updated on the iPads as we could update it anywhere. We were able to make our bags lighter as we carried our scriptures around on the iPads and could now share videos with people. Most importantly the iPads allowed missionaries to be able to access Facebook so we could share the Gospel to an even wider crowd than before.

At the beginning of my mission we were pretty limited with who we could share the Gospel with. We were left talking to people on the street and on their front porches. Like I've said before it was very frustrating trying to share the Gospel that way. With Facebook we could now share our testimonies of the Gospel with people thousands of miles away. This has helped with missionary work considerably as people who might not answer their doors can now have the Spirit testify to them of the truth of the Gospel in their own homes as they scroll through their newsfeed. It's amazing to see the effect that iPads and Facebook have had on missionary work and it's amazing to think about how many more tools are out there to share the Gospel.

The best part about all of these tools that are coming forth to help spread the Gospel is that they aren't just tools to be used by full-time missionaries. Every person who has access to the internet now has the ability to share the Gospel with their friends around the world. Sharing the Gospel can be as easy as sharing a Mormon Message, a simple testimony of a restored truth, or a scripture. On top of that members can like and share others' statuses, or share their own testimony through blogs. The possibilities for sharing the Gospel are endless with a little bit of creativity and a free Facebook account.

Now people may wonder what good does it really do to share their testimony online or to invite others to learn more about the Gospel? The thing is sharing our testimonies online does more than any of us can imagine. The simple truths of the Gospel are more important to the world that "like my statuses for a truth" or random comments from our days. The simple truths of the Gospel are eternal and when read by those online give those people a chance to feel the Spirit in their own lives. Out of the 300 or more friends that most of us have on Facebook at least one of those people will feel something different from posts made about the Gospel and will want to learn more.

Sharing the Gospel is so much easier than it used to be. The Lord Himself said:

Behold I will hasten my work in its time.

D&C 88:73

Truly that time is now as the Gospel begins to sweep across the world into places that it has never been to before. The work will continue to hasten and to pick up speed and the Lord is giving us a chance to take part and to share the Gospel. Blessings will follow in our lives and we will experience great joy from laboring in the Lord's vineyard.

Far Reaching Effects

When I was preparing to leave on my mission I had many people who told me that there were going to be a lot of changes in my life. Obviously I could see a couple of them such as I would have to wait a few extra years before I could start my career and I would have friends who would be moving on with their lives while I was out. Plus I heard things about gaining a better testimony of the Gospel and that I would probably gain some weight while I was out. So far each one of those things have come true. Some of them have been happy things to hear about such as the fact that I've gained a few pounds. But some of things have been sad too. It's a little sad not to be home to watch my friends grow up. But all of the things that I'm sad about have been outweighed by the positives from my mission. Because while I have been out many more positive things have happened because of my mission.

One of the things that has happened while I've been out is to see how much the Gospel can bless people in their lives. Growing up I had heard plenty of stories from my Dad telling me about his mission. He had some good experiences and I knew that his mission had changed him for the better. But on his mission he didn't ever have the chance to really share the Gospel with people. Most of the people he ever talked with weren't interested in the Gospel. So the entire time he was out he didn't get much of a chance to teach people.

I can remember coming out on my mission and thinking that I wasn't probably ever going to be able to share the Gospel with someone. I figured I would probably spend two years trying to declare what I knew and that I would just hear people say, "Not interested." Now this isn't the typical thinking of new missionaries. Most new missionaries are ready to conquer the world and aren't jaded by the cynicism that I had already. But when I got out I found that people actually were willing to listen the Gospel and that as they listened they began to change. Many of the people I worked with I could see them grow happier as they started to live the ordinances and principles of the Gospel. In many of them I saw a physical change in their countenances as they found the peace and happiness that they had been looking for.

I was pretty happy to see the changes that were happening in people's lives and was glad that I was able to be present to see these changes take place. As I saw these experiences I wanted to share them with my family back at home. Every week I was able to write my family and let them know how I was doing and about the amazing people I was meeting. My Dad loved hearing the stories especially since he was finally starting to see the fruits of his own missionary labors in his son's mission. Fruits that he probably wondered if they would ever be harvested.

But the greatest effect that my mission has had on my life is how it has helped my brother. My brother had heard all my Dad's stories and didn't think that a mission sounded as exciting as some people made it out to be. Now my brother has always wanted t go, but there has always been doubts about serving a mission just like there have always been with me. As I've served though my brother has heard my stories and the things that are happening with me. Because of that he wants to serve a mission. Unlike me he now has little concern about putting his life on two years to serve the Lord.

Now I know that there are many more blessings that will come from my mission that will affect me my friends and my family. I know that my missionary service will affect my future marriage, the kids that I will have, and will be the base of my testimony for many years to come. So I'm excited to continue serving and hope that I can continue to be a good example.

Now the reason that I share all of this isn't to brag about the things I've done, but to illustrate how our small decisions can affect the lives of others. I never knew what serving a mission would do for my life and none of us can imagine what our choices will do to affect our children and our neighbors. For it is "...by small and simple things are great things brought to pass..." (Alma 37:6). Our small decisions have consequences that can help bring about the purposes of the Lord or hinder them. Making good decisions will bless our lives and the lives of everyone else for the better.

Me and my younger brother as kids.

My Eternal Family

Since being on my mission I have had several family members pass away. The ends of my family members' mortal existences were all tough on me and my family and for a time left us feeling sad. As I have learned from personal experience losing a loved one is a hard experience. I can still remember the day I received a phone call from my mother informing me of the passing of my Grandma. I can remember how upset I was that I hadn't been able to see her one last time and about much I was going to miss her. I had really hoped that I would see her again when I returned home from my mission.

I remember how I had wanted to go home and be a part of my Grandma's funeral. But at the same time I decided that I needed to be in Oregon serving the Lord. I also knew that on a mission was right where my Grandma would want me to be. As I've mentioned in another blog post my Grandma was a convert to the Church in Finland. The Church helped to change her life and helped to bring her peace and comfort. Because of my Grandma's faith in the Gospel she encouraged her sons and her grandsons to all serve missions. My Grandma wanted people to know about the Gospel and to receive the hope that she had found in her life.

Part of the comfort that my Grandma had found because of the Restored Gospel was that of eternal families. My Grandma had lived most of her life never really knowing her father. Her father had been a sailor in the Finnish navy and had lost his life during the Winter War. Because of the truths of the Gospel my Grandma learned that her family could live together forever, that she would be able to see her father again. I can only imagine how much joy this must have brought to my Grandma. To know that families don't end in this life, but continue on into the next and that she would never be separated from her parents, her brother, her husband or her children. My Grandma truly cared for her family and never wanted to let them go.

One of the simple truths that the missionaries, who introduced my Grandma to the Gospel, taught her was about the power of the priesthood. The power from God given to His representatives here on the earth today. The priesthood gives man the power to do the things that God would do if He were here on the earth. This priesthood power allows for a husband and a wife to be sealed together for eternity. Meaning that their marriage will always exist. My Grandma wanted this blessing for herself and so when she was married to my Grandpa she was married to him in the Temple for time and all eternity. Because she knew only in the Temple could she be sealed to her loved ones.

My Grandma knew that it wasn't just the Temple sealing that allowed her to live with her family forever, but also making sure that she lived worthily so she could have the promise of an eternal family. For my Grandma's entire life she tried her best to make sure that she and her family lived according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She taught of Christ in her home, she participated in her church callings, she kept the commandments, and she always tried her best to love others. Now she wasn't always perfect, but she always tried her best and always tried to help her kids be the best so that they could receive the blessings of an eternal family.

My Grandma was one of the people who inspired me to serve a mission. To go and to teach the simple truths of the Gospel to people. To help people find the light in the darkness. To know that their families can be eternal. And to know that the authority from God to seal our families together forever is once again found on the earth. I know that this is true and I cannot wait for when I get to see my Grandma and all my other loved ones again. The time we spend apart is brief when compared to eternity.

My Eternal Family.

To learn more about the family see The Family: A Proclamation To the World

Put Your Head Down, Close Your Eyes, Then Look Up

Sweat beaded on my forehead and my legs were aching. I was two and a half miles into my cross country 5k. It was only the second meet of the year and things were not looking good for me. For the first two miles I had kept a good pace and had kept up with the group of people that I needed to run with. But once I hit that two mile mark I found that a gap had formed. I now lagged fifty or so feet behind the people I needed to run with.

I was trying my hardest to close the gap, but it didn't seem like the distance was shrinking at all. My legs were tired, I was hot and sweaty, and in my head I was starting to give up hope. I pushed the negative thoughts away, but they rushed back in. I knew defeat was about to settle in and that I would soon be dropping farther back. For some reason I dropped my head and closed my eyes for just a second. I looked back up and saw that I was much closer to the people in front of me that I had been a second earlier.

My end of race killer instinct set in and I took off. Only five seconds later I found myself blazing past the people ahead of me and onto the next pack of runners. As I finally crossed the finish line I found that I had picked up about ten spots during the last quarter mile of the race. I felt satisfied with my results and was glad I had looked down for just one second.

That cross country race took place almost three years ago. Yet it has had an important place in my life ever since then. Not because I ran a super fast time, won the race, or anything like that. In fact I had many races that were better than that one. The race is important because of the lesson I learned. When the going had gotten tough I had taken a second to pull myself away from the race and forget what I was doing. When I returned I was better able to see the results of my work and I now had a new drive.

Oftentimes in life we feel as if our hope is about to flee. We feel that our legs are churning as fast as they can and that we are covered in sweat. Yet we notice that despite our best efforts that we are growing tired and that we do't seem to be getting anywhere with our efforts. At those times it's easy to give up hope and to settle into mediocrity. I myself have done that many times and when I was finished with my task I always felt bad that I hadn't tried harder.

So instead of giving up on what we are doing we need to remember to put our heads down, close our eyes for a second then look back up. We can always put our heads down, close our eyes and pray to our Heavenly Father for strength to overcome our obstacles. Then we can read our scriptures and ponder over where we are at. As we do this we can come to find that our small efforts are slowly leading to our goal. It usually isn't until we take a step back that we can actually see how good we are doing.

In fact on a very long day of my mission I wrote in my journal "Keep calm, keep working, and when you look up you will be surprised how far you've come." I wrote that over a hundred days ago and that promise is true. I've been surprised how far I've come on my mission. Especially when it seemed like days were just dragging on.

If we all just put our heads down and work at a consistent pace then I know that time will pass and we will reach our goals. It just takes time and effort and relying on our Savior Jesus Christ, who will magnify our efforts and help us through hard times and help us to be more than we are.

And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.

Mosiah 4:27

Remember the Good

I can remember well my first few days in Junction City, Oregon. My companion and I were both new to the area and knew nothing about Junction City. So on or second day the two of us went to find the our local church building. We had been given some basic instructions on how to get to the church and we followed them the best that we could. As we turned onto the road that we had been told to take we found that it dead ended at an elementary school. Frustrated by this building that sat directly in our path my companion tried to see how we could now get to the church that lay somewhere ahead of us.

As our car moved along the street I turned to my left to see a large brick building that I thought could be an LDS meetinghouse. I exclaimed to my companion that we needed to go see if that was the church. Having already passed the street where the building lay my companion tried to flip a U-turn. While doing so our car hit a curb and our front right tire burst. We now had a flat to fix. But the two of us knew how to change a tires, so all would be back to normal quickly. We pulled out all of our equipment only to find that our jack was all out of shape and could not be used to lift the car.

We were in trouble at that point. Looking through the contacts on our phone my companion and I realized that we didn't know anyone that we could call. We also had no idea where any members from the ward lived. The only option that we had was to knock on doors and see if anyone had a jack that we could borrow. I think it was a surprise to most of the people talked to to have two Mormon missionaries knocking on the door to ask for a jack. I also think it was a little bit of a relief for a lot of these people that we weren't there to talk religion.

After knocking on several doors a man lent us a jack that fit under our car. Sadly the jack hadn't been used in years and was pretty badly rusted. it took thirty minutes of hard cranking before the car was lifted off the ground and we could finally get the bolts off of the tire. In the end it had took two hours to change the tire. At that point my companion and I were finally able to go find the church, but it took a lot more time out of our day than we had planned on.

This was just my second day in Junction City and the next eighteen weeks were filled with weird car breakdowns, a battle with heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and much more. Yet during all that time there were some very bright spots. I met plenty of amazing people who have touched my life. Many of those people have become dear friends to me. So when I look back on at my times in Junction City it's not the difficulties I think about, but the small triumphs, like the baptism of a good friend or the time that I spent with my companion. Those are the things I think of because they are the times that helped me the most.

I know from personal experience that in life there are many negative moments. Times where we question our faith and our resolve to move forward. These times suck, but they're a part of life. Luckily these times end and won't always be a part of our lives. And when we look back on the times we have passed through we will be able to see more good than bad. Always remember that Christ passed through all of our trials and much more. Yet when He had finished the work he was called to do He still loved and He still cared. If He can find the good then surely we can too.

BElieve

THEre is

GOOD

A Mission Blesses

Two years ago an announcement was made by the Lord's Prophet and Apostles here on earth. That announcement was that young men could leave on missions at the age of eighteen and young women at the age of nineteen. Previously a boy had to be nineteen and a girl had to be twenty-one. This was a huge change and has since let over eighty-thousand young Latter-Day Saints leave their homes to serve God. This force of missionaries is here to help spread the Gospel to all the world and to hasten the Lord's work.

Missions have a further purpose than just helping spread the Gospel though. They help to turn missionaries from kids into confident mature adults. This world is a world set on satisfying the needs of the individual. In this world all concerns for others are ignored as people focus only on themselves. For two years though a missionary forgets his own needs and looks outward. A missionary seeks to share the Gospel with random people he has never met. In return there is no monetary gifts or a leadership position in the Church. There is only the reward of knowing that he has tried to help someone return to live with their Heavenly Father.

The happiness that this missionary feels helps him to see that truthfulness of when Christ says:

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.

Mark 8:35

No Greater happiness can be found in life than when we serve those around us. Because when we serve others we only serve God. (Mosiah 2:17)

Another way that missionaries grow during their eighteen months to two years of service is that they learn the importance of work. Missionary life isn't easy at all. From six-thirty in the morning to ten-thirty at night a missionary is working to spread the Gospel. A missionary has to make sure that during all that time he is working. As a missionary works hard he sees blessings come into his life. He finds peace that He is doing God's will. He will see miracles happen in his life and in the lives of those around him. Most importantly he will learn to love those he comes in contact with.

The work that a missionary does on his mission helps him to develop an attitude of hard work. An attitude that he will take home with him. This attitude will help a missionary to thrive at work. To earn the respect of his coworkers. It will also help him to work hard for his family and to love his family even more.

The blessings of a mission are incredible. I have seen myself become a hard worker throughout my mission. I have also gained confidence in what I do and what I say. I have also come to love those around me no matter who they are or what they do. But the greatest blessing I've received out here is a stronger testimony. When I came out I had a very weak testimony. I believed in God, but not much else. As I've served I've gained a testimony of the divine mission of Jesus Christ. I've come to know that God's is on the earth today and it is only in this Church that the priesthood authority of God rests, and that through this priesthood I can live with my family for forever.

My mission has been the greatest experience that I have had so far in my life and I know that it is one of the greatest experiences I or anyone can have. A mission can be hard at times, it can even be boring, but the growth that comes from a mission shouldn't be traded for anything. Jobs can wait, school can wait, and even girlfriends can too. I know this because I've those things up for two years.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

3 Nephi 13:33

Not Forsaken in Lakeview

On my mission there are a lot of things that I have learned to go without. Two of those things are friends and family. For two years I don't get to see them or really talk to them. Of course there is the weekly email home and the occasional letter. But mostly there is very little contact with the people I knew before my mission. At the beginning of my mission there were times where I felt lonely and sometimes even abandoned.

One of the times when I felt almost completely helpless was a gloomy September day in the town of Lakeview. I had just received my second missionary companion and the two of us were at very low lows. We had spent most of the previous week trying to talk with and visit people. Unfortunately we did not see very much success during that time. I can remember feeling frustrated and upset. Because of how upset I was I missed my home and my friends. I knew that if I could just see some of my friends that everything would be better. But being in Lakeview, Oregon I knew that there was no way I could see my friends.

So my companion and I trudged along through the day just trying to make the best of our situation. That night we went to some ward members' house for dinner. When we showed up my companion and I were greeted by the members who were watching the Women's session of General Conference.The wife apologized for having the TV on, but said that since she couldn't make it into Klamath Falls to watch the session with the stake that the only way she could watch it was on TV. She asked us if it was okay to leave the TV running and my companion and I consented.

So the four of us sat down to dinner while the session of General Conference played. As the session progressed we listened to some very good speakers. Then the choir arose to sing and I paid special attention to the choir as it was announced that the choir was made up of Sister missionaries from the Missionary Training Center. To my great joy I saw one of my best friends in the choir. It had been several months since I had seen her. I was so excited because I had missed her a lot and here I was watching her on TV. All of the depression and sadness I had been feeling that day just melted away. I felt good and at the moment I felt as if I could make it through the rest of my mission.

I soon wrote my friend and told her of this experience. She wrote back and shared with me that she had felt as if getting into the choir had been a small miracle. She had been an alternate in the choir and hadn't expected to be able to go and participate in the session. But at the last minute a seat had opened up and my friend had been allowed to go. I was amazed when she told me this and I began to see how much of a miracle my whole experience was.

I thought to myself how could all of these things have fallen into place so perfectly? What were the chances that a member from Lakeview would not be able to make it to Klamath, especially on the night the missionaries were coming over for dinner? Then what were the chances that out of the thousands of Sister missionaries at the MTC that my friend would make the choir? Then what were the chances that even as an alternate that she would make it? The chance of all these things happening all on the same day in such a short span of time isn't very good. Yet they all happened and that is because they were all orchestrated by a loving Heavenly Father.

From this experience I really came to see that God is mindful of His children. That even with all of His concerns and problems He has He took the time to help out one of His sons who was in Lakeview, Oregon. I now know that God will move Heaven and Earth to make us happy and to show His love to us. So if times are dark remember your Father and keep strong in your faith in Him. He will not forsake you, but will deliver you from your trials.

Me and my companion.

A Good Sister

I can still remember the fights that I had with my oldest sister when the two of us were growing up. To win every fight she had with me she would sit on top of me until I conceded and told her that she was right and I was wrong. These fights occurred often and I never once got close to beating her. Even when I finally got bigger than her, my sister always had a way of defeating me physically or of just pointing out flaws in my arguments. 

I have always kind of secretly admired my sister. She always seemed to be able to do everything right. She was smart, beautiful, and fast. Her achievements include being student body president, leading her cross country team to a Region Championship, being a Sterling Scholar, and receiving full ride scholarships at every university she applied at. She was just good at everything she did. 

I remember trying to emulate her success during my high school years. But my attempts at winning a Region Championship, being a Sterling Scholar, and running for Student Government just did not end as well. I can remember thinking why had I not been able to do the things my sister had done? I thought I was just as talented. But somehow I just couldn't do the things that she had done. 

Even as she continued to grow my sister still saw success in everything she did. When she got married in college, she still found time to finish her degree in English, have a full time job, student teach, and then give birth to her first child. There was nothing to stop this girl. Then afterwards she has continued her success and is currently raising two wonderful children in a nice home in Colorado with her awesome husband. 

My goal has always been to be like my sister and to this day I still want to try to do a lot of the things she has done. But like I said before I have not had too much success trying to do the things she did. My high school years were a struggle for me and were not filled with great achievements. For the longest time I could not figure out why. But as I have talked to my sister and paid more attention to her life I have come to see what the difference truly is. The difference is that she puts Christ first in her life. 

My sister has plenty of talents and abilities, but the thing that has made her so good at everything she tries to do is that she loves Jesus. In high school she always went to seminary and was even on seminary council. Then when she went off to college she made sure that she still read her scriptures and went to church even without anyone telling her that she needed to do those things. Even now that she is married she makes sure to teach her young children about Christ. My sister makes sure that those kids know who is most important in their lives. Because of all this time my sister has spent trying to put God first she has received blessings in her life. 

Now I'm trying to change my life and make it more like my sister's. Because she found the secret to success in life. She knows to "seek ...first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all other things will be added unto you." (3 Nephi 13:33). This principle that my sister tries so hard to live truly does bring blessings. I have seen those blessings start to come into my life as I've tried to put Christ first by keeping His commandments. I now know from personal experience that these blessings are not just for me, but for everybody. So let us all put Christ first.

My Sister and her happy family.

Growing Pains In Lakeview

It has now been a very long since I served as a missionary in the small town of Lakeview. It seems though as if it was only a few weeks ago that me and my companion were walking the streets of the "tallest town" in Oregon. Those were fun times. Times at which I exuded confidence every pore, times when I wasn't too sure of myself, and times where I knew serving a mission was the greatest thing for my life. There was a lot of growing that I did in Lakeview.

When I arrived in Lakeview I was fresh out of Utah. A kid who was only nineteen years old, who was so shy that I had been known in college to drop classes just to avoid people. I was not too sure of myself. Plus on top of that I was in a town of 2,500 people that was two hours away from the closest city. As absurd as it seems this little town in the middle of nowhere intimidated me to no end.

I can remember those first few weeks in Lakeview being tough. I tried my hardest to figure out just what I was doing as a missionary.Talking to people did not come easily for me. To make things worse people were polite, but "not interested". I often wondered why was I out on a mission? Why hadn't I waited until I was more mature and sure of myself to come out and tackle such a great work? I wanted to go back to my home in Utah so bad. But I decided to push on trusting that things would get better for me.

As it turned out things did start to get better. Everyday I prayed for help to overcome my weaknesses as a missionary, I studied my scriptures, and then I went out and worked. At first I noticed no improvement and so I was frustrated with what seemed to be my ineptitude to get better. I was still lousy at everything that I was doing. But the more the weeks progressed the more I began to see changes. Now these changes I was experiencing were really small. So small that I didn't see them come. So small that if I hadn't looked back on the first few days of my mission I would not have able to see any difference.

Some of these small changes that I saw were that I didn't fumble around with my words as much. I had the courage to knock on a door even if I was afraid to do so. I had just a little more confidence in everything I did. All of this happened within the first few weeks of my mission.These changes were an absolute miracle for me. For nineteen years I had been trying to grow up. To see some kind of change in my life that would let me know that I was finally maturing and becoming a new person. Finally in Lakeview I was starting to see real growth.

The secret to this growth as I found out was the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Because of Christ's suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and upon the cross I am able to change. He suffered all things, He felt all things. My sorrows and my griefs are included in everything that He felt. Because He felt all of those things He has perfect empathy and knows how to help and strengthen me. In return all He asks me to do is believe in Him, to go to church, to read my scriptures, be baptized, and continue to be a good person. It isn't much that He asks for and in return I have received strength and maturity.

Ever since I took my first few steps in Lakeview towards growing I have continued to grow and I've grown a lot. That growth has been in small steps, but I wouldn't have been able to make those steps if it wasn't for my Savior Jesus Christ and the time I spent in Lakeview. I know that anyone can change through Christ that through His Atonement people can grow and become better. Come unto Christ by keeping the commandments and being baptized. Be strengthened by Him. " For [His] yoke is easy and [His] burden is light." (Matthew 11:30)

Lakeview from above.

God's Love Conquers all Distance

On my mission I have met a lot of fantastic people. I've met people who own cars worth over a quarter of a million dollars, people who own restaurants, people who live in small trailers, and people who barely make it by. In this huge range of of people I've met I have made many friends, friends that I've come to love dearly. Friends who in the end have changed my life and shaped me into who I am now.

Unfortunately as a missionary my time with all the people I meet isn't very long. Sometimes I may be able to spend as long as six or seven months working in an area or I might spend only six weeks. As a missionary though you come to learn that the time spent with these people is always pretty short and ends pretty unexpectedly. I know from personal experience that it can be hard leaving, but every time I'm moved I promise my new friends that I will be back.

Even though all of these good byes are hard for me to say I know it has to be done. I know that I have work to do in a new area. An area where I will make new friends and come to love even more people. But before I leave I always promise those I've come in contact with that  I will be back to see them again someday. I don't know when this reuniting will happen, but I know that someday at the conclusion of my mission I will come back to Oregon and visit it with all the people that I have come to know so well.

And this promise that I make to those I meet applies to more than just them. It also applies to all of my loved ones who have passed on to the other side. One of the things that being on a mission has helped me to see is that separation is not an end, but merely a short time away from loved ones. Because during my life I have lost family members and friends. In fact out here on my mission I lost my Grandma and that loss hit me pretty hard and I still miss my Grandma.

Yet I know that I will see my Grandma again. I know that I have a loving Heavenly Father who has created a plan for all of His children. This plan called the Plan of Salvation shows God's love to each and everyone of us.Central to this plan is the family. God has taught us that families are important in this life and that they will continue on in the next life. There is no way to hear that families are forever and not know how valid this is because love does not end and Christ Himself said, "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." (Mark 10:9)

So just like I know that I'll be able to return and visit all the special people I've met in Oregon I also know I will see all of my family members again and all of my loved ones. I know this is true for everyone. I know that if anyone is to take the time and learn more about God's plan for us that they will come know that families our forever, that God loves us, and that He has provided hope for us through His Son Jesus Christ. I know this all in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Power of the Scriptures

Growing up one of my favorite hymns to sing in Primary was "Scripture Power". I can remember singing the song and every time the words "Scripture Power" were sung I would thrust my scripture case into the air. I loved the song as a child and I still love it as a young adult. If given the chance to sing "Scripture Power" again I would find myself still thrusting my scriptures into the air. But this song also teaches a very powerful lesson about how we can receive strength as we read our scriptures.

As I have admitted before I haven't always been the best at reading my scriptures. Often times I would read a verse or two from the Book of Mormon or from the Bible and just find myself wanting to quit. They didn't seem that exciting and they were also super long and written in a form of English I didn't understand too well.

But as I have gotten older I have come to see the importance of the scriptures more and more in my life. I have always had a deep love of history esp
ecially the history of warfare. I can remember my mom urging me to read the scriptures because they told the history of ancient people and their battles. I can remember that this intrigued me and for a time I sought out the passages where warfare took place. But the more I read into these chapters the more interested I became in learning more from the other chapters. I began reading the stories of prophets who boldly testified of the coming of Jesus Christ and taught how we could come unto Him.

As I read more about these prophets I began to see that their central message was to testify of Jesus Christ and that he was going to come to the world and redeem mankind. I learned this as I read about the prophets like Moses, Elijah, Alma, and Mosiah. Every single one of them testified of Christ and His coming. These prophets also were inspired to write these things down so we would know about Christ and all that He does for us. These writing are what make up the Bible and the Book of Mormon and they both act as witnesses of Christ.

The more I read the writings of these prophets the more I learned. From Alma, an ancient prophet in the Americas, I learned that Christ would come and suffer for the sins of man. So none of us would have to die or pay the full price for our sins. From Christ Himself I was able to learn that God loves all of His children and so He sent His Son to earth so we could live again. All of these are amazing messages that I would have no idea about if they hadn't been written down.

Since that time when I started reading from the scriptures I have learned many important lessons in my life and received peace that could only come from God. I truly have received power from the Scriptures. Power that has helped to enrich my life and make me happy and I know that this happiness can be found by anyone who takes the time just to open the scriptures.

Read from the scriptures. Learn about Christ's mortal ministry in the Bible and how He came to redeem mankind. Read the Book of Mormon and learn how Christ visited the people in the Americas and how they knew He was the Christ. Many lessons will be learned, your life will be blessed, and you will receive "Scripture Power". I can promise that in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

A Weekly Refresher

There are many blessings that our Heavenly Father wants to give us. As His children He wants us to be happy. So he want to bless us with peace and comfort. He wants to bless us with eternal families. Most importantly He wants to bless us with Eternal life. He wants us to live forever in His presence. The best part is that God has provided a way for us to get all of these blessings and it comes through His Son, Jesus Christ.

God has made a covenant with us that allows us to receive all of His blessings. But as part of that covenant we are required to do certain things. One of the most important covenants we make with God is that of being baptized. When we are baptized we promise God that we will keep His commandments, always remember Christ, and we promise to take upon ourselves the name of Christ. When we do this we are promised a remission of our sins and the Holy Ghost.

We are only asked to do these simple things and in return our Father in Heaven has promised us salvation through His Son. It isn't much that God asks of us for all of these things, but every week we mess up. We break a commandment, we forget about Christ, or we do something that just isn't very Christlike. At this point we have broken our covenant with God and are no longer clean from sin. It would seem at this point that we are lost and that there is no hope for us as humans to live with God. But there is a way that we can remain worthy of the blessings of God.

That way is the Sacrament. Every week as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints we have the importunity to partake bread and water in remembrance of Christ's Atoning sacrifice. When we do this we renew the covenant we make at baptism and become clean from sin.

It took me a long time to see how the Sacrament did this and why it was important to partake of it every week. It wasn't until I was a Priest in the Aaronic Priesthood that I first came to see what the Sacrament really is. When I became a Priest I was given the opportunity to bless the Sacrament on Sundays. Because of years of acting I made sure as I gave the Sacrament Prayer to take my time and to enunciate. People were always telling me thank you for the way I gave the Sacrament Prayers. They were thankful for the time they had to ponder on the words and let them sink in.

I didn't understand what these people meant and so I took a look at the Sacrament Prayer to see why it was so important. It said:

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 hath given them, that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.

Moroni 4:3

As I pondered over the prayers I picked out several promises that we make to God when he partake of the Sacrament. First we remember Christ and His sacrifice. Second we promise to take upon ourselves the name of Christ. Third we promise to keep the commandments. It began to take form in my mind that this was the same promise that I had made when I was baptized and the cool thing was I was receiving the same promise in return from God. I was promised to be cleansed from sin and to receive the Holy Ghost. As I thought about this I thought about how it cool it was and how I could be baptized every week. Ever since then the Sacrament has been very important to me.

Our Heavenly Father wants to give us everything and He is willing to give us everything if we keep his commandments and the covenants that we make with Him. But because we mess up He has provided us with the Sacrament so we can seek to be perfect every week. It is one of the greatest blessings we can have. So I invite everyone to attend a Sacrament Meeting this week at their nearest LDS Chapel and partake of the Sacrament. Feel of the Spirit and learn for yourself and always remember God always keeps His promises.

The Blessings of a Modern Day Prophet

In the Old Testament and the Book of Mormon we read the writings of men called prophets. These were men who were mighty in faith and received revelation from God. These men were also given power from God. This power was called the priesthood. Because of this power prophets were able to heal, they could talk to God, and they were able to five counsel to God's children.

Stories about some of these prophets such as Noah, Moses, and Elijah are well known. Noah and Elijah boldly declared the words of God while Moses and Elijah performed great miracles. For a period of time though there were no prophets on the earth and many believed that there was no need for a prophet. But that is not so because it is said:

Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets
-Amos 3:7

Thus a prophet was needed and in the 1800s another prophet was called and his name was Joseph Smith. Joseph was given priesthood power from God and received revelation. Ever since that time there has been a prophet on the earth who has held the priesthood and received revelation. Today the prophet is Thomas S. Monson. Thomas S. Monson is a man dear to my heart and I would like to share an experience that helped me to know that President Monson was a prophet.

First off this experience I am about to share is one near and dear to my heart. Because it was only two years ago that I really didn't want to go on a mission. I had grown up hearing about how a mission was the most important thing that I could do. I had also heard that it was the greatest thing I could do for my life. I knew deep down inside that going on a mission would bring many blessings and that I would be able to help people to come unto Christ. But I didn't want to go. For one thing my testimony wasn't that strong and I realized that two years was a long time to be away from home.

So I pretty much decided that I wasn't going on a mission. I kept telling my friends that I was going to go to a year of college and then I would leave on a mission. But that was never in my plans. I was going to go off to college and never even think of going.

At first everything went according to plan. It seemed as if I was going to be able to enjoy a life without a mission. But that year something happened that would change my life for forever. An announcement was made that young men and young women could now serve as missionaries at younger ages. Most of my friends were ecstatic because of this change. I was not however. I just remembered feeling angry and I even called my mom up and told her that there was no way I was ever going to serve a mission.

Thomas S. Monson

It was a bad time for me as I felt alone. I can remember the next day watching what is called General Conference. I listened to tons of talks given by church leaders and I hardened my heart during the majority of the talks. I just kept wishing that they would stop talking about missionary work.

Near the end of the Conference President Monson got up to speak. For the first time that day I decided to straighten up and pay attention. Mostly because Monson always told stories and I love listening to stories. As he began to talk President Monson shared this story:

On one extremely cold Saturday night during the winter of 1983–84, Sister Monson and I drove several miles to the mountain valley of Midway, Utah, where we have a home. The temperature that night was minus 24 degrees Fahrenheit (–31°C), and we wanted to make certain all was well at our home there. We checked and found that it was fine, so we left to return to Salt Lake City. We barely made it the few miles to the highway before our car stopped working. We were completely stranded. I have seldom, if ever, been as cold as we were that night.

Reluctantly we began walking toward the nearest town, the cars whizzing past us. Finally one car stopped, and a young man offered to help. We eventually found that the diesel fuel in our gas tank had thickened because of the cold, making it impossible for us to drive the car. This kind young man drove us back to our Midway home. I attempted to reimburse him for his services, but he graciously declined. He indicated that he was a Boy Scout and wanted to do a good turn. I identified myself to him, and he expressed his appreciation for the privilege to be of help. Assuming that he was about missionary age, I asked him if he had plans to serve a mission. He indicated he was not certain just what he wanted to do.

On the following Monday morning, I wrote a letter to this young man and thanked him for his kindness. In the letter I encouraged him to serve a full-time mission. I enclosed a copy of one of my books and underscored the chapters on missionary service.

About a week later the young man’s mother telephoned and advised that her son was an outstanding young man but that because of certain influences in his life, his long-held desire to serve a mission had diminished. She indicated she and his father had fasted and prayed that his heart would be changed. They had placed his name on the prayer roll of the Provo Utah Temple. They hoped that somehow, in some way, his heart would be touched for good and he would return to his desire to fill a mission and to serve the Lord faithfully. The mother wanted me to know that she looked upon the events of that cold evening as an answer to their prayers in his behalf.
-Thomas S. Monson Consider the Blessings
As President Monson concluded his story I got the feeling that I needed to serve a mission. All my anger and all my fear about a mission melted away at that instant. I knew what I needed to do. When the talk was over I got up and I gave a call to my on to let her know of my decision.

Because of that talk my life has changed. I am now on a mission and I know that the counsel I received that morning from President Monson came from The Lord. I know it without a doubt. I know that President Monson is a prophet, that God inspired men in the past and that he continues to inspire men today.

I invite all to listen to Thomas S. Monson, to take note of how you feel and go ask God if he is a prophet. I know that if you try this that you can know that there is a prophet on the earth today.

A Pioneer Woman

I have a lot of pioneer heritage in my family. Many of my ancestors came across the plains and helped to settle the state of Utah. They made great efforts in helping to pave the way for future generations to receive the Gospel. Today though I would like to talk about a modern-day pioneer my Grandma McConkie.

My Grandma was born eighty years ago in Turku, Finland. Her father was killed in the Winter War when she was very young. So my Grandma grew up with only a mother. Times were sometimes tough for my Grandma's family. There were many times when my Grandma had to go out in the forest and search for mushrooms just so her family could eat.

Yet despite living through a World War, the loss of a father, and economic hardships my Grandma always remained positive no matter what her circumstances. She was quick to share silly stories, to crack a joke, or to use her throat as a bagpipe. She was always so happy. Most of that attitude came from her love of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

As a fun loving teenager my Grandma met two young Mormon missionaries. After hearing the message of the Restored Gospel my Grandma wanted to be baptized.When my Grandma turned of age she was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She was the only person in her family who was a member at that time. She was blazing a path that no one in her family had ever been on and at that point she was doing it alone.

Luckily for my Grandma she soon had company on her journey. Not too long after joining the church my Grandma met my Grandpa who was serving as a missionary in Finland and when my Grandpa returned to Utah at the completion of his mission my Grandma followed. It wasn't too much longer that my grandparents were married. Since then they have had three children, nine grandchildren, and three great grandchildren all of whom have been raised with the Gospel.

My Grandma and Grandpa

My Grandma was truly a pioneer. Her example, her courage, and her choice to do what she knew was right has helped to change many lives and has helped her posterity to receive the Gospel. At this time there are at least twenty people who have the Gospel in their lives because of my Grandma's choice. That choice will continue to affect people for many years down the road and help to change the face of the earth.

I am very thankful for my Grandma and the choices she made in her life. Because if it wasn't for her  I wouldn't be out on a mission. Because if it wasn't for her I wouldn't have the fullness of the Gospel in my life. Because if it wasn't for her I wouldn't have even been born. Her small choice made sixty years ago in Finland has affected me in so many ways and I will always be grateful for her. I will always love my Grandma.

I am so thankful for all the pioneers that have affected me in my life. For their choice to live the Gospel even when it was hard, even when it meant losing family members, and even when it meant moving thousands of miles. If it wasn't for them no one would have the Gospel. Remember our pioneer heritage and if you don't have one try to start your one. Our choice to follow the Gospel will bless many lives.

My Grandma