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.

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.

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

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.

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

A Change of Perspective

Before my mission the word repentance had always had a negative connotation. When I thought of repentance I was clueless on what it actually meant. My understanding was that as we repented we were forgiven of our sins. But it also seemed to me that I needed to turn myself in whenever I did something bad. It just didn't seem like a pleasant experience to me. Repentance seemed like such an evil word.

But repentance it turns out is not a terrible word that means we are evil. Instead it means a change of heart and forming a fresh view of God. Repentance doesn't mean that we see ourselves as terrible human beings, but that we start to see that we can do much better than we are doing. We see that we are children of a Heavenly Father and that as children of a Heavenly Father we can change. That change comes through repentance.

When I realized that repentance helped me to grow closer to my Heavenly Father that made me a lot happier. But still I was kind of lost because I didn't know how to repent. The main reason being that no one had ever explained to me how to repent other than that I should say I was sorry to God.

But to repent is more than that. To repent we have to acknowledge that we have sinned. We can't pretend that we feel bad or say that we have sinned when we believe that we were in the right. We need to know that we have done is not in line with God's will. For example the Zoramites in the Book of Mormon had forgotten to pray to God always. They had to come to the realization that prayer was a commandment. When we are able to see the wrongs of our ways then we are able to move forward sincerely in the repentance process.

Along with acknowledging we have to be sorry for what we've done. God knows if we are truly sorry and there is no way to fool Him. So we must be sorry and let Him know in humble prayer that we have sinned and that we are asking for His forgiveness. When we can do this then He will provide us with the peace and comfort that we desire.

Now the first part of repentance was the part that scared me. It seemed hard to do and it meant to me that I had been caught doing something I shouldn't have been doing. So I always thought it was better just to mask or to hide those things that I had done wrong. But it's not the right way to do things because repentance doesn't mean that we just pay restitution it also gives us a way to change and become better.

Reading the story of Alma the Younger and the Sons of Mosiah helped me to change my view on repentance. Alma and his friends, the Sons of Mosiah, had been evil men. Together they had tried to lead others away from Christ. Yet they were called to repentance and because of this were able to change their ways. They were able to become great men and true leaders.

As we repent we begin to change our old ways. If we aren't praying we being to pray. If we aren't going to church we start going to church. We fix the problem. We become better people and we start to live up to our potential. We in the end become the person our Father wants us to be.

The road of repentance can seem long and difficult, but the end result is worth it. Let us travel this road and become who we can be. Let us exercise our faith in God and have Him help us to repent of our old ways. I can promise that He will provide a way for us to do that and that He and His Son Jesus Christ will never fail us.

A Family that Runs Together Stays Together

A couple of years ago on Thanksgiving my family started a tradition that I have come love. That Thanksgiving my family decided to go on a run before sitting down as a family to have some turkey and stuffing. It was an idea that may seem weird to a lot of people, but it does makes sense to try to workout on a day known for gluttony. Also I loved the idea because I love to run.

Altogether there were seven of us that day that went to run: my parents, my two sisters, me, my brother, and my sister's husband. The seven of us drove down to Woods Cross, Utah where we jumped on the bike path that ran along the Legacy Parkway. From that point all of us were off on a ten mile run to Farmington. All of us that is except my brother who was riding his bike.

The first couple of miles went really well as all of us stayed together in a pack. But the farther we went along the more spread out our family got. As we ran along my Dad fell to the back of the run and was far behind the rest of us. This was unfortunate because he was the only one who knew where we were going. So as me and the rest of my family blazed ahead on what turned out to be an abandoned railroad track our Dad followed behind trying to catch up and tell us that we had left the path.

The path that we were following slowly got harder and harder as we ran through the gravel that had once made up part of the railroad. I can remember thinking that the path had gotten a lot harder and seemed to be taking us a lot longer than anticipated. Eventually my Dad highjacked my brother's bike and rode up to where I was and told me that me that the entire family was now going the wrong way.

My family and I then were able to get back on the right path and make it to our destination in Farmington. From this first family run on Thanksgiving I was able to gain a lot. First I got a story that my family shares all the time. But most importantly I saw how important it is to follow leaders. If my family had waited for my Dad our trip that day would have been a lot shorter and a lot less tiring.

In our day and age we also have leaders that we have been given to follow. These leaders called Prophets are men called of God who have been given His authority to guide and direct His children here on this earth. These prophets have been given to us since ancient times when men like Moses, Noah, and Elijah guided the people and made sure that they stayed on the right path.

God has placed a prophet on the earth today and his name is President Thomas S. Monson. He has been given priesthood authority to lead and to guide Heavenly Father's children. As we follow the counsel of the prophet in this day and age we will be able to stay on the path that God has given us and not take detours. We will also find blessings as we follow God's chosen leaders.For:

Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

Amos 3:7  

Me and my siblings.

To learn more about how there is a prophet on the earth today check out this link.

http://www.mormon.org/beliefs/restoration

Wornout Shoes

While growing up I went through a lot of shoes. I would put a lot of wear and tear on shoes just because of how much I moved. Plus on top of that I grew a lot which meant I could never wear any pair of shoes for an extended period of time.

I can remember these times pretty well. Every month it seemed like I was getting another pair of shoes to wear. As a child I never thought too much about how many pairs I went through. It was unimportant to me because all I really cared about was running until I dropped.

To my parents the shoes were a pretty big deal. They knew how much good shoes cost. They also had a mortgage to pay, gas to buy, and had four mouths to feed off of the salary of a middle school English teacher. My mom and my dad were often under a lot of stress. How could they realistically afford to keep buying new shoes for me and my younger brother who were growing up so fast?

Yet during these times my parents were always able to get me new shoes to wear. My mom can remember taking me and my brother to a local thrift store to look for shoes. Every time we went there was always a pair of shoes that fit me or my brother and had been lightly worn.My mother always rejoiced over this miracle while I just figured that this store just always had a good selection of shoes.

It wasn't until much later in my life that my mom told me why it was so amazing to find good shoes at the thrift store. That store had a very limited selection and the shoes that were there usually were in bad condition. So it was an absolute miracle that every time I needed a new pair of shoes that there was always a good new pair of shoes that just happened to fit me perfectly.

When my mom told this I could see that indeed it was a miracle about the shoes. But there was a reason why the miracle happened. Every month when my dad's paycheck came in my parents would take out ten percent for tithing to pay to the Lord. This ten percent could have easily covered the cost of new shoes and a few other things. But my parents always made sure that the tithing was paid.

My parents knew that if their tithing was given to the Lord every month that they would be taken care of. They had read in Malachi Chapter 3 verse 10:

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pout you out a blessings, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

So every month this sacrifice was made and my parents have never regretted paying tithing as they have truly received great blessings from the Lord.

Because of my parents' example I have come to know the value of sacrifice. Any sacrifice we are commanded to make to the Lord will lead to blessings and none of us can live without those blessings.

To learn more about the blessings of paying tithing checkout this talk by Elder Bednar.https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/the-windows-of-heaven?lang=eng

Rules

When it has come to rules I have always been one who has followed the rules, but there have been many times that I have done so grudgingly.In school there were many rules to follow and I often found myself thinking, "Why can't I do that?" or "That's a dumb rule." Despite these thoughts though I still followed the rules because that was what I had been taught to do by my parents.

When I came on my mission I found out that there were a lot of rules for missionaries. Simple things like when to get up, when to go to bed, and what to wear were all things that were decided for me. Plus on top of those things there was a rule book that is 82 pages long and does nothing but tell us what to do as missionaries. I remember looking at this rule book and thinking, "What have I gotten myself into?" Plus on top of that there were also tons of other rules that were given to us missionaries by our mission president. I personally thought that having this many rules was just insane.

There have been many days where I have rolled out of bed when the alarm goes off at 6:30 a.m. and I am just not happy. I will often grumble during these times and wish that I wasn't on a mission. Because if I weren't on a mission I could sleep as long as I wanted to.

The longer I've been out though the more my attitude towards the rules has started to change. I realized at one point that I'm was going to have to live by these rules for two years of my life which at the age of twenty is a really long time. I was to going to have to learn to appreciate the rules or else I was in for a very long two years.

So I started looking at the rules and instead of thinking "What are these stopping me from doing? I began to ask "How are these helping me?" As I did this I began to see that the rules weren't there to make my life miserable they were there to help keep me safe. Sure the rules could seem a little extreme at times, but  they always had my safety and my happiness at heart. Once I started looking at the rules in this way it became easier to live them.

God also gives us rules to follow. These rules are called commandments. These commandments include reading our scriptures, praying, loving our neighbor, and loving God. Sometimes these commandments can seem restrictive and hard to follow. Studying the scriptures can be a time consuming process, loving our neighbor can be hard especially when we don't like them. But these commandments are not give to restrict us, but to make us happier.

God loves us and He knows what is best for us. So He provides us with commandments that keep us away from harm and that strengthen us and bring us joy. As Christ said:

If ye love me, keep my commandments

John 14:15

Let us show our love to God by being obedient to His commandments.

Five Friends

When I was attending my first year at Southern Utah University I had five friends. That is no lie I really only had five friends. I can remember joking with my family that I went off to college and only met five people.

I have just never been a social person so the group of friends that I had at school seemed pretty large to me. It was a miracle that I even met my friends at all. I met three of my friends on my first day of chemistry class. I can remember sitting down in a random spot and having three people come and sit down next to me and like always I didn't even think about talking to them. But luckily the girl who sat next just started talking and from that point I was friends with her and the two other kids that were sitting next to me.

I can remember how the friends that I met in chemistry class helped get me through the school year. Since I wasn't very good at chemistry they helped pull me through and tried to help me understand what was being taught. I still have no idea how to do any of the stuff from that chemistry class, but I did pass because of my friends.

As the school year went along I made two other friends that joined my group of friends and brought the number up to five.Those friends were always there for me no matter whether I was dealing with academic problems, girl problems, or if I just needed someone to hangout with. Those five friends were always there to hangout with me and to talk to me. They helped me to stay on the right path. I can remember one of my friends who every Sunday would text me and make sure that I made it to Church. Though sometimes I went grudgingly  I was thankful for her invitation. My friends just always helped me to remember the small things that I could do to grow closer to my Heavenly Father.

When I left on my mission I figured that there probably wouldn't be that much contact with those friends from school. But I was wrong about that. As I struggled through the first part of my mission my friends made sure to write me and to let me know that they would support me in anyway that was possible. Which I found on numerous occasions that they did even if they didn't realize it.

I would oftentimes find myself praying for something it would seem like there was no answer from God. So I would begin to doubt and to think that there was no God or that if there was He didn't care about me. It was at these times that letters from my friends would show up and those letters would always contain what I was looking for. I would never ask my friends for answers, but they always were inspired on what to write me or when they would write me.

Those five friends are some of the greatest gifts that my Heavenly Father has given me. I'm so thankful for them and the influence that they have been to me. The way that they lived their lives by attending church each week, by reading their scriptures, and by the fact that they never gave up on me no matter how many stupid things that I did.

I hope that we can all be good friends to those around us and help them out in anyway possible. Let us seek to remain worthy of divine guidance that helps us to help others. May we continue to read and study our scriptures and to go about doing good so that we can be one of those five friends to somebody.

Letters From Home

As a missionary I have come to love mail. Before I left home I had always that getting a paper letter wasn't very exciting. If I did receive a letter in the mail I always wondered why hadn't the sender just sent me a text message, a message on Facebook, or at least an email? I mean they had so many options and they chose the slowest way to get a message to me. A method that sometimes took days if not weeks to get to me.

Now though I have developed a deep appreciation for paper letters. Because as a missionary I don't have the option to text my friends or my family. I get the chance once a week to write them and to email and I don't really know on which day I might receive a response back from them. So now whenever I get anything from my family I am super excited.

Out here on my mission I have developed this ritual that whenever mail arrives at our apartment I rush to the mailbox, with my companion of course, to see if I have any mail. Some days there isn't anything, but whenever there is a letter or a package for me I am always super excited. These letters meant to me that someone at home did care about me and wanted to know how I am doing. These letters have become a treasure that I keep with me at all times and whenever I need advice or just kind words I turn to these letters.

The receiving of these letters every week or so has brought a blessing into my life that I had never considered before. The letters helped me to see how vitally important the scriptures are to me.

Before my mission when I would pray to God I always did it with the hope that I would receive an immediate answer. I would ask a question and just sit at the foot of my bed hoping for a heavenly messenger or at least some kind of feeling. No messengers ever showed up, but I did get a few impressions, but not usually. I often wondered why I wasn't getting a fast response like I might get when texting a friend.

It wasn't until I got on my mission and I would have to wait for days to get a letter that I realized one of the ways that our Heavenly Father answers our prayers is through the scriptures. I realized that the scriptures are like God's letters to us here on this earth. They weren't received all at once and they do take time to read and to ponder. But when we take time to look through them we are able to find answers to the questions we have or find that peace and comfort that we are looking for.

So now whenever I have a question that I need help with I ask God in humble prayer and then I go and read and see if I can find my answer. I have found multiple times as I have read from the Bible and the Book of Mormon that my answer is contained within the pages of these sacred writings. This searching has brought me to a new understanding of God's love for us.

I encourage all to read the scriptures and to find the answers that they are looking for. They can be found as you read these sacred texts and see what God has provided for us. I promise that no time spent reading the scriptures is wasted.

Cat in a Trap

Shortly before my baptism my family got a new cat named Kissa. She was a calico cat who was super independent. She was pretty different from the cat we had before. The prior cat named Sammie loved the family, always came home at night and was just super friendly. Kissa was nothing like that cat.

But despite the differences between the two cats I still tried to love Kissa. I can remember trying to hold here like I had done with Sammie and how Kissa would struggle to escape from my grasp. At night I would try to get that cat to sleep in my bed and she wouldn't have any of that as she thought it was much better to go and explore the house. Kissa also had a problem with coming back to the house at nighttime. Sammie had always know to come back in when the sun went down. If we weren't at home to let Kissa in then she would disappear.

The night that I was baptized I cam home from my baptism excited that I had just received the gift of the Holy Ghost and was excited to take on anything that the world would throw at me. I remember coming home and not seeing Kissa anywhere. My Dad and I went and searched for her out in our dark backyard, but she was nowhere to be found.

But I didn't lose hope. Having just been baptized I knew of my Heavenly Father's love for me. I got down on my knew that night and prayed that we would find Kissa. It was a little bit strange for me to do this considering that I had never really asked for anything in my prayers before. But I knew that Kissa would be found soon.

The very next day Kissa still hadn't shown up at our house. When school ended that day the cat was still missing. But still I knew that she would come back. That night as we were getting ready for bed we got a call from our neighbor down the street. He said that he had caught our cat in his cat trap. I was so excited.

My Dad and I ran over to the neighbor's and found Kissa wandering back and forth in this little trap. Boy was she happy to see us! We took her back home and from that time on she made sure never to run away again.

That time I took extra time to thank my Heavenly Father that my prayer had been answered and that Kissa had come back.

This experience as simple as it may be became an anchor in my life. As I grew older I've had time where I really doubted if God existed and if He really cared about me. But I can always look back on a time where God answered the prayer of an eight year old boy and brought his cat back.

God loves all of us and will never forsake us. If we are looking for something whether it be a cat or an answer our Heavenly Father will hear our prayers and will help us out. Put this challenge to the test and don't doubt and God will answer. I can promise this from my own experiences in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Service

The first area I served in on my mission was the tiny town of Lakeview, Oregon. When I arrived in Eugene and was told that I was going to Lakeview the first question I asked was if there was a lake near the town. The answer I found out was no.

The drive to Lakeview from Eugene was a two day affair. My companion and I spent the first night of my mission in Klamath Falls and then went on to Lakeview the next day. My first thoughts when I showed up in Lakeview was that it was super small and that it was super far away from everything.

My companion took no time to stop when we arrived and took me straight to a house where we started to build a playground. For the next few weeks the two of us would go back to this house and work on the playground. We toiled in the hot Sun and drank tons of water. Yet I didn't feel bad about working and I didn't feel bad about being in Lakeview either. It felt so good to work with my hands and to help someone out.

I spent about four moths in Lakeview and the entire time I was there I always tried to help out where I could. I stacked a lot of wood, cut a lot of grass, helped put on siding, and pruned a lot of trees.

Even if someone wasn't interested in hearing the message of the Restoration my companion and I tried to do what we could to help people out. I remember once being asked why were we so willing to help out without any thought of payment. When I was asked this a scripture from the Book of Mormon came to my mind.

And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of you fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.

Mosiah 2:17

This scripture spoke a lot of truth to me. The reason I felt good about serving people was because that was what I needed to be doing to those around me. I needed to serve God by serving others.

And as my mission has gone I have found that the best way to serve people is to share the Restored Gospel with them. To let them know that God does love us and does care about our daily lives. Oftentimes He does that through other people. So I will do my best to serve those around me and share the Gospel with them.

So if there is anyone out there who wants to learn more about the Restored Gospel please message me on Facebook or visit mormon.org. I promise that you will never regret learning more.

The Book of Mormon

The first time I read the Book of Mormon was when I was a sophomore in high school. I had opened the book so many times and had just never gotten past the first couple of chapters in the book. I mean I had heard how important the book was from other people and that it was great, but I just never had the motivation to push through the book and find out why it was so great.

I don't really know what caused me to pickup the book my sophomore year and delve into it. My seminary teacher that year had challenged me to read the entire book, but it hadn't been the first time in my life that a seminary teacher had asked me to read the scriptures. The year before I had been challenged to read the New Testament, but hadn't found the time to do that. But for some reason I decided to do what my teacher asked and read.

So everyday that year I read from the Book of Mormon. And as I read I started to see why the Book of Mormon was so important. The Book of Mormon told the story of a family that was led by God from Jerusalem to the American continent around the year 600 BC. Here this family taught of Christ and prophesied that He would come and redeem mankind.

The highlight of the Book of Mormon comes when Christ Himself comes and visits the ancient inhabitants of the Americas after His Resurrection. As I read about Christ's visit to the Americas I knew that it had to be true. I just felt it as I read.

By the end of the year I had finished the Book of Mormon and was pretty proud of myself. I learned at the end of the Book of Mormon that the people on the American continent who had written the book had destroyed themselves. But fortunately for me and everyone else God preserved their records so that I could learn of His Son and how He had helped those in the past. I came to love the Book of Mormon during that year and it became very important to me.

But there was a blessing that came from reading the Book of Mormon that I didn't recognize for several years afterwards. My sophomore year was a really good year for me. I got good grades in all of my classes, I had an amazing cross-country season, and I just felt happy about everything in my life. My Junior and Senior years of high school weren't that great. I had miserable seasons running, my grades slipped, and I just didn't feel happy or even feel as if God was watching over me.

I could see a difference between my high school years, but I couldn't figure out what had made the difference in them. It wasn't until I left on my mission that I finally realized what had made the change. It was that I had read from the scriptures my sophomore year. My junior and senior years I hadn't taken the time to read from the scriptures and as a result things hadn't gone so smoothly.

Luckily I now know the blessings that come from reading the scriptures and I invite everyone to read from the Book of Mormon and to take the challenge from the ancient Book of Mormon prophet Moroni who says:

And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

-Moroni 10:4

And when you do find these things are true keep reading from the Book of Mormon and treasure up the words found there. Never lose them like I did. I promise that you will see a change in your life.

Remember Mom!

With the approach of Mother's Day I've spent a lot of time thinking about how important my mom is to me. She is one of the greatest gifts that my Heavenly Father has given me She is a greater gift than my quick mind or my athleticism. The reason being that my mom saw the gifts that I was given and helped me to cultivate them. She saw that I was smart and helped me to realize that. She saw that I was a runner and so she took me running. She wanted me to be the best person that I could be.

But the most important thing that my mom helped me to learn was the Gospel. From an early age my mother told me about my loving Heavenly Father. She taught me that even though I was very far away from Him I could still talk to Him in prayer.

My mom also taught me that because my Heavenly Father loved me so much He sent His Son Jesus Christ to earth so I could live again. My mom also taught me about how I could follow Jesus by making the right choices. She taught me that I could be great as long as I made the right choices.

My mother taught me a lot and continues to teach me. She does all of this because she loves me and she wants what is best for me. Oftentimes I take my mom for granted though and forget everything she has done for me and how she has helped shape and mold who I am. I'm sorry for forgetting her and not appreciatin

g her as much as I should, but I'll keep trying to pay her back for everything she does for me.

And even though I will never be able to pay my mother back I am luck that I do have eternity to keep trying. Because another thing that my mother taught me is that I can live with her and the rest of my family for forever. This is all possible because of the Restoration of the Gospel in these Latter-Days. The same authority that was given to Peter to bind on earth and in heaven has been restored to the earth through a modern day prophet.

I know that because my family has been sealed in the Temple by the priesthood authority that we will be able to live together for eternity. I do not doubt that my family is forever for the same reason the Stripling Warrior did not fear death because "Our mothers knew it." 

Remember everything that our mothers have done for us and all that they teach us. They are a precious gift from our Heavenly Father and show how much He love us. Remember Mom!

My Dad

One of the most influential people in my life has been my Dad. He held me when I was a baby, taught me how to ride a bike, how to drive, and how to shop for apartments. He has always been there for me and to me he is the source of all truth and knowledge. Whenever I have a question or a concern I ask him to help me solve it.

When I was at home my Dad had never been too far away. If I needed to fix something on my bike or if I just needed life advice my Dad was only a shout or a phone call away. Out here in Oregon though he's several states away and I'm not allowed to call him.

Often times I miss my Dad. Because now when something goes wrong with my thirty year-old yellow bike I can't just call him up and ask him for help on how to fix it. Also when I feel down I can't just call him up and ask for advice.

The only way that I can communicate with my Dad now is via letter and email. It's a pretty slow process to receive an answer. But every letter that he sends me become an instant treasure. I store them away so that whenever I feel down I can read his advice to me. My Dad's advice to me always comes just when I need it. As I read my Dad's letters I can feel the love and concern that he has for me and how he really does care. The letters that he's sent me has helped me to appreciate my relationship with my father more.

Through the letters that my Dad has sent to me I have been able to see that even though we are far away from each other that he still loves me. Because of this I have been able to see how my Heavenly Father must feel about all of us. He like my Dad has sent his children away from home for a short amount of time. During this period of time each of us learns and grows and even though we are unable to see our Heavenly Father He is able to communicate with us and give us advice.

Our Heavenly Father knows that our time here on earth is short no matter how long it may seem to us. Eventually we will be able to go home and Live with Him forever. But for now we can rely on His advice and use this time to become the Men and Women that He knows we can be.

Just like our earthly parents love and care for us so does our Heavenly Father. So remember that whenever things are hard we can turn to Him and ask for advice just like we ask our parents and because He loves us He will answer. He loves each and everyone of us. Look to Him in prayer and you will receive comfort.

Faith With Works

On my mission I've learned to see the importance of work. Before I came to Oregon I had been kind of lazy. I always did my chores at home, but it usually took a lot of prodding from my parents. I just didn't see the point in making my bed, pulling weeds, or mowing the lawn. The weeds and the grass would soon grow again and when I went to bed at night I would quickly mess up my bed sheets. I didn't like to work on things that didn't show results.

When I came out on my mission I was soon involved with a task that I thought was pointless and produced no results. This task was called tracting and involved knocking door after door on a street. I quickly came to not like tracting. Doors were often closed in our faces and people always had excuses to not talk to us.

After several weeks of knocking doors I had not seen anything come from our efforts. No one we had met was willing to let us us come in and teach them about the Restored Gospel. I was little depressed because of this.

Like making my bed or weeding I thought that tracting was a waste of time. I voiced my reservations to my companion, who said we need to have faith and that we needed to just keep going. I took his advice hoping that something would eventually come.

Even after my companion had told me to keep going we still didn't see anything come from our efforts. It wasn't until several weeks later that we were walking down the street that we had a lady pull up alongside us in her car. I immediately recognized that we had knocked on her door a couple of days earlier and that she had told us that she was not interested in listening to us. The woman started talking to us and told us that she now wanted to listen and to learn more.

From that time on my companion and I were able to teach this lady. Our hours and hours of tracting had finally paid off. As I reflected on this experience later I was reminded of a scripture:

Even so faith if it hath no works, is dead, being alone.

James 2:17

As my companion and I had gone out each day and tracted we had faith that we would find someone to teach. It had taken a long time, but because of our persistence we had been blessed. If I had told my companion that I didn't want to tract and that we should just walked around then we wouldn't met the lady in the car and she wouldn't have stopped us on the street.

Even though the tracting had produced little success it eventually brought forth a brief, but great reward. Just like the grass of a lawn would soon grow back there would be many more hours of tracting with little success. But I grew to realize the joy of the work. The work led us to small brief successes that don't last, but are so worth the effort to get to. That's why we mow lawns, weed, make our beds or do anything. It's for the end result.

I came to realize that our Heavenly Father wants us to work. Like my parents He knows that work is important. When we work it lets us appreciate the things that He has given us. Because of He gave us everything then we would take His gifts for granted.

God makes us work so our faith means something. If we believe then it should inspire us to do something. So if we have a problems we need helps with let us put our faith in God. Let us get down and pray and then go do something to solve the problem. As we act God will help us and miracles will occur.

May we look for these miracles as we continue to work and seek for answers.

What is the Atonement?

Atonement Definition: Because of Him we can change and live again.

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints have a peculiar vocabulary. Phrases like "Choose the right", "Return Missionary", and "Oh my heck!" pepper our language and set us apart as a people.

To members of the church this terminology seems commonplace. We often forget that those not of our faith often have no idea what we mean when we talk of Priesthood Quorum and Relief Society. As cool as Relief Society and Priesthood Quorums are there is one word often used by Latter-Day Saints that stands above the rest and that is the word Atonement. This word has deep meaning and shows just how much God loves us.

The word Atonement was something that I had heard growing up and truly didn't understand until I reached the mission field. I had always skipped over the meaning of the word because I wasn't very good at paying attention in Seminary and Primary.

When I arrived in Oregon my first missionary companion was always talking about the Atonement and how it was the most important event in history and how everyone needed it. Hearing my companion's sincere love of the Atonement made me want to learn more. The reason being I wanted to know why it was so important and figure out how it could be important in my life.

One day as my companion and I were preparing for a lesson I looked at my companion and asked, "What is the Atonement?" He looked at me, a surprised look on his face. The surprise wasn't because he hadn't heard this question before, but because it was coming from me, a teenage boy who had been a member of the Church all of his life. He asked me if I was serious? I nodded yes.

My companion then turned in the scriptures to Alma chapter 7. He told me to look at verses eleven through thirteen, which said:

11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and affliction and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.

13 Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.

As I read these verses I began to understand how vitally important the Atonement could be in my life. I had always heard that Christ had died for us and that He rose again, but as I pondered the scriptures I had just read I began to see what He had done for us.

I began to see why Christ had suffered every pain, affliction, and temptation that I had ever been through and why He had borne my sicknesses. It made it possible for Him to know what I was feeling when I was down or when I just didn't feel like moving on. This gave comfort to me to know that there was someone who knew how I felt. That I wasn't alone in my sufferings.

The scripture also explained that Christ had also broken the bands of death. Meaning that because He died and rose again that I and all people could live again. That death was a temporary thing. This brought great comfort to me because a week before my Grandmother had passed away. Being on my mission I was unable to attend her funeral. But because of Christ I knew I would be able to see her again and my time spent away from her wouldn't last.

But the most important thing I learned from these scriptures was that He could blot out my sins. Because of Him I didn't have to let the things I had done in the past define who I am and who I can become. I wasn't trapped by old habits and that I could always grow and continue to get better.

Ever since that day I came to see what the Atonement is and how it has helped me to grow and to become a better person. Through prayer and constant repenting I have been able to see myself change and become a better person. I'm still me, I'm just a better me.

The Atonement is the greatest thing to ever happen and is the message that missionaries teach people about. We teach the simple message that Because of Him we can be made perfect and that we never have to give up hope. We can always overcome.

May we follow the example of Paul who taught that because of Christ's Atonement:

13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Phillipians 4:13

Let us all be strengthened through Christ.