Leaving Home

       After serving in Frenchtown, Montana for three and a half months I really started to feel at home. I can remember my first Sunday there and how I hardly knew anyone. I didn't think that I would ever get attached the way that I did. In King Benjamin's sermon in the Book of Mormon he talks about service. He says in verse 17 of chapter 2, "And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." Also, as I served my friends in Frenchtown I truly began to love them and want what's best for them. I hope that my service there was of help to them and I wish them all the best!

A Plan of Happiness

       Recently I received word from a friend that their grandfather had passed away. They told me that they were filled with gratitude for the knowledge they had of the Plan of Salvation. Because of Jesus Christ's Atonement everyone will be resurrected and if we live righteously we'll be able to be with our families after death. There is a scripture in the Book of Mormon that brings me great comfort in dealing with loved ones who pass away. Alma 7:12 says, "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." What a blessing it is to know of Jesus Christ and celebrate His resurrection this Easter Season.

Footprints in the Sand

There is a poem entitled "Footprints in the Sand" that I'm sure most everyone has heard of: I'd like to share that for you all.

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only.

This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord,

“You promised me Lord, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”

The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”

---

Mary Stevenson, 1936

Do Work!: Smile :D

Do Work!: Smile :D: "'Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day.'"

Our Preparations for the Lord

       With Palm Sunday coming up and Easter the following Sunday I have been thinking a lot about Jesus Christ and His mission here on Earth. The Atonement can be the greatest help if we let it. The week before the Savior rose from the dead he sat outside Jerusalem at the Mount of Olives. He instructed two of His disciples to walk into Jerusalem and bring a certain colt back to him. They did as they we were commanded. In Mark 11:8-10 it reads:

       8 And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way.

       9 And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; ^aBlessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:

       10 ^aBlessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.

       Many recognized who the Savior was and prepared the way for him to ride. How can we prepare the way for the Lord just as these people in Jerusalem did? Not all the citizens of Jerusalem worshipped Jesus just as many in the world today do not. But we can live His teachings and do what we can to "spread [our] garments in the way: and...cut down branches off the trees, and [straw] them in the way."

See also: Matthew 21:1-11, Luke 19:28-40, John 12:12-19

The Man in the Mirror

       James 1:23-24 says "For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was." Reading this scripture we understand that not only do we need faith in this life but we need to DO what we profess to believe in. Just a chapter and a few verses later James says, "Ye see then how that by works a man is justfied, and not by faith only." And, "For as the body without the spirit is dead, is faith without works is dead also." Hopefully we can be the man we see in the mirror throughout the day and our lives.

See also James 2:17, 20, 24, 26; Alma 32

Basketball and the Book of Mormon

       Playing sports and gaining a testimony have many parallels. Such as hard work, enjoyment, and growth.

If you want to be good at any sport it's going to take some hard work. You can have talent but to really be something in the world of sports you have to devote a large amount of time to practicing. To be the best you can be it takes hard work. The same is true in the gospel of Jesus Christ. It often takes time in practicing correct principles such as: faith, repentance, and enduring to the end before you can become the best you can be. We have both heavenly and earthly coaches who will help us every step of the way.

       Playing basketball for me has always brought much enjoyment. I love other sports too, but basketball has always been my favorite. I love the feeling of lacing up my shoes and stepping onto the court. Shooting around in my front yard was therapeutic for me. Don't laugh, it's true. It was an outlet that made me really happy and still does. Guess what, the gospel of Jesus Christ is the same way. We can find joy in His teachings and comfort in the scriptures. The Book of Mormon is also a great help in my life. It makes me feel better when I read its pages.

       Most of all, the exercise you get from playing sports helps your body grow physically. Just as running strengthens your legs, reading the Book of Mormon strengthens your testimony and helps you grow spiritrually. 

The Mission of Music

       This last week we had, what we call, a zone conference. A zone conference is when all the missionaries in one area meet together and our mission president and other leaders instruct us on how to become better missionaries. It was a great meeting and I learned a lot. I may have learned the most in the last 5 minutes though. To close the meeting we sang a hymn entitled: I Believe in Christ. In the last verse it says, "I believe in Christ; so come what may, With him I'll stand in that great day..." When we sang that, I could really feel the Spirit. I know that being on a mission and sharing this great message is what the Lord wants me to do. I am thankful for music and the impact it can have on our lives.