Faith of our Fathers

Today is a great day!  For all those who do not know, today is PIONEER'S DAY!  It is a holiday that is not very well known outside our church, but it is a day that we remember our pioneer ancestors, and the legacy of faith that they left behind.  In the early days of the church, the members were facing great opposition due to mobs, and different problems.  So they acted on faith, and decided to make the long trek from Illinois to the Salt Lake Valley.  They were forced from their homes, but they trusted in God, and they were eventually provided with a wonderful refuge from their tribulations.  One of the Handcart companies that made this long trek was the Willie and Martin Handcart company.  This Handcart company got a late start on the journey, and as they were travelling through Wyoming, they were caught by a blizzard.  During this time, many of the pioneers suffered many hardships, including frostbite, starvation, and death.  My great great great great grandma was one of these pioneers.  Her name was Ann Jewell Rowley, and she suffered much during this time.  Her husband had recently passed away, and she was left to provide for her family by herself.  But through her remarkable faith, God provided for her needs.

In her own words she said " I was left a widow with 7 children under 12 years of age and the step-children of William's first marriage.  I was very grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the comfort it gave me.  I knew that our parting was only temporary and that viewed from the eternities, this was but a fleeting moment.  I also knew that no matter how fleeting a moment it was, I had to make the best of it.  I had a very real job to do.  The children had to be fed and clothed, but the big task and the one I must accomplish is to get us all to Zion.  I must be among the people of my faith and I must get the Temple work done for us.  There came a time, when there seemed to be no food at all.  Some of the men left to hunt buffalo.  Night was coming and there was no food for the evening meal.  I asked God's help as I always did.  I got on my knees, remembering 2 hard sea biscuits that were still in my trunk.  They had been left over from the sea voyage, they were not large, and were so hard they couldn't be broken.  Surely, that was not enough to feed 8 people;  but 5 loaves and 2 fishes were not enough to feed 5000 people either  but through a miracle Jesus had done it.  So with God's help, nothing is impossible.  I found the biscuits and put them in a Dutch Oven and covered them with water and asked for God's blessing.  Then I put the lid on the pan and set it on the coals.  When I took off the lid a little later, I found the pan filled with food.  I kneeled with my family and thanked god for his goodness.  That night my family had sufficient."

Ann Jewell Rowley

Whenever I read this story, I am amazed by the faith of my Grandmother.  I marvel that through her faith, she was blessed with the food necessary to feed her family.  It is so remarkable to me to know that the Lord does bless us with miracles in our lives if we simply have the faith to ask.  I know that God loves each and every one of us.  We may not have miracles like this in our lives, but God does bless us with miracles every day.  He helps us through our trials, and he provides for our needs.  Miracles can literally happen in our lives and in the lives of those around us, when we act in faith.  When I read this story of my Grandma, it inspires me to act more in faith.  I know that through the grace of God, we can overcome any opposition or problems we may face.  When we act in faith, God will bless us.  He loves each and every one of us.  I hope y'all have a great Pioneers day!

The Spirit of Prophecy

"29 And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? Would God that all the Lords' people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!"  (Num. 11:29)

GOD SPEAKS!  He loves each and everyone of us, and he wants to speak to each and every one of us as well.  This journey of life is difficult.  But we make it even more difficult when we put God's word out of our life.  We really have two options in life;  we can choose to do things with God, or we can choose to do them by ourselves.  I think there is really only one intelligent way to do things, and that is with God on our side.  God wants to give us give us guidance and direction, just like any loving parent does.  He knows who we are, and he knows the choices that we are making in our lives.  He knows both the positive and negative consequences that will come from every decision he makes.  So he speaks to us, and he guides us, if we are willing open our ears to him.  One man that I have talked to recently has expressed that he feels as if God is no longer speaking to him, but something that we have helped him realize is that he is speaking, and that he always speaks; but often times he speaks through his faithful servants, or the holy scriptures.  There are so many sources that we can go to, to hear God's word, and receive his guidance and direction in our lives.  But it is important to remember that whenever God speaks to us, he will speak to us through his Holy Spirit, which is the spirit of Love, Joy, Peace, and Faith (Galatians 5:22).

Now in reference to the scripture that I quoted above;  God speaks to his prophets, but the great thing is that we all can have that spirit of Prophecy within us.  There is only one man who is called to act as the Prophet and Leader of The Church of Jesus Christ, at one time, but we all can have the Spirit of Prophecy.  The Testimony of Jesus Christ truly is the Spirit of Prophecy (Revelation 19:10).  This testimony is something that we all should strive to gain while in this life.  This choice to believe and follow Christ is one of the greatest decisions that we need to make while in this life.  Our Father wants us to make this choice, because he knows that it is the only way that will enable us to return to live with him again (John 14:6).  If we seek him, we shall find him (Luke 11:9).  When we come to accept Christ into our lives, then that is what will bring true and everlasting peace into our lives, and which will bring true happiness into the lives of others as well.  Christ tells us how we gain this testimony when he talked with his disciple Peter "... Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 16:17).  Our Father in Heaven will testify of the divinity of his son to us, when we are willing and ready to listen.  Open your heart, and it shall be filled.  That is how I was able to gain my testimony, and I know that our loving Father in Heaven will testify the same to you as well. Make this day a GREAT one!

Constant Companionship

I LOVE my mission!!!!  I love serving the Lord as one of his missionaries.  It has truly been one of the best experiences of my life.  As missionaries we truly are representatives of Jesus Christ, and with this we are expected to be an example of Christ.  We have many standards that we are expected to live by that help us maintain the dignity of our calling.  All of our rules and standards are contained inside a book, which we call the Missionary Handbook.  These are standards that we are expected to live by as missionaries, but early on in my mission, a wise man once taught me that the missionary handbook is more then a book of rules to be applied as missionaries, but they are also guidelines that we can apply throughout our whole life.  As missionaries, we have a companion that we are supposed to stay with 24/7.  It teaches us in the Missionary Handbook

"Stay Together.  Never be alone.  It is extremely important that you stay with your companion at all times.  Staying together means staying with sight and hearing of each other... Never make exceptions to this standard for activities that seem innocent but take you away from each other... Situations that seem harmless at the beginning can quickly lead to serious problems." (Missionary Handbook, pgs. 30-31).

Obeying this standard has blessed me so much, and I love the opportunity that I have had to have each and everyone of my companions.  Each one has blessed me in numerous ways, and I love each and every one of them.

But the companion that I want to talk about today, is not a companion with a physical body.  Instead he has a spirit, but we still can feel his presence with us at all times.  This companion is the Holy Ghost, or the Holy Spirit of God.  This is the most important companion that we can ever have, because he can literally protect us from evil, if we always are striving to have him with us.  We should never do anything that would seperate us from each other.  These things can be as simple as watching something we shouldn't, or saying something we should not say.  We should never do anything that Christ himself should not do, because when we act unChristlike, then we cannot have God's spirit with us at all times.  These little things that may not seem like big problems, can easily lead to serious problems in the future.  The spirit is truly our most important companion, and when he is with us he truly can protect us from both physical and spiritual danger.  I know this is true, and as I have always worked to have the spirit with me, I have received strength to resist all temptation.  I love each and every one of my companions, but my favorite companion of all is truly the Spirit of the Almighty God.  I love the spirit of God!  HAVE A GREAT DAY!!!



Check out this post to learn more about this wonderful companion!

... And of the Spirit

God is not just good, he is REAL good!

Hello Internet world!  This is my blog post for the week, but this blog post is going to be a little bit different this time.  I love writing these blogs but the real purpose of this blog is to share the joy that I have experienced through Christ with others over the internet.  The great thing is that you can do the same as well.  I am so grateful to you for reading this blog, and I love to share my testimony of Christ with y'all.  My purpose in writing this is to help as many people as I can come closer to Christ.  One of the greatest ways that we can do this is by sharing Christ with others.  One of the biggest things that I have learned on my mission is that what you put out, is usually what you get in return.  This applies with so many things.  If you want to experience greater love in your life, then you must share and spread love with others first.  If you want to receive greater happiness into your life, then it is important to share happiness first.  Elder Jeffrey R. Holland once said "It came to me again that is we sow thistles, we don't really plan to get strawberries.  If we sow hate, we don't really expect to receive an abundance of love.  We get back in kind that which we sow" (Jeffrey R. Holland, The Justice and Mercy of God, Ensign Sept. 2013)  He said that if we put forth hate, we really will not get love in return.  The vice versa is just the same.  If we put forth love, we really will not get hate in return either.  Paul also said "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap". (Galatians 6:7).

So here is the deal.  In order for us to develop a rock solid relationship with our savior, then we must share him with others.  This can be done in many ways.  We can invite our friends to attend church, or we can share our testimony with them, or we can even just serve those in need.  But here is my challenge to each one of you.  Once you read this blog post, I challenge you to share this blog post, or any of the other ones, with at least one of your friends.  I am not asking you to do this, so I can get tons of followers and views of my blog, but I really am just inviting you to do this so that we can share the message of Christ with as many people as we can.  That is our purpose as Christians, is to share the name of Christ with those around us.  So I would invite and challenge each one of you to share this with at least one of your friends, and invite them to do the same as well.  It doesn't matter who they are; they can be people who may be struggling in life right now, or someone who maybe just needs an uplifting message.  This is truly missionary work, and it is very simple.  All you have to do is click share, and post this blog to someone elses facebook, or twitter, or whatever you use.  But I know it will bless your life.  Christ has blessed us with our faith so that we can share it with others who may be in need of more faith in their own lives.  A wise man once said that "God is not just good, he is REAL good.".  God wants to bless all of his children, and the only way that he can do that is through us.  So let's go out there and make a change, and all of this can be done one person at a time!

Check this out to see a man that has completely turned his life around through Christ!  YOU ARE AWESOME BRO. SCRIPTURES!!!

WE ARE FREE!!!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!!!!!!

Today is truly one of my favorite holidays, because it is the day where we get to celebrate our freedom!  For those who may be unfamiliar or unaware of why this day is so important; it is because it was the day when the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the United States of America.  It is the day that we commemorate our freedom from the Kingdom of Great Britain.  It is a very special holiday for american citizens, because it is the day that we celebrate our freedom.  Freedom is one of the greatest things that we have been blessed with living in the United States of America, and it is so special that we devote a whole holiday to it every single year.  Freedom is truly one of the greatest gifts from God!

We have many freedoms in our country.  We have the freedom of press, the freedom of speech, and the freedom of religion just to name a couple.  These are freedoms that we have been able to gain because there were men who were willing to fight for these freedoms.  I am so grateful to those men, and to the men who continue to fight to defend our freedoms right now.  But one of the greatest freedom's that we have, is something that is available to all; not just citizens of the United States.  This is freedom from sin, and it is a gift available to all.  Paul said "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." (Galatians 5:1).  When we sin, it brings us into bondage.  We become subject to Satan and we no longer have the ability to choose for ourselves.  We lose control, and we become slaves to the adversary.  Paul also said "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Sin and temptation binds us down, but God has prepared a way for us to escape, and that is through his son Jesus Christ.  When we come unto Christ, he frees us from all slavery and all bondage.  He has the power to free you from whatever bondage you may be facing.  If you have faith in him, and follow in his example, he will free you from sin.  This is my witness.  He lives, and he has power over all bondage and all captivity.  He can make you free, if you let him. I hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July!

... And of the Spirit

Last week, I talked about the necessity to be baptized by water.  I quoted a scripture which said "... Except

a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (John 3:5).  We must be baptized by water, but that is only part of it.  We must also experience what is called a baptism by fire.  In the Book of Mormon it references this baptism when it says "...I know that if ye shall follow the Son ... by baptism - yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost..." (2 Nephi 31:13).  This baptism by Fire, or by the Holy Ghost, is what completes our baptism.  This baptism is necessary in order to receive a remission of your sins like it later says "... then cometh a remission of your sins by fire, and by the Holy Ghost." (2 Nephi 31:17).  Once we have been baptized, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, have the unique opportunity to receive what we call the Gift of the Holy Ghost.  This gift is to be able to always have God's spirit with us as long as we are living our lives righteously.  We can literally always have the spirit of God with us when we keep God's commandments.  It is a constant companion for all of those who have had their sins washed away through the blood of our savior Jesus Christ.  It truly is amazing!

The reason why the gift of the Holy Ghost is so important is because it guides and it directs us in our lives, so that we can return to live with our father again.  When we are baptized, and washed clean of our sins, we have to continue to live our lives the way Christ would live his.  Baptism is the gate to a path that leads to eternal life, baptism is not the end goal.  Once we are baptized, we have a life of devoted discipleship ahead of us.  We must have something to help strengthen us as we continue on this path of discipleship.  That strength comes from the Holy Ghost.  It is like if you were to plant a young tree in your yard.  When the first major storm comes, the winds will blow that tree, and cause it to bend and filthy itself in the mud around it.  In order to clean this tree, you must wash the leaves, but if all you did was wash the leaves, then when the next storm came, the tree would get muddy once again.  In order to help keep the tree clean from the mud, you must also strengthen the trunk.  This can be done by placing stakes in the ground and tying them to the trunk of the

tree.  Then when the storm comes, the tree will stay strong and will remain clean from the mud around it.  We are much like this tree.  We have been placed in a muddy world.  When storms or temptations come, we can often times bend to the pressure, and get mud on ourselves.  We can clean ourselves with baptism, but we also need something to strengthen us.  That strength truly comes from the Holy Ghost.  The Holy Ghost directs us away from danger, and helps give us strength to resist the storms of the world.  The Holy Ghost can and always will be there for us, as long as we are living our lives righteously.  I know that the Holy Ghost has truly strengthened me throughout the adversities of my life.  It truly is one of the greatest of all the gifts of God.  It is a gift that God wants to give to all of us, but we must keep his commandments in order to receive that gift.  God does love you, and he wants to help you.  Have a fantastic day!

To be Born of Water...

"Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (John 3:5).  The doctrine is very clear, we cannot enter into God's kingdom unless we enter into the waters of Baptism.  It is the doctrine taught by Christ himself.  But why is baptism so important?  Some people that I have talked to as a missionary have told me about their beliefs, and some have stated the belief that you don't need to have baptism in order to be saved, you just need to have faith in Christ, and accept him in your life.  I do not turn down others beliefs, or seek to put down what anyone believes.  Faith is essential in order to enter God's Kingdom, just like it says in the Book of Mormon "... we are made alive in Christ because of our faith..." (2 Nephi 25:25).  But there is more that is required then just to have a belief or faith in Christ, just like what Christ himself said "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." (Matt. 7:21).  Faith is the first step, but there is so much more expected of us, and that is where baptism comes in.

I have been thinking a lot about Baptism recently and why it is important.  One of the greatest moments that missionaries experience on their missions is to see someone make that choice to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized by someone who holds the priesthood authority of God.  This is such a wonderful and joyous experience, because baptism is literally the gate that we enter, that puts us on the path that leads to eternal life.  Baptism is the beginning of a new life of devoted Christlike discipleship.  It is turning over a new leaf.  Just as when someone is physically born, their life begins here on earth.  Well when someone is born  through the waters of baptism, they are spiritually reborn.  It is incredible!  Baptism cleanses us, and it makes us clean.  But all these things are done through the blood of Jesus Christ.  It is not really the physical water that washes us clean, but it is truly the blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses us.  It is only through Jesus Christ that we can enter into the kingdom of God (2 Nephi 2:8).  When we choose to be baptized, we accept Christ as our savior, and we promise that we will follow Christ in all that we do.  That is what cleanses us and makes us free from our sins.  It is truly the Lord

Jesus Christ.  We have the opportunity as missionaries to see one of our friends that we have recently just met, enter into the waters of baptism this Saturday.  It is so exciting because we know that as he makes this choice to follow Christ, he will be washed clean of his sins, and he will be able to enter God's kingdom.  We all have this same opportunity.  I love this gospel, and I know that it is through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that we can be enabled to live with God for all eternity.  I Love you all, and I hope you have a Great Day!

                             YOU ARE AWESOME!!!!