She Never Looked Back

President Uchtdorf, a counselor to President Monson our prophet, made this statement:  “Our motives and thoughts ultimately influence our actions.  The testimony of the truthfulness of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is the most powerful motivating force in our lives…Our testimony motivates us to live righteously, and righteous living will cause our testimony to grow stronger. “  (Ensign Nov. 2006, pg 37)

This  story illustrates this principle and what many have done because of their strong testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel.

Mary, my third great grandmother was born in England, and was the 6^th child of 9.  She met and married William.  After their marriage, they had three children.  They listened to the message of the gospel and were converted.  William came from a large family but they all turned against them when they joined the church.  Because of their faith and testimony they decided to join the Saints in Nauvoo.  Almost immediately after arriving in Nauvoo William became ill with a fever that was going around.  He passed away three weeks later.  Four days after that she gave birth to another little girl.  A few weeks later little Emma died.  Just eight days after that Mary got the news that Joseph and Hyrum Smith had been martyred. 

With her husband and child gone and the leader of her chosen people murdered, Mary could have chosen to go back to her family in England, where she would have had security and help in raising her three children.  Instead, because of her strong testimony she looked forward with great courage and determination.  She simply did her part in standing firm in the gospel of Jesus Christ and listened to the promptings of the Spirit.  She never looked back or regretted the decision she made.  She simply went forward with great faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ.  

Storms of Life

This is a great time of the year.  We are leaving the dark cold days of winter and we see lots of new life, warm days, flowers blooming and the trees turning green again.  We are enjoying the spring colors and the beauty of the trees here in Tennessee.  It has been great.  There is only one problem with it all and that is the severe storms that seem to keep coming our way.  We have to keep an eye on the storms and watch for the tornado warnings.  We are not quite used to that in Utah where our home is.  It is kind of like life.  Just when we think things are going well and life is good, we suddenly get zapped with an adversity in our life and then our focus turns to taking care of that problem.  If there is any one thing I have learned in this life it is to always stay focused on our Savior Jesus Christ.  We need to trust in Him and know that He will always be there for us.  If we turn our lives over to Him and focus on keeping His commandments and His spirit with us, all of these challenges and adversities we face will be taken care of by Him.  When He does, we will know that is what is best for us.  He loves us and cares for us and that is why He died for us.  We just need to always remember that there is always a rainbow at the end of the storm.  

Easter Time

I love this time of year when all the trees and flowers are budding and the grass and trees are turning green.  Its a newness of life after a long cold winter.  I am especially grateful at this Easter time for Christ and all that was accomplished through him.  We know that he lives, that he broke the bands of death and because of that we know that we will all live again after we die.   Depending on how we live our lives here on this earth will determine whether or not we will live with our Heavenly Father and Christ as well as with our families.  Heavenly Father set forth a plan that if we have faith in him and keep his commandments we will be able to live with him again.  I am so grateful for the knowledge that I have of this great opportunity.  To learn more about this, follow this link.
http://lds.org/plan/we-can-live-with-god-again?lang=eng

Forgiveness

I love the gospel of Jesus Christ and the way of life we live because of its teachings.  It brings joy to my life as we serve our Heavenly Father.  I have said many times that if everyone would just live all the principles of the gospel we would all be happy and have love for everyone as has been taught by our Savior Jesus Christ.  However that does not seem to be the way it goes.  I guess it is because Satan seems to be working hard at getting everyone to do the things that are wrong and is trying very heard to brake up families as well as trying to drag us down to his level.  Sometimes that is the easy way, just to follow Satan.  Satan wants us to just think of ourselves and our own personal wants.  He wants us to be selfish.  It is the Lords way to forget ourselves and to think of the other person first.  Sometimes we can take offense when offense in not intended.  Part of forgiving others is to not judge them and what they are doing until you have walked in their shoes.  However, I know it can be hard to be strong and to be loving and forgiving of others.  Many times we can be hurt or offended and it can be tough to just let it go.  However that is what Christ taught, that we should just turn the other cheek.  We need to let it go.  We all work out our own salvation and we do not want someone else to determine our personal destiny.  There is a way that we can find peace and happiness in this life as we go through this earthly experience.  That can come as we follow Jesus Christ and his teachings.  I know he loves each one of us and if we can be forgiving of others and their weaknesses, he will be forgiving of ours.  All he asks of us is that we treat others the way we want our Heavenly Father and others to treat us.  It is all that simple.  There is a talk about the Healing Power of forgiveness by James E. Faust.  It can give a lot of insight and guidance as to what we should do.  I love this talk.  I would love to hear any comments about forgiveness that anyone has.

If we can find forgiveness in our hearts for those who have caused us hurt and injury, we will rise to a higher level of self-esteem and well-being.

http://lds.org/general-conference/2007/04/the-healing-power-of-forgiveness?lang=eng

If Ye Love Me...

Today has been a good day.  I really enjoy Sundays and taking the day to attend meetings, partake of the sacrament and listen to the speakers.  I felt the spirit there very strong today and had my testimony strengthened.  It always gives me a spiritual uplift for the week.  I am so thankful for this gospel and for the knowledge that I have of our Heavenly Fathers plan for us and for the joy it brings into my life.  I know that Jesus Christ died for us that all may be resurrected and that he paid for our sins that we may be able to return to our Heavenly Father and live with him again.  All this because he love us, that takes a lot of love.  And all we need to do to show our love for him is to keep his commandments and follow the example of our Savior Jesus Christ.  That is a small price to pay for all that love.  In John 14:15 we read, "If ye love me, keep my commandments."  If we love our Heavenly Father then we will have a desire in our hearts to always keep his commandment.  I love sharing the message of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and seeing how it can change people's lives as they come to accept Christ in their lives and have that desire to show their love for him by keeping his commandments.

Have you ever had an experience that made you feel good and brought a lot of happiness to you; or watched a really good movie and these experiences were so good that you wanted to share it with everyone?  Well that is how we feel about this gospel.  It has brought so much joy to our lives, that we want to share it with others.  We want everyone to feel the love of our Heavenly Father for them so that they will want to show their love for him by keeping his commandments.  We know that this is true and we know that by keeping his commandments we will find that true joy in our lives.

Love For The People

As my husband and I are serving a mission in the Nashville, Tennessee Mission, we have had lots of great experiences and have had lots of learning experiences.  We have come to love and appreciate our family lots more because of who they are and what they stand for.  We have met some really great people and have grown to love the people here in Tennessee.  As we have worked with the people here we want so very much for them to understand and live the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We pray that they will accept Christ in their lives and have the faith in Him to repent and be baptized in His Church.  We have a desire that the spirit of the Holy Ghost can bear witness to them that we do have the truth and that it has been restored to the earth in it fullness.

As I was reading in the scriptures, I ran across a scripture that expressed the feelings of my heart for those that I have come to love and care for.  It is in the Book of Mormon, Alma 13:27-29


27And now, my brethren, I ^awish from the inmost part of my heart, yea, with great ^banxiety even unto pain, that ye would hearken unto my words, and cast off your sins, and not ^cprocrastinate the day of your repentance;

28But that ye would humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and ^awatch and pray continually, that ye may not be ^btempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be ^cled by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, ^dmeek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering;

29^aHaving faith on the Lord; having a hope that ye shall receive eternal life; having the ^blove of God always in your hearts, that ye may be lifted up at the last day and enter into his ^crest.

http://lds.org/scriptures/bofm/alma/13.27-29?lang=eng#26

I just know that what we teach is the truth and that by having faith in Christ and living his gospel that has been restored is the only way we can return to live with him again and have true joy in our lives and in the life hereafter.

Stupid Cow

One of the greatest blessings we have each been given by our Heavenly Father is our free agency to choose.  We know that our choices will determine our destiny.  I have heard it said as we have been serving our mission that being a member of this church is too hard to live.  I know that we have been given commandments for our good, to help us to be better and to guide us back to our Father in Heaven.  If we choose not to follow His commandments, then we choose to follow Satan.  There is a story I would like to share that was given in the 2010 October Conference by Mervyn B Arnold that demonstrates this principle.  

Shortly after my sweetheart, Devonna, and I were married, she shared with me a story about how she learned in her youth this important doctrine that we are free to choose but that we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions. With the help of my daughter Shelly, I would like to relate Sister Arnold’s experience:

“When I was 15 years old, I often felt that there were too many rules and commandments. I wasn’t sure that a normal, fun-loving teenager could enjoy life with so many restrictions. Furthermore, the many hours spent working on my father’s ranch were seriously dipping into my time with my friends.

“This particular summer, one of my jobs was to ensure that the cows grazing on the mountain pasture did not break through the fence and get into the wheat field. A cow grazing on the growing wheat can bloat, causing suffocation and death. One cow in particular was always trying to stick her head through the fence. One morning, as I was riding my horse along the fence line checking on the cattle, I found that the cow had broken through the fence and gotten into the wheat field. To my dismay, I realized that she had been eating wheat for quite some time because she was already bloated and looked much like a balloon. I thought, ‘You stupid cow! That fence was there to protect you, yet you broke through it and you have eaten so much wheat that your life is in danger.’

“I raced back to the farmhouse to get my dad. However, when we returned, I found her lying dead on the ground. I was saddened by the loss of that cow. We had provided her with a beautiful mountain pasture to graze in and a fence to keep her away from the dangerous wheat, yet she foolishly broke through the fence and caused her own death.

“As I thought about the role of the fence, I realized that it was a protection, just as the commandments and my parents’ rules were a protection. The commandments and rules were for my own good. I realized that obedience to the commandments could save me from physical and spiritual death. That enlightenment was a pivotal point in my life.”

Sister Arnold learned that our kind, wise, and loving Heavenly Father has given us commandments not to restrict us, as the adversary would have us believe, but to bless our lives and to protect our good name and our legacy for future generations—just as they had for Lehi and Nephi. Just like the cow that received the consequences of her choice, each one of us must learn that the grass is never greener on the other side of the fence—nor will it ever be, for “wickedness never was happiness.” ⁸ Each one of us will receive the consequences of our choices when this life is over. The commandments are clear, they are protective—they are not restrictive—and the wonderful blessings of obedience are numberless!

This is a great analogy for each of us to follow.  Which side of the fence do we want to be on.  The one of Jesus Christ, safety and eternal life, or the side of Satan and destruction?

To read the complete talk go to http://lds.org/ensign/2010/11/what-have-you-done-with-my-name?lang=eng&query=Mervyn+B.+Arnold

Focus on Christ

A few years back when all the family had come to our  place, I remember one of our grandchildren seemed to have a hard time paying attention to what his parents were asking him to do.  I watched his father gently cup his hands around his face and say, “Look at me, son.”  Then he said to him, “Stay focused.”  Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that we must remain focused on our duties, responsibilities and goals.  I wonder at times if perhaps Heavenly Father would like to gently cup his hands around our face and say to each of us, “look at me, stay focused, these are valuable lessons which are for your own good”.

A lot of times we go through life checking off things on our “To Do” lists that may not really have any bearing on our Eternal goal.  We must invest our energy, our minds, our hearts and our souls on those things of eternal value.  There are many things that compete for our attention, but we must remember to stay focused on what really matters.

Let me share this experience according Matthew in the New Testament.

            “And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

            “And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

            “But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

            “And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

            “And he said, Come.  And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

            “But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

            “And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

            “And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.

            “Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying; Of a truth thou art the Son of God.”

So, we might ask the question, why did Peter begin to walk on the water toward Jesus, and then began to sink?  Peter, “saw the wind boisterous”, and therefore lost his focus on the Savior.  He became distracted and was afraid.  You and I can lose our focus on Christ and his teachings by being distracted by those temptations and things about us each day.  Sometimes we get started on the right path and then find ourselves headed in the wrong direction.  We can also have times when we can be fearful and afraid to keep our focus on Christ because of our peers and what they might think and say.  I know that our happiness all depends on just where our focus in life is and I know that Christ should be at the center of our focus for us to find true joy. 

Missionaries In Every Land

Have you ever got up in the morning and had a song going through your head?  Well, for some reason I have had this song in my head now for three days.  Then to add to that, we went to our district meeting with the other missionaries here in the area to learn more about how we can be effective in our work. Well, our leader told us what song we were to sing and it happened to be the one I have had in my head for the last three days.  So maybe I am to share it with others.   I will quote the song, it has a great message about the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and as missionaries we are sharing that message with the world


Hark, All Ye Nations!

Boldly

31243, Hymns, Hark, All Ye Nations!, no. 264

1. Hark, all ye nations!
Hear heaven’s voice
Thru ev’ry land that all may rejoice!
Angels of glory shout the refrain:
Truth is restored again!

[Chorus]
Oh, how glorious from the throne above
Shines the gospel light of truth and love!
Bright as the sun, this heavenly ray
Lights ev’ry land today.

2. Searching in darkness, nations have wept;
Watching for dawn, their vigil they’ve kept.
All now rejoice; the long night is o’er.
Truth is on earth once more!

3. Chosen by God to serve him below,
To ev’ry land and people we’ll go,
Standing for truth with fervent accord,
Teaching his holy word.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has over 52,000 missionaries all over the world proclaiming that the truth has been restored to the earth again.   It is a glorious day that we have the light of the gospel and we know that it is through this gospel that we can find the peace and happiness we all need in our lives.  I know that it is true and that Jesus Christ's church has been restored just the way it was when Christ was here on the earth.  What a great blessing to have that knowledge. You can listen to this song at this link.  http://lds.org/cm/display/0,17631,4996-1,00.html

Sharing the Joy

We have had a little success as we have been serving our Father in Heaven and sharing the gospel.  After we had taught one father about the gospel and he had felt the spirit bear witness to him of its truthfulness he chose to be baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints by one holding the Priesthood authority.  That authority comes directly from our Heavenly Father and is the power given to man to act in His name and has been restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith.  After he had been baptized he gave me a hug and told me he was so happy.  I told him that I'll bet I am happier than you are.  He could not understand that.  I said that when you can share the joy that you feel in the gospel with others and they can feel that same joy it can make you even happier.  I refer to the scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants 18:15  15And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one ^asoul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!  I testify that when you can feel that great joy in your life, you want to share it with others so they can have that same joy in their lives.  Scriptures and more can be found at http://lds.org/?lang=eng

Real Joy

I would like to tell you a little about Joy.  Joy is me.  That is my name.  My mother said they gave me that name because I brought so much joy into their life.  I was their bundle of Joy and was my parents first child.  While growing up I did not think much about my name, it was just my name just like any other name.  It was not until much later in my life that I started to thinking about it.  I then realized that I had a great responsibility to live up to that name and that I was suppose to bring joy to others.  Then I began to realize that I also needed to feel joy for myself and to be happy, especially if I was to make others happy.  Joy is a feeling of great happiness or it is something that makes you feel very happy or pleased.  

I know that it is because of the gospel of Jesus Christ that I can feel joy in my life.  It is because of the Plan of Happiness or the Plan of Salvation that was set up by our Heavenly Father.  It is because we know where we came from, why we are hear and where we are going when this life is over.  I feel joy when I feel love in our family and I know that if we live the principles of the gospel we can all be together again in the next life.  My parents have passed on and I know that I will be able to see them again and feel of their love for me.  I hope and pray that they will be pleased with me when I meet them again.  

In 3 John 1:4 is reads, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth."  I have learned over the years that it is more important to me and I feel the greatest joy when I know that my children and grandchildren are living the principles of the gospel and living a good life of faithfulness.  

I have also learned that as my husband and I serve a mission hear in Tennessee, we have felt that great joy when we have been able to see others accept the gospel and have come to feel that joy in their lives.  We are more than happy to share the joy we feel with others. Check this place out for answers.    http://mormon.org/

Joy in My Heart

I really enjoyed conference, It brought joy to my heart as we watched each of the messages given to us.  In the Doctrine and Covenants 1:38 we read, "What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my ^aword shall not pass away, but shall all be ^bfulfilled, whether by mine own ^cvoice or by the ^dvoice of my ^eservants, it is the ^fsame."  So the messages we received came from our Heavenly Father.  If we are in tune with the spirit we can be inspired as to what we need for our personal lives to help us to come to Christ and feel that ultimate joy.  Conference can be viewed or listened to at the church web site.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons)

lds.org

Official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). Scriptures, general conference addresses, Church magazines, temple information, stake and ward websites.

First Presidency says Conference Brings Blessings.

As we listen to General Conference it can bring many blessings into our lives.  We can find answers to problems and questions we may have.  It can also help us to feel peace and joy as well as strengthen our testimonies of the gospel.  The Prophet says it is a time to be instructed and inspired and those who speak have sought Heavens help in what messages they are to give.  In other words, the Lord is speaking to us through them.  It is important that we participate and apply their teaching to our lives.  As we are obedient to the messages we will come to know true joy.
http://lds.org/study/prophets-speak-today/unto-all-the-world/conference-participation-brings-blessings-first-presidency-says?lang=eng

General Conference

It is with great joy and anticipation that we get to watch general conference.  I know that we have a living prophet on the earth today, Thomas S. Monson, and that he is here to guide and help us with our lives.  He is the Prophet for the whole world and not just for the members of the church.  We also have 12 apostles and they will all speak to us the next two days.  If we follow their counsel and direction we will find great joy and peace in our lives.  I love the spirit that comes into our home as we are listening and watching these great leaders speak to us.