Friends

Doctrine and Covenants 93:45
45 Verily, I say unto my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., or in other words, I will call you friends, for you are my friends, and ye shall have an inheritance with me—

We had some special friends from Tennessee come for a visit for General Conference. They came the Wednesday before and left the Tuesday after. They had never been to Utah before. It was a great experience to have them come and stay with us. We were able to do lots of sight seeing and also took them to the Salt Lake Temple to do a session there. We also got to go to a session of General Conference. For us and hopefully for them it was a great spiritual experience. This gospel is true and it is because of the gospel that we met and were brought together. In serving our Heavenly Father in Tennessee we had some wonder experiences and felt of his guidance and spirit many times. We love the people that we served and pray for their success always. They are all special friends and we hope to be with them in the eternities. I am very grateful that we followed the counsel of our prophet and leaders and served a mission. I would encourage everyone to set a goal to serve with your eternal companion when the time comes that you are able to do that. It can be a blessing to you and to your family.

My Family

I have not written for a while. We returned home from our mission and things have been busy. We have been working on family reunions and had a family vacation with our children and grandchildren. I know that family is the the most important social unit on the earth. I love the times when all my children and spouses and grandchildren are all together and we are having a good time and enjoying each others company. If family is important, then we should be kind and loving to our family members. I know that when we die and return to our Father in Heaven, if we have lived our lives to be able to live with him again, then we can be together as a family. I know that it is through the restoration of the gospel and the priesthood authority that families can be sealed together for time and eternity. What a great blessing it is to have that knowledge and goal to be able to work for. It is the gospel and my family that bring joy to my life.

Returning Home

My husband and I have completed our mission in the Nashville Tennessee Mission and have returned to our home. It was a great experience to come home to our children and grandchildren that we had not seen in 15 months. There were lots of hugs and they all seemed happy to see us and we were happy to see them. As I have been thinking about it all, I wonder what it will be like when we pass on from this life to the next life and meet our Heavenly Father and other family members. Will there be lots of hugs and will everyone be happy to see us. I think it may all depend on how we have lived our lives and if we have made them happy or whether or not we have done things to disappoint them. It all comes down to the choices we make. Those choices I hope will be made thinking of our love for our Heavenly Father and wanting to please him by keep his commandments and living a life of serving him by loving and serving others. I am very grateful for the opportunity to serve Heavenly Father by serving a mission and sharing the message of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. If accepted and lived can bring a lot of joy and happiness into our lives.

I would love to hear from anyone that would like to share their feelings about Returning Home.

Joseph Smith the Prophet

“By the Gift and Power of God”

BY RICHARD LLOYD ANDERSON

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What do we know about how Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon?

The Three Witnesses proclaimed that the ancient plates were “translated by the gift and power of God, for his voice hath declared it unto us.” Since we know the Book of Mormon is correctly translated, why review how it was done? Because such a study can add further testimony of Joseph Smith’s great work. It can also help expand the concepts of those who tend to oversimplify the work of translation. For the Book of Mormon came into English through considerable spiritual, intellectual, and physical labor, and it takes similarly dedicated efforts on the part of its readers to fully receive the book’s benefits.

I know that the Book of Mormon was translated by Joseph Smith the prophet and that the full gospel is in this book.  I know that any one who comes to read it and truly wants to know of its truth can find our for your self by asking God the Eternal Father and He will manifest the truth of it to you.  

To read this full article follow this link. 

http://lds.org/ensign/1977/09/by-the-gift-and-power-of-god?lang=eng

Heading West

We have been learning a lot about the Saints as there were driven out of their homes and the mobs killed many and burned their homes.  They just kept being driven West to escape persecution.  We may ask why did they go through all that did and just continue to move forward?  They made that choice because of their strong testimony of the Savior and their deep faith and trust in the Lord.  Many made a great sacrifices for the gospel of Jesus Christ even though they suffered greatly.  It took them many months to travel across the country and finally make it to the Salt Lake Valley.  They endured all that they went through to the end.  They never quit or look backed.  We are now heading West as well.  However, we are not suffering or riding in a wagon or fighting bad weather.  We are riding in the comfort of our car flying down the freeway and spending the nights in Motels.  One thing we do have in common is our faith and testimony of Jesus Christ.  We put our trust in him as we served for 14 months sharing the message of the gospel hoping that others could gain that same faith and testimony of its truth.  We all must do the same and go forward with great faith and endure to the very end.  Then we can all be reunited with our Father in Heaven and our families eternally.

I Am a Child of God

We are all children of our Heavenly Father and he loves each one of us and wants us to live our lives so that we can return and live with him some day.  I am so grateful for this knowledge, it gives me guidance in my life and something to live for.  I know that if I keep his commandments that I can live with our Father in Heaven again some day.  I know that he is our Father and that we were created in his image and that he loves and cares for each of us.
YouTube - I Am a Child of God

Mighty Change of Heart

I would like to talk a little more about the story I told about my third great grandfather in my last blog and the words that found lodgment in his heart.  When he heard the words that were spoken that day the Holy Ghost bore witness to his heart that what was said was true.  The Holy Ghost is a third member of the Godhead and is a personage of spirit unlike the Father and the Son who have a body of flesh and bone.  His responsibility is to bear witness to us of the truth.  That is what happens when anyone is prepared and has a desire to know for themselves.

Acts 2:37  Now when they heard this, they were ^apricked in their ^bheart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, ^cwhat shall we do?


They had been pricked in their hearts and knew that it was the truth and then knew that there needed to be a change and wondered what to do from then on.

Alma 5: 13And behold, he ^apreached the word unto your fathers, and a mighty change was also wrought in their hearts, and they humbled themselves and put their ^btrust in the true and ^cliving God. And behold, they were faithful until the ^dend; therefore they were saved.

 14And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye ^aspiritually been ^bborn of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty ^cchange in your hearts?

When you are truly converted to the truth and the spirit causes a mighty change in your heart you will have no more desire to do evil but to always seek the things of God, to obey his will and keep his commandments.

Because the Holy Ghost bore witness to my Grandfather's heart he had been spiritually born of God and had that mighty change in his heart.  He then dedicated the rest of his life to the Lords service.  

That is our Father in Heaven's desire for each of us, and I hope I can stay true and endure to the end as my Grandfather did.  

Does anyone have another experience they would like to share?  Please do.