A New Year......A New Beginning!

            Every year comes to an end, and it is usually filled with all sorts of different things. All of us surely do good things throughout the year for others and for ourselves. Contrary to the many things we all do good throughout the year, we also probably made a mistake or two or over a thousand in my case. We tend to get  caught up in these things and maybe worry a little bit too much about the past and the mistakes we have made. The new year comes every single year without fail and it gives us an opportunity to put those things behind us and reach for new goals and a higher quality of life. We all can make goals and resolutions on how we can improve and not let our past become our future but how we can make changes for the better.

              The great thing too, is that we don't have to wait for the New Year to change, but we can continually work to improve and keep going when we fall short throughout the year. We can leave our past behind us and begin new and better. Nothing in the past matters if you have truly repented of your sins and are living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is also appropriate that New Year's falls on Sunday this year, and we can all take the Sacrament at church and renew our Baptismal Covenants. Let this Sunday coming up be a time where you can ponder the past year and set meaningful goals to improve and never look behind you. The story of Lot's wife helps us understand why we should not look back to the way we used to be.     Genesis 19:20-26.   Let us all go forward this year not clinging to our past mistakes and weaknesses but changing for the better and being better servants of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Give of Yourself

               In the Book of Moromon during King Benjamin's address to his people he says ,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" (Mosiah 2:17) . Christmas season is a time of giving and being grateful for the greatest gift that any of us could ever receive. That is Heavenly Father sending his only begotten son Jesus Christ into the world to perform the Atonement. We could never give such a perfect gift to anyone in our lives yet there is still much that we can do. We need to give of ourselves by surrendering our will to Gods. We need to help those struggling around us in whatever way we can, whether it be spiritual, physical, emotional, or in any other way. When we realize that everyone is our family and we are all children of God it makes this so much easier. We really do have so much to offer to others, and if we are looking to make ourselves happy, I can promise that real happiness comes through giving selflessly.

Magnify Your Calling!

               All those who are members of the church have most likely received a calling in the church to help in some way. If they have not, then they still have a responsibility to live a good life because of the Covenants they made at Baptism, to take Christ's name upon themselves. Some of these callings and duties can seem overwhelming at times and maybe we just don't quite meet the potential that we could really reach to. President Gordon B. Hinckely said in a conference talk in 1989, "Every missionary has the responsibility to magnify his calling in teaching the plan of God. Every teacher has the responsibility to magnify his calling in teaching the word of God. Every officer has the responsibility to magnify his calling in teaching the order of God."

Said the Lord in this dispensation to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, “Magnify thine office.” (D&C 24:3.)

Further, “Attend to thy calling and thou shalt have wherewith to magnify thine office.” (D&C 24:9.).

                  Magnifying our calling means going that extra mile when we think we have done enough. It means honoring our Covenants and standing firm in our faith in Jesus Christ. We make sure that our duties are number one on our list of priorities, and see to it that we help others as we go along. This is magnifying our callings. Tom Cruise in the video beneath explains how he does it. :) Let us all go forward and magnify our callings!

Giving Thanks!

          Each of us have things in our life that we should be thankful for. I can easily list many things right off the top of my head. I have so many things to be grateful for that I could probably easily fill up this whole page. All of these things have been given to me from my Heavenly Father. My shoes, sweaters, successes, failures, family, friends, and my life. These things are all great and amazing gifts and I am glad I could come here to earth to enjoy them. I don't think it is a coincidence that after TThanksgiving is Christmas, a separate holiday celebrating what we should be most grateful for, the Lord Jesus Christ and his coming into this world to save us all. Take some time this Thanksgiving and Christmas season to thank God for all of the blessings that he has given you in this life.

Brief explanation of The Book of Mormon

          The first link below is to Joseph Smith's history which clearly explains how the Book of Mormon came about. The second link on the page is the Introduction to The Book of Mormon which includes the testimony of the three and eight witnesses of the Golden plates. The super sweet awesome video link below helps clarify whatever you may have missed from the readings. You can be a pro on how the Book of Mormon came about and what it is! You will then be perfectly ready to read it! Yay!

Joseph Smith - History

Introduction

Super Sweet Awesome Video!!!                                                                     

True happiness comes from Obedience

              Alot of people think that if you obey the rules it will not be any fun. They think if you obey the rules your life will be boring and you will have a sad sad life. Afterall you wouldn't get to have any fun they might say. There was once a story told by David O. McKay about a horse named Dandy that didn't like the rules and regulations and thought it would be better to be free.  

“Under the saddle he was as willing, responsive, and cooperative as a horse could be. …

“But Dandy resented restraint. He was ill-contented when tied and would nibble at the tie-rope until he was free. He would not run away, he just wanted to be free. Thinking other horses felt the same, he would proceed to untie their ropes. …

“… His curiosity and desire to explore the neighborhood led him and me into trouble. Once on the highway he was hit by an automobile. …

“Recovering from that, and still impelled with a feeling of wanderlust, he inspected the fence throughout the entire boundary. He even found the gates wired. …

“One day, however, somebody left the gate unwired. Detecting this, Dandy unlatched it and took another horse … with him, and together they … went to an old house used for storage. Dandy’s curiosity prompted him to push open the door. … There was a sack of grain. What a find! Yes, and what a tragedy. The grain was bait for rodents! In a few minutes Dandy and the other horse were in spasmodic pain, and shortly afterwards both were dead.”

“Under the saddle he was as willing, responsive, and cooperative as a horse could be. …

“But Dandy resented restraint. He was ill-contented when tied and would nibble at the tie-rope until he was free. He would not run away, he just wanted to be free. Thinking other horses felt the same, he would proceed to untie their ropes. …

“… His curiosity and desire to explore the neighborhood led him and me into trouble. Once on the highway he was hit by an automobile. …

“Recovering from that, and still impelled with a feeling of wanderlust, he inspected the fence throughout the entire boundary. He even found the gates wired. …

“One day, however, somebody left the gate unwired. Detecting this, Dandy unlatched it and took another horse … with him, and together they … went to an old house used for storage. Dandy’s curiosity prompted him to push open the door. … There was a sack of grain. What a find! Yes, and what a tragedy. The grain was bait for rodents! In a few minutes Dandy and the other horse were in spasmodic pain, and shortly afterwards both were dead.”   

         

                The moral of the story is that Heavenly Father has established guidlines and commandments for us to safely return to live with him again and only through obedience and the grace of Jesus Christ can we do so. Let us each strive to be more Obedient so that we can experience true happiness as we return to live in the prescense of our Heavenly Father. Not just partial Obedience but exact Obedience. Watch the video below to see what I mean!!

Family Proclamation!

        The Gospel of Jesus Christ is designed to strengthen people and their family relationships. It can help fractured relationships become strong and unbreakable. Familes relationships can last past death. This knowledge is one of the reasons that helps members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints around the world have such strong family relationships. In 1995 the leaders of the Church this Proclamation about families! Read it! It's great!    The Family: A Proclamation to The World.

How can we better serve our Lord and Savior?

           Jesus Christ is the Son of God and suffered for each of our sins. He paid the ultimate penalty for our sins as he suffered in the garden of Gethsemane and then again suffered and died for us us on the cross of Calvary. Take a moment out of your busy life and stop and watch this clip. Think about the sacrifice he gave for you and re-evaluate what you can do to be a better servant of him. Set goals as you watch this clip of something you can do to improve your life and commitment to follow the lord.

Recieving The Gift of The Holy Ghost

   Shortly after the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Apostle Peter instructed the people what they needed to do to gain Salvation and one of the key things he states,is if you repent and are baptized you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:38). So what is the gift of the Holy Ghost? Why is important? How do we get it? These are impotant questions to know the answer to if we want to follow the Savior Jesus Christ's perfect example, as he also received this wonderfull gift (Matthew 3:13-17). First of all the Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit that is to act as a comforter. Jesus taught that this comforter he would send would give us feelings of peace (John 14 :26-27). We can all feel the influence of the Holy Ghost but only if we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost can we have this comforter with us at all times. It is important to also note that this comforter not only gives us feelings of peace, but can act as a roadguide for us throughout our lives. As we pray and council with our Heavenly Father, he will help us know what to do by feelings of the Holy Ghost that he will bring to our minds and our hearts (Doctrine and Covenants 8:2). The Holy Ghost can warn us of danger and help us make right choices. When we do not listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost, it's influence withdraws from us. We recieve this gift as stated in The Book of Acts (Acts 8:17-18), by the laying on of hands as the picture below shows. It is important that this ordinance is given by those who hold the proper Preisthood authority from God (Hebrews 5:4). This authority was restored through the prophet Joseph Smith and exists today within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We invite all to come and experience these blessings for themselves and feel the Holy Ghost bring more peace and joy into their lives.

Mormon People

The video's below are a presentation of Mormon people!
Proceed with caution.
You may find out they are more nomal than you expected.

Who's your daddy?

              Have you ever wanted to know where your family came from? Who were your ancestors and what did they do? I think everybody would be interested to know who their ancestors are and where they come from. Go to https://www.familysearch.org/, which is a free family history web site stemming from the largest family history center in the world. Families are part of our Heavenly Father's plan. You could meet people you didn't know you were related to and discover your family history. The video beneath shows the churches vault of geneoligical records! So dicover your family today!

Eternal Marriage

                  One Restored truth we learn from The Restoration of The Gospel is that marriage between man and a woman is ordained of God and it lasts past this life and goes on into the eternities. This union between man and woman for eternity is made possible throuh the preisthood power which can bind us. Jeus Christ gave his apostles this power (Matthew 18:18). However after centuries this true doctrine of Eternal marriage was lost. The Bible is full of the true Doctrine of Eternal Marriage and Eternal Families  (Mark 10:9,             1 Corinthians 11:11, Genesis 2:24). It has been clarified even more through the Restoration of the Gospel. Families can be together forever. The power to bind on earth has been restored again. All of these blessings are to be had within the walls of the Holy Temple. It's not till death do you part! Watch the clip below of these happy eternal couples.

Weight Lifting!

               When we want to increase our physical strength we lift weights so we can become ripped! I try to do this every morning from 6:30 to 7:00 and you can see how it has benefited me by the picture to the right. It takes a lot of work, but eventually we can reach the desired result we have been longing for. We become stronger and not to mention better looking. It's really quite simple, lift weights and get strong. Then we can lift and bear very heavy weights.
              So is there some way that we can become strengthened in our resolve to resist the temptations of the adversary? How can we prepare to be stronger spiritually when a heavy temptation is placed upon our backs? Our Heavenly Father has given us something we can do that is like spiritual weight lifting. This is called fasting! Now you might say "how can starving yourself increase my desire to not do bad things." You might even think when you are hungry it gets you in a bad mood and more vulnerable to temptation.
           But when we fast what we are doing is abstaining from our natural desire to eat and drink. We are avoiding doing something that we really want to do. We are giving our will to our Heavenly Father and making a sacrifice. Most of the sins that we commit from day to day are natural desires that can be difficult for us to obey. Unlike food, we have been told to try and avoid these things all of the time. Things like alcohol, pornography, and pride. To our natural and  fallen state and also in the world today, these things may seem acceptable and even desirable. They can at times be difficult to resist. But we must put our trust in God and try to resist them. Our ability to resist temptation can be strengthened as we fast. We show that we have complete control over our choices and have our free will. Our Heavenly Father can bless us us with added with spiritual strength. We demonstrate complete control over our natural desires and our carnal nature. This is like weight lifting for when those other strong temptations come, that can help us maintain our free will and not fall captive to the traps of the Devil. So if you don't feel like you have control over yourself, fast! Your body can have bad desires and be your enemy at times so show it who's boss!

Repentance, we all must do it!

               So we always hear that nobody is perfect. That is because each of us people living on earth in our fallen state are going to make mistakes. We sin and that sin separates us from our Heavenly Father ( Romans 3:23). However because Jesus Christ suffered for our sins there is a way possible for us to be cleansed from them. This way is often referred to as The Gospel of Jesus Christ. One essential element for this is repentance( Doctrine and Covenants 19:15-19).
                  How do we repent? Well the first step to repentance is to recognize that what we are doing is a violation of our Heavenly Father's commandments. We must realize we are sinning. We must feel sincere sorrow for our sins and want to change. This realization will lead us to stop breaking the commandment or law of our Heavenly Father and strive to never break it again. We have to confess our sins to our Heavenly Father and ask for his mercy and forgiveness. Also if our sin harmed another person we should ask him or her for forgiveness. We have to try and correct the harm that our sin or transgression may have caused. Then we have to continually strive to keep the commandments. As we keep them throughout our lives we will see they are not restrictions to our freedom, but actually increase our freedom and help us to change our hearts and make us better people. Last we have to continually remember in our lives continually Jesus Christ who makes this all possible. Then when we are Baptized we are able to take full of advantage of repentance and be Baptized for the remission of sins and then receive the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. If we are already baptized we take the Sacrament each week to renew our Baptismal Covenants and try to get better each week. This is a life long process that purifies us from our sin and prepares us to enter back into the presence of our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ. A young man Enos from The Book of Mormon understood these things. Read his story and see how it can bless your life.
(The Book of Enos)

Desire (By Dallin H. Oaks of The Quorum of Twelve Apostles)

            In mortality we are given agency or the ability to choose. The choices we make in this life affect where we will be in the next. We choose what it is as we desire as human beings generally. But when we come to understand The Gospel of Jesus Christ our Desire can change.
                                                                                                                           -Elder Teichert

Dallin H.Oaks Conference April 2011 (Desire)

Close Video

 

 

 

Baptism

            Why is Baptism important? Well Jesus Christ himself taught that Baptism was a central aspect to Salvation.( Mark 16:16). Even Jesus who lived a perfect life with no sin was Baptized for the remission of sins. Why? Baptism is a commandment and just like all of the Saviors life he was showing us an example of what we needed to do.
            But what does Baptism mean? When we are baptized we make a Covenant or a promise with our Heavenly Father. We promise him that we will live our lives in a way where we are trying to be like Jesus Christ. We promise to obey his commandments and to remember Jesus Christ and his atonement for us. In return he promises us that we will receive a remission of our sins, we will receive the Gift of The Holy Ghost, and it will be a constant companion to help us through our lives. We are Baptized like Jesus was, by immersion (meaning we go all the way under the water).
               One key ingredient that is necessary to make Baptism valid is that it must be done by someone holding the proper Priesthood authority. This power was lost from the earth after Jesus Christ's Apostles were killed. It has been restored to earth again through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Just like Jesus went to John The Baptist to be Baptized, we must also be baptized by those who hold this priesthood authority. John The Baptist himself appeared to Joseph Smith and conferred on him the power of The Priesthood. This power is found in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Everyone will have a chance to receive the ordinance of Baptism. When you are baptized it becomes possible to make it back into the presence of your Heavenly Father to be with him. We can achieve Eternal Life. It is all made possible by The Atonement of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for us to overcome sin and return to him and our Heavenly Father's presence. 2 Nephi 31.  This is what our Heavenly Father wants for us. Moses 1:39

The Plan of Salvation

                Our Heavenly Fathers perfect plan is directly above! Within this plan are the answers to all of life's great questions! In order to get back to our Heavenly Father's presence we must follow the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This gospel has been restored to earth in it's fullness through the Prophet Joseph Smith! Article of Faith #4. 

          Through this gospel we can make it home to our Heavenly Father again with all of the experience we came here to receive. We will also be resurrected and receive our bodies again. The Priesthood was restored and it is now possible to receive the all of the ordinances of Salvation as it was in times past! Simple truths have been restored to make our life and purpose easy to understand! Everything is centered around Jesus Christ who overcame Physical Death for us and also made it possible for us to be able to overcome Spiritual Death(Separation from Heavenly Father caused by sin) as we live his Gospel. I am so grateful for The Atoning Sacrifice of my Savior Jesus Christ which makes all things possible. You can literally know these things for yourself as I have come to know that they are true.

 If you have any questions please comment.

          

How do we hold up under the heat?

          In Bath New York today and for the past couple of days it has been pretty hot outside! Walking down the street in my shirt, tie, and suit pants has been nearly unbearable with the sun scorching my skin. I feel weary like I am about to collapse due to heat exhaustion and dehydration as I walk during the day. However; I have been wise and made sure I drank plenty of water before I went outside and that I got the right amount of sleep last night. I also thought it would be smart to protect my skin from the damaging sun rays. I will be able to make it by through these hot days due to my preparation.
            The adversary Satan also has a tendency to try to make us weary and fall victim to his traps and snares. Sometimes it feels like he comes on like a hot day in July! He attacks us with rays of temptation and sin trying not to weary of physical strength, but rather; he tries to break us down spiritually to give in to his temptations. In Lehi's dream he describes these tempting periods like mists of darkness(1 Nephi 12:17). But just as the sun gradually dehydrates us and our body temperature rise, so does Satan gradually work his slippery hands into our lives. At first he appears like a friend who is new and exciting to our carnal nature. But soon we realize that we are caught in a hot day and it might seem like we can't find the shade or any water around. But through Jesus Christ's Atonement we are able to escape the temptations that are all around us even when it might seem nearly impossible.

                         Satan is cunning and we have to prepare ourselves so we are not found in a position of where we are weak. But we must always be prepared through continual prayer and scripture study to strengthen us spiritually and keep us on our toes. We are not dealing with an amateur here, but with a cunning being that has been at this for years and his weapons are just advancing. But it is possible to escape before we find ourselves looking regretfully into the past.

What are we? What is our purpose?!

           Have you ever paused for a moment during the hectic movements of everyday life and just wondered, how did all of this come about? What are we? Just moving, driving around in cars but for what reason? When you really take time to think about these questions it just blows your mind. I know you have probably asked yourself these questions as well. They really just make you wonder don't they?
               God has revealed through modern revelation and also his Holy Scriptures the purpose of this life. These things are taught in the Bible and taught simply and plainly in the Book of Mormon. They have again been revealed through living prophets. This knowledge brings us peace and happiness in this life and Eternal Life in the world to come.

Faith to grow

         Our faith is very much like a seed. The Book of Mormon Prophet Alma taught this (Alma 32). How does a seed grow? Well first it has to be placed somewhere and generally in the soil for if we want it to grow. So where do we put faith? We have to let it be put into our heart and give place for it. We have to try to believe. Alma said "But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith" and that is what we must do to have the seed planted in our hearts. We have to listen to the words which God has spoken and treat it like an experiment.
            When you bury a seed in the ground you aren't going to see it coming up right away and it may seem like nothing is happening. This is where we must test the Heavenly Virtue of patience. God has said that he tests our patience and our faith and maybe that's why sometimes we can't see anything at first when we plant the word of God deep in our hearts (Mosiah 23:21).
              Another requirement for a seed to grow is nourishment. It needs water, and sunlight along with the correct temperatures. For us the way that we nourish the seed in our hearts is through prayer and studying the scriptures. Only as we nourish the seed can it grow. If we do not do these things e can never know if the seed is good. But as we do this the seed will grow and bring forth fruit. The fruit of this seed is joy and happiness, peace of conscience, and a rest to our troubled hearts. We will want to continue to nourish the seed. Then we can know if the seed is good and true.

              I have done this in my own life. One example is when I was gaining a testimony of the Book of Mormon. I couldn't sit around and do this, but I had to read it and pray about it frequently and sincerely. Then I came to know that it is true. These same principles can be applied to anyone on this earth and if done properly they can also know as I know that the Book of Mormon is true, that Jesus is The Christ, Joseph Smith was a Prophet, Thomas S. Monson is the Prophet on earth today, and The Church of Jesus Christ is the Lords Kingdom on earth. If you can have this knowledge, why wouldn't you try this as an experiment?

Like a letter to God

            Praying...............it seems when there is no where else to turn this is the source of help that many people turn to. Sometimes people wonder if there prayers are heard or if they will ever be answered. We perhaps doubt that which has been said so many times in the Holy Scriptures that prayer can be answered. Maybe we just think that our prayers can't be answered and other peoples can. If we ask our Heavenly Father something with real intent he will answer us always. It might not not be the answer we wanted to receive or even in the time frame in which we wanted to receive it, but it can and will be answered.
            Answers to prayers can come in many different ways. They can come through studying the scriptures, through the feelings of the Holy Ghost, and through man other means. They come in the best time frame and way for each of us. Our Heavenly Father loves us and will only do what is best for us and answer our prayers in the best way possible. Jesus Christ taught that our prayers will be answered (Mathew 7:7) Watch as a living Apostle talks about prayer and the power it can bring.

-Elder Teichert

The Keystone of our Religion.

              Some of you who are reading this probably already know what this is going to be about as others probably don't. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ we claim to be the only church with the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That is a very bold claim and there are many who are opposed to it. How could someone claim to know such things you may wonder. Well, we as members of the church believe that God called a Prophet in the early 1800's named Joseph Smith. Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father appeared to him as well as other Heavenly messengers that restored the priesthood authority to earth that allows men to perform ordinances or ceremonies such as baptism (Hebrews 5:4).
                  But anyone could claim to have a vision or see angels how am I supposed to know that this Joseph Smith saw a vision you may ask. Our Heavenly Father probably knew you we as humans would ask this question, after all we like to see proof before we believe something. In his foreknowledge and wisdom, God brought forth an ancient record through the Prophet Joseph Smith of a people who are the ancestors of the Native American Indians now known as the Book of Mormon. This record was inscribed on golden plates and passed through the hands of inspired men and Prophets for the space of a thousand years. Joseph Smith was led to these plates by the Angel Moroni (the last of the writers in The Book of Mormon). He translated them into English by the power of god and the Book of Mormon contains the fullness of The Gospel of Jesus Christ and testifies of his divinity as a support to the truth of the Holy Bible.

             So what I do as a missionary is I try to talk to the people all around me and tell them about this and invite them to read the Book of Mormon so they can experience more joy and happiness in their lives by growing closer to Jesus Christ. So how can you know? Pray about the Book of Mormon and ask god if it is true. Do you believe God answers prayers? If you answered yes to that question then you should believe that God can answer your prayer to know if The Book of Mormon is true. In finding out that the Book of Mormon is true you will also come to know that Joseph Smith is and was a Prophet, Jesus is The Christ, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the Lord's Kingdom preparatory to the second coming. It is either true or it is false. How can you know? Read and pray about the Book of Mormon.

                    I myself have done this and I can testify that I know that the Book of Mormon is true. This and the blessings that have followed have forever changed and shaped my life. Please read The Book of Mormon and I promise you it will bless your life and fill it with only joy and happiness. Watch aa an Apostle of The Lord expounds.
                                                                                                                      -Elder Teichert

We need Humility to realize we can't do this alone.

           I remember an experience when I was about Seventeen years old. I was at a young men's camp out we called Camp Heleman, named after a Prophet in The Book of Mormon. We did many activities at this camp but there is one that stands out to me at this time above the rest. I lived in Nevada and we were out in the mountain deserts of northern Nevada pretty far away from any civilization. One day for the camp activity we went on a hike. In this hike all of us boys lined up and the leaders gave each of us a Potato Sack that we would have to carry as we walked along. They let us go off one at a time, waiting a few minutes for the next person to go.

            My turn to begin finally came. I started walking down the dusty trail with my sack in hand. There was stations set up all along the path and they would put a little bit of dirt in the sack each time and tell you something that you did wrong, like disobey your parents. The sack was getting heavier and I began to hike up a trail towards the top of the mountain nearby. Sure of myself and my own strength I was determined to get to the top alone without anyones help, after all I didn't want to look like a wimp. Suddenly out of nowhere a violent rainstorm broke out and I was soaking wet trying to to climb the mountain to the top through all of the mud. My back was throbbing with pain from the weight of the sack and all of the dirt and mud inside.

               I had one more station before the top and I could see the end was in sight and I had almost accomplished my goal. The man at the station began to dump shovels full of mud into the sack until it was overflowing. Unflinching, yet foolishly not knowing what I was up against I threw the sack over my shoulder and attempted to complete the last few hundred feet to the top. I made it a few steps and then slipped in the mud and the weight of the sack came crashing down onto my body. Hopeless of any possibility to reach the top now and embarrassed I didn't know what to do as I was laying in the mud with the rain pouring around me. My Bishop in the church came over and helped get up out of the mud. He helped me pick up  the sack and then we together carried it to the top of the mountain. As we were walking up the mountain he whispered in my ear something that I will never forget "sometimes we need help from others in this life." We reached the top and when I reached the top their was a large banner of The Savior Jesus Christ with a mound of dirt dumped out at his feet. I made my way over there and also dumped out the sack full of dirt, representing my sins at his feet.

           We wept and bore testimony of The Savior Jesus Christ on top of that mountain. The lesson I learned this day, however; is that we cannot do this alone and we need help from people around us to get back to our Father in Heaven. I have learned this lesson time and time again throughout my life. Let us all try to be humble and willing to accept help from our neighbors and our Savior Jesus Christ. Let us also look for opportunities to be those hands that can help lift others. Watch the video below, that shows a similar experience of having to be humbled.



The Patience to Endure.

Mosiah 23:21

21Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to ^achasten his people; yea, he trieth their ^bpatience and their faith.

          

              We as human beings tend to want everything right now and despite the consequences are usually willing to try and satisfy our desires immediately and if we don't get what we want right away we will throw a fit and give up. In order to be successful in this life and achieve Eternal Life in the world to come, we need to develop the Heavenly attribute of patience. Through life we have many struggles and in order to get through them we must have patience and faith, knowing that as we continue in our journey everything will work out for the best as we do what we need to. We need patience as we develop our talents and try to become better servants of our Heavenly Father. We need patience with ourselves as we try to overcome our weaknesses. We also need to have patience with other people  as we try to become like our Savior Jesus Christ. We also need it as we wait for answers to our prayers from our Father in Heaven, we must remember he answers prayers in his own way and in his own time, that is always best for us. Patience is one thing that is necessary for success.

          We can develop this attribute as we come to understand WHY it is we need to be patient. Knowing that we can return to live with our Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and our families after this life if we are faithful, helps put everything into perspective. When we understand this and have this goal on the forefront of our minds it will make being patient easy! The video below says it best!