Life

So Adam and Eve fell thus enabling all of us to come to this earth. Our little spirits enter our bodies and we start the journey of life. We come with no remembrance of what happened before, but that is so that we can prove we are willing to follow our Savior and keep God's commandments. Sadly sometime we don't always do what is right. God has made it possible to repent through our Savior. Each day it is important to seek forgiveness and try again. As we use our agency wisely we find joy. "And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it." (Mosiah 2:41) We will gain eternal life if we are willing to follow God.

Creation and The Fall

Through Jesus Christ, God created the world along with Adam and Eve. Oh our first parents, such an interesting story. Placed in a garden where everything is perfect and there is no opposition. Sounds like bliss. But that is the problem, there was no trials or sin or wickedness. I love how it is described in The Book of Mormon, "And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end. And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy." (2 Nephi 2:22-24) The fall of Adam and Eve was a part of God's plan. It enables us to learn and grow. 

If you want to learn more about the fall of Adam and Eve the whole chapter of 2 Nephi 2 is awesome for that.

Premortal Life

Sorry it has taken so long to get the next one out. Too much to do and too little time.

Alright, this is where it all started. We lived with God as His spirit children before we came to this world. I love this scripture: "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:" (Roman 8:16). And because we are God's children we wanted to become like Him. Yet we couldn't due to the fact we didn't have bodies like He does. So our Heavenly Father created a plan so that we could come to this earth, gain a body, and progress. There are two very important parts of this plan: agency (the ability to choose) and Jesus Christ. Christ enables the plan to work and agency is how we show that we are willing to follow God. "Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself." (2 Nephi 2:27)

Plans

Plans.
I love them.
A lot.

So knowing God has a plan for us makes me very happy. It makes so much sense and I want to share it with you. That means a series of posts about it. With awesome visuals. And the first one is just going to be the name of it: The Plan of Salvation. Kind of self explanatory but hey still important. God's whole purpose is "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39) So of course He made a plan and its whole purpose is to bring us back to Him. I love it!

The Blog That Kicked the Bucket

If you happen to take the time to click on the button "the bucket story" on my sidebar you would have read about how this blog came to be and what happened to my previous one. Well I was blessed to have gotten some of my old posts back. So if you want read those they will be under the button "the old bucket". Some of them aren't half bad.

His

 

A few weeks ago I got a letter full of pictures of one of the most beautiful things I could ever see, my brand new niece. As I looked at the images my eyes fill with tears of joy. She was perfect with her tiny nose, eyes, and fingers. This little baby was sent from a Heavenly Father who loved her so much. It always amazes me how much important we are to God. There are so many of us yet He loves us individually. There is a quote from Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdor that goes along with this:

"Brothers and sisters, the most powerful Being in the universe is the Father of your spirit. He knows you. He loves you with a perfect love. God sees you not only as a mortal being on a small planet who lives for a brief season—He sees you as His child. He sees you as the being you are capable and designed to become. He wants you to know that you matter to Him."

I know that each of us are a child of God and that He loves us.

For a great video about this click here.

Warming Prayers

Over and over, day after day, time and time again. Prayer. I have said thousands and yet I am still learning how to. We had a meeting with Elder Christofferson and something he quoted really stood out to me. "Prayer is like a fire in winter- you don't have to do anything to let it warm you." I kneel, I speak, I get up. Something in my prayers is missing. I don't let let them "warm" me. I struggle just clearing my mind and listening. But when I take the time to listen and have a conversation with my Heavenly Father, those are the best prayers. I hear what His will is and find peace. My life is so much better. 

Sorry if it seems as all I post about is prayer but it keeps coming back!

I Know this Bucket is True

Something I do often is testify of what I teach. But how do I know that what I say is true? How did I gain my testimony? Well there is a scripture from the Book of Mormon that has the answer. 

"And this is not all. Do ye not suppose that I know of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety?
Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me." (Alma 5:45-46) 

So I learned that what I teach is true by praying and asking God. He has all truth and knowledge. If we desire to know we must ask Him. So when I post about something and know that it is true, it is because I have asked my Heavenly Father and He has let me know through the Holy Ghost. The great thing is you can do this too. You don't have to automatically believe all I say or anyone else. Take it to the Lord and ask Him.

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" 

(Matthew 7:7) 

It Is Better to Look Up

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It seems that life carries themes and lately that theme has been prayer. I recently posted about making my prayers more sincere and just a few days later I heard a talk from General Conference that was just what I needed. There is a story that was told that I want to share.

"At the end of a particularly tiring day toward the end of my first week as a General Authority, my briefcase was overloaded and my mind was preoccupied with the question “How can I possibly do this?” I left the office of the Seventy and entered the elevator of the Church Administration Building. As the elevator descended, my head was down and I stared blankly at the floor.

The door opened and someone entered, but I didn’t look up. As the door closed, I heard someone ask, “What are you looking at down there?” I recognized that voice—it was President Thomas S. Monson.

I quickly looked up and responded, “Oh, nothing.”

But he had seen my subdued countenance and my heavy briefcase. He smiled and lovingly suggested, while pointing heavenward, “It is better to look up!”

The past week had been a difficult one. I had been asking, "How can I possibly do this?" The advice from President Monson is just what I needed. I had been looking down but "it is better to look up." I have not been "looking up" and calling upon God because I have not had the faith that such a simple thing could help me. I was like the children of Israel who looked beyond the mark and failed to be healed by simply looking at the brass serpent. I love the scripture that was quoted later in the talk, "Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend." (Mosiah 4:9) God does have all power and as I turn to Him and rely upon Him, He helps me. So I have been trying to look up and oh how wonderful it is. Yes I still face struggles but things are better. I know how I can do this, I can look up.

If you want to listen to the full talk just click here.

Sister Ratuvukivuki

I did this a few times on my last blog and I really enjoyed it. So it is now time to Embrace the Camera.

Next to me in the picture is my new companion, who I must say is simply awesome. Her name is Sister Ratuvukivuki (it's not as hard to pronounce as it seems) and she is from sunny and beautiful Fiji. Which is also a great way to describer her. This morning I made pancakes for her. It is just one of the many new things she has been able to try since coming on her mission. She seems to love everything, including the pancakes, that she gets to try. I feel so lucky getting to share new things with her. But even more I feel blessed to serve with her. Sister Ratuvukivuki has so much faith in Jesus Christ and His gospel. Each time she bears testimony I can feel the Spirit touch my heart. I am learning so much from her example of humility and kindness. I am so grateful for her.

  I made her an "R" but it looked better backwards.

The actual eating of my creations.

  

Bless Everybody!

The other night I listened to a two-year old pray. It went like this:

"Okay let's say a prayer, bless mommy."
"Mommy"
"Bless daddy"
"Daddy"
"Bless meemaw"
"Meemaw"
"Bless papaw'
"Papaw'
"And bless everybody"
"Everybody"
"Say Amen."
"Amen!"

It was possibly one of the cutest things I have ever heard. This little girl was so sweet and sincere. As I think about this prayer I wonder if mine are like this little girl's. Am I simply saying my prayers to get them done or do I treat them as a wonderful experience where I get to talk to my Heavenly Father? Growing up I remember my mom teaching me how to pray. Begin by addressing God, express gratitude (thank you for my kitty), ask for things I need or blessings (bless mom and dad), seek forgiveness (sorry for fighting with Val), and close in the name of Jesus Christ. But what stands out even more than this simple formula for a prayer is the many times I would find my mother kneeling by her bed. As I would look at her I knew she was earnestly and sincerely praying for her family, for me. She was having a real conversation with God. I am so grateful for this example and will strive each time I pray to follow it.

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"Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day."

(Alma 37:37)

Have you counseled with the Lord today?

As I start this new adventure there is something that must be shared. On my mission I am learning many lessons and all very important, but there is one that stands above the rest.

I am learning how to love. 

But that might be a bit broad so let me narrow it down for you. In the Book of Mormon it states that "charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever." (Moroni 7:47) This is a better description of what I am learning. What I do every day, all day long revolves around people, some I know well, some are mere acquaintances, and some are complete strangers. I want to love each one as Christ would. But how do I do that? Well let me share what I have learned so far. 

Christ taught, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. (Matt. 22:37-39) It all starts with a love for God and as I love Him, it over flows into my love for others. 

I have also come to find that one of my greatest obstacles to loving is selfishness, caring for only myself. This sometimes can be a hard thing to overcome, but I have found something that really helps. It is called listening. And I don't mean just hearing the words people are saying. I mean looking at them and concentrating on them as the speak. Not thinking of what you are going to say in response or things you need to do. Not focusing on yourself as they speak but on them! It was a difficult thing at first and still can be but when I actually do it I find myself really loving the person. It is a amazing!

The last thing I have learned is best said by President Thomas S. Monson, "Charity is having patience with someone who has let us down. It is resisting the impulse to become offended easily. It is accepting weaknesses and shortcomings. It is accepting people as they truly are. It is looking beyond physical appearances to attributes that will not dim through time. It is resisting the impulse to categorize others." As I forgive, forgo judgment, and accept others it is much more easy to love them. 

I am not saying these are the perfect ways to love others, but they are what I have learned so far. Don't you worry I am sure I will learn more and share them with you. Gaining that "pure love of Christ" is one of the main goals of my mission and life. So don't be surprised if you see a few more drops in the bucket about love.