Half Full or Half Empty...

  I have heard this question asked many times in many different ways... Is the glass half full or is it half empty? There are many different ways to look at it or different parts to argue but here is my two cents on this topic. I saw this and it brought this question to a whole new light for me. When you see the glass you can see how much water is actually in the glass, but what about all of the stuff in the glass that you can't see... like the air!

  

  We so often just look at what we can see and don't focus on what that we can't see. We can apply this to what Christ does for us in our lives. We can do all we can to try and "fill" the glass that is our life full of good things, but there will always be a bit more "water" to be put in or better things that we could have done. But the same way the air fills the part of the glass that we can't see, so Christ does for our lives. Just like this scripture from the Book of Mormon in 2 Nephi 25:23 where it says, "...to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do."God knows we can't do it all on our own, and He doesn't expect us to do it all. He just wants our best. One may feel he has done everything that he needs to do and yet to another they see the empty parts but Christ is there to fill it up. So when you are filling empty or think that you are doing pretty good by yourself just realize that there is someone filling in for you! In the end the glass is always full.

Montana...

  I have been thinking a lot about the great love that I have for the great state of Montana. I heard this quote that describes my feelings quite well. Its by John Steinbeck, entitled Montana, “I’m in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection. But with Montana it is love. And it’s difficult to analyze love when you’ re in it... " I have a great love for my home here in California, but there is something about those big sky's that made the name God's country feel like home. 


  There are more things than I could possibly talk about when it comes to my feelings on the state of Montana, but one of the reasons for my great love, is because thats where I was able to gain a greater love and understanding of The Gospel of Jesus Christ! The line talking about how its hard to recognize love when your in it makes me think to the life of Jesus Christ, how some knew He was the Christ, but it took until after He was gone to grasp the fuller meaning of what Christ had done for the whole world!


  I am so grateful for the time that I was able to spend in Montana, for the wonderful friends I was able to make and the work I was able to preform for the Lord, and see His great hand in my life and also in the lives of many others. God lives and wants to help us all find that love for His gospel, and brighten all of of lives. I know these things to be true, and I leave it with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Easter

  I normally can at least think of a few things to say about the things that I post, but today all I can say is WOW!!! Watch and you'll see why. Don't forget to follow the one that saved us all...

The Final Count Down...

  My blog today will consist of some of my thoughts now that I am at the last week of my mission. There is so much that I wish I could talk about but I will try to keep this brief.. A mission is a lot like a roller coaster, there are a lot of high points a few lows, but they are a ton of fun and they go FAST!!! It may seem hard to believe that 2 years goes by fast but when you are forgetting about yourself and your needs the time flys by. There has been no greater joy in my life, so far, than the great and many miracles that I have been able to see and experience on my mission while serving the Lord. To grow in love faith and trust in the Lord.

  One of the things that I have gained such a greater understand and love for is the term enduring to the end. There are a few places in the scriptures that talk about this enduring to the end and how important it is. I like sports so I like to think of things like sports and enduring to the end is no different. Say you are running a race and you start off strong, you take and early lead there is no one close to you, or even if you are right in the middle of the pack. You are going along and all of a sudden you get tried so you throw on the brakes and walk off the track. Doesn't make much sense to me. Sure its easy and and you were tired but where does that get up in life? No where! I have often heard the quote, " I never said it would be easy, all I said is that it would be worth it. Life isn't easy! There are many curve balls many obstacles that pop up in our way that slow us down or discourage us, but we must go on. There is a prize out there for all of us if we finish the race. We may come out of it with a few bumps and bruises, scratches and scrapes, but in the end we will all be made whole, because of the love of our Great Savior and Redeemer. So don't give up work hard, especially if the time is short!

Buffets

  The other day we went to a buffet and I thought to myself, "Wow all things really can realate back to the Gospel of Jesus Christ!" Even eating at a buffet. The reason for this idea was because at a buffet there are so many things that we like and they can satisfy that hunger we have and so does the Gospel!

  In some people's lives they may not realize that they are missing something on their "plate of happiness." They may have their favorites, so they are not willing to look or try things that are unfamiliar to them, so they pass something really good by. We all have times where we do this in our lives. We see something and we think that is gross or think no I don't want to talk to them when it may be something that will change their life forever, for the better. True if you find a new food that you fall in love with it may not be for the better because it may cause you to gain lots of weight, but the gospel will never make you fat unless you are like the Prophet Nephi form the Book of Mormon and say, "come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness." 2 nephi 9:51

  There are so many messages in the scriptures that will bless us in our lives or bring a new love for the scriptures we did not know was there. Don't be afraid to feast upon the words of Christ because they will teach you what you need in your life to be happy.

Brothers...

  Recently we watched a video having to do with two brothers and how they had their struggles, but in the end they were able to work things out. It made me think if I am showing the kind of love to my loved ones that they need or even deserve. So think of your family and loved ones and how you can show your love to them.

How Bad Do You Want It?!

  I have had this topic on my mind a lot these last few weeks. There are many things in life that we have, or more like get to choose how much, or how bad we "want" them. We get to choose how much effort we put into sports, or class, work or how much effort we put into following the Master, Jesus Christ. A great deal of how well we do in these things, or whatever it is that we are working towards in life, depends on how bad we want it! I know for me putting effort in my school work was a struggle because I didn't care for the work and at the time I didn't see what I would get out of it. But when it came to working with my hands I would gladly give all that I could. And now that I have been able to build such a greater relationship with my Savior, and I want to follow Him!


  We all my see different types of blessings or rewards to how much effort we put into things. For the same reason that all of us get different things out of what we read or the jobs we do, because we are all different. But one thing that will always be the same is that God will love us. The scripture comes to my mind from the book of Matthew chapter 11 verses 28- 30:  "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." We all have the different challenges different interests and the different things we enjoy as our reward to a job well done, knowing that you have given it our all. The reward that we know will be the same for the work that we put into it is, if we put all of our trust in the lord and "serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day." I know this to be true because this is what the Lord has promised us. So ask yourselves a question, How bad do you want to live with God some day? Then get to work and do what He asks of you, you know your best and so does He. When the road gets hard and the journey seems like it will never end, He will give you rest. This is my testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.                                                 

Weak Hands and Feeble Knees

  During one of our visits this week we were talking to someone about how their life had been going. It was going well, but they had some things that were getting them down. So we did one of our favorite things to do, shared a scripture to bring them some comfort and they thanked us and shared a scritpure that they had found that brought them some comfort. It made me realize once again the importance of scripture study, because some times the things we read will help us and also others that we will run into. The scripture they shared with us comes from Isaiah 35: 3-4.
 

  "Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you."

  Thats what we are to do. Is to help strenthen those who's hands are weak and have feeble knees. The Lord is there watching over us as well and in the end He will get His vengeance with those that wronged His children. But so often in life we are ment to learn from our trails and then go and help strengthen others. Lets go to work, there are lots out there that are weak and need our help!

SMILE

  While reading through the scriptures, I have noticed there are lots of places that one could make some really good acronyms. And that’s where my thought is from today, is one my favorites it is smile. It comes from the Book of Mormon, the book of 2 Nephi 9:39.

  "O, my beloved brethren, remember the awfulness in transgressing against that Holy God, and also the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that cunning one. Remember, to be carnally-minded is death, and to be spiritually-minded is life eternal."

  From the being of that scripture you may be thinking how does that have to do with smiling?! But as you look at the last 5 words of the scripture you see that being Spiritually-Minded Is Life Eternal. The devil is trying so hard to make us think that following him brings happiness. But we know that those things are not pleasing in the eyes of God. But being spiritually minded will bring us eternal life. This is the greatest of all of the gifts of God. Remember that smiles are contagious, when you see someone smiling; it is so much easier to smile. So let’s be happy not only now but in the life to come that will come as we remember to smile each day!                                                

Mothers

  I was given this idea by my very good friend again. I really liked the idea, because I realized, well I won't be on my mission for mothers day and I know how much my mother has meant to me and there have been a number of influential mothers and women through out the scriptures and time so I will take the time to talk about a one of my favorites.

   The first of course being my own mother. She has helped me so much throughout my life and has helped to teach me so many key lessons that have helped shape me into the person I am today. One of my favorite scriptures growing up, that comes from the Book of Mormon talks once again about the great importance of mothers. It is Alma chapter 56 verses 47 & 48: "Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it." This to me is so great because when we are taught these key truths from our youth, to put our trust in God, He can and will deliver us from harms way.

   There are many other examples from the scriptures I could use such as Mary and how she was such special woman that she was chosen to be a mother of our Master, Jesus Christ. When we take the time to think of what a special role mothers have in bringing our Heavenly Father spirit children into this world, it is sad to see how little respect is given to women. As we look into the world we live in we can see how the values and morals of all people are being diminished. What a sad thing this is that the people of the world are not treating one another with the respect that they deserve, especially women. Mothers have such a key role in the way a child learns and grows, that if they stop caring in the way they raise their kids what will it do to the world? The young men I talked about in the scripture above, they were able to do so many great things because they were taught to trust in the Lord from their childhood. I am not saying that dads are worthless, because I have learned so many lessons in life such as the importance of hard work and to keep going even when you are tired or don't want to go anymore that have greatly blessed my life. Women just have such a great love and spirit about them that we must respect love and cherish them. This is what the Lord wants us to do.

You Never Know Who is Listening

The story that I have here is a forward that someone sent to me that was too good to keep to myself so I will share it today.

"A little girl went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet. She poured the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Three times, even. The total had to be exactly perfect. No chance here for mistakes. Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall's Drug Store with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door. She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention, but he was too busy at this moment. Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise. Nothing. She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster. No good. Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter. That did it! 'And what do you want?' the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice… I'm talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven't seen in ages,' he said without waiting for a reply to his question. 'Well, I want to talk to you about my brother,' Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. 'He's really; really sick....and I want to buy a miracle.' 'I beg your pardon?'  said the pharmacist. 'His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?' 'We don't sell miracles here, little girl. I'm sorry but I can't help you, 'the pharmacist said, softening a little. 'Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn't enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs.' The pharmacist's brother was a well dressed man. He stooped down and asked the little girl, 'What kind of a miracle does your brother need?' 'I don't know,' Tess replied with her eyes welling up. I just know he's really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But my Daddy can't pay for it, so I want to use my money..' 'How much do you have?' asked the man from Chicago. 'One dollar and eleven cents, 'Tess answered barely audible. 'And it's all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to.' 'Well, what a coincidence,' smiled the man. 'A dollar and eleven cents--the exact price of a miracle for little brothers.' He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her mitten and said 'Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let's see if I have the miracle you need.' That well-dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, A surgeon, specializing in neuro-surgery. The operation was completed free of charge and it wasn't long until Andrew was home again and doing well. Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place. 'That surgery,' her Mom whispered, 'was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?' Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost.... one dollar and eleven cents... plus the faith of a little child. In our lives, we never know how many miracles we will need. A miracle is not the suspension of natural law, but the operation of a higher law. I know you'll keep the ball moving! Here it goes. Throw it back to someone who means something to you! A ball is a circle, no beginning, no end. It keeps us together like our Circle of Friends. But the treasure inside for you to see, is the treasure of friendship you've granted to me. Today I pass the friendship ball to you. Pass it on to someone who is a friend to you.

MY OATH TO YOU... When you are sad... I will dry your tears. When you are scared... I will comfort your fears. When you are worried... I will give you hope. When you are confused...  I will help you cope. And when you are lost... and can't see the light, I shall be your beacon... shining ever so bright. This is my oath... I pledge till the end. Why you may ask? Because you're my friend. Signed: GOD"

99 Yards

  I recently read a talk called 99 yards. It was a great talk talking about how important it is to finish something. The story goes there is a football team in a championship game, and like it is in many key games they were down by a few short points, a touchdown would win the game but there was only short amount of time left in the game so it was going to take a team effort. There they go, determinded to win. They have a few good plays, a good pass up the field, a few good runs, first down after first down. Then here is where they have been wanting to be, 4th and goal from the one yard line with 10 seconds left. Down by 3, field goal ties the game or go for the win! The team was confident, they knew they wanted to win, so they went for it! The pads crashed the whistle blew, one team is calling for the touchdown the other says no good. The pile clears and the referee says no good.




 This is one of that sad but true stories of life. Where we are left to wonder did they, or did you, give it your all? Did you do all that you could with what you posses? We all have things in your life where as sad as it is this is what we are left to wonder... These feeling of regret are so hard to get rid of, thats why it is so important to give life your best shot! To do everything you can with as much effort as you can, excuses are a dime a dozen, but true effort is hard to find. You are the only one that will know if you did all you can, just like this team is the only one that will know. Sure we don't always get the results we desire but but we better do all we can so we don't have to face that all fearful question of, was that my best? Christ set the bar high as He suffered for each of us. He knew that we couldn't do it without some help. So, since He was willing to do it all perfect, do you think we could step it up when it comes to the small things? Very few notice the small things that go past each day, but nothing goes unnoticed in Gods eyes, so we can all have a great victory each day, if we do our best to make it the full 100 yards.

Oh Be Wise...

  The scripture I will blog about today is an idea that I got from a very good friend. I have read over this scripture a few times and never noticed it. It is very short and sweet but packs a very thought provoking question. The scripture comes from The Book of Mormon, the book of Jacob chapter 6 verse 12.

  "O be wise; what can I say more?"

  This is some of the greatest advise in the scripture in my opinion. There are many different ways and many different things that we can choose to be wise in, and what is wise to one may seem foolish to another, but that is part of the reason I like it so much. The man who wrote this was a prophet of God, in this chapter he is telling the people to follow Christ, and warning them that in the last days the wicked shall perish. So this comment of be wise, is telling them to follow Christ. Keep the commandments, be good to your neighbor, help those that are in need, and when you are faced with a choice that may not help keep you on the right path, be wise! Do what you have been taught! Growing up I was taught to CTR, choose the right. If we reflect on the good things that we have been taught in life about when we are faced with a tough choice, it is far easier to be wise!

All Things Denote there is a God

  In my reading in the Book of Mormon today I came across one of my favorite examples that we do have proof that there is a God. There are many times in all of our lives where we may wonder why can't God just show Himself to me, it would make it a lot easier to believe if I could just see Him. That is similar to what was happening at this time in the Book of Mormon. There had been a great missionary effort going on in the previous chapters and many thousands of people had been brought to the knowledge of our Savior Jesus Christ. And like most times in mortality when there is a lot of good things happening there seems to be a lot of negative things thrown out to try and slow us down. This was the same for these people, a false prophet had come in and began to tell people that Christ was not going to come, that once we die thats it there was nothing after this life. Lucky for them they had a prophet there that was able to help them and this is what he said. This comes from Alma chapter 30 verse 44.

  " ...The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator."

  This to me is so powerful because all of the small things we look at each day are proof that God is real. The way that everything seems to work together and so much of it is for our benefit. The story goes on that this wasn't enough proof for the man he still wanted to see a sign so that eventually lead to his death. This scripture means so much to me because at those times where you feel down, maybe because you haven't seen the grass for the last 5 months because there is too much snow or it has been below 30 for the last 6 weeks straight, what a joy it is when things warm up, the snow starts to melt and we can see that God hasn't forgotten us! If we look high or low we will always be able to see that God is still around and making good things happen all around us.

Proverbs 3: 5-6

 Today’s thought comes once again from my exploration of my scriptures looking for high lighted scriptures and this was a good one. It comes from the Old Testament from the Book of Proverbs chapter 3. I love scriptures that talk about putting your trust in The Lord, because He truly is the only one that can support us through all of our trails. People maybe able to help, but He is the ultimate source to turn to.

  "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

  This scripture has gained a whole new meaning to me in my life. We all have those things in our lives where we don't understand why they happen. And they cause us to wonder, what did I do wrong to disserve this? Is God mad at me? When are things going to get better or easier? The answer that this scripture gives me is, don't try to understand it. That’s what happened and it’s now our job to find out what the Lord has in mind for us with the current struggles or situations we are faced with. As we put our trust in the Lord He will direct our paths and make out journey easier. It far easier to tackle a big job with help, and our trails in life are no different.

Taste and Hear of the Good of The Lord

  Today, the thought that comes to my mind is from the Book of Psalms from the Old Testament. Lately I have noticed that I have begun to forget a lot of the scriptures that I have worked to hard to read apply and love. As a result I have been going through my scriptures just looking for scriptures that I really like so I can keep remembering them so they can help me and those that I come in contact with. This is one of those scriptures that I came across. Psalms 34: 4-8.

"4 I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

 5 They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.

 6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.

 7 The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

 8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him."

  To me these are so great because we all have situations in our lives that we have to seek the Lord, or look for the Lord, or cry for Him. And the wonderful thing is that He is always there. He hears us and answers us and watches over us and protects us from harm. What a loving God that we have. It can take time to have these blessing or promises fulfilled in our lives but they do come. If He was able to help people hundreds of years ago when they were struggling, He can certainly help us now. The scriptures prove this to be true and we can all have a time in our lives where we can see it too.

Prophecy Fulfilled...

  Today, I wish to discuss something that I found really cool. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day saints we claim to have a living prophet on the earth today. A man called by God to do Gods will and help us, Gods children by revealing to us Gods will. Like it talks about in the book of Amos 3:7 " Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secrets unto his servants the prophets." One of these Latter day prophets back in 1974 said this which is exactly what is happening today.

"Prophecy about the Future of Missionary Work
In 1974, President Spencer W. Kimball issued an amazing prophecy about the technology driving the gospel message.

Technology will help spread the gospel. We need to enlarge our field of operation.… The Lord will lay in our hand inventions which we can scarcely conceive whereby we will be able to bring the gospel to the peoples of the world…. I have faith that the Lord will open doors when we have done everything in our power. I believe that the Lord is anxious to put into our hands inventions of which we laymen have hardly had a glimpse….We shall use the inventions the Lord has given us to awaken interest and acquaint people of the world with the truths, to ease their prejudices and give them a general knowledge. We shall need to answer specific questions, and perhaps that can be done by two-way radio and TV perfected to a point beyond our present imagination. It is conceivable that such a program greatly perfected could be multiplied ten thousand times in ten thousand tongues and dialects in ten thousand places far and near…. Tens of thousands of young missionaries endowed with the power from on high will follow up the proselyting.[ii]

“Two-way radio…TV perfected!” What did the Internet and related technologies look like to the prophet’s mind in 1974?"

Wow, that is the 3rd time that I have read it but I love it each time. How would a man in 1974, thats 16 years before I was born, have an idea like this and share it to the church unless he knew that it was true. I know that President Spencer W. Kimball was inspired by God. That this revelation was given to him by God and it is being fulfilled as I type the very words on this page. Now we are able to help people of all walks of life in all of the countries of the world, and we can do it while staying in the walls of our own home, or public library... This is a way to help people all around the world. I know that God still has many more things left to reveal because the world is not done changing. He is the same, and always will be but He can still help us in this changing world.

My Thought

  My thought today comes from The book of Mormon in the book of Alma chapter 9 verse 28. The reason for this thought, is being leadership on a mission is a lot like being in a leadership responsibilities in jobs or wherever we have been selected to lead. Where sometimes, the last thing on your list is to worry about yourself. We, as missionaries, have to work in our own area, but we also have to look after the other missionaries areas to make sure things are going smooth. So, there are lots of prayers offered for them, the people they teach and for the people we teach and come in contact with. We have been sharing this with the missionaries we have been going on team ups with as part of our "training" to help encourage them to work hard. Here is the scripture:

 "Therefore, prepare ye the way of the Lord, for the time is at hand that all men shall reap a reward of their works, according to that which they have been—if they have been righteous they shall reap the salvation of their souls, according to the power and deliverance of Jesus Christ; and if they have been evil they shall reap the damnation of their souls, according to the power and captivation of the devil."

  These are such important things to remember as missionaries and as everyday people, because we may in some way be preparing the way of the Lord by our actions because people are always watching the things that we do and say. We need to go around doing good for many reasons, but just from this scripture and the many other scriptures like it, the reward for doing good is FAR greater than that of for doing evil. Everyone, the time is at hand so lets do all we can to prepare for that great day when the Lord comes again, I know every little thing we do can make a HUGE difference. I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

Happy Valentines Day... Late...

  Things didn't work out quite the way I had planned, I was trying to get this one up on Valentines Day, but better late than never I guess. This is something I saw at someones house and I liked it so I thought I would copy the idea. Its comes from John 3:16.

                                            For God so loVed the world
                                                  That he gAve
                                                       His onLy
                                                      Be gottEn
                                                            SoN
                                                                That whosever
                                                            BelIeveth
                                                               IN should not perish but have everlasting  
                                                             LifE

  That is the greatest Valentines gift ever given. God truly did, and still does love us that much. Its so amazing to think of such a great amount of pure love, God only ask us to love Him and keep His commandments because He loves us. He will give us all that we need so lets give Him what He asks for.

Pearl of Great Price

 
  I love the time that we, as missionaries, get to spend studding and pondering upon the scriptures. What I was thinking about today was the story of the Pearl of Great Price. The story is about a rich man that is searching for pearls of value. But as he is in the market place one day he finds a pearl of great price and sells all that he has. Here is the story.

  "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it."

  This is great for a few reasons; one of my favorites is because it’s short sweet and to the point. When you find yourself happy with your life style, like this man probably was with his way of life and then he saw something greater that what he had, and so he got rid of those things of less value so he could have what was truly great. The gospel of Jesus Christ is like this. We all have our things in the world that we like, that are "fun" and make us "happy" but we can sense there is something out there greater, something of more worth. What this parable is saying to me is, when we find that of great worth, something that will take us to a whole new level of happiness, we must leave or “sell”, what is slowing you down behind and move to the one of greater value. If we do, we can find an added measure of happiness. I know this to be true, and I wish to leave this in the name of Jesus Christ, who has that of most worth, Amen.

The Good Shepard

  I have had a couple of good ideas of things to blog about, and the one I wish to start on is the good Shepherd. I have been reading a lot of really good talks lately about rescuing the lost sheep, and if you think about it we are all lost in one way or another, and we know lots more that are lost as well. The talks that I have been reading were talking a lot about different ways that we can try to bring them back and I thought they were all great, but it changes a little with each person. But the most important thing we can do is to show someone that they belong and that someone cares for them. I love the scripture from John 10: 14 it says: "I am the good Shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine." We are all His sheep and He knows us individually. It’s not like a big company where people fall through the cracks and are forgotten, He can call us all by name. We need to do our best to help bring those lost sheep back into the fold. We may not be able to know all of the sheep that belong to the good Shepherd, but we can help out those that we do know. I know each of us can reach out and help someone. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Charity

   I have been thinking of charity quite a bit lately. I have been reading through the LDS bible dictionary, where it gives definitions of different words, and one of the definitions that I really enjoyed was the one on charity. It goes as followed; " The highest, noblest, strongest kind of love, not merely affection; the pure love of Christ." That to me is really cool, when we show charity towards others it is the strongest kind of love.

  The scriptures tells us multiple times to have charity, to help our fellow man. A way I like to look at helping others is, we are all on the same team. We are all children of our Heavenly Father and He loves us all the same. There is a scripture that says, as ye have done it upon one of these the least of my brethren ye have done it unto me. It doesn't take a lot to brighten someones day. If you can think of it as when you are helping someone you are helping God, it can make it a little easier to do when you reflect on all of the times He has helped you. Or if you put yourself in their shoes and think of what you would like someone to do for me. I know that as we try to apply these principles, not only will me make others happier, but we will become happier ourselves.

Falling From the Sky

 Today, we were going around the raining icy city of Glendive making visits when we started to talk to an older gentleman with a heck of a life story. I have really learned to love talking with those with far more life experience than me, because there are so many lessons that we can learn from them. The lesson we were taught today was about things falling from the sky. The story started with him telling us a little about his early days of joining the army and some of the things he was able to do, which was quite a bit because he spent over 30 years in the service of this great country.

  He was telling us about how one of his jobs was to train the newer members in his group to listen to what is going on around you, which in his case could be very difficult because there were lots of distractions all around. But he was saying at first you can hear bombs or whatever it may have been falling, but it took a little while to figure out which way it was coming from, and which way to go to get away. After talking with him we could tell he must have done a pretty good job at getting out of the way, because he is still here to tell the tell. As he was telling us about his experiences I was thinking, hm... I'm going to blog on that, a phrase that I never would have come to my head that now comes fairly often.

  The reason I wanted to blog about this is because, though we may not be in the military service we still have things falling all around or popping up that are trying to knock us out, distract us, or even to harm us. Those come from the adversary, because he doesn't want us to succeed, he desperately wants us to fail so we cannot enter into the presence of the Father again, but lucky for us is we have signs or clues all around to help us to know when these bad things are coming and ways to keep us from falling into these storms, and the greatest way or thing that we have to protect us, is Jesus Christ.

  I am often taken back when I pause to think about Christ and the perfect life He lived. He was faced with the same temptations that we all are but He came out spotless. I have wondered, well of course He did He is perfect so it was just easier for Him, but I have recently come to realize, that it was easier for Him, He was just able to truly live the way He asks us to live. Jesus followed what the scriptures teach and He must have prayed more than anyone can imagine. I have noticed in my own life, as I strive to keep a prayer in my heart those temptations because easier to withstand. I am not saying that I am no longer faced with them; it’s just far easier with the Lords help. It helps me to get a warning, a “hey heads ups there is going to be some land mines ahead or the hell fire is about to start falling some the sky,” and He light up a path for me to escape safely. Those safe paths are out there for all of us, we just have to listen to the Master teacher and learn how to get away safely. I know that The Lord will teach us how to get away if we are willing to listen. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

My Thought of the Day

  Today I don't have a whole lot of time, but this scripture was brought to my attention recently and I wanted to share it with you all today. It is going to come from the Book of Mormon from Alma 38:2. It reads: "And now, my son, I trust that I shall have great joy in you, because of your steadiness and your faithfulness unto God; for as you have commenced in your youth to look to the Lord your God, even so I hope that you will continue in keeping his commandments; for blessed is he that endureth to the end."

  The reason I like that one, is because the Lord does trust us. It makes me think once again of the story of the 10 talents, that if The Lord can trust us with a few things and we show to Him that we are faithful and work until the end, it will make Him so happy. Remember, we are the children of God and He loves us far mare than we can ever realize, so lets put some trust in Him and keep the commandments, because He will bless us.

Talents

  The other day we were talking about the story of the ten talents and it really had an effect on me, so that is what I decided to blog about today is our talents. I have often wondered what my talents are... What it was that I am good at that sets me apart from other people, as far as what I am better at than most. During these pondering sessions, I haven't been able to think of very many things that I would refer to as a talents, but I think that is one of the things that we are here in mortality for is to find and to develop talents and gain more. The story for the scriptures that I have on my mind is rather long, so I will describe the story in my own words.

    The story is from the Bible, in the Book of Matthew 25 verses 14- 30. It talks of man who is preparing to travel to a far away country and gives talents to his servants. To one he gives 5 to another 2 and to the last he gives one. The first who received these 5 talents he goes out and trades and finds ways to increase these talents so when his master comes back he has something to show for what he was in trusted with. The second servant did the same with what he was in trusted with, but the last servant took the talent and buried it in the earth. After a long time the master comes back to see what they have done with what they were give. The master goes to the first and asks, so what have you done? The servant gladly tells his master I have doubled what you gave me, and the master rejoices and calls him a good and faithful servant because, he was given and little and was faithful to it, so he is told that he will be in trusted with many more things. The master tells the same to the second servant, because he doubled what he was given. Then for not so lucky number three... The master returns looking for what was done with what he was given as to his disappointment he finds that the servant buried what he was in trusted with and the master is really upset. So upset that he calls him a " Thou wicked and slothful servant" for not doing as the others, for fearing failure more than attempting what was difficult.

  What this has to do with me or what I have been wondering about is, I was wondering what my talents are and if I will be like the good servants or the wicked and unprofitable one. What I came to realize the other day was, even though I don't or may not realize what my talents are, as I have been reflecting on where I am in my life now, I realized that I have become so much better at so many of the things that I used to really struggle with. So, in a way I am doubling those talents, I am taking what was once a weakness and turning it into a strength, so I am trading what was of little value for something that is of great worth now. I know that many of of may wonder, well what am I good at? What are my talents? i am doing all that I can to improve them? If you are trying your best to do better and to get better, than I would say yes, you are doing what you are supposed to and if we keep that up then when the Lord returns to see what we have done with our own talents he will say this to us, "Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord." This is my testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Reap what you Sow

  What has been on my mind lately is our reward for our actions. I have often heard the saying, "what goes around, comes around." That is a very interesting topic to me. Of course, God plays a major part in the whole process of who gets what blessings and why, but we need to do good. God will reward us no matter what, but the blessing when we do good can be greater. Just like the saying, "God loves a cheerful giver" so here are some scriptures to describe that very topic. They will come from the Book of Doctrine and Covenants section 6 verses 33-34.

 "Fear not to do good, my sons, for whatsoever ye sow, that shall ye also reap; therefore, if ye sow good ye shall also reap good for your reward. Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail."

  This is so important to remember in the world today. Now days the world seems to focus so much on the bad, and they don't seem to care as much about the good. Why is this? Has the world forgotten God? I would say a there are many things out there distracting us taking our thoughts away from God and what truly is important, causing us to forget Him. I love scriptures in the Bible and Book of Mormon describing the importance of teaching our kids the ways of God when they are young and when they are old they will not depart from it. So, if we teach our children, or the young people of the world to do good, then they will be able to have a greater chance of remembering and sticking to those teachings when they are faced with difficult decisions and all of the distractions in the world.

  What does that have to do with the scripture, I am asking myself? Well, we must sow good seeds, we must do good things such as teaching people about God. Sharing what we know about God, and His gospel to help others in their lives. To share how much God means to you and all of the great blessings He has given to you. To keep doing good even when we don't see immediate results from it. God is up silent note taking of all of the things we are doing, and the end reward will be far greater that anything we can receive in this life. God will protect us as we are built upon His rock, and no one will prevail against us. They maybe able to kick us, but our Big Brother, Jesus Christ, will protect us. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

The Spirit

  Lately, I have been talking about the Book of Mormon and have been saying that we pray about it to know if it is true or not. Today, I would to talk about the way that we will know it is true after we pray about it, and that is through the Holy Ghost or the Holy Spirit. There are A LOT of scriptures that talk about the Holy Ghost and the many roles it can have in out lives. If I wrote them all down it would take up lots of space so I will share a few of my favorites. The first will be from Galatians 5: 22-25, John 14: 26-27, and from the Doctrine and Covenants 6: 14-15.

  Here is the first; Galatains 5: 22-25 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."
Next, John 14: 26-27 "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
And finally Doctrine and Covenants 6: 14-15 "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, blessed art thou for what thou hast done; for thou hast inquired of me, and behold, as often as thou hast inquired thou hast received instruction of my Spirit. If it had not been so, thou wouldst not have come to the place where thou art at this time. Behold, thou knowest that thou hast inquired of me and I did enlighten thy mind; and now I tell thee these things that thou mayest know that thou hast been enlightened by the Spirit of truth;"
 
  I love all of these because they each talk about a little different aspect of the spirit. The Galatians talks of how we will feel love, peace, and joy. The scripture from John talks of a comforter. Every time that I have been able to feel the Holy Ghost in my life it gives to me, that feeling of comfort. It helps bring things to your remembrance, helps you to remember those key bits of truth that we have all heard before that will help us return to our Father in Heaven. And the last scripture I quoted, talks of how we are blessed for inquiring of the Lord, for asking Him and studding things out. How the Lord will enlighten our minds, by the Spirit of truth.

  I know that this is the way that the Lord speaks to us, is by a still small voice or by those good feelings of peace, joy, and comfort. That He will enlighten or minds, He will make it easy for us to understand and bring it back into our remembrance. The same way it says in the book of 1 Kings when the Lord was speaking to Elijiah, 19: 11-13 "And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?" That the Lord doesn't often speak in loud noises or through fire and earthquakes, He speaks to us in a voice that we can understand. The Lord is speaking, are you listening?

The Book of Mormon...

  The topic on my mind today is baptism. Baptism is one of those key saving ordnance's that we can do to show our Heavenly Father that we have faith and are truly committed to following Him and keeping His commandments. Baptism is wonderful for many reasons, but one that sticks out to me is not only is it showing obedience but it is how we can have our sins washed away. After my blog yesterday on the atonement, and what Christ went through for us what a great way to repay and give thanks, and become as a little child and be born again and be clean from our pasts. The scripture from the Book of Mormon that I feel best describes the importance of baptism comes from the book of Nephi chapter 31: 5-7 & 9.3

  "And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfil all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water! And now, I would ask of you, my beloved brethren, wherein the Lamb of God did fulfil all righteousness in being baptized by water? Know ye not that he was holy? But notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children of men that, according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father, and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be obedient unto him in keeping his commandments." 9 And again, it showeth unto the children of men the straitness of the path, and the narrowness of the gate, by which they should enter, he having set the example before them."

  Once again, I love the plainness of the Book of Mormon! There is just one way to read this, Christ was baptized because He was commanded, and it was to fulfil all righteousness. Then it goes on to remind us, hey do you remember the life that Christ lived? He was prefect, He never once messed up, yet He still had to be baptized! So how are you doing? Are you prefect? No, then all the more need for us to be baptized so that we can be cleansed of our sins and be put back on the path to live with our Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ.

  I also love verse 9 because it reemphasises the straightness of the path that leads us back to the Kingdom of God. The wonderful thing about that path is we are not left to wonder it alone. This verse tells us along with in the bible, in the book of 1 Peter chapter 2:21, that Christ came to be an example. Like all great leaders, He wanted to go through these things as well, so He would know exactly how hard this life is, to know what we have to go through on a daily bases. I know everyday I am grateful that Christ does love us, that He is willing to help us to over come our struggles, that He will allow us to be washed clean of our wrong doings and have the chance to repent always As much as I wish we were always going to be prefect after we are baptized we know that that doesn't happen, but we can sure try. The Lord will wash away our sins and continue to forgive us as many times as we need, but we need to be sincere. I know this to be true and I leave it in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

The Book of Mormon

   Since yesterday was about weaknesses, and how we all have them, and how Christ is the one we can look to and go to for help in over coming these weaknesses. I thought I would share one of my favorites from the Book of Mormon about Christ's Atonement. This scripture will come form the Book of Alma chapter 7 verses 11-13. I love these few verses because it covers so many of the things that Christ was willing to go through for us.

  "And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me."

  What a powerful testimony that the Prophet Alma had about the great mission that our dear Savior came to do. To suffer for all of the pains, temptations, sicknesses. I have thought many times if only someone else knew what I was going through. If only I had someone to talk to about this, and thats exactly why Christ went through those things, is so that we would never be alone! That when life gets to hard to stand on our own and everything we try by ourselves isn't working, thats when we can turn to him for help. His bowels truly are filled with mercy so Christ can indeed give succor to His people. What the word succor means is to run to and give aid. Who better to come to us and give us aid that the very man that was willing to suffer for all of the same things we go through each day. But we must open the dooor to Him and let Him in. Jesus Christ and our Heavenly father love us far more that we could possibly comprehend. Thats one of the best parts about what Christ did for us is we don't have to know how He did it, just know that He did and do all you can to make sure that suffering was not in vain. Christ lives and loves us all very much, if He didn't he wouldn't have done this for us. I know these things to be true and add my own testimony to it in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

The Book of Mormon...

  The topic from the Book of Mormon I wish to address to day is about weaknesses. Weaknesses are talked about quite a bit in the Book of Mormon. Whether it be the person who was writing, or one of the things that they write about talk about why we all have weaknesses. Since all of us are humans, this means that we have weaknesses, but lucky for us God doesn't dislike us for our weaknesses, He gave them to us for a reason. And here are two fine examples of why we have weaknesses.

  The first I wish to cover comes from the Book of Jacob chapter 4:7 "Nevertheless, the Lord God showeth us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things." And also in the Book of Ether 12:27 "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

  There are two great reasons for weaknesses, so we maybe able to recognize our constant need for God's infinite love and tender mercies towards us. I know during my whole surgery I was show just how weak I really am, but now looking back I am very grateful because I was able to develop such a greater love for my Heavenly Father, and realize how much He loves me and how much He was able to help me. I used to get so frustrated growing up, because I had a lot of difficulty reading, so when I first started on my mission I was worried that it would slow me down a lot. At first it did, because I would get so down on myself for not being able to read like other people. But as in most things in life there are two ways to approach weaknesses, give up and use it as a crutch or work as hard as you can to try and over come it. After I read that scripture from Ether I wanted to put God to the test and see, if He could help me become better at reading. And I am here to say that He did help me with my reading, and many of the other struggles that I have. And He will do the same for you. God is no respecter of persons, He loves us all the same. So He can and will help you with whatever your weakness maybe. I have a strong testimony of this and I leave it in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

The Book of Mormon..

Today my thought will come from The Book Of Mormon, in the Book of Heleman chapter 5:12. I love this scripture because it talks about how we need to have a solid foundation built upon Jesus Christ. With the last name House, I know how important a good foundation is! Sorry that was a bad joke, but I couldn't help it. On a more serious note, that foundation that we base upon Christ, will really help us out when we face the hardships that we all go through.   And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.   There is also a poem that I would like to share, I have almost memorized it and it goes so well with this scripture. Its called the Mighty Oak. A mighty wind blew night and day It stole the oak trees leaves away- Then snapped its boughs and pulled its bark Until the oak was tried and stark- But still the oak tree stood its ground While other trees fell all around. The weary Wind gave up and spoke Why are you still standing oak? The Oak tree said: I know that you- Can break every branch of mine and two- Carry every leaf away, Shake my limbs, and make me sway- But I have roots Stretched in the earth- Growing stronger since my birth. You'll never touch them- For you see they are the deepest part of me Until today, I wasn't sure just how much I could endure- But know I've found, with thanks to you- I'm stronger than I ever knew. As told by Elder M. Russell Ballard   I love both of those, the scripture and the poem, because they both give to really good examples of ways to keep our selves safe in the face of the adversary. One is a solid rock to build yourself upon, and the other is by sending your roots deep into the earth. I highlighted a part of this scripture because its so key to realize that is not if hard times will come, its just a matter if time. After all this life is the time for us to go through these things. After this life there will be no pain or suffering, so our window to learn from these hard times is such a brief moment when we look at the big picture. The life expectancy is somewhere around 80 years and after this life it will go on forever! So lets not get to discouraged by these small moments. Christ has already suffered for all of the hard things that we have and will go through so lets turn to Him so He will help protect us through the hard times. I know that as we put our trust in Christ, though we may sway, we will never fall! This is my testimony in the name of the Rock of our Salvation, Jesus Christ, Amen.

Book of Mormon...

  Our day was going pretty slow, so we decided to come and see if the website was working, and it is! So here is my thought of the day. People often ask us why we have the Book of Mormon? They say the bible is all we need, and I wonder, so does that mean that God is limited to only talk to one group of people? That doesn't sound like an all powerful God that was able to create us this world and everything that we can see. How can our God that can do all of this only speak to one group of people?! Well, the Prophet Nephi from the Book of Mormon had something to say on this very topic. That is found in the Book of Nephi Chapter 29 verses 7-11.

 "Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth? Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also. And I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and that I speak forth my words according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one word ye need not suppose that I cannot speak another; for my work is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man, neither from that time henceforth and forever. Wherefore, because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written. For I command all men, both in the east and in the west, and in the north, and in the south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I speak unto them; for out of the books which shall be written I will judge the world, every man according to their works, according to that which is written."

  Once again, I love how plan the Book of Mormon puts it. Did you forget that God is the same Yesterday, Today, and Forever? Do you think He loves one group of people more than another? NO!! Gods loves us all equally. He is a just merciful God, that is mindful of all of our needs and wishes to help us. We need to make sure our eyes are open and ready to recognize the very signs in front of us. As this scripture states, God is not done speaking, He will keep speaking as long as there are good people left on the earth. This is my testimony, and I leave it in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

Sorry...

So today I was planning on keeping up with my thought a day from the Book of Mormon, but the lds.org website is down and thats how I get the Scripture copied because I type far too slow, so I will put one up hopefully before Wednesday. Sorry again, Love Elder Kevin House

Book of Mormon...

  Yesterday I talked a little about the Book of Mormon and so I thought I will continue on with that a little bit more. What I would like to do today, is to share one of my favorite passages from the Book of Mormon. I will probably do this for a few days, because there are lots that I really like from the Book of Mormon. The one I wish to start with will be from, The Book of 2 Nephi chapter 25 verses 23, 26,and 29. This does a great job of telling people what we believe in our church.

23For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do. 26And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.29And now behold, I say unto you that the right way is to believe in Christ, and deny him not; and Christ is the Holy One of Israel; wherefore ye must bow down before him, and worship him with all your might, mind, and strength, and your whole soul; and if ye do this ye shall in nowise be cast out.

  Pretty straight forward I must say. We believe in Christ, and we hope to help everyone we can believe in Christ, because we know it is only through Him and His infinite mercy that we can be cleansed from our sins. In our Church we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we teach of Christ, because He is truly our Savior and we could all use to learn more about Him. After all, He was the only perfect person to ever walk the face of this earth, and all of us fall short everyday. So we should be doing our best to apply His teachings in our lives. I love this scripture and many more like it in The Book of Mormon, because like the Bible, it helps bring our lives in closer harmony with the Master Teacher Himself, Jesus Christ.

The Book of Mormon

  Today I would like to talk about one of my favorite books, and that is the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable with the Holy Bible. It is the evidence that Joseph Smith was indeed a prophet, because if the Book of Mormon is true than Joseph Smith is a Prophet because Joseph did not write the Book of Mormon he translated it by the power of God.

  The Book of Mormon liked the title says, it is indeed another testament of Jesus Christ. It tells of the ancient people in this, the American content. It begins around 600 years before Christ was even born. It tells of Gods dealings with the people who lived here and of their prophets and the people that lived here and the ways that God was able to help them. It starts by telling of a family that had to leave Jerusalem because it was about to be destroyed. So they left and God was able to guide them to eventually come over to the Americas. It tells of this peoples rise and fall. How when they would listen to the prophets they were blessed and were able to prosper and when they rejected the prophet they had hard times.

  I could go on and on talking about what is contained in the Book of Mormon but it would be much better if you read it yourself because these men truly were inspired by God to write the the very words they did, because they are able to help us out so much today. God has spoken again to prophets and as He always does, God won't force us to listen, He puts the information out there and wants us to do a bit of testing and come to find out for ourselves if things are true by asking Him. Like I have talked about prayer before, that is the only way to know if something is true or not, is by going to the ultimate source of truth, God, and ask Him. And to not take another person's word for it who may of read the Book of Mormon, is go strait to the source and check it out for yourself. I know these things are true because I have asked for myself, and God told me, Elder Kevin House that the Book of Mormon was true. And because the Book of Mormon is true that means that Joseph Smith is a prophet and all that he was able to do to restore the church is to help us out today. I know this will work if you try it. I say this is the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.