Learn to Choose

Let me tell you a story. It may or may not involve dogs. Again. My companion, Sister Maneha, and I were driving down this road to try and find someone. We didn't really know where we were going. We had the address to the house, but were so confused as to which house it actually was. We saw a little driveway, so we decided to turn down it, because that was definitely going to help us find our way. Well, two dogs came running towards the car. We didn't know what to do. It gets better. One of them, a big black lab, jumped up and put his paws on the driver's side window. That's where I was. It terrified me. This isn't all. They both started running around the car. I tried to slowly back up, but I didn't want to run them over. We were stuck. Eventually, the owner came outside. I rolled down the window and said sorry. He asked if we were lost. I don't know how he could tell. He told us that we were on a private lane and asked who we were looking for. Well, turns out, he was the one we were looking for!

artwork by Greg Olsen

I bring this story up, because this is how life can be at times. We don't always know where our life is heading or where to go. Because we have the freedom to choose, we might take a wrong turn, and find ourselves not knowing what to do. Things that we shouldn't be surrounded by, make there way over and it can be hard to escape. The important thing to remember is that we have help. We have the example of those around us. We have the scriptures and prophets to lead and guide us. The greatest example we have is Jesus Christ. He can help us escape from these wrong turns we make in life. In the Book of Mormon, a prophet named Lehi tells of this, "Wherefore, men are ^afree according to the ^bflesh; and ^call things are ^dgiven them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to ^echoose ^fliberty and eternal ^glife, 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 ^hmiserable like unto himself." (2 Nephi 2:27). We don't have to be held captive. We can choose to follow Jesus Christ. And even though we may still turn off the path, we can always make our way back. He is waiting for us, with open arms. He loves us and wants us to return to Him. He wants us to be happy, to have liberty and eternal life. We just need to choose to follow Him. He will lead us to where we need to be.

Thanks for reading. Until next time...

Live through a Straw

I want you to ask yourself, "What is the purpose of a drinking straw?" And no, this is not a trick question. It's used for, well, drinking. As you suck through the straw, you transfer liquid from your cup into your mouth. If you think about it, it's a pretty miraculous invention. You don't even have to touch your cup to taste what is in it! I personally am a fan of the drinking straw. I use it frequently and probably get a little too excited about it at times.

You know what else I get excited about, but probably should use more frequently? The scriptures. The scriptures are like straws. They connect us to the Spirit. We can feel the Spirit within us as we read the words written by prophets of old. Even though we aren't in physical contact with and see the Holy Ghost, we can feel closer to Jesus Christ and our Father in Heaven, because of the scriptures. In the Book of Mormon, a prophet named Nephi, tells us why it is important to read the scriptures, "Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do." (2 Nephi 32:3). As we not only read the words in the scriptures, but as we feast, or suck in everything we can, we will know what Jesus Christ wants us to do. He gave us scriptures so that we could know. They are for us. The scriptures are much more miraculous than a drinking straw.

artwork by Greg Olsen

I know that they truly are the word of God. The words in the Book of Mormon and in the Bible are true. I've seen the difference in my life when I read them, compared to when I don't. I think we all, including and especially myself, could use more time in the scriptures. Especially, with Easter coming up this week. It is definitely a great time to reflect on the Savior's love for us, for His Atonement and Resurrection. We can feel His love as we read the word of God.

Thanks for reading. Until next time...

Love Spring

 

I love springtime. The weather starts to get nicer and warmer. The sun shines more. The skies are blue. The grass starts turning green. Little buds come out on the trees. It's a wonderful time of the year, when the deadness of winter wears away, and the newness and life of spring is all around you.

Everything changes. Whether it be the seasons, your clothes, your child, the list goes on and on. A lot of changes take place when you are on a mission too. You're in a new environment, you get new companions every few months, you now wear a skirt or suit everyday, you're away from your family. But the most important change, is the change within yourself as a missionary. You learn that your mission isn't about you. You are finally doing something that isn't about you. This work is entirely the Lord's.

I've been reading a talk entitled, "The Fourth Missionary," by Lawrence F. Corbridge, a former mission president. He speaks to missionaries as to how they can be the best missionary the Lord wants them to be. The main idea he is trying to get across, that will you help you change your mission, yourself, and your life, is to give up your will, what you want, and to take in the Lord's will. He says...

"Just give up. Surrender your will to Him. Unconditionally. Withhold nothing. Turn it all over to Him; all of your desires, wishes, dreams and hopes. Be true and faithful in your head and in your heart, not just in your behavior. Trust in Him. Trust Him who knows all things. Trust Him who has all power. Trust Him whose love for you is perfect. Trust Him, who alone suffered, paid and atoned for you sins, and for your weaknesses as well. Trust Him that He will make of you, immeasurably more, than what you will ever, ever in all eternity, make of yourself. He will create of you a masterpiece. You will create of you only a smudge. You will create an ordinary man. He will create a God. "

This doesn't only apply to missionaries, it applies to everyone. We are so much greater when we make Jesus Christ a part of our lives. At times we may seem like nothing, but through Him we can be everything! It is because of Jesus Christ, that, even though we are weak, we can be strong (Ether 12:27).

We can and will change, for the better, through our Savior. He loves us, and He wants us to become more like Him, and to do so we need to change. As the weather continues to warm up, and life continues to bloom, let's remember to continue to strive for the blooming life that we can have. I love spring and I love missionary work!

Thanks for reading. Until next time...

Yep, Another Dog Story

Sister Weir again. And yes, you read the title correctly. This is another dog story. We were visiting a lady yesterday, and she has a cute pug. Her name is Sophie (the dog, not the woman). Sophie was really excited to see us, and she was jumping up and down, like a child on Christmas morning. I don't know if all pugs are like this, but she breathes heavily, and sometimes even snorts out snot. She was sitting on my companion's lap, and basically sneezed all over her. We were laughing hard about it, but at the same time, it was slightly gross. As I was trying to see how I can relate this to the gospel, I thought of how easy it is to spread germs when you sneeze. And then I thought how illnesses that are contagious are catched through sneezing and coughing. And then finally, I related to how knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ is contagious.

Once you feel the happiness that comes from knowing and living the gospel, you just can't help but want to share it. You want everyone to experience the peace and joy that you feel in being a part of it. And then when you "spread" it and your fellow brothers and sisters "catch" it, they can feel of the happiness it brings to their lives as well. Then, they want to share it. See, it's contagious.

Alma baptizing at the waters of Mormon

In the Book of Mormon, a great man named Alma, is preaching the gospel to the people in the land of Mormon. He's teaching them about the gospel of Jesus Christ. And he basically asks them if they are willing to bear one another's burdens, to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things and in all places, to keep God's commandments. Because that is what you are covenanting, or promising God as you are baptized. God promises us that we can have the Spirit. And this is what the people did and said after Alma has told them this..."And now when the people had heard these words, they clapped their hands for joy, and exclaimed: This is the desire of our hearts!" (Mosiah 18:7-11). I added the exclamation point at the end of that verse, because they were excited to be baptized. They were thrilled to be able to stand as a witness of God.

The gospel is exciting. It does bring joy, and it is the way to true eternal happiness. We can share it. We need to share it. Because God is our Heavenly Father, we are all brothers and sisters, and family is important. We want our family to be happy.

I know that Heavenly Father lives and He loves us and He wants us to be happy. Every single one of us.

Thanks for reading. Until next time...

Learning to Become a Disciple of Christ

I am Sister Weir's companion, Sister Rathgeber.  She suggested I do a guest blog since I am not currently doing one myself.  This morning, I was reflecting on how missionary work has the power to change and transform people into better disciples of Christ.  One is forced to rely wholly upon the Lord in all he or she does.  This truly is God's work.  There is one of my favorite scriptures in the Book of Mormon where it quotes from the book of Alma in Chapter 26 verse 12: "Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God for in his strengh I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land for which we will praise his name forever."  It is a miracle to realize that everything in the world is about Him, Jesus Christ, the one who sacrificed Himself for us. 

I think of where I was over a year ago living back in New York and deciding go to serve a mission to share the message that God still speaks to us today, he loves us, he has restored the priesthood authority of God through the prophet Joseph Smith.  The primitive church of Christ is back and is being led by a prophet, Thomas S. Monson, receiving revelation from God to lead and guide the world.  It is humbling to think he allows me and 52,000 other missionaries around the world to be an instrument in His great hands.  It is exciting to teach people about the correct priesthood authority being on the earth, to allow them to learn about and follow the example of Jesus Christ, and watch them be baptized.

My great goal when I decided to serve a mission was to have perfect faith as prophets of old, and and to have His will be my will.  There is a talk by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf in the April 2009 General Conference "The Way of the Disciple", it quotes, "The first step on the path of dscipleship begins in the exact place where we stand!  We do not have to prequalify to take that first step.  It doesn't matter if we are rich or poor.  There is no requirement to be educated, eloquent, or intellectual.  We do not have to be perfect or well-spoken or even well-mannered.   You and I can walk in the path of discipleship today.  Let us be humble; let us pray to our Father in Heaven will all our heart and express our desire to draw close to him and learn of Him." The greatest part not just in missionary work, but in life, is that we can always look to Jesus Christ, in times of happiness and sadness.  He always hears and answers prayers.  Becoming a disciple of Christ is a continual and eternal process, it is only through Him, that weaknesses will become strengths.

Sister Rathgeber

Courage

I started reading the Book of Mormon again. One of the first stories we read is about a man named Nephi and his family. His father Lehi, was commanded to leave Jerusalem and travel into the wilderness so they could cross the ocean and reach the promised land. Lehi obeyed, but two of his sons, Laman and Lemuel (Nephi's older brothers), were somewhat rebellious. They still followed their father, and did as they were asked though. After the family had left Jerusalem, Nephi and his brothers were told to go back and to get the plates, or ancient scriptures, from the wicked king Laban. King Laban was as most kings were, intimidating. They tried several times to get these plates, but nothing worked, and Nephi and his brothers were afraid. But not giving up, and wanting to fulfill what the Lord had commanded, Nephi went back to get those plates while his brothers waited outside. And even though it wasn't easy, the Lord provided a way for Nephi to accomplish the thing that he was commanded. (1 Nephi 1-4).

This is one of my favorite stories (I should say experiences) in the Book of Mormon (there's even a children's song based off of the experience). It can be easily applied to everyone. Keeping the commandments may seem hard and restrictive, but God will not give us a commandment that we can't keep. God is our loving Heavenly Father, He wants us to be happy, and the way to that is by keeping the commandments. No  matter how hard they may seem in the beginning, they are given to us to strengthen and motivate us to DO good and to BE good. Heavenly Father lives, He loves you and He wants you to be happy. I know this to be true.

Thanks for reading. Until next time...