November 2009

Between Colfax and Pullman, WA both of my front tires
popped. Having only one spare tire, I had to do this with my other
front tire. It held enough pressure to keep me from driving on my rim.
I limped at 10 mph to the Pullman. After 45 minutes of limping, I
pulled up to Les Schwabb. The manager, seeing my predicament, quoted
me an exorbitant price. I stepped away and called up the other two
tire stores that offered 40% less than les Schwabb. I asked the
manager if he could match their price and, looking again at my duct
tape tire, said they couldn't. I walked back to my car and started to
drive off to the other store. The manager then jogged up to my car,
tapped on my window and agreed to match their price. Now I carry black
duct tape in my car.

Faith to serve (or beat the aliens)

Today I had the opportunity to share some of my thoughts on faith and experiences from my mission in sacrament meeting at church. I shared a similar talk three times before in congregations near my home. Maybe next time I get asked to talk I should write a new talk instead of recycling an old one. However, I like sharing this.

Returned home from unique mission

• Served 8 months in Slovenia/Croatia
• 14 months in Referral Center Mission

As the first principle of the Gospel. Faith is a principle of power. It gives power to enable all the other principles. How powerful is faith?

• Apostle Paul gives us example“Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.” Hebrews 11:33-34
  
• With faith the Lord can help us beat the oncoming alien onslaught (pause for laughter)

Become independent...

• If we can take care of ourselves, we leave ourselves more open to receive revelation
• Have independent personal testimony
• Know the scriptures and read the Book of Mormon

D&C 84:85- "Neither take ye thought beforehand what ye shall say; but treasure up in your minds continually the words of life, and it shall be given you in the very hour that portion that shall be meted unto every man."

• Eggs served at MTC are the same as at Scout Camp- If you can survive scout camp, you can survive a mission.

To gain faith in the Lord we need to serve him:

For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart? Mosiah 5:13

I gained experience with this on a mission. When walking through a thick, depressing fog with a
Zone Leader, I was asked, "how do you stay so optimistic when the weather and our lack of success are so depressing." I quoted Buckaroo Bonzai, rocket-scientist, brain surgeon, rock-star comic book hero from the cheesy 80s movie my dad would make me wath, the Adventures of Buckaroo Bonzai across the eighth dimension, "No matter where you go, there you are [in the lord's service]."

I broke my foot in slovenia, walking 15-25 miles daily, and how Elder Nelson, a podiatrists son saved my foot from further injury. I shared how I was going to be sent home, and the reassurance that I received after reading D&C 50: 40-42]

40 Behold, ye are little children and ye cannot bear all things now; ye must grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth.41 Fear not, little children, for you are mine, and I have overcome the world, and you are of them that my Father hath given me;42 And none of them that my Father hath given me shall be lost.

Trust in Lord provided means to finish my mission.

I was transferred to the Referral Center where I could continue serving online. I had to accept the assignment on blind faith, not knowing what to expect until I arrived there.

Missionary work is being performed through Mormon.org chat, Facebook, Skype, Instant Messenger. Most lessons were typed rather than spoken.

[Joke about asking to have a projector set up and type out my talk rather than delivering it verbally.]

Can you feel the spirit over chat?

Can you feel the Spirit when you read scriptures, Ensigns, conference talks and other inspired printed communications?

The Referral Center Mission has the highest number of baptisms per missionary bringing gospel to all the world. This is fulfillment of the command to “Go ye unto all the world and preach the gospel unto every creature.” Mark 16:15

All who seek full happiness can find it in the gospel of Jesus Christ, taught in His Church. Through Christ’s doctrine, we are taught that we can be part of the great plan of happiness that He has prepared for all of us, His sons and daughters. As we keep His commandments, we are blessed and come to know true happiness. We learn that happiness lies in doing small things that build up, that increase our faith and testimony. - Elder Claudio Costa

Jaz vem da Jezus Kristus je naš Odrešenik in da On

My Testimony at Home

Since I'm no longer serving over the internet as a missionary full-time, it's been some time since I've been prompted to share my testimony online. When one of the new members of the church I helped sent me a request on Facebook to use the LDS App, I leaped on the reminder it was to share my testimony.

While I was a full-time missionary in the Referral Center, I calculated one afternoon that I shared testimony online over the internet or phone an average of every three minutes during the day. Fast Sunday is a perfect day to share my testimony, which is as follows:

I know that Jesus Christ is our Lord, Savior, Redeemer, and

perfect Example. Only through following him can we become like him and return to live with our Father in heaven. Jesus Christ overcame death and sin through his birth into mortality, his perfect life, suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the

I know that he has blessed us with this life as an opportunity to build our abilities to become like Him and have true joy. He's given us our families as a great tool to help us do this. Family relationships provide the best environment to practice following Jesus Christ's example. It is my family who taught me to consider "what would Jesus do?"

I know that the Book of Mormon contains Christ's ancient directions for us, as does the Holy Bible.

I know that he has again chosen prophets and apostles, like he did in the Bible, to direct us towards him. Those prophets and apostles give inspired direction and modern scripture in our times, such as is in the Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price, and Official Declarations. God's words never cease.

I know this because I have done my best to serve Christ, and hope through his enabling grace to be able to do better each day. I'm glad for the help and invitation of those around me to follow Christ and hope to offer my help to them.

I offer this testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

May Be Gone, But Still Wet...

I decided to keep this blog going after returning home from my mission as a way to share some of my spiritual experiences.  I loved blogging as a missionary and I'd like to keep it up now.  Soon I may start a blog for the other aspects of my life or I will do it all on this blog.  You'll be seeing some changes to this blog soon, since I'm not an official missionary anymore.
This morning I went to the temple to do baptisms for the dead for an hour or so with my girlfriend Janell.  I just returned home from serving a mission, so I didn't have an opportunity to do that, or spend time with her in over two years.  As I sat waiting for them to invite us over to the baptistry, where baptisms for the dead take place in the temple, I studied 1 Corinthians 15.  The chapter is focused on the resurrection of Jesus Christ and how through him everyone will rise from the dead.
My grandma passed away while I was away on a mission, and coming home, I did start to miss her a little bit more again.  I know that she'll rise again though, and that is one of the reasons the Gospel is such "good news."  On my mission, I chatted online with many people who stopped living the Gospel because a family member had passed away.  Aren't those situations what the Gospel is for?   Why would anyone choose the moment they need it so much to give up on it?  The Apostle Paul shared the same idea.  "For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: and if Christ be not raised, your faith is in vain; ye are yet in your sins." [1 Cor 15:16-17]
Sometimes on my mission, I wondered why Christ would have us do work like baptisms for the dead.  I've known the answer for quite some time, but it's nice to be reminded of that.  In doing ordinances for our deceased relatives, we are reminded of them and that we will get them back and be together again.  This acts as one of the ways that Christ's Church "turns the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to the fathers."

More Than a Comic

This comic gives the primary steps from the Book of Mormon in Moroni 10:3-4 which explain what God expects us to do before he will give us an answer whether the Book of Mormon is true.  To apply this challenge, which I know for myself works, order a free copy of the Book of Mormon.
Made this comic on MakeBeliefsComix.com

Hiking Trip!!!

Getting close to the end of my mission and my foot, while not what it used to be hasn't been bothering me too much.  I went for a short (really short) hiking trip with Elder Ahlstrom and Elder Fallentine up Rock Canyon behind the Provo Temple this afternoon.  It was pouring rain all morning, and stopped as soon as we got out there.  As soon as our ride to take us back arrived, it began pouring rain again.  Got one good hour of sunshine that we'll see today.

5 Great Things About the Mormon Church!

"If you could tell me 5 reasons to consider this convert to Mormon, what would they be?"

A great lady I was teaching on Facebook yesterday asked me this question.  It was the best question I've been asked in the last week.  Thrilled to answer, I gave the following items

1. Makes it so your family can be sealed in the temple to be together for ever.
2. You get extra guidance from the Holy Ghost to give you warnings and directions when you're lost.
3. Guidance from Christ through modern prophets to help you make sure you're living so you can have the holy ghost, and also be warned of worldwide problems.
4. Richer understanding of why Christ's sacrifice is so important and how it Adam's fall help us become like our Father in heaven.
5. Having a church family to support and help your own family.

She topped my answers by giving me a good one of her own.

"I love that this religion believes babies are born pure and if they passed before baptism, they would still enter heaven."

If you were asked for five reasons to become a Mormon and be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, what would they be?  What should mine be?  Don't be afraid to comment if you've only got one idea or a question about mine.

Miracles, How Do They Work?

Magic show I put on

"A miracle is not something that violates the laws of nature, but rather its the excercise of higher laws which we don't understand to achieve a desired aim."

 -James E Talmage

Somehow, many make the assumption that believing in miracles excludes belief in the value of science and objective study.  If anything, my belief in miracles through God's power drives me to take science more seriously.

Testify of Christ: Second Session

As shared in my last post, the primary purpose of modern prophets and apostles is to testify of Christ and stand as witnesses of him and his resurrection.  This morning I studied my notes from the April 2011 LDS General Conference and gathered up what was shared about Christ as these prophets and apostles filled this role.

Testify of Christ

Over the last weekend was the 181st annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  As is typical for any General Conference, the messages focused on our Savior Jesus Christ.  Every speaker related his or her topic to Christ and finished with a testimony of him, his divinity, his resurrection from the dead, or his sacrifice for us.  This fulfilled their special calling from God to act as a special witness of Jesus Christ, "...for the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy." [Revelation 19:10]

I'm spending this morning reviewing my notes from the first session of conference shown above.  The first thing I'd like to do before I can read the transcript is search through my notes for some of the things that were taught about Jesus Christ, especially things that were new to me.

3 Ways to Know What's True

When teaching Jesus Christ's gospel as a missionary, I soon get the question "how do you know if it's true."  I've come to expect this question and know so well what it can lead to, that I'm rather disappointed if it doesn't come up on it's own.  I've found that these are the three basic things that everyone should be doing to start finding the truth about God's plan and his relationship to us.

3 Ways to know spiritual truth

• Study the doctrine in the Holy Bible and Book of Mormon, as well as the words of modern prophets.
• Live the commandments, to see how they improve and bless your life. John 7:17
• Pray in faith and ask God in the name of Christ, if the message is true. James 1:5-6

What's happened as you've tried these three things?  Can you think of anything else that has helped you to confirm the truth about God's plan for us?

So much to do, so few missionaries to do it.

What examples can you share of where a small group accomplished a great deal with the Lord's help?

Great Blog Badges

This morning after studying in Ezra which was a great example of how important temples should be to us.  The Book of Ezra in the Old Testament accounts how the Jews returned to their homeland to rebuild the temple to the Lord that had previously been destroyed.

And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house of God with joy, [Ezra 6:16]

In response, I felt like displaying how important the temple is to me and my family in some way on my blog to celebrate a bit.  I admit, going there myself and walking the grounds or serving inside is a better way to show my gratitude for the temple, but I won't be able to go to see the temple at least until Sunday afternoon.  I looked online for a picture of one of my favorite temples and found a great blog with a ton of temple blog badges ready made to put on a blog.  I know it's called "One Cute Blog Blinkies" and that a lot of the badges are just too cutesy for me, but I still found some that were sufficiently manly.  :D
The Washington DC temple has always stood out to me as one of the most beautiful.  I chose it to show on my blog today, and also found a great badge with a quote by President Gordon B Hinckley about books.  See if there's a badge you'd like, especially about the temple.

Doctrine and Covenants 1:37-38

Can anyone guess which language this is?  (Don't cheat and use something like Google Translate)
Here it is in English:

Search these commandments, for they are true and faithful, and the prophecies and promises which are in them shall all be fulfilled.
What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same. [D&C 1:37-38]

It's a great scripture that I sent to a gentleman and a Saint in Slovenia, who chose despite great opposition from family and friends to follow the voice of the prophets and be baptized into Christ's reestablished Church.

The Best We'll Take

God is our Loving Father in heaven.  In his timing, God plans to give us all that we will accept.

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? [Matt 7:7-11]

He has the very best gifts in store for us, and invites us to seek them out so that we will appreciate them when we find them or he presents them to us.  Many have this view that he plans to condemn all but a select few.  The revelations to the prophet Joseph Smith deny this view:

And they who remain shall also be quickened; nevertheless, they shall return again to their own place, to enjoy that which they are willing to receive, because they were not willing to enjoy that which they might have received. For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift. [D&C 88:32-33]

God is our Loving Father in heaven and if we are condemned it is because we'd knowingly reject the gift he offers us and stop our own progress.

Christ's Church

Many people today try to argue that Jesus Christ did not establish a church and was merely a great philosopher.  As I help individuals on Mormon.org chat learn about the Lord's reestablished church, it then is often called into question whether he established a church to begin with.
First of all, we learn from the word Christ's apostles chose to use when they translated Christ's teachings to find out something about Christ's Church.  I've learned that in the New Testament, they described it with the word ekklesia.  According to Strong's Bible Concordance, the word ekklesia, means "a calling out, i.e. (concretely) a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation (Jewish synagogue, or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both):--assembly, church."
It is apparent from this definition, that ekklesia or church in the New Testament was the congregation, assembly or community itself, rather than an administration or building.  That community is lead by Christ [Eph 1:22] and he set up and organized leaders over it:

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; [Eph 4:11-14]

As stated in those verses, those leaders and the organization are there to help us become perfect.  It's a place to teach others [1 Cor 14:19] and care for the needy [1 Tim 5:16].  As long as we are imperfect and struggle with our weaknesses we will still need that organization Christ established to help us through it.
The Church of Christ, guided by his prophets and apostles, properly answers inquiries about the doctrine in a lawful assembly (Acts 19:39), or General Conference as we call it today. It offers strength and support to families and individuals.
Throughout the New Testament, and in his church today, there are many examples that the church is not exactly what many imagine the word church to mean.  Christ's church is a well-organized body of his followers.  I've been in places where the reestablished church was just a few Saints worshiping together in a home or office building.  Despite the circumstances, there was authority, and modern directions passed down from Jesus Christ through his modern Apostles, for administering his sacrament and uplifting one another.

God's Purpose Statement

Wrote this out by hand for a new member of the Church.  This is her favorite scripture, Moses 1:39.

Don't Deserve This

I finish volunteering as a full-time missionary in only a few months.  I've had mixed thoughts about this, between how glad I'll be to be spending more time with family again, and the loss it will be for awhile, not to experience serving the Lord so much and seeing quite so many miracles.  The train of thought continued until I was thinking over some of the miracles I've seen on my mission. 
I've watched people transform their lives, overcoming addictions when they felt hopelessly lost, set their lives straight after making choices which they feared would always haunt them, and repair relationships they thought they'd destroyed.  In each of these the light of Jesus Christ was clearly present and pushing people to make those changes.  I've even changed a great deal myself and become much more patient with other people and our Father in heaven.



At times in my mission, I really needed a miracle and the Lord came through for me, even though I doubt I deserved help in such a grand manner as the Lord chose.  Thinking about what my life will be like after my mission, I feel especially blessed.  It seems the Lord has been tweaking things on my behalf as I've been serving him.  Looking at some of the things that he has done for me, I know I don't possibly deserve all of it.  Today I was reading a verse in the Book of Mormon, which felt like King Benjamin was speaking to me:

And secondly, he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast? [Mosiah 2:24]

I know that our Father in heaven has many more blessings he wants to give all of us.  We certainly don't deserve all of them, but as a loving Father he desires to offer them to us if we will only keep his commandments.  In the long run he desires to offer us immortality and eternal life like he has.  That's certainly not something we can earn on our own merits.

How to Investigate a Religion

How to Investigate a Religion

In high school, I had a lot of friends who belong to other Christian churches.  If they'd move away from their current church, they'd run into the need to decide which church to go to.  Each friend had a different process for what they do to figure out what church to make their own in their new neighborhood. I found some were really insightful in their methods, even if I didn't agree with their conclusion.  Others were in desperate need of guidance.

Until this morning, I didn't know about MormonYouth.org.  It's a really great site for learning how our religion applies to and helps teenagers in the Church.  A lot of it strongly applies to young single adults or anyone that wants to learn about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
I found a great blog post about how to investigate a religion.  They point out a challenge that you'd run into no matter what church you want to investigate:

Today, we have more sources for information than ever before. You can put a religion’s name into the search engines and come up with millions of links that promise to tell you everything about that religion. The library will have many books on most religions. People you know will have information. The problem is that the information in all these sources will conflict. How are you supposed to get at the truth?

I was really impressed with what a fair approach it gives, whether you're particularly looking to investigate becoming a Mormon or joining another church (which backs up the site's sub-title "For All Youth, Mormon or Not").  Thus, even if someone isn't particularly looking into becoming a Mormon, but wants to learn about another church, those principles should likewise be applied to that church.

The Purpose of Life - Made Simple (A Must See!)

I've served as an Mormon missionary online for nearly a year.  In that time, I've learned that having something to show makes a big difference when you've got a message to show.  I love the videos produced on the Mormons Made Simple site.  They are often the perfect thing to share with someone who has questions about our church, or isn't sure what to expect when they visit.
Recently, they launched a video that everyone should certainly find interest in, "The Purpose of Life."
Our unique understanding of the purpose of life is something that sets Mormons apart.  The answer to life, the universe, and everything is a great deal more fascinating than "42."
So sit down with a snack, be prepared to take a note or two, and enjoy the show!



This is a great clip to share with a friend.  If you have questions about this plan, and I hope you will, feel free to chat with a Mormon missionary.  Ask away.  :-D

Everybirdie Welcome

 "Come unto me, all ye that labour 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." Matthew 11:28-30

 "For none of these iniquities come of the Lord; for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile." 2 Nephi 26:33

A Good Monk

On my mission, I've begun to think of missionaries as a fair bit like monks. Missionaries are somewhat sheltered from the distractions of the world to focus on serving God and their fellowmen.

It made me laugh that my mom saw that connection as well and sent me this.  Replacing monk with missionary was really a riot, though seriously, it's not like you might think.

A Good Monk…

• Will not think too much of his own comfort
• Will not be tempted by rich food
• Will not make noise in the cloister
• Will not argue with brother monks
• Will not be disorderly in church
• Will not be careless
• Will not disregard senior monks
• Will not become lazy as an old monk
• Will not want his own way
• Will not think of the world outside

Audia's Baptism

Not long ago, Audia shared her testimony on this blog before she was baptized.  This last weekend, Audia was baptized after several months of preparation.  I asked her for her testimony again to share on this blog.

It's been a couple of days since I was baptized, and I've felt incredible and amazing.  Everyone at church has been so happy for me that I made a great choice.  When I got baptized, it was a dream come true.  That dream was finding a church that liked me and I liked them.  I have no trouble at all with paying attention and focusing like my other church.  I had trouble with that every  day. I look forward to church eagerly.  I really enjoy it so much I'm not leaving. I found where I belong.  

Audia and Elder Kump dressed up for the baptism.

Since I've been going, I can't stop smiling.  I am so amazed on how much I've changed.   Whenever I leave, I leave knowing things I never knew before, and I love it.  There is no way, no how, that I'm leaving this church now that I'm a member.  I'm glad I did that research and gave it a chance. I thought I would have to go from church-to-church looking for the one but not in this case.  It feels good knowing I have true friends that I love, and they love me and care about me. I've never felt so loved.  I never realized I have so many friends, and I hope these feelings I've experienced never end.

For I am thy God.

Elder Meza asked me write this out for him last week.   For those who don't speak Spanish:

Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art myservant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.

 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I amthy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Isaiah 41:9-10

A Persistent Promise

Throughout history, many have rejected the wonderful blessings that come from striving to do as the Lord asks.  Within the Book of Mormon, the Lord continually invites us to keep his commandments for a variety of reasons.

Alma 50: 20  Blessed art thou and thy children; and they shall be blessed, inasmuch as they shall keep my commandments they shall prosper in the land. But remember, inasmuch as they will not keep my commandments they shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord.

This phrase "inasmuch as they shall keep my commandments they shall [insert blessing here]" occurs more than a dozen times in the Book of Mormon.  [See the others I've found] Of course, these aren't the only times or ways that the Book of Mormon, or scripture in general challenges us to keep commandments.  This is just one of the ways that the Lord ties in the commandments with blessings attached.

"There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated."  [D&C 130:20-21]

Brother Bott, one of my advisors when I was training to be a missionary, liked to illustrate this by saying "In other words, pick up one end of the stick and the other one inescapably follows." and that for every blessing you may want, you have to pick up the stick with the blessing you want at the end of it.  I see these as one of the forms in which this principle that when you keep commandments there are blessings is illustrated.
How have you seen this principle in action in your lives?

A Day at the Museum

Yesterday, wanting to get out for a bit, I went a natural history museum with Elder Schultz.  Within the tiny museum, we saw a wide variety of the life on this planet.  Before going on a mission, I was a biology student and I love studying different life sciences.  When I go back to school next year, I plan to continue studying biological engineering.  (Won't stop sharing the gospel if I have any say about it.)  Studying and seeing all the animals reminds me of the great gift this world is and our responsibility to take good care of it. 

Lots and lots of animals!

If you were starting to wonder for a moment, yes, this is my shout out for conservation.  The Lord created this Earth just for us.  It's a gift as a place we can learn and develop our character.

Behold, the Lord hath created the earth that it should be inhabited; and he hath created his children that they should possess it. [1 Nephi 17:36]

A Liger?  I honestly didn't know those were real.

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.  [Genesis 1:26]

Tracting Shoes

"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!" [Isaiah 52:7]

I have to admit I was rather shocked when I saw this Mormonad poster the other day.  It combines a scripture that is very dear to me, as you might have already seen, and a pair of shoes that looks very much like the shoes that I once wore while tracting (going around inviting people to learn about Christ's restored church).  Mine are certainly much more worn in (or out).  Traveling by foot and stopping to share the good news with those you meet on the street for two years is certainly a way to become more familiar with the Master's recorded ministry.  Maybe these worn-out shoes are a reflection of the shape of my feet; however, it's certainly worth it.

Elder Moxley's Shoes August 22, 2009

  

That He Lives!

It's interesting to see that what Joseph Smith thought this was most important for everyone to know  out of all the facts about Jesus Christ.  Everything else that is important about Jesus Christ stems from his victory over death.  If he had no victory over death, he'd have little power over sin.  Had he no victory, he could not have been our Savior.  However, he does still live.  His directions to living prophets and the reestablishment of his Church are an evidence of that, and they hinge on the reality of it.

Missionary Media Gets More Attention

Alongside this blog I also manage a group blog which focuses on the videos we've made in our mission or that we use as we share Jesus Christ's gospel.  I started the Missionary Media blog when we needed a place to gather together all the great resources we'd found and made.  This morning, one of the missionaries I serve with, Elder LeeMaster, found a feature about Missionary Media on Mormon Times.

And did you know that there is a new community blog that features 20 current contributing missionaries? Wow! [...] I’d love to see more blogs that utilize missionaries in this collaborative and creative way!

 I'm glad for the help this brings in sharing the blog and the reminder to continue sharing these great videos.

Segullah: One in Thine Hand?

I love the New Testament, especially the four accounts of Christ's life by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
The Book of Mormon is certainly the Keystone of our religion, and especially important to us as "Mormons."  However, I don't believe this detracts from the New Testament or the Old Testament. I found a great post on the blog, Segullah, with a discussion I enjoyed reading about the relationship between the Book of Mormon and the Bible, especially the New Testament:

We celebrate having “two sticks” become one in our hands, right? The Church added the label “another witness of Christ” to the front of the Book of Mormon; wasn’t the Bible the first witness? Aren’t the Bible and the Book of Mormon a team – two witnesses that clarify what have been points of contention for centuries before the Restoration? 

 I hope you'll check it out and let me know what you glean from it that particularly helps you understand the relationship between this diamond and pearl.

Unity in Testimony - Christ's Doctrine

I made this chart as a visual aid to follow what Christ said in 3 Nephi 11:32.  

  Tell me about what you see going on it it.

And this is my doctrine, and it is the doctrine which the Father hath given unto me; and I bear record of the Father, and the Father beareth record of me, and the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and I bear record that the Father commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent and believe in me.

[3 Nephi 11:32]

Sticks of Joseph and Judah

Many prophecies and events in the scriptures describe not only an immediate event or application, but also an important event in God's plans, which will apply to far distant future generations.

Latter-day Saints, or Mormons, understand Ezekiel 37:15-20 to be one of those with multiple meanings.

Returned with Honor

Over the weekend, in a rather hectic trip over to the post office to ship a package, I ran into a return missionary who baptized one of the great guys that I taught as an online missionary when I had barely started out back in March 2010. In fact, Jon, to whom he helped me extend the opportunity to be baptized in Jesus Christ's name, also gained answers about our purpose in life, that only come from Jesus Christ's gospel.

Part of online missionary work is that we rely so much on the missionaries who are there in person.  Learning about the gospel on the internet is a wonderful opportunity thanks to the technology that we have today.  However, it only does so much compared to face-to-face contact.  Missionaries like Elder Kirkpatrick and his companions brought a face to the gospel for Jon.   Along with myself, they shared our purpose and how to have the joy that comes from following Jesus Christ and his servants he's sent to guide us today.
Whether you're ready to meet representative of Jesus Christ face-to-face, or would like to learn a bit first, we can help.

We Learn By Doing

I love this quote which my mother sent me.  I've been carrying it around in my jacket pocket for months and felt like sharing it today.  This quote from the prophet Spencer W Kimball is so important to me because it ties in three of my favorite scriptures with my purpose as a missionary and with the service I will render in  Christ's Church my whole life. 

Helaman 5:12

Recipe for Faith

Since returning to the Missionary Training Center where I volunteer online, I haven't had the same opportunity/need to cook for myself as I did when I was in Slovenia, or as a college student.  I really enjoy cooking my own meals, and when I was in Slovenia, I'd especially enjoy cooking crepes on Sunday mornings.   Crepes are a French version of pancakes which was popular in Slovenia as well. Since my mother sent me farm fresh eggs from home, I've had a chance to make myself crepes here, and plan to make crepes again Sunday afternoon this week.  I make crepes using a recipe that my mother used my entire life which is as follows:

Recipe for Crepes

4 eggs

2 cups milk

2 cups flour

Pat of butter

Beat eggs, milk, and flower in a bowl until smooth.  Set stove to medium-low heat.  Melt butter on a frying pan and then pour about a cup of batter.  Flip when the top is no longer drippy and remove when both sides are golden brown. Top with fruit or yogurt.

As a missionaries, we study the scriptures for two hours every day after breakfast.  I must caution you that studying the scriptures right after enjoying some delicious crepes produces some interesting results such as the following:

Recipe for Faith [Hebrews 11:1]

Start with Belief (acceptance it could be true)  

 [Hebrews 11:6; Alma 32:18,26]

Mix with Hope (desire for it to be true)

 [Romans 8:24-25; Ether 12:4,32]

Show forth Works (act on what you want to see)

 [James 2:17-20; 1 Thes 1:3; Alma 37:46]

Obtain Confirmation* (evidence it is true)

 [Ether 12:6; Moroni 7:37]

*If you don't see confirmation or results, you need to check that you followed the recipe properly, putting appropriate, sincere effort in or that your ingredients were pure, meaning that you started building faith from a true principle.  Another possible complication may be that you don't know how to identify the product or that additional baking time is needed.

These principles work whether trying to find out the nature of God, finding out if something is from God, applying the scientific method, or trying to find out whether you friend's experience is what its cracked up to be.

The White House... of the Lord

After being closed for several weeks because of the holidays, the temple reopened this week.  On Thursday mornings I volunteer with my mission in the temple to help make the temple a reverent place where people there can worship.  We assist people through a ceremony that outlines for them God's plan for our happiness and the means by which we can return to him.  Today we were able to do that again, and I loved it so much that we're probably visiting again tomorrow morning.



With the Christmas season well over now, it's wonderful to have the temple as a reminder of Christ to keep the Christmas spirit going.  I really do feel close to God in His temple.  I wonder, if it feels that good to visit the temple after it was closed for several weeks, it must be so much more of a difference between a world where there was no temple to our God after the temple in Jerusalem and now when God has enabled His people to build a temple again.