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]