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.

New Year, New Desk, New Roommate, New Friend to Teach With...

Elder Callahan and myself

After working with Elder Meza for several months, I've just been transferred to serve with Elder Zayne Callahan.  I'm excited to teach alongside him.  Since we volunteer within a particularly small mission, we already know each other fairly well.  Elder Callahan was an orphan in China, and has a rather unusual story, which you should check out on his blog.  Of course it's not good-bye for good to Elder Meza.  As an online missionary, I just switch room-mates and teaching companions, and move over to another desk as well.  I spent most of yesterday unpacking at my new desk and in my new room.  It's great to have a reminder like that to start off the new year right.

First chance or last chance.

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or Mormon Church we have the opportunity to express our feelings, faith, and convictions at an open mike during services of the first Sunday of each month.  This is part of what we call Fast Sunday.  For years while growing up in the Church, I've watched members line up behind the pulpit to share their feelings about Christ's Gospel, Church, scriptures, their family and so forth.  The line is usually the longest for the first Sunday in December.  There's nothing particularly wrong with shooting for one last chance to offer a testimony to uplift and strengthen the congregation.  In fact, I find it wonderful that many value that last chance to stand up and express their feelings to fellow followers, many of whom just might need that extra encouragement to continue enduring to the end with faith in Christ.
There are some who line up because they haven't taken the chance to share their testimony yet during the year even outside of testimony meetings.  Much more is that there are some who miss even that last chance because they feel they do not want to push the meeting on too long.  Our convictions about our faith are something that we should be sharing with friends, family, and acquaintances openly throughout the year, and not even wait until we have an open pulpit at church, especially not the last chance at an open pulpit.

To me the first chance to offer to my testimony during the year is much more valuable.  Worry that my testimony hadn't been offered to my ward or congregation that year is easily avoided by offering it the first of the year.  I didn't wait until Fast Sunday to offer it either.  Of course it was easy to be prepared to offer my testimony yesterday, because I volunteer full time as a missionary.  However, you don't have to be a missionary to make a chance to share your testimony with someone.
Of course you don't need to be a member of the church to go up to the pulpit on the first Sunday of the month after it has been opened to the congregation by the Bishop.  Visitors are welcome in our Sunday meetings and that welcome includes the invitation to come up and share feelings about faith and the Savior.
To find one of our churches near you, visit maps.lds.org.  If you're unsure what you might offer in your testimony, feel free to chat with a missionary on Mormon.org.