I Testify!

I recently have been talking to someone that has questioned the truthfulness of The Book of Mormon. The book that I testify of all day long. Everyday. It didn't bother me. It is important for each person to gain a testimony for themselves. It is kinda difficult just to believe that the Book of Mormon is true. But the amazing thing about the Book of Mormon is you don't have to rely on anyone else for a testimony that it is true. 

You can read and pray about it for yourself. There is a promise that if you do this sincerely you will know that it is true. I have read and re-read the Book of Mormon, I have prayed about it and I know with all my heart that this book is true. That it is the word of God. I know that it is another testament of Jesus Christ. This Book is such a wonderful blessing in my life. It makes a difference each day I read it. It helps me to have the spirit with me. It helps me to remember what is really important in life. 

Get a free copy of The Book of Mormon to find out for yourself it is true. 

65 years

My grandparents have been married 65 years today! What a great example they are to me and the rest of their posterity. I am grateful for the time I have been able to spend with them and observe the love they have for each other. My grandpa would refer to my grandma as Queen, because he knows she will one day become a queen.
My mom wrote and told me how my grandpa was sick and had to spend some time in the hospital and rehabilitation center. She would tell me how my grandma would spend as much time there as she could, sleeping there many nights.
I love my grandparents so much. I am so grateful that they were sealed in the temple 65 years ago. Because of that they are able to be together for this life and all eternity.

It was through Joseph Smith that the God of heaven revealed the truth that the family may endure beyond the grave-- that they sympathies, affections, and love for each other may exist forever.
We qualify for these blessings when we go with a companion to the house of the Lord and receive the sealing ordinaces that bind the family unit beyond the grave. These blessings are received in no other way, for as the Lord has decreed, 'Except ye abide my law ye cannot attain to this glory' (D&C 132:21), which glory is an eternal increase (see D&C 132:19).
-Ezra Taft Benson

Lying

The other day one of my friends posted this:

"What do you do when your kid lies, point, blank, to your face, TWICE in one conversation? I'm truly at a loss to come up with a logical consequence."

This made me think about the importance of honesty and telling the truth. I came across this story its directed to kids because it was my friends little girl that lied but it is important for each of us to tell the truth no matter how hard it may be.

Rain Boots and Mudy Water 

by Darlene Young

Based on a true story

Josie loved her new rain boots. They were bright pink, and when she walked they said squinch, squinch. She especially liked to jump into puddles because they made a big splash all over the sidewalk.
Josie’s sister Lucy didn’t like Josie’s boots quite so much. “Stop splashing me, Josie!” she said as they walked home from school. Lucy was two years older, and she had forgotten how much fun it was to splash.
Josie wanted Lucy to have fun too. “You try it, Lucy,” she said. “See how big I can splash?” And Josie stomped extra hard into the nearest puddle. The water splashed all over them. Josie was glad she had her raincoat on.
“Josie!” Lucy yelled. Lucy was not wearing a raincoat. She was very wet. And very angry. “Look what you did! This is my new jacket! Why do you always act like such a baby!”
Lucy was no fun. Why was she always so grumpy? It served her right that she got all wet. She was silly to wear her new jacket today when she should have worn her raincoat. Suddenly, Josie was angry at Lucy.
Josie ran ahead to the next big puddle and waited by it until her sister caught up to her. Then she jumped into the puddle as hard as she could.
“Josie!” This time Lucy was really, really wet.
Josie ran the rest of the way home and went right to her bedroom. A few minutes later, Mom knocked on the door and came in.
“Josie?” she said. “Lucy says you splashed muddy water all over her new clothes on purpose. Do you want to tell me about it?”
There was a hard, cold lump in Josie’s tummy. She didn’t want to tell Mom what had happened. “I didn’t do it on purpose,” Josie said, but she didn’t look at Mom. The lump in her tummy was getting bigger.
“Are you sure?” Mom asked. “Because I don’t think Lucy would lie about this.”
“Well, she must be lying,” Josie said. But her voice was a little shaky.
Mom was quiet for a few minutes. Then she said, “Well, even if it was an accident, you should apologize. Lucy’s new jacket is very dirty now, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to get it clean. She’s sad about that.”
Josie kept her head down, picking at the little knots on her quilt. “OK, Mom,” she said.
Mom left Josie alone in her room.
Josie wandered around her room feeling yucky inside. Her new boots were in a corner, still wet. She tried to look at a book but she couldn’t keep her eyes on the pictures. She got out her paper dolls, but they weren’t any fun.
The yucky feeling inside was getting worse.
Finally, Josie sat down on her bed and cried. She knew she had told a lie. She knew she shouldn’t have splashed Lucy. She had been naughty and she felt terrible about it. But how could she fix things now?
Just then, Mom knocked on the door again. “Josie?”
“Come in,” Josie said.
“Josie, I can see you are very sad.”
“Oh, Mom,” Josie sobbed. “I did splash Lucy on purpose. I did it because I was mad. But I shouldn’t have. And I shouldn’t have lied. I’m sorry, Mom.”
Mom held Josie tight and patted her back. “You must feel pretty terrible right now,” she said.
Josie nodded. She felt muddy inside, like Lucy’s jacket.
“I know a way to make that awful feeling go away. And you do too. In fact, you’ve already started by telling me what happened. Now what should you do?”
“But, Mom, I don’t want to talk to Lucy.”
“You don’t want that yucky feeling to be with you forever, do you?”
“Maybe she’ll forget about it,” Josie said.
“She might, but I don’t think you will,” Mom said. “If you don’t repent of the things you do wrong, they stay inside you, and they change you into a different kind of person than you want to be. But if you take care of them as soon as you can, they don’t stay with you. They disappear so that you can be your real self.”
Josie thought about it. She didn’t want to become a mean person. Even though she had been mean to her sister, she could erase that and be her better self. That sounded pretty good, but it didn’t sound easy.
“But it’s hard,” she said.
“You’re right,” Mom agreed. “Admitting you did something wrong and asking for forgiveness is one of the hardest things you’ll ever do. But I know you can do it, Josie. It’s worth it.” Then Mom went out.
Josie looked at her poster of My Gospel Standards. It said: “I will choose the right. I know I can repent when I make a mistake.” She knew she had to talk to Lucy. She knelt to ask Heavenly Father for both forgiveness and courage.
Lucy was in the kitchen eating popcorn.
“Lucy?”
“Yes.” Lucy didn’t even look at Josie. This was going to be even harder than Josie had thought.
“Lucy, I’m sorry I splashed your new jacket.”
Lucy didn’t say anything. She just looked down.
Josie took a deep breath. “I’m going to help Mom clean it. And I’m sorry that I told Mom I didn’t do it on purpose. I told her a lie. Will you forgive me?”
Lucy sat still for a few seconds. Then she took a deep breath and looked at Josie. “Yes, I’ll forgive you.”
All at once the yucky, heavy feeling in Josie’s tummy went away. She felt as clean as her new rain boots had been. She felt hungry too. “Can I have some popcorn?” she asked.
“Sure, Sis,” Lucy said. She smiled as she handed Josie the bowl.

The Scriptures are my Friends

Nephi, Moroni, Noah, Abish, Moses, Jonah and many others are my friends. I have never met them but I am able to connect with them as I read the scriptures. As I read their accounts I am able to receive strength for my life. Elder Scott said, "Learning, pondering, searching, and memorizing scriptures is like a filling a filing cabinet with friends, values, and truths that can be called upon anytime, anywhere in the world." How great that is! Our friends aren't always able to be with us. But our scripture friends can be. I love the scriptures. I had never thought of them as friends until Elder Scott gave this talk. But I am now grateful that I am able to look to them as friends. I cherish the words they speak to me.

Read the scriptures. Memorize scriptures and make new friendships yourself!

In the Bible and the Book of Mormon there are many friendships to make. If you don't have a copy of either book click here.
Bible or Book of Morom

Friend of Christ

I  was reflecting being a friend of Jesus Christ when I came across this story:

I was sitting on the curb of a dirt road on the edge of a town somewhere in the middle of Argentina. I was a missionary, and this was my first area. My companion was doing an interview, and rather than waste my time I figured I would sit down and study the missionary discussions. Just as I opened the fifth discussion, I noticed a little boy running playfully across the street as though he was being chased. What was he running from? I wondered. What could be so terrible? Then I spotted the dreaded assailant coming at him from behind. It was a girl. He must have been considering the dreadful things that might happen if she ever caught up with him. Just in time, the boy saw me. Surely she wouldn’t dare follow him to an American in a suit. He was right. Pretty soon it was just me, an empty street, and a 10-year-old boy hiding behind my coat. Suddenly we were in the middle of a gospel discussion as he snatched the fifth discussion out of my hands and read the title. “Living a Christlike Life,” he said. I’m not sure what he said after that, but I gathered that his question was something like, “Who are you guys, anyway?” I tried to give him a shallow explanation of what missionaries do, only to be humbled by his profound response. In an attempt to summarize everything I had said, he replied, “¿Ustedes son amigos de Jesucristo?”—“You are friends of Jesus Christ?” “Yes,” I answered as he ran off to play, unaware of the effect he had had on me.I couldn’t get his voice out of my head. “¿Ustedes son amigos de Jesucristo?” There was something about the way he said it in Spanish. Did he mean it as a mere statement of fact or as an actual question? Am I a friend of Jesus Christ? I thought. What is a friend of Jesus Christ? A friend to Christ? A friend like Christ?

"Are you His Friend?" Michael Griffith

 In my life I try to be His friend. President Eyring said, "We become His Friends as we serve others for Him." We can be a friend to those around us. We need to follow His example in our lives. As we do so we can be His friend. Which friendship will bring so much joy!

Friends- The Posse

I have been blessed with great friends! I am so grateful that my friends also have a testimony of Jesus Christ. "Living the gospel and being true to gospel principles is the key to true, lasting, triumphant friendship." -Elder Holland 

The summer before I left for my mission I was living at home. Many of my friends lived other places or were busy with their lives. I needed friends. I went to church; as I attended the YSA  ward (young single adult congregation) I was able to make friends. There were 5 of us that spent a lot of time together. Someone named us the posse. So that is what we became known by. We enjoyed ourselves so much. We were creative in the activities we did, we would build each other up and we would laugh. I am so grateful for those friends that summer. They were such a blessing to me. 

"Everyone needs good and true friends. They will be a great strength and blessing to you. To have good friends, be a good friend. Show genuine interest in others; smile and let them know you care about them." -For the Strength of Youth

Click here to learn more about friends

A Life

The other night we went over to a families home. The mom showed us a paper that was all crumpled up, she told us she was about to throw it away when she read it. It was written by her 10 year old girl. I loved it and wanted to share. I hope you enjoy it. 

It is so important to choose to be happy. "[men and women] are free to choose liberty and eternal life, 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 miserable like unto himself." 2 Nephi 2:27