the miracle of coming to church

Every day, I invite people to come to church. It may seem like a repetive, mindless habit. But in reality, church is an enriching, miraculous experience every week. It truly is a MIRACLE that we have the opportunity to go to church every week.

In Moroni 6, we are taught that we should go to church to be "nurtured by the good word of God." Which may sound boring, but it's not. Going to church is like free food for the soul - a limitless buffet of knowledge and enlightenment. Meetings are not meant to put us to sleep. Meetings are opportunities to be personally instructed and guided by the spirit. If we come to church prepared, God will give us guidance, knowledge, and answers to all of our questions. We can find answers to our deepest questions, worries, and fears  by simply attending a meeting.

We also have the opportunity to renew our baptismal covenants that we made with our Heavenly Father. Every week we make mistakes. But no matter how big or small the mistake, we can become clean again by partaking of the sacrament. We can start each week with a perfectly clean slate. If that's not a miracle, I don't know what is.

So I, once again, invite one and all, to come partake of the spiritual buffet, come find answers to your questions, come start the week with a clean slate. come and experience a miracle.

the choice is yours

This world is overwhelmed with choices. Recycle or trash? Text or phone call? Books or movies? Work or school? The list goes on. God has also given us agency to choose our reactions to our every day lives. We have the freedom to choose courage or fear, pride or humility, optimism or pessimism, and greed or gratitude. But my companion, Hermana Anderson, has taught me the most important decision that we must make every day  - choose faith. Sometimes we just have to choose once, in the morning. But sometimes, faith is a choice we have to make every hour or even every minute.

Elder Edgley said this:
" Because of the conflicts and challenges we face in today's world, I wish to suggest a single choice - a choice of peace and protection and a choice that is appropriate for all. That choice is faith. Be aware that faith is not a free gift given without thought, desire, or effort. It does not come as the dew falls from heaven.... So I say, choose faith. Choose faith over doubt, choose faith over fear, choose faith over the unknown and the unseen, and choose faith over pessimism."

Choose not only to believe that Christ lives, but that his atonement is real. Choose to believe that through Him we can truly overcome fear, pride, pessimisim, greed or whatever hardship may befall us. Choose to believe that you can find solace in the merciful arms of the Savior. I promise as you choose faith in Jesus Christ, you will be filled with power to overcome weakness, illness, temptation, and "you shall overcome the world." (D&C 63:47) and find everlasting happiness.

i love to laugh

"And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh so that all that hear will laugh with me." - Genesis 21:6
(The footnote fo this scripture replaces the word "laugh" with the word "rejoice.")

Laughter is evidence that your body doesn't have room enough to hold the joy and happiness inside you. The happiness simply has no where to go, but out. It bursts forth in whatever form (see the lyrics to Mary Poppins' I love to laugh) and is generally a true, uninhibited expression of feeling.

My loving Heavenly Father has overwhelmed me with blessings - my family, friends, the Book of Mormon, and most importantly a way to live with Him again. The truth and light of this world is our Savior, Jesus Christ. He is the way, the only way. It is through Him that we can live with our Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and our families forever. The only way. And God has blessed me with this knowledge and a testimony that this is true. This knowledge, fills me with an inexplicable joy that simply has no where to go, but out. That is why I'm a missionary. As a missionary for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have the opportunity to laugh (rejoice) every day so that all who hear will laugh (rejoice) with me. The purpose of this blog is to share the joy that is found through  the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

"Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will priase our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much fo his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel." - Alma 26:16