Plagiarism Is My Friend

(FYI:I've copied and pasted this from lds.org)

In keeping with the long-established pattern of the Lord, several key events had to occur for His Church to be restored:

The first occurred in 1820, when, through the First Vision, the heavens were opened and Joseph Smith learned the true nature of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, and received instruction from Them.

Second was the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, providing a second witness of the divinity of Jesus Christ and confirming that Joseph Smith was a prophet.

Finally, the restoration of the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthood provided the authority to administer the ordinances necessary for salvation.

“We declare to the world that the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth.”

—Elder L. Tom Perry

Am I crazy, or just stupid?

I'm a little bit of both! But that's an entirely different topic. If you asked me five years ago if I thought that Joseph Smith was a Prophet, I would have told you he was false. I fought against the church that he established bitterly, and would have no part in it. Today, I declare that Joseph Smith is indeed a Prophet of God. Through him, Christ restored His church, and the complete availability of His Gospel to the Earth. What changed my mind? The Book of Mormon.

He's Short. He's Brown. He's Wicked Sweet! He's........ My Dad!

I have the coolest Dad in the world. I have to admit it. He's pretty swell. He was born in the Kingdom of Tonga and moved to the United States during High School. That's just one of the cool things about him. My Dad is the humblest person I know. He is incredible! He's not one to brag about his accomplishments, so I will...

 He began his career in law enforcement as a prison guard at the Utah State Prison. His abilities and talents helped him move up in the ranks quickly and was a member of the K-9 unit. He spent several years on the special weapons and tactics (S.W.A.T.) team as well. Much of his career has been spent as part of various task force's and units in the Salt Lake area. He even did a stint for a certain federal agency. He is now a probation officer and sitting behind a desk (in an office which is half the size of my moms. Haha, had to throw that in there. They work at the same place.)

This is just a few of  the cool things that he has been a part of, but there's much more to my Pops. Boy does he know how to cook. Best chop suey ever. He is so buff! The man has mammoth calf muscles that put mine to shame. He is the greatest example of repentance, forgiveness, love, charity, and patience that I know (besides my Mom of course). There is no one in this world that loves his children, and especially his grandchildren more than my Dad.

He has been patient with me throughout my life, and has continually shared his testimony of the restored Gospel. He watched me struggle and pushed me along in life, and would continually be a support to me, regardless of the choices I made. He was there for me in my lowest of lows. He never gave up on me. He now rejoices that I have a testimony of the Restored Gospel and that I am serving a mission to share the things I know to be true.

Heavenly Father has really blessed me. He gave me a Dad here on this earth that would do many of the same things that He himself would do if He were here. Just like my mortal father, my Heavenly Father has been patient with me. He watches me struggle, and pushes me along. He is my constant support. He is here for me in my lowest of lows, and He rejoices with me in my highest of highs. I know that He lives and that He loves me. He loves you too. I pray that I can be like my Dad, who is so much like my Heavenly Father. Happy Father's day!

Here's a little more

Love one another, even the smelly guy at the computer lab

The Heavens have blessed us all. Isn't it marvelous?

So, I've been here in marvelous Missoula for a couple three days now, and I have to tell ya, it's a great place to serve. The city is nestled snugly right up against beautiful green laden mountains with a river running through it (as you can see above). The streets are crazy with Subaru's zooming by in every direction. All the streets are laced with big leafy trees that just put a smile on my face. There are hippies everywhere, and we all know that I love hippies. What more could a guy ask for?

Well, right now, I could ask for a different computer at the library. One thing about some of these hippies is an adverse reaction to cleanliness. The stench that is wafting through the air is a bit icky. In fact, it stings the nostrils. But you know what? I still love the guy. I would give him a big ol' hug right now if it wasn't so weird. I would tell him that Jesus is his friend and that He loves him too (which is sometimes pretty weird to people too). Christ didn't care about people's money, intelligence, how many friends they had, or even if they smelled noxious. He loved everyone and has commanded each of us to love our brothers and sis' all around us. Really, if you look at it closely, He loves me, so He has to love everyone. Right? So get out there and be kind, and remember to love everyone around you. Wait! Real quick, would you rather be trapped in a room--- with three hippies for a week, or me for a week?

Confuzzled & Don't Know What To Do? Well.......

What do I do?

Where do I run?

Why am I fearful?

Is this the one?

Why would He lead me here?

Where do I turn?

What is the truth,

For which I yearn?

Who has the answer?

He, only one.

But can I trust Him?

Follow His Son?

 He will answer.

He does care.

How can I know it?

One simple prayer.



 

"And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.''-Moroni 10:4-5

My Mom is cooler than your Mom!

Mom with her youngest grandchild

"The holiest words my tongue can frame,

The noblest thoughts my soul can claim,

Unworthy are to praise the name

More precious than all other.

An infant, when her love first came,

A man, I find it still the same,

Reverently I breathe her name,

The blessed name of mother"
By George Griffith Fether

Don't try and compare, it just doesn't work out. We could argue about this all the day long. My Mom is the best. That's a fact. How do I know this to be true? How have I come to this conclusion? I could tell you but it's science so you wouldn't understand. Haha! OK, OK. I'm just kidding. I know there are a lot of great Mothers out there. My life has been greatly influenced not only by my own Mother but myriads of others. To all you wonderful women I say Grazie mille! But to my beautiful Mother, what can I say? Words cannot express the love I have for her. I look at her and see a woman who has had so much opposition in her life, yet she has continued to push forward and overcome. What is my Mom to me? She is diligence. She is love. She is patience. She is charity. She is kindness. She is so funny. She is goodness. She is all that and so much more. I love you Mom. Thank you for it all. Thank you for holding my hand leading me to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank you for being patient with me as I put you through hell before (and probably still after) I received my testimony that the Restoration is true. I miss our car rides with good vibes and talking about life. Tomorrow I get to skype home, and it's going to be great to see and talk to you. I love ya Mom! Your the best!

What's wrong Mr. Grumpy Gill's???

Life is difficult sometimes. It's just the way it is. We face tough times and the way gets a little rough. I know that I have experienced some very hard times in my life and that my attitude is what usually made the difference. This is especially true about the mission. We face extremely challenging circumstances as missionaries. If we are not careful, we can easily become discouraged. That's why it is absocritical that we make sure we have a positive attitude and just keep working hard. If we can learn to keep a smile on our face and find joy amidst our trials, discouragement, one of Satan's greatest tools, will have no power over us. I think Dory from "Finding Nemo" says it best.

When life gets you down, don't be like Mr. Grumpy Gill's and complain. Just keep swimming along. Keep moving forward and the Lord will give us strength. We can find that strength in the hope of Jesus Christ and His atonement. Not only did He atone for our sins (see 1 John 2:2), but He took upon Himself all of our weaknesses and infirmities (see Alma 7:11-12). Because of that, we can rely on Him for all our support. What do we need to do to qualify for that help? We need to just keep swimming. We need to keep moving forward. If we mess up, we need to acknowledge our misstep and start over. It can be especially discouraging when we continually succumb to the same sins over and over again. Christ is going to forgive us as many times as we are willing to repent. Brother Brad Wilcox  stated in his book The Continuous Atonement "Would Christ who commanded us to 'continue to minister' to the afflicted (3 Nephi 18:32) if he were not willing to continually minister to us in our afflictions?" He will step in and help us get control of our lives as soon as we are willing to let Him. It may take us a while to realize it, but He will start to help us immediately. He will do it over and over again until we learn and grow and overcome through His grace.

I know that as we do what we can on a consistent basis, we will overcome every trial, temptation, sin, weakness, and every other thing we are here on this Earth to conquer. We just have to keep on swimming and find joy in the journey by trusting in the Lord and His promises. If our attitude is one of optimism, persistence, and hope, then we will have a happy and peace filled life no matter what we are facing.

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