The Reason Why

Have you ever felt strongly about something that you know has changed your life??  Whether it be the a speech, a speaker, a book, a soap opera, an acne cream, or whatever that something may be, you want to share it with everyone that will lend you an open ear. Thousands of people share their stories over the media to uplift and help others live better lives and have courage to stand for what is right. That is exactly how I feel about the message that we share as missionaries. This message has changed and sculpted my life in such a way that I know this can and will help anyone who applies it in their life. Henry David Thorough once said," Grief can take care of itself, but to have a fullness of joy there must be somebody to divide it with."

Harry Potter's Real Identity

Back in the day when Harry Potter was the cool thing to read, and not just to watch, I read just about all the books I could get my hands on. As I look back now, each new Harry Potter book had a reoccuring theme. Harry goes to school, gets in trouble, finds out more about himself, and has to overcome great evil.

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Our lives are not much different. We come to this earth, get in trouble, we find out more about ourselves, and we can overcome great evils. Like Harry Potter, we each have our own evils to overcome. This life is all about learning how to overcome that opposition. Will we shrink when the battle turns our way? Or will we turn and face live's challenges? Everyday we make one of those 2 decisions.

Sometimes we want and look for a middle ground. We look for a way that we can have one foot on the one side, and our other foot on the other. Well I'm sorry to say that there is none. The natural of this earthly conflict is such that there can be no neutrals, just as Harry had to choose for himself which side to take. "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."

My first semester in College, I was invited to go with a couple of buddies of mine and go to the local dance. We were at my buddies dorm, when right before we could leave, one of the other guys we were with pulled out a Vodka bottle. He took a long swig and then offered some to me. I motioned that I would pass. He then looked at me weird and said,"Well I definitely can't dance sober, and I'll never meet anyone special if I can't dance!". I told him that I was sorry that he felt that way, and that if he truly needed alcohol to make him feel good about himself, then he had no game to start out with. We went to the Dance, and soon after entering I left. I knew as soon as I walked in there that I should have never went. As I rode home alone that night I knew I hadn't made any new friends, nor did I look cool to all those we went to the dance with me, but I knew that I had fought the good fight.

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Choosing to stand up for the right things will never win us popularity, nor worldly recognition. But I know that when we decide to serve god with all our hearts, we can find true happiness. We also find our true identity, just like Harry Potter did. I know that we are children of God! There is no greater knowledge that a man can obtain. 

"Lord I'm Grateful"

My family is the greatest gift that God has given me. They are my best friends. In the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe that the family can be together forever.

There have been several times on my mission that while walking around I have talked with great people who love their families dearly. I ask them,"Do you want to live with your family forever?". Most of them say yes, and my follow up question is "So do the words "until death do you part" scare you? Don't you want your family for more than just until death?". A lot of the time this catches these people off guard. Most people haven't ever thought of those 5 words in that way before. But today it is my goal to explain why this concept of eternal families is so important and true to me.

Almost a year ago now, my mom announced to the family that she was pregnant. It was a big shock to me, but I was stoked. When I read my mom's email explaining to me that she was pregnant I had the feeling rush over me like I already knew my soon to be sibling. With time we found out that the baby would be a boy. Several months went by and every week I would get an update about how my little brother was doing. Everything seemed to be going great, then one day his little heart stopped beating. There was nothing we or the Doctors could do. My kid brother was still born a day or so later.

When I first heard that my brother didn't make it to this life, I was at first devastated. Like I said before I felt as if I already knew him. But as I prayed for help and understanding, I will never forget the peace that came over me. I then remember thinking, "thank the lord for his temples!!".

For those of you who are not of our faith or don't know much about it, the temple is a sacred place where a man and woman can be sealed by the power of God for time and all eternity. In the temple we do not make a contract solly until death do us part iwth our spouse, but for time and all eternity. The same Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven that was given to Peter in Matthew 16:19, have now been restored upon the earth through the prophet Joseph Smith.

I am grateful that my parents where sealed, or married, in the temple. Because of this I know, that even if I didn't have the opportunity to develope a close relationship with my little brother here, I WILL be able to in the life to come. How grateful I am to the lord for that knowledge! I know that my family is an eternal one.