"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.

Elder Gerrit W. Gong: 'Temple Mirrors Of Eternity' @ The 180th October L...

"Forgive and Forget"

Growing up we have all heard the well known saying, "Forgive and Forget". I know I heard it quite frequently, but this last couple of days have given me a new perspective on the meaning of this phrase.

Yesterday, Elder Abbott and I were talking about dumb things we used to do in High school. We made each other laugh as we talked about the different pranks we used to play on friends and classmates. We joked about how naive we were and about how funny those things were to us at the time. After exchanging several stories the car got silent as we both reflected on what we used to be. Then Elder Abbott broke the silence by saying something to the effect of... I don't want to think any more about what I used to be and do.

His comment gave me a minute to reflect on a scripture talking about the sacrifice of the Savior Jesus Christ. A Book of Mormon prophet explains:"Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me."(Alma 7:13)

You see the beautiful part of the Atonement(or the sacrifice) Jesus Christ is that it can blot out  our mistakes and sins. It is like a perfect white out, the stain left on us is removed as if it was never there. The Savior blots out the stain that we allow him to remove. I know that the Savior not only forgives us, but forgets what we have done.

Now this does not mean that he forgets you..... oh no..... oh contrar monfer(don't ask me what that means, but my dad used to say it a lot). He remembers you all the more because you are written on the palms of his hands. You are and can NEVER be forgotten.

One last scripture and I'm out. "And now, beloved, marvel not that I tell you these things; for why not speak of the atonement of Christ, and attain to a perfect knowledge of him..?"(Jacob 4:12) Why not talk of Christ? Why not talk of the blood that was spilt on our behalf? His is the message that I share and there is no greater message. I testify that he lives!

Our True Identity

I love this video because it helps me remember who I am. We are all children of God. It doesn't matter what our names are, what color we are, or where we come from. In the eyes of the Lord we are all his children.

This scripture shows to demonstrates to me the love of our Father in Heaven:"Or what man is there of you, who, if his son ask bread, will give him a stone?
Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" (3 Ne 14:9-11)

I know he knows each one of us as if we were his only child.

Would you have got on?

Several Months ago I was serving in Vallejo and my companion and I were working with the Rojas Family. I love this family alot. At the time, this family was trying to get through the recent death of their wonderful mother. One day, My companion and I got talking with the daughters about the importance of a living prophet on the earth today. We explained that God still talks to his children through his prophets even today. Desaree, then asked me a question that I have thought about many times since then. She asked me," If you would have lived in the times of Noah, Would you have got on the Ark?"



The people of Noah could not understand why it was so important that they should get on the ark. They couldn't see what was coming in the future. They thought it was ridiculous that they would have to get on an ark and wait for rain. They might have said, "It's the dessert, there will never be such rain." "This man is crazy, how could he know such things?"  And even if they realized the mistake they made when the rain began to fall, by then it was too late.

Even though Noah lived thousands of years ago, his story is still relivant today. I know that God has called a living prophet on the earth today. He continues to reveal his will to us through these men. And although the world might say that "it doesn't matter if we drink a little" or "I can stop smoking anytime I want" or " Everyone is doing it", we have to ask ourselves this question: "Would we have got on the Ark?  Am I willing to board the ark now?". We might not be able to understand all the reasons why we have to get on that ark, but if we are willing to follow the words of a prophet and do it anyways we will be blessed. The lord will not explain the reason for everything he asks us to do before he will require us to act. He must be willing to take a leap of faith. "Every man eventually is backed up to the wall of faith, and there he must make his stand."

Desaree and her family chose to get on the ark, 

Will You?

"Choose you this day whom ye will serve...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

Today we had the opportunity to visit a woman named Janet Simonds, who lives in a convalescent home. Janet was diagnosed with Cancer and it has spread to many different places in her body. Janet Simonds is in her 80s and because of her age and her health the doctors cannot do surgery. The Doctors plan is to help her stay as comfortable as possible as she slowly slips from this life to the next.

As we walked into ther room, I noticed that she was skinnier than the last time we had seen her. As we sat at her bedside, we read to her from the Book of Mormon about the peace that Jesus Christ can bring into our lives. We testified to her of the sacrifice of the Father's only begotten Son for her. After bearing our testimonies, we sat quietly next to her. For several minutes we sat in silence as Janet relaxed in her bed. After a while, we prayed with her and left. There was more said in that time of silence than we could have ever said if we would have had several hours to talk with her. The spirit filled the air that we didn't.

I'm grateful  for the power of the Holy Ghost. With out him, our message cannot be taught. This video is great, check it out.

Voice-of-the-Spirit

"Come and See"

Something on my mind today comes from a scripture that has become one of my favorites as a missionary.

44 Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom ^aMoses in the law, and the prophets, did ^bwrite, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.

As Philip went to Nathaneal to invtie him to see what he had seen and experience what he had experienced, Nathanael asked Philip," Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?". Philip's amswer was simple, but profound. "Come and See".

Nathanael doubted that anything good could from a city such as Nazareth. It seems to me that he had heard of Jesus before, but had never experienced Christ himself. But Nathanael was willing. And when he came, and when he saw, he knew that this Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah, the Holy one of Israel, the Son of God.

In 1820, a Young farm boy walked into a grove a trees with the purpose of finding the answer to the question of his soul. The young boy prayed, and as an answer to his humble prayer, God the Father and the Son appeared to him. They spoke with him "face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend"(Exodus 33:11). Through this young boy, Joseph Smith, the Lord Jesus Christ would later restore his true church upon the earth. How grateful I am for the answer to this simple prayer!

My invitation to the world is the same as Philips. Put aside, for a moment what you have heard about this young boy and about his story. Put aside, for a moment, the things that you have heard about this Jesus of Nazareth. Put aside your doubts and your fears, and come, Come and See!

I know for myself that Jesus Christ is my Savior and that Joseph Smith was his prophet. I know this message is true because I have read the Book of Mormon, and prayed to my father in heaven to see if it was true. I received my answer, and you can recieve yours. The promise is unto all. Read and find out for yourself.

"...and unto those who do not belong to the church I speak by way of invitation, saying: Come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye also may be partakers of the fruit of the ^atree of life."