Lessons Learned from Jenny Oaks Baker

Yes, I am a day late.

~BUT NOT A DOLLAR SHORT!

So on Sunday I was able to meet Jenny Oaks Baker for the Second time.  With Alex Sharpe!

Both are absolutely amazing and great people!

Now I've had a total of TWO Conversations with Jenny Oaks Baker and the first went something like this;

I pushed through the crowd asking for a picture(the one directly above), she agreed, posed, and the picture was taken.  Afterwards, she took a look at my name tag and said, 

"That's a very musical name."  I knew she was making a reference to my last name: Horowitz.  

I opened my mouth preparing to make some sort of witty response but another person pushed through asking for a picture.  I was already pressed for time, and she was occupied so I chalked it up to being famous, with a mental shrug of my shoulders, I wished her a good evening and got on my way!

The second went like this;

There was less of a crowd this time and my companion, Elder Elliott wanted a picture, I thought, 'why not? what's one more picture?'

This time she noticed my name tag first, and unbeknownst to her, she said the same thing again,

"That's a very musical name." Internally I thought, 

'Here we go again... I wonder how many pictures she has people ask her for on a daily basis?'

Now ready for the rush that would happen after the picture was taken, I had already prepared my response,

"I get that a lot."  I said with a smile, my quick thinking, my wit, all summed up those five words. Perfectly suave in all aspects.  She gave a wry smile,

"I bet you do."

~~

Looking back on this gave me the opportunity to think about names.

Names help us identify things.  We use them to describe things, people, actions.  She may not have remembered me, but she recognized my name.  She, with her 10+ years of musical study, knew the name Horowitz and stated what she had associated with it.

For me right now, I'm on a mission, that entails me spreading the gospel pretty much 24/7.  We are at this time, representatives of Jesus Christ and should act as such.  It's stated perfectly in 'My Mission Commission'

I am called of God.  My authority is above that of kings of the earth.  By revelation I have been selected as a personal representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is my master and He has chosen me to represent Him--to stand in His place, to say and do what He Himself would say and do if He personally were ministering to the very people to whom He has sent me.  My voice is His voice, and my acts are His acts; my doctrine is His doctrine.  My Commission is to do what He wants done; To say what He wants said; to be a living modern witness in word and in deed of the divinity of his great and marvelous Latter-day work.
How great is my calling!

We each do our best and though were not perfect.  We know what we're aiming for!

T

There's nothing stressful about Jesus Christ

So as I started writing this blog post, I started writing about the stress that comes with being a missionary... but now I realize as I've finished my blog post, that it's more about how I have found peace from the scriptures.
If you are living a busy life like me, you are probably experiencing some sort of stress.
If you are a child of God (trust me on this, you are), then you can find peace in Jesus Christ.

What helps me is knowing that we are not alone.  Jesus promised his disciples,

 "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you."   

When I read that in my personal study, He is speaking to me and I feel my Savior's love.
St John 14:18   ...John 14:26-27 are also good.  Those verses talk about the Holy Ghost, which is how I feel my Savior's love often times.  :)

For some, stress might come and go while for others, it might be pretty consistent, but in this journey of life, it's pretty hard to miss the pit-stops of stress.

As a missionary, I experience stress.  Stress makes me tired, upset, worried, confused, anxious, and depressed.  Usually not all at once.  That would be bad.  My companion would have to call the mission president.

Sometimes it comes from what others say to me.

• I want to talk to people about the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Some people don't want to listen, others do want to listen, and then there are those who want to tell me what I'm doing is wrong, that I'm too young to be doing it, or I'm in the wrong community.  

• Sometimes my leaders say things to me that give me stress.  Sometimes that stress is needed for me to grow.  I can recognize that.  Usually we don't recognize it right away when they say the thing that makes us stressed.  When a leader says "You're not doing this right," or "You should be doing this instead of this," it is tough for me to handle in the moment.  Occasionally I can handle it then, especially if it is said with love, but usually understanding and growth comes from after I am cut down.

Sometimes it comes from what I do or do not. (as Yoda says).

• As a missionary, THERE'S SO MUCH TO DO AND KEEP TRACK OF!  It blows my mind how organized everything has to be.  Keeping up with the workload and assignments is tough sometimes, but I remember that it's the Lord's work, and it's not about me, and I keep going.

• I am somewhat of a worry-wart.  I am constantly forgetting where I put things I need, and I am constantly asking myself "Am I doing all I can to serve the Lord effectively?" Improvement doesn't come all at once and does not come without some sort of stress.  Improvement takes humility.

• I rely on the Lord to know what to say and ask to each person.  Each one of Heavenly Father's children are unique and their needs are different, but I know that whatever their needs may be, the Savior and His teachings will help everyone.

This is a scripture from the Book of Mormon that helps me understand that stress isn't a new concept in missionary work.
Alma was doing missionary work

27 Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success.

The next verse reminds me that I have it good.

29 And we have entered into their houses and taught them, and we have taught them in their streets; yea, and we have taught them upon their hills; and we have also entered into their temples and their synagogues and taught them; and we have been cast out, and mocked, and spit upon, and smote upon our cheeks; and we have been stoned, and taken and bound with strong cords, and cast into prison; and through the power and wisdom of God we have been delivered again.

I suppose these missionaries experienced more stress than I am having.  I am grateful for the stress I am going through.  I know there is a cause for it all.

30 And we have suffered all manner of afflictions, and all this, that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul; and we supposed that our joy would be full if perhaps we could be the means of saving some.

This is why I'm out here.  I really don't care what I have to go through.  It probably won't be as much as Alma, but if there's even just one.  One person.  One person I can help realize how he or she can return to live with God again... that would make me so happy.  Just one.
Doctrine and Covenants 18:15-16

I LOVE THE BOOK OF MORMON!  I am sharing my testimony of the Book of Mormon with as many people as I can, even if it might get a bit stressful. "Read this I pray thee" (Isaiah 29:12)
 

I am grateful that my trials are not as challenging as Alma's or as Jesus' or many other prophets and missionaries of old.  Whenever I get stressed out, I think, "Well, I haven't been cast into prison for preaching the gospel yet like these guys have in the Book of Mormon."

I don't know what you have gone through in your life, what you are going through, or what trials lie ahead for you, but I know someone who does.

Jesus Christ was there for us, He is there for us, and He will always be there for us. He knows what we're going through, WHATEVER it may be.

 11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

 12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.

Alma 7:11-12 says that he DOES know all that we go through in this life individually so that he might know how to comfort us, and so that he could pay the price we could never pay for our sins.

He yearns to help us with his arms outstretched.  I love this scripture in Alma chapter 5 
 33 Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto all men, for the arms of mercy are extended towards them, and he saith: Repent, and I will receive you.
Peace and rest come with accepting the Savior's invitation.
side effects may include being cast out, mocked, spit upon, smitten upon your cheeks, stoned, taken and bound, and cast into prison... nah just kidding! :)  ...but seriously... through the power and wisdom of God, you will be delivered from all side effects and stress.

I leave you with this last scripture that might trump all the other scriptures about easing stress.

St Matthew 11:28-30

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

I know that's truth.

Thank you for reading my blog post.  Merry Christmas! :)

Diplomatic Epiphany

Due to some really bad weather, poor scheduling, and good 'ol fashioned procrastination, the post for this week was delayed.  So we are getting things back together!

Yes, I should've used flash...

 

The Show must go on~

Last week our district was asked to direct traffic at a diplomatic function.  For me, it was an excellent opportunity to both help out AND go to the Washington D.C. Visitors' Center. (an absolutely wonderful place)

 

So we suited up in the parking gear (lightsabers included), headed out into the chill air and got to work!

I was put in the North-West edge of the Parking lot, with a beautiful view of the Temple.  (See parking diagram below)

It gave me a lot of time to think(one of my favorite pastimes) as I was directing people to where they could park.  Specifically, I thought about prophets.

You may think, "why in the world would he be thinking about old men who talk about the world ending!?" (Maybe...)

That's not the point of a prophet. 

A prophet is put on the Earth so he can help lead and guide us.  He invites us to follow the commandments so that we can live life to the fullest.  This experience helped me understand that on a whole different level!

You see, I was put on the edge of the parking lot to guide people to better parking.  I would wave my 'lightsaber', beckoning people to follow where I was pointing, so they wouldn't have to guess or wonder if there was any parking available.

Some didn't listen.

 They would go ahead and park.  Some wandered aimlessly looking for a spot, eventually either following me, stopping and asking me where parking was available.  I would think to myself 'please, come on!'  or 'there's better parking if you'd just follow me!'

It was actually kind of sad.  The parking right in front of the Visitors' Center didn't get completely filled up until about twenty minutes before the Function ended.  Yet, the other parts of the parking lot were completely full.

People saw an empty space and went for it.  Perhaps they didn't see me or maybe they thought I might direct them to a less desirable spot, I don't know.

Just like the Prophets(sort of), I was leading people to a better place.  I was trying to tell them of a better way.  But some didn't listen, thinking, maybe, they knew more or that they had the right idea.  It may not have occurred to them that my whole purpose was to direct them to a better spot.

It may've been frustrating, but I did gain something;

A new vantage on the purpose of the Prophet.

Dano's Dinosaur: A Christmas Story

The Story of Dano's Dinosaur has been in my family since before I was born... because it happened to my parents before I was born.  It makes me cry almost every time I read it.  Merry Christmas everyone!

Dano’s Dinosaur

Trevor and I had been married almost a year, and we lived in a run down apartment building in South Orem, both students. The church had asked us to be Primary teachers of the seven year olds. These kids were beautiful, smart, good hearted, fun loving, clean, well dressed, loving, sweet little children and we adored them all. We had a set of identical twin girls, 2 boys and 3 other girls. 

As I prepared to give them our Christmas lesson, I worried and thought about what I could give them for a gift. We didn’t have any money to buy them anything, but I had everything I needed to make them each a sock puppet kit. In a paper bag I assembled a colored sock, used but in good shape, yarn, buttons, and instructions. I stapled the bags up, added a bow and name tag, and brought them to our Primary Class, aware that it was a very modest gift. I hoped the children might enjoy making the puppet anyway. As they filed in, I noticed we were missing one of the children, who had gone visiting out of town for the holiday.

Then in walked Dano. He had a long mop of wavy, light brown hair, and was dressed surprisingly. His jeans had holes in the knees, and his converse sneakers had a hole in one of the toes. It was WINTER. There was snow outside! Brrr, I thought. Everyone was introduced to Dano, and we settled down for our lesson. I loved observing the children with Dano, who didn’t seem to notice what he was wearing, or judge him in any way. They just accepted him. I watched with interest as he eyed the sad little "presents" I had invented. 

After the lesson and prayer, I passed out the presents as the children left one by one. Dano waited patiently as I rearranged to have his name on the tag. 

As I gave him the small brown sack, his reaction was something I will never forget! "Oh, thank you so, so much! I didn’t think I was going to get anything at ALL for Christmas! Thank you!" He wrapped his arms around my waist, and gave me a spontaneous hug. Then he stepped back and did something so sweet and unexpected: The boy reached into his worn jeans pocket to retrieve the small treasure he had brought from home with him. He held out his hand, and smiled huge, "Here! This is for YOU! Merry Christmas!" On the palm of his little hand lay a small, green, plastic dinosaur. 

It was all he had with him, and he wanted me to have it. He wanted to give ME something! Such a small, humble gift, from a little boy, in ragged clothes, yet he gave it with all his heart, in a spirit of giving. It was such an incredibly sweet moment. His gratitude for my simple offering, and his genuine desire to reciprocate, touched me deeply.

That year, Trevor and I had a miniature Christmas Tree. I had nothing to top it, so out of scraps of fabric, gold curling ribbon, and stuffing, I made a small angel, and drew a little face for her. She stood atop the Christmas tree as I tied a thin, white silk ribbon around the green dinosaur, under its front legs, and hung him next to her, and we have had him on our tree every year since.

We alerted the Church Leaders of the needs we saw, after finding out he and his two older sisters resided in a tiny hotel room, with one bed, and a tiny kitchen. The single mother family had fallen on very hard times. She was wheel chair bound, in a cast up to her hip. For Christmas, the girls wanted Trapper Keepers, like the other children all had at school. We found a few toys for Dano, and the Relief Society went to see how they could help. 

And so, our Ward embraced this struggling family in a spirit of love and service. The children received church clothes, and other physical needs were met. After several weeks, we went to the hotel to check on them. They had moved on.

Twenty three years later, we still unpack the ornaments, and the one our children most want to find and hang on the tree is the small, green dinosaur. It looks like a platypus, or harmless herbivore. They have enjoyed hearing the story of a little boy who had nearly nothing, but gave everything he had with him. He brought the dinosaur for security, to a meeting where he was unsure how he would be received. I am so very blessed that he came to MY class, and can honestly say that I instantly loved him as much as the others: little Dano, with the huge heart, and a ready gift!

Christ came, too, as a little child, to await finding how He would be received. He was born in the humblest of circumstances, and it was He, the Christ, who gave everything he had with him: His love, teachings, His healing power, and His very life. Some of us may feel we have very little, and may be overwhelmed with problems and trials. It is this Christ who will never leave us, who will bless us with His love and peace, despite our circumstances, and even bless us with miracles, if we will but have faith and look to Him always. If we feel hopeless, we must check what our hope is anchored in. For true and lasting hope, we can reach out to the only sure anchor, our never changing, eternally loving Savior. I bless the day Dano taught me how to give like Him.

That's an actual picture of Dano's dinosaur that we still hang up on the Hart Family Christmas tree every year.  I hope you all liked that story!  Go ahead, print it off, and read it to your family when everyone's gathered. :)

People are... Human?

We all make mistakes.  Simple as that.  I, myself, have made millions of them throughout my short lifespan of twenty-some years...

Shocking, right?

Mistakes are made, feelings are hurt, some choice words are said, then someone goes home with a knot stuck in their throat and a feeling that they've been wronged.
 
Accepting that truth has been something that I have had some difficulty with throughout my  life.

Let me clarify; I've tried to make a distinction between a person and their actions, President Monson puts it pretty well in this Mormon Message below-

We don't know the reason a person did the things he or she did unless they explicitly tell us.  We don't know their circumstances and feelings(completely).  We can make guesses, but we don't honestly know.  I know I've jumped to an entirely wrong conclusion before(many times :(...). 

"So be kind regarding human frailty—your own as well as that of those who serve with you in a Church led by volunteer, mortal men and women. Except in the case of His only perfect Begotten Son, imperfect people are all God has ever had to work with. That must be terribly frustrating to Him, but He deals with it. So should we."[Emphasis Added]

-Jeffrey R. Holland, "Lord, I Believe"

Even when people do things for a malicious reason, I've tried to think about the bright side of things, after all, as Jeffrey R. Holland puts it-

Being Inspired; A constant Challenge

 Being inspired is something that has been a challenge for me since day #1.

As I've grown older, I've since found refuge in the place known as the night sky.  Though, now that I think about it, it's not even really the night sky(though that certainly helps as I've mentioned before).

It's the darkness.

When it is dark, it's unknown.  You can't see.  You don't really know what's going on.  All you really know is your immediate surroundings.

That's an ideal situation for me, it allows me to tune out everything else.  Starting from square one, I can build up a world, a universe, the possibilities are LIMITLESS.

The future is yet unwritten.

To me, that's a comforting thought, my future is not set in stone(at least my future during this life).  I can make choices to help others, to fumble around in the dark, to do what I want...

But do you know what helps me be inspired even more?

A prayer to my Heavenly father.

A silent plea for aid for just a little more help.

I know He will help me if I just ask.  He's done it before and he continues to do it even as I speak(write?), He loves me (as any parent does).  

President Monson had something to say about this subject, 

"Not a day has gone by that I have not communicated with my Father in Heaven through prayer. It is a relationship I cherish—one I would literally be lost without." -Reference-

I would be lost without my inspiration and my inspiration comes from God, it's really just one huge cycle!

Go figure.

Which way is right...?

So there was this one time, at band camp...

Nah, just kidding!

Last week, our District (group of missionaries), was asked to usher at an InterFaith concert put on by the InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington.  We, of course, jumped at the opportunity!

So we hopped on the Metro and got on our merry way.

When we got off, we were at a loss at where to go (we were all unfamiliar with this particular part of D.C.), but luckily, I had grabbed a map.  I whipped it out and started to look for the street we needed to go to,

"Excuse me, are you all lost?", a woman asked us.  Four men in suits with a map and slightly confused faces apparently stand out 'round these parts(this was a tender mercy for sure).

At first she tried to guide us with the map, then she decided the map was too troublesome and she pulled out her 'I' device(I, personally, dislike all apple devices).  With the Power of Technology, she told us exactly where we needed to go, how we needed to get there (she googled the address) and quickly left us before we could ask for a name.

Left to our own devices(a paper map), we began navigating to the road we thought was our destination.

We were almost there.  We were almost late.  We were relieved to see that street, then~

~TRAGEDY STRUCK!~ 

We realized that we had gone to the wrong part of the street!  Pulling out our map, we frantically tried to find the next part of the street.  Seeing now where we needed to go, we set out again, this time at a more forced pace.

In the end, we got there about a half an hour late with no real consequences.  Everything that needed to get done, got done and the night was a success!

Looking back though, I can see the parallel in my own life.

We were told exactly where we needed to go by that woman who helped us, but we were unfamiliar with the area, so we followed what we thought was the right route to the wrong place...

Likewise, I've had guidance from my Heavenly Father, Parents, Leaders, etc... and continued forward, thinking I'm going the right way but cut off from their direct presence(the internet in this case), I lost my way for a time, but with the guidance of the scriptures, prayer, personal revelation (or a map)... I always have returned back to the right way(also known as happiness).

I can testify that our Heavenly Father loves us and wants nothing more than for us to be happy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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When life gets dark and dreary...

Prayer is so important to me.  It is SUCH a blessing that all of God's children have been given.

I love the song "Did you think to Pray" in the LDS Hymnbook.

1. Do you ever feel tired, overwhelmed or weary?
2. Do you ever want the metaphorical night to be changed to day?
3. Does your life ever get dark and dreary?

If you are like me and answered "yes" to any of these questions, well... then don't forget to pray.

Ere you left your room this morning, Did you think to pray?
In the name of Christ our Savior, did you sue for loving favor as a shield today?

When your heart was filled with anger, Did you think to pray?
Did you plead for grace, my brother, that you might forgive another who has crossed you way?

When sore trials came upon you, Did you think to pray?
When your soul was full of sorrow, Balm of Gilead did you borrow at the gates of day?

Chorus:

Oh how praying rests the weary!

Prayer will change the night to day.

so when life gets dark and dreary,

Don't forget to pray.

These words mean so much to me.  I know I can turn to my Heavenly Father at ALL TIMES because he loves me more than I can comprehend.

One of my favorite Children's songs has these lyrics:

I Pray in Faith

I kneel to pray, every day.  I speak to Heavenly Father.  He hears and answers me when I pray in faith.

I begin by saying "Dear Heavenly Father." I thank Him for blessings He sends.  Then humbly I ask Him for things that I need, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.  

Your Father in Heaven loves you and wants you to succeed.  He has a plan for you and if you will humble yourself, trust Him and pray, He will lead you to happiness in this life and eternal life in the life to come.  

Matthew 7:7-8 says: Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

What I want to be...

There are a bunch of things I want to be...

• A Writer
• Better at Math
• An Astronaut
• Simple-er
• Charismatic

The list goes on, but I decided to stop at that point because after that (top five, ya know?), it becomes kind of redundant.

The point of the matter is this; I want a lot of things.

I want to be constantly improving myself, progressing, helping out others.  Sometimes it's hard to do that, after all, I am Human.

But like I've said before, I've had to learn patience, 'cause-

That's something I've been working on this past week, remembering that Jesus Wants Me for A Sunbeam,

It's a simple thing.

I do my best to honor Him and His Gospel and that's all I can do.

"Ye are the light of the world", He has told us, we are to be His disciples so that His gospel can be shared throughout the world!  

I want to do my best for Him.

This is an made from John 8:12-58

Sorry for the technical problems, I had some... well, problems!

Keep it real!

The Book of Mormon: A Reading Experience

Sometimes when I would be hanging out with my friends, they would start to talk about certain books that they have been reading.  They would say how great it was and how it lined up in the series.  They would talk about how the character's roles were genius and how they loved the story line.

At these times I would feel separated from my friends, think about something and do whatever I could to change the conversation into whatever it was I was interested in.

I didn't like reading books.  I thought my time was better spent watching TV, playing video games, making music, or doing something else fun.

I had read the "Harry Potter" series as well as the "Series of Unfortunate Events" when I was a grade school student and they made sure you read something.  I did enjoy them when I got into them.

I had the"reading experience" that my friends had so often with very few books.

After I graduated, I wasn't compelled to read much... so I didn't.  College would have kept me reading (begrudgingly) but I did not go to college after high school because I had my heart set on serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I've always wanted to serve a mission because the missionaries were my heroes.  They knew the scriptures back and front and they could teach people how to find happiness, peace, and the truth about God and His plan for us.

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; We also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.  (Article of Faith 1:8)

The Book of Mormon is a reading experience. 

As I was reading it earlier this week, I found a few verses that struck me.  The people in the Book of Mormon had their own reading experience in Mosiah chapter 25

 5 And it came to pass that Mosiah did read, and caused to be read, the records of Zeniff to his people; yea, he read the records of the people of Zeniff, from the time they left the land of Zarahemla until they returned again.

 6 And he also read the account of Alma and his brethren, and all their afflictions, from the time they left the land of Zarahemla until the time they returned again.

 7 And now, when Mosiah had made an end of reading the records, his people who tarried in the land were struck with wonder and amazement.

 8 For they knew not what to think; for when they beheld those that had been delivered out of bondage they were filled with exceedingly great joy.

 9 And again, when they thought of their brethren who had been slain by the Lamanites they were filled with sorrow, and even shed many tears of sorrow.

 10 And again, when they thought of the immediate goodness of God, and his power in delivering Alma and his brethren out of the hands of the Lamanites and of bondage, they did raise their voices and give thanks to God.

 11 And again, when they thought upon the Lamanites, who were their brethren, of their sinful and polluted state, they were filled with pain and anguish for the welfare of their souls.

The scriptures are true.  When we read, we may feel like King Mosiah's people and say "I know not what to think."    

Here are the reactions they felt and you may feel as you read the Book of Mormon.

1. Brethren out of bondage. . . . . . . . .joy
2. Brethren slain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .sorrow
3. Goodness of God. . . . . . . . . . . . . .thankfulness
4. The Lamanites in a sinful state. . . pain and anguish for the welfare of their souls 

Reading the book of mormon can be like reading other books.  Most people I know, when they read a book, they want a happy ending.  Just as in other books, the Book of Mormon has protagonists and atagonists and at times the protagonists experience a lot of joy.  However, there are times when they struggle, suffer, are in pain and sometimes they even die preaching the gospel.  Check out the link to read about how this happened to Abinadi, a prophet in the Book of Mormon. 

There are also times they make mistakes, repent and learn from them.

 

 People can change sides!!! :)

In the Bible, it happened to Saul.  He became Paul after running into an Angel who asked why He was persecuting Jesus Christ.  In the Book of Mormon, it happened to Alma the Younger.  Both of them were converted, and sought to serve God and build up His kingdom which they were attempting to destroy not long before then.

For the members of the Church, the Book of Mormon is more than just a "good read."  The things that happened anciently in the Book are for our day.  They are for us.  Those words are His words and they help us be and stay converted to the Lord.  It helps us see the difference between good and evil and the prophets who wrote invite us to choose good.  

The Book of Mormon is Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

The Book of Mormon confirms: 

Jesus IS who the Bible says He is.

 

The Book of Mormon is light and knowledge that comes from God through His holy prophets.  God has always spoken to us through prophets.  It helps us understand God's plan, and it contains the fulness of the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ.

I love the Book of Mormon.  If the Book of Mormon is true, that means God still speaks to man.  

I invite everyone who reads this to read the Book of Mormon and pray and ask God in the name of Christ if it is true.  I was not the first to invite you to read... Moroni was.

Pick it up and read it.  It is SO good.  I LOVE The Book of Mormon.  I want to share it with everyone.  Everyone should have a chance to read the Book of Mormon.  Please send me a message on Facebook what experiences you have during or after reading/praying about The Book of Mormon.

Here's my Facebook Page. 

Thanks for Reading everyone!!! :)  and let me know if there's any suggestions you have for a new blogger. 

 

 

...who am I!?

Who. 

Am. 

I.

This is a question which plagued me at many points of my life.  

Who am I?  

What's the point?  

Why should I?

It's a question I think all of us make war with.

As for myself, I found comfort looking up at the starry (sometimes) night sky.  Back in my hometown, there's some light pollution, so it's not exactly prime stargazing material, but that's the quality that actually helped me understand the answer.

It was early December, I was waiting for a close friend of mine at the Bell Tower (an important landmark in the city of Muncie).  I took a seat at the base of it and looked up at the sky wondering what exactly was in store for me...

When you look up at the sky, especially in a city, it's quiet. It's dark.  Just a couple really bright stars here and there, maybe Venus or Jupiter, but besides that-

Nothing.  Just empty night.  It's black, unfriendly, and cold (especially in the winter).

What I found was that, as I waited (patiently), my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I saw what was once hidden, the stars which were concealed by the glaring lights of the city.

It was a huge step for me.

You may be thinking, "How in the world does this relate to his original question!?"

In this world, we have lot's of things telling us what to believe.  

Magazines telling us what to wear, how to act, how to treat each other, etc...

T.V. showing us what 'reality' is like.

Games showing us who's who in a galaxy that's waaaaaaaaaaay too far away.  (not speaking against them!  I love those games)

For me, that was the empty night sky so full of questions and not enough answers-  the light obscured the beauty and majesty of the universe created just for us by a loving Father.

I could see the stars, not all of them nor their full beauty, but I could see them.  

My mind made the connection for me as I sat back and enjoyed the view in the brisk December cold.

You see, I was listening a song performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, My Shepard Will Supply My Needs, it's a beautiful song.

I realized that I would always have questions.

I know I am my Heavenly Fathers' Son.  He wants me to learn and grow and sometimes, that means I'll make mistakes.  Sometimes, that means I won't have all answers, I might not even know the question I want to ask but I am His son.  That was enough for me.

The next realization that I had; I had to wait for a moment, let my eyes see what was really there, not just freak out if I couldn't immediately discern anything.  I had to 'tune' out the light to see those stars.

Likewise, we have to stop for a moment.  We have to pay attention to those divine messages we get.  The world can get pretty distracting and obscure the bigger picture but if we want to see those stars, we have to sit still for a moment.

I sat there for a few seconds, shocked at the way my mind put two and two together.

My friend came a few minutes later.  I shared the insights with her and we took a moment to enjoy the quiet peace as we listened to music...

~~~~~

That experience helped me appreciate the wonderful plan that our Heavenly Father has for us and the tools he has given us to learn more about it...

So the summary of what I learned was this;

Sometimes we need to stop our lives, put them on hold for a second, so we can learn about the bigger picture from God, the source of all Truth.

After all, in the scriptures many times in words of comfort, he says,

"...Be still and know that I am God."

 -Full Reference-

(Yes, I am still in the process of discovering of who I am but with this was a major step in that process.  Like my parents always said, "Remember whose you are")

Thank YOU Veterans! 

Repentance

My name is Matthew Hart.  Whether or not you know me, you and I have some things in common.

Of the many things we may have, I will just list a few.

• We both are Children of God

• We both make mistakes that make us sad and separate us from our Heavenly Father and true happiness.
• We both have a Savior.  He loves you and will wrap you up in His arms of mercy as soon as you repent.
• We both need to repent.

What is Repentance?  To me, it is an opportunity to Come to Jesus Christ and and take the heavy burdens off my shoulders.  Matthew 11:28-30 is a scripture I love about how Jesus Christ helps us lift our burdens.

Repentance makes me feel all better.  After tasting something disgusting, Spit it out!  Use Mouthwash!  Make your mouth Clean.  Sure mouthwash might sting a bit while shwishing and gargling, but your mouth says "thank you for giving it a fresh, clean feeling just as your soul does when you repent.

Repentance might be needed even if you haven't done anything bad.  Just like a car needs maintenance, or teeth need to be brushed, clothes need to be washed, and carpets need to be vacuumed, our souls NEED repentance consistently.

In Washington DC, and the area surrounding it, there are many trees.  During this time of the year the leaves change color.  I often find myself in awe with how beautiful the trees are and how marvelous God's creations are.  Then I think about what it must be like for the trees.  If trees had feelings, maybe during autumn (or fall), they might be frustrated, upset, or depressed.  They worked all spring and summer developing their leaves only to have them fall off again.  One by one those leaves fall until the trees don't have any more leaves. They might feel embarrassed, cold, naked, hungry, lonely or unloved.

All that work to make those leaves... was it all for nothing? could it be that trees make leaves only to lose them? No way José!  When a tree loses its leaves, it has room to grow new ones.  Spring comes and trees bud and blossom and they make new leaves.  I think trees have been around long enough to have positive attitudes about the need to change, adapt and grow.  We should see repentance as that opportunity awaiting us to improve.  Although we may have to give up something good first, as we repent, we can trust God will return to us something better.

Repentance is not really changing who you are, but finding out who your Heavenly Father intends you to be, and acting on that.

Repentance is becoming who you divinely invited to be.

It's kind of like what Mufasa says to Simba in the Lion King.  

"You are more than what you have become." 

Simba is awakened to his potential and his responsibilities and repents of his slothfulness, and commits to do his Father's will.  2 Nephi 9:45

Repentance is coming unto Jesus Christ and renewing our commitment to follow Him.  

2 Nephi 31:10-12, 15, 19-20

Okay so ALL of 2 Nephi 31 is fantastic, and I invite you to read it, because I LOVE IT!

The principles of Repentance and enduring to the end are weaved together.  You need one for the other to work.  Jacob says that after we repent we should Cleave unto God.  Jacob 6: 5, 8-9, 11-12

I will now say a line quoted often by Christians worldwide. 

"Jesus Christ died for us."

There it is in its beautiful simplicity.

Is this true?  If it is true, what does that mean?  Am I saved?  Is there something I need to do to accept His Atoning sacrifice?   ---   These are some questions of the soul concerning Salvation.

The role of Christ in our life:  Alma 7:11-13

We have our ability to make choices and we have the ability to choose to rely upon Christ's Atonement.

Lehi, a prophet from the Book of Mormon around 580 BC says this about choices:  2 Nephi 2: 27-28,30

How do we choose Jesus Christ's sacrifice on our behalf?  First, we must believe or have a desire to believe until that desire grows into Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Alma 32: 21, 27

Then! Alma continues on to say, Repent and keep the commandments.  Alma 7:14-17

I will say more concerning Baptism in a later blog post.  For now, I will say repentance prepares us for Baptism, and Baptism is our first covenant we make with God, and it is the way to receive a remission of our sins.

Trust in the Lord enough to have faith in Him enough to repent.  He knows much more than we do.

Proverbs 3: 5, 11-12

This is a video of leaders from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that everyone should watch.