What I have learned on my mission

First off, thanks for reading my blog post. :)

I think the biggest lesson I have learned on my mission is one I already knew.
"But how could you learn something you already knew?"
Well, my testimony of this principle has been strengthened.  The principles I have learned on my mission all seem to point to my understanding of this singular principle:

The gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of transformation.

I pray as I write this blog post that the Spirit of God will confirm to you the truths of His gospel.  I also pray that you will allow my words to strengthen your Faith in Jesus Christ, and motivate you to take action and walk in the ways of our Savior Jesus Christ.

As I have been serving in the Washington DC North Mission, I have come to understand that this life can be difficult. As a 19-21 year old, I have talked with people who have questions and/or problems, and I would listen to them and they would often expect me to have something to answer or solve them. Some struggle financially, some might feel offended by another.  Some might experience sorrow, grief or pain. Some experience all three of those.  Some struggle with depression and some have addictions.  Some feel they are not good enough, some feel lonely.  Some are hungry.  Some are homeless.  Some are cast out and rejected.  Some feel like they were treated unfairly. Some deal with other hardships mortality has to offer.

If you have felt any of these ways before, I solemnly testify: Jesus Christ loves you. 
He knows what you went through, what you are going through and what you will go through.
He lived a mortal life with mortal life feelings and appetites and temptations.
He suffered all the pains, afflictions, sicknesses and temptations of every kind in the Garden of Gethsemane (Alma 7:11-12), and was crucified for our sake. (Mark 15:22,25)

The Prophet Isaiah says "with His stripes, we are healed." (Isaiah 53:3-6).
He also says "though your sins be as SCARLET, they shall be as white as snow." (Isaiah 1:18)

As one of our hymns declares: “We may not know, we cannot tell, What pains he had to bear, But we believe it was for us He hung and suffered there” (“There Is a Green Hill Far Away,” Hymns, no. 194).

Moroni says "Come unto Christ, and be perfected in him..." (Moroni 10:32)

Perfected? Really? When I am so imperfect and I fall so much?
You have to believe and follow.

One of my favorite Children's songs says "What does the Father ask of us?  What do the scriptures say?

Have FAITH.  Have HOPE.  
Live like His Son.  
Help others on their way.

lifting burdens

Press on and don't give up.  

Commit yourselves to follow Him.  

This brings true happiness.

On a lighter note, we helped someone transform their basement! 

The Savior sees what we can become before we become it.  With His divine help, we can change our lives.

Similarly, the Homeowner here had a vision of what his basement could look like so that he could host his family while they were in town.  He couldn't do it himself, so he asked us, the missionaries to step in and help.  Likewise the Savior won't help us if we don't want him to.  We need to put forth effort. We need to be asking for his help.  We need to be consistently asking what we can do more to change.  Not all at once, but little by little, things will become more organized and clean.  

Doing this made me feel like a guy from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

Here are some pictures of the basement. 

Before

 After 

What a transformation! :)

We kept asking "okay, what's next?" after accomplishing a task.  We can do the same in our lives to have the gospel transform us.

Here are the basic steps.

Through Christ we CAN be cleansed from sin.

1. Have Faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement and seek to strengthen that Faith.

2. Repent of your sins.

3. Be baptized by immersion for the remission of sins.

4. Receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

5. Endure to the end, continue in the Faith, repent of sins, and strive to keep the commandments of God.

My Testimony

I have felt His love.  I have been transformed and healed and born again.  I know He lives, and I have Faith that He can do all things.  I know the Atonement of Jesus Christ is for us now. I am not perfect, but I rely on Him who is perfect to continue to transform me, and help me to be happy.  He commands all men everywhere to come unto Him, to repent, and keep His commandments.  Those who do these things will be happy.  I know because I have done them and it brings me happiness every time.

Jesus Christ is real and his arms of mercy are outstretched toward you.  Press on with Faith in Him. Transformation doesn't happen all at once.  Be patient with yourself and others.  

Here is a reminder that we all need:

God will always, always, always love you.

Here's a talk I love by Dieter F. Uchtdorf.  CLICK HERE to watch, listen and read.

Time to meet God! ...are you ready?

What will it be like when we meet God?

What kinds of questions will he ask you?

What answers would we give?

How comfortable would we be in His presence?

Did we make our Heavenly Father proud of us?

Did we make the choices that He knew would make us truly happy?

God is just.  He might ask you to share your testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  He might ask you how much you know of the Gospel.  What is your Gospel understanding?
I believe many questions our Loving Heavenly Father will ask us, will be about how we (God's children) treated others (more of God's children).  Mosiah 2:17

Did we help people who struggled?

Did we lift one another's burdens?

Did we strive to help people feel loved?

Did we LEARN how to love?

Did we TEACH how to love?

Did we LIVE as examples of His Son, Jesus Christ?

Did we mourn with those that mourned?

Did we comfort those that stood in need of comfort?

I do not believe God needs to ask us questions because he doesn't know the answers.  He might ask questions so that we answer.  When we answer certain questions, our souls are stirred up in remembrance of what we have been taught, whether we were taught yesterday, or long before.  Jesus Christ asked many questions.  I think this is a good teaching skill that we all should seek to develop.
A good example is in Matthew chapter 5

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. 

I believe that much of our judgement in the end will have to do with how we kept the two great commandments.  

 in Matthew 22, we read:

  37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

 38 This is the first and great commandment.

 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

 41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,

 42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David.

 43 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,

 44 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?

 45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?

 46 And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.

I put together some of these questions and some of these thoughts so that you might be stirred up in remembrance of the Lord, Jesus Christ.  I invite you to make right choices.  Be the man or woman God knows you can be.  God loves you.  He roots for you.  He cheers you on.  He wants you to be happy.  I know that happiness comes from making right choices.  Living as God would want you to.

"Be the change you wish to make in the world."  -A Quote by someone unremembered by Elder Hart at this time, but I really like it.

In short

Be good.  Stay good.  Rely on Jesus Christ.  Perhaps God won't smite you at the judgement day.  :)
...and remember... God loves you.  He is your Father... and He loves you.

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.