Conviction

There is an undeniable and overwhelming sense of the Spirit when truth is told and made manifest. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I have been taught to always pay attention for and heed the promptings of the Spirit. I can't say that I've always done exactly that, but I can honestly say that I try.

Enough of that though. The reason I'm posting this blog is to tell anyone and everyone that is reading this that I know without a doubt and with all the conviction of my heart, that Jesus Christ lives!!! I know these things because I have received and heeded the witness of the Holy Ghost on multiple ocassions in my life. I don't always know what will happen to me. I don't know if the things that I pray for and dream of will be granted to me. I don't know that I will wake up tomorrow to another day on this Earth. What I do know, however, I cannot deny regardless of what anyone would ever say to me, or try to convince me of. I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. I also know that he established a Church on the earth during his mortal ministry of which we have record found in the New Testament of the Bible. In the book of Ephesians Ch. 4 V. 5 we read of  " One Lord, one ^afaith, one ^bbaptism, "

Found later in that very same chapter we read how to identify the Savior's " one faith. "
 " 11 And he ^agave some, ^bapostles; and some, ^cprophets; and some, ^devangelists; and some, ^epastors and ^fteachers;

 12 For the ^aperfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the ^bedifying of the body of Christ:

 13 Till we all come in the ^aunity of the faith, and of the ^bknowledge of the Son of God, unto a ^cperfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: "

There have been witnesses of Jesus Christ and his glorious and divine calling since the World as we know it began. I'm not a person of importance or significance in the eyes of society. In fact I'm probably considered by many to be a nuisance. The fact still remains. I know that Jesus Christ is Redeemer of mankind. With that knowledge comes the undeniable testimony of His Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

It's not another religion, and it's not another christian denomination. This church is truly the Lord's Kingdom once again established on the earth, preparatory to the second coming of the Messiah. 

There are countless others that have come to know of this very same truth for themselves. One of which I hold in very high regard. The prophet Joseph Smith Jr. gave his life in a country that professes " freedom of religion " for making the bold and true statement that he had been called as a prophet of God in the 1800's. Joseph recorded many aspects of his testimony of the Savior for all to read who so desired. I wish to leave with you a small excerpt of one of those testimonies. Found in the 76th Section of the Doctrine and Covenants, Joseph Smith and others recorded the following:

" 22 And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the ^atestimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he ^blives!

 23 For we ^asaw him, even on the ^bright hand of ^cGod; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only ^dBegotten of the Father—

 24 That by ^ahim, and through him, and of him, the ^bworlds are and were created, and the ^cinhabitants thereof are begotten ^dsons and daughters unto God. "

I challenge each of you to watch yet another video. This one is longer, but again I promise is worth the time. 



Now that you've watched it I ask you to reflect on just a few thoughts. What do you feel in your heart? What thoughts do you have coming to mind? Now do you understand what conviction is? I ask you to pray to your Father in Heaven with these thoughts and feelings at hand and ask him one thing. " Is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints truly the Lord's true Church? " If you do this with a sincere heart, truly want to know, and being willing to act on your answer, I promise that you will come to the same conclusion that so many have before you. Now, find some missionaries and start asking questions.

What...? Blogging...?

Well I have to say that it is now official. Blogging and working on Facebook are the most unusual aspects of missionary work that I have experienced thus far on my mission. When I first heard of the idea of working on the Internet with tools like Facebook and Blogs, I thought, " Wow how cool would it be to be someone who would get the chance to help spearhead a project like that. " Then came the actual Facebook and Blogging work. Facebook has been interesting to say the least. Blogging however has been something totally different.

I sit and I wait. I sit and I think about the days since the last blog that I wrote. I ponder and wonder what it is that I could share online with people that could possibly help them understand what it means to be a missionary for a loving Lord and Savior. I wonder what it is that I could write that could possibly help someone else build their testimony of Jesus Christ, and come to know their Savior better. Then I think of my friends from back home. I think of the new friends that I've made since I've been a missionary here in the Tennessee Nashville Mission. My heart is filled with so many mixed feelings and thoughts about all these people that I've grown to love up through this point in my life.

Writing a Blog as a missionary is easier than actually getting people to read it. That's where you come in. Anybody who is reading this right now. I may know you, I may not. Really that's beside the point. I know that I've been called of God to share a message of peace, happiness, joy, comfort, love, understanding, and truth with as many as the Lord puts in front of me. If this audience now includes people who read a Blog then so be it. I wish I could write some fancy and amazing catch phrase to grab your attention and suck you all in to my thoughts and words. I think that will probably never be the case though. Maybe however, I could get you to invite your friends to read these simple words:

I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World. I know that he suffered, atoned, died, and was resurrected three days later for the children of men. I know that we all have a loving Heavenly Father who has a wonderful plan for all his children to return to him after this life. We live in the last days leading to the return of the Savior of the World. We are blessed to have a living prophet. Yes I truly mean a man just as Moses, Abraham, and Elijah of the Old Testament. Christ restored his church through a prophet over 180 years ago. There was an event in the history of this world that is one of the most significant and least known things to ever take place for the benefit of humanity. I plead with you all from the bottom of my heart to sincerely ponder and study out in your heart and mind the message of the Missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Read the the things they ask, and don't give up if you don't understand right away. Real happiness is obtainable in this life. A life without guilt filled with joy, even when the roof is coming down around you, you can smile and know in your heart that your Father in Heaven won't abandon you. He loves you and he wants you to know the truth. Please listen and watch. Then listen to your heart.



" Love One Another "- Flooding in Metropolis, IL.



Flooding in Metropolis, IL. For anyone who is keeping up with disasters in the United States, this is one you may or may not have heard about. The Ohio river has been overflowing enough to nearly sink a few cities in Illinois and Kentucky these last few weeks. A disaster is the only word that can be used to describe the sites that we witnessed as we went into Metropolis to help those who were in danger of loosing their homes.

As we put together our efforts in helping those in need, some amazing things began to take place. Things were not going to be easy in the fix and prevention, but that did not stop the people of Metropolis and nearby Paducah, KY. from helping one another through a difficult time.

With National Guard on the scene filling sand-bags, things began to move at a speed where nearly everyone could receive help if needed. Of course not everyone that absolutely needed help was able to get it, but there was nevertheless a sense of love in the air for fellow men. It's amazing to me how whenever something in a community or a nation occurs that is considered a " disaster, " people are suddenly brought to a remembrance of God, love, and the needs of those around them over their own. We see the same cycle published in humanities history through holy scripture. Both the Holy Bible and The Book of Mormon are filled with examples of times when people are slow to remember God in times of peace and blessing, and quick to remember the Lord in times of need. One of the best examples that I can think of is the Children of Israel in their journey out of Egypt and through the wilderness.

The Lord brought the Children of Israel out of slavery and the hands of Pharaoh, just to see them turn their backs on him and worship an idol. When they needed help, they turned to the one who would always offer it. When they thought that they were taken care of, they decided to put their own desires above that of the Lord's.

As we began to help people in Metropolis and other cities and communities in need, we saw the Love of the people for those in need begin to flourish. Dirt lots where filled with cars of people looking to offer a helping hand for anyone who needed it.

Helping hands and loving hearts came together for people who had no one to call on. We spoke with and worked hand in hand with many people who took time off of work and put aside other plans to help those whose homes and businesses where in danger. It was truly inspiring to see so many come together for the better good. My prayers go out to those who have been affected by these sad times, and my heart is filled with joy and love for those who helped their spiritual brothers and sisters, whether they knew who they were helping or not. I only pray that we will not be slow to remember the Lord in times of peace and prosperity like the Children of Israel. Let us all remember the words of the Savior found in John ch. 13 v. 34-35 " 34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all  know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. "







The Book of Mormon; " need I say more? "

The video that will be at the bottom of this post is one of my favorite testimonies of the truth of the Restored Gospel, and the evidence of that restoration through The Book of Mormon. My last blog qouted some paragraphs from the Introduction of The Book of Mormon, and that got me thinking about my testimony of the book itself.

Many people have asked me why I would read from a book " written by Joseph Smith ". Just the other day a man told myself and Elder Wells that he can't believe that we would read and study from anything other than the Bible. I want you to notice the quotes around written by Joseph Smith. There are quotes there because that is one of the misconceptions that missionaries as well as members have to deal with every day. I somewhat addressed that false statement in my most recent post. Just to be sure and clarify, I will put it into very plain english. Joseph Smith did NOT write The Book of Mormon.  The Book of Mormon is an ancient record of people who lived in the American contenants. It's was written by inspired prophets of God, just as the Holy Bible was. The record was translated by Joseph Smith through the power of God. There is no other explanation for how a man in his late teens and early 20's who had only 3 years of formal education could have produced such a record of spiritual importance.

The Book of Mormon is a blessing from God to all his children. It is his desire that all of his children read from its pages and recieve the message of the Savior that it has to offer. There is no doubt in my mind about this. I know that The Book of Mormon is scripture written by inspired men. I know that " it contains, as does the Bible, the fulness of the everlasting Gospel ". I know that Joseph Smith did not write the book, but was chosen by the Lord to translate it. Most importantly I know that anyone else who reads this book with a sincere heart and faith in Christ, truly wanting to know through prayer if the book is true, and then being willing to forsake all sin and act on the answer that they recieve, will come to know of these truths the same way that I do. If anyone who is reading this has once had this answer to their prayers, I ask you to please leave a brief testimony in comment after reading this, and watching the concluding video. For those of you who may have recieved this answer once before and have forgotten it, I emplore you to humble yourselves to your knees in prayer and ask your Father in Heaven again to remind you of the thing you had once learned.

The following video is the closing remarks of this blog. Please take the 17 min. out of your day to watch this video. I know that it will help all those who are truly seeking an answer to their prayers. The man you will now watch give testimony, is a chosen apostle of God, and one of my personal favorite speakers, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland.