I want to thank my beloved companion, Sister Elliott for her lovely post about her family. :) I appreciate her guest blogging for me:) in a couple of weeks I have asked a sister from our congregation to also guest blog. I find that hearing what others write helps me have a broader prospective. If there is ever something you would like me to write a blog post on, a question you have or something you want to know more about, I would love more ideas and any and all questions.:) Please don't hesitate to ask, this blog is meant to be interactive!
Today I wanted to focus a character named Moroni, no not the Moroni in the last couple of posts, though they are both amazing.:)
I don't know about any of you, but sometimes life gets me feeling down. Even being a missionary, life has its ups and downs. I know that personally this week has been a struggle. (sidenote: missionaries only think about time in a span of weeks because so much happens in a week it feels like a month!) Missionaries have hard days too, the difference is we can't go to our normal "feel better" things. For instance, missionaries can't watch Disney movies. For those of you who know me well, you know this one of my "feel better" things. When we have rough days, we just gotta keep trucking and as my grandma says "put one little footie wootie in front of the other little footie wootie and your little body wadi will follow." A fun saying that has actually helped me get through quite a bit.
When I am feeling alone or sad, I have always been told to go to my scriptures. I want to share with those of you who have ever felt alone or sad, or like you just can't do it anymore, the story of Moroni, the son of Mormon.
The very first verse in Moroni starts like this:
"Now I, Moroni, after having made an end of abridging the account of the people of Jared, I had supposed not to have written more, but I have not as yet perished; and I make not myself known to the Lamanites lest they should destroy me."-Moroni 1:1
In other words, he thought he wouldn't live this long, but since he is still alive he figures he will write some more.
Moroni's father was Mormon, who abridged the Book of Mormon (go figure from its name...) He and his father are descended from the people of the previous posts. After the wars that had been going on, the people had turned their hearts back to God for a time, but ultimately they forsook God and His commandments. After some time of the prophets trying to get them back on the right course, the people became so wicked they began killing all the righteous people until only Mormon, and his son were left.
"For behold, their wars are exceedingly fierce among themselves; and because of their hatred they put to death every Nephite that will not deny the Christ. And I, Moroni, will not deny the Christ; wherefore, I wander whithersoever I can for the safety of mine own life." -Moroni 1:2-3
Talk about lonely.
To make matters worse, Mormon, Moroni's father and only living relative and confident is also killed. So Moroni is completely and totally alone.
However at this hour of his greatest need, and most lonely time, he finds solace in the words of scripture and in the Lord, God.
"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen." -Moroni 7:48
Throughout the scriptures he shows compete devotion to Christ.
"Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God" -Moroni 10:32
and last but not least, his very last words to us are:
"And now I bid unto all, farewell. I soon go to rest in the paradise of God, until my spirit and body shall again reunite, and I am brought forth triumphant through the air, to meet you before the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah, the Eternal Judge of both quick and dead. Amen"- Moroni 10:34
Moroni cannot be saddened by the things that happen in this life, because he knows what awaits him at the end of this life. He knows that he has been a good and faithful servant.
I try to remember when the ways of the world make me sad, that I can rise above. I am a daughter of God and I have a divine heritage. I know that if I do my best in this life, it will be for my good in the life to come. At the end of my life, I wish also to say in the words of Moroni, " I soon go to rest in the paradise of God, until my spirit and body shall again reunite, and I am brought forth triumphant through the air, to meet you before the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah, the Eternal Judge of both quick and dead. Amen"
I know we all can, and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Why We Ask Questions
We can ask questions because we can have sure answers
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
GUEST BLOGGER: Bonds that can never be broken
Well, hello all! This is Sister Elliott and today Sister Allen has asked me to share some of my thoughts with y'all.
Sister Allen is an amazing storyteller, so I would not even want to attempt to continue where she left off in the ongoing saga that is the Book of Mormon. Quite simply, I will do my own thing and talk about something very near and dear to my heart.....my family.
This seems like somewhat of an odd topic, but I swear that there is relevance.
Now, my family. Honestly I could talk about them for hours on end, I really could. However, I will keep it fairly short and condensed for times sake.
I am the 4th of 7 kids. Yup, I come from one of those huge Mormon families you hear about. I have a mom a dad, 3 brothers and 3 sisters, a brother-on-law, a sister-in-law, 3 nephews, 4 nieces (with a 5th due in September), two cats and a dog. It gets pretty crazy when we are all together. But, looking back, I wouldn't change it for anything in the world.
I was the youngest child for the first 6 years of my life. Life was great being the youngest, honestly, it was pretty much perfect in my eyes, but my parents told us that a new baby was going to be joining our family....a few months later we got a surprise and found out my mom was having twins! God seriously has a sense of humor :) I went from being the baby, to having two new babies around. Needless to say, I was not completely over joyed with this change in the status quo. This change was to be compounded when my baby sister was born 2.5 years later.
After that, all the attention was on my younger siblings (who needed help) or my older siblings (who were getting involved in high school things), I was pretty much left to my own devices. Some days it was fun, but more often than not it was lonely. I'll be honest and say I hated growing up in a big family, I didn't like having all those siblings.
When I was in high school our family started getting bigger. My older siblings were moving out of the house, getting married and having children. Now, this was all good, since that meant I was given the title of "Auntie" and got to do all the fun things that go with that (yeah, I am one of those cool, fun aunts). Now, this meant I was the oldest at home, which was fine, but it just meant everything was that much more crazy. At times it was overwhelming, but good.
I went away to college and didn't really miss anyone. I actually would get in trouble for not calling home and letting my parents know I was alive (on average it was about 3-4 weeks between calls). I stayed out at college for almost 2 years straight (I came home for about 2 weeks at Christmastime), and still didn't quite miss everyone. However, as I drove home for the summer, I started getting excited as I started recognizing my surroundings. The closer I got to home and my family the worse my lead foot got ;)
My time away from my family taught me a lot of things. One of the most important was that I truly loved my family. I loved them and missed them and being away from them was hard. As a child I may not have liked having all those siblings, but as an adult I wouldn't want to have been raised in any other environment.
But the most important thing I learned was how blessed I am to have the knowledge that my family is an eternal family, I can and will be with them through the eternities; death will not separate us.
Ecclesiastes 3:14 says:
"I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever"
As a member of the LDS church, I am blessed with the knowledge that this includes marriage and families. Peter was given the power to seal things on earth and in heaven, as was Elijah and Nephi. Marriage is ordained of God and is one of those things that can be sealed on earth and in heaven.
Such wonderous knowledge this is. It does not have to be "till death do us part". Instead it can and ought to be "for time and all eternity". This kind of marriage, an eternal marriage in the temple is what my parents have. Because of this I know that because of the sealing power, which has been restored to the earth, I will live with my family again. I will someday be sealed to a man for time and all eternity and together we will have the opportunity of having an eternal family, never to be torn asunder by death.
In the temple we are able to make bonds that are truly unbreakable. This is the future I want, the one I know I will be able to have. The family I currently have, and the one I someday will have, the family I love so much will always be mine.
"I have a family here on earth
They are so good to me
I want to share my life with them through all
eternity.
Families can be together forever
Through Heavenly Father's plan
I always want to be with my own family
And the Lord has shown me how I can
The Lord has shown me how I can
While I am in my early years
I'll prepare most carefully
So I can marry in God's temple for eternity
Families can be together forever
Through Heavenly Father's plan
I always want to be with my own family
And the Lord has shown me how I can
The Lord has shown me how I can
"Families can be together forever" Children's songbook pg 188
I know that I can and will be with my family forever, and it is something that God wants for all of His children. He does not want us to be singular and alone. We were sent here in families and in families is how He wants us to be through the eternities. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
The Seattle Washington temple, where my parents were sealed for time and all eternity :)
Sister Allen is an amazing storyteller, so I would not even want to attempt to continue where she left off in the ongoing saga that is the Book of Mormon. Quite simply, I will do my own thing and talk about something very near and dear to my heart.....my family.
This seems like somewhat of an odd topic, but I swear that there is relevance.
Now, my family. Honestly I could talk about them for hours on end, I really could. However, I will keep it fairly short and condensed for times sake.
I am the 4th of 7 kids. Yup, I come from one of those huge Mormon families you hear about. I have a mom a dad, 3 brothers and 3 sisters, a brother-on-law, a sister-in-law, 3 nephews, 4 nieces (with a 5th due in September), two cats and a dog. It gets pretty crazy when we are all together. But, looking back, I wouldn't change it for anything in the world.
I was the youngest child for the first 6 years of my life. Life was great being the youngest, honestly, it was pretty much perfect in my eyes, but my parents told us that a new baby was going to be joining our family....a few months later we got a surprise and found out my mom was having twins! God seriously has a sense of humor :) I went from being the baby, to having two new babies around. Needless to say, I was not completely over joyed with this change in the status quo. This change was to be compounded when my baby sister was born 2.5 years later.
After that, all the attention was on my younger siblings (who needed help) or my older siblings (who were getting involved in high school things), I was pretty much left to my own devices. Some days it was fun, but more often than not it was lonely. I'll be honest and say I hated growing up in a big family, I didn't like having all those siblings.
When I was in high school our family started getting bigger. My older siblings were moving out of the house, getting married and having children. Now, this was all good, since that meant I was given the title of "Auntie" and got to do all the fun things that go with that (yeah, I am one of those cool, fun aunts). Now, this meant I was the oldest at home, which was fine, but it just meant everything was that much more crazy. At times it was overwhelming, but good.
I went away to college and didn't really miss anyone. I actually would get in trouble for not calling home and letting my parents know I was alive (on average it was about 3-4 weeks between calls). I stayed out at college for almost 2 years straight (I came home for about 2 weeks at Christmastime), and still didn't quite miss everyone. However, as I drove home for the summer, I started getting excited as I started recognizing my surroundings. The closer I got to home and my family the worse my lead foot got ;)
My time away from my family taught me a lot of things. One of the most important was that I truly loved my family. I loved them and missed them and being away from them was hard. As a child I may not have liked having all those siblings, but as an adult I wouldn't want to have been raised in any other environment.
But the most important thing I learned was how blessed I am to have the knowledge that my family is an eternal family, I can and will be with them through the eternities; death will not separate us.
Ecclesiastes 3:14 says:
"I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever"
As a member of the LDS church, I am blessed with the knowledge that this includes marriage and families. Peter was given the power to seal things on earth and in heaven, as was Elijah and Nephi. Marriage is ordained of God and is one of those things that can be sealed on earth and in heaven.
Such wonderous knowledge this is. It does not have to be "till death do us part". Instead it can and ought to be "for time and all eternity". This kind of marriage, an eternal marriage in the temple is what my parents have. Because of this I know that because of the sealing power, which has been restored to the earth, I will live with my family again. I will someday be sealed to a man for time and all eternity and together we will have the opportunity of having an eternal family, never to be torn asunder by death.
In the temple we are able to make bonds that are truly unbreakable. This is the future I want, the one I know I will be able to have. The family I currently have, and the one I someday will have, the family I love so much will always be mine.
"I have a family here on earth
They are so good to me
I want to share my life with them through all
eternity.
Families can be together forever
Through Heavenly Father's plan
I always want to be with my own family
And the Lord has shown me how I can
The Lord has shown me how I can
While I am in my early years
I'll prepare most carefully
So I can marry in God's temple for eternity
Families can be together forever
Through Heavenly Father's plan
I always want to be with my own family
And the Lord has shown me how I can
The Lord has shown me how I can
"Families can be together forever" Children's songbook pg 188
I know that I can and will be with my family forever, and it is something that God wants for all of His children. He does not want us to be singular and alone. We were sent here in families and in families is how He wants us to be through the eternities. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Monday, June 23, 2014
To Error is Human,To Forgive is Divine.
This story in the Book of Mormon is one of the most courageous stories of forgiveness that I have yet to see in the Book of Mormon. I believe that when we read our scriptures, we tend to see these people as characters in a movie or book, which they are in a way, but we forget these were real people. These were mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters just like ourselves. They may not have fought the same foes that we do today, but they were real people struggling with real problems.
The stories from the past blog posts I have done are in a sequence of events. At the point that I am at now in the Book of Mormon, the Nephites (the good ones who follow God, keep up with me!) are in great need of reinforcements. Helaman has fought the wars with his little band of young men who did fight valiantly, but now is in need of troops. They have fought long and hard and now they need help. So Helaman tells Moroni, who writes an epistle to Pahoran to tell him, they are need in some reinforcements and could you please help out with that since you are the governor and all?
A fair question, and really it should be quite easy to help out, but time goes on and Helaman's troops receive no support and are doing badly. Well I have tried to give you a good description of Moroni's personality. For those of you who are keeping up, this kind of thing makes him rather angry. So he of course writes another epistle which goes something like this: (remember this is sent to Pahoran the governor)
(In the words of Sister Allen, Alma 60, the entire chapter paraphrased.)
"Pahoran, I am really upset with you! You would think that while Helaman and I are out here defending our country and trying to help our people we could get a little support. But no, y'all are just chillin' up there sitting on your thrones. you have really neglected us when we needed your help! Do you think that God will help us to win this war if we just wait and sit on our thrones? I am scared for you when the judgments of God come upon you. I am Moroni, I don't seek power, but seek for freedom." (for the longer extended version check out Alma 60)
So this was in essence a pretty rough letter! If I were Pahoran, my feelings would be hurt, I would be angry, I would probably be a little defensive. Haven't we all been there? I know I have felt that way before. Someone tries to tell me I am doing my job wrong or seeks to correct me.
*Especially if I feel I am in the right. Because what Moroni doesn't know is the other side of the story.
This is Pahoran's answer to Moroni:
"I, Pahoran, who am the chief governor of this land, do send these words unto Moroni, the chief captain over the army. Behold, I say unto you, Moroni, that I do not joy in your great afflictions, yea, it grieves my soul. But behold, there are those who do joy in your afflictions, yea, insomuch that they have risen up in rebellion against me, and also those of my people who are freemen, yea, and those who have risen up are exceedingly numerous. And it is those who have sought to take away the judgment-seat from me that have been the cause of this great iniquity; for they have used great flattery, and they have led away the hearts of many people, which will be the cause of sore affliction among us; they have withheld our provisions, and have daunted our freemen that they have not come unto you." Alma 61: 1-3 (Not paraphrased, couldn't do it justice.)
Ouch. If I were the one on the receiving end of that letter....Pahoran could have chose to be angry. Honestly he could have. He had really good reasons for not supporting Moroni, HE GOT KICKED OUT. Yet, being a humble man of God, he takes it and says, "it grieves me" He not only forgives Moroni but shows such love and compassion for a fellow man of God.
Why can we all not be like that? What is it in our natures that causes us to take offence and to be greedy and resentful? This isn't a rhetorical question, I'd love to hear some thoughts on it. Post on here and I'd love to talk about it with you, because I want to know how I can be more like the Savior, to not take offense. To love them that spitefully use me. To turn the other cheek. We have been given scripture that shares with us, real life examples on how we can handle our own life trials. Do we take advantage of that?
I want to bear testimony to anyone who read this blog that I believe in the Savior Jesus Christ. I know He lives and I know that He suffered for me and has perfect empathy for me. I know as well that the Book of Mormon is Another Testament of Him and His life, and it was given to us for the purpose of bringing us closer to Him.That is why I feel such joy when I read it. I testify to you that I know all these things to be true in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
NEXT WEEK: GUEST BLOGGER! :)
DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT #discoverthebook #searchthebook #livethebook!
The stories from the past blog posts I have done are in a sequence of events. At the point that I am at now in the Book of Mormon, the Nephites (the good ones who follow God, keep up with me!) are in great need of reinforcements. Helaman has fought the wars with his little band of young men who did fight valiantly, but now is in need of troops. They have fought long and hard and now they need help. So Helaman tells Moroni, who writes an epistle to Pahoran to tell him, they are need in some reinforcements and could you please help out with that since you are the governor and all?
A fair question, and really it should be quite easy to help out, but time goes on and Helaman's troops receive no support and are doing badly. Well I have tried to give you a good description of Moroni's personality. For those of you who are keeping up, this kind of thing makes him rather angry. So he of course writes another epistle which goes something like this: (remember this is sent to Pahoran the governor)
(In the words of Sister Allen, Alma 60, the entire chapter paraphrased.)
"Pahoran, I am really upset with you! You would think that while Helaman and I are out here defending our country and trying to help our people we could get a little support. But no, y'all are just chillin' up there sitting on your thrones. you have really neglected us when we needed your help! Do you think that God will help us to win this war if we just wait and sit on our thrones? I am scared for you when the judgments of God come upon you. I am Moroni, I don't seek power, but seek for freedom." (for the longer extended version check out Alma 60)
So this was in essence a pretty rough letter! If I were Pahoran, my feelings would be hurt, I would be angry, I would probably be a little defensive. Haven't we all been there? I know I have felt that way before. Someone tries to tell me I am doing my job wrong or seeks to correct me.
*Especially if I feel I am in the right. Because what Moroni doesn't know is the other side of the story.
This is Pahoran's answer to Moroni:
"I, Pahoran, who am the chief governor of this land, do send these words unto Moroni, the chief captain over the army. Behold, I say unto you, Moroni, that I do not joy in your great afflictions, yea, it grieves my soul. But behold, there are those who do joy in your afflictions, yea, insomuch that they have risen up in rebellion against me, and also those of my people who are freemen, yea, and those who have risen up are exceedingly numerous. And it is those who have sought to take away the judgment-seat from me that have been the cause of this great iniquity; for they have used great flattery, and they have led away the hearts of many people, which will be the cause of sore affliction among us; they have withheld our provisions, and have daunted our freemen that they have not come unto you." Alma 61: 1-3 (Not paraphrased, couldn't do it justice.)
Ouch. If I were the one on the receiving end of that letter....Pahoran could have chose to be angry. Honestly he could have. He had really good reasons for not supporting Moroni, HE GOT KICKED OUT. Yet, being a humble man of God, he takes it and says, "it grieves me" He not only forgives Moroni but shows such love and compassion for a fellow man of God.
Why can we all not be like that? What is it in our natures that causes us to take offence and to be greedy and resentful? This isn't a rhetorical question, I'd love to hear some thoughts on it. Post on here and I'd love to talk about it with you, because I want to know how I can be more like the Savior, to not take offense. To love them that spitefully use me. To turn the other cheek. We have been given scripture that shares with us, real life examples on how we can handle our own life trials. Do we take advantage of that?
I want to bear testimony to anyone who read this blog that I believe in the Savior Jesus Christ. I know He lives and I know that He suffered for me and has perfect empathy for me. I know as well that the Book of Mormon is Another Testament of Him and His life, and it was given to us for the purpose of bringing us closer to Him.That is why I feel such joy when I read it. I testify to you that I know all these things to be true in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
NEXT WEEK: GUEST BLOGGER! :)
DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT #discoverthebook #searchthebook #livethebook!
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
2,000 Stripling Warriors, and Their Mothers.
Everyone who reads this blog, I'd like you to know this one of my absolute favorite stories in the Book of Mormon. The stories I have written about have been building for this particular account.
Meet Helaman.
The whole time these battles have been going on, he has been fighting right along side of Moroni.The difference his people are not doing well, and they are being just slaughtered.
-Now, time for a little back story:) So this whole time, the Nephites have been protecting another group of people named the people of Ammon. These people USED to be Lamanites, but were converted to the gospel. They chose to never lift their weapons of war again and made a covenant of peace to God.
"For they became as righteous people; they did lay down the weapons of their rebellion, that they did not fight against God anymore, neither against any of their brethren. Now, these are they who were converted unto the Lord." Alma 23: 7-8
Amazing people! However their fellow Lamanites were really quite irked that they had converted to the Lord and wanted to live the gospel. So of course...War. They came in and killed so many of them, and because the people of Ammon had made that covenant they would not fight back.
"Now when the people saw that they were coming against them they went out to meet them, and prostrated themselves before them to the earth, and began to call on the name of the Lord; and thus they were in this attitude when the Lamanites began to fall upon them, and began to slay them with the sword. And thus without meeting any resistance, they did slay a thousand and five of them; and we know that they are blessed, for they have gone to dwell with their God." Alma 24: 21-22
Truly these people had so much faith! I don't know that I could do that...I hope I would have that faith but really their testimonies were so strong.
Now the Nephites see the people of Ammon being slaughtered (also sidenote, many of the lamanites that were killing them were so moved by their complete surrender, they joined with them instead of fighting them!) and they cant bear to watch it. So they make a plan and relocate the people to another land near them where they can protect them and watch over them. So that's what they have doing since.
Back story concluded.
Now back to Helaman.
So they have been fighting, they are running out of the people, and the people of Ammon seeing so many of the Nephites die for them, are moved with compassion. To the point where they decide they are going to break their covenant and fight with the Lamanites against the Nephites. BAD IDEA! It is never a good idea to break promises with God. Luckily, the Nephites love them and refuse to let them break their promise. However we still have the problem that everyone is dying and they need more people to fight...
What would you do in this situation?
I know I would probably go find the nearest rock and crawl under it and hide. That would be me. Luckily. Helaman wasn't me:)
Heleman needs an army, and who steps up to the plate?
Letter from Helaman to Moroni:
"My dearly beloved brother, Moroni, as well in the Lord as in the tribulations of our warfare; behold, my beloved brother, I have somewhat to tell you concerning our warfare in this part of the land.
Behold, two thousand of the sons of those men whom Ammon brought down out of the land of Nephi—now ye have known that these were descendants of Laman, who was the eldest son of our father Lehi;
Now I need not rehearse unto you concerning their traditions or their unbelief, for thou knowest concerning all these things—Therefore it sufficeth me that I tell you that two thousand of these young men have taken their weapons of war, and would that I should be their leader; and we have come forth to defend our country." Alma 56: 2-5
Their sons. Their sons who had not made those promises to God were the ones who said in a sense "we will go."
The reason for their courage?
"Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it." Alma 56: 47-48
Mothers. What power you have. Guys when I write this, I get chills. I hope you do too. I hope you see the amazing courage it took. The courage that came from their faith in the Lord. The faith their mothers taught them.
Now I realize we didn't get to the war stuff yet and your dying to know how the army of basically children did...but your going to have to wait till next week:) just can't give you all the good stuff at once.
Brothers and Sisters, I know that this gospel and the things we are taught are truly the things that matter. In the end it is not the car, job, house, computer, tv, or any of the other material possessions we have. In the end it won't matter. If we were asked to lay it all on the line for the Cause of the Christians, for the one True God, would you be able to do it, or are there things that take priority over God in your life right now?
I love this gospel, and I love my Lord and Savior, and I say these things in his name, Amen.
Next week! don't forget to #searchthebook on facebook!
Meet Helaman.
The whole time these battles have been going on, he has been fighting right along side of Moroni.The difference his people are not doing well, and they are being just slaughtered.
-Now, time for a little back story:) So this whole time, the Nephites have been protecting another group of people named the people of Ammon. These people USED to be Lamanites, but were converted to the gospel. They chose to never lift their weapons of war again and made a covenant of peace to God.
"For they became as righteous people; they did lay down the weapons of their rebellion, that they did not fight against God anymore, neither against any of their brethren. Now, these are they who were converted unto the Lord." Alma 23: 7-8
Amazing people! However their fellow Lamanites were really quite irked that they had converted to the Lord and wanted to live the gospel. So of course...War. They came in and killed so many of them, and because the people of Ammon had made that covenant they would not fight back.
"Now when the people saw that they were coming against them they went out to meet them, and prostrated themselves before them to the earth, and began to call on the name of the Lord; and thus they were in this attitude when the Lamanites began to fall upon them, and began to slay them with the sword. And thus without meeting any resistance, they did slay a thousand and five of them; and we know that they are blessed, for they have gone to dwell with their God." Alma 24: 21-22
Truly these people had so much faith! I don't know that I could do that...I hope I would have that faith but really their testimonies were so strong.
Now the Nephites see the people of Ammon being slaughtered (also sidenote, many of the lamanites that were killing them were so moved by their complete surrender, they joined with them instead of fighting them!) and they cant bear to watch it. So they make a plan and relocate the people to another land near them where they can protect them and watch over them. So that's what they have doing since.
Back story concluded.
Now back to Helaman.
So they have been fighting, they are running out of the people, and the people of Ammon seeing so many of the Nephites die for them, are moved with compassion. To the point where they decide they are going to break their covenant and fight with the Lamanites against the Nephites. BAD IDEA! It is never a good idea to break promises with God. Luckily, the Nephites love them and refuse to let them break their promise. However we still have the problem that everyone is dying and they need more people to fight...
What would you do in this situation?
I know I would probably go find the nearest rock and crawl under it and hide. That would be me. Luckily. Helaman wasn't me:)
Heleman needs an army, and who steps up to the plate?
Letter from Helaman to Moroni:
"My dearly beloved brother, Moroni, as well in the Lord as in the tribulations of our warfare; behold, my beloved brother, I have somewhat to tell you concerning our warfare in this part of the land.
Behold, two thousand of the sons of those men whom Ammon brought down out of the land of Nephi—now ye have known that these were descendants of Laman, who was the eldest son of our father Lehi;
Now I need not rehearse unto you concerning their traditions or their unbelief, for thou knowest concerning all these things—Therefore it sufficeth me that I tell you that two thousand of these young men have taken their weapons of war, and would that I should be their leader; and we have come forth to defend our country." Alma 56: 2-5
Their sons. Their sons who had not made those promises to God were the ones who said in a sense "we will go."
The reason for their courage?
"Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it." Alma 56: 47-48
Mothers. What power you have. Guys when I write this, I get chills. I hope you do too. I hope you see the amazing courage it took. The courage that came from their faith in the Lord. The faith their mothers taught them.
Now I realize we didn't get to the war stuff yet and your dying to know how the army of basically children did...but your going to have to wait till next week:) just can't give you all the good stuff at once.
Brothers and Sisters, I know that this gospel and the things we are taught are truly the things that matter. In the end it is not the car, job, house, computer, tv, or any of the other material possessions we have. In the end it won't matter. If we were asked to lay it all on the line for the Cause of the Christians, for the one True God, would you be able to do it, or are there things that take priority over God in your life right now?
I love this gospel, and I love my Lord and Savior, and I say these things in his name, Amen.
Next week! don't forget to #searchthebook on facebook!
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
A good nap, while all your prisoners escape!
Alright, here we are with Moroni, remember him, the good guy:) Moroni and the Nephites have been having some hefty battles and fighting very hard for the cause of their freedom. It is very interesting to note that whenever it mentions in the scriptures the reasons why everyone is fighting this war, it is always due to oppression from one side or the other.
So the leaders of both sides are tired of the fighting, tired of the loss of their brethren and mostly out of men, might, and motivation. So they write epistles to each other. It was kinda like email chat except took much longer and wasn't quite as fun.
So Ammoron( He is the leader of the people who don't believe in God, it used to be Amalikiah, but he was stabbed in the heart with a javelin. Just a heads up) sends his letter to Moroni which says:
"And now it came to pass in the commencement of the twenty and ninth year of the judges, that Ammoron sent unto Moroni desiring that he would exchange prisoners." -Alma 54:1
So yeah, Ammoron keeps it pretty short and simple. That's nice, but he then sent it to Moroni....now that guy is a novelist. Moroni starts him out real slow. He says:
get into some really fun stuff! #Discoverthebook!!
So the leaders of both sides are tired of the fighting, tired of the loss of their brethren and mostly out of men, might, and motivation. So they write epistles to each other. It was kinda like email chat except took much longer and wasn't quite as fun.
So Ammoron( He is the leader of the people who don't believe in God, it used to be Amalikiah, but he was stabbed in the heart with a javelin. Just a heads up) sends his letter to Moroni which says:
"And now it came to pass in the commencement of the twenty and ninth year of the judges, that Ammoron sent unto Moroni desiring that he would exchange prisoners." -Alma 54:1
So yeah, Ammoron keeps it pretty short and simple. That's nice, but he then sent it to Moroni....now that guy is a novelist. Moroni starts him out real slow. He says:
Well actually what he says takes up a good long page and a half in the Book of Mormon, so I will paraphrase.
"Well Ammoron, I'd like to help you with this whole exchange the prisoner thing, I really would, but you know very well that we're not very well matched against each other. All of our prisoners of yours are all men. We didn't take any of your women or children. However you have many of our women and children. So I'm only going to trade you prisoners if you will trade one family for one man. Also I think you are child of Hell and do not abide by the precepts of God and unless you repent, you are probably going to Hell. I am Moroni, leader of the Nephites." -Paraphrased version of Alma 54:5-15
So obviously the conversation is going quite well at this point. Well this makes Ammoron mad, and he gets really hissy and says he doesn't really need to exchange prisoners, and they are going to keep fighting them, because they believe they are the rightful rulers, and so on and so forth. Plus he was slightly offended that Moroni called him a child of Hell.
After all this, Moroni refuses to exchange prisoners, and comes up with a brilliant plan!
So he makes a search through all his people, finds some of Lamanite decent, send them with wine to the Lamanites fortress, and tell them to lie to the Lamanites.
He says tell them you escaped from us, and you brought them wine to celebrate:) So they do.
"And it came to pass that
they did take of the wine freely; and it was pleasant to their taste,
therefore they took of it more freely; and it was strong, having been
prepared in its strength.
Well, morale of the story, Dont Get Drunk On The Job!
All of the prisoners were given weapons and when the Lamanites woke up, they surrendered:) I'm sure you would too if all your prisoners had all the weapons.
I love this story, not because it is hillarious, although it really is, but because of what it teaches us. We don't ever take the easy way out! You keep your standards high and you fight hard. Like I said last post, we are living in the war zone, the spiritual war zone! We don't give up and arrange to trade prisoners! We keep fighting, and we arm ourselves from within. We do those things that give us power spiritually and that fortify our minds and ready us to take on Satan when he comes and offers us the easy way out.
Brothers and sisters, don't take easy way out! Fight hard! For the Cause of the Christians!
Thank you for you time!
Next week we
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Living in the War Zone
The best adventure you have ever read about, there are treacherous villains, amazing heroes, good versus evil, and of course, some amazingly funny commentary to really hit the spot for a good read.
~The Book of Mormon~
There may be those of you who have heard it before and perhaps it didn't have a very good connotation. There are many who have heard about it and heard wrong things and chose to never read it and never find out themselves.
Of course we know the saying. "Don't judge a book by its cover" You have to open it and find out for yourself.
I'm going to take us to the middle of the book, right in the middle of some high packed action!
First off you need to know who the good guys are and the bad guys.
Nephites=good Lamanites=bad
This changes throughout so you gotta keep up with me.
Moroni=good Amalickiah= bad
okay here we go!
Moroni is the captain of the Nephites, and he is a Boss. in the scriptures they describe him this way:
"Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men."- Alma 48:17 (to cite my sources, and in case you wanna check it out:)
How would you like to be described as someone who makes the very powers of Hell shake? I sure would!
Here is how Amalickiah works. He is a terribly tricky little fellow. He really wants to be the king. However, problem, the Lamanites already have a king. Solution? Kill the king and blame someone else. Good plan right? So Amalickiah goes to meet the King and makes the sign of peace, and when the king is about to allow them to come unto him, Amalickiah's servants stab him, and then blame it on the King's servants.
" And it came to pass that Amalickiah commanded that his armies should march forth and see what had happened to the king; and when they had come to the spot, and found the king lying in his gore, Amalickiah pretended to be wroth, and said: Whosoever loved the king, let him go forth, and pursue his servants that they may be slain." -Alma 47:27
Quite a mess.
Anyway, Moroni is a strategy man. He knows that the Lamanites are coming after his people. So he starts preparing them. This guy knows how to prepare his people for an attack!
" Yea, he had been strengthening the armies of the Nephites, and erecting small forts, or places of resort; throwing up banks of earth round about to enclose his armies, and also building walls of stone to encircle them about, round about their cities and the borders of their lands; yea, all round about the land.
~The Book of Mormon~
There may be those of you who have heard it before and perhaps it didn't have a very good connotation. There are many who have heard about it and heard wrong things and chose to never read it and never find out themselves.
Of course we know the saying. "Don't judge a book by its cover" You have to open it and find out for yourself.
I'm going to take us to the middle of the book, right in the middle of some high packed action!
First off you need to know who the good guys are and the bad guys.
Nephites=good Lamanites=bad
This changes throughout so you gotta keep up with me.
Moroni=good Amalickiah= bad
okay here we go!
Moroni is the captain of the Nephites, and he is a Boss. in the scriptures they describe him this way:
"Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men."- Alma 48:17 (to cite my sources, and in case you wanna check it out:)
How would you like to be described as someone who makes the very powers of Hell shake? I sure would!
Here is how Amalickiah works. He is a terribly tricky little fellow. He really wants to be the king. However, problem, the Lamanites already have a king. Solution? Kill the king and blame someone else. Good plan right? So Amalickiah goes to meet the King and makes the sign of peace, and when the king is about to allow them to come unto him, Amalickiah's servants stab him, and then blame it on the King's servants.
" And it came to pass that Amalickiah commanded that his armies should march forth and see what had happened to the king; and when they had come to the spot, and found the king lying in his gore, Amalickiah pretended to be wroth, and said: Whosoever loved the king, let him go forth, and pursue his servants that they may be slain." -Alma 47:27
Quite a mess.
Anyway, Moroni is a strategy man. He knows that the Lamanites are coming after his people. So he starts preparing them. This guy knows how to prepare his people for an attack!
" Yea, he had been strengthening the armies of the Nephites, and erecting small forts, or places of resort; throwing up banks of earth round about to enclose his armies, and also building walls of stone to encircle them about, round about their cities and the borders of their lands; yea, all round about the land.
And
in their weakest fortifications he did place the greater number of men;
and thus he did fortify and strengthen the land which was possessed by
the Nephites.
And thus he was preparing to support
their liberty, their lands, their wives, and their children, and their
peace, and that they might live unto the Lord their God, and that they
might maintain that which was called by their enemies the cause of Christians." Alma 48:8-10
I love the verbs he uses when talking about how he prepares his people. Strengthening, erecting, throwing up banks of earth, building walls of stone, fortify, preparing, support, and all for the cause of Christians.
I love that.
Ladies and gentlmen, we live in a war zone. not a physical one like Moroni, though sometimes we do, but a spiritual one. Satan is trying so hard to bring down the souls of the children of God. We have so much to fight for, and so much to fight against.
Let us rise up in the glorious cause of Christians:)
Tune in next time for some terrific tips on how to lead the bad guys on wild goose chase, and still keep your cities fortified and ready for war! (also you know you wanna find out who won the war....its drawing you in...)
Thank you for your time:)
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Take two!
So as y'all know I have just recently started this blog, and I am not a very gifted writer, but I had some pretty good ideas and I was ready to try out the blog idea. Well, I'm not gonna lie, after my first couple of posts, the excitement left and so did my ideas... Then my last companion sent me to a page on facebook where I found this disturbing quote, which filled me with guilt and regret...
"I'm noticing a trend amongst missionary blogs that makes me a bit concerned. A missionary gets an idea for a blog, and it's brilliant! So they write some posts, maybe even two in one week. They post regularly for a month or so, then they miss a week here and there, then the posts stop coming entirely, like the missionary has forgotten that they have a blog.
The problem in both cases is the same. Becoming an active member and creating a well-established blog is hard work, which sometimes isn't foreseen until the hard times come. The days get busy, the week rushes by, and before you know it, Sunday has come again and you have to make the decision again: Am I going to go to church today or not?
I had the opportunity to meet a blogger called Fat Cyclist, whose blog makes him a bit of money and has given him some fame amongst the cycling world. He did not get to that point by casually posting entries here and there. It might have started out that way, but it took him a lot of work to get to the point where he is today. One of his keys to success is his schedule. He posts on certain days of the week when people are more likely to be reading his blog,and it is the same every single week. (I know it's not Friday or the weekend because fewer people are online at that time.) On top of that, he writes several posts in advance and keeps them in reserve for when he publishes them. He keeps a list of ideas and updates it frequently. He spends a lot of time thinking about his blog."
I confess, I don't spend alot of time thinking about my blog. I do when I get a good idea, and then I write it and post it, and let it sit for a month or so. I have learned on my mission, that the key to success in anything, whether it is a blog, a class, a job, a calling in the church, or even babysitting for a couple of hours is to stick with it! There is not much respect in this world for people who quit. I don't want to be one.
So with that said my dearly beloved audience of whom may be reading this, I am ready to try again! Hence the name, Take Two. I am here, humbled and ready to try again, and would appreciate any and all help:)
Thank you for the chance to try again:)
"I'm noticing a trend amongst missionary blogs that makes me a bit concerned. A missionary gets an idea for a blog, and it's brilliant! So they write some posts, maybe even two in one week. They post regularly for a month or so, then they miss a week here and there, then the posts stop coming entirely, like the missionary has forgotten that they have a blog.
The problem in both cases is the same. Becoming an active member and creating a well-established blog is hard work, which sometimes isn't foreseen until the hard times come. The days get busy, the week rushes by, and before you know it, Sunday has come again and you have to make the decision again: Am I going to go to church today or not?
I had the opportunity to meet a blogger called Fat Cyclist, whose blog makes him a bit of money and has given him some fame amongst the cycling world. He did not get to that point by casually posting entries here and there. It might have started out that way, but it took him a lot of work to get to the point where he is today. One of his keys to success is his schedule. He posts on certain days of the week when people are more likely to be reading his blog,and it is the same every single week. (I know it's not Friday or the weekend because fewer people are online at that time.) On top of that, he writes several posts in advance and keeps them in reserve for when he publishes them. He keeps a list of ideas and updates it frequently. He spends a lot of time thinking about his blog."
I confess, I don't spend alot of time thinking about my blog. I do when I get a good idea, and then I write it and post it, and let it sit for a month or so. I have learned on my mission, that the key to success in anything, whether it is a blog, a class, a job, a calling in the church, or even babysitting for a couple of hours is to stick with it! There is not much respect in this world for people who quit. I don't want to be one.
So with that said my dearly beloved audience of whom may be reading this, I am ready to try again! Hence the name, Take Two. I am here, humbled and ready to try again, and would appreciate any and all help:)
Thank you for the chance to try again:)
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