every memory matters

What Shall We Give?

2010-12-09T13:22:00.000-08:00

BYU Football Game Vs New Mexico 40-7!!!

2010-12-02T09:17:00.000-08:00

Sorry it took so long to upload these to my computer, it has been a couple of weeks though!!!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-01T16:03:00.000-08:00

Sorry it took so long to get these posted!!!

My friend and roommate Katie, came with me for Thanksgiving, since her family lives in Missouri, and no one should spend it alone, so here we are watching football just waiting for Mr Turkey to be done cookin'

Cali and Dad getting the Turkey read to eat!! YUMMY!!!

Jill with a happy face helping with the potatoes...I think :)

Dad working on the gravy.....so yummy, he is the best at making gravy!!!

Spencer smiling for the camera!!!

Cali looking at the Turkey, probably trying to avoid the camera!! LOL

My mom and I, not even knowing who was taking that picture!! Probably Spencer!!

So cute!!! Dad and Mom together!!! Still a adorable couple after 24 years!!

My dad, Mom, Me and lil' Chocolate!!!! So cute!!! Smile for the camera!!

Daniel, Mom, and Spencer, I dont think the boys have gotten the meaning of Smiling yet!!! Gotta train them a bit more!!

My Mom and I!!! Such a fun family day!!! Family, Tons of Food, and Football ALL Day!!!! (Drove my mom crazy I am sure!!! )

BYU Game!! 55-7

2010-11-06T23:33:00.000-07:00

I was so thrilled to be able to go to the game today, especially after BYU's bye week and not seeing them play last week. The day was nice and warm, and just perfect for today's game. It started out with two touchdowns in the first qtr, three td and a field goal in the second, two in the third, and a field goal in the last quarter, leaving the score to be BYU 55 and UNLV 7. The team today was unified in their efforts, and worked together and it was great to see it all come together especially after all the struggles so far this season. Looking forward to the rest of the season!!! Just love my boys in blue!!! You did great today!!!

Colts Won 31-17

2010-11-02T17:23:00.000-07:00

Last night I was able to watch the Indianapolis Colts vs. Houston Texan Game down in Indianapolis. Since I am 100% colts fan, and just loved the game, very fun and intense!! Here are some of the highlights of the game!!

Living A Balanced Life In Christ

2010-10-10T20:27:00.000-07:00

Today in Sacrament Meeting, my roommate and friend Katie, spoke and gave a amazing talk on Living a balanced life:

We need to learn to balance our lives, which takes planning and effort, our main goals is to gain immortality and eternal life. Christ is there to help us. Here is a scripture on which we can be a standard for helping us living a balanced life.

"Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;" (Doctrine And Covenants 88:119)

1. FAITH- We need to have faith in Christ and in the Plan of Salvation-because everything that is righteous in our lives is worth it.
2. HOUSE OF PRAYER-Prayer needs to play a big role in our lives. "Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever. Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day. " (Alma 37:36-37) We need to counsel with the Lord daily and often, and when He counsels us we shall never be led astray, and we will feel a comforting peace.
3 HOUSE OF FASTING- Fasting can work in our lives and the Lord will bless us when we fast.
4. HOUSE OF ORDER-"And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order."(Mosiah 4:27) We need to balance each aspect of our lives, too much or too little can be harmful to us. We need to get to know those that are living close to us, to let them know that they are loved. " Where can I turn for peace? Where is my solace When other sources cease to make me whole? When with a wounded heart, anger, or malice. I draw myself apart, searching my soul? Where, when my aching grows, Where, when I languish, Where, in my need to know, where can I run? Where is the quiet hand to calm my anguish? Who can understand? He, only one. He answers privately, Reaches my reaching In my Gethsemane, Savior and Friend. Gentle the peace he find for my beseeching. Constant he is and kind, Love without end."(Hymn "Where Can I Turn For Peace) He is the constant guide and friend, and we can turn to Christ.

2nd Speaker-Richard Anderson:

We need to prioritize our lives so that we many serve the Lord. Christ needs to be first in our lives. Everything we do in this life should be for the betterment of the kingdom. If we stumble, the Atonement is there to lift us up. Love is the center of all, its the healing bond, its a source of power and warms our lives. What we love determines what we seek. Christ will support us in all righteous endeavors that we do. We have a partner (Christ) in all things, put your trust in your Heavenly Father, and we will then find peace. Be wise in your choices. We need to find time to serve one another. Focus on people and principles. We need to know our Brothers and Sisters. Lets catch each other doing things right!!

Book Of The Week

2010-10-07T21:29:00.000-07:00

Each week I will be doing a weekly feature of a Book that has truly inspired me in my life and why!!!

So This is My Choice For The Month

Why Do I Love This Book
Well one thing that I love about this book, is that it always inspires, and helps you take on a beautiful journey to come closer to Christ, more than you ever will before. There are 21 sections that talk about a aspect that Christ has taught. For example in the First Day: Come And See which talks about if you want a closer relationship with the Savior than Come and See Christ more fully. This is such a beautiful book with the most awe inspiring art from Simon Dewey, that will definitely shed a tear or two, and take you throughout the scriptures that will delight and bring you such joy. Definitely a book I would recommend to anyone searching for a closer relationship with Jesus Christ. So COME AND SEE!!!!

Regional Stake Conference

2010-09-12T18:31:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to attend the Regional Stake Conference live at the Marriot Center on BYU Campus. It was such a great conference and I loved being able to listen to these amazing speakers and to be surround by Young Adults my age, there was such a unity and the feeling of the Spirit flowed throughout the room.

Our first speaker was Steven F Snow:
The need for us to Remember is vital for us to progress throughout Eternity. Throughout the Book of Mormon we see examples of the need to remember. We also have monuments to help us remember that which is most important Such as Seagulls, Pioneers, ect. We are also required to do certain things to remember the Lord in our lives such as scripture study, prayer, attending the temple, partaking of the sacrament. We must have our own spiritual awakening to strengthen our testimonies. We need to sustain our spiritual strength. In Alma 5:26 "And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?" Our testimonies must be constantly fed through spiritual experiences to remember. Also we need to constantly renew our testimonies. The Holy Ghost can manifest to us what we should do. The Spirit helps us to become sanctified, these promptings can help us grow and progress. Let us remember the sacrifices of those that have sown us the way.

Julie B Beck-Relief Society General President:
We're doing better than we think we are. We also aren't doing as well as we could be doing. If we were to call upon our faith we would do better. This kind of faith can cause miracles and change. The Spirit is the key in knowing the mind and will of our Heavenly Father. We don't need to be discouraged or fearful when we trust in our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. If we prioritize correctly, than we will be aligned with the Lord, we can have full confidence in His promises. We wanted this mortal experience, so we need to make the best of that choice of fighting on our Lord's side!!

Elder Jeffrey R Holland
All times will be challenging, but the Lord will be with us all all times. Its good for us to remember those who have had tough challenges and risen above it. The early saints had much determination and courage. What we see is faith in God and this marvelous work. Faith is the first abiding principle, to go forth in this work. The fundamental force is faith that this is the kingdom of God on Earth. This is the work of God and we need to give the best of our strength to this great cause. Build your family and see that faith is strong there!!!

Pres. Boyd K Packer
When we are called, we should serve well. From now on, its going to be tougher. In some way alot more harder than what the early pioneers had to go through. Our Father is someone we can always call on and depend on. He is on OUR side, but it ALL depends on us. The adversary only does what we let him do. We make our own choices. We have to be the ones to have that self control, to make the choice to leave evil our of our lives. since we are surrounded by it. We are children of God. We are in charge of our minds, but it can be challenging to keep our course straight. If we are obedient, the Lord will strengthen us throughout this journey of life. When we are faltering, there is always someone there to lift us up when we fall. The things we are taught in the Church can help us eliminate the negative experiences in our lives. The standard and goals that we set for in our lives, is a pattern we shall live for the rest of Eternity. We will be protected and guided and looked after!!!

New Place

2010-08-31T17:57:00.000-07:00

I have just recently moved to a new place!!! I love it!!! Its a bit different that what I am used to but I just love living her and I have a great roommate so far and hope to get two more this week!!!! Will post pictures soon!!!

New Place

2010-08-16T21:56:00.000-07:00

Well I have some good new!! Its been awhile since I have felt so happy and on edge as I am now!! I have finally found a great place to live, and signing the contract for it tomorrow morning!!! Its at Branbury, its a very social atmosphere, great wards, free spa and nails ( Whoot!!) Its close to where I work, which will be way nice! And way good price for what they offer!

Canada Trip

2010-07-11T09:10:00.000-07:00

Well I just got back from our family vacation in Canada!!! HOOYAH!!!

This is up at Parker Idaho on our way up north, what do you think of my new haircut? :), Just putting flowers on the graves and excited for our trip and to see family!

This was our first day and we decided to go to Waterton National Park (which for you Americans, thats the Canadian side of Glacier National Park) and we saw 3-4 bears, pretty cool, we were told they are pretty frequently seen this summer!!!

This is at the Cameron Lake, which is very beautiful, and is manditory if you are going to Waterton!!! This summer they have had quite a bit of rain so it was pretty high this year so we couldn't walk along the edge of it, like we usually can. But it is always good to see!

Here is my mom, Aunt LaRee, and Me of course looking over this bridge at the lake, about to do a little hike!!! Fun stuff!

Along our little hike, we saw this deer eating and looking at us as well, the boys loved it ( my brother Spencer, Justice and Mason -my two adorable cousins!

Here is my wee brother walking along enjoying the hike, (which apparently he loves them) Don't worry there were pics of me along this hike just not on my camera, so once I get hold of the pictures from my Dad's camera I will put them on here, so be watchful!!!

Here we are in Vulcan, Canada, "Beam me up Scotty" (LOL) As you can see there is Spencer, Dad, Me, Mom, and Danny boy. We had such fun at this place, just like we do every tiime we come!!!! This was a fun day, we first headed to Vulcan, then to Nanton to see the Train Gardens, and the to Calgary to see Darin and Jeff, his wife Christy and their cute son Hunter!!! We even played a fun game in the park for a while with Jeff later that evening, which was a blast!!!! Fun day apart from the crazy mosquitos!!!! I think I had forgotten how crazy they can get!!!

Here is me and cute Maddie- isnt she the most adorable seven year old? We went to Waterton a second time, on our last day, spending it with cousins!!!

Here is Daniel, Me, Maddie, Justice, Mason, Spencer and my dad, and in the next pic will be all of us with my mom!!

Maddie and I looking over the Cameron Falls, so beautiful!!! It was also such a great day!

My Mom and I overlooking the falls!!!

My Dad and I overlooking the lake, I just loved being there, "magnifique"

Here is my mom and I on our way home from Canada, and taking the scenic route as you will see in the rest of the pictures.

In front of Old Chief

Happy Father's Day!!!

2010-06-20T09:43:00.000-07:00

What Have I Been Up To Lately and What is Coming Up

2010-06-19T18:51:00.000-07:00

Well, I know its been a little while since I have made a post about what is going on so I thought I would do a mini update. Well I am still working at Smash Burger, and loving every moment of it. Its tons of fun, I work with some great people, and my only complaint is the few hours that I get, but I am hoping to get a second job soon to make up for it. Now for those that don't know what Smash Burger is and why it is called that, well its like the Hilton of burger places, and our burgers are different from everyone else. Since what we do is smash down the beef instead of doing standard patties. It creates more sizzling flavor and its mmm good!!! Other than that I am working on my novel, and yes it is a romance (what else would I right, as I am a firm believer in happy endings if you make a effort and have faith and commitment) Anyways, I do want to work more on my genealogy website, I know I haven't worked on it in a while, but that is one of my goals for tomorrow, get more done!!!!! If you wish to visit it here is the website The Blumel Family History Site

Now what is coming up that I am looking forward to: Well I am going with the parental's up north to O Canada, to visit family and visit one of my favorite places in the world. For those of those that don't know, I truly love Canada and always have and have always wanted to live there, maybe it will happen who knows, anything can happen right? And of course there is Waterton, Maybe...Just maybe if I cross my fingers going to a Rodeo (whoot) and visiting Vulcan as well. Of course there is also the upside of seeing some infant cousins that I have yet to meet, so way pumped up for it!!!

New Layout

2010-06-18T10:44:00.000-07:00

Well I decided to change my layout, and I might change it in the future but for now I think I will stick with this!!! Just for a trial run!!! So tell me what you think!!!

Anniversary

2010-05-27T15:51:00.000-07:00

Today is my grandfather on my mother's side, birthday and he would have been 91 today if he was still alive. He was an amazing man who really inspired all those around him. He was a fighter thorought all of his life. He fought in WWII, he fought many different types of cancers, had 4-5 heart attacks and a stroke. He passed away five years ago in April, a few days before I graduated High School. He was a strong believer in getting a education and learning as much as you can. He also loved to read, although I don't know if he did as much as I did of course. He was one of my greatest heroes, I always have looked up to him. I always felt really close to him, despite the age difference, I felt like I could confide in him no matter what. I will always remember him!!!

Shall I Compare Thee To A Summers Day?

2010-05-19T18:09:00.000-07:00

This is a sonnet that I have always loved since I started reading from Shakepeare, it was the first one that I had to memorize and have had it memorized for the most part since. So I thought that I would share it with you!!

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed,
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature's changing course untrimmed:
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st,
. Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st,
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Happy Mothers Day

2010-05-09T15:06:00.000-07:00

New Place

2010-05-03T17:30:00.000-07:00

Sorry its been so long since I have updated my blog, its been crazy here! I have been loving my job at Smash Burger, which is awesome! I get to work with great people including my sister Cali and her BF Roman, who is one of the sweetest guys!!! I have just found a new place to live, and I love living there so far. I have some great roomies, a great ward (from what I hear), and great environment. No more basement apt living YAhooo!!!! At least for right now anyway, I feel tired of living in basements, its good to live in a real house with a room on the main floor. Here are a few insights that I have gathered from yesterday!!! I was studying from the New Testament, in John 13 I believe, and it was talking about the symbolism with Mary washing his feet and with the Hosanna shout. As I have been studying the Old and New Testament you can see how much symoblism focuses on Christ and his purpose and mission here on earth. Which was for our sakes, because of His love for us all. I am dearly so grateful for all that He has done and will do. I am amazed by how great life is, when we look all around us by the astounding miracles that we are surrounded by that testify of the atonement and of Christ and His astounding love for us!!!

Covert Art Thursday

2010-04-15T12:50:00.000-07:00

Every Thursday I will be posting a new book with the cover art on it!!! Since I love to read, this will be a lot of fun!

Montgomery de Piaget attracts responsibilities like blossoms lure bees. Where other knights have bonny brides, laughing children, and noble quests, he has the task of rebuilding the most dilapidated castle in all of England. A bit of magic might aid him—if only he still believed in that sort of thing.
When Pippa Alexander is invited to England to provide costumes for an upscale party, she jumps at the chance to showcase her own line of fairy-tale inspired designs. Not even her older sister’s decision to act as Fairy Queen crushes Pippa’s hope that this time, she’ll wind up wearing the glass slippers. Not that she believes in fairy tales, or magic that whispers along the hallways of an honest-to-goodness medieval castle...
But the castle is full of more than cobwebs, and danger lurks in unexpected places. And only time will tell if Montgomery and Pippa can overcome both to find their own happily every after .

I am Back

2010-03-27T09:15:00.000-07:00

Its been so crazy that past few weeks, so I apologize for not posting sooner. My sister Jill has been in the hospital for over two weeks now, she has double pneumonia and a rare disease called Lemierres Syndrom. I have been spending alot of my time at the hospital being with her. She loves to have company, and when someone leaves, and you know she wishes they could stay, it just breaks your heart. Now however, we know that she will be heading home soon. The chest tubes are out, she is walking around and finally after two weeks has a appetite so they took the feeding tube out last night. (Boy is that a long tube) LOL She is pretty disappointed she won't be able to go to Mexico, a trip that she had planned with a friend. Good news is she will be able to finish the semester since her professors are willing to work with her at Utah State. At times like these, it important to remember the important things in life and hold dear to them. Life is so precious, and so short at times. We had a scare, that when she was first admitted to the hospital, the doctors thought she might have Lukemia, and when I heard that I was more scared than ever, because I realized how much I loved my sister and how special and dear she is to me, and to many around her, and how many lives she has blessed!! We are so blessed to have the Gospel, and the people around us that love and care for us and each other. We should never forget how important our time her on earth is, and to hold dear to every moment that passes and make the best of it!!!

Reverance is the key

2010-03-01T09:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had the opportunity to go and hear my mother give a talk in Sacrament Meeting. The topic that she was given was Reverance, and I am so grateful and blessed that I call her mother, she has been such a blessing in my life and so in tune with the spirit.

Here are some things that really struck home to me and that I want to share with you now

The temples and ordinances are a prime example of reverance, and the spirit of it that must be present. The Holy Spirit will become our constant companion as we have the Spirit of Reverance in our lives. Its a love of the deepest love we feel for our Heavenly Father and our Savior. Reverance is a attitude of the deepest respect and love of God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Reverance is a attitude of the deepest respect and love of God and the Savior. As we develop Reverence, we can better our lives and pattern them after our Savior, Jesus Christ. We must praise, revere and worship our Heavenly Father. Another way to learn Reverence is by the example of others. My mom shared this powerful story with us: ' Right before my father passed away, all of us, my husband and children, decided one Sunday to go and visit them for the day, and so we did, and it was a amazing visit, my father talked to each of his grandchildren about what was going on in their lives, and then he asked me to talk at his funeral, and at first I said 'no, your my father I can't do that', but he persisted until I said Yes, so I did, later we left them and headed home, and fifteen minutes later he passed away. At the viewing I had such a hard time and not knowing if I could still be able to speak at his funeral. As I went up to the podium to speak I could feel him right beside me with his arms around me and I knew everything would be alright and that he loves me' This is a powerful testament of the power and feeling of Reverance we may feel when someone we know and love passes away.

The Power of the Priesthood

2010-01-24T16:05:00.000-08:00

Everything we do in the church is under the power and the authority of the priesthood. The priesthood is the eternal power and authority of God. Its the government of god on earth and in the heavens. Its the most perfect order of government existing. Its given to all worthy men of the church. Those who receive the blessings of it are those who choose good over evil, those who have faith and work in righteousness, improving their lives, and blessing the lives of others. Be worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost. Magnify your callings and do what is asked by those who have the authority to lead and guide. We are able to receive personal revelation. Also to do temple work which blesses the lives of others and also us as well. "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."(James 5:14-16)-Blessings of healing. One of the greatest blessings that we can receive is a patriarchal blessing. Its a personal revelation for each of us. It is our personal Liahona to guide, direct, caution, and bless us. All members of the church are equally blessed by the priesthood. The sacrament renews our baptismal covenants and we take upon us the name of Christ. The nature of God, which can help us understand how much Heavenly Father loves us. The priesthood is so powerful, its there so we can receive guidance, it is order. The priesthood was restored by Joseph Smith, and with later visitations from other prophets the fullness of the Gospel was restored in this, the last dispensation. With the priesthood comes great responsibility. The Lord has His eye upon us, He knows us and He is willing and ready to help us fulfill our full potential. Whenever one exercises the priesthood, one is doing the Lord's will, and is on His errand. We all can become what our Heavenly Father wants us to be!!

Bull Riding

2010-01-18T05:13:00.001-08:00

I thought that this was awesome!!!! Some ride it is!!! YEEHAWWW!!!!!

The Love of Writing

2010-01-15T13:27:00.001-08:00

I have discovered what a joy it is to be able to write and explore my creativity. Over the past few years I have been working on a novel, of course I have only written about 100 pages so far, since I have had school and work to stress about. Now however I dont have to worry about that as much. I only work 16 hours a week, and even though I am looking for a second job, on my off time(which is quite a lot) I am able to work on my novel. It is such fun to write a story and get involved in the story and the characters and really explore my imagination. It is so much fun for me and I tend to really get into the story. The only aspect of writing a story of novel, is getting writers block. Its always good to find something that will assist in helping us get past the block and so we can continue on with the story. For me personally its listening to Air Supply, that will always help me to get into the write mode and get past writers block (which can be very frustrating). So if you are like me and you know what I am talking, anything can be a outlet for getting past these frustrations. Whether its taking a walk for fresh air, listening to music, watching a certain movie or tv show, or even some form of meditation. Good luck to all fellow writers out there!!

Make a Difference

2010-01-13T22:31:00.001-08:00

A man was walking down a deserted Mexican beach at sunset. As he walked along he began to see another man in the distance.

As he grew nearer he noticed that the local native kept leaning down, picking something up, and throwing it out into the water. Time and again he kept hurling things out into the ocean.

As our friend approached even closer he noticed that the man was picking up starfish that had washed up onto the beach, and one at a time, he was throwing them back into the ocean.

The first man was puzzled. He approached the man and said, "Good Evening Friend, I was wondering what are you doing?" And he replied, "I'm throwing these starfish back into the ocean. You see, it's low tide right now and all these starfish have been washed up onto the shore. If I don't throw them back into the sea, they will die from the lack of oxygen."

"I understand," my friend replied "but there must be thousands of starfish on this beach and you couldn't possibly get to all of them. There are simply too many and don't you realize that this is happening on hundreds of beaches up and down this coast ... can't you see that that you can't possibly make a difference?

The local native smiled, bent down, picked up yet another starfish ... and as he threw it back out into the sea, he replied, "It made a difference to that one!"

You may feel like you cannot make a difference in the world today, but you CAN make a difference in one life at a time.

2010-01-07T11:37:00.001-08:00

A Love's Light

2010-01-05T07:56:00.000-08:00

Well I have lately been working on my novel 'A Love's Light' and it gives me such joy to write and get into the characters and the story as if its real. Since I try to make it seem real. But here is the first chapter that I thought I would share.
Chapter One

As Emma preceded cleaning the windows, she noticed how they were filled with filth, dust and cobwebs. Emma had always hated insects and anything related to them. She found out recently that she is allergic to dust particles; the physician, Alexander, who had been hired by Phillip and who is his esteemed friend had always sided with him. He still had given her the medication that was suppose to improve her allergies to the dust particles. Alexander had given her shots once a week, and although Alexander would have preferred giving her pills, he said it was too dangerous. Still the weekly shots didnt help her much and Emma still felt the effects of the allergies.
While she washed the windows, Emma thought back to the day when she had been in the happiest moments of her life. Back with the people she loved and cared for the most, her family and closest friends. Back when she enjoyed life to its fullest. Then how her life had ended in a shattering moment and her world had suddenly turned around from wonderful to miserable. How she had been kidnapped along with another girl her age at eighteen. How the both of them had been put through the worst misery possible.
All in all both of them had suffered extremely, their kidnapers had put them through such grief, misery and pain. Their freedoms had been taken away from them. Emma had thought to herself multiple times that she and Maureen could escape.
Maureen was her greatest friend and had always been there for her. Emma in return tried to be just as great a friend. From the time that they had been kidnaped they had drawn immediately close. Depending on one another, not knowing what would happed or what would come of them. They also depended on the Lord. They had both been taught since they were young, to trust in Him and He would always be there. Never to doubt Him, but rely on Him as if your life depended upon it. For both of them, relying on Him, their lives depended on their faith and trust in the Lord.
It had been three years since both Emma and Maureen had been taken from their homes, their freedoms non existent. They had both regretted of taking advantage of the precious freedoms that they had before. Like most in America, you don’t realize how important freedom is. Only when you lose it and then regain it will you then be able to fully know the meaning of freedom. Only for Emma and Maureen, they hadn’t experienced they hadn’t the later part, regaining that freedom. Losing it had been a nightmare for the both of them, and it was a part of their lives now and forever as far as they could tell. Emma knew that it was unlikely a knight in shining armor on a white horse would come charging his way and rescue them. Those stories belonged in fiction, this life was reality. If there ever was a way to escape it would have to be up to her and Maureen to figure out a way.
Two weeks previous, Emma had accidently come across something, that was a shock but had been a miracle. She came across and secret passageway, that she was amazed to even have seen there. It seemed the Lord was still with her, watching over and answering her prayers. It seemed to be the miracle that she had been hoping for. It was her way to an escape route.
She didn’t doubt the Lord this time as she had sometimes in the past, and had come to regret it. He had been there for her when she needed Him the most. Since that time she had never doubted Him, and never would.
She had realized that finding this passageway was her path to finding freedom. An escape from the dragons, the evil surrounding her. Which in her mind included Phillip. The one who had stolen her from her home, taken her freedom away and had made her life miserable. She had tried not to have evil thoughts about it but it seemed near impossible. Despite the thoughts that she had for him, she knew she had to let go of those feelings and forgive him. Emma just didn’t know if she had it in her to forgive him. She knew that she need to forgive for all the things that he had done to her. In her heart she knew she could find happiness despite the pain and grief he had caused her. But most of the time she just couldn’t find it in her to be happy, but a part of her was happy despite everything.
Over the past few years, many things had happened to her, including an illegitimate daughter. She knew that she had to think of her well being first and foremost. It seemed the Lord knew of her circumstances and had given her hope. She hadn’t known the feeling of hope for the longest time. Everything she did was for her daughter Alissa.
She never knew what fulfillment it was to have a child, but know she knew, she had known for 11 months now. Her pregnancy had been rough on her but it had all been worth it.
Maureen at the same time had a son, Jess. Who was also a very precious child like Alissa is. The two babies got on famously, They had both been born around the same time, so Emma and Maureen had decided to nickname them the “twins”. It seemed suitable enough considering the circumstances.
Emma and Maureen had both gone through so many similarities; yet they were so different from one another. Emma had long, straight dark brown hair that went to the middle of her back. Maureen however, had mid length golden hair, that had curls that sparkled in the sun. Both were attractive, had high cheekbones that made their features seem exquisite. Their sapphire eyes sparkled whenever they were joyous. Through it all they had a friendship, a closeness, between them that could never be broken. In the past three years, they had learned seven different languages, fencing, gun shooting, and many other things that she wouldn’t think of.
It seemed like yesterday to her when she was taken and not knowing what would become of her. Whether she would see the light of day, or even if she wanted to. For both Emma and Maureen it had been a nightmare. On some level they had believed that they had believed that they were the way that they were treated. On another level they believed that they were higher than that, they were woth more than to be treated that way that they were. These two depicable men who treated them as though they were as low as dirt when that was the case. The had shown their true intelligence which in Emma’s mind was close to zero or none. They had no care for anything but themselves.
They didn’t care for those that they hurt or degraded. Emma and Maureen could only take it and not fight. Since they had already tried it, they only wasted their energy trying to fight them. It had proved to be fatal. So in their minds, they took themselves somewhere else, where evil didn’t abide. Where they could only exist in a beautiful place feeling peace, love and hope. A place where they could feel their worth, and how precious they were in the eyes of the Lord. The both had realized that the only way to cope with what was happening to them. There was no way of stopping it, but just learning to cope with it. No matter how difficult it may be they had to be strong, and prove that they were as strong as they thought they could be.
Emma was angry with herself for getting lost in her memories trying with all her might to forget them so that she could heal the wounds that had been slashed against her. She had become distracted and noticed that hardly any work had been done at all. She had much wok to accomplish this day. She knew she couldn’t get everything done if she kept going to la la land. Phillip had gone on a business trip for two weeks, and had given Emma and Maureen a hope that they hadn’t had in years. She had been so happy and joyful at the prospect of escaping this prison of a home away from home. It was even that. She knew she had to be positive and never give up that someday she might escape this dreadful place. She was very happy that Phillip wouldn’t be around for a couple of weeks. He had been gone now for only a few days. It seemed so peaceful and quiet. It had been a while since he had gone on a trip and left both her and Maureen.
Emma had so far enjoyed the precious time of peace and took advantage of it. She realized it wouldn’t last long. She would enjoy every minute to the fullest or at least try. She felt like she could go to the top of the castle and sing “Hallelujah” to the whole world. Though Phillip’s guards would have done some sort of action. They too loved the peace and quiet, except when they felt like being rowdy, then it was a whole different ball game.
She then suddenly heard sounds coming from the long corridor. She faintly heard three voices talking and conversing with one another. Then she recognized one, it was Phillips. He was home, almost a week early if you give or take a few days. This was not suppose to be happening to her. For the first time in the past year, she had felt a few days of peace and quiet without any demands from him. Now she would have to deal with much more of him and his demands. She almost started to cry, no one could ever know what he had put her though. Even Maureen could never really truly know. Maureen supposed guardian was Phillip’s brother and he was a bit less demanding than Phillip. Pippin seemed to care more for Maureen than Phillip did for Emma. There was nothing romantic between them but it seemed that he was caring and respective. Emma wished that Phillip could in any way act that way toward her. To have him make her feel like she was something special. No man had done that except for her own father, older brother and cousins. She didn’t have them there for her anymore. She was all alone, there was no manly figures to help, support, aide or rescue her. She never knew what was on his mind at any time.
As Emma heard their footprints draw to a close she scrubbed harder than before. Hoping that it would look like she had been working on the windows for hours. Instead of for only a few minutes. She noticed in the corner of her eye that Phillip stood in the middle of the threesome. On his left seemed to be the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen Emma thought to herself. He had light golden hair, neatly trimmed. He was tall, broad shoulders, and a build that most girls would die for in a man. He had brown eyes, that at the moment she had looked at him sparkled joy and laughter. He wore black boots, golden brown breeches, and a black belt. Accompanied with an white button up shirt. He seemed to have a confident walk about him. The way he seemed to her as she watched him in the corner of her eyes; he seemed to not be afraid of anything and could probably intimidate her easily.
The man on the right, seemed like the type of a man for Maureen. He had dark brown hair, pale azure eyes that seemed to sparkle. He had brown leather boots, black breeches, and a light tan colored button up shirt. He seemed to have the same confidence his friend seemed to have.
As they drew closer, Emma felt like she wanted to disappear from the planet and remain hidden for as long as eternity. For some reason she felt intimidated by these three men. Although Phillip’s friends seemed more calm than Phillip, but they still scared her because they were friends with him. In the past all of his friends had mocked, condemned and treated her like a filthy rat. This time however they seemed more kind. In their eyes there seemed to be a light that she hadn’t seen in years. A light that she had apparently forgotten up till now.
Colin seemed to enjoy his cousin, Phillip’s company. Colin had thought it was strange that his father had ordered he and his brother, Marc, to stay a month or so with their two cousins. At twenty three his parents had pressed him into courting many different women so that he could find one to marry. It annoyed him, he just hadn’t met the right girl yet. His parents for some reason couldn’t understand it. He wanted to fall in love and have the need to get married, have children, and grow old together. That was his big dream. From having hone on a mission, from all that he had learned in his life, his next step was to find the right girl. Who also had the same standards that he had. Marc didn’t seem so annoyed at the idea of getting married, he had the same dilemma, he just hadn’t found the right girl yet.
Colin then noticed a woman scrubbing some windows in the grand corridor. Although it seemed to him that she wasn’t any regular servant washing the windows. There was something different about her. It was the way she carried herself, she looked as if she was calm and didn’t noticed them walking toward her. For some reason she reminded him of his two younger sisters. He felt like he should take a chance and get to know her better. He then saw a glimpse of her face and she seemed like an attractive woman. Although it seemed the closer they drew near to her, the more vigorous she became in her work.
Emma tensed as she sensed them drawing closer and closer toward her. She seemed to feel fear and she didn’t really know why. Inside she guessed it was Phillip and facing him. She despised him with every bone in her body. She didn’t know someone could hate a person as much as did at this moment. It was the things that he did, the way he treated her, that made her hate seem to grow.
“ Emma,” Phillip bellowed behind her. Emma turned and faced him and his guests. Emma knew that he was angry with her and was going to display that anger in just a few moments.
“ Yes, Sir” She nodded her head respectively toward him. Then raised her head slowly and met his eyes. They were an amber color, from his normal brown color. She felt so afraid for not reason at all that she could think of at the moment. I can do this, I’m strong enough, I am strong enough, he is only a man Emma thought to herself. She then looked at the two men and their bewildered looks of confusion spreading across their faces. AS if they didn’t know their friend at all, as if he seemed different. She couldn’t tell if it was a good thing or a bad thing. She only wished that she wasn’t here at all. All three men intimidated her, and she didn’t feel an ounce of courage swelling about her as it sometimes did.
“Emma, escort my guests, which are my cousins, and take them to the blue dorm...” Phillip was cut off by loud footsteps and a child’s wail that grew louder and louder that it came closer toward them. All of them turned to see Maureen coming up behind Phillip, worry sketched all over her face. She then noticed Emma and skidded to a halt. She nodded quickly to the three men as if they were of no importance. Then she turned worriedly to Emma.
“ Emma,” Maureen exclaimed as if she were out of breath which in this case was entirely true. She handed over Alissa into her arms with Emma as bewildered as the rest of them .
“Maureen, what’s wrong?” Worry sketched all over Emma’s Face.
“Yes, Maureen, what is the meaning of this?” Phillip demanded sternly, not at all pleased with what was going on here. His face told her that he wanted an explanation immediately. Emma noticed how bewildered Maureen was to see Phillip in front of her and didn’t expect him to return for at least another week.
“Its Alyssa, Sir”
“What about Alyssa?”
“Well, she has been wailing for ever the past few hours, there was nothing that I could do to quiet her. I think that Emma might need to feed her,”
“You couldn’t do that?”
“Nursing, Sir,” Both Maureen and Emma’s faces started turning cherry red in embarrassment.
“ I see, well why couldn’t you have waited a few moments longer,” Phillip asked impatiently
“She is your child you know, you could also put that into consideration,” like always Emma made an outburst. Emma was furious denying the fact that Alyssa was his daughter and act as if he didn’t care. All three men turned toward her, the one to the left had a smile on his face, but the other two’s expressions were unreadable.
Emma was furious with Phillip, she couldn’t believe what he had done. She supposed that he had done it because he didn’t want to look like an embarrassment to his cousins. She though that sh should’ve gotten used to this, him rejecting his daughter. He was the one who had gotten her pregnant against her will. Not that she wasn’t happy with having a daughter. She had dreamed of better circumstances in which her daughter would grown and develop. With two parents, with a normal family.
“That she is, but she is not my responsibility and you very well know it , you are her mother and you shall take care of her and leave me out of it. I don’t care for her anymore and should take care where you tread, Emma,”
“ She is my daughter and yours, I would think you would treat her as such,” Emma sputtered angrily. She coudn’t believe the nerve of this man. How could he do this to her? She had hoped to leave here, where she and Alyssa would be safe from him and any others that might them harm. She would protect her daughter at all costs. No matter what happened she would defend her and die for her if necessary.
There was a long breath of silence, like a dragon taking a deep breath before the plunge to kill his enemy. Emma and Maureen both feared what would happen next. Every time Emma reacted so swiftly and angry it came with a punishment. Even though she didn’t like it she had to admit it felt good to stand up for herself again. She couldn’t bear not to. In reality she was standing up for her daughter, she loved her daughter, and would do anything for her. Phillip drew back his hand and slapped Emma very hard and swiftly. It was not unexpected to Emma or Maureen. Emma just had forgotten the impact that his hand could do to her. She stumbled back a few steps and would’ve fallen if Maureen hadn’t caught her and held her upright. There were many gasps, but those included were shocks of surprise from the two cousins or friends of Phillip. As if they never knew or guessed that he could even do such a thing. They both at the moment looked outraged. The one of the left especially looked downright angry, but not with her as she might have fear, but with his cousin.
Colin couldn’t believe Phillip had done such a thing. How could his cousin possibly think of hitting a defenseless woman, let alone do it. He was so outraged. He felt like he should carry Emma and her child out of this place forever. He didn’t know the circumstances in which her daughter was born but he wouldn’t dare judge. Apparently his cousin could do far worse than physical slaps.
“Cousin, that was uncalled for,” Colin exclaimed angrily
“No it isnt, she belongs to me, and Maureen as well since for the moment I am her guardian. I must take care of them and this is the way I must do it. Even when a servant shows disrespect I must be firm with them as I am with Emma,” He turned toward the girls.
“You two will show them to their rooms, and help them get settled in, their luggage is already there, assist them in whatever is needed. Then once you are done, come and assist in dinner preparation,” He then turned on his heel and strode away toward his main office.
“Are you alright?” Maureen asked behind her ear, concerned for her friends welfare. Not knowing what to do with the two strange men in front of them. Emma gave a reassuring smile.
“ Don’t worry about me all right, I will be fine I just need to catch my breath is all,” Emma replied, trying to appear normal, when inside she felt like she was shaking and couldn’t stop it. She just didn’t know what to do about it.
“Come along and we’ll show you the rooms that are set up for you,” Emma replied, trying to appear normal, where inside she felt like she was shaking and couldn’t stop it. She just didn’t know what to do about it. There seemed to be something amiss here. She hoped that she would be able to find it in time. As she started walking forward she placed her free hand to the side of her cheek, which stung from Phillip’s slap. At the same time trying to hold the squirming alyssa, who was disturbed by the action that had previously taken place. She sensed the strange man, who had spoken up for her, walking beside her. While the other man walked next to Maureen.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” He asked, sounding concerned for her. She didn’t know if he was genuine or if he was an fraud putting up an act. She only nodded slightly toward him.
“What is the child’s name?” Colin asked, not seeming to remember what Emma had called her.
“Alyssa, her name is Alyssa,” Colin was brought back to reality by Emma’s voice. He turned and looked into her eyes.
“Excuse me what did you say?”
“I said my daughter’s name is Alyssa, weren’t you listening to me?”
“ Sorry, I just lost my train of thought,” Colin stammered a bit not knowing how to explain his thoughts to her.
“ Oh well, I am sure that happens to all of us, so should we continue,?”
“Of course, lead on,” gesturing forward with a wave of his hand. As they approached the blue dormitories, which were the most well furnished and well kept throughout the castle. She realized that he was for a certain reason at this moment in time. She felt like there was something amiss. She didn’t know what that was but she would figure it out.
Colin didn’t know what was happening here but he would figure it out, somehow he would. When he did, then he would take Emma and her daughter Alyssa, a long way from this place. Where there would be no worries, no concerns.. He only hoped that she would except his help and let him come into her life.

cd
Maureen and Marc entered into one of the adjoining rooms, which were nicknamed the “Blue Dorms”. It was furnished with blue murals on the walls, painting of cove sunsets, the grand canyon and the Alps. There was also white curtain that lined up against the windows, that were held up by golden ropes. There was white cushioned benches lined up against the windows, where there were cushions lined up on either side. The floor seemed to be carpeted that seemed to sink in your feet. The bed was lined up against the north wall, which was right in front of you as you walked in. The large canopy bed, had a beautiful design of white and blue floral design. Many variety of pillows lined up around the head of it. It appeared that once you would lay into it, you would sink into it. There were a few chairs, with cushions lined up in various places in the room. The fireplace seemed to be white marble, with a blue tinted marble mantle, with roses placed up on top of it, with various colors. It scented of cinnamon, which reminded Marc of home. He had already missed it and he didn’t know what to do about it. He suspected that he would be staying here for a month or so. The only thing he would think he missed here would be Maureen. She seemed like an intriguing woman, he felt like he should het to know her better, so that he could assist he and her friend out. He just didn’t know how to go about it.
“This is magnificent,” Marc exclaimed as though he were out of breath. He looked as though he were out of breath. He looked around him and he couldn’t explain but it was so incredible. His younger sisters would think this was heaven. His mother, if she was here, would never leave. Of course the colors were more masculine however he knew she would be jealous of it though. He had to be thankful though that his mother hadn’t come along with him and Colin. It would have been a disaster, since this was obviously a suite for men. So if this suite was designed for women it would have been much more beautiful.
“Would you like me to unpack your belongings for you?” Maureen asked, since that was one of the duties that Phillip had assigned to her.
“Why would you ask that?” He said, staring at her more intently than ever.
“Well, it seems that you things haven’t been unpacked yet and while your getting acquainted with your room, and I need to stay busy,” She paused for a moment to pick up one of his luggage bags “By the way which was one of Phillip’s instructions for me to do. Before I go and assist in the dinner preparations. So I guess I better get started since dinner wont be starting for a couple of hours yet, so where do you want these?” She asked holding up a pile of shirts that had been stuffed in his suitcase. Obviously he had done that which was her guess. She realized she had been folding them up while talking, which was more like running on and on. Like she usually did, when she became nervous, nervous enough that she could have an emotional breakdown.
“Maureen, I don’t want you to unpack my things,” he cut off when he saw her placing his things neatly in the cherry oak dresser for him. He couldn’t think straight, he wanted to talk to her, not be ignored. But he wanted her to be willing to talk to him. So he would have to make her willing enough to listen to him, and answer all of his questions clearly.
“Oh well, this is one of my duties,”
“What is?”
“Helping the guests of Phillip to get settled, I do this all the time. Although it is unusual, Phillip will usually set up a valet for you. Which he should be here tomorrow morning for you. So I guess you’re stuck with me for the rest of the day,” As she continued unpacking his things, he started smiling. This girl was outrageous. He could totally notice when a girl was nervous, and this girl must have an epidemic or something. She was running crazy with nervousness. He just didn’t know what to do with her. Women seemed to be such a mystery to him, and this woman was definitely a mystery to him.
“No, I am able to unpack my own belongings, although I am curious about something and I would like for you to do something for me though,”
“Oh and what would that be?” She asked him turning around to face him.
“I’d like for you to go sit on one fo the benches next to the windows, pick any one you want, you might want to get comfortable though. We might be here for awhile,” He ended with a smile. Then just stood there with his arms crossed across his muscled chest.
She turned around and moved to sit on one of the window seat benches, and sat down carefully. She felt her heart pounding and her breathing sharpening, not knowing what to expect from this man. For he wasn’t like the others, something was different about him and she couldn’t pinpoint it. He then walked over and sat down next to her, relaxing carefully against the window and the pillows behind him.
“I wish that somehow that we had met under different circumstances, but we didn’t. I also know that we hardly know each other, but I need some answers to some questions that I have. What I want is the truth, I know that no matter what happens from her on out; you need to know that I will be here for you and feel free to tell me anything. I suspect that there is something amiss here and I would like to know what that is,” he waited a long moment he didn’t know how she would react. All he felt was that he needed some answers and she was the only one that could give them. He knew that in his heart she would reach to him he could see it in her eyes. The pain, grief and misery was there. He knew that in some way that he could reach to her.
“What exactly would you like to know?” Maureen asked, looking into his eyes intently for the first time. She didn’t feel anxious or nervous around him anymore. She seemed to feel calm, cook, and collective. She knew that she could face anything now, even the truth.
“I’d like to know what happened earlier, I mean what I saw happen, but there must be something that I don’t know that I might need to know don’t you think?”
“That is a good question actually and I. Uh..well..it might take some time to explain this to you. Its been so long since I have actually had anyone show concern for me other than Emma, and you of course,” Marc smiled, then nodded toward her, indicating that she could continue, and explain everything.
What am I going to do, I hardly know the guy, except that I just met him. I just need to think clearly is all. Yeah right!
“Before I explain exactly what’s going on here, may I ask you a question first?”
“Of course,” He answered in a calm manner
“Well, is there a reason why you should like to know an answer to all of your questions. I mean, not every guy that come here as a guest of Phillip questions his actions. Its not shall we say, normal. What I really mean is why the concern?”
“Well, when you put it that way I guess that’s a good enough question,” he paused and directed a smile toward her. “No, I think its kinda strange that he never even mentioned you, and yet it seems like you are a part of each others’ lives. I also would like to think that he would treat you better. The way he acted before just didn’t seem like him, its as if I didn’t really know him at all,”
Maureen was silent for a long moment before she turned toward the window, and sighed. She then turned back to Marc , and was willing to explain everything to him. This was a good enough time as any.
“Well, it’s a very long story if you want to hear it?”
“Of course I would,” Marc said softly
“Well then I guess I will get started then,” she took a deep breath, she could do this she told herself. She didn’t know where she would get the strength but she would somehow. She said a small prayer in her heart. Suddenly she felt a boost of confidence rise within her. She knew where it came from and she never would forget it.
“Well, it all started,” Maureen began “when I had turned eighteen, I lived in the states, in Utah specifically. I had everything going for me, especially in high school. I had a whole crowd of friends, although I never really dated much. I planned on attending BYU with a psychologist degree. I had plans to also go on a mission as well for my church. I had always tried to do the right thing. Anyway, one night I was home alone watching a movie, I heard the back door open and I thought it was my younger brother coming back from his friends house,” Maureen felt tears begin to form as she though about her family and how she missed them. She turned toward the window and let the tears run down her cheeks “ Well, it seems I was wrong, three men in black suits and masks took me away and to auction, which is how I ended up here. Thankfully I wasn’t alone in this nightmare, I had company. Emma, was in the same situation as I was. So we became fast friends. Although she had it way worse than I ever did. Phillip has been so cruel to her over the years. Pepin had never treated so bad, I will admit it was pretty terrible over the past few years but it was never as bad as Emma’s situation had been. They both really worked us really hard and then about a year ago we both found out we were pregnant at the same time. Its hasn’t been easy but with Emma here and she always seemed to be so strong and capable. I also am grateful to have Michael in my life. He has brought such joy into my life,” Maureen paused for a moment, to catch her breath. She felt like even though she explained most of it she needed to explain a bit more of it to him. He seemed to care for her even though she hadn’t known him for a day even. Apparently he must have been raised different than Phillip or Pepin. He was different in the way he treated her, which was something she hadn’t seen in a long time. She looked at him and noticed he was still gazing out the window.
The sun was starting to set and in a few hours it would be time for supper. She didn’t know what would happen around that time. She didn’t know what Marc’s reaction would be or if he would even believe her. What was her word against family? She also wondered whether or not Emma would tell Colin. It was very doubtful considering how stubborn she could be at times. Emma had certainly suffered a lot more than she had. She realized that Emma always seemed to be in control of every situation and it was as if she was guarding her heart so she couldn’t feel the pain. She had a feeling that Colin would help her see the light and help her feel again.
“ There is only one problem, my son will never have a father. This was no way I had ever imagined motherhood. When I was younger I thought that I would fall in love, get married and have a family and grow old with my husband. That dream will never come true at\least not for me or Emma. Since Pepin left about a month ago to visit friends, Phillip has been my guardian for a time. I could hardly stand it, he is much crueler than I had ever imagined. I still don’t know how Emma lived with him for three years, and to have been so strong and firm. I also know that she is just trying to be strong for me, always been that way since I have known her. Almost a year ago we tried to escape, but the day we were about to escape we found out we were pregnant and that certainly had changed our plans. We knew that we could never put our children in danger. So we had to stay here, in order to keep them safe. We hope that maybe we can send them away from here, so that they can have a normal life. To know what it was like to belong to a family. I figure thats why Phillip wants to choose our spouses for us. It hardly seems fair ,but that’s the way it has always been with him. He is a dictator and makes our decisions for us. Decided what we can and cannot do. All our freedoms were taken away,” Maureen stopped and realized that she had said enough. She turned to look at him and noticed that he had turned from the window. She could tell he was having a hard time adjusting to the truth about his cousins.
When Maureen didn’t know what else to say, she started to rise from the bench seat. She knew she needed to help in the preparations for supper. She felt a warm hand grasp her arm. She looked into his eyes, and she saw a pleading look in his eyes that made her sit down again.
Marc felt his heart tearing at this news. He never thought that his cousin could do such horrible things to these two women. Who had been completely innocent and had done nothing to deserve this. If his mother were here he would ask for her advise. But he knew he had to make a decision. All he could think of now was what Maureen had been put through.
Maureen was muddling through her thoughts when she was suddenly pulled into his embrace. His arms encircling around her, making her feel safe and secure. She hadn’t felt such comfort for the longest time. She didn’t know what to do especially since it had been years since she had felt this way. It was a wonderful feel and she was going to take advantage of it. All she wanted to do was think about this moment and how right it felt.

“Look,” Mark Started, pulling away from her, holding both her hands in his “ I didn’t even know that my cousins could possible be capable of something as cruel as what has happened to you. I can promise you though, it shall never happen again,” Maureen was unsure if she could even believe him. She knew that good things just never last, no matter how much hope you have. She knew that Phillip was stronger than Marc is.
“How can you be so sure, after all you will probably be here only a couple of weeks and then how will you be able to stop him. There might be a day when I won’t have to worry about what he will do to us. A day when I will be able to get out of here, and to be able to put my son through school, but that day is not today. I don’t have any idea when that day will come, if it ever does,” Maureen felt tears come to her eyes, feeling her emotions getting the best of her, she looked into his eyes “ I know that it must have been a while since you have last seen your cousins, I don’t know how they were when you knew them. They aren’t the same as they were back then. You have to understand something, that this situation can’t be easy for you but you need to accept it. Emma and I are used to their treatment of us, just as you will have to.” Maureen couldn’t think of anything else to say to him, he was acting so protective of her. It felt so right to her, but knew that it could never last. Nothing this good and right lasted very long. She would just have to savor the moment and would cherish it for the rest of her life.
“Listen to me,” Marc started firmly “ I’m going to stay here as long as I possibly can, I will not leave without you,” Maureen couldn’t believe her ears. He must have no sense to think he can go against Phillip and Pepin and get away with it she thought to herself. She started to say something and shaking her head.
“You don…” She started saying, but he pressed his lips against hers firmly but tenderly.
“Listen to me, and listen good,” Marc said “ If I have to hogtie you and carry you out of here then by all that I hold dear I will. You deserve so much more than what my cousins have given you. Your son deserves better, you need to start thinking about your future and acting on it. You have me now and there is nothing that will stop me from giving it to you if it’s in my power.” Marc finished firmly and knowing that she would start objecting he silenced her lips with a kiss when a bell chime rang thrice.
“Oh no,” Maureen gasped, breaking herself from the kiss. She pulled herself from Marc’s arms.
“What’s wrong?” Sounding concerned
“It’s time for me to leave to prepare supper for tonight, I must leave. I am sorry,” Maureen was so forlorn, but Marc only smiled in understanding.
“Then go and I will see you later,”
“Yes later,” She quickly replied before fleeing through the door, pulling it closed behind her and down the stairs toward the kitchens.
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The room was large and spacious, with leaded glass windows, that has a perfect view of the lake below them. It was blue with many different painting, and a painted mural on one of the four bedroom walls. It was a painting of a sunset that was breathtaking. There was white silk curtains hanging from a rod right up in front of the window. There was blue ropes that pulled back the curtains so a guest could see the view. There was a large tall golden framed mirror. The canopy bed was large and was toward the back of the room. It has some light on the light blue silken drapes hanging above it, so that when you lay asleep at night if afforded you privacy. It also was accompanied with pillows which were assumed to be used for decoration.
Colin didn’t know what to think of it, the room was so incredible. He didn’t realize that his cousins had this much money. To think that he was going to spend the next month in this place was amazing to him. Most of all he couldn’t wait to spend more time with Emma and her adorable baby girl. She was an amazing woman, even though she didn’t realize it. He could only imagine what she must of suffered under Philips hand.
He noticed that Emma was having a difficult time attempting to calm down Alissa. She must have been the cutest baby he had ever seen. With dark brown curly hair and the largest brown eyes. Emma sure did good with this one Colin thought to himself. After a few moments, Emma had managed to calm Alissa down. He didn’t know what was going on between Phillip and Emma, but Colin was determined to find out. Phillip was way different than what he remembered. Phillip had been the most popular boy in school, all the girls wanted to be around him. He was one of the most social guys in school. Who made friends with everyone, and with whom everyone wanted to be his friend. He never realized that Phillip had a dark side. He wondered when that had happened. As far as he knew that must have happened in college. Some influences in college aren’t always the greatest, and somehow had been influenced greatly by them. Colin didn’t know how to react to Phillip’s behavior.
“Where do you want your things?” he was brought out of his thoughts, he seemed dazed. He had lost track of the time and thinking too hard. He had mixed emotions about everything it seemed.
“Sir,” He looked up to see Emma irritated that he was ignoring her.
“Yes Emma,” He paused for a moment then continue “ What is the matter?” Seeming concerned, Emma knew that it was an act though. It ran in the family apparently.
“ Oh, nothing, I just need to know where you wanted me to put your things?” Colin seemed lost for a moment, then realized what she was talking about.
“Emma you are not my servant, and you know it,” Colin directed at her, he didn’t know what Phillip’s influence had done to her but she shouldn’t be reacting to him in this way.
“I want to know what is really going on?” Colin asked her, as he walked toward her and put his hands gently on her shoulder.
“There isn’t anything going on, I work here that’s all that there is to it,” Emma didn’t like where the direction of this conversation was heading to.
“Isn’t there more to this story than your letting on?”
“No, of course not,” she drew back away from his hands
“There must be another reason for why you are here?” he said as he drew closer to her, she began backing up toward the wall right next to the bed.
“He pays real well with good benefits,”
“Oh is that how you view this situation, let me tell you what I really think. I think that he sucks for a boss, a boss who treats his employees like dirt. You could always quit if you wanted to,”
“Well I enjoy it here and I have friends here and…” suddenly she heard a bell chime.
“Saved by the bell, I see,” Colin replied grimly, knowing this was a sign that she was leaving. He turned to see that he was right.
“Yes, like always, I’ll see you downstairs in the main hall for supper,” she said as she picked Alissa up from the bed and fled the room. She shut the door as loudly as possible without anyone expecting something was wrong. Hmm…that should teach him to mind his manners she thought.

Wish All A Happy New Year

2009-12-28T13:30:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year and hope that as you reflect on this past year that you will come to a understanding of what you wish to accomplish this upcoming year!!!! I have a feeling 2010 will be a fabulous year, of course I will just have to wait and see if that is true!!! but here are some of my New Year Resolutions for 2010!!!!!
1. Find a Second job
2. Read the Book of Mormon
3. Write in Journal -every single day!!!!!! I hope that I can accomplish it, even though I try to every year, we will see if i succeed or not!!!!
4. Support and write at least 10 troops overseas!!!! They so need our support here in the mainland, because they are sacrificing so much for our freedoms and rights!!!!!
5. Learn French Fluently or enough to have a conversation
6. Scrapbook all pictures that I have this year!!!! I hope I can catch up with all that I have!
7. Save enough money to go back and finish up my associates degree!!!!
8. Finish Reading the 'Infinite Atonement' and 'The Hidden Christ'
9. Study all of Preach My Gospel
10. Finish up Family History Website
I am sure there are plenty more things that I could accomplish this year, but this is a start!!!!!

Celebrating Christmas with Family

2009-12-26T20:11:00.000-08:00

I had such a great time this Christmas, it was so fun and I just loved being with my family and feeling the love that we share with one another, I am ever so grateful that we will be together forever!!!!!

This is Christmas Morning!!!! Starting to open up our presents!!!!

This is our Christmas Tree!!!!!

This is my mom, doesn't she have such a beautiful smile!!!!

More, more, more presents to open!!! We were so blessed this year!!!!

The puzzle we started working on pretty much took us all day to get done, it was 500 pieces and it was such a fun time, since it was I, my dad, and sometimes when he was patient Daniel my brother would help out some!!!!

My mom and I right before Christmas dinner!!!!!

Jill and Cali helping out with dinner!!!! So sweet, sisterly love!!!!!

Daniel and my mom for Christmas dinner!!!!!

Cali and jill eating dinner!!!!!

Daniels Birthday!

2009-12-23T19:28:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe that my oldest brother is 15 year old!!! Its so crazy how old he is getting and he is so tall now!!! I can't believe my eyes every time I see him, its so insane LOL So the 22nd was his birthday and it was a fun day!!! He went skiing at sundance for most of the day, but once he got home we had Training Table and watched the BYU bowl game, which the score was 44 to 20(I Think??!!!) I know we won and it was a good game, and since Daniel is a avid BYU fan it was a great birthday gift for him.

The Birthday Boy!!!!

The Birthday Cake that I made for him!!!!

Daniel and I after eating cake!!!! Thats a smile for my brother, can't get him to do a real one these day!!! Oh teen boys, what can you do haha

My Mom, Dad, Daniel watching tv!!! Such fun football is!!!

Seeing the Lights at Temple Square

2009-12-21T07:30:00.000-08:00

Kristina, Aaron and I went to see the Lights at temple square, and it was such fun, and not even very cold!!! So it was so awesome!!! What fun friends are!!!

BYU Rivalry Game BYU 26 Utah 23

2009-11-29T08:23:00.000-08:00

This was such an exciting game, and since its a big rivalry, it comes to no surprise how intense it turned out to be. We held them until the last quarter and then they caught up with us and it turned into overtime. They went first and scored a field goal, and then it was our turn and then Hall threw to George who was open and had no one guarding him and went for the touchdown and BYU WON!!!!!!!!! It was so awesome!!!!! One of the best plays I have ever seen and it turned out perfectly, the seniors of the team had a perfect ending for the season, one they will remember for a long time. Max Hall did say afterward that Utah didn't deserve to win, he hates utah, their team and their fans, probably due to the fact the last year some ute fans poured bear on his wife and family and some other nasty things, and he has lost all respect for Utah as has some of us cougar fans agree that we have lost some respect for Utah as well. But all in all it was a fun game and its even better when you get to spend it with family. GO COUGARS!!!!!

Me, Cali, Jill, Daniel so excited for the Game to start!!!!!!!!!!

Cali and I, Cali so silly!!!!!!

Jill and I, and Jill apparently can't put on a nice smile, silly sister of mine!!!!!!

Me, Jill, and Pappa just having a fun moment!

BYU Players coming out on to the field, with all their wives and kids to greet them!!!!!!!!! Go COUGS!!!!

Shot taken after BYU Won and all the fans gathered on the field!!!!!!!!!! BYU deserved this win!!!! They worked hard and earned it!!!!! GREAT JOB COUGARS!!!!!!!!

Dad and I after the game, just thrilled of the Win!!!!!!!!

Dad and Daniel, two most faithful BYU Fans!!!! I love you guys!!!!!!!!

Be Thankful for FAMILY

2009-11-27T13:26:00.000-08:00

I spent Thanksgiving with my family, and all of us were there, both my sisters were also able to be there, so it was so much fun just to be able to spend most of day with family and realize how thankful I am for my family and how much God has blessed me with!!!! I am most grateful for the Gospel, My Family, Close Friends, Grant, and all those who have blessed my life and lifted me up when I needed it most. I am so grateful for this time of year and all other seasons, every day we see something beautiful is proof of God's love for us all

My mom and I getting ready for Thanksgiving Dinner!!!!

My brother Daniel and I, unfortunately he is not one to smile at times like this

My Sister Jill, I, My sister Cali and my dad in the background being silly!!!!! You gotta just love moments like these though!!!!

Jill, Cali, I, and my mom!!!!!

I, Jill, Cali, Mamma Mia, Daniel about ready to eat dinner!!!!

The Turkey!!!! Looks so yummy!!!!! So grateful for birds!!!!!!

A Rachel Ray Recipe- Stuffin' Muffins!!! So GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Putting some of the food on the table!!!!!

I am so grateful for being able to spend this day of Thankfulness with those that I love!!!!!!!!

2009-11-26T08:18:00.001-08:00

Trans Siberian Orchestra 2009

2009-11-25T21:04:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity to attend the Trans Siberian Orchestra Concert this afternoon, and it was so spectacular!!!!!! I just love it, its so amazing!!!!! It lasted about 3 hours, but what a great 3 hours it was, and i am kinda sad its over!!!!!

This here is my sister Jill, Me, Sister Cali, and my mom just arriving at the Energy Solutions Arena!!!!!

Me, Jill, Cali waiting for the concert to start!!! So exciting!!!!

This Man, usually dresses up like this and goes out on the streets, and collects money during the Christmas season, and all that money goes toward buying toys for children for Christmas, he then goes to a children's hospital and spends Christmas with them. What a amazing lesson for all of us, that it is truly a season of giving and serving. Here is a perfect example!!!!!! May we follow it as well and serve others this season and make a person's spirit brighter and their load lighter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BYU Game BYU 38 Air Force 21

2009-11-22T08:22:00.000-08:00

I had such fun yesterday,my dad always gets season tickets for the BYU Home Games, and I was able to go to the Game against Air Force yesterday. It was such fun, and it usually is with the Air Force. It was a good game, the fans of the Air Force are always friendly and good sports. The fly over was great!!!! I just love seeing F-16(I hope thats what they are called LOL)The Air Force has a great team, and each team that plays them has to be ready for their surprises, fortunately BYU was ready for them. Max Hall became the Mountain West Conference's all-time passing yardage leader, moving ahead of John Beck with a completion to Andrew George. Max Hall was great this game. Harvey Unga breaks Curtis Brown's yardage record as BYU's all-time leading rusher. Harvey Unga was great this game, and we sure are going to miss him, since this is his last season! The most exciting part of the game was the second quarter where we made three touchdowns!!!! The team really played with emotion this game, and played with full force!!! It was exciting and thrilling! Although there was a funny call that the Ref's made: In the Third Quarter BYU just had a touchdown called back for unsportsmanlike conduct-attempt to deceive, and Bronco Mendanhall even said that was the first time in all his life he has ever heard that! I thought it was hilarious, because throughout the rest of the game, whenever there was a trick play on either team the fans would repeat that call!!! LOL Oh such fun sports can be at times like this, but all in all it was a great game!!!!

2009-11-19T09:11:00.001-08:00

Pen Pals

2009-11-14T15:34:00.000-08:00

I have been able to have to opportunity to write to some pen pals, I have made many friends and I have learned so much about different cultures and religions and the way people live in different countries. I have such interest in meeting new people, and learning about their lives and interests and becoming friends with them.
There is also another kind of pen pals I have been writing to some prison inmates, and at first I was apprehensive about it, but as I was researching it more, I decided that it would be a chance for me to really make a difference in their lives. They are still human beings, what more they are also son's and daughter's of God, and they need contact with others. Most of them are ignored and neglected and basically dont exist in the view of those of us in the world outside the prison bars. But they are people and they have rights and feelings just as we do. Yes they have committed crimes, but they are real people just like us, and they deserve to be uplifted in a place that is negative and dark and cold. They are in their cells 23 hours a day, and if that was me I would want to hear from someone where my heart could be lifted up, and my spirit could rejoice that a person took the time to write to me. I think its noble and right to be able to help those, no matter what they have done. A letter written to them can mean the world to them. I am ever so grateful for this opportunity to make a real difference in someone else's lives. God Bless Us All

First Presidency Message A Prophet’s Counsel and Prayer for Youth

2009-11-05T09:55:00.000-08:00

By President Gordon B. Hinckley

Gordon B. Hinckley, “A Prophet’s Counsel and Prayer for Youth,” Ensign, Jan 2001, 2

Text of a talk given to youth and young single adults on 12 November 2000 at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City and broadcast by satellite throughout the Church.

I think there never before was a meeting anything like this in this Church. There are so many of you here tonight. How good you look.

Some of you have come with doubts. Some have come with high expectations. I want you to know that I have been on my knees asking the Lord to bless me with the power and the capacity and the language to reach into your hearts.

Beyond this hall are hundreds of thousands of others who are participating with us. To each of you I say welcome. I am glad for this tremendous opportunity to speak to you, and I recognize how important it is.

I am now old in years—90 plus. I have lived a long time, and I have lived with great love for the young men and young women of this Church. What a truly wonderful group you are. You speak various languages. You are all part of a great family. But you are also individuals, each with his or her problems, each wishing for answers to the things that perplex you and worry you. How we love you and pray constantly for the genius to help you. Your lives are filled with difficult decisions and with dreams and hopes and longings to find that which will bring you peace and happiness.

Once upon a time, a very long time ago, I was your age. I didn’t worry about drugs or pornography because they were not available then. I worried about school and where it would lead. It was the season of the terrible economic depression. I worried about how to earn a living. I served a mission after I finished the university. I went to England. We traveled by train to Chicago, made a bus transfer across that city, and went on to New York, where we caught a steamship for the British Isles. While riding the transfer bus in Chicago, a woman said to the driver, “What is that building ahead?” He said, “Ma’am, that is the Chicago Board of Trade Building. Every week some man who has lost his fortune jumps out of one of those windows. He has nothing else to live for.”

Such were the times. They were mean and ugly. No one who did not live through that period will ever understand it fully. I hope with all my heart we never have anything like it again.

Now, here you are on the threshold of your mature lives. You too worry about school. You worry about marriage. You worry about many things. I make you a promise that God will not forsake you if you will walk in His paths with the guidance of His commandments.

This is the age of great opportunity. You are so fortunate to be alive. Never in the history of mankind has life been filled with so many opportunities and challenges. When I was born, the average life expectancy of a man or woman in the United States and other Western countries was 50 years. Now it is more than 75 years. Can you imagine that? On average you may expect to live at least 25 years longer than someone who lived in 1910.

This is the season of an explosion of knowledge. For instance, when I was your age there were no antibiotics. All of these wonderful medicines have been discovered and refined in more recent times. Some of the great scourges of the earth are gone. Smallpox once took whole populations. That is gone entirely. It is a miracle. Polio was once the dreaded fear of every mother. I remember going to visit a man with polio in the county hospital. He was in a great iron lung that moved his own lungs as it pumped up and down. There was no hope for him; he couldn’t breathe on his own. He died, leaving his wife and children. This terrible disease is now gone. That too is a miracle. And so it is with other matters.

Of course you face challenges. Every generation that has ever walked the earth has faced challenges. We could spend the entire evening talking about them. But of all the challenges that have been faced in the past, the ones we have today, I believe, are most easily handled. I say that because they are manageable. They largely involve individual behavioral decisions, but those decisions can be made and followed. And when that happens, the challenge is behind us.

I suppose that most of you are in school. I am pleased that you have that opportunity and that desire. I hope that you are studying diligently and that your great ambition is to get A grades in your various courses. I hope your teachers will be generous toward you and that your studies will yield top grades and an excellent education. I could wish nothing better for you in your schoolwork.

Tonight I am going to let your teachers give you the A’s that I hope you earn. I want to talk about some B’s. You get the A’s; I will give you the B’s.

1. Be grateful.

2. Be smart.

3. Be clean.

4. Be true.

5. Be humble.

6. Be prayerful.

Why don’t you repeat these B’s with me, and then we will talk about each of them, all right?

1. Be grateful.

2. Be smart.

3. Be clean.

4. Be true.

5. Be humble.

6. Be prayerful.

Be grateful. There are two little words in the English language that perhaps mean more than all others. They are “thank you.” Comparable words are found in every other language, such as gracias, merci, danke, obrigado, domo.

The habit of saying thank you is the mark of an educated man or woman. With whom is the Lord displeased? He names “those who confess not his hand in all things” (D&C 59:21). That is, those who walk without grateful expression. Walk with gratitude in your hearts, my dear friends. Be thankful for the wonderful blessings which are yours. Be grateful for the tremendous opportunities that you have. Be thankful to your parents, who care so very much about you and who have worked so very hard to provide for you. Let them know that you are grateful. Say thank you to your mother and your father. Say thank you to your friends. Say thank you to your teachers. Express appreciation to everyone who does you a favor or assists you in any way.

Thank the Lord for His goodness to you. Thank the Almighty for His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, who has done for you what none other in all this world could do. Thank Him for His great example, for His tremendous teachings, for His outreaching hand to lift and help. Think about the meaning of His Atonement. Read about Him and read His words in the New Testament and in 3 Nephi in the Book of Mormon. Read them quietly to yourself and then ponder them. Pour out your heart to your Father in Heaven in gratitude for the gift of His Beloved Son.

Thank the Lord for His marvelous Church restored in this great season of history. Thank Him for all that it offers you. Thank Him for friends and loved ones, for parents and brothers and sisters, for family. Let a spirit of thanksgiving guide and bless your days and nights. Work at it. You will find it will yield wonderful results.

B number two—be smart.

You are moving into the most competitive age the world has ever known. All around you is competition. You need all the education you can get. Sacrifice a car; sacrifice anything that is needed to be sacrificed to qualify yourselves to do the work of the world. That world will in large measure pay you what it thinks you are worth, and your worth will increase as you gain education and proficiency in your chosen field.

You belong to a church that teaches the importance of education. You have a mandate from the Lord to educate your minds and your hearts and your hands. The Lord has said, “Teach ye diligently … of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgments which are on the land; and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms—that ye may be prepared in all things” (D&C 88:78–80).

Mind you, these are not my words. These are the words of the Lord who loves you. He wants you to train your minds and hands to become an influence for good as you go forward with your lives. And as you do so and as you perform honorably and with excellence, you will bring honor to the Church, for you will be regarded as a man or woman of integrity and ability and conscientious workmanship. Be smart. Don’t be foolish. You cannot bluff or cheat others without bluffing or cheating yourselves.

Many years ago I worked for a railroad in the central offices in Denver. I was in charge of what is called head-end traffic. That was in the days when nearly everyone rode passenger trains. One morning I received a call from my counterpart in Newark, New Jersey. He said, “Train number such-and-such has arrived, but it has no baggage car. Somewhere, 300 passengers have lost their baggage, and they are mad.”

I went immediately to work to find out where it may have gone. I found it had been properly loaded and properly trained in Oakland, California. It had been moved to our railroad in Salt Lake City, been carried to Denver, down to Pueblo, put on another line, and moved to St. Louis. There it was to be handled by another railroad which would take it to Newark, New Jersey. But some thoughtless switchman in the St. Louis yards moved a small piece of steel just three inches, a switch point, then pulled the lever to uncouple the car. We discovered that a baggage car that belonged in Newark, New Jersey, was in fact in New Orleans, Louisiana—1,500 miles from its destination. Just the three-inch movement of the switch in the St. Louis yard by a careless employee had started it on the wrong track, and the distance from its true destination increased dramatically. That is the way it is with our lives. Instead of following a steady course, we are pulled by some mistaken idea in another direction. The movement away from our original destination may be ever so small, but, if continued, that very small movement becomes a great gap and we find ourselves far from where we intended to go.

Have you ever looked at one of those 16-foot farm gates? When it is opened, it swings very wide. The end at the hinges moves ever so slightly, while out at the perimeter the movement is great. It is the little things upon which life turns that make the big difference in our lives, my dear young friends.

Be smart. The Lord wants you to educate your minds and hands, whatever your chosen field. Whether it be repairing refrigerators, or the work of a skilled surgeon, you must train yourselves. Seek for the best schooling available. Become a workman of integrity in the world that lies ahead of you. I repeat, you will bring honor to the Church and you will be generously blessed because of that training.

There can be no doubt, none whatever, that education pays. Do not short-circuit your lives. If you do so, you will pay for it over and over and over again.

The third B—be clean.

We live in a world that is filled with filth and sleaze, a world that reeks of evil. It is all around us. It is on the television screen. It is at the movies. It is in the popular literature. It is on the Internet. You can’t afford to watch it, my dear friends. You cannot afford to let that filthy poison touch you. Stay away from it. Avoid it. You can’t rent videos and watch them as they portray degrading things. You young men who hold the priesthood of God cannot mix this filth with the holy priesthood.

Avoid evil talk. Do not take the name of the Lord in vain. From the thunders of Sinai the finger of the Lord wrote on tablets of stone, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain” (Ex. 20:7).

It is not a mark of manhood to carelessly use the name of the Almighty or His Beloved Son in a vain and flippant way, as many are prone to do.

Choose your friends carefully. It is they who will lead you in one direction or the other. Everybody wants friends. Everybody needs friends. No one wishes to be without them. But never lose sight of the fact that it is your friends who will lead you along the paths that you will follow.

While you should be friendly with all people, select with great care those whom you wish to have close to you. They will be your safeguards in situations where you may vacillate between choices, and you in turn may save them.

Be clean. Don’t waste your time in destructive entertainment. There was recently held in the Salt Lake Valley a show put on by a traveling band. I am told that it was filthy, that it was lascivious, that it was evil in every respect. The young people of this community had paid $25 to $35 to get in. What did they get for their money? Only a seductive voice urging them to move in the direction of the slimy things of life. I plead with you, my friends, to stay away from such. It will not help you. It can only injure you.

I recently spoke to your mothers and your fathers. Among other things, I talked with them about tattoos.

What creation is more magnificent than the human body? What a wondrous thing it is as the crowning work of the Almighty.

Paul, in writing to the Corinthians, said: “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

“If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (1 Cor. 3:16–17).

Did you ever think that your body is holy? You are a child of God. Your body is His creation. Would you disfigure that creation with portrayals of people, animals, and words painted into your skin?

I promise you that the time will come, if you have tattoos, that you will regret your actions. They cannot be washed off. They are permanent. Only by an expensive and painful process can they be removed. If you are tattooed, then probably for the remainder of your life you will carry it with you. I believe the time will come when it will be an embarrassment to you. Avoid it. We, as your Brethren who love you, plead with you not to become so disrespectful of the body which the Lord has given you.

May I mention earrings and rings placed in other parts of the body. These are not manly. They are not attractive. You young men look better without them, and I believe you will feel better without them. As for the young women, you do not need to drape rings up and down your ears. One modest pair of earrings is sufficient.

I mention these things because again they concern your bodies.

How truly beautiful is a well-groomed young woman who is clean in body and mind. She is a daughter of God in whom her Eternal Father can take pride. How handsome is a young man who is well groomed. He is a son of God, deemed worthy of holding the holy priesthood of God. He does not need tattoos or earrings on or in his body. The First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve are all united in counseling against these things.

And while I speak of such matters I want to give emphasis again to the matter of pornography. It has become a $10 billion industry in the United States, where a few men grow rich at the expense of thousands upon thousands who are their victims. Stay away from it. It is exciting, but it will destroy you. It will warp your senses. It will build within you an appetite that you will do anything to appease. And don’t try to create associations through the Internet and chat rooms. They can lead you down into the very abyss of sorrow and bitterness.

I must also say a word concerning illicit drugs. You know how I feel about them. I don’t care what the variety may be. They will destroy you if pursued. You will become their slave. Once in their power, you will do anything to get money to buy more.

I was amazed while watching a television program to learn that parents introduced drugs to their children in 20 percent of the cases. I cannot understand what I regard as the stupidity of these parents. What future other than slavery for their children could they see in them? Illegal drugs will utterly destroy those who become addicted to them.

My advice, my pleading to you wonderful young men and women, is to stay entirely away from them. You don’t need to experiment with them. Look about you and see the effects they have had on others. There is no need for any Latter-day Saint boy or girl, young man or young woman, to even try them. Stay clean from these mind-altering and habit-forming addictions.

And now just a word on the most common and most difficult of all problems for you young men and young women to handle. It is the relationship that you have one with another. You are dealing with the most powerful of human instincts. Only the will to live possibly exceeds it.

The Lord has made us attractive one to another for a great purpose. But this very attraction becomes as a powder keg unless it is kept under control. It is beautiful when handled in the right way. It is deadly if it gets out of hand.

It is for this reason that the Church counsels against early dating. This rule is not designed to hurt you in any way. It is designed to help you, and it will do so if you will observe it.

Steady dating at an early age leads so often to tragedy. Studies have shown that the longer a boy and girl date one another, the more likely they are to get into trouble.

It is better, my friends, to date a variety of companions until you are ready to marry. Have a wonderful time, but stay away from familiarity. Keep your hands to yourself. It may not be easy, but it is possible.

You young men who plan to go on missions must recognize that sexual sin may keep you from that opportunity. You may think that you can hide it. Long experience has shown that you cannot. To serve an effective mission you must have the Spirit of the Lord, and truth withheld does not mix with that Spirit. Sooner or later you will feel compelled to confess your earlier transgressions. Well did Sir Galahad say, “My strength is as the strength of ten, because my heart is pure” (Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Sir Galahad [1842], st. 1).

My dear young friends, in matters of sex you know what is right. You know when you are walking on dangerous ground, when it is so easy to stumble and slide into the pit of transgression. I plead with you to be careful, to stand safely back from the cliff of sin over which it is so easy to fall. Keep yourselves clean from the dark and disappointing evil of sexual transgression. Walk in the sunlight of that peace which comes from obedience to the commandments of the Lord.

Now, if there be any who have stepped over the line, who may already have transgressed, is there any hope for you? Of course there is. Where there is true repentance, there will be forgiveness. That process begins with prayer. The Lord has said, “He who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more” (D&C 58:42). Share your burden with your parents if you can. And by all means, confess to your bishop, who stands ready to help you.

My next B—be true.

Said Shakespeare, “To thine own self be true; and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man” (Hamlet, I, iii, 78–81). You have a tremendous inheritance. You have a great background of noble ancestry. Many of you are descendants of the pioneers, who died by the hundreds and thousands in testimony of the truth of this work. If they were to look down upon you, they would plead with you: “Be true. Be loyal. Be ‘true to the faith that our parents have cherished, true to the truth for which martyrs have perished.’ ” They would say, “Faith of our fathers, holy faith, we will be true to thee till death” (Hymns, nos. 254 and 84).

And those of you who may not be descended from pioneer ancestry, you belong to a church which has been made strong by the loyalty and unwavering affection of its members through the generations. What a marvelous thing it is to belong to a society whose purposes are noble, whose accomplishments are tremendous, whose work is uplifting, even heroic. Be loyal to the Church under all circumstances. I make you a promise that the authorities of this Church will never lead you astray. They will lead you in paths of happiness.

You who are members of this Church must have a loyalty to it. This is your church. You have as great a responsibility in your sphere of action as I have in my sphere of action. It belongs to you just as it belongs to me. You have embraced its gospel. You have taken upon yourselves a covenant in the waters of baptism. This you have renewed each time you have partaken of the sacrament. These covenants will be added to when you are married in the temple. You cannot hold them lightly. They are too great a thing. This is the very work of God designed to bring about the immortality and eternal life of His sons and daughters.

Walk in faith before Him with your heads high, proud of your membership in this great cause and kingdom which He has restored to the earth in this, the last dispensation of the fulness of times. Why? To bring you happiness.

Be true to your own convictions. You know what is right, and you know what is wrong. You know when you are doing the proper thing. You know when you are giving strength to the right cause. Be loyal. Be faithful. Be true, my beloved associates in this great kingdom.

The fifth B—be humble.

There is no place for arrogance in our lives. There is no place for conceit. There is no place for egotism. We have a great work to do. We have things to accomplish. We need direction in the pursuit of our education. We need help in choosing an eternal companion.

The Lord has said, “Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers” (D&C 112:10).

What a tremendous promise is given in this statement. If we are without conceit and pride and arrogance, if we are humble and obedient, then the Lord will lead us by the hand and answer our prayers. What greater thing could we ask for? There is nothing to compare with this.

The Savior, in the great Sermon on the Mount, declared, “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5).

I believe the meek and the humble are those who are teachable. They are willing to learn. They are willing to listen to the whisperings of the still, small voice for guidance in their lives. They place the wisdom of the Lord above their own wisdom.

And this leads to my final B—be prayerful.

You cannot do it alone. I look at this vast congregation, and I know that you are young people who pray, who get on your knees and speak with the Lord. You know that He is the source of all wisdom.

You need His help, and you know that you need His help. You cannot do it alone. You will come to realize that and recognize that more and more as the years pass. So live that in good conscience you can speak with the Lord. Get on your knees and thank Him for His goodness to you and express to Him the righteous desires of your hearts. The miracle of it all is that He hears. He responds. He answers—not always as we might wish He would answer, but there is no question in my mind that He answers.

You have such a tremendous responsibility, you young men and young women. You are the products of all of the generations that have gone before you. All that you have of body and mind has been passed to you through your parents. Someday you will become parents and pass on to succeeding generations the qualities of body and mind which you have received from the past. Do not break the chain of the generations of your family. Keep it bright and strong. So very much depends on you. You are so very precious. You mean so much to this Church. It could not be the same without you. Stand tall, proud of your inheritance as sons and daughters of God. Look to Him for understanding and guidance. Walk according to His precepts and commandments.

You can have a good time. Of course you can! We want you to have fun. We want you to enjoy life. We do not want you to be prudes. We want you to be robust and cheerful, to sing and dance, to laugh and be happy.

But in so doing, be humble and be prayerful, and the smiles of heaven will fall upon you.

I could wish for you nothing better than that your lives be fruitful, that your service be dedicated and freely given, that you contribute to the knowledge and the well-being of the world in which you live, and that you do it humbly and faithfully before your God. He loves you. We love you. We want you to be happy and successful, to make significant contributions to the world in which you will live and to the on-rolling of this great and majestic work of the Lord.

Well, my brothers and sisters, those are my B’s—be grateful, be smart, be clean, be true, be humble, be prayerful.

Now, in conclusion, I offer a word of prayer concerning you.

O God, our Eternal Father, as Thy servant I bow before Thee in prayer in behalf of these young people scattered over the earth who are gathered tonight in assemblies everywhere. Please smile with favor upon them. Please listen to them as they lift their voices in prayer unto Thee. Please lead them gently by the hand in the direction they should follow.
Please help them to walk in paths of truth and righteousness and keep them from the evils of the world. Bless them that they shall be happy at times and serious at times, that they may enjoy life and drink of its fulness. Bless them that they may walk acceptably before Thee as Thy cherished sons and daughters. Each is Thy child with capacity to do great and noble things. Keep them on the high road that leads to achievement. Save them from the mistakes that could destroy them. If they have erred, forgive their trespasses and lead them back to ways of peace and progress. For these blessings I humbly pray with gratitude for them and invoke Thy blessings upon them with love and affection, in the name of Him who carries the burdens of our sins, even the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

Bridgette - A Spirits Call

2009-11-01T12:36:00.000-08:00

You came into our lives with a smile of precious beauty, which hid your pain within.
Your heart had so much to give and was so kind, gentle and so loving.
Your spirit whispered.
Loneliness was always there, even when you were in a crowd.
Torturous thoughts were there and for you were so loud.
Your spirit called out.
So lost you seemed among those who loved you and only wanted to help,
But feeling unworthy of friends’ love, you withdrew and hid yourself.
Your spirit cried.
It all became too much with the loss of your 'only' friend, it was the final straw.
Now you've left us wondering, could we have done any more?
Your spirit is now quiet.
Heavenly Father with all your mercy and tender love take care of our loving friend,
no more pain, rest she has found and I know we’ll meet again because this is not the end.
Your spirit dear Bridgette will sing once again.

The Miraculous Transformation of the Creation

2009-10-22T09:51:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been Reading 'The Hidden Christ' by James Ferrell. And there was a section of it, that really struck to the core of me, and I felt I should share it, since its a great insight.

In the beginning, before it had taken up orbit around a source of light, the earth was empty, desolate and dark. This seems a pretty good description of man's state so long as he insists on living for himself, on his own terms, refusing to hearken to the light of Christ. But the Spirit moved upon this darkness, and the earth moved into proximity with the light. Under the influence of the light, a "firmament" or atmosphere of life sustaining air was formed above and around the earth. In application to ourselves, we might consider this to be a representation of the nourishing influence of the Spirit in our lives. Under the influence of this light and within the protective canopy of this air or spirit, the earth began to come to life. Isn't this exactly what happens to us when we are nourished by the Spirit and bathed by its light? We, too, come to life, as it were, and begin to bring forth good fruit.
Interestingly it is at this point in the process,after the Lord has sown his seeds and nourished his creation by his own light and spirit, that he then guides that creation into the orbit of those that he has set up to govern-the "lights in the firmament of the heaven" the "greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night". This too, is analogous to what happens with us, as the light of Christ and the whisperings of the Spirit both enliven us and direct us to the Lord's representatives on earth. These representatives who have been called to govern in this sphere, then shed for the Lords light on the issues of our day, helping us to discern the light from the darkness. "And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness"
As we obey the counsel of these governing ones and follow in the light they reveal, our early spiritual growth flowers more fully under their influence, and we, like the earth, bring forth more abundantly. In fact, under the combined influence of the light of Christ, the Spirit, and the direction of those called to govern the earth, the earth itself becomes a sustaining source of life, nourishing and strengthening everything in its presence--fish, fowls, insects, animals. As the earth grows more abundant and more beautiful, finally the life that appears on the earth begins to be in the image of God.
Isn't this how we grow as well? As we stay in the orbit, as it were, of the light of Christ, the Spirit and the Lords representatives on earth, and as we observe and follow that light, do we not bring forth more abundantly? Do we not sustain and nourish all that is around us? Do we not ultimately receive the image of God in our countenances?
At this point in the Creation story, the parallelism between man and the heavenly body known as the earth becomes one: The earth in its abundant beauty, and man and woman joined together in innocence, are able to stand in the presence of God, this being the purpose of the process of creation, the fate of all linked through time and eternity.

The Spiritual Delights

2009-10-18T15:18:00.000-07:00

We need to keep the Sabbath Day holy, we need a day of rest and rejuvination. During the sacrament we renews our baptismal and temple covenants and we then offer our own personal sacrifices. We need to meet together so we can serve one another. We also will come to know more and more of our Savior as we come to our meetings and serve those we meet together with. We need to remember the Lord and how good He is to us. What does it mean to keep it holy? We need to keep the Sabbath Day sanctified and consecrated. Its a holy day in which we do holy things. How does the Sabbath bless my life?
1. Physical need for rest and renewal
2. Rejuvination of our spiritual needs as well as emotional
3. Obedience to His commandments to show our love of God
When we partake of the Sacrament and renew our covenants and keep the dsy holy, its an expression of our love for our Heavenly Father.
We need to learn to overcome the natural man, especially on this holy day. The gospel should be pleasing and delightful. We need to find the Spirit and have a sweet appetite for the Spirit and the Gospel. The Sabbath Day is a way to find the Gospel delightful and delicious to us. We need to put aside the worldly things in life and make this day special to us personally. Once the Sabbath is a delight for us then the ways of the Lord will become delicious to us. We need to put aside the worldly delights and make sure it is set apart from the rest of the week. Its up to us to do so. We need to seek the Lord to know how to make the Sabbath a delight. We need to learn to appreciate the ways of the Lord. To learn not only to love the lord but to love his ways as well.

Our Journey to the Promised Land

2009-10-11T15:15:00.000-07:00

There are many lessons that can be learned from those that have gone before us and had faith in God and doing His will. There are many who have trust in God and journeyed to the promised land. Such as Nephi & Lehi, Jaredites, Israel and the pioneers. Their journey's are allegorical to our lives. Our timeline may vary from the Lord's timeline. But when we listen to the spirit we shall be protected. Our trials may prepare us fro greater trials. Keeping the commandments also helps and assists us through our tribulation and challenges. As we learn in D&C 136 we have to learn to be self sufficient, so that when the hard times come that we will be able to stand on our own two feet, and have the opportunities to help others as well. As we help others we will be able to reach the promised land which is returning to our Heavenly Parents and becoming Exalted. Here are some of the ways that we will be able to heed God and His prophets:
1. We should be striving to become a better people, we should never let emotions suh as anger to take control of us, self discipline is the key. Repentance is not a chore or trial, its a blessing that we have been given. His arms are stretched out to us. We have felt His love and comfort, this is a invitation to repent. We need to be more than we are. As disciples of Christ we rejoice in the blessing of repentance. We also need to have a change of heart, which comes through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We must take great care of our changed hearts, We also need to be consistent in strengthening our changed hearts, so that they may become strong and be able to overcome the natural man-which tries to harden our hearts. Consistency is vital in the way we strengthen our spiritual changed hearts: such as Prayer, Obedience to the commandments, Gospel Study, and heeding the words of Latter Day Prophets and Apostles, ect.
2. Personal revelation can influence the decisions we make. We also need to have a love for the Savior and those around us, and to be more obedient and use our agency that we have been given, and use it wisely, which assists us in making the right decisions. We also need to act on inspiration we receive. We can also be given inspiration to know what to do. The power of spiritual guidance takes responsibility on our part. We have to learn how to use this power and gift we have been given. As we gain experience, our confidence in the Spirit will become more clear than what we see and hear. We have to CHOOSE to have the spirit and teach us and than He will. We also need to learn to write down the spiritual inspirations that come to us. So that we may look back on them later, to ponder and pray about them and than we will have more opportunities to be taught by the Spirit. We need to keep the channel of communication clear, clean and free from the clutter of the world. "And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."-Moroni 10:4-5.
3. God has given each of us a GPS-Gospel Positioning System. Sometimes we have things that get in the way of our communication with our Heavenly Father. We must cultivate our sensitivity to that voice. We must work at being tuned in to the inspiration of the Spirit. It takes a lot of work to hear and understand the Spirit of the Lord. He doesn't want us to be lost, that's why we have been given our own GPS. The greatest security is by obedience from the words of the prophets and apostles and other church leaders. All of us are given tests which shape us to receive the greatest blessings and happiness!!!!!!!!!

Trusting Jesus Christ

2009-10-09T19:18:00.000-07:00

We need to turn to God and trust in His only begotten son. We need to reaffirm our faith and we need to have our hope assured. When necessary we need to repent and we certainly need to pray. Its the absence of spiritual fidelity that has led us to moral disaray in this century. God has limitless love for His children and He has an unquenchable desire to help us heal our wounds. "Wherefore, I give unto them a commandment, saying thus: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy might, mind, and strength; and in the name of Jesus Christ thou shalt serve him." (D&C 59:5) We need to recognize that in the Lord, Jesus Christ is our only hope and our only salvation. Let him still the tempest and ride upon the storm. Believe that He can lift mankind from its bed of affliction, in time and in eternity.

2 Nephi 26 & 27 : A Marvelous Work and Wonder

2009-10-08T07:39:00.000-07:00

Nephi and Isaiah were two great seers. In 2 Nephi 26 & 27 combine to unveil many things pertaining to the future starting with Chapter 26: 1-7: That there will be destruction in America at Christ's Death is prophecied. There would also be signs given to the people. As we have seen in the Bible, the promise of a sign is typical of divine instruction. Here are some examples that we see.
Judges 6: Message brought to Gideon by an angel of the Lord was affirmed by signs.
Isaiah 7-8: The Lord provided a sign for King Ahaz through Isaiah.
Luke 1: Gabriel striking Zacharias dumb as a sign of the verity of the birth of a child of promise to him and his aging wife.
Matthew 24: The twelve imploring the Master for a sign by which they know the time of nations destruction and the time of His return.
Our Day- Maroni promised Joseph Smith a sign by which he might know that all had been promised him would come to pass; Many would seek to overthrow his work, but it would increase more it was opposed. The spirit of the Lord will not always strive with Man. "The Holy Ghost doesn't strive or entice, His mission is to teach and testify."-Bruce R McConkie. If a person attends to the Light of Christ ( which is our internal moral monitering system)Than that person is further directed in righteous paths if he or she ignore/rejects this light within and lives in the manner of the world, than he will stifle that which is good and enabling. "And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good—yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit"-D & C 11:12 In Vs 14-19 the Nephite will 'whisper out of the dust' to the righteous in the latter days. Although the wicked descendants of Nephi shall be destroyed but the words of the words of the righteous shall be written and sealed up. (Psalms 85:11) "Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven." God doesn't work in darkness. In Vs 20 they are blinded by pride, their's is a darkness of the mind. " And he beheld Satan; and he had a great chain in his hand, and it veiled the whole face of the earth with darkness; and he looked up and laughed, and his angels rejoiced." (Moses 7:26) Those who give themselves over to worldliness have sealed themselves up to the god of this world (Satan). God's purpose is to save all those who can be saved.
Now for chapter 27 - Judgement comes on men because of their disobedience these judgements are to punish and also humble them so that they will turn to righteousness. The Book of Mormon was partly sealed and the sealed portion wasn't sealed, and it will become available in the Lords own time. The Lord will control the entire process. the Marvelous work and wonder included (but is more than) the Book of Mormon, Restoration of the church and the Priesthood, and Latter Day Prophets, a Restoration fo aLL things including the Zion's establishment. " Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you; whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began"- Acts 3:19-21 The Book of Mormon will heal all those who are spiritually deaf and blind.

Day One Closer with Christ: COME AND SEE

2009-10-06T09:59:00.001-07:00

In John 1:50 " Thou shalt see greater things than these" Come and see- this simple invitation summarized the Master's ministry. He was always an invitation. He asked His followers to come and then He showed them the blessings that followed. Today we are given the same invitation: Set aside your nets and come and see.
But will we leave behind our nets, which are so full other interests?
If we are to reach our full potential, we must create a place for the Savior in our lives. The sacrifice is worth it. Elder Jeffrey R Holland said " My desire today is for all of us...to have a more straightforward personal experience with the Savior's example. Sometimes we seek heaven too obliquely, focusing on programs or history or the experience of others. Those are important but not as important as personal experience. True discipleship and the strength that comes from experience firsthand the majesty of His touch." In a talk given by Elder L. Tom Perry where he talked about true discipleship and he said that True discipleship comes from an ongoing and continual process of drawing closer to our Savior Jesus Christ, so that we can be numbered among His disciples. Where our success is our we live ourlives, and what we need to take on is known as spiritual cleaning in ourselves and in our families and our homes. Our success, individually and as a Church, will largely be determined by how faithfully we focus on living the gospel in the home. Only as we see clearly the responsibilities of each individual and the role of families and homes can we properly understand that priesthood quorums and auxiliary organizations, even wards and stakes, exist primarily to help members live the gospel in the home. Then we can understand that people are more important than programs, and that Church programs should always support and never detract from gospel-centered family activities.The central purpose of our mortal probation is to prepare to meet God and inherit the blessings He has promised to His worthy children. The Savior set the pattern during His earthly ministry and encouraged those who followed Him to become His disciples. We need to learn to listen for that quiet invitation of the Master, the times when He invites you to come and see. Hopefully you will come and see the comfort and peace His spirit makes possible. Today try to listen for the quiet invitations from the Lord to come and see.

Insights into General Conference Part 2

2009-10-04T16:10:00.000-07:00

This morning started with President Henry B Eyering who said that we share a desire to become better than we are, as long as we live. Through living the gospel we can become like the Savior Jesus Christ. He has prepared the way through the Atonement and His example. Our life must be filled with the love of God and love of others is at the hear to be obedient. We need to learn to love as He does.
1. husbands and wives must pray for the love that makes it soften the load of their partner and put their comfort and happiness above their own.
2. Parents- the Savior is the perfect example of persisting in love. For example: the story of the prodigal son. Pray for your children and reach out to them in confidence.
3. Children- love your parents and honor them. We have the assurances that we are on the way to becoming like Him.

L Tom Perry- What a great heritage the pioneers have left us, a great legacy of faith, and embracing the gospel became a new lifestyle for them. They sacrificed much to do the Lord's will. The past can provide a way to prepare for the future. In the gospel there are eternal principles and truths. These are so important for our lives, the only way to face the future. We have the obligation to share the gospel with others. Preparation removies fear. How prepared are you to testify of the 3 basic missionary lessons? Let us have a desire to share the gospel with others. This plan is for our live and our happiness.

H. David Burton- Virtue traits form the foundation fo a christian life. If we follow the world, the results would be disastrous. We need to stand tall and have virtous traits. Integrity is the mother of all virtues. Its the light that shows from a disciplined conscience. The virtuous traits must never be forgotten, important relationships may be jeopordized. Now is the time to save that which is virtuous. God expects us to express the -ity virtues. Let us have the responsibility to act on these traits.

Ann M Dibb- There are many lessons to be learned. We feel we are going through a scary time in our lives. We are entitled to our Heavenly Father's blessings in this work. He hasn't left us alone, He has given us all the safety requirements we need to guide us. We must choose to use it. We are invited to hold onto the Rod of Iron, hold tight until we reach our eternal role which is eternal life. We mus never let go. Its always possible to find our way back through repentance and feel the loving guidance of our Heavenly Father. Use the safety equipment He has provided for us. May we hold on to the eternal truths- FOR THEY ARE EVERYTHING!!!!!

Russel M Nelson- There is great invitation for us to receive personal revelation. Its true!!!! 1. We must have firm faith and desire, real intent 2. Study gospel matter diligently . We must know and obey the revelent teachings of the Lord. The Lord will bless each prophet and those who heed his counsel. We seek to understand the will of God and carry it out. We need to have reverance toward deity. Line upon line, precept upon precept. One will learn wisdom, patience and perserverance which is important to learn in our lives. Revelation exists because this is HIS living church.

President Thomas S Monson- "Whosoever is in the service of your fellowbeings you are only in the service of your God" (Mosiah 2:17) All who will do this will grow and flourish. Man's greatest happiness is losing one self in service to others. Its the intentino of each o f us to serve one another, do we let the day to day living take over and neglect that which is important? We are surrounded by those in need of our attention. We are the Lord's hands, He is dependent on each of us to lift others. Then shall the King say unto them on his aright hand, Come, ye bblessed of my Father, cinherit the dkingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
For I was an ahungred, and ye bgave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a cstranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye avisited me: I was in bprison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee asick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have adone it unto one of the bleast of these my cbrethren, ye have done it unto me.(Matt 25:34-40) Have I done any good today? He speaks to us to come unto Him, learn of Him, and find rest on our souls. Let us each qualify for this great blessing!

Jeffrey R Holland- The heart is the center of our faith and loyalty. We need protections for our hearts. In the parable of the 'Tree of Life' The successful travelers resisted ALL distractions. They press forward tenaciously. The Iron Rod marks the way of the solidary trail. The power of Christ is the safe harbor in public or private moments of despair. There is only one true way. The Book of Mormon is TRUE and Joseph Smith translated the work. God provides safety for the soul-the Book of Mormon is that safety.

Quentin L Cook- We do what we believe that the Lord would have us do. We are accountable for our own agency and thus the sins we commit. We are stewards over our bodies and families and the poor and needy. Morality in this world isn't protected. the well springs in life are to remain pure. Its our responsibility to teach His standard of morality. Some tend to rationalize their conduct. Through the Savior's atonement one can always repent. Then we can become pure again. 1. Religious observance is as important as temporal needs in the home. 2.Caring for the poor and those in need. We should be diligent and do all we can to do Christlike service to those in need; in all our efforts we should try to emulate Christ.

Brent Nielson- Lengthen your stride, enlarge your vision. We are part of the fulfillment of the prophecy-to go throughout the whole world, and so all ears may hear the message of the gospel, this is the work of the Lord, this work is a marvelous work and wonder. God will be with us always even unto the ends of the world. The Saviors call is to this rising generation. The need has never been greater, there is no greater call. The heavens are open, He is inviting us to follow Him and we will become Fishers of Men

Dale G Renlund- The ultimate operation is the spiritual change of hearts. Its just the beginning. Equal and greater care after the change of heart to endure to the heart. We need to be eager to please God, help others and to keep our covenants with God. We need to keep our hearts from hardening and turning to stone. We need to be constantly be praying and studying the scriptures, so that we never fall into the death trap. We need to be perfectly honest and upright in all things. We need to put temptations far out of reach. Press forward and endure joyfully to the end.

Michael T Ringwood- We need to have a willingness to believe in God. We have a legacy of faith who had soft hearts. We need to allow the words of god to be etched deep into our hearts. Obedience and repentance is a way for us to know God. Obedience will bring soft hearts and easiness to believe. We should find it easy for the spirit of the Lord to speak with us. he is our shepherd, we should know His voice.

Joseph Sitati- This gospel is a global faith. The love of our Father in Heaven is evident to us today. God's purposes are being fulfilled. We have seen the great fruits of Israel, and there are many who are finding an anchor to their faith. The spirit of the Lord is moving throughout the world.

D Todd Christofferson- Moral agency mus be accompanied by moral discipline. To make the right decisions despite how difficult that challenge may be. Our discipline is rooted in the Father and the Son. Moral discipline is learned at home, if we don't doubt then the Lord will deliver us. We must walk uprightly before him in a manner of reverence. There must be constant teaching including teaching by example. Our aim is for them ( children) to become disciples of Christ. We must know the truth to wisely use our agency. We must acknowledge Him for our children to see things clearly and make the right decisions. All of us are tempted but we choose whether or not to yield to temptation. Always there must be discipline which should be based upon God and His Son Jesus Christ. it can have an influence for good and inspire others to also have a moral discipline.

President Thomas S Monson- This is the final talk to end the conference and He told us to prepare ourselves, we must be ready for the storms. He is ready to bless us as we obey Him. We are a blessed people with prophets and apostles on the earth today. That we have a disposition to do good continually and become a better poeple we are one, all in this together, we all have a part toy and to play it well. MAy God bless you now and always!!

Insights into General Conference Part 1

2009-10-03T11:08:00.000-07:00

It started with President Thomas S Monson announced 5 new temples that will be built, Brigham City, Utah; Concepcion, Chile; Fortaleza, Brazil; Fort Lauderdale, Florida.; and Sapporo, Japan, but he talked about how important it is to continue to be faithful in temple service. Through our efforts the light may shine upon those in the spirit world and rejoice with us in our duties as we perform work for the dead, he also counseled that we should reach our to new converts and surround them in love and friendship. May we be filled with the spirit of the Lord.

Richard G Scott- we are led to seek inspiration for our personal decisions, he created help for us to make the right decisions. Heavenly Father wants us to learn to seek divine help. Growth will come as we learn and strive the feelings and promptings of the spirit. Spirituality yields two fruits: 1. Inspiration 2. Power in 1 Nephi 3:7 Nephi vows to go and do as the Lord commands and that He will provide a way. We must exercise our agency to allow the spirit to teach us. Strong emotions can overcome the delicate promptings of the spirit. Pornography is one of the most damaging influences on earth, severely damaging, it degrades the mind and heart. It can cause emotional and spiritual damage. Its a deadly trap of the Adversary. Those that are involved need to make a commitment to overcome it NOW! DONT GIVE UP!!!!! Have patience at perfection to listening to the Holy Spirit. We can learn to be consistently guided by the Holy Spirit for the rest of our lives.

Vicki Matsumori- When we are trying to listen to the Holy Spirit, the influence of others can assist us. When we feel the Spiri, there are many things that we may feel such as: the pure intelligence, peace, hope, warmth, joy, and love. We will feel these things when the spirit speaks to our minds and hearts as it says in the Doctrine and Covenants 8:2 which says "Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart." When we bear our testimony of the gospel we can help others to feel the influence of the Spirit. The challenge is to have an environment to invite the Spirit in our homes, to have a time of quiet in our lives. We will recognize answers to our prayers and guidance for our lives.

L Whitney Clayton- We all have burdens in our lives, many of us struggle beneath these burdens in our lives.
1. Burdens of the conditions of the world by which we live, such as sickness, economical, ect.
2. Burdens of misconduct of others such as sin, oppression, abuse, gossip and unkindness.
3. Burdens of our own mistakes, shortcomings and sins- what follows is immense pain and sorrow.
We were sent to earth for our own growth and progress. If we endure it well, God will Exalt us on high. Burdens help us to put off the natural man and helps us to become humble enough to come unto Him. Burdens can become a blessing for us. Work is a continual burden as well as a blessing for us. Our challenges may prepare us to hear the word of the Lord. We should bear one another's burdens to comfort and help each other, which helps relieve our own burdens as well as the burdens of others. The Savior offers us sustaining strength and warmth, which helps us to stand as a witness of Jesus Christ. He offers us deliverance from the bondage of our sins. When we repent, forgiveness comes from what the Savior offers.

Russel Osguthorpe- Missionary works saves the spiritual lives of those that they teach. They save the lives by sharing their knowledge of the gospel. One way that they teach is through key doctrine, which they use though the manual 'Preach My Gospel' as well as drawing upon the Spirit as they teach. The aim is to have them to think, feel, and do what they are taught the gospel principles that they are taught. We are all teaching future church leaders. When a call comes, we need to accept it. We need to reach higher than we thought we could.

David A Bednar- "We need to be more diligent and concerned in our homes"
1. We need to express our love and show it do it sincerely and frequently express our love to our spouses, parents, children and other family members. We need to consistently DO more of what we know.
2. Bear our testimony and live it It needs not be lengthy or eloquent, in our homes we should bear testimony to those we love the most. We need to do more and become better. We need to bear, mean it and live it. Our testimony should be reflected in our words and deeds. We should look for these opportunities. Its the result of revelation, conveyed by the Holy Ghost.
3. Be consistent Consistency is a key principle. Hypocricy weakens the foundations of a great work.; We need to be and become more consistent. As we seek the Lord's help we can become more diligent and concerned at home in living the gospel. We will never be left alone, Our Heavenly Father and our Savior will help us in these endeavors.

Pres. Dieter F Uchtdorf-How do we become disciples of Jesus Christ? "If your love me keep my commandments" Is there a constant compass to prioritize our lives? Yes the Holy Ghost is constantly available to us. Love is the healing balm that unites families, communities and countries. Its the first that warms our lives. When we love as Christ does, our love becomes more profound and our obedience becomes a joy. We NEED to love God. What we love determines what we think and do, which determines who we are. Love defines us as individuals and as a church. The Father watches over us and brightens our darkness with light, He rejoices when we rejoice, He offers promises of a glorious existence, ALL that He has. We love Him because He first loved us. He loves us completely, perfectly, which encompasses us completely. we are important to Him because we are His children. Regardless of our current state, there is hope for us. How can we experience more love for God? When we seek Him with our hearst and keep His commandments. We need to align our thoughts and actions according to His will. Because we love Him. The first step is to try to do the things which He asks of us. Listen to His voice, in the gentle whisperings of the spirit. He will lead us on the course to experience the true love of Christ. The love God has for us is the center of the plan of happiness. Every commandment hangs on the principle of love, everything else will fall into place. Its the guiding light that fills our life with meaning and wonder. Loves is the way of the disciple. He is mindful of us and the greatest, deepest desire our our hearts, souls and minds.

Dallin H Oaks- Gods love is shown in all the blessings of His gospel plan. These are eternal principles. Nothing can seperate us from the love of God. 'For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life' (John 3:16) That is the greatest evidence of His love. Those who understand his plan, know that mercy can't rob justice. Only through obedience to His laws can we be perfect like Him. Its universal so that it bestows many gifts for His children. We can feel His love even when we are disobedient. All blessings are predicated by obedience to that law. Agency is fundamental to the gospel plan. He will bless us to endure the consequences of others' choices. Love doesn't supercede his commandments. Real love doesn't support self destructive behavior. These are part of the doctrine of Christ.

Robert D Hales- These are dangerous times when there are many whose faith and belief in God are faltering. How can we know that He lives? We have felt his spirit confirm what we know to be true. We know that God and His son Jesus Christ have physical bodies and voices, and we were created in their likeness. We know that they have feelings for us, they are immortal perfect beings. Joseph Smith prepared the way for the second coming in this last dispensation. Joseph Smith bore witness of God and his son as the same likeness of us. The way to know of the truth of God is the Holy Ghost. If we don't submit to the promptings of the Holy Ghost, we could become like Korihor who was a anti-christ-but he knew that God existed despite his efforts to convince others of the contrary. We need to learn of God and Jesus Christ. Cultivate a desire to know that He lives, that He loves us, and that there is much strength and peace that can come from knowing God, it will also give us the greatest joy we will ever have.

Jorge Zeballos- We are not alone. He is willing to forgive our sins and errors as we repent. We need to give the best of ourselves, because there are great blessings in store for us, these rewards given to those who will give their all to build the kingdom of God. The Lord doesn't expect us to do that which we are unable to do. He knows our capacities and abilities. Let us always give the best we can in everything in our lives. Let us do what is within reach, we will be fulfilling His requirements. Its possible to achieve the impossible through our Father in Heaven and our Savior Jesus Christ.

Tad R Callister- there were four things that Joseph Smith learned in the first vision. 1. God and Jesus Christ are two seperate beings 2. The Father and his son have bodies of flesh and bones 3. God still speaks to man today 4. The full gospel of Christ wasn't yet on the earth. Joseph Smith was the instrument in God's hands, through Joseph Smith the fullness of the gospel has been found. This is the only true and living church upon all of the earth.

Kent D Watson-We need to be temperate in all things. Temperance is a divine attribute of Christ, to be temperate in all things is a spiritual gift through the Holy Ghost. Its to exercise control and be moderate in all things. We should be diligent and temperate in all things. A temperate soul is a person of increased spiritual strength. We can protect ourselves from dangers of today's world. Security for our families comes from self control. When we are filled with contention we should then humble ourselves and become like child. We should govern our homes in meekness and of love. Christ divine gift of temperance is available to all.

Neil L Anderson- Come unto Him and be spiritually wrapped in His arms. His arms are mighty, filled with safety and love. We have felt his forgiveness, love and comfort. This is often an invitation to repent ( wrapped in his arms). When we sin we turn from God, when we repent we turn to God. We rejoice in the blessing of repentance. We all need to feel His arms of mercy. The Savior is able and eager to forgive our sins. Divine forgiveness is one of the greatest fruits of the gospel. Change isn't easy, its difficult and it is a journey. We need to humbly approach the Lord. there is one who understands us, for He has engraven us in the palms of His hands. Don't be discouraged. As we improve we see our life more clearly. Healing come in the time of the Lord. In this life its never too late to repent. Repentance changes us but also blesses our families.

Boyd K Packer- Every child possess the light of Christ. we are the children of God. We are part of His great plan of happiness. We must use our agency wisely. Through the atonement our mistakes are wiped clean. the spirit can prompt and protect us. You can know the things you need to know. No matter what we have done, we can all pray. When temptation comes, your mind is in control-if a inappropriate image comes in your mind use your delete key in your mind by thinking of a hymn or listening to some uplifting music. Learn to pray often, its your personal key to heaven, the lock is on our side of the veil.

May Christ Lift Thee Up

2009-10-01T15:46:00.000-07:00

In Moroni 9:25 " My son, be faithful in Christ; and may not the things which i have written grieve thee, to weigh thee down unto death; but may Christ lift thee up, and may his sufferings and death, and the showing his body unto our fathers, and his mercy and long suffering, and the hope of this glory and of eternal, rest in your mind forever" and in John 16:33 " These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world". Jesus Christ. Our sign of life, our key to life in all of its majestic and meaningful simplicity, is Jesus Christ. He fits every door, every life experience, every death experience, than any mortal can possibly encounter. He is the ungirding of the daffodil days, the root which teams with the hope of life, even when its been pruned to the ground. He stand as the fountain in ancient times as well as today. He is our key to life. He is the LIGHT and the LIFE. In 3 Nephi 27:13 " Behold I have given unto you my gospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you--that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me" We will live our covenants, because living them is a happy choice. Covenants are not restrictive burdens, they are offerings joyfully made. Sister Marjorie Hinckley said "We each do the best we can. The fact is we know when we are doing our best and when we are not. If we are not...it leaves us with a gnawing hunger and frustration. But when we do our best, we experience peace" And President Gordon B Hinckley said "The work in which we are engaged in is their work (Meaning the Father and His son) and we are their servants, who are answerable to them," How we regard ourselves is important. Something about our mortal life says that we cannot just give our lives to God in our hearts and then withdraw from daily living our temporal tasks. The Savior can turn negative things to our good. Rather than bitterness, when we turn to Him we can forgive. Then, our suffering can help us develop the capacity to withold judgement and to reach our compassionately to others who suffer. Turning to the Savior can also protect us against our successes. Success is a affliction of the soul unless it is recognized for what it is-God working in our lives. And He will do that, because each prayer we offer will somehow be an expression that we are joyfully, voluntarily, and quietly desiring to give our lives to Him our ongoing responsibility to keep offering ourselves and everything that we have and are to HIM-to work actively but to cease judging each task with our mortal measurements, in the total giving away, we receive total abundance, the only security available. In Moses 1:39 "For behold this is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" in faith, each of us takes the only thing we really have-our agency and offers it back to Him joyfully, voluntarily and quietly.

Be Of Good Cheer

2009-09-27T16:43:00.000-07:00

My dear brothers and sisters, I express my love to you. I am humbled by the responsibility to address you, and yet I am grateful for the opportunity to do so.

Since last we met together in a general conference six months ago, there have been continuing signs that circumstances in the world aren’t necessarily as we would wish. The global economy, which six months ago appeared to be sagging, seems to have taken a nosedive, and for many weeks now the financial outlook has been somewhat grim. In addition, the moral footings of society continue to slip, while those who attempt to safeguard those footings are often ridiculed and, at times, picketed and persecuted. Wars, natural disasters, and personal misfortunes continue to occur.

It would be easy to become discouraged and cynical about the future—or even fearful of what might come—if we allowed ourselves to dwell only on that which is wrong in the world and in our lives. Today, however, I’d like us to turn our thoughts and our attitudes away from the troubles around us and to focus instead on our blessings as members of the Church. The Apostle Paul declared, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”1

None of us makes it through this life without problems and challenges—and sometimes tragedies and misfortunes. After all, in large part we are here to learn and grow from such events in our lives. We know that there are times when we will suffer, when we will grieve, and when we will be saddened. However, we are told, “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.”2

How might we have joy in our lives, despite all that we may face? Again from the scriptures: “Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you.”3

The history of the Church in this, the dispensation of the fulness of times, is replete with the experiences of those who have struggled and yet who have remained steadfast and of good cheer as they have made the gospel of Jesus Christ the center of their lives. This attitude is what will pull us through whatever comes our way. It will not remove our troubles from us but rather will enable us to face our challenges, to meet them head on, and to emerge victorious.

Too numerous to mention are the examples of all the individuals who have faced difficult circumstances and yet who have persevered and prevailed because their faith in the gospel and in the Savior has given them the strength they have needed. This morning, however, I’d like to share with you three such examples.

First, from my own family, I mention a touching experience that has always been an inspiration to me.

My maternal great-grandparents Gibson and Cecelia Sharp Condie lived in Clackmannan, Scotland. Their families were engaged in coal mining. They were at peace with the world, surrounded by relatives and friends, and were housed in fairly comfortable quarters in a land they loved. Then they listened to the message of the missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and, to the depths of their very souls, were converted. They heard the call to gather to Zion and knew they must answer that call.

Sometime around 1848, they sold their possessions and prepared for the hazardous voyage across the mighty Atlantic Ocean. With five small children, they boarded a sailing vessel, all their worldly possessions in one tiny trunk. They traveled 3,000 miles (4,800 km) across the waters—eight long, weary weeks on a treacherous sea, watching and waiting, with poor food, poor water, and no help beyond the length and breadth of that small ship.

In the midst of this soul-trying situation, one of their young sons became ill. There were no doctors, no stores at which they might purchase medicine to ease his suffering. They watched, they prayed, they waited, and they wept as day by day his condition deteriorated. When his eyes were at last closed in death, their hearts were torn asunder. To add to their grief, the laws of the sea must be obeyed. Wrapped in a canvas weighed down with iron, the little body was consigned to a watery grave. As they sailed away, only those parents knew the crushing blow dealt to wounded hearts.4 However, with a faith born of their deep conviction of the truth and their love of the Lord, Gibson and Cecelia held on. They were comforted by the words of the Lord: “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”5

How grateful I am for ancestors who had the faith to leave hearth and home and to journey to Zion, who made sacrifices I can scarcely imagine. I thank my Heavenly Father for the example of faith, of courage, and of determination Gibson and Cecelia Sharp Condie provide for me and for all their posterity.

I introduce next a gentle, faith-filled man who epitomized the peace and joy which the gospel of Jesus Christ can bring into one’s life.

Late one evening on a Pacific isle, a small boat slipped silently to its berth at the crude pier. Two Polynesian women helped Meli Mulipola from the boat and guided him to the well-worn pathway leading to the village road. The women marveled at the bright stars, which twinkled in the midnight sky. The moonlight guided them along their way. However, Meli Mulipola could not appreciate these delights of nature—the moon, the stars, the sky—for he was blind.

Brother Mulipola’s vision had been normal until a fateful day when, while working on a pineapple plantation, light turned suddenly to darkness and day became perpetual night. He was depressed and despondent until he learned the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. His life was brought into compliance with the teachings of the Church, and he once again felt hope and joy.

Brother Mulipola and his loved ones had made a long voyage, having learned that one who held the priesthood of God was visiting among the islands of the Pacific. He sought a blessing, and it was my privilege, along with another who held the Melchizedek Priesthood, to provide that blessing to him. As we finished, I noted that tears were streaming from his sightless eyes, coursing down his brown cheeks and tumbling finally upon his native dress. He dropped to his knees and prayed: “O God, Thou knowest I am blind. Thy servants have blessed me that my sight might return. Whether in Thy wisdom I see light or whether I see darkness all the days of my life, I will be eternally grateful for the truth of Thy gospel, which I now see and which provides the light of my life.”

He rose to his feet and, smiling, thanked us for providing the blessing. He then disappeared into the still of the night. Silently he came; silently he departed. But his presence I shall never forget. I reflected upon the message of the Master: “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”6

My brothers and sisters, each of us has that light in his or her life. We are not left to walk alone, no matter how dark our pathway.

I love the words penned by M. Louise Haskins:

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:
“Give me a light, that I may tread safely into the unknown!”
And he replied:
“Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God.
That shall be to you better than [a] light and safer than a known way.”7

The setting for my final example of one who persevered and ultimately prevailed, despite overwhelmingly difficult circumstances, begins in East Prussia following World War II.

In about March 1946, less than a year after the end of the war, Ezra Taft Benson, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, accompanied by Frederick W. Babbel, was assigned a special postwar tour of Europe for the express purpose of meeting with the Saints, assessing their needs, and providing assistance to them. Elder Benson and Brother Babbel later recounted, from a testimony they heard, the experience of a Church member who found herself in an area no longer controlled by the government under which she had resided.

She and her husband had lived an idyllic life in East Prussia. Then had come the second great world war within their lifetimes. Her beloved young husband was killed during the final days of the frightful battles in their homeland, leaving her alone to care for their four children.

The occupying forces determined that the Germans in East Prussia must go to Western Germany to seek a new home. The woman was German, and so it was necessary for her to go. The journey was over a thousand miles (1,600 km), and she had no way to accomplish it but on foot. She was allowed to take only such bare necessities as she could load into her small wooden-wheeled wagon. Besides her children and these meager possessions, she took with her a strong faith in God and in the gospel as revealed to the latter-day prophet Joseph Smith.

She and the children began the journey in late summer. Having neither food nor money among her few possessions, she was forced to gather a daily subsistence from the fields and forests along the way. She was constantly faced with dangers from panic-stricken refugees and plundering troops.

As the days turned into weeks and the weeks to months, the temperatures dropped below freezing. Each day, she stumbled over the frozen ground, her smallest child—a baby—in her arms. Her three other children struggled along behind her, with the oldest—seven years old—pulling the tiny wooden wagon containing their belongings. Ragged and torn burlap was wrapped around their feet, providing the only protection for them, since their shoes had long since disintegrated. Their thin, tattered jackets covered their thin, tattered clothing, providing their only protection against the cold.

Soon the snows came, and the days and nights became a nightmare. In the evenings she and the children would try to find some kind of shelter—a barn or a shed—and would huddle together for warmth, with a few thin blankets from the wagon on top of them.

She constantly struggled to force from her mind overwhelming fears that they would perish before reaching their destination.

And then one morning the unthinkable happened. As she awakened, she felt a chill in her heart. The tiny form of her three-year-old daughter was cold and still, and she realized that death had claimed the child. Though overwhelmed with grief, she knew that she must take the other children and travel on. First, however, she used the only implement she had—a tablespoon—to dig a grave in the frozen ground for her tiny, precious child.

Death, however, was to be her companion again and again on the journey. Her seven-year-old son died, either from starvation or from freezing or both. Again her only shovel was the tablespoon, and again she dug hour after hour to lay his mortal remains gently into the earth. Next, her five-year-old son died, and again she used her tablespoon as a shovel.

Her despair was all consuming. She had only her tiny baby daughter left, and the poor thing was failing. Finally, as she was reaching the end of her journey, the baby died in her arms. The spoon was gone now, so hour after hour she dug a grave in the frozen earth with her bare fingers. Her grief became unbearable. How could she possibly be kneeling in the snow at the graveside of her last child? She had lost her husband and all her children. She had given up her earthly goods, her home, and even her homeland.

In this moment of overwhelming sorrow and complete bewilderment, she felt her heart would literally break. In despair she contemplated how she might end her own life, as so many of her fellow countrymen were doing. How easy it would be to jump off a nearby bridge, she thought, or to throw herself in front of an oncoming train.

And then, as these thoughts assailed her, something within her said, “Get down on your knees and pray.” She ignored the prompting until she could resist it no longer. She knelt and prayed more fervently than she had in her entire life:

“Dear Heavenly Father, I do not know how I can go on. I have nothing left—except my faith in Thee. I feel, Father, amidst the desolation of my soul, an overwhelming gratitude for the atoning sacrifice of Thy Son, Jesus Christ. I cannot express adequately my love for Him. I know that because He suffered and died, I shall live again with my family; that because He broke the chains of death, I shall see my children again and will have the joy of raising them. Though I do not at this moment wish to live, I will do so, that we may be reunited as a family and return—together—to Thee.”

When she finally reached her destination of Karlsruhe, Germany, she was emaciated. Brother Babbel said that her face was a purple-gray, her eyes red and swollen, her joints protruding. She was literally in the advanced stages of starvation. In a Church meeting shortly thereafter, she bore a glorious testimony, stating that of all the ailing people in her saddened land, she was one of the happiest because she knew that God lived, that Jesus is the Christ, and that He died and was resurrected so that we might live again. She testified that she knew if she continued faithful and true to the end, she would be reunited with those she had lost and would be saved in the celestial kingdom of God.8

From the holy scriptures we read, “Behold, the righteous, the saints of the Holy One of Israel, they who have believed in [Him], they who have endured the crosses of the world, … they shall inherit the kingdom of God, … and their joy shall be full forever.”9

I testify to you that our promised blessings are beyond measure. Though the storm clouds may gather, though the rains may pour down upon us, our knowledge of the gospel and our love of our Heavenly Father and of our Savior will comfort and sustain us and bring joy to our hearts as we walk uprightly and keep the commandments. There will be nothing in this world that can defeat us.

My beloved brothers and sisters, fear not. Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith.

I declare that God lives and that He hears and answers our prayers. His Son, Jesus Christ, is our Savior and our Redeemer. Heaven’s blessings await us. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
We talked about this talk in Relief Society, and I was so grateful because its one of my favorites of President Monsons', I love how he talks about challenges, and I think every one has challenges and difficulties. Through the history of the world, there have been many circumstances and tradegies that many have suffered through. But in this day we have something so precious and beautiful, that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is what lifts us up, gives us hope and joy, and let us feel bright and cheerful as the noon day sun. Optimism is so important in this world that can seem big and scary. We never know whats going to happen in our lives, or what heartache or pain we may feel. The gospel helps us to be stronger and to stand a little taller. There are times when we need to laugh or to cry, the important thing is Heavenly Father is there for us, He loves us and He is with us. We are never alone!!!!As sheri Dew once said " The gospel is the Good News that provides us the tools to cope with the mistakes, the heartaches, the disappointments we can expect to experience here." No matter what is going on in our lives, we have good cheerful new, its the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Let us feel that joy!!!!!

Purpose of Relief Society

2009-09-26T20:23:00.000-07:00

This evening I was so blessed to be able to watch the Relief Society Broadcast, It was such a blessing to be able to be enriched and edified and to feel the spirit, it touched the deepest part of my soul.
The first speaker was Julie B Beck said that Relief Society is a faith based work. Everything we do in Relief Society MATTERS!!!!! We work in partnership with our priesthood leaders. Ours is a work of salvation, service and of a holy people. Relief Society is organized after the pattern of the priesthood. Service in the Relief Society magnifies each sister. Visiting Teaching can strengthen our personal righteousness as we partner with the Lord. This is a blessing for us, its a faith based work, its a way of life, evidence of our discipleship. The Lord loves us enough to guide us in this work
Silvia Allred- "Why do we need Relief Society in our lives? : Its an essential part of the church, the church wouldn't be complete without it. We need to be more of a righteous mind than a selfish one. That is true Heroism. We help build up the kingdom and families in Zion. We are a much needed force of love and righteousness. we each have a significant role in God's plan. The Relief Society needs us & We need the Relief Society.
Barbara Thompson talked about how there are many gaps in our lives. The first one is The gap between believing and knowing we are a precious daughter of God. There are times when we doubt this concept. There is nothing that can seperate us from the love of God. The spirit helps us to feel His love for us. Mind the gap with this doubt and uncertainty. The second is that there is a gap between completion of Young Women and Full membership in the Relief Society. It gives our lives meaning and purpose. God needs us in the Relief Society and we have important works to be done in Zion. The third gap is between believing in Jesus Christ and being valiant in our testimony in Jesus Christ. We must have faith in Him and share our testimony with others, and keep our covenants with God. We need to have the desire to share the gospel with those we love. Let your voice be heard among all. As we mind the gap we will feel his love for us and be able to be valiant in testimony.
Finally we had the opportunity to hear from Pres. Henry B Eyering- who said that Charity is at the heart of Relief Society, is born of faith in Jesus Christ. This organization is unique. 'Charity Never Faileth' has been at the center of the organization since it started. This society has a great legacy- determined to help the Lord and build up Zion as one heart, one mind, and one purpose. The love of God dwelt in their heart, the legacy is passed from heart to heart. We must cherich and love one another. As we serve others we shall feel the Savior's Joy.

2009-09-25T21:36:00.000-07:00

Prophets and Apostles

2009-09-24T10:40:00.000-07:00

In the Teachings of Presidents of the Church of Joseph Smith for this year, there is a lesson, where it talks about the organization and purpose of the twelve apostles. Orson Pratt, who served in the quorum of the twelve apostles said this “ The Lord…directed that the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles should be organized, whose business it would be to preach the Gospel to the nations, to the Gentiles first and then to the Jews. The Priesthood were called together after the building of the Kirtland Temple, and, in speaking of the twelve apostles, the Prophet Joseph Smith said they had received the Apostleship with all the powers pertaining to the same, just as the ancient apostles. “”
In the Bible Dictionary, says that Apostle means “ One Sent Forth” It was the title that Jesus gave to the twelve whom he chose and ordained, to be his closest disciples during his ministry on earth, and whom he sent forth to represent him after his ascension into heaven. The calling of an apostle is to be a special witness of the name of Jesus Christ in all the world, particularly of His divinity and of his bodily resurrection from the dead.
In Ephesians 4: 11-13 “And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, some evangelist, and some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of god, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
In Matthew 10:1-15 There were Six instructions that Christ gave to the twelve.
First he told them not to enter into the way of the Gentiles or into any of the cities of the Samaritans.
Second, to go the lost sheep of the House of Israel- which means to go and do missionary work unto the House of Israel, and preach of the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ which is available now.
Third, to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils, give to others what you have received.
Fourth, to not bring anything with you, the Lord will provide, also meaning that they had to trust in the Lord.
Fifth, wherever ye enter be a worthy person while you are there
Sixth, when ye go into a home, to say peace be to this house
Now what do these instructions have to do with Prophets and Apostles and Us? That Jesus Christ gave his authority to his Apostles, and as we receive them we receive Him, Jesus Christ.

In Doctrine and Covenants 1:14, 38 it says “ And the Arm of the Lord shall be revealed; and the day cometh that they who will not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his servants, neither give heed to the words of the prophets and apostles shall be cut off from among the people.” “ What I the Lord have spoken I have spoken, and I excuse not myself. And though the heavens and the earth shall pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants it is the same”
In a talk given by M. Russell Ballard in 2001 said this “ These are difficult times, and the world’s cultural and sociological landmarks of propriety, honesty, integrity, and political correctness are constantly shifting. Just when we think we know the way to happiness and peace , some new ideology comes along which can lead us down a path that will only heighten our confusion and intensify our despair. At such times, we might well ask “ Is there one clear, unpolluted, unbiased voice that we can always count on? Is there a voice that will always give us clear directions to find our way in today’s troubled world?” the answer is YES. That voice is the voice of the living prophet and apostles.”
In 2 kings we know of the experience of Naaman, who was struck with leprosy and who eventually contacted the prophet Elisha, and was “instructed to go wash in the Jordan Seven times, and they flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean” as it say in 2 kings 5 verse 10. At first Naaman was unwilling to follow Elisha’s counsel. He couldn’t understand the thing which he had been asked to do- to wash in the Jordan river seven times. In other words his pride and stubbornness , were keeping him from receiving the Lords blessing through his prophet. Thankfully, he finally went down and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and it was clean” as it says in verse 14.What a humbling thing it must have been for Naaman to realize how close he came to allowing his pride and his unwillingness to listen to the counsel of the prophet to prevent him from receiving such a great cleansing blessing. And what a humbling thing it is to contemplate how many of us might miss out on great and promised blessings because we do not listen and then do the relatively simple things our prophet and apostles are telling us to do today.

Inspire

2009-09-23T09:04:00.000-07:00

I watched this video and it struck a chord in my heart, its inspiring and true and sends a message that we all need to remember.

Preparing for General Conference

2009-09-22T11:52:00.000-07:00

This is a chance for Heavenly Father to speak to us and teach us. The messages given will become personalized for us. If we ponder and ask ourselves questions, then the Spirit will speak to us and answer our questions. Then we need to act upon the things which He instruct us. In a talk given by Pres. Gordon B Hinckley in a conference talk he gave in October 2000 he said this Following the benediction we shall depart this great hall, turn off the lights, and lock the doors. You who are listening across the world will switch off your television set or the radio or shut down the Internet. As we do so, I would hope that we will remember that when all is over, "Still stands thine ancient sacrifice, An humble and a contrite heart" (Hymns, no. 80).

I hope that we shall ponder with subdued feelings the talks to which we have listened. I hope that we will quietly reflect on the wonderful things we have heard. I hope that we will feel a little more contrite and humble.

All of us have been edified. The test will come in the application of the teachings given. If, hereafter, we are a little more kind, if we are a little more neighborly, if we have drawn nearer to the Savior, with a more firm resolution to follow His teachings and His example, then this conference will have been a wonderful success. If, on the other hand, there is no improvement in our lives, then those who have spoken will have in large measure failed.

Those changes may not be measurable in a day or a week or a month. Resolutions are quickly made and quickly forgotten. But, in a year from now, if we are doing better than we have done in the past, then the efforts of these days will not have been in vain.

We will not remember all that has been said, but there will arise from all of this a spiritual uplift. It may be indefinable, but it will be real. As the Lord said to Nicodemus, "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8).

So it will be with the experience we have enjoyed. And perhaps, out of all we have heard, there may be a phrase or a paragraph that will stand out and possess our attention. If this occurs, I hope we will write it down and reflect on it until we savor the depth of its meaning and have made it a part of our own lives.

In our family home evenings I hope we will discuss with our children these things and let them taste the sweetness of the truths we have enjoyed. And when the Ensign magazine comes out in November, with all of the conference messages, please don't just throw it aside with the comment that you have heard it all, but read and ponder the various messages. You will find many things that you missed when you listened to the speakers.

I have only one regret concerning the conference. That is that so few of the Brethren and sisters have opportunity to speak. It is simply a matter of the constraints of time.

Tomorrow morning we will be back at our jobs, back to our studies, back to whatever constitutes the busy regimen of our lives. But we can have the memories of this great occasion to sustain us.

We can draw nearer to the Lord in our prayers. These can become conversations of thanksgiving. I can never fully understand how the Great God of the Universe, the Almighty, invites us as His children to speak with Him individually. How precious an opportunity is this. How wonderful that it actually happens. I testify that our prayers, offered in humility and sincerity, are heard and answered. It is a miraculous thing, but it is real.

Let us lower our voices in our homes. Let love abound and find expression in our actions. May we walk the quiet ways of the Lord, and may prosperity crown our labors.

Another thing we also need prepare for General Conference is to recognize the voice of the spirit. This takes practice and there are 2 ways that we can do this. The first is in Doctrine and Covenants 8:2 ' Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart' the second way is through a family member or friend. We also need to prepare to listen to the spirit. In Preach My Gospel it says thatThe Spirit is always available to guide and direct you. However, the Spirit speaks
quietly, through your feelings as well as your mind. One great challenge for you and
those you work with is to recognize the quiet, subtle promptings of the Holy Ghost.
President Boyd K. Packer taught: “The voice of the Spirit is described in the scripture
as being neither ‘loud’ nor ‘harsh.’ It is ‘not a voice of thunder, neither . . . voice of a great
tumultuous noise.’ But rather, ‘a still voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper,’
and it can ‘pierce even to the very soul’ and ‘cause [the heart] to burn.’ (3 Ne. 11:3; Hel.
5:30; D&C 85:6–7.) Remember, Elijah found the voice of the Lord was not in the wind, nor
in the earthquake, nor in the fire, but was a ‘still small voice.’ (1 Kgs. 19:12.)
“The Spirit does not get our attention by shouting or shaking us with a heavy hand.
Rather it whispers. It caresses so gently that if we are preoccupied we may not feel it at
all. (No wonder that the Word of Wisdom was revealed to us, for how could the drunkard
or the addict feel such a voice?)
“Occasionally it will press just firmly enough for us to pay heed. But most of the time, if
we do not heed the gentle feeling, the Spirit will withdraw and wait until we come seeking
and listening and say in our manner and expression, like Samuel of ancient times, ‘Speak
[Lord], for thy servant heareth.’ (1 Sam. 3:10.)” (“The Candle of the Lord,” Ensign, Jan.
1983, 53).
If we are living worthy and endeavoring to do the right thing then we will be able to recognize the Holy Ghost. Most of our lives have been guided by the Holy Ghost. When we listen then we can recognize the Spirit more. We also need to learn to act on the promptings of the Spirit. We need to have faith to be able to recognize and act on those inspirations we are given. knowing what the big picture is in our lives- the same is for preparation. In preparing we are living eternal laws so we can be eternal people. How do we prepare for conference? Read previous conference talks to help gain perspective on what the Lord is trying to tell us. We also need to pray, the whole purpose of preparing is becoming closer to the Spirit. God will reveal himself to those who seek him out.

I am an Adult Now!!

2009-09-21T13:25:00.000-07:00

I just read this article and I love it so much that I wanted to share it!!!
Marvin J. Ashton, “‘I Am an Adult Now’,” Ensign, May 1987, 65

Some weeks ago a man holding a high office in the Church asked a special favor of me. “Would you be good enough to take the time to listen while a mother, father, and their teenage daughter, special friends of mine, try to talk to each other?”

As the four of us sat together, it immediately became obvious that all channels of communication were jammed with prejudice, threats, accusations, and resentment. As the verbal storms developed with bitter intensity, I found myself the only listener. Even though they had individually and collectively agreed I would be the counselor, judge, arbiter, or referee, if you please, I found myself waiting patiently for an opportunity to be heard. During the heated and emotional confrontation, the teenager repeatedly expressed her resentment with, “You can’t talk to me like that. I am an adult now. You can’t treat me like that. I am an adult now. You can’t dominate my life anymore. I am an adult now.”

Each time she said “I am an adult now,” I cringed. By definition, an adult is a person who has attained the age of maturity—full grown. While it is true a person may be legally classified as an adult when he or she reaches a certain age, for our purposes today the kind of adult status we are talking about must be earned by actions and attitude.

I am not quite sure who has the right or responsibility to declare someone an adult, but I am quite certain that often the least qualified to make the declaration would be the individual himself. If a person is mature, he or she will not need to announce it. Personal conduct is the only true measurement of maturity. Adult classification, when it pertains to behavior, does not come with age, wrinkles, or gray hair. Perhaps it is not too far off the mark to say adult conduct is a process. Mature conduct is generally developed through self-discipline, resilience, and continuing effort.

In fairness to the teenager, even though her declaration of “I am an adult now” didn’t impress me favorably, there were times during the visit when I thought she showed more maturity than others in the room. When we who are more senior use an expression like “I am older than you” to clinch a point, I am not too sure it is very effective. How much better it is to gain respect and love through worthy parental conduct than to seek it through the means of the age differential.

Young men and young women worldwide, you, as well as your parents, need not announce or proclaim your maturity. By your faith and works you will be known for what you are. By your fruits you will be known and classified. Those among us who use abusive arguments, temper tantrums, demeaning and painful criticism, fruitless counter-complaints, and disrespect will benefit no one. Let us put away petty malice, resentment, and retaliatory practices that are self-destructive and return to a path of safety well marked by the Good Shepherd.

It takes courage to flee from verbal contention. When maturity begins to set in, adult lives set in. “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Eph. 4:31–32). It is alarming how many older people go through life without ever becoming real adults.

For many years I have had a very vivid picture in my mind of Jesus Christ standing before Pilate. While Jesus stood in front of an angry mob, who sneered and condemned, Pilate tried to get Him to respond and retaliate. He tried to get Him to declare himself a king. Jesus was silent. His life was his sermon. He was perfect in character, a worthy son, the Only Begotten of the Father. His maturity, if you please, would speak for itself.

“And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest.

“And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.

“Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee?

“And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly” (Matt. 27:11–14).

There are many opportunities to acquire mature behavior in the organizations in the Church. The other day a charming teenager paid a deserving tribute to her Young Women’s teacher. She said, “From her example and good lessons, we learned the importance of good grooming. We learned that though each of us is different, each is equally important. She taught us to solve our differences by discussion, not by shouting.”

The success of the Scouting program is that it teaches boys to stay on the trail. Boulders and hills don’t stop the hike to the top of the mountain. Top awards are not given unless the difficult merit badges are earned as well as the easier ones. The boys’ tenacity to continue on the Scouting path, not the honors awarded, is the maturing element of the program.

“A certain man had two sons:

“And the younger … said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me [I am an adult now]. And he divided unto them his living” (Luke 15:11–12).

The prodigal son parable is well known to all of us. He left and wasted his substance with riotous living. “When he came to himself, he said, …

“I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

“And am no more worthy to be called thy son: [but I am more of an adult now] …

“And he arose, and came to his father. … His father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him” (Luke 15:17–20).

I believe it appropriate to say the father, too, had become more mature during the separation. Think, too, of the maturing and the becoming of more of an adult on the part of the elder son when he witnessed and participated in the Christ-like example of his father (see Luke 15:25–32).

There is no doubt in my mind that one of the primary reasons Laman and Lemuel murmured and spoke harsh words to their brother Nephi and did smite him with a rod was because they were older and more adult than Nephi, so they supposed. Can’t you just hear Laman saying, “Nephi, you can’t treat me like that. I am an adult now.”

Nephi displayed real maturity when he declared, “I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them. And it came to pass that when my father had heard these words he was exceedingly glad, for he knew that I had been blessed of the Lord” (1 Ne. 3:7–8). Lehi was adult enough to know which son was the most mature and who would be blessed of the Lord accordingly.

Too many of us fail to realize adult conduct is a process, not a status. To become a disciple of Jesus Christ, we must continue in righteousness and in His word. When someone shares with enthusiasm his joy in now being an active member of the Church, the thought crosses my mind, “Wonderful, but for how long will you stay that way?” Incidentally, some years ago I was contacted by an insurance agent. When he started his sales approach with “I am an active member of the Church,” the first thought that crossed my mind was, “Who said so?”

When someone overcomes the drug habit, and thankfully many have, less time should be spent on announcing the present status and more on staying away from bad habits. Those who are morally clean will conduct themselves in a more adult fashion if they will spend less time declaring it and more time living and teaching others the blessings of chastity. Full tithe payers will receive more joy and reward from being obedient to the principle of tithing than from being so classified or recommended.

Some will chide and belittle leaders and students of higher education for participating in code of conduct guidelines, but those appropriately involved in the wholesome process of mature behavioral discipline welcome the environment. Responsible student conduct on any campus is applauded. A pledge of “on my honor I will do my best,” either in writing or when self-enforced, can make the difference in character development. Making and keeping commitments may seem restrictive and outdated in a today world where “play it loose” is the pattern, but the benefits are clear to the mature.

Those who are immature resent counseling or having to report in. They may feel that such interviews are juvenile. Those who strive for continual growth realize that counselors can help one analyze himself and find solutions to personal problems. In our church, counselors are a source of great strength for the prophet as well as for all of us.

Beware of those seeking excuses for conduct with “I am an adult now. You can’t treat me like that.” Moral maturity and scholastic maturity must be blended to produce a truly adult person. A commitment to improve on a daily basis should be a high priority in the lives of those who would move in the right direction.

There is real purpose and power in the First Presidency’s continuing invitation to all Church members to come back. Strength, growth, and happiness result from analyzing the direction our lives are taking. Those who have been lost, misunderstood, or offended and those totally involved in the Church are invited to come and fellowship together within the framework of the gospel of Jesus Christ. To be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not enough. Participation in priesthood, Relief Society, Young Women, Young Men, Primary, and Sunday School opportunities is necessary if we are to move forward anxiously in personal development that is adult, real, and eternal. Perhaps all of us would do well to realize that as we promote personal activity and involvement in the Church, it might be much better to be classified a member of “good coming” instead of a member in good standing. It is our responsibility and privilege to encourage the immature and give them opportunities for growth and development.

Joseph Smith declared to the world he was like a rough stone shaped and polished by the stream of life. Bumps, disappointments, and the unexpected helped him gain the status of being wise beyond his years. Oftentimes maturity can best be measured by our endurance. “If the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.

“The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?” (D&C 122:7–8).

My young friends, in a spirit of love I make the suggestion that we avoid the placing of self-labels. For you to classify yourself as all-state, all-American, or even all-world doesn’t mean anything if you alone determine the winner and present the trophy to yourself. By the same token, who among us has the right to label himself as a loser, no good, a dropout, or a failure? Self-judgment in any direction is a hazardous pastime. It is a fact of life that the direction in which we are moving is more important than where we are. I have never heard the best-educated ever declare, “I am educated now.” Some of the most potentially wise people in the world forfeit that classification when they spend their time advertising their abilities and knowledge rather than using their wisdom to improve themselves and help those with whom they associate.

Mothers, fathers, and family members, maturity does not necessarily come with age. Let us communicate in words and deeds our concern and love for each other. Threats, ears that do not hear, eyes that do not see, and hearts that do not feel will never bring joy, unity, and growth. Patience with others, self, and God brings eternal maturity. Let God and our daily actions determine the authenticity of the statement “I am an adult now.”

God is our Father. Jesus is the Christ. May our knowledge of them on a continuing basis give us Christ-centered adult conduct, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen

Things I love

2009-09-21T13:16:00.000-07:00

Skiing
Snow
Mountains
Beaches
Ice Cream
Chocolate
Boys
Kisses
Hugs
Rook
Monopoly
Ultimate Frisbee
BYU Football
The Gospel
Family
Friends
Sun
Rain
Clouds
Phone
Shopping
Books
Music
Movies
Computers
Jewelery
Hawaiian Shaved Ice
Traveling
England
Snorkeling
Cameras
Animals
Dancing
Institute
Weddings
Birthdays
Children
Taking Walks under the stars
Charmed
Lemonade
Skipping Rocks
Swimming
Decorating
Institute
Fall
Pumpkin Pie
Cheesecake
Ipod
Stargate Atlantis
Army Wives
24
Picnics
Roses

God's Wife

2009-09-19T08:40:00.001-07:00

A four-year-old child, whose next door neighbor was an elderly
gentleman, who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry,
the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his
lap, and just sat there.

When his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little
boy just said, 'Nothing, I just helped him cry.'

*********************************************

Teacher Debbie Moon's first graders were discussing a picture of a
family. One little boy in the picture had a different hair color than
the other members. One of her students suggested that he was adopted.

A little girl said, 'I know all about adoption, I was adopted..'

'What does it mean to be adopted?', asked another child.

'It means', said the girl, 'that you grew in your mommy's heart
instead of her tummy!'

*********************************************

On my way home one day, I stopped to watch a Little League base ball
game that was being played in a park near my home. As I sat down
behind the bench on the first-base line, I asked one of the boys what
the score was.

'We're behind 14 to nothing,' he answered with a smile.

'Really,' I said. 'I have to say you don't look very discouraged.'

'Discouraged?', the boy asked with a puzzled look on his face...

'Why should we be discouraged? We haven't been up to bat yet.'

*********************************************

Whenever I'm disappointed with my spot in life, I stop and think
about little Jamie Scott.

Jamie was trying out for a part in the school play. His mother told
me that he'd set his heart on being in it, though she feared he would
not be chosen.

On the day the parts were awarded, I went with her to collect him
after school. Jamie rushed up to her, eyes shining with pride and
excitement. 'Guess what, Mom,' he shouted, and then said those words
that will remain a lesson to me.....'I've been chosen to clap and
cheer.'

*********************************************

An eye witness account from New York City , on a cold day in December,
some years ago: A little boy, about 10-years-old, was standing before
a shoe store on the roadway, barefooted, peering through the window,
and shivering with cold.

A lady approached the young boy and said, 'My, but you're in such deep
thought staring in that window!'

'I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes,'was the boy's reply.

The lady took him by the hand, went into the store, and asked the
clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks for the boy. She then asked
if he could give her a basin of water and a towel. He quickly brought
them to her.

She took the little fellow to the back part of the store and, removing
her gloves, knelt down, washed his little feet, and dried them with
the towel.

By this time, the clerk had returned with the socks. Placing a pair
upon the boy's feet, she purchased him a pair of shoes.

She tied up the remaining pairs of socks and gave them to him.. She
patted him on the head and said, 'No doubt, you will be more
comfortable now.'

As she turned to go, the astonished kid caught her by the hand, and
looking up into her face, with tears in his eyes, asked her.

'Are you God's wife?'

If You Could Hie To Kolob

2009-09-18T06:54:00.000-07:00

I loved this video, its so beautiful and eloquent and true.

The Voice of a Child

2009-09-14T12:12:00.000-07:00

One of the most revealing moments in the Savior’s ministry in the America’s is often missed. I know I missed it even after years of reading the Book of Mormon. It does not happen on the first day’s visit but on his return the following day. We read this brief description: “And it came to pass that he did teach and minister unto the children of the multitude of whom hath been spoken, and he did loose their tongues and they did speak unto their fathers great and marvelous things, even greater than he had revealed unto the people; and he loosed their tongues that they could utter.” (3 Nephi 26:14)
I am touched and instructed by this verse for two reasons. First the Savior allowed the junior primary to teach the deepest truths of the three-day visit eclipsing even his own personal commentaries. Second, they were to instruct their fathers. I think he was sending us all a message that we listen to our children, for they may have the most momentous teachings to offer us.

I recall one evening coming home to find my three year old daughter busily engaged in a conversation with someone on her toy pink telephone. She was quite animated both in her questions and comments and in the expression on her face as she listened to whoever she was pretending to talk with. Being somewhat curious, I asked her, “Megan who are you talking to?” She looked up at me with a mildly annoyed expression as if to say, “Can’t you see I’m on the phone?” She then continued with her conversation. I decided to be persistent so I quietly asked again, “Who is it?” She returned my gaze and whispered with a tone of awe yet still mingled with a touch of impatience at my interruptions, “It’s Jesus!”

She then returned to her phone. I could not resist asking one final question before I left her to that wonderful world of a child’s imagination. “What is he telling you?” I whispered back. She paused for a moment as if she was receiving some final thoughts from the voice on the other end of the phone, then removing the phone from her ear, she answered, “He telling me to get married in the temple.” I almost picked up the phone to see if someone was really there.

I have often reflected on that tiny encounter with a small child. The intensity of her effort to listen, that look of total immersion in a conversation that seemed to her the most important in her life has more than once caused me to ask if my interactions with God are expressed and engaged in with an equal amount of concentration? Perhaps, most of all was the innocence of her casual relationship with the divine that totally disarmed me. Do we not worship a God who would commune with us as openly and freely as my daughter with her pink toy telephone? Often, his voice is found in the voices of our children.

Insights into Deuteronomy

2009-09-10T17:34:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks I have had the opportunity to study the Book of Deuteronomy. It has been forty years since the Israelites left Egypt. Moses will soon be taken up and translated and Joshua will take over and lead them across the Jordan River to the promised land. Before he leaves, Moses will deliver three last discourses or sermons to his people. These last discourses are
1. Chapter 1-4 A summary of the most important events during the forty years in the wilderness.
2. Chapters 5-26, a review of the Law of Moses with expanded explanations and emphasis on the spiritual aspects of the law which consists of two parts:
A) Chapters 5-11, in which Moses explains and teaches about the Ten Commandments and other laws of spiritual progress.
B) Chapters 12-26, dealing with details and further development of a code of law for the Israelites, including religious, judicial and political law
3. Chapters 27-30, containing a renewal of the covenant and an explanation of the blessings that attend obedience and the cursings that accompany disobedience of God's laws and commandments.

What I learned the most from this book is of Gods love and mercy with his children whom he loves dearly. That we can learn much from what the Israelites went through and what kind of person Moses was which strengthen and fortify us in this big world that we are in. Moses was a "type" of Christ. We see many examples of this in the scruptures in the life that Moses led. I marvel at what kind of person Moses was, he had strength of character, faith in Christ and a deep love for those that he led. For he was a great leader and is a great example to us for us to follow in the pathway of Christ.

An Adventure with Lisa

2009-09-04T12:49:00.000-07:00

My friend Lisa and I had such a ball of fun this day, we spent time at my apartment, went and saw a movie and went on a hike!!!! It was such a great time, I loved it!!!

My friend Lisa came down and we spent the day together, in this first one we are at my apartment.

Lisa and I are at the movie theatre watching Night at the Museum

Lisa and I are on a little hike up to some falls up provo canyon

2009-08-31T20:53:00.000-07:00

Trust in the Lord

2009-08-30T14:43:00.000-07:00

Obedience to the commandments of God can give us the greatest happiness. Why is it then that it is so hard sometimes to be obedient to the commandment of God? When our unified goal is to have that true inner happiness of the eternal nature. We need to take precautions to shield us from Satan's enticements. Commandments are for our eternal happiness. Why do we obey His laws? When obedience is our goal we will receive God's power. Where we are giving our obedience freely, we will also be blessed freely, and enjoy Christ love and power in our lives. God will prepare us to be able to obey. He gave us many weapons to fight against the adversary. We should never overlook the tools He gave us. Handing our lives over to Him is never easy. He has a different plan for us than we do. His expectations are different from what we have for ourselves. He also knows we can handle any situation we are dealt, He knows our abilities and our strengths and weaknesses and knows what we are able to handle. In Proverbs 3:5 it says 'Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not thy own understanding, in all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths' We need to trust in Him with all our hearts, with every fiber in our beings. Moses 5:6 is a great example of this. Adam didn't know why the Lord was asking him to do a certain task but he did it because of his trust and obedience in the Lord. As well as Abraham when asked to sacrifice his son Issac, to him that was the hardest task that the Lord could ever have asked of him but because he trusted in the Lord, he was obedient, thankfully Issac wasnt killed because of the interferance of an angel, but he was obedient to the Lords commands. What great examples these are. Most times in our lives we dont know why the Lord asks us certain things, but it needs to be obeyed because He commands it and as we obey Him, He will bless us. We also to counsel with the Lord often, He has given us everything, what we can give him is our love and trust and obedience. He will guide us every step of the way. We need to lose ourselves helping others and we will find ourselves. Sometimes there is someone that just needs us, a smile, a phone call, and it can be one of the best things, and we can feel an inner peace and joy within us that nothing else can give us. Let us be fully committed to the gospel, Obedience can enrich our lives. Faith and obedience is there for a purpose. Let us strive to become more like the Savior and follow Him closer and lets rely and trust in the Lord.

'The Atonement can heal what we can't'

2009-08-25T16:23:00.000-07:00

Through a program adapted from the 12-step addiction recovery program, any Latter-day Saint can overcome the natural man or woman, said Kevin Hinckley at BYU's Campus Education Week on Aug. 21.

As with every classic hero tale, the greatest struggle man has on earth is against himself. People often have a predisposition for obsessive-compulsive behaviors, alcoholism, depression and other similar disorders, Brother Hinckley said, but these can be overcome with the power of God through the Atonement of Christ.

"The Atonement can heal what we can't, period," he said.

He referenced Ether 12 in which the Lord reveals that He gave man weaknesses in order to strengthen and humble His people. His grace is sufficient to make up for any weakness, it reads.

Brother Hinckley said in working with addiction recovery programs as a counselor, he has found that the steps to the LDS program can easily be translated into any weakness, not just addictions. From that, he has developed what he calls "Hurts, Habits and Hangups: the 12-step Program for Putting off the Natural Man." This is applicable to everyone, he said, as everyone has some aspect of the natural man they desire to be rid of. He cited Elder Jeffery R. Holland's statement that a person's heart desires goodness in the end, rather than worldly things.

The steps in the program include admitting one is powerless to overcome certain trials except with the help of the Atonement, coming to believe that the power of God can "cure all ills," decide to return one's will back to God, making a searching and honest inventory of one's shortcomings and strengths, a readiness to have God remove shortcomings, a humble supplication for the healing of such shortcomings, forgiveness and other steps. The full explanation can be found on his Web site, www.kevinhinckley.com.

Giving up one's will to God is the step most people have the hardest time with, he said.

"It takes us forever to give up our will because we work so hard to hang on to it," Brother Hinckley said. However, he noted, it is when a shortcoming is recognized and given to God for repair that true healing comes.

To Graduate!!!!

2009-08-25T12:03:00.000-07:00

Last week my best friend Kristina graduated from BYU with her bachelors degree and I am so thrilled for her and I am very proud that I can call her friend and sister.

Here is Kristina and I after her graduation

Here is Kristina and I and her other friend that she works with after her graduation!!!

Here is Kristina, her husband and her parents and friends all happy for her big day!!

Eye Surgery!

2009-08-21T20:43:00.000-07:00

About 6 Weeks ago I went in to get contacts, and my eye doctor, told me that I had a Detached Retina and so I went and saw the specialist and they did tests on my eye for about two hours and than they told me I had this Detached Retina for over a year and if they didn't do surgery soon than my vision in my right eye would be ruined for the rest of my life. So that Saturday I went in to have surgery in the out patient center, and came out of the surgery feeling pretty normal, so for the two weeks after that I took many walks, listened to books on tape and watch tons of Tv ( which is good for the eye, since it relaxes it) So when my recovery was over I saw my Doctor and he said that my retina had detached again so they went in that weekend and did another surgery, and apparently because I had the Detached Retina for so long that my retina was way thin and the problem they had to fix the second time was that my retina had all these holes and it was falling apart so they lasered it all back together and so now its all fixed,thankfully!!!! I am so grateful for this experience because it has helped me learn patience and diligence!!!!

Having Faith through the Hard Times

2009-07-15T10:53:00.001-07:00

We all have challenges in our lives that sometimes it appears that we wont get past it, or dont know whats going to happen next. But there is something we can do, we can having faith and trust in our Heavenly Father that He knows what He is doing and have faith in His plan for each of us, even when its something we dont expect, even when it effects others that are close to us. Sometimes it takes being a instrument in the Lords hands. 2 Nephi 29:5 " And the gospel of Jesus Christ shall be declared among them, they shall be restored unto the knowledge of their fathers and also to the knowledge of Jesusu Christ which was had among their fathers"...if it is not us who are the gatherers,then who? if it is not now, then when? We are to restore the house of Israel, this is our calling. Who can you gather today? Who can we help to build up the kingdom of God???

What Can I Give You?

2009-05-08T12:27:00.000-07:00

Written by Christie Lund Coles
Monday, 14 July 2008

What can I give you, Child,

Against the intruding years?

What will keep each moment bright

To withstand the tears?

I can give you laughter…

It will not be enough—

I can give you courage

For when the road is rough.

I can give you words of faith

For when the night is long;

And for the songless moment,

I can give you song.

I can give you promise

Of guidance from above;

And always, always, always

I can give you love.

Highlights of Hawaii Trip

2009-04-21T16:26:00.001-07:00

I was able to have the opportunity to travel to Hawaii with my family for about 10 days. It was a blast, well worth it. All my life I had dreamed of traveling there and now I have lived a dream and it sure was paradise.
Here in this picture, My sister Jill and I went for a walk on Waikiki on Sunday Morning.

In the following picture, there is Jill, I, Cali and my Aunt Laree which is out on the balcony of our hotel over looking Waikiki.

In this one we had traveled to the North Shore and went to get the best shaved ice in Oahu which is called 'Matsumotos' here is my mom and me eating some yummy shaved ice with ice cream and sweetened condensed milk.

Here is where we went snorkling, its at Hanama Bay. Which was a lovely day, Snorkling is a blast, I was even able to see a Sea Turtle.

In this one was overlooking a blowhole which is close to Hanama Bay.

In this one we were at Pearl Harbor, we went to the USS Arizona Memorial. Which was amazing to be able to see these things.

In this picture is My Dad and I in a Botanical Garden in Honolulu.

In the following is with my brother Daniel and I in front of the Pali Road Hike.

This is me in front of the japanese temple

This is the Blumels Ladies out shoppoing at Waikiki.

This is of me and my mother in front of the Laie Hawaii Temple.

I am in front of some Falls at the Polynessian Cultural Center

This is with Jill, Aunt LaRee and I on the beach our last night at our timeshare. What a beautiful evening it was though.

This is on one of the cliffs by our timeshare overlooking the ocean with my parasol

This is on a hike to Manoa Falls

Conference

2009-04-09T16:59:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we had General Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and it was one of the most amazing conferences that I have ever been to. I am ever so grateful for having living Prophets and Apostlesl. Some of the talks that really helped me and became some of my favorite talks were
1. Elder Jeffrey R. Hollands talk where he talked about the Atonement, and it was the most amazing talk that I had ever heard on the atonement. I was pretty much crying through the whole thing, the spirit struck every chord in my heart and through everyone that was watching it. The things that I really enjoyed that he talked about was that there was no rest for Christ. AS time got closer for him to be crucified his circle of friendships had got smaller and smaller, He knew that they wouldnt stand with them in the end. Although the Women stayed with him as much as they possibly could. He hadnt comprehended the loss of support on both sides of the veil. But he had to know what it was like to be alone-as what happens when we commit sin or transgressions. Even though He pleased the Father perfectly. But Jesus held on and pressed on even in a state of anguish. However we dont have to walk alone, we have many companions because of the Atonement and the Gospel. Lets all be committed to be disciples of Christ. Lets stand by Jesus Christ in all things, all places even unto Death.
2. Alan F. Packer talked about how we need to practice and apply the gospel principles until they become natural to us. Testimony is to know and feel, Conversion is to do and become.
* First we must have the desire
* Seond we must experiment upon the word (Alma 32:28)
* Third we must study and learn
* Fourth we must ask for a testimony of truth, to apply the doctrine in our lives.
3. Pres. Dieter F Uchtdorf talked about how the gospel is Good News. it has the answers to all of our questons. its the ultimate formula to happiness. The more we are filled with the spirit of God the more we reach out to others. We need to nourish the seed, to get root and to grow and then partake of the fruit. Discipleship is a journey. The Gospel is the Gsopel of Transformation. The Lord needs our talents and our abilities. It has the power to fill any emptiness and heal any wound. Its always he right time to walk in His way.
4. Pres Thomas S Monson told this story of this woman who lived in Prussia and was kicked out, she had four small children and her husband had been killed in the war, and through the journey slowly her four children had died. She dug their graves with her bare hands. Which was hard from the cold. But the one thing that got her through was her Faith in Christ, it had strengthened her and fortified her.
5. Elder Perry talked about how we are the shepherds to find the lost sheep and bring them back in the fold. We are to find those whom the missionaries can then teach. Great things are going to happen and it should be with great earnest. We can give them hope and courage and embrace the gospel. Its centered on the Atonement to heal and cleanse us. All mankind is invited to be rescued. All of us need to teach this message. We must testify to others, open your mouths and they shall be filled. There are 3 Ways to do that:
1. Declare our beliefs in Christ and the Atonement
2. Tell the story of the First Vision with Joseph Smith where the true nature of the Godhead is revealed on the Earth.
3. Testify of the Book of Mormon which compliments the bible. We are his sheep, the Savior is the Good Shepherd. He has the power to rescue us when we are lost.
These are just a few of the amazing conference and I am so grateful and feel so blessed for this Gospel for it has blessed my life beyond measure.

A Righteous Self Respect

2009-04-08T12:02:00.000-07:00

This following Article caught my eye and I really enjoyed it and helped me gain a better eternal perspective.

Certain products from the hair care industry are promoted with the catchy motto: "You're worth it." The implication is that the extra cost of the product is justified because the customer deserves it, or is "worth it."

We might be well advised to adopt a similar motto: "I'm worth it."

This isn't meant in a haughty or egotistical vein; rather, it's intended as a reminder of who we are individually: a son or daughter of God, a person of value, someone who really is worth something.

Some people make disparaging comments about themselves: "I'm stupid." "I never do anything right." "I'm not good for anything." The list of put-downs of the self is long. And so wrong.

A psychologist once said: "The first thing to be done to help a man to moral regeneration is to restore, if possible, his self-respect."

And an unknown Englishman of earlier days wove this prayer: "O God, help me to hold a high opinion of myself."

"That," said President Harold B. Lee of the Englishman's plea, "should be the prayer of every soul; not an abnormally developed self-esteem that becomes haughtiness, conceit, or arrogance, but a righteous self-respect that might be defined as 'belief in one's own worth, worth to God, and worth to man"' (Stand Ye in Holy Places, p. 7).

The most sure way to achieve a healthy sense of self-worth, self-respect or self-esteem is to understand our divine heritage. We know little about our pre-mortal existence, but we do know that we were valiant sons and daughters of God who accepted His great plan of salvation. Because of our loyalty to His cause, we gained the privilege of obtaining mortal bodies and coming to Earth as sons and daughters of worth.

The Prophet Joseph Smith said, "If men do not comprehend the character of God, they do not comprehend themselves" (History of the Church, 6:303).

In our own day, we have this counsel: "Knowing who you are — who you really are — is closely tied to knowing God, for you are His children" (President James E. Faust, First Presidency Message, Ensign, March 2001, p. 2).

Latter-day Saint children sing, "I Am a Child of God," which helps them learn of their divine lineage.

The precept that we are children of God isn't new to latter-day revelation and teachings. From the Old Testament, we are taught, "All of you are children of the most High" (Psalm 82:6).

And the New Testament tells us, "We are the offspring of God" (Acts 17:29).

Jesus instructed His disciples how to pray: "Our Father which art in heaven.... (Matthew 6:9).

In an address at the most recent general conference, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve noted that negative speaking "so often flows from negative thinking, including negative thinking about ourselves. We see our own faults, we speak — or at least think — critically of ourselves, and before long that is how we see everyone and everything. No sunshine, no roses, no promise of hope or happiness. Before long we and everybody around us are miserable."

Elder Holland quoted from Elder Orson F. Whitney's conference address of April 1917: "The spirit of the gospel is optimistic; it trusts in God and looks on the bright side of things. The opposite or pessimistic spirit drags men down and away from God, looks on the dark side, murmurs, complains, and is slow to yield obedience."

We have just commemorated the Easter season, and in every sacrament meeting we are reminded of the Atonement. As we contemplate what the Savior did for each one of us, we must realize that He felt that we were worth His pain and suffering. He made that sacrifice so that each one of us "might repent and come unto him" (Doctrine and Covenants 18:11). He wants us to be with Him. He regards us as having worth.

Let us endeavor to recognize who every one of us is — a child of God. Knowing this, we can recognize not only our value, but also that of everyone else. We can have an optimistic spirit about ourselves and who we are. And, in our upward reach to improve our lives, and in acknowledging and expressing appreciation for the good things that come our way, we can say, "I'm worth it."

Something Wonderful!

2009-03-19T15:30:00.000-07:00

Something wonderful is waiting to embrace you
I know when you're tired
and feel like fading
and there's nowhere left to go
When tears are falling down
and your heart is on the floor
Keep on walking my friend
cause something wonderful
is right outside your door

Something wonderful awaits you
to take you where dreams have never gone
And though you're still in this moment
holding on, just holding on
And no one knows what you've been through
or gone a miule in your shoes
Keep on walking my friend
cause something wonderful
is waiting for you

When the walls come down around you
and you want to throw the fight
and the mighty winds surround you
what an unforgiving night
keep looking up to heaven
and you will see the light
Endure the reasons why

Something wonderful is waiting to embrace you
and although your heart is on the floor
keep on walking my friend
cause something wonderful
is right outside your door
Something wonderful is right outside your door!

"What A Friend We Have In Jesus"

2009-03-17T13:22:00.000-07:00

As I was reading in a book written by Cheiki N. Okazaki, she talked about this hymn that has helped both her and her husband through the trials and rough seas of life. As as I was reading it, it has started to take meaning for me as well.
" Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
oh, what needless pain we bear.
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations?
is there trouble anywhere?
we should never be discouraged;
take it to the Lord in prayer

can we find a friend so faithful,
who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows out every weakness;
take it to the Lord in prayer.

are we weary and heavy-laden,
cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge!
take it to the Lord in prayer.

do they friends despise, forsake thee?
take it to the Lord in prayer.
in his arms He'll take and shield thee;
thou wilt find solace there.

Prayer Journal

2009-03-09T14:32:00.001-07:00

On Friday I had one of my closest friends in the ward, Jenn Nielson, and she came over to visit me. She brought by this journal, and we visited for a while. After she had left I noticed that she had written in the first page, and she wanted to give me a special gift, its called a "Prayer Journal" and whenever I kneel down to pray, to just imagine that I am sitting next to Heavenly Father and just talk to Him about anything, and then while I am praying have the Journal close by to write down any inspirations that come to me or feeligns that I have through the prayer. That next morning I tried that and it was amazing the feelings that I felt was his powerful love for me. I started crying because the feelings were so overpowering that all I could do was cry, and I realized that He does love me so much, much more than I could ever realize. That he wants me to return to Him. I am going to endeavor to stand a little taller, serve a little better, and love with fullness of heart. I hope and Pray that the Lord will help to accomplish all that is in His and the Fathers will.

Stake Enrichment

2009-02-21T17:44:00.000-08:00

Today we had a stake enrichment, and it was absoulutely amazing. There was the opening exercises with the recently called and recently released Relief Society President that gave a short talks. Then there were classes that we could take, and they were amazing. The first one talked about feeding our buckets with different variety of flowers with things such as scripture study, prayer, temple attendance, obedience to the commandments, service, ect. Then our spring of water to feed our buckets of flowers needs to be rememebrance, remembering Christ in our lives, our blessings, the atonement, and how remembering Christ in our lives helps bring peace to our lives. The second class that I took talked about having a home thats clean and organized. Such as the scripture says in D&C 88:119 " Organize yourselves;prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God." Then in the last class talked about how each difficult situation that we have in our lives we have two choices: the first is we can worry, stress and have fear run our lives. The second choice would be to have faith, trust in God, and feel his peace and love in our lives.

Inviting the Savior into Our Lives

2009-02-05T14:24:00.000-08:00

Inviting the Savior into Our Lives
One day when I was feeling very humble and thankful for what Jesus had done for me, I decided to invite Him into the home of my heart. He came without hesitation and filled my house with job.
I said to Him, “I hope you will stay and feel at home here,” He said “I’m sure I will. Why don’t you show me around,” the first room we went into was the Library. This was a small round room with very thick walls. It contained everything I had ever read, listened to or watched. Suddenly I felt very embarrassed over some of the trivia I had collected there. I’m sure he felt y embarrassment because he suggested that if we worked together, He could help me add more worthwhile items. He said “You know the Library is a very important room because it is sort of control room for the rest of the house,” Then He said He would like to see the dining room. I took Him into this big room filled with appetites and desires. I told Hi I had a hard time ever finding anything here that satisfied my hunger. He suggested a new diet and told me that if I follow it closely, I would never feel hungry again. I have had just a little taste of this new diet and I think He is quite right.
Next we went to the basement to see my workshop. I have a lot of tools in my workshop but I always seem so busy and everything just looks half done. Again I felt embarrassed and started making excuses about being awkward and clumsy. He said “ Would you like to be able to use the tools in your workshop better?” and I said “Oh yes, would you help me?” and He said “ I was wondering if you would ask me,” and so He stood behind me and put His great powerful hands over mind and guided them, and then He showed me how to use the tools in the workshop. I marveled at what we were able to produce together. “Will you always help me?” I asked. And He said “Yes, if you invite me to, but I never come unless I am invited,”
After the workshop we went to the Drawing Room. This is a small, quiet, peaceful place for deep thoughts and meditation. He seemed pleased with this room and was very comfortable. He said, “Lets meet together often here-at least twice a day. We can talk about your activities, plans an problem’s,” I thought that was a wonderful idea and I set the time for the appointments.
Now I was beginning to feel that his was a very one-sided relationship and so I said “Isn’t there something I can do for you; you have done so much for me?” and He said, “Yes, there is a great deal you can do for me. I was wondering if you would want to help me,” and then He told me of His endless projects and how some of them took money(none of which he had). I told Him I would be honored to serve on His projects and that He would be more than welcome to use some of my money. I could see right away that all of these projects were for the benefit of people just like me
Then I could tell something was bothering Him. He very kindly said “ There is a peculiar odor in this house and it’s coming from that locked closet. Why don’t we open it and see what the problem is?” Now this really made me made! Here I had let Him into every room in my house. I had promised to run errands for Him, let Him use my money and now he wanted to look in my secret closet. “It’s very small and the rest of the house if quite comfortable and very presentable so it shouldn’t make any difference what’s in the closet!” He said “ I cannot stay in this house if you do not give me the key to the closet.” And so He left.
I was so mad. Despair, gloom and depression came over me. Nothing seemed to go right. Because you see, once having had Him as a guest in my home, life was unbearable without Him. And so I went and tearfully pleaded with Him, “Please come back. I will give you the key to the closet. I will hold nothing from you,” He came, I have Him the key, and He opened it. Quickly and efficiently He cleaned out all that refuse I had been trying to hide, ignore or pretend did not exist. He fumigated, painted, and made the closet perfectly acceptable. I bowed my head and said “I feel so ashamed that you know what I have been hiding in my closet,” and He said “You know I have cleaned out so many closets I can never remember afterwards what was in any of them. It’s a strange thing. All I see here now is a house that is totally acceptable to me,” And then I knew why I loved him so much.
Later I got to thinking how much better everything would work out if I just signed the whole house over to Him. So I got the deed and did that very thing. He seemed pleased and did a lot of remodeling that strengthened the house and made it an all around even better place to live. He then told me that eventually He would move my house to another area but I was not to worry about a thing. He would take care of all the arrangements. I was not to even worry about the day or way it would take place. He said I would be thrilled with the new neighborhood!

Fun at Institute!!

2009-01-31T17:29:00.000-08:00

I have always loved attending institute, but this semester, I feel it was so right for me to take the classes that I am taking now. I am taking Book of Mormon and Teachings of Joseph Smith, and I am really enjoy both. They are both night classes and are each an hour and an half. They are both pretty big as well, but the teachers are pretty amazing and inspired. This past week I have really come to love the Teachings of Joseph Smith, we talked about him as a person about his feelings toward his family. There was one thing I though that was interesting about him. There was a journal entry that was found not too long ago. It was found by a friend of my institute teacher, this journal entry basically said that Joseph Smith had built a tomb for him and his family, at the time his father and his two brothers had passed away. So it was in Kirtland( I think) Anyway and so a couple people went over there and they found one. They say it was big enough to house everyone of his family. I thought that was very intersting, and I had no idea about that, I think its a more recent thing about him though. But it was great to hear all these interesting facts about him that I had no idea. The church has taken on a project called the Jospeh Smith Papers. Its a pretty big project, its about 30 volumes-500 to 700 pages each, all information about Joseph Smith. There are so many things about the gospel that we can learn from and apply to our lives.

Importance of Goal Setting

2009-01-30T17:39:00.000-08:00

Last sunday we had the most wonderful Sacrament Meeting, the spirit was so strong, and the topic was how vital it is that we set goals in our lives. Sometimes at the beginning of the year we set yearly goals and we attempt for a week or just a little more but we never accomplish it most time. Why is this? What keeps us from keeping our commitments to accomplish these goals. First we have to have the full desire in our minds and hearts to want to set that goal and accomplish that goal. Second we need to say a prayer to our Heavenly Father and ask him to help us to accomplish this goal, to be able to have his support and his love in this endeavor. Our goals also need to be specific. We also need to have a plan on how we are going accomplish the goal. We also need to have reminders where we most commonly are. Such as our mirror and fridges and desks. Our goals need to be sincere, from the heart and something that can be accomplished. They need to be within reach, to be righteous goals so that we may have God's help in accomplishing our goals. God's goal for us is to find Joy in our lives, as we set to accomplish this goal he has for us we will be blessed and feel his love.

A Covenant People

2009-01-20T17:00:00.000-08:00

On Saturday and Sunday I had the opportunity to go to stake conference and Elder Perry was there. On Saturday I was able to shake his hand and I was surprised at first how tall he was. My dad used to tell me that he is really tall, but I didn't realize how tall until I talked with him. In the Adult Session he talked about the Plan of happiness and about temples and how important it is to hold a recommend, even if you arent near a temple. That there are four priorities we need to have. 1st-our family 2nd- fathers preside and provide for the needs of the family. 3rd to serve in his kingdom and to do that we need to be fulfilling our callings to the best of our abilities. 4th to have time for ourselves- to study, to meditate, to plan and prepare, to see who we are and to progress in the way we should. To see where we stand with our Savior, Jesus Christ and with our Fathers Plan.
On Sunday he talked about how this is the information age, but we are short in testimonies of Christ that burn within us. There are four cornerstones: the first is that we have a personal witness of Jesus Christ. The Second Cornerstone is belief in Joseph Smith- that the windows of heaven were opened unto him and what a marvelous work and wonder that is. That we can rely on the messages found in the Doctrine and Covenants. The Third Cornerstone is the Book of Mormon. We can read and study it, He declared the Godhead, the priesthood restored on this earth, gave Joseph Smith powers from on high to decalre unto the world the restored and fulness of the gospel. He was guided by the holy spirit. Its another testament of Jesus Christ. Cintaing the fulness of the everlasting gospel. A new living witness of Jesus Christ and a guide on how we should live. The Fourth Cornerstone- the restoration of the Priesthood, all things are upheld and sustained, its the power of God. Its the perfect government on Earth. We have the privelage of prophets through the power of the priesthood. We have prophets to lead and guide us.
After conference was over, I had the opportunity to reflect on what I had heard. I am ever so grateful for the blessings that we have received.

Dreams

2009-01-14T17:55:00.000-08:00

Feeling the crisp air filtering through my hair,
I slowly close my eyes, shutting out God's beautiful masterpiece...
Supping in the moment, my mind flows down my arms.
How, with such blessed amazement surrounding me
can they remain empty, vacant of love's embrace?
Opening again, my eyes linger upon the winters' day end

and again, are amazed...
Amazed at the love shedding itself from heaven's canvas
painted and chilled by cloudy brushes.

Smelling the crisp air in motion, love's empty contrast
sets itself into my heart.
Weakened by years of effort in truth, silenced by emptiness.

I exhale.

Seeing crystals of my breath in the air
immediately brings vibrant colors...
shaping themselves into diamonds
set on a beautiful white dress.

Taken back, the pain comes vividly and catches itself
momentarily to a glorious goddess.
Dressed in diamond white she looks longingly,
almost painfully to the disappearing sunset.

Then, as quickly as she had come,
she fades as my breath dissipates to nothing.

Looking down, the snow becomes warm and fragrant...
Pillows of beauty beneath me - choking out the reality
and setting the perfect picture for
a dream come true.

Lights at Temple Square

2009-01-03T16:45:00.001-08:00

I was able to have the opportunity to go with my amazing roommate to temple square with some of her family. I always love going there, especially at this time of year. Its so beautiful and amazing there. There are so many things to see, one of the things that I loved, was that there was so many different nativity scenes from different cultures, and I thought that was pretty cool! I had an amazing time and Sarah's family is really great and we had alot of fun!!

Christmas Spirit

2008-12-22T12:30:00.000-08:00

As Christmas draws closer, and we are reminded of the true meaning of Christmas, we look to the Savior, Jesus Christ who was the greatest gift of all. Back in Bethlehem a Star shone brightly through the night, that Jesus Christ was Born. It shone brightly to the kings and the shepherds and their sheep. It still shines for us today. Jesus Christ is the star shining for us. He is the light that shines when the night comes. As it says in Mosiah 2: 17 " When ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God," So as we remember His birth and his great sacrifice, let us serve others and forget ourselves. Let us be a helping hand to those who desperately need it. Let us by the Lord's instruments and be guided by the Holy Ghost, so that we may remember the true meaning of Christmas, and to He who loved us all so much that he gave the greatest gift of all. Let us remember him who gave us life, Eternal Life.

Concerto

2008-12-20T09:58:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity to go to the Neil Diamond Concert that was in Salt Lake City Last night. It was amazing. Neil Diamond is great with the audience and there are lots of young people my age that think he is what old people listen to. It isnt true, they are just close minded, there were people from little kids to teens to young adults, to middle aged and then the older ones. Most of the time we were clapping and dancing. It was such a fun concert though, and he is getting older so if he ever happens to come to Salt Lake again then I will definetly go again, because I had so much fun with my whole family there as well. He has a great personality and his band is pretty awesome. Also a few more months ago there was a hurricane that hit Houston and they went over there, and they went to this community about 10 miles south of Houston and what had been 300 homes was all flattened out, and people were living in their cars or tents. So all the money he makes from the souvenirs and things goes to building them homes. I really thought that was an awesome thing that he is doing. If I had money I would have boughten some things. But last night was amazing and all those who have been close minded about Neil Diamond needs to go to one of his concerts and I have no doubt in my mind that they will change their opinion.

2008-12-04T16:58:00.000-08:00

Just the other night I was able to go to the new theatre and watch the movie "Twilight" and it was so awesome as well!! I loved it so much and I am seeing it again tonight!!! So I am posting the trailer of it!! Enjoy at the bottom of the page!!

London England Trip April 2008

2008-11-20T11:42:00.000-08:00

This was such a fun trip, there was 13 of us, aunts and uncles a some cousins, and it was a blast!! I would love to go back!! We were in London for 5 days, Bath for 1 day, Paris for 2, York for 1, Edinburgh, Scotland for 1 day as well. It was so much fun, and a very different trip since my family and I have only been to US and Canada for trips, so this one was very unique but such a trip!!

How we can give our lives memories

2008-11-18T18:12:00.000-08:00

Sometimes in our day to day living we dont realize how much memories we have. Sometimes its just saying "Hi" to a friend, or going to lunch with someone that needs a person to talk to, or a day where family is all that matters, or a time when you go through struggles and dont know how to live through that struggle but knowing that there are people that care. I have realized that making memories and recording them helps us remember our memories and keeps them alive. As I am doing, and as all of us need to be doing, is making each moment count, because we only live once. Time flies, and sometimes we dont realize how much the people around us matter to us, or how nature astounds us, or how God inspires us. I have realized that as we make sure that every memory matters, that we will become closer to those that we call 'Loved Ones'. May we all share in the joys of living and make the moments in our lives count forever and ever.