August 25, 2017 This Week...

This week seemed to take forever to end! Right after This I will be going to the Lord's house to feel his love with Sister Davies and Sarah O'Marah!

   This week in Zone Conference, the main theme was The Gospel of Jesus Christ. I don't think that a time will ever come when I learn nothing new about Christ's Gospel. The main points to the Gospel are; Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End. Each one individually is worth studying deepening and coming to really understand. The focus points during the conference were Faith and Repentance.

   You can Truly find Christ's Doctrine everywhere in the Book of Mormon, and the Doctrine must be the filter that we look through to view everything else we do.

   The application of the Doctrine of Christ will solve ANY spiritual problem. Any question or issue about the gospel can be related back to 'do you have the faith that Jesus is the Savior of the world?', 'have you gained a fresh perspective and turned towards God?', 'are you renewing your baptismal covenant each week by partaking of the sacrament?','do you live worthy of feeling the Holy Ghost?', 'are you doing all that you need to endure well the experiences you face to live with Heavenly Father again?'.

I know that if each of us was to truly understand the basic doctrine we would not have the doubts and questions that will enter into our mind and heart. 

   Faith is a principle of action and power. It is the substance that we ALWAYS need more of, and is not always easy to obtain. One way to look at it is- Pray like everything depends on the Lord, then get off your knees and work like everything depends on you. If that is the way you live, faith will be something that will come easily with positive thinking and action.

   Repentance is turning away from sin, but also turning your will to God. It is a  fresh perspective to turn everything we do towards Heavenly Father and it is not a back up or checklist. Repenting is something that we all must do daily. It is not a gift for the completely broken and wounded souls only, it is the healing and balm to our aches and scratches we get daily as well. 

   I was asked to give a talk and I based it all around this poem:

   

After All We Can Do

I’d been in that hole for a very long time –

In the dark and the damp, in the cold and the slime.

The shaft was above me; I could see it quite clear,

But there’s no way I ever could reach it from here.

Nor could I remember the world way up there,

So I lost all my hope and gave into despair.

I knew nothing but darkness, the floors, and the walls,

When from off in the distance I heard someone call,

“Get up! Get ready! There’s nothing the matter!

Take rocks and take sticks and build up a fine ladder.”

This had never occurred to me, had not crossed my mind,

So I started to stack all the stones I could find. 

When I ran out of stones, the old sticks were my goal,

For some way or another I’d get out of that hole.

So I soon had a ladder that was really quite tall,

And I thought, “I’ll soon leave this place once and for all!”

Then I climbed up my ladder, it was no easy chore –

For from lifting those boulders my shoulders were sore. 

So I worked and I climbed and at last had to stop,

For my ladder stopped short – some ten feet from the top.

I climbed back down the ladder and felt all around,

But there were no more boulders nor sticks to be found.

I went back to my ladder and started to cry.

I’d done all I could do; I gave my best try.

But in spite of my work, in this hole I must die,

And all I could do was to sit and think, “Why?”

Was my ladder too short? Or my hole much too deep?

Then from way up on high came a voice: “Do not weep.”

And then hope, love, and faith entered my chest,

As the voice said to me that I’d done my best. 

He said, “Nothing’s the matter.  There’s reason to hope.

Just climb up your ladder; I’ll throw down my rope.

You have worked very hard, and your labor’s been rough,

But the ladder you’ve built is at last tall enough.”

I climbed up the ladder, then climbed up the cord.

When I stood at the top, there stood the Lord.

I’ve never been happier; my struggle was done.

I blinked in the brightness that came from the Son.

I fell to the ground; his feet did I kiss.

I cried, “What can I do to repay thee for this?”

He looked all around Him – there were holes in the ground.

They had people inside, and were seen all around. 

There were thousands of holes that were damp, dark, and deep.

Then the Lord turned to me and He said, “Feed my sheep.”

Then He went on His way to help other lost souls.

And I got right to work, calling down to the holes,

“Get up!  Get ready! There’s nothing the matter!

Take rocks and take sticks and build up a find ladder!” 

It now was my turn to spread the good word.

The most glorious message that man ever heard.

That there’s One who is willing to save one and all,

And we’ve got to be ready when He gives the call.

He’ll pull us all out of the hole that we’re in,

And save all our souls from death and from sin. 

So do not lose faith; there is reason to hope:

Just build up your ladder; He’ll throw down His rope.

-By Elder Robbie Pierce

 

It is wonderful to think that if we truly apply the Gospel of Jesus Christ daily into our lives, we will be able to have absolute Faith that as we are repenting, partaking of the sacrament worthily and doing all that we can to feel the spirit- our big brother and Savior is on the other end of the rope pulling along with us to help us out of our holes that we will fall into. It does not continue with the poem and say if He accidentally tripped into another hole, or if after all his joyous calling anyone else changed and made a ladder. But I do know with absolute certainty that even if we repeatedly fall into a hole, or never see the fruits of our labor in declaring the gospel, the Lord will always have rope long enough to reach us and love enough to make every effort worth it.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful week and apply the Gospel of Christ personally to themselves.

I love you all!

Sarah, Andy, Lanyn and I at the Eclipse Party!

Eclipse

Sister's Elgaaen & Davies being crazy

Selfie! Everyone says I look 14!

Lovin' the Book of Mormon

Me and my Prayer Journal

Sister's Caught in a Rainstorm!

Sister Elgaaen & Davies at the Eclipse Party

August 14, 2017 The Lord's Servant!

This week has been different, but full of stretching and growth. Transfer's happened and now it is just Sister Davies and me.

   The highlight of things I learned this week came from the best three hours, church in Sunday School. We read first in 1 Corinthians 15:29 when basically the question is asked to the Corinthians, why do they baptize for the dead if they do not believe in the resurrection?

   In Joseph Smith's time, there was not really anyone who was practicing baptisms for those who have passed on. During a funeral service in D&C 124:25-30 Joseph tells everyone that Heavenly Father has restored the keys to do work for those who have passed on! Everyone during that time would take care of there family members before they died, and so they knew them personally. After the funeral was over the people excitedly got to work baptizing for the dead in the river. The Lord told Joseph that this act was sacred and to build a temple where they could worship and perform such ordinances. 

During the time that the Nauvoo temple was being built, the saints were facing a lot of persecution. The dedication and common goal for building a house for the Lord to dwell, and work to be done brought the saints together and united them more firmly in the faith. They were able to withstand the conflicts around them and continue to endure their trials. If there was no persecution the saints would not have become as strong.

I thought that this story was really important because something else that the teacher mentioned was an article from a New York times newspaper about and experiment that a lady performed. The question was, "Why are some families stronger than others?" Her finding was that the more children knew about there family (like did genealogy and work for the dead) the more control they had in their life and the more resilient they became! This was a study done by a nonmember, she found that knowing about your ancestors gave you a greater sense of belonging to something bigger than yourself. She encouraged people to share stories about the past- both the good and how to overcome the bad.

I know that doing work for those that have passed on is important. They are not just names, they are our family. God's plan of salvation was not intended to just save some of us- but all those who are willing.

If you have not started sharing family stories or started working on family History, I suggest that we all do so. Say a prayer before you begin asking for guidance and direction to find the information for those who are ready. I did this a few days ago for the Recent Convert Sarah. She has a desire to attend the temple and could not make sense of the books of history she had on her family. We started with a prayer and just before the lesson was over- had found enough information for her to extend back 3 generations on her mother's side!! I know that we were guided and lead to find that information.

I pray everyone has a wonderful week building the bond between our families on both sides of the veil.

Sister Elgaaen and Davies

Sister Fry, Elgaaen, Green

Transfer's Sister Green, Davie, Elgaaen

August 7, 2017 Miracles

This week was incomparable! On Saturday I was able to be apart of THREE baptisms!!


Sister Green, Sarah O Marah, Katelyn, Sister Green
Andy Lehner who doesn't like pictures.
Before their baptism's.

Sarah O'Marah, Andy Lehner, and Jason Roe! It truly was amazing to witness the flood of peace from the Holy Ghost from these events. I know that Heavenly Father had those dates in mind for all three of his children. It is difficult to describe how truly wonderful it was to see them draw closer to Heavenly Father.

   I was privileged to give a talk at Jason's baptism

Sister Armstrong, Jason Roe, Katelyn Elgaaen
Sister Armstrong & I committed him to Baptism.

about the Holy Ghost, and have been thinking a lot about him this past week. So, Who is the Holy Ghost? He is the third member of the Godhead, a personage of spirit, and the gift comes by the laying on of hands by worthy priesthood holders.

   How can the Holy Ghost help? He is a wonderful Gift that was given to us. He will warn us from danger, bring us comfort when we are in need, testifies of truth when we hear it, and sanctifies us- making us better than we were before. An example that I have had of this personally was right before leaving to serve the Lord. It was maybe a few weeks before going into the MTC and I was actually Really nervous about leaving the safety of the Bubble I grew up in. One night, before going to bed, I prayed. It was one of the most sincere prayers that I have given. I prayed, cried, and prayed pleading with the Lord to help me overcome my stresses and have faith that I would be able to teach and serve Him how he needed me too. I feel asleep and when I woke up... all the load of everything that I had been carrying was gone. I know that it was the Holy Ghost that helped with that. He continued to guide and warn me on what to focus on, brought Great comfort, Told me that what I was doing was the right thing, and helped me become better than before.

  How can we keep the Holy Ghost with us always?  The first step to have Him with us always is to strive to live worthy of his presence by; keeping the commandments, reading the scriptures, loving others...   Then we have to be willing to receive the gift. The Holy Ghost can be compared to a Best Friend, and truly does desire to reside with us always- but He leaves when He is uncomfortable.   After being worthy, and desiring to have him we must strive to recognize the spirit. "It is vital to our physical and spiritual safety that we keep the gift of the Hold Ghost." We can come to recognize the spirit by praying to understand how He speaks to us, and studying about Him.   The final step is to act on the first prompting. An easy test to tell if it is 'just you' or the Holy Ghost it- does it encourage you to do good? Then it is of the Hold Spirit.

   Why would we want this gift?  The feelings from the Holy Ghost are just a foretaste of the eternal Joy that is promised us. "The gift of the Holy Ghost comes after one repents and becomes worthy. The Holy Ghost bears witness of the truth and impresses upon the soul the reality of God the father and the son Jesus Christ so deeply that no earthly power of authority can separate him form that knowledge."-Faust.   The spirit can and will speak to us in ways that only we could understand. He will bring to our remembrance things like; words of comfort from a friend, a memorized scripture, a prayer we said, a blessing...

   I challenge all of us to let the Spirit guide us. Strive to be worthy of this Gift, and use it! don't let it become rusty.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Sister's in Oneida

Having Dinner



Katelyn

Thumbs up to a great week!

The District!

Our Cool Apartment in Oneida

Pictures before the Baptism for Sarah and Andy

 

Smiling in the Rain



Sister's Green and Elgaaen

Laughing in the Rain!

Sister's Elgaaen & Green

Chillin

Happy Missionaries before the Baptism's

 

July 31, 2017 About 6 months-I think?

This week has been way too fast.

  In Church Elder Lee gave the lesson on Trials. We focused the class on D&C 121. In verses 1-6 Joseph Smith is basically asking 'Where are you Heavenly Father, Why are you allowing these bad things to happen?'   Heavenly Father's response is , 'calm down, if  you can calm down I will give you some answers.'

1 O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place? Where are you God?

2 How long shall thy hand be stayed, and thine eye, yea thy pure eye, behold from the eternal heavens the wrongs of thy people and of thy servants, and thine ear be penetrated with their cries? When are you going to make this stop?3 Yea, O Lord, how long shall they suffer these wrongs and unlawful oppression's, before thine heart shall be softened toward them, and thy bowels be moved with compassion toward them? You are all powerful... are you going to do something about this?4 O Lord God Almighty, maker of heaven, earth, and seas, and of all things that in them are, and who controllest and subjectest the devil, and the dark and benighted dominion of Sheol-             stretch forth thy hand; let thine eye pierce; let thy pavilion be taken up; let thy hiding place no longer be covered; let thine ear be inclined; let thine heart be softened, and thy bowels moved with compassion toward us.  5 Let thine anger be kindled against our enemies; and, in the fury of thine heart, with thy sword avenge us of our wrongs.  6 Remember thy suffering saints, O our God; and thy servants will rejoice in thy name forever.  7. My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;

 8 And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.  9 Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands.  10 Thou art not yet as Job; thy friends do not contend against thee, neither charge thee with transgression, as they did Job.

 If death was the end, then - Why would god allow all of these terrible things to happen in the world? Why are there wars, and innocent people suffering, and even neighbors or families fighting with each other? Why?     BUT death is Not the end. This time that we have been blessed with on earth is just a time to prepare to meet God. It is a time to exercise our priceless gift of agency that was purchased with our Saviors life.Trials can either make or break your faith The Lord's ways are not our ways. He sees the Big picture and asks us to 'come follow Him' and trust that He knows better than us.

What exactly do trails do? They can prove us. Job is a perfect example of this. He had everything, and was given trials to allow him to show himself that he would Always choose the Lord.     Trials can come because of our own transgressions. They can help us grow closer to the Lord and gain Empathy for those who are going through a similar experience, or a wake up call to get up and do something.      It could be a trail is happens due to the natural consequence of mortality (death and sicknesses).     Or a trial could occur because it will help us accomplish the Lord's purpose on the earth.

You are either going uphill in each situation, or you are doing down hill. No one can stand still, and there is no level ground during this earthly experience. 

I hope and pray that we are able to seek through prayer what He wants us to learn from our trails, then Listen. I know that being tested and tried is not easy nor fun. But, Heavenly Father knows what we can handle (1 Nephi 3:7), and He only allows things to happen, and corrections to take place because He loves us and will NEVER take away our ability to choose.

Have a wonderful week! and Choose to Follow the Savior and turn to him in Every moment.

I think I'm having a problem with my sandwich

Exchanges

Oneida Branch Party

Sister Elgaaen & Davies

Sister Elgaaen & Green