Duck Huntin!!!

After a day of hunting

Pintail Duck

One thing I like to do when I am at home is Duck Hunt. I have had some good and some not so good memories out in the marsh. This one particular time me and 3 friends were out in an air-boat on the Great Salt Lake. We had set up hundreds of decoys and had a pretty good hunt. The hunt closed and we began to clean up the decoys, but by the time we were done picking up all the decoys it was dark. We all got into the boat and headed for the canal that takes us back to the dock. We had a very tough time finding the canal because how dark it was and we actually went the wrong way and got stuck. Me and 2 other guys jumped out of the boat and tried pushing and pulling to get unstuck while the other stayed in the boat and ran the big motor. After about an hour of pushing and pulling we were all exhausted. One of my friends suggested we say a prayer. So the 4 of us knelt down in the mud and my friend said a prayer. When he was finished, we had a sudden burst of energy. And within 5 minutes of saying that prayer we were unstuck, and we were able to find our way to the canal and make it back to the dock.  It was an amazing experience. I know that God helped us get unstuck. There was no way we could have done it by ourselves. That experience really strengthened my testimony of prayer.

Us out on the Lake!

I was able to relate this experience to our lives. Sometimes in life we get off the path and we feel helpless and stuck. And a lot of times it is really hard to get back on the path. Most the time we can't do it alone. But I know that if we pray to God that he will help us through anything.

Humility!!!

         The Christlike Attribute this week is Humility!! Humility is willingness to submit to the will of
the Lord and to give the Lord the honor for what is accomplished. A Scripture I love about this is when Jesus is in the Garden Atoning for our sins. (Mathew 26:39) The opposite of humility is pride. To be prideful means to put greater trust in oneself than in God or in His servants. It also means to put the things of the world above the things of God. Prideful people take honor to themselves rather than giving God the glory.
        As a missionary there has been times that I have been Humbled. This is a hard job and it really requires the Lord's help. As a 20 year old man doing missionary work it is really tough. I know why the Lord calls such young men to do his work. It is because we are so inexperienced, and we have to rely on the Lord and the Holy Ghost to lead us and help us. (D&C 12:8) There have been times where I forget to recognize the Holy Ghost and I think that it was because of something I thought of or something I said to help the person out. Which yes I was the one who said it but it's not me doing the thinking there. It was the Holy Ghost giving me thoughts, and the Holy Ghost telling me what to say. I love these scriptures that talk about the Holy Ghost. (D&C 100:5-8).
         I Know that those Scriptures are true. I know that as we Humble ourselves before the Lord that he will bless us with the Spirit and with the Spirit we can do all things. I Know that this church is true and I love being a missionary. There is no better calling or job in the world than being a missionary! I will end with my favorite scripture on Humility. (D&C 112:8)

Patience!!!!

The Christlike Attribute for this week is Patience! Patience is the capacity to endure delay, trouble, opposition, or suffering without becoming angry, frustrated or anxious. When we are patient we are able to hold up under pressure and are able to face adversity calmly and hopefully. Everyday there are things that will test our patience. Some of them are traffic (especially for me), relationships, work, and pretty much all aspects of life.

A quote that I love about Patience is from President Thomas S. Monson, it says "Life is full of difficulties, some minor and others of a more serious nature. There seems to be a unending supply of challenges for one and all. Our problem is that we often expect instantaneous solutions to such challenges, forgetting that frequently the heavenly virtue of patience is required."

One of my favorite stories from the scriptures is found towards the end of Mosiah. It is when the people of Alma are being persecuted. We learn from Mosiah 24:15, that they submited cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord. That is amazing. They were going through a very hard time, and they turned to the Lord and exercised patience.

When we are going through hard times in our life we need to be patience. Because everything will all work out. Heavenly Father knows everything and he will be able to bless us in his own time. I hope we can all have a little more Patience in our lives.

Here is a link to President Uchtdorf's Talk from the video. Continue in Patience.

Charity and Love!!!

Charity and Love is the Christlike Attribute this week.A man once asked Jesus, “Which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus replied: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:36–39).  Some of my favorite scriptures on Charity are Moroni 7:44-48. I especially like verse 47, it kind of gives a definition of Charity. It says, "Charity is the pure love of Christ." So how can we gain more charity for people? Well in verse 48 it says, "pray unto the Father with all energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love."  As you follow this counsel and strive to do righteous works, your love for all people will increase, especially those among whom you labor. This was one of my favorite songs as a kid. It is "Love One Another"

 

I just want to end with saying that Charity is something we will always be working at. But I know that as we serve our brothers and sisters that we will grow to love them more. And Charity, like faith, leads to action. You will develop charity as you look for opportunities to serve others and give of yourself. I Bare my Testimony that the Church is True and that as we continue to look for ways to serve others that we will become more Charitable and be blessed!

Virtue!!!!

 The Christlike Attribute for this week is Virtue. What is Virtue? In the Dictionary it says that Virtue is; moral excellence; goodness; righteousness. So what does it mean to have Virtue or be Virtuous? To me I think of Virtue as having your thoughts and actions clean. There is a quote from Preach My Gospel that I like it says, "What you choose to think and do when you are alone and you believe no one is watching is a strong measure of your virtue." I think that is awesome. Sometimes we think that is okay to do something when no one is around. But something that is always quoted is "God is always watching." There is something else that Preach My Gospel says, "Your mind is like a stage in a theater; in the theater of your mind, however, only one actor can be on stage at a time. If the stage is left bare, thoughts of darkness and sin often  enter the stage to tempt. But these thoughts have no power if the stage of your mind is occupied by wholesome thoughts, such as a memorized hymn or verse of scripture that you can call upon in a moment of temptation. By controlling the stage of your mind, you can successfully resist persistent urges to yield to temptation and indulge in sin." This is so true. As a missionary satan works very hard on us to have bad thoughts and not be virtuous. But I have learned that if I sing a hymn or think of a scripture that the bad thought goes away. We always need to keep our thoughts clean. The Following is a Video of a song called " Guardians of Virtue" It is a Young Woman song and the message it contains is awesome!

 

I just want to end with 2 quotes. The first is from our current Prophet, and the second one is from our last Prophet. 

"You will need [courage] to be chaste and virtuous. You live in a world where moral values have, in great measure, been tossed aside, where sin is flagrantly on display, and where temptations to stray from the strait and narrow path surround you. Many are the voices telling you that you are far too provincial or that there is something wrong with you if you still believe there is such a thing as immoral behavior.

"Isaiah declared, 'Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness' (Isaiah 5:20).

"Great courage will be required as you remain chaste and virtuous amid the accepted thinking of the times."

Thomas S. Monson, "May You Have Courage," Ensign, May 2009, 125

"Supernal blessings are promised to those who walk in virtue before the Lord and before all men.

"How wonderful are the ways of our Lord. How glorious His promises."

Gordon B. Hinckley, "A Tragic Evil among Us," Ensign, Nov. 2004, 62

I end with my testimony that I know that this Church is True. That Joseph Smith Restored Christ True Church back to the earth. I know that as we keep ourselves Virtuous that we will be blessed. And as we strive to be more Virtuous the more we will become like our Savior Jesus Christ. 

 

Faith!!!

Faith is an amazing thing. When I think of Faith my first thought takes me to Alma 32. It compares Faith to a seed. And how we need to plant our seed and nourish it and take care of it and then it can grow. Almost everything we do in life we take a step of Faith. Some people don't think they have Faith but really they do. The Definition of Faith that I like to use is found in Alma 32:21 "And now as I said concerning faith, faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true." What a great Scripture. Also when I think of Faith of the Primary song called Faith. http://lds.org/churchmusic/detailmusicPlayer/index.html?searchlanguage=1&searchcollection=2&searchseqstart=96&searchsubseqstart=%20&searchseqend=96&searchsubseqend=ZZZ I post a link to that song if you would like to check it out.

There is a lot on Faith in the Bible Dictionary. These are just a few points that I was able to pull from that. First, Faith must be centered in Jesus Christ in order to produce salvation. Second, To have Faith is to have confidence in something or someone. Third, Faith is kindled by hearing the testimony of those who have faith. Fourth, Faith is a principle of Action. Fifth, Where there is true faith there are miricles, visions, dreams, healings, and all other gifts of God that he gives to saints. Sixth, All true Faith must be based upon correct knowledge or it cannot produce the disired results.

I think the point that stood out to me most was the fifth one.  Where there is true faith there are miricles, visions, dreams, healings, and all other gifts of God that he gives to saints. I know that is true. A very common phrase in the church is if we had the Faith of a mustard seed, we could move a mountain. (mathew 17:20) That is amazing. If we could all have that much Faith, Imagine the things we could do. The Following picture is to show how small a mustard seed is.

Faith is something we can all have more of. Let us all try our hardest to gain the Faith of a mustard seed. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the true church. I know that it is The Lord's kingdom once again on earth, and that Joseph Smith is the Prophet of the Restoration. I love this Church and I love being a missionary. 

Developing Christlike Attributes

The next few weeks I want to make blog post about Developing Christlike Attributes.  The Following is some inserts from a Ensign article from October 2008 by Dieter F. Uchtdorf titled "Developing Christlike Attributes."

We recognize that we are living in a time of turmoil, disaster, and war. We and many others feel strongly the great need for a “defense, and for a refuge from the storm, and from wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth” (D&C 115:6). How do we find such a place of safety? President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008) taught: “Our safety lies in the virtue of our lives. Our strength lies in our righteousness.”

Recall with me how Jesus Christ instructed His Apostles, clearly and directly, at the beginning of His mortal ministry: “[Come,] follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). This was also the beginning of the ministry of the Twelve Apostles, and I suspect that they had a feeling of inadequacy. May I suggest that the Savior Himself teaches us here a lesson about core doctrine and priorities in life. Individually, we need to first “follow Him,” and as we do this, the Savior will bless us beyond our own capacity to become what He wants us to be.

To follow Christ is to become more like Him. It is to learn from His character. As spirit children of our Heavenly Father, we do have the potential to incorporate Christlike attributes into our life and character. The Savior invites us to learn His gospel by living His teachings. To follow Him is to apply correct principles and then witness for ourselves the blessings that follow. This process is very complex and very simple at the same time. Ancient and modern prophets described it with three words: “Keep the commandments”—nothing more, nothing less.

Developing Christlike attributes in our lives is not an easy task, especially when we move away from generalities and abstractions and begin to deal with real life. The test comes in practicing what we proclaim. The reality check comes when Christlike attributes need to become visible in our lives—as husband or wife, as father or mother, as son or daughter, in our friendships, in our employment, in our business, and in our recreation. We can recognize our growth, as can those around us, as we gradually increase our capacity to “act in all holiness before [Him]” (D&C 43:9).

The scriptures describe a number of Christlike attributes we need to develop during the course of our lives. They include knowledge and humility, charity and love, obedience and diligence, faith and hope (see D&C 4:5–6). These personal character qualities stand independent of the organizational status of our Church unit, our economic circumstances, our family situation, culture, race, or language. Christlike attributes are gifts from God. They cannot be developed without His help.

The one help we all need is given to us freely through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Having faith in Jesus Christ and in His Atonement means relying completely on Him—trusting in His infinite power, intelligence, and love. Christlike attributes come into our lives as we exercise our agency righteously. Faith in Jesus Christ leads to action. When we have faith in Christ, we trust the Lord enough to follow His commandments—even when we do not completely understand the reasons for them. In seeking to become more like the Savior, we need to reevaluate our lives regularly and rely, through the path of true repentance, upon the merits of Jesus Christ and the blessings of His Atonement.

Developing Christlike attributes can be a painful process. We need to be ready to accept direction and correction from the Lord and His servants. Through the Church’s regular worldwide conferences, for example, with their music and spoken word, we feel and receive spiritual power, direction, and blessings “from on high” (D&C 43:16). It is a time when the voice of personal inspiration and revelation will bring peace to our souls and will teach us how to become more Christlike. This voice will be as sweet as the voice of a dear friend, and it will fill our souls when our hearts are sufficiently contrite.

By becoming more like the Savior, we will grow in our ability to “abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost” (Romans 15:13). We will “lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better” (D&C 25:10).

This leads me back to my aerodynamic analogy. I spoke of focusing on the basics. Christlike attributes are the basics. They are the fundamental principles that will create the wind beneath our wings. As we develop Christlike attributes in our own lives, step-by-step, they will “bear [us] up as on eagles’ wings” (D&C 124:18). Our faith in Jesus Christ will provide power and a strong forward thrust; our unwavering and active hope will provide a powerful upward lift. Both faith and hope will carry us across oceans of temptations, over mountains of afflictions, and bring us safely back to our eternal home and destination.

Developing Christlike Attributes is not easy. It is something that we will work at our whole lives. So the next few weeks I am going to cover one Christlike attribute a week so that we can become a little more like our Savior Jesus Christ. I reccomend to everyone to follow this link and read President Uctodorf's full talk. lds.org/developingchristlikeattributes Let us all strive to be more Christlike in everything we do. I know that as we all become more Christlike we will be better people and life will become better.