The End

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven."  -Ecclesiastes 3:1


This morning I finished packing my suitcases, just as I had a little over two years ago.  What has changed since then?  Some of the shirts are stained and some of the pants are torn, but is that all?  I don't think I can name all of the changes and differences that have occurred since then.  I also think that it would be impossible to sum up this great experience in a little blog post.  What I can say is that I have had a lot of little experiences that have made up my mission.  These experiences have shaped me into the person that I am today.

like stones in the river
we are tossed and turned
when the current moves so strong
but stones in living waters over time
are shaped until the edges are gone
polished and smooth, that's what we will be
if we put ourselves in god's hands
each day of our lives is a gift from the giver
to smooth all the edges
like stones in the river


I testify that the Gospel of Jesus Christ changes lives for the better.  I know that living the principles taught by the Savior will help shape us into the great beings that we have the potential of becoming.  Living these principles will greatly improve the quality of our lives and help us find peace and joy in this life.  Being a missionary has helped me see this perspective even closer and I am ever so grateful for the many experiences I have had.  I am also thankful for the many people I have met and for their testimonies that have strengthened my own.

The Pump

I remember watching this old video in seminary and not really knowing what it was about other than a man that was pretty unfortunate with his choices.  Consider these questions after you have watched the video:  

Q:  How does this man’s experience show the need for self-mastery?
A:  Because he lacked self-mastery, he satisfied his immediate desire instead of preparing for the future.

Q:  How would his experience have been different if he had exercised self-mastery?
A:  If he had primed the pump before taking a drink, he would have had all the water he needed.

Q:  How is this man’s decision comparable to spiritual decisions each of us must make?
A:  Up to you, yes you have to do some thinking...  (=

"There is a man in a hot desert who sees a fountain at the top of the hill. With great effort, he climbs the hill and receives the life-giving water. What saved him?Was it the climb (his works) or the water (Grace)?"

This story, while effective in teaching the necessity of both grace and works doesn't fairly illustrate the interaction between the two or the extent to which the Savior goes to enable us. The water may be at the top of the hill, but that's not where Christ is. He comes down to the bottom and brings the water to us. That's how we can make the climb to the top--which he stills requires because He knows it will strengthen us and be for our best good. Christ is not waiting at the finish line; He is finishing our faith (see Hebrews 12:1-2). Grace is not the prize at the end of the climb. It is the enabling power throughout (see "Grace," Bible Dictionary, 697).  Resource: Adapted from Brad Wilcox's The Continuous Atonement

Some scriptures to consider:

-Ephesians 2:8: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:"

-Alma 22:14 "And since man had fallen he could not merit anything of himself; but the sufferings and death of Christ atone for their sins, through faith and repentance, and so forth;"

Christ Centered Christmas


Today for my studies about Jesus Christ I looked up the different references in the Topical Guide under Jesus Christ, Mission of.  It caught my eye, because I'm on a mission and I thought about how my mission and the Savior's mission are similar in ways.  Some of the parts of the Savior's mission include that he was to:
-Swallow up death in victory(Isaiah 25:8).
-Save His people from their sins(Matthew 1:21).
-Fulfill all righteousness(Matthew 3:15).
-Reign over the House of Jacob(Luke 1:33).
-Heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, recover sight, set at liberty them that are bruised. And to preach the acceptable year of the Lord(Luke 4:18).
-Save the world(John 12:47).
-Publish Peace(Mosiah 12:21).
-Redeem His people(Mosiah 15:1).
-Satisfy... justice(Mosiah 15:9).
-Atoneth for the sins of the world(Alma 42:15).
-Bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man(Moses 1:39).

I am so grateful for the life and mission of our Savior Jesus Christ.  I am also thankful to be one of His representatives at this time and helping Him fulfill His purpose.  Each of us has own mission and plan for our lives.  Each one is different, but equally important in God's eyes.  I bear you my testimony that Jesus is our Redeemer and only through Him we can have eternal life.

http://mormon.org/jesus-christ