Once again I have taken my sweet ol' time to write a new post. During that span of time quite a bit has happened. Christ has come and gone to visit other of God's children. The title of 'Lamanite' and 'Nephite' were gone; everyone was equal and all were faithful followers of Christ. Now 300+ years have passed away and not only have the people begun to distinguish themselves once again but they have also become a very wicked and idolatrous people. They have many wars amongst themselves and the Lamanites overcome the Nephites because of their greatness in number and because of the Nephites wickedness. In Mormon 6 we learn of the utter destruction of the people of Nephi. I cannot even comprehend the amount of people killed in this single battle-23 captians all fallen each leading an army of 10,000! After this battle there are literally 24 Nephites left (not including the deserters). TWENTY FOUR!!! That is insane! Especially when previously they could not be numbered because their number was like unto the sands of the sea! Can you imagine being in Morom's place: witnessing the entire destruction of the people you love so much. Though they were wicked just as the Lamanites were at that time, they were still his brothers and sisters and he still loved them despite their hardened hearts.
He says "...I had led them, notwithstanding their wickedness I had led them many times to battle, and had loved them, according to the ^alove of God which was in me, with all my heart; and my soul had been poured out in prayer unto my God all the day long for them;..." (Mormon 3:12). "And my soul was rent with ^aanguish, because of the slain of my people, and I cried: ^aO ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord! O ye fair ones, how could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you! Behold, if ye had not done this, ye would not have fallen. But behold, ye are fallen, and I ^amourn your loss. O ye ^afair sons and daughters, ye fathers and mothers, ye husbands and wives, ye fair ones, how is it that ye could have ^bfallen! But behold, ye are gone, and my sorrows cannot bring your return" (Mormon 6:16-20).
I implore you, let us learn from these stories and deny ourselves of pride which is Satan's greatest tool. Let us repent NOW and come unto Christ Now, that we may recieve the many rich and wonderful blessings the Lord has in store for us while we are still here on the earth. Let us now live as we know we should so that those left after us don't look to our deaths and say "O that ye had repented before this great ^adestruction had come upon you. But behold, ye are gone, and the Father, yea, the Eternal Father of heaven, ^bknoweth your state; and he doeth with you according to his ^cjustice and ^dmercy" (Mormon 6:22). "O be ^awise; what can I say more" (Jacob 6:12)?

Never go through the days saying, 'Oh tomorrow I'll change'. Never slacken your strength and zeal because you feel secure or think, 'Someone else will pick up the slack'. This is how your week, months, and years go by piling high with regret. Regret is not a happy thing; its so full of would have, should have, could have dones.
Change today. Put your mind forward instead of in the past. Luke 9:62. Repent of those times you've slackened your strength, faith, or desire. Repentance=Change. Change=Progress. Progress=Eternity. Move forward each day. Do all you can to reach your divine potential.
Live and learn. Learn from your mistakes and others around you. Act and do not wait to be acted upon.
Today I felt like sharing something a little different. These are just some thoughts that have been on my mind lately and something I needed to share today. Always remember God loves you. He knows your name, because, well, He named you. Your Savior is always by your side just waiting for you to trust in Him and allow Him to feel/take your burdens and pain. I know God loves us. I know He lives and I know His plan-the Plan of Salvation was made in favor of us. He wants so desperately to have us return to Him but he also loves us so much that He allows us to choose what path we follow. I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I know the fullness of that Gospel is found in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I love this work and I leave these things with you in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
I love you all and I hope you have an amazing day where ever you may be!

Man! I'm falling behind again! Here are some of my thoughts from studying this last week...
3 Nephi 2:1-2 "And it came to pass that thus passed away the ninety and fifth year also, and the people began to forget those ^asigns and wonders which they had heard, and began to be less and less astonished at a sign or a wonder from heaven, insomuch that they began to be hard in their hearts, and blind in their minds, and began to disbelieve all which they had heard and seen—

 ^aImagining up some vain thing in their hearts, that it was wrought by men and by the power of the devil, to lead away and ^bdeceive the hearts of the people; and thus did Satan get possession of the hearts of the people again, insomuch that he did blind their eyes and lead them away to believe that the doctrine of Christ was a ^cfoolish and a vain thing."

Why do we forget so easily the mighty power of the Lord especially when we too have seen "signs and wonders"? Why do we insist on pushing aside the miracles from the Lord when we've read/heard and even seen the consequences of doing so? Just as they did then, we too try not to recognize the miracles in our lives and pass them off as nothing more then mere coincidence or happenstance. We must recognize the Lord's hand in our lives. We cannot go through this life and succeed without proper and due credit to the Lord.
Recognize the miracles and wonders the Lord puts in our paths everyday. He will bless us with more and more as we let Him know that we have noticed, we do appreciate them, and that we know He is God.

In the next chapter Giddianhi the leader of the Gadianton Robbers attempts to bring the Nephites down to his level by making the Nephites strong/good values seem as a weakness and what will lead to their downfall;  "Therefore I have written this epistle, sealing it with mine own hand, feeling for your welfare, because of your firmness in that which ye believe to be right, and your noble spirit in the field of battle" (3 Nephi 3:5). Just as the world today would rather recognize man than God they also look down on the once (and really forever) qualities of integrity and goodness. The Nephites were mocked because of their "firmness in that which [they] believed to be right...". We must not let satan turn the things of God against us. We must remember the good and follow it despite what the world says. We "must fortify [oursleves] against [our] enemies" (3 Nephi 3:25).

Here are some very late comments on my studies of the end of Alma! Have I said that I love this book yet?!?! :D
In Alma 59:9 "And now as Moroni had supposed that there ^ashould be men sent to the city of Nephihah, to the assistance of the people to maintain that city, and knowing that it was easier to keep the city from falling into the hands of the Lamanites than to retake it from them, he supposed that they would easily maintain that city" (italics added).  When I read this I thought of how much easier it is to follow the commandments and be obedient than it is to fall and have to repent and work our way back to the top. I don't remember who said it but someone said 'its easier to be 100% obedient than 90% obedient' or something to that effect.
Another chapter I really like was Alma 62:40-41 (vs. 41) "But behold, because of the exceedingly great length of the war between the Nephites and the Lamanites many had become hardened, because of the exceedingly great length of the war; and many were softened because of their ^aafflictions, insomuch that they did humble themselves before God, even in the depth of humility." How do we take our 'afflictions' do we just kind of roll with the punches? Do we take them with bitterness and become even more bitter after each trial or do we live and learn with a humble heart and positive attitude. I'd like to say I'm always the humble type learning from all of my experiences and being grateful for them but...that is something I could definitely work on. Sometimes I think its hard to stay positive during the trying times and we forget that everything we go through is for our good and learning. I hope we can all strive to learn from our challenges and become better and stronger because of them. Let us be like those who "were softened because of their afflictions" and let us humble ourselves before God. Though I may not appreciate my trials at the time they happened I can now say that I am so grateful for the experiences I have had in my life and for the opportunities Heavenly Father has given me to become a stronger, better disciple, and daughter of God.

:( Alma is almost over!

Ok so its been a minute since I've written and I just want to touch on a few things that stood out to me as I have been reading the last few weeks. Soo much good stuff! Where to start...ok so kind of tying it back into my last post; Moroni prepared his people and it worked. But he didn't stop there. The next chapters (48-55ish) are filled with how Moroni continued to strengthen and fortify the people. I love this because he had found something that worked and that protected them from the Lamanites and yet he continued to prepare because he knew that his people could & must become stronger. He understood that preparation is not simply a one time thing but something that must be continued like enduring to the end, but not just enduring but enduring well. So just because we've prepared ourselves (against Satan, temptations, weaknesses, our enemies/anything that will/can keep us from God) and succeeded once doesn't mean we're good to go or should be content. But that we must continue to prepare/strengthen and fortify ourselves against the enemy. Always staying two or three steps ahead. Being content is a false sense of security and a dangerous state of being. -Random tangent: Satan tries to lull us into a sense of security and contentment because it keeps us from progressing. When we are 'content where we're at' we've stopped our progression and are missing out on things that the Lord is simply waiting to bless us with. So if we feel content with the knowlege and other things that we have (spiritual) something is wrong and we need to take another look and change something.

Ah too much I want to say and not enough time to say it all!!! Um...Moroni is AmAzInG! LoVe him! Alma 48:16-17!

Helaman and his army (the 2000 stripling worriars) so amazing! Their faith, dilligence and commitment to be obedient is phenomenal and as you read chapters 56-58 you will see just how blessed they are for that faith and obedience. They are described as not doubting, having exceeding faith, great faith, fixed determination and more. They are amazing.

I love the scriptures! I learn so much from them as I read them and study them with prayer. I am so grateful to the Lord and 'His great goodness'! I wish I could say more but as I said time is not on my side. Have a wonderful day!!

I lOvE Alma! Why are we here? What is the purpose of this life? How can a faith in Jesus Christ help me? These are just the tip of the ice burg of questions to the soul answered throughout The Book of Mormon. Yesterday I was reading in Alma 34 and it talks about why we are here. I love the lines "...now is the time and the day of your salvation" (vs. 31). "...this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity..." (vs. 34).  "this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors" (vs. 33). So why are we here? Well it tells us right there! I love that chapter!

Today I was reading in Alma 36 and I LoVe this chapter too! This chapter talks about how a faith in Christ can and will help us if we allow it to. In this chapter Alma is talking to his son Helaman. He shares an experience he had earlier in his life when he came to know Christ and was "born of God". He shares the exquisite joy and peace that came from accepting Jesus Christ and allowing the healing power of the Atonement to take place in him. I love how he describes his experience; "I ^dremembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world. Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, ^ahave mercy on me, who am ^bin the ^cgall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting ^dchains of ^edeath. And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my ^apains ^bno more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more. And oh, what ^ajoy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain! Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy" (Alma 36:17-21).

Our faith in the Savior brings joy, peace, love, and the ability to be forgiven. We can repent. We can overcome and be forgiven for our sins! I have felt the amazing powers of the Atonment work in my life. I have felt that forgiveness and cleansing power. It is real. I know that our Savior truly did live and die for me, and for you. He truely has felt everything each of us has ever has and will go through-each temptation, each pain, each sorrow, each sickness, everything (Alma 7:11-12 vs. 13 is a good one too!). He made it possible for us to return and live with our Father in Heaven. And why did he do it? "...that he may know according to the flesh how to ^csuccor his people according to their infirmities" (Alma 7:12). I love the definition of succor-to run to. He did it so that he would know exactly how to comfort and help each of us. I love Him so much! I love His gospel and I absolutely love the scriptures and the many many things they teach me each day! I love serving the Lord and just as Alma "...I have labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance; that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste" (Alma 36:24)! That is why I am here serving the people in Florida for 18 months. That is why when I return home I will never cease to share what I know about my Savior and His love with everyone around me. I love this work! I love my Savior and I love my God. I say these things in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

Can you imagine what it would be like watching your friends, family, and many others burn to death? The feelings that come with that thought are almost indescribable. But that exactly what Alma and Amulek witnessed and experienced. Now think of not only witnessing that but having the faith to recognize that everything would be alright that those who perished were in the hands of their Father and that it was His will.
Alma and Amulek had the power of God within them and could have stopped the innocent from burning but Alma was so in-tune with the spirit that he knew he mustn't stop what was happening. When Amulek could no longer look upon this destruction he says to Alma, "How can we witness this awful scene? Therefore let us stretch forth our hands, and exercise the ^apower of God which is in us, and save them from the flames. But Alma said unto him: The Spirit constraineth me that I must not stretch forth mine hand; for behold the Lord receiveth them up unto himself, in ^aglory; and he doth suffer that they may do this thing, or that the people may do this thing unto them, according to the hardness of their hearts, that the ^bjudgments which he shall exercise upon them in his wrath may be just; and the ^cblood of the ^dinnocent shall stand as a witness against them, yea, and cry mightily against them at the last day" (Alma 14:10-11).
God has a plan. We have a choice. Each choice has a consequence and we will be and are held accountable for each choice we make. Though things may not seem fair or right, God knows what He is doing and we just need to strengthen our faith and trust in Him to be able to say "Be it according to the will of the Lord" (Alma 14:13).
Our Father in Heaven loves us so very much and He will do nothing except it be for our good. I love my Father. Though I may not understand all things I know He does and I know that that is all that matters. I just need to keep learning, keep growing, keep trusting in Him, and doing all that I can to get back to Him then He will help with the rest.

What is this life for, why are we here? Here is a great answer by the Prophet Alma and Amulek"...this life became a ^cprobationary state; a time to ^dprepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection of the dead" (Alma 12:24). Which means everything we do in this life-we will be held accountable for so everything we do should be bringing us closer to our Savior and Father in Heaven. The time that we have here is so short! For example this first dash is a representation of the time we spent with our Father before coming to the earth, the period equals the time we have here on the earth and the rest equals what awaits us after this life -.---------------------------------and it never ends! Our time is so short and yet so crucial! What we do now impacts the rest of our Eternity.
I really like this chapter and one of my favorite parts is in Alma 12:14 "For our ^awords will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; and our thoughts will also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God; and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the ^bmountains to fall upon us to ^chide us from his presence." Will we be ashamed because of our actions here or will we be excited and look forward to that day when we will meet our God? Personally I want the later. So what are you going to do about it? Alma gives us great council when he says "cast off your sins, and [do] not ^cprocrastinate the day of your repentance; But...humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and ^awatch and pray continually, that ye may not be ^btempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be ^cled by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, ^dmeek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering; ^aHaving faith on the Lord; having a hope that ye shall receive eternal life; having the ^blove of God always in your hearts, that ye may be lifted up at the last day and enter into his ^crest. And may the Lord grant unto you repentance, that ye may not bring down his wrath upon you, that ye may not be ^abound down by the chains of ^bhell, that ye may not suffer the second ^cdeath" (Alma 13:27-30).
Eternal life is something that will come by our day to day and minute to minute efforts. Its a process in which we cannot afford to slacken our strength. It will and does take work-hard work but I know and I promise as a representative of Jesus Christ that it is and will all be so worth it! We cannot even begin to comprehend they pure joy and happiness that awaits us. So my dear brothers and sisters, let us do our very best each and everyday. Be an example that those around you can and will want to follow. Let us all work together in strengthening one another and bringing our brothers and sisters unto Christ so they too can have Eternal life. In the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, amen.

Trust in Him.

Where is our trust? Is it in ourselves or in the Lord? Ponder that. Are you continually praying to Him asking for His help and guidance while continuing to do all that you can? If not something needs to change. I know I need to work on it and change some things. Its not always easy nor our first reaction but we need to make it so.
I love in Mosiah 9 & 10 how it teaches us the importance of trusting the Lord and relying on His strength rather than ours alone. "Yea, in the ^astrength of the Lord did we go forth to battle against the Lamanites; for I and my people did cry mightily to the Lord that he would ^bdeliver us out of the hands of our enemies, for we were awakened to a remembrance of the deliverance of our fathers. And God did ^ahear our cries and did answer our prayers; and we did go forth in his might; yea, we did go forth against the Lamanites, and in one day and a night we did slay three thousand and forty-three; we did slay them even until we had driven them out of our land" (Mosiah 9:17-18).
"...we did go up in the ^astrength of the Lord to battle. Now, the Lamanites knew nothing concerning the Lord, nor the strength of the Lord, therefore they depended upon their own strength. Yet they were a strong people, as to the ^astrength of men...putting [our] trust in the Lord; therefore, we did contend with them, face to face. And it came to pass that we did drive them again out of our land..." (Mosiah 9:17 & 10:10-11 & 19-20).
We can do a lot. But with the Lord with us we can do even more. Seek for His strength. Be worthy of it and strive to obtain it through righteous desires. The Lord is there waiting for you to put your trust in Him so that you can achieve more & reach your full potential. He loves you and will always be there to help.

Testimony

Today I would just like to bear my testimony.

I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Jesus Christ's church on the earth today. It has been restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith who was called of God and given the Priesthood authority to do so. I know that we have a living Prophet on the earth today, just as in Bible and Book of Mormon times, his name is Thomas S. Monson and he has been called of God. I know that my Father in Heaven is there. I know that he is aware of EVERYTHING that I (and all of you) have and have yet to experience. I know He loves me and is waiting for me to return home to Him. I know that my Savior Jesus Christ lives and that he atoned for each of us, individually, so that we could return to our Father's presence. I love my family more than anything and I am so grateful to know that I can be with them for all eternity. I love this Gospel. It has brought so much joy and happiness into my life. I am inexpressibly grateful for the opportunity I have to share what I know with my brothers and sisters so they too can have this joy in knowing.

I know these things to be true and I know the Book of Mormon and the Bible are from God and that they support one another and teach us of the things we must do to return to live with our families and our Father in Heaven. I am grateful God loves us enough to share these sacred records with us and to continue to give us modern day revelation through the Apostles and Prophets to guide us back to Him. I know and I so testify in the name of my beloved brother and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

God's Eternal Plan

This last week I've been reading in a book called 'Our Search for Happiness' written by M. Russell Ballard. Today I was reading about God's Eternal Plan. I just wanted to jot down some things that really stood out to me.
"...[we are] a mortal mixture of human frailty and divine potential."
"...the quality of our lives has more to do with substance than style. A quality life is one that positively influences others and makes the world around it a better place in which to live. A quality life is one that is constantly growing, expanding its horizons and enlarging its borders. A quality life is one that is filled with love and loyalty, patience and perseverance, kindness and compassion. A quality life is one that is based on eternal potential and not confined to this life only. A quality life is a life well-lived. But it isn't necessarily a perfect life."
"...adversity becomes a vehicle for growth and death becomes a doorway from one phase of our eternal existence to another."
One of my favorites was the one about our potential. Are we living up to our divine potential? Do we realize how great our potential is? God loves us. We are His children, His sons and daughters and therefore have the potential to become like Him. That is why we came to this earth, so that we could reach our potential and rejoice with our Father in Heaven in the joy and blessings that await us. Make the most of who you are to become who you want to be.

God loves His children more than any earthly parent could.

Today I was reading in 2 Nephi 26, which talks about Christ ministering unto the Nephites. I love verse 24 which reads: "He doeth not ^aanything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he ^bloveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw ^call men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation." Our Saviors entire purpose and goal is and was to enable us to return to live with our Heavenly Father. As the Father and His son are one in purpose, our Father in Heaven doeth nothing save it be for our benefit as well. This is hard to remember when we see all of the suffering in the world, when we feel like everything around us is falling apart, and when our tedious life planning completely and slowly unravels; But it is all part of a much greater 'life plan' and part of our learning and experience here on this earth. We shouldn't be so concerned as to why its happening but more how we deal with what is happening. Are we helping those that may have less or who are suffering as much as we can? Are we taking the trials that come into our paths or the unseen turns in our plans and making them into something positive, into something to overcome and learn from? When we "^acheerfully ^bdo all things that lie in our power;... then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the ^csalvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed" (D&C 123:17).
We may not know all the whys or be able to paint in our minds the magnitude of God's love and plan for us but we can strive to make the most of things. When in those times of uncertainty or when we are in the darkest abyss that is when we have the potential to grow the most. That is when we have the ability to put all of our trust in the Lord and feel His love more than at any other time in our lives.
Our Savior, Jesus Christ and our Father in Heaven love us. That is all we need to know. Now just put your faith and trust in them, do your very best, learn, and find what God has in store for you.
Also read D&C 121, 122, 123