#Embark

From the time I was twelve years old every Sunday in Priesthood meeting we recited Doctrine and Covenants 4. So, it has always meant a lot to me. This year for the youth the theme comes from Doctrine and Covenants 4:2 "Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day."

I love this new theme. Being on the mission it has been amazing to be able to serve with all of my heart, might, mind, and strength. What builds even more to my excitement is  the wonderful video that they came out with to "embark" on this new theme. A fun fact about clip is that the song was written, and this video is entirely made by youth.

Isn't this an exciting time? It is great to see the youth leading out in teaching about Jesus Christ. The thing I really like about this video is it helps show that each of us has our own way that we can help others. We each have talents. God wants us to use them to help others. So, a question I have for you is how can you embark this week in the service of others?

Christmas

This Christmas means something very special to me. This will be the last time that I will be a full time missionary out for Christmas.

 I remember as a kid that when it was Christmas that my biggest concern was to see what presents I would be getting. Truly I did get some amazing presents, like when my extended family got together and bought me the Ticket to Ride board game, the white elephant exchanges, the pajamas and socks that my parents would always buy us, or the endless amounts of other things I have received throughout the years.

With time though my attitude towards Christmas started to change. I started to realize that Christmas is a time of giving. So, before my mission, I started trying to look for service opportunities. One time I even piled in the car with some of my friends and we went around plowing peoples driveways after it snowed. I felt like I understood the true meaning of Christmas. It way exciting to see different ways to serve.

I also started to realize that Christmas is a time for family. It is the season when people go home to be together and do things as a family. One of the traditions that we did each year is that my mom would work really hard to make a whole bunch of Christmas candy. Eventually as we got older we tried to help her more. After she made all of these treats should would sort them out into different plates and then we would take them to different people as we went caroling. Another thing that we loved to do as a family was go skiing.

This Christmas I feel something special about Christmas. After trying to serve God every day for a year and a half, I feel something different about Christmas. I understand a little bit better now what the greatest gift of all is.

 I love the new church video He is the Gift. It reminds me of what the true gift is. As the famous scripture says, John 3:16 " 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."

I love my family and am so glad that I have had many Christmas times with them. I am so grateful to be serving a mission for the Lord right now. Most importantly, I am so very grateful for the gift that Jesus Christ, my brother, gave to us.

Who's your daddy?

One of my favorite books series that I read before the mission was Percy Jackson Olympians series.

It starts out with a boy that has a normal boring life. Then one day he ends up finding out that he is the son of a god. That is when his whole life changes. In five books you get to read as he goes on adventure after adventure and tries to use his godlike powers for good.

Now you might be asking yourself, "Elder Lewis that is all well and good but why are you taking the time to write about this book?" Well, that is because we are all children of God. We all have a divine heritage. God is not the father of our bodies, but he is the father of our spirit. Each one of us have spiritual gifts and talents. We can choose how to use these talents. In Romans 8:16-17 it says: 

"16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together."

So, it is up to us to see how we will choose to live our life. Just remember we are all God's children no matter what our choice is.

Why did he have to die?

So, today I want to talk about something that has been pressing on my mind for the past month. It is not an easy subject to talk about and yet it is something that effects each and every one of us. That is on the topic of death and what happens to us after we die.
So, to start understanding the purpose of death we must first understand the purpose for life. Before we were born we lived with God as Spirits. God is the father of our Spirits. He wants us to be happy and to have all that He has. So, He prepared a plan so that we would be able come to Earth, receive a body, learn and grow, and eventually return and live with Heavenly Father again. This was only going to be able to happen through Jesus Christ coming to earth and preforming the Atonement where he suffered and died for our sins.
So, because of all of that we are here. Each one of us is born and we each get the opportunity to live for a period of time and make choices. This brings me to the subject of why I chose to write about this subject. On October 7th Gene Watson, my grandfather on my mom's side died. Two weeks later Gordon Olsen, my other living grandfather died. I love them both so much. I am sad to see them leave this life.

The great news is that THIS IS NOT THE END. Like Jesus Christ, each one of us will one day be resurrected. Our Spirit's and our bodies will be brought back together and this time they will never again be separated. This news brings great happiness to my life. Even better is that the Gospel gives us something more. In the temple we perform sealings, where we make it so that our family will be united as a family forever. I know that I will be with my grandpas again. Death is part of the plan, but so is life, so are families, so is hope, joy love, and happiness. Some might ask, why did they have to die? I honestly don't know why God called them home when he did, but what I do know is that I will see them again.

Temples!

Today I want to talk about how much I love the temple. So I'll start off by talking about what the temple is and then go into why I love it so much.

So, What is the temple? The temple is literally, as it has been throughout history, the "house of the Lord" (see 1 Kings 6:1, 37). The primary purpose of the temple is to provide a dedicated place where sacred ordinances needed for eternal life can be performed. (For more information go to https://www.lds.org/church/temples/why-we-build-temples?lang=eng) One of my favorite things about the temple is that you are able to do work for your ancestors. This is something that dates back to the New Testament. In 1 Corinthians 15:29 it says,

"29 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?"

So, next comes the story of how I came to love the temple. When I was a kid I didn't really take the opportunity to go very often. So, one day I decided that I needed to take the opportunity to go to the temple more often. So, I went with my mom. When I got there who would I see but one of my friends. So, I asked him if he came very often. He replied every week. So, we started to go to the temple each week. After a while we decided that why should we stop with just the two of us. So, we started inviting friends. Soon, I had a lot of friends that joined me in coming to the temple frequently. In the temple there is a feeling of peace that just can't be felt anywhere else. It has become my shelter. Whenever I am in need of peace I have always been able to find it at the temple. I have also been able to do a lot of work for my deceased family members. This work has truly brought me closer to my family and closer to God.

Now, I am serving a mission. I am not currently able to go to the temple every week, but instead I get to help others with their working towards the temple. I left my family for a short period of time so that other families can be together forever. Just the other day as we were out talking with people someone asked how long we work for. We responded that we go until about 9 at night. They replied, "wow that stinks." I would reply it would if it wasn't true, but it is and that is why we try to tell everyone about it. As a missionary, my love of the temple has grown even more. I hope that everyone might one day be able to go to the temple and feel the wonderful peace that is in the temple. It is something that has changed my life and I know that it will change the life of anyone who goes consistently.

General Conference

This General Conference, even though it was a bit ago, was a very exciting one for me. It marks my year and a half mark. So, I got to think all about the events that have happened over the mission. A year ago, I was in Fayetteville with Elder Blackwell. At that point I was practically just starting the mission. I was still learning what I should teach. I just found out that I was going to be senior companion for the first time. I was so excited and when I watched General Conference it helped me to see what I needed to do to be better prepared.

Fast forward to six months ago. At this point I was in Durham with Elder Larkin. At this point I was a district leader. A lot had happened. I was starting to figure out the right way to teach and trying to discover the missionary that I wanted to be. General Conference was great. It was all about how we need to believe and follow Jesus Christ.

This Conference here I am in Morrisville with Elder Cronin. So much has happened. I have seen a lot of change. 9 Companions and 4 areas is a lot. I learned so much each companion and each area. Throughout this time I have changed a lot. Now, the question is what has been the cause of that change? There are two main ways that we can be changed; some changes happen just because we are shaped by our circumstances and experiences. Others happen because we decide to make that change. In General Conference I learned that we will never reach our full potential if we are only changed by how the world shapes us. If we want to reach our full potential then we must seek it out with the help of God.

It is only now that I feel like I am scratching the surface of understanding what Jesus Christ did for us. One of my favorite scriptures is Alma 7:11-13.

"11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.

13 Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me."

Jesus Christ suffered for each of us. He understands every pain we have. He understands every sickness. When we pray to him and say that we are struggling he can honestly say that he knows what you are going through. You don't have to go through your trials and struggles alone. He will help you. All that he asks is that you have faith in him, repent, be baptized by proper authority, receive the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. Everything that we are asked to do help us in the end. God loves us. I know that as we choose to change our lives that we can reach our full potential.

Let's Not Forget Mom

My Mother is so amazing. I love her so much. Who is the one that you turn to when you forget something? Who is the one that make you dinner?  Who is the one that you turn to when every thing seems to go wrong? I am so grateful that my mother has always been there for me. She has taught me how to cook, how to budget my money, to show respect for women, and much much more.

Mom's are always so willing to sacrifice. They go out of their way to help you. Mom's teach you the Gospel both in word and in deed. “The most important of the Lord’s work you will ever do will be within the walls of your own homes.” -Preach My Gospel
Mom's are a blessing from God. Boys become men because of their mothers.  One great example of this is the sons of Helaman. In Alma 56:47-48 it explains;
"47 Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.
48 And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it."
These boys were willing to die to defend there mothers. Are we willing to live a way that shows how our appreciation for the hard work of our mothers?
This is a great video about how much Mothers sacrifice for us.

My Fathers Love

I can truly say that I have such wonderful parents. I would definitely attribute the person that I am today to the example that my parents gave me. For this post I would like to focus on what I have learned from my dad.
My dad is the one who taught me how to work hard. He is the one who taught me how to bike, how to fix things, how to kite-board, and the many life skills that I would need for my life.

He sacrificed for me so that I would be able to have all of my needs and most of my wants. He taught me the Gospel. He taught me what it is to be a Priesthood man. He showed by word and deed that you should serve and love everyone. He taught me the importance of serving a mission.

So, what is it that makes fathers be willing to help us? Why do they sacrifice so much for us? If you watch the following I hope it will shed some light on the subject.

I am love my Dad and I am so grateful for him. I also am so grateful for our Heavenly Father and all that he does to sacrifice for us. He truly sees us as His children and  he loves us with a greater love than we will ever know.

The Holy Spirit

"We believe in God the Eternal Father and in his son Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost." -Articles of Faith. (In this message I will use the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit interchangeably. Each time I am talking about the same person.) It has seemed for a bit of time that I have been struggling with recognizing promptings from the Spirit. So I was studying all of the different ways to be able to receive answers. So, the first thing that I did was followed the advice of Doctrine and Covenants 4:7 "Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Amen."  So, I started praying a lot to be able to receive more revelation in my life, but it didn't really seem to change much. So, I once again began to wonder what I was missing.
This takes me to a story I  once heard about an old woman. She had always had a very deep faith in Christ. One day she had run out of money and she knew that the only way that she could get the amount of money she needed is if she won the lottery. So, she began praying with all of her heart that she would win the lottery. When the winner was announced it wasn't her. Then a second time she prayed as she cried simply pleading that she could win the lottery. Once again she didn't win. Finally she prayed and asked why she didn't win. Then came the response, "buy a ticket."
While I don't think it is a good idea to gamble, I do know that the Lord can only help those who have enough faith to act. In my case, I needed to listen. There are so many voices in this world that are shouting. It doesn't take long to see how everything wants your attention. The news talks about wars and rumors of war. Our phones constantly blurt out that we have another message. The music on the radio plays constantly. Our life is always busy. There is always something that we need to be doing. Among all of this the whisper of the Spirit can be very difficult to hear. Yet, when it is heard it can pierce us even to the very soul. (3 Nephi 11:3)
So, what should you do to be able to hear the Spirit more clearly?
Step 1 Remove unnecessary distractions. Take just a minute every morning and every night and find a quite place where you feel peace.
Step 2 Pray. If you feel like you are struggling God wants to hear. Pray and ask him for his help.
Step 3 Listen. The Spirit will speak to you very softly so you must pay attention. Otherwise you might not hear what He has to say.
As you do this I know that you will receive an answer to your question. The answer will come into your heart. A scripture that I really like that explains how you receive an answer is Galatians 5:22  "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,gentleness, goodness, faith."
I hope that you will take the time, at least once a morning and once a night, to pray and then to listen for the answer of the Holy Spirit. I know that God answers prayers. I know that the true way to happiness is through listening to the Spirit. The Holy Ghost has been the best companion in my life since I was baptized. He has been there every time I have needed him. I hope that everyone will be able to develop a great relationship with the Holy Ghost.

Changing Seasons

I have always liked the saying, "Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine." This is an exciting time of the year. Slowly but surly the weather is starting to get cooler and the leaves are beginning to change colors. It wont be too long until it is time to break out the jackets and gloves.

Also, this time my life has been a time of change. Elder Adams headed off to Laurinburg and Elder Cronin is now my companion. Another big change is that I only have 7 months left. At times I pause and think about things as they once were. I think of the different places I've gone and the great people that I have met. As I look back I can think of the good times and the hard times. Yet, all throughout my time on my mission and through my whole life one thing has stayed the same. God is here and he always listens.

There are times in life where things just seem to go well. When we are kids it seems that we have no worries and we make decisions based off of what would be fun and discovering the world. As we grow older we seem to notice something more. Slowly but surely the Spirit enters into our lives and directs us to make right choices. With those right choices come opposition. The older we get it seems that our lives start to go through seasons. Some times it is a time of spring and new beginning. Sometimes it is a time of cold ending. The great news though is that there are great things which are to come.
There have been times on my mission that I have wondered what am I doing here. There are times when I wonder if things are ever going to change. Yet, as I've kept working and waited to see God's hand I have seen it. This is truly his work. Miracles still happen. We can make changes in our life. There is a saying, "the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now." There is no time like the present to make a change for the better.

The Blessing of Trials

So, this week has been quite the exciting week. At the beginning of the week we had a car. On Monday we got a call and as it turns out some one else needs our car. So, that meant that it was time to go on the bikes.

So It has been pretty exciting to be able to be biking. Most of the week we would have been biking anyways, so we don't have to much to complain about. Then on Friday, we got more news: one of the spokes on Elder Adams bike is broke and so his bike will not be fixed until Tuesday. You know what that means. It is time to find out if we walk the walk.

So, in all of this I was reading a scripture in the bible. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
"7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 

10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."

Some times in life we are prone to ask, why me? What did I do to deserve this? I was talking to some one this week and they made the comment, "God gives us trials when He thinks we are ready to grow." I have found that the hardest times of my life are also the times when I was becoming my best self. I am slowly learning what Paul means though fortunately not having to go through nearly the amount of trials. It is amazing the great things that God can do with us when we learn to trust in Him. Honestly in the end I just feel blessed that I am able to be the Lord's servant. Sacrifice brings for the blessings of Heaven. What ever trials you go through in life just remember what Joseph Smith was told while in prison for false charges in Doctrine and Covenants 121:7-8

" 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."

When you are are on the Lords side you will prevail.

The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ

So, we had district meeting this week and what the focus of it was on was the Book of Mormon. So first let me explain what the Book of Mormon is. The Bible is the story of Christ's dealings with the Israelites in Jerusalem. The Book of Mormon is the Christ's dealings with the people of ancient America (from 600B.C.-400A.D.) I found a really good image that kind of shows what I mean:

So to tell you a  little more about it, it all starts out with a family. They are in Jerusalem. The father Lehi is a prophet and has been warning the people that if they don't repent that they will be destroyed. So the people continue do bad things so Lehi is told by God to leave Jerusalem and go into the desert so that they wont be destroyed. They are promised that if they leave that they can go to a promised land that will be even better for them. So they take a long journey and end up sailing across the ocean to America.
Most of the Book of Mormon is about how prophets are called and they peach about having faith Jesus Christ, repentance, being baptized, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. Throughout the Book of Mormon fathers teach their sons the importance of following God, and they keep a record of the things that are taught on gold plates.

I would say that one of the most powerful parts of the Book of Mormon is when Jesus Christ comes to the Americas after his resurrection. In John 3:5 Christ says, "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." And so  Jesus Christ appeared to the people in America so that they could know God's word as well.
Sadly even after the appearance of Jesus Christ the people eventually choose to reject Christ's teachings. And so eventually the last prophet of the Book of Mormon, whose name is Moroni, ends up burying the plates in the ground with the promise that it would some day be revealed to people in our day.

So, in closing, I love the Book of Mormon so much. It has changed my life. There is so much that you can learn from each page. The Book of Mormon has been able to help me whenever I am struggling to still be happy and be able to overcome trials. The message of the Book of Mormon is so powerful. If you haven't ever read it before I would definitely say that it is a must read. If you have already read it I would say read it again. I have learn something new every time I read it. All you have to do is try it out.

New Beginning

1 Nephi 2:15 "And my father dwelt in a tent." Have you ever wondered why Nephi took the time to mention that his father dwelt in a tent? This past week I have been thinking about what it is like to just start over. In the story of Lehi and his family it seems that they were pretty well off. They had their own struggles, but all in all things were looking good for them. Then one day God asked them to do something very big. He asked them to leave everything that they had and go into the wilderness with just their family and what they could carry. I can only imagine how big of a challenge this was for them. And so, here we have this family who once had a lot of riches and now all that they had to their names was their tents and their family.
So, last week I got the opportunity to leave Durham and everything that I was used to and come to Morrisville. Fortunately unlike Lehi and his family we have much more then just a tent. In fact we have a great ward and a lot of potential. The thing that I think that stays the same though is the hope for good things to come. I have said good bye to many friends that I have been able to make, but I know that I will be able to make new ones here.

Ether 12:4 "Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God." I know that no matter where you are and no matter what has happened that there is still hope. God still loves you and there are great things promised for the future if you just believe in him.