Cloud 999

There have been many times in my life when I have asked myself, "Self, could life get any better than it is right now? Could you really beat your own record for happiness in one single day? Is that even possible?" and I answer emphatically, "NO WAY MAN! This is Cloud 9 bruthah! This is fo' realz!". Yeah, the conversation really goes like that....

But seriously, I have had times in my life where I wonder how things could possibly get better. How things could become even happier and well run and awesome than they already are. And so I tell myself "no it can't" and I just keep going.

And then the Lord opens my eyes a little bit. He places a little drop of Celestial Glory on my brow and wipes my eyes clean and says one simple word: LOOK.

And then I see it. I see His Benevolent Hand everywhere. I see miracle after miracle after miracle. I turn every which way and examine my life as presently constituted; I study it, take it apart, analyze it, put it back together in different ways to see what happens. And thus, I stand corrected. LIFE CAN GET BETTER. IT DOES GET BETTER. Often. Every day. In every waking moment. And I ask myself the same question: "How is this possible? How is the Lord so good to me? How can this get any better or improve in even the slightest way?". In fact, I have asked myself this question so often after being blessed so many times and awed and astounded by such blessings that I attempted to figure out truly why. There is a scripture that I think proves very instructive on the subject....

"For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have."

2 Nephi 28:30

It is this attitude described in the verse above that we must take in order to continue being blessed with an outpouring of love so great we sometimes don't fully understand it. I have come to know this is true. Why? How? Because looking back (seeing as how hindsight is almost always 20/20) on those times when I was so overwhelmingly blessed as to prompt such thoughts as I have described, I realize that along with those thoughts and having my eyes opened to the great goodness of the Lord I was filled with humility and gratitude. Such humility and gratitude in rendering the glory and honor to the Lord for His multiplicity of blessings in my behalf qualifies me for further blessing and love. It made my heart open and receptive. I was willing to accept the great blessings the Lord had in store for me, for which He Himself was always willing to bestow upon me as long as I was willing to receive.

Brothers and Sisters, the Lord is good to us. Our Father in Heaven loves us. Jesus Christ lives, and so does our Heavenly Father. They have a direct hand in our lives; they interfere for our benefit. Always. As long as we are willing to accept the extended hand. I know this to be true. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Father to Son Talk

[Child]
I have chosen to go to Earth
To show you my Father,
What I can do.
But I am afraid. I know what I will face.
I'll go through pain and sorrow
When I'm sent down to that place.

[Heavenly Father]
Oh, my sweet Child,
Peace be to You.
You'll face this only a while.
With faith you'll make it through.

Remember this:
I will always love You.
And I will send My Son down to die for You.
Look to Me, I'll always be beside You.
Remember this, until we meet again, 'til then.
'Til then.

[Heavenly Father]
I've raised You as my Child.
And taught You oh so well.
If you heed to what I've taught You,
You can make it through.

Remember this:
I will always love you.
And I will send My Spirit down to guide you.
Look to Me, I'll always be beside You.
Remember this, until we meet again,'til then.
'Til then.....

Life's Test

"The greatest battle of life is fought within the silent chambers of your own soul."
-President David O. McKay

A prophet of the Lord said the above statement. How true it is! Have you ever truly considered how important your soul is? Have you ever considered what forces are attempting to garner your attention and persuade you to side with them? Though you may feel completely alone in this world - insignificant, small, unnoticed, forgotten - you are far from it. Your soul is of immortal and eternal worth to your Father in Heaven; His work and His glory is YOU. And then of course there is the adversary. He wants nothing more than your misery and unhappiness. He will do anything to bring you down with him.

So understanding that, imagine then how truly important it is that we fight the greatest battle this life has to throw at us (the one we fight within ourselves) with the Lord on our side. We are involved in the most titanic conflict ever; we are the soldiers, the generals, the perpetrators, and the spoils. We must make every choice count. Every thought and desire is precious ammo with which we arm ourselves and ultimately signal which side we are truly on. There is no fence-sitting in this conflict. There is no neutrality nor apathy. We are "free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil" (2 Nephi 2:27). But we must make a choice, and it is always our choice. 

This understanding might be a bit overwhelming. I know sometimes I feel that way. But the ultimate comfort is that despite all of this pressure and importance placed upon us and our decisions, we can come out on top no matter what if we make just a few simple choices.

First: Choose faith and discipleship in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our Captain and our King. He will never lead us astray. He will lead us by the hand through the hailstorm of spiritual bullets and cannon fire. Trust Him and His power to lead you right and proper through all the battlefields of your own soul and the world we live in. 

Second: Found your life on the little things that influence us for good because they bring the Spirit of the Lord into our hearts. Prayer. Scripture study. A clean and righteous life. Service to others. Pure desires. Keeping the Sabbath Day holy. Following the counsel of the prophets. These small things can build a sure foundation upon which, once we are builded, we can never fall.

Three: Keep our covenants. There is power found within the promises we make the Lord at baptism and inside of His holy temples. As we keep our side of the bargain, the Lord keeps His. He blesses us and endows us with power.

These are just three examples of the kinds of choices we can make in order to forge an impenatrable armor with which we may pass Life's Test with flying colors. This I know. I have seen it in my own life. I know our Savior lives, and loves us. He is always there to guide us. I bear testimony of these things in the sacred name of the Eternal Captain of my soul, Jesus Christ. Amen.

A song that might help y'all

I know I haven't blogged in a while. My bad. I won't lie, sometimes I find it hard to think of something to blog about that is length appropriate, applies to missionary work and my calling as a missionary, and is interesting for y'all to read. I won't pretend that I am supah good at this whole blogging thing. So today to kinda get myself back into the swing of things I am just going to post the lyrics to a hymn that has always helped me through tough times. This hymn has always given me comfort when I needed it; I can always sing it in my head or to myself out loud when I feel down. This hymn fills me with the love of my Savior and helps me remember what He did for me. This hymn may be familiar to some of you, and it may not be. Either way, the words are inspiring and uplifting. Hope y'all enjoy!

Come, ye disconsolate, where'er ye languish;       
Come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel.
Here bring your wounded hearts; here tell your anguish.    
Earth has no sorrow that heav'n cannot heal.

Joy of the desolate, Light of the straying,        
Hope of the penitent, fadeless and pure!
Here speaks the Comforter, tenderly saying:   
"Earth has no sorrow that heav'n cannot cure."

Here see the Bread of Life; see waters flowing   
Forth from the throne of God, pure from above.
Come to the feast of love; come, ever knowing  
Earth has no sorrow but heav'n cannot remove.

Come, Ye Disconsolate #115
Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Miracles

God is a God of miracles. I know this to be true. If you have any doubts as to the truth of this statement, read on. Lemme break it down for ya.

So this past week I was transferred from The Hub (Santa Rosa. Center of the Mission. Mission Headquarters located here. You get the idea) to a place up north called Ukiah (Gateway to Marijuana Country. Small town lifestyle. As far north as Spanish Missionaries in our mission get sent. NEVER BEEN THERE BEFORE). I have no knowledge of the area. No knowledge of the people. I arrived with another missionary as my companion, who has also never been there before and is just as listless as I am when it comes to missionary work in the area. All we have heard is that the people are nice, but the work is hard. Finding people is hard. Teaching people and helping them overcome addictions and vices is nigh impossible.

We arrive and we walk into our new apartment. We are fully expecting notes and suggestions, tips and advice, an organized apartment, and some solace in what the previous missionaries have left behind.

WRONG. The place is trashed. There is very little tips, advice, help, what have you, left behind. Nearly none, really. We have ZERO things set up for us to do throughout the rest of the week. Great. Awesome. Spectacular.

Would rather have shards of glass in my eyes.

And then I remember why I'm there. Why I have volunteered to go through this kind of thing. Why I am willing to put up with this kind of stuff and move forward and trust in the Lord to make things right as I trust in Him and exercise my faith.

Because I love my brothers and sisters I have been called to serve (that includes YOU), and they need what I have. They need to know that the message I carry in the name of Jesus Christ is true. They need it more than anything else. This message will change their lives.

So me and my companion go to work. We cleanse the inner vessel first (cleaning the apartment and organizing ourselves) and then we plan our first day. All we have to go off of is a list of names.We really don't know much else. So all we had planned to do was visit people, tell them we were the new missionaries in town, that we were here to serve them and help them grow closer to Jesus Christ, and see what happened. More than anything, we resolved to go forth and trust in the Lord the whole way. Otherwise nothing was gonna happen.

So we did just that. Nothing more. We trusted in God and His power to open doors and paths for us, and then we went out and worked. And you know what?

Miracles flowed from Heaven. Every single door every single day was opened to us. Everyone either invited us inside then and there or they said to come back within one or two days, and the appointments held. No one ditched. No one cancelled. Everyone wanted us to come back. The Spirit of God led and guided us to find people who are readily accepting and receptive to the message. People's lives are being changed on a daily basis. People are coming closer to Christ. They are changing for the better. They have felt the Spirit and the love of God for them. They are happier than ever before in their lives.

And we didn't really do a whole lot. The Lord did it all. I mean, COME ON! We're two twenty-ish young men with no prior knowledge of nothing and no one in the area and we definitely have no direction as to how we should be going about doing our work, and it comes. The Lord opens doors. He changes hearts. He drops people practically into our laps! Nothing else but the power of God and the miracles He blessed us with could have done that.We of ourselves were practically powerless to change the face of the area by ourselves. We're in the middle of Marijuana Madness for Pete's sake! Nobody should be willing to listen to us; even less let us in and then act on the message that we share! But they did. It happened, and it keeps on happening.

Like I said, God is a God of miracles.

An Imperfect Tool in Perfect Hands

I have a confession to make to y'all. Right here. Right now. In front of everyone and the Internet. This is where we get down to the nitty gritty. Where I lay it all down on the table. No holds barred. Y'all ready?

I am not a perfect person. In fact, I have a lot of flaws.

This may come as a surprise to some of you. Actually, I know it doesn't. It's pretty obvious to the casual observer. I'm so far from perfect I need a map and a guide to get there.

And that's kinda what I wanted to talk about. See, I have been thinking a lot lately about how the Lord uses imperfect tools (namely me) to bring to pass His holy purposes. One of my favorite scriptures goes like this:
19 The weak things of the world shall come forth and break down the mighty and strong ones, that man should not counsel his fellow man, neither trust in the arm of flesh—

20 But that every man might speak in the name of God the Lord, even the Savior of the world;

21 That faith also might increase in the earth;

22 That mine everlasting covenant might be established;

23 That the fulness of my gospel might be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world, and before kings and rulers.

24 Behold, I am God and have spoken it; these commandments are of me, and were given unto my servants in their weakness, after the manner of their language, that they might come to understanding.

25 And inasmuch as they erred it might be made known;

26 And inasmuch as they sought wisdom they might be instructed;

27 And inasmuch as they sinned they might be chastened, that they might repent;

28 And inasmuch as they were humble they might be made strong, and blessed from on high, and receive knowledge from time to time.

(Doctrine & Covenants 1:19-28)

So I know that that scripture reference was kinda long. But I hope you saw what I see. IT'S OKAY TO BE IMPERFECT. Heavenly Father has a perfect plan for each and every one of His children, and He is always willing to lift us when we are down, to mold us and shape us when we need it and allow it, and to propel us to greater heights than we have ever previously seen. I know that it's okay to be imperfect and that the Lord will still use us for His mighty and holy purposes to bless our lives and the lives of others because that's what He is doing with me. I'm a full-time missionary representing His Church and His Son Jesus Christ, but I am far from perfect. And yet I have been witness to miracles that have changed people's lives; not because of my own talents and abilities to provide such miracles myself, but because the Lord used me in His Hands to bring about such miracles. It was all His doing, I was just the imperfect tool in Perfect Hands. We can all enjoy such blessings and witness such miracles. Simply do the best you can to be your best self and He will use you despite any inherent weaknesses or flaws that you might have.

Doing

It is never enough to simply believe in something. Simply believing will do nothing for you. Simply believing doesn't change the way you behave, the way you talk, the things you do on a daily basis. Simply believing is just that.... Now ACTING on a belief? That is something else entirely. There is power to be found in acting on one's belief. Action as a result of belief makes such a belief immortal.

You have faith in your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Great!

Now what are you going to do about it?

James 2:14-18

There Are Two Kinds of People in This World....

Yes, ladies and gentlemen. I am adding my own version to the "There are two kinds of people in this world..." bandwagon that everyone tries to jump on at least once in this life. I know, it's cliché. I know it gets overused and abused on a constant basis. I know that it has had an appearance in everything known to man.... whether it be Jurassic Park 3 (It's in there.... PINKY PROMISE. I know dinosaurs and movies about them that well... Ask my Momma) or jokes about Binary and other such things.

But I'm going for it, cuz my version is really that good. Hate to brag, but it is.

There are two kinds of people in this world. Examples, and Warnings. Essentially people that we should learn from and emulate and those who we should never follow because what they did was dumb and/or wrong. Pretty self explanatory right? And in case you haven't picked up what I've put down nor smelt what I'm steppin' in, I shall list a couple instances of such that I have noticed recently.

Example: My companion made my bed once while I was in the shower. He knew I would've done it as soon as I got out, but he decided to serve me. He was sensitive and compassionate. He was thoughtful and kind. Learning from him would be a great idea! Kindness: pass it on! I'll make his bed next time, or make him breakfast or something.

Warning: Random guy decides to jay walk across the insanely busy street and almost gets hit by a car. Then he makes a nasty hand gesture and begins to yell obscenities towards the far long gone driver; all of this while taking ZERO responsibility for his own actions and negligence to obey laws that were put there for his benefit and safety if he obeyed them. DEFINITELY not gonna do what he did....

Example: A family we visited recently let us in to join in on their weekly family activity night that was already in progress. We got to have fun, be spiritually uplifted, and see the love of parents for children and children for parents in a wonderful home setting. Hmmm... I like that. I wanna do that with my own future family!

Warning: We knock on a person's door to share a Gospel message with them. They answer, take one look at us, and say "Get the heck outta here. We don't accept your kind." Then they slam the door in our faces. Well that was kinda mean.... I didn't like that. I never want to feel that way again, and no one else deserves that either. I will never treat someone with indecency the first time that I meet them ever, no matter who they are.

Example: A man named Jesus Christ lived His entire life in the service of others and in teaching others the benefits of obedience and faithfulness to the laws and commandments of our loving Heavenly Father. Then, to seal the deal, He suffered for our sins and died for us so that we might receive a remission of our sins. And He lives still and leads and guides His Restored Church for the benefit of the whole human race and the salvation of God's children: US.

I won't provide another Warning for y'all. I think you get the picture already...

Will you be an Example or a Warning? And will you follow the Perfect Example, Jesus Christ? And who has been an Example or a Warning to you lately? Comment below!

Jalapeños

I did something really dumb last night.....

Last night us missionaries here in the Santa Rosa Spanish Branch got taken out to dinner at what is called a taquería (basically the Spanish name for a taco shop). A young couple from the Branch bought us the dinner and spent some time with us. The food was wonderful, the company was pleasant, and my stomach was full to bursting. I was content. We got to a little bit of chit chatting and the conversation touched on food for a moment. Someone made a comment about things we like and don't like to eat, and they also observed that I was one that typically ate everything that was ever put in front of me nowadays (this person knows me very well....). I agreed and said, "Since my mission, I have decided to eat what I am given. No matter what. I don't want to be ungrateful or wasteful. The food people give me as a missionary out of their own free will is a gift and a privilege." I was of course saying this out of all seriousness.

But someone at the table decided to test me. I still don't know who... no one will fess up. But the next thing I know, I have a little bowl with two jalapeños in it sitting right in front of me. Everyone at the table is looking at me expectantly as if to say, "Well, you did say you would eat everything and anything if put in front of you. Let's see if you'll really walk the walk after you've talked the talk." I of course, am extremely impulsive when it comes to peer pressure and fun little dares and stuff like that. So this is a horrible combination, ladies and gentleman.

I down them both. At the same time. I chew them relentlessly for about 30 seconds.

"Meh. This isn't so bad....." (cue intense burning of torment and fire that will not stop rising for the next half hour).

Yeah. I really regret it. "That was not smart. Thaaaaaaat was not smart..." (Quote from "What About Bob?"). It was so flippin' hot that I hyperventilated a little bit. I lost feeling in my nose and fingertips. And the thing is, I KNEW that something to that effect was going to happen! I KNEW that I was not going to enjoy the consequences! I KNEW it was going to be excruciating, horrific, would-rather-have-shards-of-glass-in-my-eyes bad..... but I still did it. I was fully aware of the consequences and I still caved.

TIE IN TO THE GOSPEL TIME: We all know what is wrong and what is right. We all know that there are negative consequences to giving into temptation and sin. No matter how fancy you dress it up, a pig is still a pig, and sin is still sin. So WHY on Earth would we give into it? Because we are not perfect. But we always have the choice to not give into it in the first place. So today, that is my invitation to y'all. Next time something you know is wrong, impulsive, dumb, immature, sinful, prideful, or WHAT HAVE YOU THAT YOU KNOW YOU SHOULDN'T DO OR SAY comes your way, DON'T DO IT. You will only regret it. Learn from my stupidity people; I know I sure have.

There Ain't No Substitute for the Real Thing People

Y'all are gonna laugh at me.

Hard.

So when you're a missionary, you are supposed to keep your hair nice and clean cut. You're representing the Lord after all; look the part! So every so often this missionary starts needing a hair cut ( he likes his hair nice and short ). Usually he grabs a pair of electrical clippers from another missionary and cuts his own hair and has his companion trim the sides and back. It always works out great and looks even better.

This time was wayyyyyy different people. Typical hair cut time protocol. Except this time the only available clippers have only belonged to the other missionary for about..... ten hours. The guy bought them that very morning. Didn't read the instructions or actually know how to use them really. But I didn't know that. I just knew he had clippers and I needed a hair cut. So the day comes to an end and I ask him for a cut before bed. The clippers go bad about halfway through cuz he messed around with them too much. He had cut me at a 3 length and I originally wanted a 1. So what happens? Another missionary present remembers he has a set of clippers of his own that are smaller and reserved for little things like edging and beard trimming, but he has used them before on full heads. So he gets them. Puts the 1 setting on, takes a swipe.... "Whoa....."

WATTAYA MEAN WHOA?!

Hands me a mirror. My hair is essentially about as short as it comes without shaving it with a razor. Nothing wrong with that length right? WRONG. Way too short. But of course, there's no helping that little detail now! So we are forced to cut the rest of it the same length. (Sigh of reluctant acceptance)

Lesson to be learned? Nothing beats the real thing. And not just in haircuts. In everything. If we desire the best results, we should go straight to the source and get the best we can. Here's the tie in to the Gospel people: If we want the most out of our relationship with our Heavenly Father, we must go to Him. We must pray to Him, study and search His word, heed the counsel of His authorized servants, and follow His Way. That way we don't get the short end of the deal. Get it? Short end of the deal... tying extra short haircuts into the Gospel... yeah I think y'all get it.

NOTE: This post was originally written approximately 2 months ago.... as in September. But for some reason my blog didn't post it when I pressed submit, and I just didn't notice. So I am now posting it, today being November 19th.... Oh well. Why waste a good post, right? Enjoy the funny story.