Merry Christmas from Charlie Brown!

I decided to post one of my favorite monologues of all-time about the Nativity story. :) I hope everyone enjoys their holidays!

Movie Monday- Christmas time is here again!

In honor of the holiday season I thought I would start off with one man's musical tribute to our Savior, Jesus Christ. Handel was a composer who lived in the 1700s. He was a talented musician who was able to master the violin and organ at a young age. He started writing operas in Italy and later moved to England where he enjoyed early success. However, as he grew older his audience became less and less interested in his works. For the majority of his life he spent his time fighting off creditors. It was only after he suffered, and recovered from, a stroke that left his right arm temporarily paralyzed that he wrote a piece that is world renowned today and one of the best pieces of music ever written. Handel's Messiah.



May we all remember this holiday season the wonderful gift of having Christ live on this earth, and may we also use Handel as an example of perseverance that we might also be able to glorify God in our own individual ways as we strive to follow Him.

Testimony Tuesday- Sacred Sunday Ordinances

This week, as with every week in church, I had the opportunity to participate in the ordinance of the Sacrament. Ordinances are just ceremonies where we make covenants, or promises, with God. The ordinance of the Sacrament is one that is performed weekly in the LDS Church and is a renewal of the covenants that members make at baptism to stand as witnesses of Jesus Christ and always remember Him. As we make this promise to God, He promises us a remission of our sins as well as the continuing presence and gift of the Holy Ghost.

As I sat in church pondering about the significance of the Sacrament the Holy Ghost confirmed to me once again that it is truly a necessarily and beautiful ordinance that is carried out under Priesthood authority and by Priesthood power. I know that it really is a renewal of our baptismal covenants. With it we can feel clean and pure every week just as we did when we were baptized. I invite all to prepare themselves to make those commitments where they could be baptized, so that they can enjoy all the blessings that God would have for them.

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Scripture Sunday- I believe in Christ 2.0

For anyone who didn't read my first Scripture Sunday post about my testimony of Jesus Christ you can look Here. In it I talk about a prophet named Nephi, from the Book of Mormon, who preaches and testifies of Christ. One of my other very favorite prophets from the Book of Mormon named Alma also talks about Jesus Christ and the sacrifice that He made for each of us.

Alma says, " 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. 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."- Alma 7: 11-12

I testify that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. That through His sacrifice we all can be saved and return to live with our Heavenly Father again. That IS the central and most important message that any LDS missionary could share.

Here is one more video testimony from The Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Random Saturday Thoughts

When I was in elementary school my parents always used to have me walk to and from school. Of course it was always uphill and in 3 feet of snow. One fall morning in my first grade year it was particularly windy and cold. I was not excited to have to walk to school in that wind! I knew that walking out in the cold was necessary to make it to my destination, but it would be cold and hard and the wind was blowing hard enough that it could almost knock me over. I went to my dad and asked humbly for a ride to school since I was already late and it was so windy. He told me no, understanding that I needed to learn the valuable lesson of waking up for school on time, and bundling up for the cold weather. I cried and whined but couldn't convince him to take me to school. I started walking, wiping tears from my face, as the wind stung my exposed cheeks and nose.

Friday Free Day- I'm finally back!

So many people are wondering, I'm sure, where the posts have gone! I'm very sorry that I haven't posted lately. But here we are again and I promise not to be so irresponsible in the future. I was thinking about our Thanksgiving season as the holiday is soon approaching and it came to mind just how much I have to be grateful for to my Heavenly Father. I like the verse from the Book of Mormon... From Alma chapter 37, verse37..." Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let they heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day." I hope we can all remember to be grateful for all of our many blessings that we receive from our Heavenly Father, especially in this season!

I hope I can be hopeful!

During my Friday Free Day "Requests" post Trudi asked a question regarding hope and my favorite scripture that talks about that. One thing that I feel I have been blessed with in my life is hope. I say this not to brag, but to express thanks to my Heavenly Father, in a public setting, for one of the blessings that I see God giving me in my life. I believe that hope comes of faith, and faith in things like God and Jesus Christ is something that I've always been able to have in my life and such faith is able to give me hope. I'm reminded of a scripture in the book of Ether, from the Book of Mormon, "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."- Ether 12:4

One scripture that was recently mentioned by blogger Tiffany is in 3rd Nephi from the Book of Mormon. She says, " I love reading in 3 Nephi about when Christ comes to visit the Americas. After reading about all the wars and contentions, (in Alma specifically) and still more wars, then you read about the destruction of the earth and the darkness for days etc, it's so refreshing and peaceful to read about Christ coming after He was resurrected. He teaches, He blesses the little children, He lets people feel the nail prints in His hands, and it's lovely to read. All of those chapters give me hope."

I know that because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ we can hope for things to come, both in this life or in the eternal scheme of things. I'm really excited to see everybody's answers to questions on my blog as well! Any other ideas or topics that people would like to discuss? I would love to hear about them!!

Movie Monday- Practice makes Perfect!

When I was in high school I was into music. Well... I've always been into music, but in high school I had an organized outlet for my interests. I was in a couple of choirs in jr. high and enjoyed it so much that I decided to join some choirs while I was in high school! My senior year I had the opportunity to be in the large A Capella choir, as well as the chamber choir which sang the most difficult pieces that our teacher taught her students. It was a really wonderful experience and I learned a lot of things that I have taken away from it and incorporated into my life. One of those things is diligence and patience as we learn.

During my Junior year when I was in the large A Capella class we sang a song titled, "The Battle of Jericho". At first when we practiced it we sang it really, really slow. I wondered as we did it why we were practicing it that way. Having never heard the song before I wasn't quite prepared for the complexity and the difficulty of keeping everything exactly at the right tempo. Fortunately for me and the other people in my choir who complained about the tedious practicing, we had an excellent teacher who understood the importance of learning the basics with diligence and patience. When we finally did put the whole thing together it sounded like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hiz54OHyCAg

Our Gospel understanding is much like this. We sometimes don't realize the importance of the little things like saying our prayers or attending church. We rationalize by saying, "one time missing church will be okay." But I can promise when we are diligent and patient with the "little things", that we will be practicing and learning principles that will help us when the difficult things in life come. We'll be able to do such things as, recognize the Holy Ghost speaking to us, or be able to take comfort in our prayers during those difficult times. God will always be there to bless and help us. May the Lord bless us all that we might be diligent and patient as we follow the example of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Friday Free Day- Requests??

Over the past month or so you've had the opportunity to know a little bit about my testimony, and learn about the things that I like to see/read/listen to. Now it's your turn! I want to find out what YOU all want me to write about. Of course I'll only discuss topics regarding the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but anything within that goes!

Have a question you want to ask?? I'll answer it on a blog post!
Have a favorite scripture that you want me to talk about?? I'll post it, and talk about what it means to you, or me, or both.
Have a favorite church video that you want other people to see?? Tell me about it and I'll find it if it is anywhere online!
Comment on this post, or message me on Facebook. You can even email me if you would like! Whatever way works best for you.

Let's start the insanity. ;)

Testimony Tuesday- Slow and steady...

Recently Elder Baird and I have taken up running as part of our daily exercise. Since we don't get much physical activity during most of our day we have the chance to spend time at the end of the day doing something active. Anybody who has been to our part of Provo, Utah knows that we live on the side of a mountain. It doesn't really matter the direction we go when we run because we are inevitably going to run into a hill at some point along the way. The first few times we ran, those hills terrified and discouraged me. I was not a good runner at first. This was not because I was unhealthy or out of shape, but because I did not think positively about the path ahead of me. I would think to myself, "How am I ever going to make it up that last large hill?? I've already run for several miles, and I am tired!" Always, this pattern of thought was crippling once I did reach that hill.

The Bean Counters

I remember reading an essay in high school entitled "The Bean Counters" which chronicled three theories made by a very observant girl regarding the Bean Counters of life. Her conclusion was that she was not here merely to count beans; but to count them, organize them, and even make them in to bean soup should the mood strike her.

So often I find that to be the case in life, and especially in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are welcome to become preoccupied with counting our beans, carefully cataloging and organizing, making sure that everything is just so-so. Or we can refuse to count beans all together, and miss out on the joy that is the bean! These two extremes rarely lead us to the place that we want to go. This place that I am referring to is, of course, safely back into the presence of God, our Heavenly Father.

Testimony Tuesday- A prophet of God

I had the opportunity last weekend to be part of an MTC Choir that sang in the Priesthood Session of General Conference. It was a really special experience for me, and probably something I won't get the chance to do many more times in my life. The sweetest part of that trip though was the chance I had to hear President Thomas S. Monson speak. I can tell you that watching him on TV is a great experience, and that you can feel the Spirit as you watch. But there is also something special and powerful about seeing him in person. I testify that He is a prophet. He is the 16th prophet since the reorganization of Christ's Church to the earth in 1830. Find out for yourself! :) Go watch him speak. Pray about it. I know he is a prophet. You can know it too. Just in case you can't find one of his conference addresses for yourself, here is the one from Priesthood Session that impressed me. :)

Movie Monday- General Conference!

So of course all my posts today and yesterday are going to have something to do with General Conference which occurred this last weekend. However, I believe that there are prophets and apostles on the earth once more. They have very important things to share with us, and to teach us. In order to be able to learn many of the things they want us to know, we have to listen to General Conference. So hopefully a little exposure will help each of you to come to a similar appreciation of the special witnesses of Jesus Christ to the one I have.

Scripture Sunday- Come Listen to a Prophet's Voice

This weekend was a very special weekend for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was the weekend when we have our semi-annual General Conference. The time when the entire worldwide church is able to come together to be instructed and uplifted by Prophets and Apostles; Special witnesses of Jesus Christ that convey to all of us those things that our Heavenly Father wants us to know.

In Amos chapter 3, verse 7 it reads, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." When we listen to General Conference we are able to better understand the counsel and advice that God would have us know at this specific time.

It has been confirmed again to me today that there is a living prophet on the earth today. His name is Thomas S. Monson. He stands as the leader of this church, under the direction of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. I promise that as we follow the counsel that he gives we will have a pure joy in this life. We will be able to follow the commandments that God would have us follow, and we can one day return to live with our Heavenly Father again. For anyone who missed any session of Conference, I would urge you to watch it, and to be open to the Holy Spirit as it speaks to your heart and mind about the truthfulness of the doctrines that were shared. Here is a link: http://lds.org/broadcast/gc/1,5161,9199,00.html

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Elder Thompson's Last Day

Part of missionary life is the constant change. For good or for bad, missionaries really never can plan for the next 6 months, because who knows what will have changed! One of those changes that happened today is Elder Thompson reaching the end of his mission. He served faithfully in 2 different missions; First in San Antonio, Texas and then here in the Referral Center. He was an example of faith and dedication. He bore a testimony today to all of us that He knew that God lives, and that He loves each of us, and that this is His work. I echo that testimony that I know that God lives, and this IS His work, "For behold, this is my work and my glory- to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."- Moses 1:39

E. Thompson's motivational scripture reminds me of my duty and privilege as a missionary: "Shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad..."-D&C 128: 22

Testimony Tuesday- My belief in the Book of Mormon

The last few weeks I've cheated and shared the testimonies of others... But I figured it would be a good thing to share my own testimony of something that I know to be true; Namely the Book of Mormon.

I know that it is the Word of God. That it testifies that Jesus is the Christ. It is a companion to the Bible. They support and uphold one another and they contain the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that the Book of Mormon is physical, tangible evidence that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. Matthew 7: 16-20 helps us understand that it is one of the fruits of Joseph Smith. One of the many testimonies that verifies him to be a prophet. I know that as we read the Book of Mormon, and honestly seek to have answers from God that it is true, that we will come to know that it is true. I know that, as Joseph Smith said, "...[The Book of Mormon] is the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book." 

God lives. He loves us. And because He loves us He has given us many things to help us in our lives to be able to return to live with Him again. One of those things is the Book of Mormon. Of this I testify, in the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Scripture Sunday- I Believe in Christ

One of my favorite prophets is from the Book of Mormon. His name is Nephi. He is one of my favorite prophets because of his powerful testimony and the wonderful language he uses to help us understand things that are important. The most important thing that he talks about is regarding our Savior, Jesus Christ...

2 Nephi 25:26
- And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.

I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. That through Him we may receive a remission of our sins and be able to return to live with our Heavenly Father. Here is one of my favorite hymns sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Running through the mud of life

Anyone who has talked with me before knows that I have a real love of any off-road vehicle, especially Jeeps! I love looking at pictures of modified vehicles and watching videos of those vehicles conquer seemingly impossible obstacles! One of my favorites to watch are called "mud-boggers". These are trucks specifically designed to go through thick, gooey mud. One of the keys to safely navigating through this mud is building up speed and momentum, and not letting the mud bog you down.

I've noticed that sometimes in life we are faced with challenges or temptations, that if we let them, can act like sticky, gooey mud for us spiritually. If we don't have the momentum of staying close to the Lord we can get caught in the "mud bog". I've come to know those momentum-builders are easy things to do; simply reading your scriptures, and praying daily. Attending church and searching for the opportunities to make correct choices in our lives. If we try and start when the temptation or challenge comes... It's often too late. We have a much better chance of getting stuck by starting late than we would if we had built up the speed in preparation for the difficult times.

Testimony Tuesday- Trudi

Trudi is a wonderful lady from Washington who got baptized a few months ago. She recently came to Utah to attend a special week of conferences at BYU called Education Week. It is a series of lectures that talk all about different Gospel and spiritual principles. While she was here I had the pleasure of meeting her. Her conviction and the power of her testimony is really something that testifies to me once more that God is there. He loves us. He wants us to be able to return to live with Him again, and so He shares with us sacred truths that help us make the choices that will enable us to return to live with Him again. With her permission, I share a portion of her testimony...

Movie Monday- Our belief in Jesus Christ

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. The only way by which men and women can return to live with God again. It is through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that this is made possible.

So strong is our belief, and faith in Jesus Christ that the prophet Joseph Smith said, " The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it" (History of the Church, 3:30).

This is a video produced by the LDS Church that chronicles part of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer. That His Atonement makes it possible for me and everybody who has ever lived on this earth to return to live with their Heavenly Father once more. If you have any other questions or would like to speak with missionaries about more of our beliefs just message me.

Scripture Sunday- Blessings of church attendance

Being as today is Sunday you'll probably find that most of your friends who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spent a portion of their day at church. But have you ever wondered why??

In the Book of Mormon, in the book of Moroni, it talks about the ancient church and the important things that the believers in Jesus Christ did when they gathered together to worship...


Moro. 6: 5-6, 9
  5 And the church did meet together oft, to fast and to pray, and to speak one with another concerning the welfare of their souls.
  6 And they did meet together oft to partake of bread and wine, in remembrance of the Lord Jesus.
      •  •  •
  9 And their meetings were conducted by the church after the manner of the workings of the Spirit, and by the power of the Holy Ghost; for as the power of the Holy Ghost led them whether to preach, or to exhort, or to pray, or to supplicate, or to sing, even so it was done.


So now we know about the important things that members of Christ's ancient church did... But have you ever wondered what happens in an LDS Church meeting today? Watch this!

Friday Free Day- Mormons Made Simple

Today I found something that is exciting for me as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! There's a new video on the website mormonsmadesimple.com. This is a website dedicated to making short cartoon videos that help explain the basic beliefs of the LDS Church and also explain a little more about us. From missionaries, to what goes on in a church service. Today there is a new one though!!

It's the story of the Restoration through the prophet Joseph Smith. For anyone who doesn't know we believe that the church that Christ originally organized on the earth was lost over a long period of time after His death and the death of His Apostles. Because of this there was a need for it to be brought back in its fullness to the earth once more, so that we could enjoy all the blessings of being members of Christ's Church! This was brought about by the prophet Joseph Smith. Here's the video that explains briefly what happened.

And we're back!!

I know, I know, I'm FINALLY posting again! I've been a little MIA the last month or so, as the date of my last post shows. :) But we're back in business folks! So get excited for all the uplifting posts about God you can handle!

Movie Monday- The Book of Mormon

Everybody likes a good movie from time to time. So I've decided to set a whole day apart to have one! This first week I think it fitting to have a movie that talks about the Book of Mormon. Especially because we claim the Book of Mormon to be the keystone of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A modern Apostle of Jesus Christ, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland recently spoke in a general church meeting called General Conference about the Book of Mormon. I find it to be a very powerful and personal testimony about the Book of Mormon.

I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. It is another testament of Jesus Christ and is a companion to the Bible. Contained in it is the Gospel and testimony of Jesus Christ. That He is our Savior and Redeemer. And that through Him we can return to live with our Heavenly Father again.

Friday Free Day- The last of the Zone Conferences

The RC Mission had Zone Conference today. Zone Conferences are a special meeting that take a portion of a Friday from about 8 AM to 12 PM. They are held once every six weeks. They are a special training where the whole mission can get together and have outside sources come and talk to us and present new ideas of how to help make us better missionaries. It is always a beneficial and Spiritual experience.

This Zone Conference was particularly special because it is also the day when Elder Tagg and Elder McMullin finish their missions! They are wonderful missionaries with very strong testimonies that God loves us, that His son Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, and that the Book of Mormon is the Word of God. They will definitely be missed, and we all hope they have a great start getting back into "regular" life. :)

Testimony Tuesday- Let the choir do the talking

So for my first testimony Tuesday, I figured I would incorporate someone else's testimony instead of my own. This is the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Along with being THE choir inside the church they are also world renowned and considered by many professional musicians to be in a league all their own.



For an in depth view of one of the members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Click here.

Friday Free Day- How to become a missionary

I figured I needed to tell my story of how I came to be a missionary at the Referral Center. I have a heart condition called neurocardiogenic syncope. It basically means that I faint sometimes if I get too hot or don't eat, etc. Any individual who wants to be a missionary fills out an application, called mission papers. Those papers are sent up to church headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah. 


When I filled mine out, the word came back that I was not expected to serve a mission for the church because of my heart condition. Through my local church leaders I was given the option to serve other service missions. It wasn't quite the same as a proselyting mission though and I had decided before I turned in my papers that if I wasn't called on a proselyting mission I would pursue other interests.

Friday Free Day! "Without music life would be a mistake.' ~Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

So in keeping with one of my sister's blogs, I've decided that certain days should have themes. She does this in everyday life to entertain her kids during summertime, and I find it equally entertaining so I've decided to do it on my blog! What can I say, my blog... My rules! ;)

For my first 'Friday Free Day' I've thought a lot about the influence music has on my life. Both my missionary life, and regular life. At the risk of being cliche I would quote the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet, which is a kind of guidebook for teenagers in the LDS Church...

"Music is an important and powerful part of life. It can be an influence for good that helps you draw closer to Heavenly Father. However, it can also be used for wicked purposes...Choose carefully the music you listen to. Pay attention to how you feel when you are listening. Don’t listen to music that drives away the Spirit..."- “Music and Dancing,” For the Strength of Youth: Fulfilling Our Duty to God, 20

I would encourage, and invite everyone to notice the music in their lives, and more importantly the affect that it has on them. If it needs to be changed, then change it. It can never hurt to try and grow closer to our Heavenly Father.