Why?!

As I taught a man today, we promised him the blessings or happiness which come from knowing that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored on the earth today.  Just by way of a humble prayer he could come to know that these things are true also..

He pondered our invitation and then with slight hesitation he asked " Now I don't ask this to offend you, but so what?  So what if the Book of Mormon is true, or God does have a prophet on the earth today..."

Elder Vomocil  and I turned and looked at each other, and then humbly bore testimony of the covenant or promise you make as you come to know these things to be true, and the eternal blessings attached to each promise.  Our message is BOLD but if lived and followed leads to true happiness. 

Things such as.....

• Personal Prayer (trusting in Heavenly Father for Truth, developing a relationship with God)
• Baptism (promising God to follow Him, in return taking upon us the name of Christ)
• Living the Commandments (Showing obedience to God, in return living a fulfilling life)
• Modern day Prophet (listen to the prophet, in return we get guidance)
• Eternal Families (living worthy of a temple marriage, spending eternity with those you love)

Just to name a few major blessing from coming to know that is simple yet perfect message is true.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored!  I know this to be true.  Don't take my word for it, but I invite all of you to ask in prayer if the message is true, and when you receive your personal witness from the Holy Spirit follow the example of our Savior Jesus Christ and be baptized, enabling these eternal blessing into your own life!

picture of question mark came from http://www.plymouth.k12.ma.us/OurSchools/HighSchools/PlymouthNorth/tabid/293/Default.aspx

The Book which Changes Lives

A book of CHANGE.  A book of HOPE.  A book of HAPPINESS.  A book of CHRIST.  They are not just simply words on the pages, but directions from our Supreme Creator to lead us to happiness.  As I trust the feeling I get as I read my life takes new meaning.  The guidance is there for all to receive it, we must just begin to read it. 


The Book of Mormon is TRUE.  Read for yourself, and allow the spirit to work with in you.  Ponder the message and ask God if it is true.  Follow the teachings, and enjoy the happiness which follows! 

A simple Gift that keeps on giving

What is a testimony?

A testimony can be simple or complex, but to sum one up, a testimony is what you believe and know to be true.

While serving a mission I have realized how much of an impact a testimony can have, not only in my own life, but in the lives of others too.  As opportunities come up for me to share mine, each time I do my own is strengthen and I feel who I share it with gets strengthen from it too.  My testimony is great source of comfort and peace to me knowing I have values and beliefs to rely on. Mine is also a great defense when facing personal challenges or avoiding situations around me.  Pretty amazing what a testimony has done, and is doing for me, and mine is even rather simple....

I know Jesus Christ is my Savior, and through Him I can find true happiness while overcoming my weakness.  I know God is my loving Heavenly Father; He hears and answers prayers with love.  I know that Joseph Smith is the prophet of the Restoration.  I know that the Book of Mormon is true, and I know as I do my best to follow the teaching from it, life gets a whole lot better!

Brigham Young was not baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during the first year of his learning about the restored gospel. But of his conversion he said:

“If all the talent, tact, wisdom, and refinement of the world had been sent to me with the

Book of Mormon, and had declared, in the most exalted of earthly eloquence, the truth of

it, undertaking to prove it by learning and worldly wisdom, they would have been to me

like smoke which arises only to vanish away. But when I saw a man without eloquence

or talents for public speaking, who could only say, ‘I know by the power of the Holy Ghost

that the Book of Mormon is true, that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of the Lord,’ the Holy

Ghost proceeding from that individual illuminated my understanding, and a light, glory,

and immortality were before me. I was encircled by them, filled with them, and I knew

for myself that the testimony  of the man was true”

Please share your testimony with others.  Don't be afraid or ashamed to share something that has given so much to you.  Be willing to allow another to grow from just hearing what you have to say. No worries if you feel like yours is too small or may even not know if you have one. Still speak up and share! I know one is in there, took me a while to find mine too!  Open your mouth and allow the spirit to speak!

"Bearing His Name"

Missionaries always roll in two's so I'm letting Elder Webber share a Christmas message with you!

What a most joyous and wonderful time of the year! Christmas is right around the corner. I can barely  wait to open presents and chat with my family back home. This Christmas season has been a little different. As a full time servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, I can't help but to ponder every day about the Savior's birth.

Recently Elder Bankhead and I made a trip to the Post Office to mail a couple things for the holidays. An older gentleman walked up to me and said: "It's good to see a "brotha" in a nice suit and tie with his pants pulled up." He then walked off as I nodded and gave him a look that showed I at least acknowledged what he said. Later on we were biking down Marshall Rd. and a pastor on the sidewalk dressed in casual clothes striked a conversation with us. He pointed out our dress appearance and told us that Jesus wore drabby clothes, not a suit and tie. He then finally went on his way. But those two experiences got me thinking a little bit. Why do we dress business like? And who do we really represent? I compared our representation of the Savior to that of a business employee. This is what I came up with:

Our name tags bear the name of Jesus Christ instead of a company. Our title is "Elder " instead of a company position. We have been called of God and set apart through His divine power. It doesn't matter what our shortcomings or talents may be. We are all qualified by Him to do the "job". There is no competition and no salary; and of course there are no vacations!

In the Bible Isaiah foretells of Mary, who shall bear a son. Of course Mary was a virtuous woman, and she was chosen to bear Him. But what can we do to bear His Name this Christmas season? And how can we show by our outward appearance that we are His?

Well I don't know all the answers, but I do know it is a choice we must make: "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you...For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matt. 11:28-30). To many times people think you can 'Have it your Way.' That may be true for a time. But soon or later everyone finds out there's a better way than just living off a slogan from Burger King. We can find true happiness and joy through the Lord's way. But we must be willing to bear His Name. In the Book of Mormon a prophet learns from God this simple lesson: "Yea, blessed is this people who are willing to bear my name; for in my name shall they be called; and they are mine."

Everyday I wake up and slip on my black name tag with two names: who I am- and who I want to become like. How much more do we need to bear His Name in our hearts this season. God bless and have a Merry Christmas!!

Play Book of Life

December!!  I found myself lost in a whirlwind of questions.  My mind was going about a million miles every which way.  Back up, I will clue you in on some background information...as a missionary I serve my mission for two years.  Well, just so happens my year mark is this month.  So I am at like my midlife crisis in missionary life, just kidding it is not bad at all.  I just find myself doing a lot of self evaluation.

A lot of missionaries at this time do a lot of reflecting both on the pass and the time to come.  Not only the time to come on as a missionary, but also life in general.  Questions like who am I?  What good have I done?  How have I changed?  Who do I want to become?

Life has so many twist and turns, ups and downs, highlights and moments we wish would have never happened, but that is life.  In this storm of questions in my head I found myself slightly nervous for the future.

I am a baby when it comes to that, one of my biggest fears since 6th grade is having to grow up.  For the longest time I thought when you grow up the fun stops, life is just a boring routine you do till you get old and die.  Pretty depressing way to look at it, and boy was I wrong.

As I looked around my desk trying to sort out all of my lingering questions pictures and things stood out to me.  The first thing to stand out to me were two big pictures of Christ.  I know Christ is real and He suffered for me.  I thought, hmmm.....there must be a lot more to life than just a boring routine if He was willing to go through that for me.

Next picture to catch my eye was one of a guy sitting in a chair, with the out stretched hand of Christ before him, and the devil's hand trying to bind and pull him down.  I thought about the times of rebellion and the times of righteousness in my life.  Life is filled with choices and challenges, which can come at us unexpectedly not in just a boring routine fashion.  The picture reminded me that the Savior will always have an out stretched hand through all our walks of life.

Right under the drawing is a list of all my family and close friends birthdays.  The list of names cause me to reflect on all those I love.  Those special individuals that Heavenly Father has blessed me with, to be on my team as I endure the game of life.  I thought about all the things in life that are worth a celebration, birthdays being the celebration of the past year, and year to come.

As I continued to examined my desk, pictures of my new nephew catch my eye.  Having a baby, and being a parent definitely is not just some boring routine.  God gives us new responsibilities and opportunities in each stage of life.  Things to challenge and make us stretch, but yet the reward is great.

As my eyes completed the circle around the mirror on my desk, I took note of all the pictures and such. Ranging from the temple, the prophet, Jesus Christ, my brother's name tag, and the Foot Prints poem.  My desk alone answered my question, life is much more than a boring routine.  But why do each one of these miscellaneous items stand out in my life?

Placed by the bottom of the mirror is a very valuable object to me.  My Scriptures!  Like I said before life can get crazy, and our futures can at times scare us, but God has given us the playbook of life.  The hundreds of years old lessons and events written upon the pages is what makes each of the items surrounding my desk important.  The game of life is still won and played the same as it has been since the beginning of time.

God speaks to us by way of His prophet.  I know in life there is hope, and I have a purpose.  I know that Jesus is the Christ.  I know that my family can be together forever.  I don't know exactly how or where I will end up, but I do know life has a much greater purpose than just a boring routine till we die.  All of these lessons or plays are inside the book. Open it up, and see what your next play will be!