Hearken: New Mission President

     A few weeks back I made a post on hearkening to the will of the Lord. Due to another event on my mission, I felt a need to make a second post about this very same principle. A couple weeks ago, we got a call from the assistants to the mission president telling us that we were having a surprise meeting in Nashville 2 days later, and all missionaries from the mission were to attend. This very rarely happens, so of course all the missionaries were making speculations on what was going to happen. Some thought China was going to be opened to missionary work and a good chunk of our mission was going to be sent over there, some thought we were going to head to Oklahoma to help clear up the destruction from the tornadoes or make care packages for them of some sort, and some thought we might have our mission split into 2 missions. As we gathered for this meeting, there was such an energy in the room due to the fact that we had over 200 missionaries (CRAZY) gathered together in the chapel awaiting whatever training was to be received.  We were quickly informed that our mission president and his wife, The Mckees, were being released at the end of the month and that we were going to have a new mission president. I was very saddened by the news, but as the meeting went on and the spirit was so strong I received very quickly a confirmation that it was the will of the Lord. I have been thinking about this for the last month or so and have learned a couple things from it. The thing I wanted to focus on is the principle of "with callings come releases." Today is the days that they are being released from their calling. One thing that President McKee was great at teaching us was that the same priesthood keys that called them to serve as the Tennessee Nashville Mission President are the same priesthood keys that called them to be released from that same calling. I am grateful for the example of the McKee's to serve the Lord and to accept His will in ALL things! Their attitude about it is quite extraordinary as well. I am excited to have President and Sister Andersen here with us as our new mission president and am grateful for their example to accept the call to serve. I sure look forward to meeting them at our zone conference this next week!
     I invite you all to take a look at your life and find something that is not in alignment with the Lord and then change it. Experiment and see the blessing that will come forth! It is great to have a knowledge that the Lord knows exactly what we need in our lives and is always making the changes to it that will ultimately help us grow and learn the most. Of this I testify, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

"Waiting on the Road to Damascus"

     The next talk I want to share with you is titled, "Waiting on the Road to Damascus."Dieter F. Uchtdorf begins by talking about Saul and the road to Damascus. His experience is rather spectacular and changed his life forever. Christ appeared to him and asked him, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" (Acts 9:3-6.) He also briefly describes the experience Joseph Smith has in seeing God, The Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ. He says, "Nevertheless, there are some who feel that unless they have an experience similar to Saul’s or Joseph Smith’s, they cannot believe...They spend their days waiting on the road to Damascus." The truth is, that it is those who diligently seek to learn of Christ that will eventually come to know Him. That means we need to do our part to gain that witness, we can't just sit and wait.
     He gives us three simple principles; Hearken and Heed, Serve, and Share. Hearken means to listen with the intent to obey. We need to live to be among those whom the Lord can rely on to hear His whispering and respond, as Saul did on his road to Damascus, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” We need to serve those around us. President Spencer W. Kimball taught this concept when he said: “God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs. Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other.” We need to share the gospel to all those around us. He goes on to say, "[The Lord] entrusts a testimony of the truth to those who will share it with others."
     We need to not wait on the road to Damascus, but rather move forward in Faith, Hope, Charity, and Love and be blessed in being able to see the light of Christ in our lives.

     What can you do to get off the Road to Damascus and become a disciple of Christ?

"Heavenly Homes, Forever Families"

     So I have decided that I am going try having a new theme again. I am going to share some of the my favorite conference talks given by some of the leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints including the Prophet and his Apostles. I was reading a talk by our current prophet, Thomas S. Monson, called "Heavenly Homes, Forever Families" and I felt like I needed to share it.
     It talks about how we can build an "eternal home." What exactly does that mean? He starts off by saying "A home is much more than a house built of lumber, brick, or stone. A home is made of love, sacrifice, and respect. We are responsible for the homes we build. We must build wisely, for eternity is not a short voyage." He talks about how a family can be together forever. I think it is interesting that something as simple as a family is so important and sacred to God that he blesses it with the ability to be forever. God’s blueprint to make a house a home and a home a heaven is so simple.
     First, he says, we need prayer. "A prominent American judge was asked what we, as citizens of the countries of the world, could do to reduce crime and disobedience to law and to bring peace and contentment into our lives and into our nations. He thoughtfully replied, 'I would suggest a return to the old-fashioned practice of family prayer.'... There is real meaning behind the oft-quoted adage, 'The family that prays together stays together.'" The first step is so simple. Something as easy as saying a prayer can mean so much and help to build this "eternal home."
     Second, is service. He shares the example of Christ and his perfect selfless service. With the good Samaritan, He taught, “Love thy neighbor” (Luke 10:30–35).
     Lastly, is rescue. We all need to make sure we keep track of our family and make sure that we are to the rescue when our family needs it. We need to make sure we are showing love to our family, and for those that need to be rescued, showing our love for them is the most important thing we can do.
     I have been lucky and blessed enough that I have a great family that is always there for me. I know that they are always there for me and love me. I know that we have been able to build a fairly decent "eternal home" because my parents have tried their best to use God's blueprint to make our house a home and our home a heaven.

Charity and Love

     The next Attribute is Charity and Love. With the passing of Valentines day I only see it fitting. Charity is the pure love of Christ. I look at that two different ways. First, that we should love Christ as much as ourselves. Second, that we should love others as much as Christ loves them. It is the love that Christ has for the children of men and that the children of men should have for one another. It is the highest, noblest, and strongest kind of love and the most joyous to the soul. We are to seek to develop that kind of love. When you are filled with charity, you obey God’s commandments and do all you can to serve others and help them receive the restored gospel. As it says in the scriptures, "When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." (Mosiah 2:17.) If we could just lose ourselves in the service of others we would find it a lot easier to show love towards one another.
     A man once asked Jesus, “Which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus replied: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” (Matthew 22:36–39.) I find it interesting that the second greatest commandment is to love others when you see very little of that in the world today. It seems as though with all these "Christians" in the world there should be very little hate towards one another and a lot more peace and kindness. However, that is not the case so something must be askew.
     In the Book of Mormon it tells us that Charity is a gift from God and that we must ask for it. If we will just humble ourselves to come to God and have him help us we will all be able to feel a special love for each individual on the earth. You will come to feel a sincere concern for the eternal welfare and happiness of other people. You will see them as children of God with the potential of becoming like our Heavenly Father. I challenge all to seek the help from God in having charity in our hearts and loving all of those around us.