Book of Mormon

As I have been on my mission I have truly been able to see the blessings that come from having not only the Bible but also The Book of Mormon, this volume of scripture that helps us understand further the teachings of our Savior Jesus Christ and how we can become more like Him. Not only does it testify of Christ but it helps us understand the Bible. I have come to know for myself about the truthfulness of this book through reading it and pondering of the teachings it contains. I love to know that no matter how awful of a day I am having or no matter what I am going through if I take the time to read from its pages it gives me the comfort and hope that the gospel of Jesus Christ gives. I know that I am not alone and I know that my Heavenly Father loves me and that is why He has made it available to us, all of His children to have this volume of scripture, THE BOOK OF MORMON. I invite all of you that read this blog post to take the invitation that we find in the the Book of Mormon and put it into practice. 

 3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how ^amerciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ^bponder it in your ^chearts.

 4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ^aask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not ^btrue; and if ye shall ask with a ^csincere heart, with ^dreal intent, having ^efaith in Christ, he will ^fmanifest the ^gtruthof it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

 5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may ^aknow the ^btruth of all things.

I know that as you read from this book and ponder its words you will be able to see of the truthfulness of it. I know that it can heal broken hearts and make people whole again. You may ask, "how do you know this? " I know this because I have come to know for myself it has brought me hope, love and especially a sense of belonging knowing that I am a child of my Heavenly Father and that I AM NEVER ALONE! 

" Whoso treasureth up my word shall not be deceived and in the last days neither your heart nor your faith with fail you "

Christ our Savior and Redeemer

This song I stand all amazed expresses the way I feel about my Savior Jesus Christ!

I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me,
Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me.
I tremble to know that for me he was crucified,
That for me, a sinner, he suffered, he bled and died.

I marvel that he would descend from his throne divine
To rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine,
That he should extend his great love unto such as I,
Sufficient to own, to redeem, and to justify.

I think of his hands pierced and bleeding to pay the debt!
Such mercy, such love and devotion can I forget?
No, no, I will praise and adore at the mercy seat,
Until at the glorified throne I kneel at his feet.

As I think of His sacrifice for me and for each and everyone of us I stand all amazed. It is amazing to think that He loves us so much that he would give His life for us.

Easter Sunday is this weekend. As we approach this day let us not forget of our Savior's Sacrifice for each and everyone of us.

"May we stand by Jesus Christ at all times, and in all things, and in all places that we may be in, even until death, for surely that is how he stood by us"

Peace

Many people think of peace as the absence of war. But we can feel peace even in times of war, and we can lack peace even when no war is raging. The mere absence of conflict is not enough to bring peace to our hearts. Peace comes through the gospel- through the Atonement of Jesus Chirst, the ministration of the Holy Ghost, and our own righteousness, sincere repentance, and diligent service. Even when the world is in turmoil all around you, you can recieve the blessings of inner peace.

The following words of the Savior teach us how we can experience the peace that the gospel brings:

"The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your rememberance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:26-27)

  In the midst of that tribulation His followers would have peace in Him. In other words, even if all the world is crumbling around us, the promised Comforter will provide His peace as a result of true discipleship. Ultimate total peace will come, of course, because He overcame the world. But we can have His peace with us irrespective of the troubles of the world. His peace is that peace, that serenity, that comfort spoken to our hearts and minds by the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, as we strive to follow Him and keep His commandments.

“Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me” Doctorine and Covenants 19:23

When all else fails and you feel like your world is falling apart never forget to turn to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I invite you all to remember them, in your times of need may they give you a sense of peace. I know that they will comfort you in times when you need them the most.

Patience

Patience is something that I have always had trouble with and I have been working HARD at it while on my mission. I know that I have made some improvements here and there, but I know I still have so much to learn. I came across a talk by the second counselor in the First Presidency Dieter F. Utchdorf  and it hit me hard!! He mentioned a few things that we can learn, from being patient and how it can truly bless our lives. Here they are (These where my favorites)...

1. Waiting can be Hard

Heck yeah it is!! I have learned that waiting patiently is hard because we make it hard.

Patience the ability we give ourselves to put our desires on pause for a time and maybe even years. I remember wanting things and thinking to myself  I want it and I want it know!!.  As I  look back the idea of patience was very very hard and yes at times not pleasant at all.

But without patience, as Elder Utchfdorf taught we cannot please God; we cannot become perfect. Yes, patience is a purifying process that refines understanding, deepens happiness, focuses action, and offers hope for peace.

So let us all remember that yes waiting is hard, but it helps us become who our Father in Heaven wants us to become, like his Son our Savior Jesus Christ.

2. Patience isn't just waiting

When I read this I thought to myself what? Yes it is and then I read this quote.

"There is an important concept here: patience is not passive resignation, nor is it failing to act because of our fears. Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can—working, hoping, and exercising faith; bearing hardship with fortitude, even when the desires of our hearts are delayed. Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!"

3. Patience requires FAITH

Yes it does!!

4. The Lord BLESSES us for our Patience 

"If we wait patiently for the Lord, He will incline unto us. He will hear our cries. He will bring us out of a horrible pit and set our feet upon a solid rock. He will put a new song in our mouths, and we will praise our God. Many around us will see it, and they will trust in the Lord."

I Invite all of you to take a step back and look at what we have in front of us. Let us look at our blessings and if we do have things in our lives that we feel are weighing us down let us endure them joyfully with patience. For patience is what our Heavenly Father wants us to have let us wait patiently upon the Lord and exercise our faith in Him. As the Scriptures teach us....

"For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith. " Ether 12:12

Let us learn from life and endure it with patience.

The lessons we learn from patience will cultivate our character, lift our lives, and heighten our happiness.

-Dieter F. Uchtdorf 

He IS....always there!!

At times many of us feel like Christ has forgotten us. I must admit there has been times in my past where I thought Christ have you forgotten me? And as I look back I think man was I wrong!! Our Savior Jesus Christ is ALWAYS there. At times it is us who forgets about him. I remember someone telling me my life began to fall apart when I started focusing on myself more then I focused on Jesus Christ. These past few months here on my mission I have truly seen how much our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us. They are sooo aware of us and they know exactly what we need at the right time. We just have to remember them. I have come to realize that God our Heavenly Father is just waiting to hear from us and help us in time of need. Let us not forget that He is there to help us and we are never alone.

"Christ....He really is there, He is in reality there for us, everyday all day long"



Our Fathers Love

As my companion and I rode back home from the grocery store I looked up and saw the sun breaking through the clouds. Once some time ago someone told me that when I saw the sun rays breaking through the clouds; that it was God smiling down on us. I began to think about this and noticed that our Heavenly Father is always giving us (human beings) signs of his existence and love for us. Many of times we wrap ourselves in our busy lives and forget the small and simple things that our Heavenly Father does and gives us on a daily basis. As I looked up at the sky it reminded me that God watches over us always every second every minute of our lives. At times things my get rough and boy do they get rough but if we know who to turn to our Father our burdens will made be lite. As I have been on my mission I have seen the role that my Heavenly Father has in my life, and because of Him we are able to enjoy our lives here on earth. Lets remember that we are all children of our Heavenly Father and lets give thanks every day, every minute and every second of our lives for all that He does for us. Be thankful for all the joys life brings and all the hardships life brings. And last but not least lets remember that God wants us to approach Him in prayer daily. May God bless all of you and remember His love for us.

<3 Hermana Garcia