Blueprint to Christ

In class this week we discussed Moroni 7-9 and had a great discussion on the chapters. One of the things we discussed in class was in chapter 7, where Brother Griffin gave us a cross-reference to Matthew 25:14-30. These verses talk about the parable of the talents and how, if you sacrifice your best, the Lord returns it right back. But, if you are like the brother who does nothing with his talents, you receive no reward. Brother Griffin stressed the importance of seeing God as merciful and not mean. He judges us with a righteous judgment and we must always remember that.

Another cool thing we talked about was messages and how we share them with one another. When the Lord  opens the veil and endows us with a message, it is our responsibility to share it. Both testimony and agency together is how we spread faith to those around us. The resulting outflows and blessings of faith are miracles and angels, like we can read in verses 27-28 and 29. The first is 27-28: "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased because Christ hath ascended into heaven, and hath sat down on the right hand of God, to claim of the Father his rights of mercy which he hath upon the children of men? 28: For ... he claimeth all those who have faith in him; and they who have faith in him will cleave unto every good thing[.]" In verse 29 it says "And because he hath done this, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men." In verse 30 we see again that all of these things come as result of having "strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness."

We also discussed how interesting it is that time and time again, the scriptures emphasize having a soft heart but a firm mind. A firm mind leads to busy hands and standing for righteousness, but a soft hard brings humility and charity. In verse 31 we can understand that doing all of these things (having faith, experiencing angels/miracles, and having a soft heart/firm mind) helps us become "chosen vessels of the Lord, that [we] may bear testimony of him." A vessel is a carrier of something--in this case, a carrier of testimony. Pretty cool.

In verse 40-42 we read about a pretty cool cycle about faith and hope. Sometimes we think hope comes first, but these verses make it very clear that they are dependent upon each other. Verse 40 says "How is it that ye can attain unto faith, save ye shall have hope?" Then verse 42 says "Wherefore, if a man have faith he must needs have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope." These attributes go in a circle and are necessary for each other.

Verses 45 and 46 are great too. Verse 45 lists what charity is, and Brother Griffin suggested that this is a perfect blueprint for becoming like the Savior. We can replace the word "charity" with the word "Christ," and we have an exact idea of what the Savior is like. In verse 47 it says "Charity is the pure love of Christ" so we know it's a literal part of Him. It is what He is and if we follow verse 45 we can become like Him.

We talked about lots of other great things, but I'm out of time. Thanks for reading!

Kelsey

Winds of Trials

We discussed some wonderful things in class this week. Our block was Ether 3-15, and they are some incredible chapters!

Our main discussion in chapter 3 came from verse 14, where it says "Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son."We talked about how that could be potentially confusing, since we are always taught that Jesus is our older brother. Brother Griffin explained that in order to be deemed "father," one has to engender new life in something. Our ultimate Father is Heavenly Father, who created our spirit. Our second father is our earthly father, or the person we call "dad." Then finally, Jesus Christ is our third Father, for He is the everlasting Father of the creation--He is the Father of eternal life and engenders life into our resurrected bodies. He is the Father of our spiritually begotten rebirth. Brother Griffin taught us that as we let Jesus Christ become our Father--the Father who will save us from our sins and redeem us--it will strengthen our relationships with our other two fathers. That's kind of an interesting promise.

Chapter 5 we labeled "Dear Joseph, Love Moroni." It's pretty cool because there are several references to Joseph Smith in this chapter, and you can only imagine what a comfort that would've been to him to be translating this book. In verse 4 it says "And in the mouth of three witnesses shall these things be established; [through] the testimony of three and this work[.]" At this point in time Joseph hadn't shown the plates to anyone by commandment, so to read a verse that said he would have three other witnesses of the record must have brought him pure joy. However, later in the verse, we are reminded of who the true three witnesses are, for "the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost bear record" of it. They are the true three witnesses who say it's true, and that's the only witness we should need.

A principle I loved in chapter 6 was in verse 5. It says "And it came to pass that the Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters, towards the promised land; and thus they were tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind." We read again that the Lord God caused those winds. Why? To get them to the Promised Land. It's interesting to think that the most furious, strongest winds are the ones that brought them the greatest distance. Likewise, it's the most difficult, challenging trials that bring us the most growth as a person. It's during the hardest times that we make the greatest distance. In verses 11 and 12, we read that they went through this difficult, furious winds for almost a year. But still, "when they had set their feet upon the shores of the promised land, they bowed themselves down upon the face of the land, and did humble themselves before the Lord, and did shed tears of joy before the Lord, because of the multitude of his tender mercies over them."This is a great reminder to us to maintain perspective throughout our storms and to praise him with gratitude when we reach the end of them. They never lost sight of where these storms were taking them (to the Promised Land) and we must always remember that our trials, if we endure them well, will take us to the Celestial Kingdom.

We covered much more, but that's all I have time for. Have a great day!

Thanks for reading,

Kelsey

One in Purpose

This week we talked about Mormon 7-Ether 2. There were so many wonderful things covered in this week's lessons!

Starting in Mormon chapter 7, Mormon introduces the chapter by giving his last words/counsel to the house of Israel so that "they may know of the things of their fathers." These "fathers" include God the Father as the most important; then Jesus Christ as the second Father, then Adam, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc. as the third fathers. Mormon is hoping to teach his posterity about these fathers in this chapter. He says "These are the words which I speak" and Brother Griffin had us write in "so that ye..." because it seems like that's what Mormon is wanting to say. "So that ye know that ye are the house of Israel... so that ye know that ye must come unto repentance..." etc.

This chapter also teaches us how to put our past behind us. In verse 7, we read of the cause/reward of the effect/action. The reward is to dwell with Him and to sing praises with the choirs above. The effect/action is that we must repent to have that blessing! The commandments therefore become an effect--the action upon which blessings are predicated. Because commandments are our way to blessings, we should look at them as an opportunity and desire to live them. Brother Griffin even suggested we ask for more commandments!

Then with verses 8-9 (I think?) we cross-referenced John 17:11, 21 and 22, which is Jesus' intercessory prayer. These verses stress the truth of their "one-ness," and makes it very clear that they are not one in person--rather they are on in purpose. They emphasize the kind of one-ness that the Savior desires us to have. He doesn't want us all to be squished together in one body; He wants us to treat each other with love, respect and kindness and be one as sisters and brothers in Christ. Brother Griffin suggested we remember these verses when teaching about the Trinity, which is definitely something I'll have to do down in Alabama! The south is right along the Bible belt and it's good for me to be prepared with verses straight from the Bible.

Another cool trick we learned was in the last half of verse 8 through verse 9. He told us to replace every "this" with "The Book of Mormon" and every "that" with "the Bible." It gives a cool twist on the scripture and shows how we believe that the Bible and The Book of Mormon work together. The Book of Mormon was written to help people better believe in the Bible. We believe that they are one in purpose.

Chapter 9:12 is a cool scripture because it shows the three pillars of eternity and how they work together as the Plan of Salvation. It first says "He created Adam," (the Creation) then "by Adam came the fall of man. And because of the fall of man came Jesus Christ," (the Fall) and finally "And because of Jesus Christ came the redemption of man." (the Atonement). It lists all three elements together--cool, huh?

Ah, there are so many awesome principles we covered in class this week and I just don't have time to cover them all!

A cool scripture we discussed in Mormon 9 is verse 31, where Mormon is obviously very self-conscious about the language he's writing in, which is reformed Egyptian. He says in 31 "Condemn me not because of mine imperfection..." and in 33 he says "and if we could have written in Hebrew, behold, ye would have had no imperfection in our record." Brother Griffin compared that to the way that many of us will feel who are speaking different languages. There will be times when we'll wish we could just speak in our own tongue, English, because then we could say exactly what we want to say in the right way! But whom the Lord calls the Lord qualifies, and just as Mormon was able to write and preach in this language, so will we be able to preach in our foreign languages. It's cool to know that even the prophet Mormon had the same insecurities as us.

Last of all we talked about Ether chapter 2, where the brother of Jared comes to the Lord and asks Him for help. The Lord answers him in verse 23 saying "What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels?" The Lord challenges the Brother of Jared to ponder on an answer and to come up with a solution, then to ask the Lord for help with it. This is a prime example of what the Lord expects us to do. We are supposed to come to Him with our questions and desires, but there is a great responsibility on our part to act and use the resources He has given us. This is so applicable to us in our every day lives.

I love the scriptures. :)

Thanks for reading,

Kelsey

Quick Post

One of the cool things we talked about in class this week was in Mormon, chapter 1. We discussed the striking similarities between Mormon and Joseph Smith and how they compare to each other. In verse 2 it says that he was a "sober child," and "quick to observe." We can imagine Mormon as very contemplative and aware of when it was appropriate to have fun and when it was necessary to deal with serious matters. As we know, Joseph Smith was very much the same way. As much as he loved his games and pulling people  over sticks, he also was a sober, meek child who knew how to study. In verse 6 we read that Mormon "was carried by [his] father into the land southward" at the age of 11, and in one of the accounts of Joseph Smith's father, we read that he moved the family to Palmyra, New York after his family experienced many trials. Ironically enough, Joseph was the meek age of 11 as well. In chapter 2 we read that Mormon was appointed to be the leader of the Nephite armies, and we know that the angel Moroni appeared to Joseph when he was near the age of 15 as well. These striking similarities are reminders to us of how the Lord prepares His servants and is mindful of their roles in life.

In chapter 2, we also read about the stumbling block of the Nephites. We see in verses 10-12 that they did "begin" to repent and "begin" to cry, but in 13 it says that their sorrowing was not for repentance to God; but rather it was a sadness for and of themselves. In 14 we read that "they did not come unto Jesus with broken hearts, but they did curse God, and wish to die." These are the kind of things they experienced, and this is a lesson to us to not let our trials and struggles separate us from God. We need to let them bring us closer to Him.

An Exciting Week

For those who may have missed it, MY MISSION CALL CAME!! After two whole months of anxiously waiting to see where the Lord wants me to spend the next year-and-a-half of my life, it finally came. I've been called to the Birmingham, Alabama mission and I couldn't be happier. I'm speaking English and I report on May 29th, which is a little over 2 months away! It's crazy how soon I will become a full-time missionary.

A bunch of people came to support me at my call opening, and even more were there in spirit/phone/video in Texas and surrounding states. Here are some pictures...

Me with my roommates, Margo on the right and Audrey on the left.

One of my dearest friends, Mckenzie.

It's here!!!

Holding my call. So, so excited.

My brother and I, who recently returned from a mission to Mesa. His phone looks like it's in my mouth... but it's not, promise.

My mom and me. Mixed emotions, for sure.

Family picture. My favorite people ever.

Reading through the book...

And this is by far my favorite picture of the whole night. Captures my shocked "I'm going where?!" reaction perfectly. Alabama, here I come. :)

Well, enough about my mission call. It's time to start writing about my Book of Mormon class from this week. We discussed several chapters this week, but the ones we covered the most in-depth were chapters 22-28. His challenge to us was to take our scripture study and turn it to "I" level, where we can be up close and personal and apply the truths to our lives. In chapter 22, verses 5-10, the Savior is quoting Isaiah. But verses 7-8 are a missionary's goldmine scriptures, according to Brother Griffin. It says "For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment, but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer." This is a powerful verse that can comfort many investigators if we take it to a personal level. Oftentimes my investigators probably will feel as though God has forsaken them and turned Himself away from them. However, they can be reassured that this will only be for a small moment. Because He will gather us "with great mercies," and He will have "everlasting kindness" and "mercy" on us. It goes onto mention all the trials that we will endure, and so will our investigators. Regardless, He will always be there and "will lay [our] stones with fair colors, and lay [our] foundations with sapphires." The road won't be easy, but it will always be blessed by the Lord. 

One interpretation of verse 16 is also pretty cool. It says "Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy." It's interesting how a "smith" or a blacksmith is a tool for work, and ironically enough, the Savior's tool to restore the gospel was also named Smith. The instrument that's mentioned is the Book of Mormon, which is the best instrument there is. Finally, the "waster to destroy," is us, the missionaries. We are called to purge the world of sin and bring the truthfulness of the gospel. Cool, huh?

In chapter 23, the Savior commands us to search the words of Isaiah, and there is a big difference between reading and searching. Brother Griffin said that the ones who study Isaiah the most are often the ones who understand love it the most. The Savior has commanded us right then and there to love Isaiah's words. I love this class.

Thanks for reading,

3 Nephi 15-21

I realized from this week just how much I love the book of 3 Nephi, especially the chapters when Christ is visiting the people. I think 19 has got to be one of my all-time favorite chapters. It's so beautiful and so descriptive. It gives such powerful imagery and helps me to imagine myself in that situation.

Sadly we didn't really discuss 19 in class. We focused more on the historical side of it all--the twelve tribes of Israel, the scattering and gathering, the Law of Moses, etc. I enjoyed it, but I think I enjoyed my personal reading the most.

We did, however, discuss chapter 17 where Christ blesses the people. He mentions in verse 2 that they are weak, and He tells them to go to their homes and recover so He can teach them more tomorrow. But when He tells them to do this, the people begin to cry. He instead stays and tells them to bring everyone forward that needs to be healed. In verse 9, it emphasizes that "He did heal them every one as they were brought forth unto him." He healed each person individually and took the time to love each of them. He realized that people were more important than time restraints. I've been trying to think about this a lot too, as I balance homework/life/school with service and going to the temple regularly. This is a good example to me of putting the most important things before important things.

After healing the people, He healed their children as well. In verse 21, it says "And when he had said these words, he wept ... and he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them." The cool thing Brother Griffin pointed out is that weeping requires opening your heart. It requires allowing yourself to feel emotion and to feel someone else's pains, which isn't always an easy thing to do. It's hard to make yourself vulnerable and capable of sharing those emotions, but that's one of the beautiful things about the Atonement. Because Christ suffered each and every one of our pains, sorrows and afflictions, He knows exactly how to open His heart to us. He knows how to cry with us and to make Himself vulnerable, because He's already been there and has done it before. He can share our emotions because they've already been His. Pretty cool. :)

Chapters 18-21 is about turning our mortal efforts into eternal rewards. In chapter 18 we discussed the Abrahamic Covenant in which Christ says "I'll be your God if you'll be my people." The cool thing is that baptism and the sacrament is our own form of the Abrahamic covenant. Each week we take the sacrament and renew that covenant with Him to be completely clean and do what He has asked of us. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had sacrificial meetings, but we have sacrament meetings. Each week we put all of our mortal, earthly desires, worries, cares, goals, passions and concerns on His altar. We give them and ourselves to Him, because things that are His can be eternal.

That's all for this week!

Kelsey

The Beatitudes

Our lessons in Book of Mormon were fantastic this week, and I learned so much. We covered 3 Nephi 11-14, and you'd probably think I'm crazy if you saw how marked up chapter 12 is! My margins are filled to the brim with writing... haha. I really love this class.

3 Nephi chapter 12 covers the Beatitudes of the Savior, or rather "the process to obtain perfection." Throughout verses 1-10, Brother Griffin drew a staircase to illustrate the various steps of the Beatitudes and how you climb them to go through the repentance process. The first one can be found in verse 1, where it says "Blessed are ye if ye shall give heed unto the words of these twelve whom I have chosen from among you to minister to you[.]" So, the first step is to...

1. Listen to the prophets. 

2. Believe and be baptized.

The second step is found in the end of verse 1 where it says "blessed are ye if ye shall believe in me and be baptized." We have to exercise faith in him and be baptized to begin the process of repentance.

Ironically enough, these first two steps are not mentioned in the Bible's account of the Beatitudes. This is interesting because compared to the rest of the steps below, these two are the two that must preface any sort of repentance process. First, we must keep His commandments, and second we have to be baptized. Once those two conditions are met, we can continue on the path to receiving forgiveness for our sins. 

3. Become humble and recognize the gap between who we are and who we should be.

The third step (which is the first after the previous two are satisfied) is in verse 3. "Yea, blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Essentially, we need to become humble to receive forgiveness. We know what we should be and we know what we are, and it's important for us to recognize the difference.

4. Feel sadness for our sins and separation from God.

In verse 4 we read "And again, blessed are all they that mourn, for they shall be comforted." Once we've acknowledged the distance between us and the Lord, full repentance requires mourning. It requires sorrow and sadness for our sins and for the gap between us.

5. Become meek and give our will to Him.

Step five comes from verse 5 as well. It reads "And blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." We become humble and meek after realizing our own nothingness, and we submit our will to his. We become willing to do whatever He wants us to do to become more like him.

6. Get up--hunger and thirst after righteousness.

Step six in verse six says to "hunger and thirst after righteousness" to be "filled with the Holy Ghost." This is so important because after becoming humble, being sorrowful and being willing to do whatever He wants of us, the next step is to actually do those things. We can't just sit there and say "okay, Lord, I'm ready. Change me." It requires effort on our part to get up, make those changes and seek for those righteous things. 

7. Be merciful and forgive ourselves.

Step seven in verse seven is to be merciful, because they who are merciful "shall obtain mercy." The cool thing about this verse in this context is that it's not referring to being merciful to others--it's about being merciful to ourselves. We can't move forward in our lives and the repentance process without forgiving ourselves and showing ourselves mercy. 

8. Become pure even as He is pure.

In verse eight it reads "And blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." After we've accomplished each of these steps and reached this point, we have to put these things into practice. We have to practice being pure and emulating his example of goodness and perfection. Of course we can never be perfect, but we can follow His example as we do our best to be pure. 

9. Be a peacemaker. 


Step nine is about becoming a peacemaker, because "they shall be called the children of God." Not only is it our duty to find peace in this life for ourselves, but for others as well. Through sharing our knowledge of the gospel with those around us, we can be peacemakers.

10. Experience persecution and start over.

In verse ten, our spiral staircase starts all over again with persecution. Persecution can bring trial and sin, and if we fall into sin, we begin the cycle again. It's a perfectly ordered plan for repentance and can be used with any issue we may have. Are you struggling with choosing good media? This plan applies. Maybe you're having an issue with modesty... plug it into these steps and it can help. It's really a cool thing; who would've thought the Beatitudes could be applied to repentance? Pretty cool. 

We all ended up drawing a diagram in our scriptures that looks something like this..

Pretty cool huh.. I thought so. We talked about that and a few other chapters, but that was my favorite part. 

Thanks for reading,

Be Still, My Soul

Things like this are supposed to get easier... right? For me it seems to be the exact opposite. If you saw me a few days ago, I probably seemed okay. I did really well the first and second day... I almost pretended like it didn't happen and that he was still alive. I was numb, and nothing had really sunk in. But now that we're on day 4 and I've been to the funeral, I've seen his body in a casket... things are getting progressively worse. I'm struggling. A lot. I don't want to do anything, I don't want to go anywhere, I don't want to talk to anyone. I just want to lay in bed and sleep all day so I don't have to be stuck in this reality anymore. I feel like a hole has been carved out of me and there's a gaping emptiness that will never be filled again. I feel robbed. This all came too soon--too sudden--and none of it feels right or how it should be. I keep praying for a feeling of understanding of why this had to happen, why now. I still don't have an answer... but I keep praying. This morning I even told Him I don't need to understand. I don't need to know why it had to happen now, even though I wish I could. At this point, I just want to feel His confirming peace that this was His will. How does a heart as young and healthy as Grandpa's just go out? It's not right, it's not natural, and it's the last thing any of us could've ever expected. I keep thinking "This isn't right, Heavenly Father. You got the wrong guy. Grandpa's healthy, it's not his time yet. He's supposed to come to my farewell and my wedding. I need him, my grandma needs him, and my mom needs him." The whole thing just feels so... wrong. But then I try to remind myself of a quote by Joseph Fielding Smith that I wrote about a few weeks ago, regarding Madie and Parker's deaths. "No righteous man is ever taken before his time." I've never known a man as faithful and righteous as Grandpa, and I don't say that lightly. I mean that, so surely this quote must be true for him, too. But I don't know it yet, so I keep praying. I think once I know this is what He wants, it will help. I have a lot of faith in Him and I know that He expects me to handle a lot in this life. His confidence in my abilities gives me confidence in my abilities, but I also have to allow myself to be human and struggle. I have to allow myself to feel this grief that's eating away at my heart. It's the only way to heal.

In our readings this week, 3 Nephi 6-10, I learned a lot. One of the main principles Brother Griffin taught was the "so, what" of the scriptures. He said all too often do we skim through the scriptures to do our daily reading without pulling out a principle or application to our lives. After reading, we should be able to say "so, what? How does this apply to my life and what do I learn from this?" I have been doing that a lot with my readings lately... I have been searching for principles, because I need them so much. I need to gain strength from my scriptures more than ever before (with the exception of when my dad left). One of these so-whats for me was in chapter 7, verse 18. Near the end it says "...for so great was [Nephi's] faith on the Lord that angels did administer unto him daily." I loved how the condition for receiving the strength of angels is to simply have "great" faith on the Lord. My family and I are in great need of strength right now--heavenly strength. It gives me comfort to know that if I pray for the strength of angels for my family, and have faith in Him, we can receive that strength. 

The second "so, what" is in 3 Nephi 9:22. Chapter 8 consists of the most destructive, disastrous scriptures in the Book of Mormon. In chapter 9, verse 22 it reads "Therefore, whoso repenteth and cometh unto me as a little child him will I receive, for of such is the kingdom of God." With all of these painful, disastrous, terrifying events going on, one can imagine the behavior of a child in this situation. Amidst worries and fear, a child would be desperately clinging to her parent's leg, trusting in him to lead her out of this scary, destructive situation. There is such powerful imagery there and it really touched me. I need to come to Him like that and trust in His ability to receive me and carry me through this. I know He will.

Another thing that touched me about class this week was the song we sang for our opening hymn, Be Still My Soul. That song has always been a favorite of mine, but it has never reached my heart so strongly as it has this week or a few minutes ago when it came on my Pandora. Here are the lyrics:

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
To guide the future, as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.

Be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart,
And all is darkened in the vale of tears,
Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears.
Be still, my soul: thy Jesus can repay
From His own fullness all He takes away.

Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord.
When disappointment, grief and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past
All safe and blessèd we shall meet at last.

 I wasn't going to blog about this, but I've never had a song touch my heart so prominently as this did just now... even though our family is overcome with grief, He will be there through every difficult moment. Everything that is confusing and foggy to me now will one day be clear and understandable. I think I just received an answer to my prayer.

Thanks for reading,

A Difficult Week

Needless to say, this week has been a rough one for my family. After my grandpa’s heart attack last week, things have been pretty up and down as far as whether or not he will survive. One moment we think he’ll make it through, and the next he’s too weak/unhealthy. It’s been really difficult and extremely emotional. The consensus at this point is that even though he does have pneumonia, he could heal with antibiotics. However, the state of his brain is permanently damaged and he isn't fully functioning, so the question is whether it’s worth it to heal the pneumonia when the person inside is just a shell of what he used to be. My aunts and uncles have essentially decided that because his brain capacity is not where my grandpa himself would want it, that it’s not a life worth living. Starting today his oxygen will be decreased over the next two days, and by Tuesday he will be completely off of it. Because of the pneumonia he is completely dependent on the oxygen, and unless we experience a miracle in the next two days where he heals and can breathe on his own, he will probably quietly slip away due to lack of oxygen. His children have decided that’s what’s best, and somehow I just need to accept that.

Regardless of how difficult this all is, I've seen the Lord’s hand in it and I've felt Him carry me through it. He has made so many tender mercies available to me, which is a true sign that He lives and loves me. I have a greater understanding of His plan and faith that whatever He wants to happen with my grandpa is exactly what will happen. I can trust that it will all be okay, because I trust Him. He would never leave me or hurt me, and if He thinks my family can handle this trial, that must be the case.

Brother Griffin talked about trials and tender mercies quite a bit in his lessons this week. In Helaman 16:13-14, it talks about the signs and wonders that were given to the people. Verse 14 mentions that angels appear to “men, wise men” and show them the ways the scriptures are fulfilled. He likened this to how when we choose to follow His counsels, believe in His coming and respect His prophets, we become “wise men” and allow ourselves to be capable of receiving witnesses and packaged, personalized tender mercies. I’ve received so many of those this week, as I’ve been blessed with hours upon hours of personal, individual time with my grandpa. He frequently goes in and out of consciousness, and will sometimes wake up, jostle, ask for something and then go back to sleep. I’ve had the blessing of witnessing many of these and being at his bedside as they occur. I will always remember the times he woke up, saw me sitting there and said “I sure love you, honey.” That happened on more than one occasion and it gave me such joy. Other times he’d reach out and give me a hug, then kiss me on the cheek. Other times I simply fulfilled a request he had for water, or switching his cooling rag, or giving him ice cream. He’d smile and say “thank you,” and it made me happy that I could serve him and give him that little bit of comfort. This special time I’ve had with him this last weekend will connect me to him forever, and for that I am so, so grateful.

In 3 Nephi 1:11 it says “And it came to pass that he went out and bowed himself down upon the earth, and cried mightily to his God in behalf of his people[.]” The principle there is that Nephi was in the midst of many trials at this time. He was concerned that the sign of Christ’s coming wouldn’t come before the believers were put to death (verse 9), and so he poured out his heart to the Lord. He prayed to know the Lord’s will and plan, to which He answered in verse 13 “Life up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world.” This story teaches us to pray and call on Him for help when we are afraid, fearful or struggling. The ironic thing is, I can’t help but think how much this has been me this past week. As I’ve been dealing with so much turmoil and uncertainty, I’ve relied on Him more than ever for stability and understanding. I’ve spent much time pouring out my heart in prayer this week, sometimes in frustration and confusion over why this had to happen, and sometimes in faith, trust and understanding of His plan. The truth is, I still don’t understand what His will is. I still don’t know if my grandpa was supposed to survive this and work towards better brain function (the neurologist told us that his current condition would improve), or if he would always live below his means and that this is my grandpa’s time to go. I still don’t know, and I think that’s the hardest part… letting go without being sure that this is what’s supposed to happen. But in these trials I continue to call on Him for peace to calm mine and my family’s hearts. I pray that His will will be made clear and sure and things will happen as they should. That’s really the best that I can pray for, and I have to leave the rest in His hands. 

Thanks for reading,

Helaman 5-12

In Helaman 5, we talk all about the word “remember.” Verses 5-6 use “remember” seven times and verse 7 it reads “Therefore, my sons, I would that ye should do that which is good, that it may be said of you, and also written, even as it has been said and written of them.” This verse can help us think about whom we want to be, and more importantly, how we want to be remembered. What do I want people to say about me when I’m gone, and what kind of legacy do I want to leave?

Another verse we focused mainly on was Helaman 5:12. “And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.” We spent a lot of time in this verse, and one of the cool parts is how it mentions when the devil sends forth his mighty winds, and when all his hail and storm beat upon you, not if. It will happen, and this verse (and others) is the key to how to prevail against it.

This week Brother Griffin also really emphasized how our scriptures are goldmines. Through our reading we should dig for principles, and then sift and sort our findings. We have to separate the doctrines/principles, and then fashion/shape them so we can apply and liken them to ourselves. He encouraged us to study our scriptures carefully and deliberately, searching for words, phrases, oppositions and repeats.

Finally, we talked about how life is hard. It really is. Whether you’re a missionary or a college student, you run into lots of trials. However, Alma and Amulek were THE most successful set of missionaries in the Book of Mormon. They dealt with trial after trial, specifically in chapter 5. Regardless, their faith was not shaken. They experienced miraculous results and are truly a testament to the fact that the best spiritual progress occurs when we’re exactly obedient through trials.

This week was great and I learned a lot. That’s all. J

Kelsey

Alma 57-Helaman 3

This week started with chapters 60 and 61, which is the story about Moroni's letter to Pahoran. Moroni is frustrated with Pahoran for his neglect of Moroni and Helaman, so he writes Pahoran a very heated letter in chapter 60. In this letter Pahoran is accused of "sitting in idleness" in "thoughtless stupor" while "transgressing the laws of God" and "trampling them under [his] feet." Moroni even closes the epistle with a death threat, saying that "God will not suffer that [they] should perish with hunger" and lack of forces in 60:35. It was a very accusatory, heated letter, but in chapter 61 Pahoran responds with nothing but grace and humility. I am so incredibly inspired and grateful for his example. Pahoran explains that he hasn't been neglecting Moroni and Helaman, but he has actually been dealing with war of his own in Zarahemla. In verse 7 it says "And they have come unto us, insomuch that those who have risen up in rebellion against us are set at defiance." Pahoran has been in an incredibly dangerous situation himself, but rather than getting angry at Moroni, he is patient and understanding. In verse 9, he says "And now, in your epistle you have censured me, but it mattereth not; I am not angry, but do rejoice in the greatness of your heart." He goes onto say how much he hates war and fighting against his brethren, but that they would not fight them if they didn't rebel.

I love Pahoran's example of being humble and submissive, despite receiving such an offense, accusatory letter. This is such a good thing to remember when we are offended or hurt by someone. I think this story is extra personal for me because I've had a personal experience similar to it. When it happened, I referenced this story many times to understand and learn the best way to approach the situation and how to be Christlike like Pahoran was. I will always be thankful that he responded in the way he did.

A cool principle that we talked about in chapter 62 was how to purge yourself of evil and addictions. We all deal with sins and addictions, but there are ways to overcome them.  
Step 1 starts in verse 3, where Moroni takes a "small number of men," or in our case, sins. We should focus and zero in on the sin(s) we're trying to overcome.
Step 2 in verse 4 says "he did raise the standard of liberty." After zeroing in on our sins, we should set specific, high standards for ourselves that we will live by.
Step 3 in verse 5, it says thousands did flock unto his standard, and did take up their swords in the defence of their freedom, that they might not come into bondage." This tells us that it's wise to surround ourselves with like-minded people who have the same goals to help support us in our efforts.
Then Step 4 in verse 9 talks about going out and executing the things that keep you from the gospel and the presence of the Holy Ghost. We have to remove everything from our lives that doesn't allow us to feel the spirit or to live by our standards.
Finally, Step 5 in verse 10, we're encouraged to live by the laws we've set for ourselves while striving for freedom. The gospel grants us freedom by living our standards and doing what's right.

In the beginning of the book of Helaman, Brother Griffin told us that Satan makes two major shifts in his tactics--first, he gets more subtle and sneaky as far as temptations within, but he becomes more bold/daring/brazen on the outside.

One of the main points we talked about was in chapter 2, verse 8. Satan's "secret plan" is to "murder, and to rob, and to gain power." Those have been his techniques from the beginning, and they remain that way today.  While the Savior's plan was to present us with a way to choose right from wrong, Satan's plan was an attempt to rob us of our agency, murder us and our free will and in the end, receive all the glory. However, Satan's plan was unacceptable. We, as human beings, can't do a thing about sin or death. We needed someone who could do both, and Jehovah offered willingly.

Finally, last of all we compared chapter 1 with chapter 2. In chapter 1, Pahoran was murdered by Kishkumen. In chapter 2,  however, Helaman was saved from being murdered by his servant who was aware of Kishkumen's plan. Brother Griffin used this example to compare why some people die young and why others have a long life. This was especially applicable to me, because a boy from my high school passed away yesterday, and my friend Madie passed away a few months ago. The truth is, we don't know why some people are required to have shorter lives than others. It's hard, and it hurts, but ultimately he quoted Joseph Fielding Smith who said "No righteous man is ever taken before his time." That gave me so much comfort as I contemplated Madeline's life and Parker, the boy from my high school. I didn't know Parker, but I'd been around him enough times to realize the type of boy he was. He was, indeed, a "righteous man" who was making good choices and had a certain light about him. I did know Madie, and I also knew that she was an incredible girl. Madie had the light of Christ in her eyes and was a beautiful person, inside and out. She was the definition of a "righteous [wo]man" and that quote rang so true with me. It gave me joy to know that it was her time, and that everything is according to His plan. The spirit confirmed that truth to me, and I really appreciated that.

That's all for today :)

Kelsey

Alma 43-56

This week was probably one of my favorite readings weeks of the class so far. Sometimes the war chapters can be confusing, but I love them more than anything. Reading them is like watching an action movie in my head, and the amount of principles that can be pulled from them is amazing! I wish I had enough time to write about everything we learned this week, but I'll do my best to cover the main points.

One of the cool things we discussed was in chapter 49 in verses 6-8, where Amalickiah essentially copies Moroni's war strategies and thinks that will give him an advantage over Moroni. The funny thing is, Moroni's army still wins. Brother Griffin used this point to illustrate that no matter what, Satan is always playing catch-up to the Lord. Never at any point does the Lord say "Oh dear, what's going to happen next?" His plan is set in stone, and Satan's feeble attempts to counter Him only work when we let them. He tries to make the copy or the fake version look real, but we have to rely on the Holy Ghost to teach us wrong from right and to avoid temptation.

Another principle I loved was in chapter 49, verse 14, where Amalickiah's army comes to attack the city of Noah, which had previously been their weakest city. To their astonishment, Moroni had fortified that weak point so much that it was even stronger than their previous strongest city! We can apply this to us in that the Lord makes our weaknesses strengths. Brother Griffin didn't say this in class, but I cross-referenced this verse with Ether 12:27 in my scriptures.

A similar example is in chapter 50 where Moroni describes the fortifications he's making to all of the cities. Even though those cities are already strong, he doesn't stop fortifying them and making them stronger. In verse 11 it says "...he cut off all the strongholds of the Lamanites in the east wilderness, yea, and also on the west, fortifying the line between the Nephites and Lamanites[.]" Even though we may feel confident and strong in certain areas, we must fortify ourselves so much that we don't get anywhere near the line of danger.

Whilst fortifying these old cities, we must also make new fortifications simultaneously. Brother Griffin used the analogy of "sweeping the corners," in that we must constantly clean ourselves every day, every week at sacrament, and at the bishop's office. We have to sweep out the old, dusty, dirty parts of ourselves, put them on the "altar" and give them up to the Lord. This helps us to become more like Him and a better person overall.

I also loved verse 23 in chapter 50 which says "But behold there never was a happier time among the people of Nephi..." Brother Griffin emphasized that this was the worst war the Nephites had ever seen in their time, and yet there "never was a happier time." He said that happiness doesn't just happen. Regardless of circumstances, happiness is always a choice. You can always choose to be happy, regardless of external circumstances.

Finally, I just love chapter 53 personally, especially verses 20-21. What incredible young men! If that doesn't give you an idea of what kind of guy to look for, I don't know what does. I have always said that I want to marry a stripling warrior, and I definitely still feel that way. This just reminds me to look for someone who is "exceedingly valiant," has "courage," "strength," "soberness," "keeps the commandments of God," "walks up rightly before Him" and is "true at all times in whatsoever thing [he is] entrusted." So so awesome. :)

That's all for today! Thanks for reading. :)

Kelsey

Alma 35-37

Wow, where do I begin? We covered so many wonderful things in class this week. Tuesdays and Thursdays are my FAVORITE days, simply because of Mission Prep and Book of Mormon. I'm learning so much in these classes. My teachers are just beyond incredible. 

We started in Alma 35 on Tuesday, where "the more popular part of the Zoramites" cast out the poor believers of Alma and his brethren. Despite the Zoramites' threatenings, the people of Ammon took the believers in and took care of them. This upset the Zoramites, which demonstrates two principles: the first is that, although the believers were poor in money, they were not poor in spirit. They believed what was true and were happier than the wealthy Zoramites, as were the people of Ammon. They might not have been wealthy either, but they loved others and served them, which is the true source of happiness. The wealthy Zoramites had everything, and yet they did not have the gospel, nor were they happy. "You can't do wrong and feel right," Brother Griffin said. That reminded us of Alma 41:10 "Wickedness never was happiness." That brings me to the second principle: misery loves company. The Zoramites were miserable, and they wanted the believers to be miserable as well. This tactic is the similar to what Satan does to us, and it can also remind us to not give into temptation of peer pressure around us.

Chapter 36 was my other favorite, because it’s about Alma the Younger and his conversion process. This chapter is awesome because Brother Griffin reminded us how often we can use this story in our teachings as missionaries. We will have converts who, like Alma the Younger, will feel miserable, pained, and wracked with horror because of the things they’ve done. But this chapter reminds us that we are NEVER too far gone. There’s no sin that can keep us from receiving forgiveness. Verses 12-18 describe the characteristics of hell: “destruction,” “inexpressible horror,” “racked with the pains of a damned soul,” “harrowed up” “gall of bitterness” and “everlasting chains of death.” Sin is painful, but the Lord is omnipotent and can remove any pain we have. After going through a severe repentance process throughout the chapter, Alma understands the joys of heaven that that are associated with the gospel and doing what’s right. Verses 20-23 say “marvelous,” “light,” “joy,” “sweet,” “singing and praising,” “strength,” etc.

He drew a diagram that showed a path of heaven, and a path of heaven, and showed that Christ is ALWAYS the turning point for either path. The inclusion or the exclusion of Christ determines which path you’re on.

The last chapter I wanted to write about is chapter 38, specifically verses 10-12, talk about controlling ourselves. They read: 

         “And now, as ye have begun to teach the word even so I would that ye should continue to teach; and I would that ye would be diligent and temperate in all things.

See that ye are not lifted up unto pride; yea, see that ye do not boast in your own wisdom, nor of your much strength.

Use boldness, but not overbearance; and also see that ye bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love; see that ye refrain from idleness.” 

The overall theme is to avoid extremes, and to “bridle our passions,” but not just the sexual ones. Brother Griffin asked us to list off a number of things we are passionate about—sports, dance, academics, clothes, reading, food, etc. Whatever it may be, those passions must be bridled. Passions are great and wonderful, but it’s dangerous to get too extreme in any one thing. The natural man must be tamed. 

That's all for today :)

Alma 30-35

Some of you may know that I'm attending Brigham Young University this semester. I'm a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and BYU is an LDS school. In my Book of Mormon 102 class, I've been asked to write a weekly forum on the topics we discuss in class and my readings. This is to help me better understand and comprehend our lessons, as well as help someone else who may be in need of some spiritual insights. I think this is a great method and I'm excited to share with you all the things I'm learning at BYU. So, here we go!

In class this week, we discussed Alma 30-35. I really enjoyed these chapters and I'm loving the concept of pre-reading before coming to class. Because I'm held accountable for whether or not I do the reading, I actually do it! Haha. It keeps me motivated to always read my scriptures and I find myself pulling them out anytime I have a free minute. It's really a good habit that I'm excited to get into.

I often realize while studying the scriptures just how blessed we are to have them. Brother Griffin's class is more like seminary, in that, instead of focusing on the historical, nitty gritty aspects, we are focusing on the spiritual principles and the things we can apply to our lives. We started the week in Alma 30, which Brother Griffin deemed "The Devil's Doctrine." It discussed Korihor and his methods--which are identical to Satan's--for leading us astray. He contrasted that with Alma 31, which instead shows us "The Dream Team" of missionaries--Ammon, Aaron, Omner, Amulek and Zeezrom. While Korihor is preaching wicked, false things, these five are out sharing the gospel.

One of my favorite parts of the lesson was Alma 32. Alma 32 has always been special to me because following its instructions is how I gained my testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. In verse 28, it says "Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me."

In these verses, we see a four-step process to testing doctrine. How can you know if a principle is right or wrong? How can you know if a new concept is righteous or wicked? This verse tells us the four things that a good seed will do: first, it will "swell" within you. It will feel strong, and powerful--a burning in the bosom type of thing. Second and thirdly, it will "enlarge [your] soul" and "enlighten [your] understanding." Things will be clearer and it will make sense. Finally, you will realize the value of it and it will become "delicious" to you. You'll be able to recognize how wonderful it is and it will feel right. Interestingly enough, these four steps together (swell, enlarge, enlighten, and delicious) spell the word "seed." Clever huh? Brother Griffin says it's a good way to remember it.

Finally, the principle I loved about this lesson was that in chapter 32, verse 40, Alma describes the fruit that comes from this tree as the fruit of the Tree of Life. We know from 1 Nephi 15:36 that the fruit from the tree of life is "most precious and most desirable above all other fruits; yea, and it is the greatest of all the gifts of God." Therefore, this doctrine about the seed of our testimony is actually teaching us how to grow our own Tree of Life! Alma 32 is giving us the steps we need to experiment, plant, and eventually grow a beautiful, everlasting Tree of Life within us--our testimonies.

Well, that's all for today. I'll be back next week. :)

Kelsey