Christmas!

Sigh... I love this time of year!! I love seeing all of the Christmas lights around town and hearing all of the Christmas music in the stores and in the car. However, thing I love the most about this time of year is that for a couple weeks out of the year people are really striving to look outside themselves and serve others. It seems like people are striving more to understand Christ and be more like Him, and that really is what Christmas is all about.
I love reading the Bible story of Jesus Christ's birth in Bethlehem. His mother, Mary, and her soon-to-be husband Joseph were on their way to pay their tax. Mary was great with child and "because there was no room for them in the inn" (Luke 2:7) she had baby Jesus in a stable, and laid him in a manager. At the birth of the Savior, shepherds, came from their fields to worship the Him. These shepherds had been steadfastly watching over their flocks when an angel of the Lord appeared to them and gave them "good tidings of great joy" (Luke 2:10). This angel told them that that day, a babe had been born in the city of David. Or more specifically, a Savior had been born into the world. After the shepherds heard the heavenly host singing praises to God they went searching after this baby.
There also came three wise men from the east, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. I'm grateful for their gifts, but my mind causes me to reflect on the gift that the shepherds gave. They didn't bring any material items to give to the baby, but they had brought their humble hearts. They sacrificed to find the Savior, and worship Him in the way that they could. Today, we are like those shepherds. We cannot give the Savior physical gifts like the wise men did but we can give Him our hearts, and our lives. We can still give Him a gift. We can choose to serve Him. We can search after Him. I know that when we search that we don't have to look far, He is always close by us. I love the Savior. I'm so grateful that He came to this world and gave His life so we could all return again with Him someday.
Christmas time really is the time of joy.

Obedience

There is no substitute for obedience. It is the first law of heaven. When I look back at my life, and my mission experience, the happiest times that I have had were those times when I did exactly what I knew I was suppose to do. I have always been happiest when I have followed the rules instead of ignoring them. Or when I pretended they didn't exist.
From modern revelation we learn that "When we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated" (Doctrine and Covenants 120:21, pg. 265). All of our blessings can be tied back to some law or commandment that we have decided to be obedient to. Sometimes it may seem like commandments restrict our freedom, but I know that living commandments it what really makes us free.
 Take a funnel for instance:

   Say you needed to get one piece of rice through a funnel.  So, you hold the funnel right-side up and put the grain of rice in the top. There are a lot of different ways you can get the rice into the funnel. It can go in on the right side, on the left side, down the middle, etc... But as the grain of rice goes down the funnel there is only one way that it can escape. There is only one little tiny tiny hole at the bottom. However, if you hold the funnel upside-down, there is only one hole for the rice to go in, but there are so many different ways that the grain of rice can come out! It can escape on the right side, the left side, down the middle, etc... This is how commandments can be viewed. If we disregard commandments it may seem freeing in the beginning. There seem to be so many different ways to go. But what about in the end? How many options do we have to escape? When we obey the commandments- even though it may seem restricting in the beginning- we have so much more freedom in the end.
  I know God loves us enough to give us commandments. I know we are given commandments for a reason, even if we don 't completely understand why. I know that when we are obedient to those commandments peace and joy will begin to fill our lives.

Service

  Alright... so this week I have spent a lot of time raking leaves. Living in southern Utah most of my life, I've never really had to rake many leaves. Mostly you just look at palm trees and cactus' down there. So, my arms are sore. I'm a wimp... lets be honest. Yesterday, as I was raking the backyard of an older woman in our congregation I couldn't help but feel happy. Raking really isn't a big deal, and anyone can do it (even me) but as I was pulling that rake again and again, until my arms hurt, I couldn't help but think of the Savior. When He was on the earth He didn't walk around and rake leaves, but His life was all in the service of others. He sought out "the one" who needed help and then administered to them. He was a friend to those who had no one, he healed in every way He knew how. And although he's not physically here anymore, He is just as real, and still provides that ever-caring service.
  So although raking leaves isn't a huge grand amount of service, I felt close to my Savior as I did it. I know when we serve and and love others we are doing as Jesus Christ would have done. Not only that but we are showing Him and our Heavenly Father how much we love them. There is a scripture in the Book of Mormon that states, "....When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God" (Mosiah 2:17, pg. 148-9). I know our Savior loves us, and He just wants us to help each other out in this life. I know that through service we can find an amazing amount of joy.

Joseph's Smith First Vision

One of the unique things that I get to do as a missionary here in the New York Rochester mission is that I get to give tours to those visitors that come to Palmyra to visit the church sites. We call the sites here the "Cradle of the Restoration" because this is where the a latter-day prophet was called on the earth again.
 We believe that Jesus Christ established His church while He was living on the earth, and gave the power and authority, to act in His name, to His 12 apostles. Sadly, our Savior, and His apostles, were rejected. And with that rejection, doctrines were confused and God took His power and authority off the earth for a time. There was a time of "spiritual darkness", or what we call an apostasy.
  But, because God loves us, at the appropriate time, God again called a prophet on the earth. In the spring of 1820 there was a 14-year old boy, Joseph Smith, that lived in Palmyra, New York. He saw all of the religious revivalism that was going on around him and just wanted to know where truth was found. One day, as this young boy was reading in the King James Bible he came across a scriptural verse in James 1:5 that reads, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not and it shall be given him."  Joseph lacked wisdom... so he decided to do what James directed and ask God.
  So on a spring morning he went out into the woods behind his house and knelt down and began to offer up the desires of his heart to God. Then, in his own words, he said, "I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me... When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other- This is my Beloved Son. Hear Him!"

 Our Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ, appeared to that young boy that spring morning to answer his prayers. They told Joseph that none of the churches, at that time, had the fullness of truth. They were drawing near with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him. After that, at the appropriate time, Joseph Smith was called from God to be the prophet to lead and guide Jesus Christ's church today. Through him Jesus Christ's power and authority was restored again, and the fullness of truth is back.
 I know that that event took place. I know that we have a prophet who has that same power and authority on the earth today. I know Joseph Smith was a prophet and that he did see all that he said he saw. I know that this is Jesus Christ's church and that has always brought me my greatest sense of joy and belonging.

The Sacrament

Whew!! So, this week we put on an "Open House" for our church. It was chaotic and crazy but it was a lot of fun to put together. We had all of the different programs and auxiliaries that our church is involved in come and talk about some of the things that we offer. It was a really fun night where anyone could come in and learn a little bit more about our church and at the end we had our Mission President, President Jack R. Christianson, give a devotional. He talked about the incredible programs and auxiliaries that the church offers, but that the main focus and reason for our Sunday attendance is the Sacrament.

When we enter into the waters of baptism we make a covenant, or a two-way promise, with God. We promise God that we will:
-Always remember His Son, Jesus Christ
-That we will take the Savior's name upon us
-That we will keep His commandments

He in return promises that we can:
-Have the constant companionship of the Holy Spirit
-Get a remission for our sins
-Be born again

We don't have to be re-baptized to renew these covenants. That is what the sacrament is for. Every week, at church, we get to partake of the water and the bread, that is blessed and passed to the congregation by those holding the power and authority of God. When we partake of these emblems it is as if we are being re-baptized. Our covenants are renewed. Those mistakes that we made, and repented of, that week are washed away just like the day you were baptized. You've got another clean slate! What a miracle!!

I love the sacrament. I'm so grateful for it. I know that our Heavenly Father loves us, He wants us home again with Him. I know that is by making, keeping, and renewing these precious covenants that we're going to make it there.

The Holy Ghost

  This afternoon I was thinking of an experience that I had when I was really little. We use to have two bunnies when I lived in Kanab, UT. There names were Whiskers and Scooter and sometimes we would take them out of their cage and let them run in our backyard. One day, I was sitting outside watching them run around. when something else caught my attention. I remember turning my back to the rabbits and getting engaged in another task. I was fully focused on the new project that I had immersed myself in when I felt this distinct, and very prompt, impression to turn around. Although I was little, I remember it felt like someone had hastily tapped me on the shoulder. As I turned around I caught a glance of a cat, moving quickly to go pounce on Scooter, who was oblivious to the whole thing. I ran toward the cat and got there right in time to scare it away from my little bunny :).

  So... yes, this is a strange story, and most of you probably don't see a bunny's life as high priority, but I learned a lot of lessons from that experience. I learned a lot about the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is a member of the Godhead. He is with the Father and the Son, and they have the same purpose but they are three separate beings. There are many different roles that the Holy Ghost can play in our lives. He testifies of truth, helps lead us in the right direction, provides power to teach and to learn, he can warn us in times of danger (like if your rabbit is in danger :)), and one of my favorite roles of the Holy Ghost is that he is a comforter. I love the scripture in in John 14:18 that says, " I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you." Our Heavenly Father speaks and comforts us through the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is a precious gift that our Father in Heaven offers to all of those who have been baptized, by the right authority. The Holy Ghost can be our CONSTANT companion, if we are worthy of it.

  I'm so grateful for this gift! I'm also grateful for a Father in Heaven who loved his daughter enough to help her protect her little bunny. Because Scooter was important to me he was also important to Heavenly Father.  He loves us. He wants us to succeed and be happy and that is why He has given us the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Prayer

So... here's a story:

When I was 16 years old I wanted to go to one of my friend's weddings, who lived about a hour and a half from my house in St. George UT. It wasn't a planned trip and I had just gotten my driver's license and so my Dad was really hesitant on letting me go. He wanted me to take a friend but none of my friends were available, and I, being stubborn, persisted until my Dad finally gave in and consented.
I was excited to get out on my own and prove to myself and everyone else that I was a "grown up" now. I got to my friend's wedding safely and headed back home just as it started to get dark outside. As I was driving on an old road I heard some strange noise, over the radio, and decided to pull over to see what was wrong. When I got out of the car I noticed that my tire had popped! I was shocked and worried because I had no idea how to change a tire! I wasn't sure what to do because it was dark and there weren't any immediate towns close by to walk to.

I got back in my car and realized, with dismay, that my phone wasn't getting service. So I sat there, and waited. Waited for what? I'm still not quite sure. As I was waiting in the dark I started to feel really uneasy. I wasn't sure what to do, and as I played with my phone I found a musical segment that I had recorded a couple days previous. The song was a hymn called "Did you think to Pray?". As I sat in the dark and listened to the song, the words played in my head:

"Ere you left your room this morning, did you think to pray?
In the name of Christ your Savior, did you sue for loving favor? As a shield today?
Oh, how praying rests the weary. Prayer will change the night to day.
So, when life gets dark and dreary, don't forget to pray."

By this point, I was scared. So I prayed. I prayed and prayed. And a miracle happened, for one brief moment I got enough bars on my cell phone to call my Mom and tell her where I was and that I was stranded. The last thing I heard was her saying, "Dad is on his way". So I waited again. The whole time replaying that song over and over until, about a hour later, my knight in shining armor- my Dad- arrived.
I know that there are many blessings that come from praying to our Heavenly Father. When we pray He can help guide us in our everyday life, He helps us resist temptation, He helps us make good decisions, He forgives us of our sins, He can warn us of times of danger, He can give us feelings of peace and comfort, and we will be closer to Him when we pray. I know that just like my earthly Father was willing to drive out to the middle of nowhere to rescue his stranded daughter, our Heavenly Father will help rescue us, and give us joy, as we lean on Him and talk to Him through daily prayer.

Finding joy through hard times

Sometimes life isn't fair. "For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things" (2 Nephi 2:11, pg. 57 Book of Mormon). I know that there is a God out there that provides a way for us to find happiness and joy, even through the sorrows that we go through.

Prophets

One thing that makes our church unique is that we believe in a living prophet who leads and guides the world today. If you are familiar with the Bible at all you will know that because God loves us He has always sent a prophet. He called Noah to tell all of the people that because of their wickedness they would need to repent or a great flood would come. Moses was also another prophet who was called to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.

A prophet is someone who is a mouthpiece for God. He gets direct revelation from our Heavenly Father and tells us the way to get back to our heavenly home to live with Him again. Through a living prophet we have had God's power and authority restored to the earth again. This authority makes ordinances like baptism, the conferral of the Holy Ghost, and the eternal binding of families, possible. He is a special witness of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He teaches us more of Him and how we can get close to Him. The prophet teaches the world which paths will bring peace and ultimately give us the most joy.

 Our prophet's name today is Thomas S. Monson. I know that he has been called of God because every time I listen to his words, and apply them into my life, I know I am in accordance to God's will. I feel closer to my Savior, when I follow His chosen prophet.

The Plan of Salvation

   So this week I've been thinking a lot about my Grandpa. My Grandpa passed away a couple weeks ago. He has been in pretty bad health for the last little while so it wasn't too unexpected but it was still sad to see him go. As I was listening to his funeral on a CD last night, I was thinking about how grateful I am for the Plan of Salvation. The Plan of Salvation, or the Plan of Happiness, is the plan that our Heavenly Father has provided for us. It answers the questions: "Where did I come from?" "Why am I here?" and "Where am I going?"

  The "Where am I going?" answer, specifically has brought the most comfort. Eventually, we all leave our mortal body. Our body stays in the ground and our spirit goes to a place called the Spirit World. The Spirit World acts as, somewhat of a waiting place for spirits. It is a place where missionary works still continues. Where those who have heard the gospel of Jesus Christ can teach it to those who never got the opportunity in earth life.  Then those spirits will get the chance to accept or reject the message (see 1 Peter 4:6).

  After the Resurrection, where are body and spirits reunite (never again to be separated), we are judged based off of our deeds and desires of our heart. We are then placed in one of three kingdoms of glory (see 1 Corinthians 15:40-41). The Telestial Kingdom is comparable to a star in glory, it is for those who didn't repent or accept Jesus Christ. The Terrestial Kingdom is comparable to the moon in glory, it is for those who were honorable but weren't valiant in their testimony of Jesus Christ. The Celestial Kingdom is comparable to the sun in glory, this is where our Heavenly Father dwells and where our families can be together forever. This is for those who accept the gospel of Jesus Christ and remain true to their testimonies of Him throughout time and eternity.

   I love our Heavenly Father's plan for us. I know that it is truly His because I have prayed to know. The Holy Ghost has whispered to my spirit the surety of this plan. How grateful I am to know where my Grandpa is! How grateful I am to a God who loved us enough to provide His Son who made this whole plan possible.

 If you want to learn more about the Plan of Salvation click here.

Temples

Salt Lake City, UT temple

 So this week was a little of a hectic one. I don't know if you've ever felt that way before... things were just overwhelming and I felt very little peace in my life because of all of the things that were calling for my attention. I was able to go to a LDS temple a couple of days ago and being inside that holy edifice brought the peace and clarity that I desperately needed.

Mesa, AZ temple

Oakland, CA temple

 The temple is, literally, the house of the Lord. I like to think of it as, the place where "Heaven meets Earth". It is a holy place where ordinances are performed that help us make promises to get closer to God. Whenever the power and authority of God has been on the earth there have been houses of the Lord. They are there to help enable us to do the things that God wants us to do. They help endow us with the strength and the power to get through the strains of this world. In a revelation given through Joseph Smith, the Prophet, on June 1, 1833 the Lord said, "Yea, verily I say unto you, I gave unto you a commandment that you should build a house, in the which house I design to endow those whom I have chosen with power from on high; For this is the promise of the Father unto you; therefore I command you to tarry, even as mine apostles at Jerusalem" (Doctrine and Covenants 95:8-9, pg. 185-86).

(I don't actually know these people but here they are getting married in the San Diego, CA temple!)

  The temple is also a place where we can be married for time and all eternity. Our Heavenly Father wants us to have our families forever and so He provides His temples so that the with the proper priesthood authority we can be "sealed" together throughout the eternities.

Hong Kong, China temple

  I love the temple. It is a holy place, and I know that is where the Lord dwells. When we live a worthy life, and do everything we can to follow Jesus Christ, the temple can be that beacon of light that we can always go to for truth and strength. I know that because of the temple, my family is forever thing, and that brings me my greatest joy.

Simplify

http://lds.org/pages/mormon-messages-gallery?lang=eng#moments-that-matter-most
 In my house, in St. George UT, there hangs a plaque on the wall of our living room that just has one word on it: "Simplify". When my Mom first bought it we all kinda gave her a hard time, I really didn't understand what it meant. The more I live, though, the more I have come to appreciate that word. I love the scripture found in the Book of Mormon, in Alma 37:6-7 (pg. 300), that reads, "Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes. and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls." Joy can come in the littlest forms. In the feelings you get as you kneel on bended knee in the morning, by a smile from a stranger, having your dog get so excited when you come home, watching a sunset at the end of the day. It is in those type of moments when the Spirit of our Heavenly Father can testify of our relationship with Him. When we can feel His infinite love and love from those around us. When we slow down to take notice we can feel joy everywhere.

The Hill Cumorah Pageant!

Sorry I haven't written in forever. We've been involved in the Hill Cumorah pageant this entire week! Check out this link to see what its like. It goes from July 8,9, and 12-16. Come and see the excitement!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syoIsiTGHQ0

Choose the Right

When I was thinking about joy this morning I was thinking about how joy comes from making good choices. Freedom of choice is one of the most precious gifts that our Father in Heaven has given us. When Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden they were in a state of innocence. They knew no evil because they knew no good. They didn't know sweet because they didn't know what the bitter was like. To give an example: I love doughnuts. I think they are delicious. I could eat them all the time, any kind of doughnut. I also hate pickles. I have never liked them. They smell bad and taste bad and I always pull them off of fast food restaurant burgers. I would prefer not to eat pickles but if I had never had a pickle, and tasted how bad it was, would I begin to understand how tasty a doughnut really is? Probably not. I would probably still like the doughnut but I wouldn't be able to appreciate it for what it really is. So, in the beginning, Adam and Eve never had to deal with sadness but they never knew how great happiness was. Once they both partook of the fruit, there was a fall from their sinless state, and sin was introduced. Instead of looking at this as a way to make us miserable we understand from the Book of Mormon that, "Adam fell that men might be; and men are that they might have joy" (2 Nephi 2:25, pg. 59). We now can choose evil, but we can also choose good, which was all part of our Heavenly Father's Plan. "Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself" (2 Nephi 2:27, pg. 59).

  If you ever look at Mormon's hand you might notice something, other than a wedding ring. Not everyone, but most, Mormon's have a "CTR ring". This isn't something that we have to wear but it is something that we choose to wear because the initial stand for "Choose the Right". It is there are a reminder to make the correct choice. Choices come to us every day, every hour, every minute. It often reminds me of the Disney movie "Pocahontas". As Pocahontas is canoeing down the river she comes to a split in her path where she has to decide which way she wants to go. She can choose the smooth steady course, or the raging river. There are many ways we can turn our lives, and many paths we can choose from but my message today is that when we choose the path of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we will experience the joy that He has waiting for us at the end. And even if, sometime, we choose the wrong path, our Savior's sacrifice for us makes it possible to get back on the right path. I'm so grateful for our freedom to choose. I'm grateful that our Heavenly Father provides ways for us to know which way is the right way by providing prophets, families, and the scriptures to guide us on our journey back home.

Family

This morning I was thinking about what to write in my blog post today and the image of my family popped into my head. If there is anything that truly brings me great joy it is my family. They are that constant safety net in my life of people who are always there for me and who accept me for exactly who I am. So, I'm going to tell you a little bit about my family and what makes them so great:

My Dad- Super driven, a hard worker, a city manager, loves learning, you can sometimes catch him listening to Miley Cyrus music, loves quoting movies, a provider, someone who takes pride in his family
My Mom- A quiet hero, humble, patient, full of love, meek, doesn't like to watch the same movie twice, temperate, loves the sun, loves watching ER shows on TV, a great listener
Kreigh (my older brother)- Entertaining, child-like, pure, artistic, a good father, only has about 5 different foods as part of his diet, can continue to function on no sleep
Krista (my sister-in-law)- Stubborn, passionate, dreams big, isn't afraid to take charge and get things done, always can make any situation not awkward, the best person to have inside jokes with, the sister I always wanted
Kyle (my little brother)- Quiet, witty humor, incredibly smart, valiant, faithful, is comfortable in his own skin, is willing to entertain your crazy ideas, obedient, self-sacrificing

I could make the list go on and on. I really love my family. We haven't always agreed on everything, we haven't always gotten along but because of the foundation of faith that my parents tried to instill in us since we were young we've been able to become great friends. Families have been ordained of God, and because of that they are the most important social unit now and in the eternities. When the gospel of Jesus Christ is brought into families the home can be a place of peace and refuge, it can be a place where the spirit dwells, it can be an anchor in a world that's values are shifting. Having time together as a family to read from the Bible and the Book of Mormon, to pray together, to eat meals together, to learn and grow together, has been such a blessing in my life. I know that we can find happiness in our families, no matter what background we come from. I know that when we make the Savior apart of our families that He will keep us safe and we will be able to experience peace and joy.

The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ

As a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints we are here to testify to the world of the Savior, of His plan for us, and that His church is established again on the earth. So when we go from door to door, knocking and praying that some one will listen or that some lunatic will not open the door, we try to teach people about what makes our church different from all the other churchs they have ever been to or experienced. One of the differences is the Book of Mormon. I will refer to it often in my blog because the Book of Mormon is the true test on whether or not this church is Jesus Christ church or not.
Unlike a lot of people think the Book of Mormon is not here to replace the Bible. On the contrary, it is here to help compliment the Bible. "We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly. We also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God." (Article of Faith, 1:8) Since the Bible has been around for centuries and has been through many different translations little pieces of truth have been lost out of it. The Book of Mormon came forth help bring clarification to the doctrines that are already taught in the Bible. To follow the example of Jesus Christ many people are baptized. Baptism is a saving ordinance, one that we have to have to be able to get back to the Kingdom of God (see John 3:5) so then why are there so many ways to be baptized? Should infants be baptized? Should it be baptism by immersion? This piece of doctine, and more, are answered in the Book of Mormon.
The way to know if the Book of Mormon is a true book of God is by doing what one of the prophets exhorted us to do at the end of the book. "And when ye shall receive these things I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, have faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost" (Moroni 10:4). I know this works because I have done it myself. The Book of Mormon changes lives. I have witnessed it. It brings peace to a trouble soul, it answers questions to prayers, it teaches us of who our Savior really is. I love the Book of Mormon. It brings me joy. Real joy.
To learn more about what the Book of Mormon is click here

True Joy

Welcome to my blog! I really struggled with a name that I wanted for this... some kind of short statement that people might take notice of if they just happened to stumble across it. So as I was searching the scriptures for some powerful statement (they have many of them) I came across the statement, "tasting exquisite joy". It actually comes from one of my favorite stories in the Book of Mormon:
In the middle of the Book of Mormon, which is Another Testament of Jesus Christ, there is a story of a young man named Alma the younger. Now Alma the younger grew up in the Americas, around 73 BC, at a time where the church of Jesus Christ was flourishing. Alma the older, who was Alma the younger's father, had been chosen and called as a prophet from God to teach and to witness to others that Jesus was the Christ. Now, Alma the younger did not believe the words of his father. In fact, he rebelled against his father. He tried to ruin people's hopes in a Messiah coming, pulling many people away with him. He went around trying to destroy the church that his father was trying to build. As Alma and his friends went about in their destructive behavior the Lord sent an angel down to visit them. This angel rebuked them and commanded them to stop destroying the church of Christ or they themselves would be destroyed. For three days and three nights Alma lay in a comatose-state, not being able to open his mouth or move his limbs. Although he was still on the outside, on the inside he was experiencing a great struggle. He explains that he began to be, "racked with eternal torment, for my soul was harrowed up to the greatest degree and racked with all my sins" (Alma 36:12).

In the midst of all this sorrow Alma remembers the words of his father prophesying of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who would come into the world and atone for every one's sins. "Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: Oh Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness... and now, behold when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more" (Alma 36:18-19). By calling on the name of the Savior, and having had truly felt remorse for his sins, Alma was able to feel his burdens lifted by the Son of God. Joy and light began to feel his soul and he explained that there was nothing that was, "so exquisite and sweet as was my joy" (Alma 36:21).
After this experience Alma the younger became of the greatest prophets in the Book of Mormon. His whole life had changed because of the experience he had feeling the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Although I have never had an experience quite like Alma's I can relate to it, as I'm sure a lot of you can. There have been times in my life where I have needed that release that only the Savior can provide, and that is where true joy lies. Every day we can feel this joy when we turn to Him, and try to keep His commandments. So this blog is about a journey. My journey, perhaps maybe your journey, back to God through that One that provides the exquisite lasting joy that we are all seeking. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, is true happiness.