Faith, Hope, and Charity

I was reading this morning in Ether 12 and a lot of great things stood out to me. I have read this chapter so many times before. But today I learned more than I ever had before. In Ether 12 the Lord says;

28 “...I will show unto [you, your] weakness, and I will show unto [you] that faith, hope and charity bringeth unto me---the fountain of all righteousness.”

I learned this morning that faith, hope and charity are important to have if we want to be with our Heavenly Father after this life. These are the three qualities that we should all strive to have here on earth as we are progressing, learning, and experiencing this mortal life.
The first thing I want to talk about is Faith. According to the dictionary.com, faith is a belief that is not based on proof. Moroni talked about the faith of the brother of Jared and how with his faith he was able to move the mount Zerin. As well as the faith of the three disciples, the Lord showed himself unto them with great power. I know that as we continue to have faith, we will be able to recognize the many miracles that Heavenly Father has for us.
The second was Hope. “...Man must hope, or he cannot receive and inheritance in the place which thou hast prepared.” Heavenly has prepared His kingdom for his many children and He wants us to all return to him and dwell at His presence. If that's a desire we have, expecting to fulfill it, then it is possible. Hope is an abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill His promises to you. We gain hope as we study the scriptures and follow the teaching of the Lord and his servants.
The last and one of my favorite topic is Charity. As Moroni taught, charity is the pure love of Christ. Therefore, if we don't have charity we can not inherit the kingdom of God. In the same chapter in Ether on verse 35 it says, “...if [you] have not charity, because of your weakness, that [the Lord] wilt prove [you], and take away [your] talent.” I believe this to be true. If we don't have charity—our talents will be taken away from us. As a missionary I have come to recognize that. We had a great lesson with an investigator last night. We met him for the first time and so we just talked to get to know each other more better, explained to him what we do as missionaries, and just an overview of the things we will be teaching. I listened to him, asked him questions, got to know him, but most of all I did it all with all the love that I had within me. I felt the spirit so strong and powerful. We had a great meeting and I am so looking forward for more lessons like this one.
I know that faith, hope, and charity are the three qualities that we should all have to be with Heavenly Father's presence after this life. We also need these qualities to live a happier life. President Uchtdorf in his “The Infinite Power of Hope” talk says, “The things we hope for lead us to faith, while the things we hope in lead us to charity. The three qualities faith, hope, and charity working together, grounded on the truth and light of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, lead us to abound in good works.” I am grateful for the scriptures and for the opportunity I have each day to read, study, and ponder on the things I learned. I was able to learn something really good that doesn't just apply to me, but also others. I am grateful for these qualities that I know I can gain as I work daily to try and become what I want to be!

The Lord, My Companion, and Me


The Lord, my companion and me,
Are a great combination, we three:
For where He would lead us, we go willingly,
The Lord, my companion and me,


The Lord, my companion and me,
Have a work that is endless, you see.
For the good, honest souls must be gathered, we're told
By the Lord, my companion and Me.


The Lord, my companion and me,
Must pull as a team, constantly,
If we would have power, we will remember each hour
It's the Lord first, then my companion, then me.


-Lula Anderson

I believe this to be true! I am grateful to have the companionship of the Lord and my companion. With both of them we are one! They will always be there for me to count on, to lean on, and to abide with. Reminds me of a sentence in the Missionary Handbook where it says, " Your loyalty is first to the Lord, then your mission president, then your companion." I am grateful that I have that trust and love for the Lord and my companion; that I can share everything with them without being judged, made fun of, or mocked. How blessed I am to be here with the Lord and my companion!I love them and I am glad that we work together as a team to share the gospel with our many brothers and sisters:) As we are in this journey to find true happiness!

Our Spiritual Journey

This talk reminds me of this poem that I came across once while I was reading. I don't remember when, where, and how; but it is one of those things that I read that really touched me in some ways. But as I was watching this video, for some reason it reminded me of this poem. It reads:

When you are sad
I will dry your tears
When you are scared
I will comfort your fears
When you are worried
I will give you hope
When you are confused
I will help you cope
and when you are lost
and can't see the light
I shall be your beacon
shining ever so bright
This is my oath
I pledge till the end
Why you may ask
because you're a friend.

We are all in this journey together to find true happiness, but sometimes we just don't know where to find it. True happiness only comes when we have God in our lives, and rely on the Lord Jesus Christ. As we follow the counsel of the prophet Isaiah: "I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song he also is become my salvation," we will find that happiness that we long for. Jesus Christ is our Savior, but he is our friend too. If we rely on Him as a friend He will help us through this journey we are on. Because through Him we can find true happiness.

Elder Neil L. Andersen says "Our spiritual journey is the process of a lifetime. We do not know everything in the beginning or even along the way. Our conversion comes step-by-step, line upon line. We first build a foundation of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We treasure the principles and ordinances of repentance, baptism, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. We include a continuing commitment to prayer, a willingness to be obedient, and an ongoing witness of the Book of Mormon. (The Book of Mormon is powerful spiritual nourishment.)" We will have challenges, concerns, doubts, and trials in our journey--but we are not alone.
Jesus Christ said, "Be not afraid, only believe." (Mark 5"36) If we put our trust in Him and have faith He will help us in this spiritual journey that we are on. He will be a comfort to us when we are in need of comfort, He will wipe our tears when we are sad, and He will LOVE us no matter what.

I believe this to be true, that even though we may not know enough--we are not alone. Jesus Christ, our Savior will always be there to lead and guide us as we have faith in Him, repent of our sins, follow His great example and be baptized, and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Once we have entered this righteous path, we continue to endure to the end: by keeping His commandments, serving Him, and do the things that He would want us to do. I am grateful for this journey that we (God's children) are on. That we are never alone and we know enough to find true happiness as we live the gospel daily.

Qualify for the Spirit

Today I was asked to give a discussion in our District Meeting about this topic: How do we qualify for the Spirit? I read the talk by President Eyring on this last conference titled, "Serve with the Spirit." It is an amazing talk and if you haven't read it, I recommend that you do. He said, "Let us do whatever is required to qualify for the holy ghost as our companion , and then let us go fearlessly so that we will be given the powers to do whatever the Lord calls us to do."
These were some of the things the district gave as an answer to 'how do we qualify for the spirit?':
-Being obedient to the commandments
-Following the mission rules
-Helping others (serving)
-Being worthy
-Virtuous
There are many things we could do to qualify to have the spirit with us. But I will only name three ways that can assist us in qualifying us to have the spirit with us, which are found in President Eyring's talk. They are:
1. We need to put our lives in order first.
Ezra Taft Benson said, "To be a successful [person] one must have the spirit of the Lord. We are also taught that the spirit will not dwell in unclean tabernacles. Therefore, one of the things [we] must do to gain spirituality is to make sure [our] own life [are] in order."
And it starts by having Christ in our life, keeping His commandments, make those covenants with Him. And we do so by following His example and being baptized so we can have His spirit to be with us.
2. Humble ourselves before God and ask for it.
In 1 Nephi 11:1 it says: "For it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord, yea, into an exceedingly high mountain, which I never had before seen, and upon which I never had before set my foot." As we pray to Heavenly Father in humility, faith, and confidence in Him (not ourselves), He will manifest the truth of it unto us through the spirit.
3. Pondering
When we ponder, really think...not just read or study our scriptures. But contemplate on the things you read and study, you will invite the spirit and the spirit will reveal unto you what your Heavenly Father wants you to do. In the same talk, President Eyring used this scripture in Doctrine and Covenants (138:11), it says: "As I pondered over these things which are written, the eyes of my understanding were opened, and the Spirit of the Lord rested upon me." As we ponder on the things we read from our scriptures, our minds will be enlightened and the spirit will be there to lead and guide us.
I am grateful for the spirit of the Lord that will always be there to lead and guide us as long as we do all that we can to qualify for it. I know as we put our life in order by obeying His simple commandments, relying on Him and putting our trust in Him; His spirit will always be with us. We also need to be humble, have faith, and always ponder on the things that are brought to us, that we can have the companionship of the spirit.

iLove TeMpLeS

Today we went to the Oakland Temple!!! I love temples. Temples are houses of the Lord. It's a place to go learn, do sacred ordinances, to feel of God's love, for comfort, peace, and on and on. But it is the house of the Lord and you do feel light, safe, and calm when you're in the temple. All the worries, burdens, and the worldly thoughts vanishes as you enter the temple. I am so very grateful for temples and it is a great blessing Heavenly Father has given us.

In Isaiah Chapter two it says;
2And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
3And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.



The words of Isaiah has been fulfilled in these last days. We have been blessed to have temples throughout the world to go learn and follow the paths we need to return to our Heavenly Father again someday. I love temples and for the blessings that we receive as we go and serve Him. "Mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion." (D&C 132:8) As we go to the temple we can receive the many revelations to know what Heavenly Father wants us to do. Our physical and temporal well-being can be sanctified as we continually go to the temple to serve our Heavenly Father.
I know that temples are the house of the Lord that we can feel of Heavenly Father's love as we go and serve Him. I know that the Spirit of God dwells in His temple...it is a home that's filled with love, comfort, peace, and refuge. I am grateful for temples and for the opportunity that I had to go and feel of my Heavenly Father's love and to draw more closer to Him. It is a place of peace and revelation. It is a place where spiritual guidance can be received for crucial decisions or concerns. The Lord has blessed me whenever I attend the temple to do sacred ordinance. And the blessings He has given me will not be limited to the time spent in the temple. When I do temple work I have been blessed in all aspects of my life. My labors in the temple will strengthen me and refine me spiritually. I know this to be true in Jesus name. Amen.

Why is LOVE for the Lord and others so important?

This week for our District Meeting Counsel, I was asked to do a discussion about this particular question..."Why is LOVE for the Lord and for those you teach important?" As I studied it out, instead of just focusing on the people I teach, it was EVERYONE. (Why is LOVE for the Lord and others so important?)

Well, it starts off by reading the scripture. In Matthew 22:37-39 it says,

37"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all they soul, and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."

We LOVE the Lord and everyone else because it is a commandment. We show our LOVE to our Heavenly Father by obeying His commandments, serving Him, and standing as His witness at all times and in all places. We listen to Him, we follow Him, and we respect Him as our father. But how about loving others? How do we show our love to others? We can show our love to others in many ways: being kind, listening to them, mourn with them, serve them, pray for them, be a friend, and or share the gospel. It may be hard to do these things at times. But in the Book of Mormon, a prophet has showed us how we can develop Love, or Charity--the pure love of Christ. Moroni taught, "pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with his love..." (Moroni 7:48) Praying and asking Heavenly Father for this precious gift, He will bless us with it. Our love for those around us also increases when we remember that we are all children of God--that we are brothers and sisters.

I am grateful for a great gift that we can all be blessed with as we ask for it in prayer. God is a loving Heavenly Father that knows and loves us individually. We all have that love of Christ within us that we can share it with others as we serve one another. Heber J. Grant once said, "I know of nothing which gives us a greater love of all that is good, than teaching this Gospel of Jesus Christ." I too testify that as we serve others, by sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ...our love will grow and Heavenly Father will continually bless us with the gift of Charity.

Cycle to Eternal Life

As I was reading my scriptures this morning, I came to Mormon 9 and after reading a few verses I ended up with this drawing. How cool is that?! In Mormon 9:12-13 it explains it really well how we are all here with a purpose. That through this plan, we can be with our Heavenly Father again. It says,

"Behold, he created Adam, and by Adam came the fall of man. And because of the fall of man came Jesus Christ; even the Father and the Son; and because of Jesus Christ came the redemption of man.

And because of the redemption of man, which came by Jesus Christ, they are brought back into the presence of the Lord; yea, this is wherein all men are redeemed, because the death of Christ bringeth to pass the resurrection, which bringeth to pass a redemption from an endless sleep, from which sleep all men shall be awakened by the power of God when the trump shall sound; small and great, and all shall stand before his bar, being redeemed and loosed from this eternal band of death, which death is a temporal death."

We can all be with our Heavenly Father again after this life. And that God will never cease, for "He is the same yesterday, today, and forever..." (Mormon 9:9) I know that Heavenly Father loves all of His children and yearns for us to come unto Him. I know as we "...doubt not, but be believing, and begin in times of old, and come unto the Lord with all [our] hearts, and work out [our] own salvation with fear trembling before him," (Mormon 9:27) we can be brought back to Him. He wants us to partake of this great plan that He has prepared for us, even His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. That through Him, and this great plan of happiness we will be full of joy!

Restoration--Priesthood

Priesthood is the power and authority given to man to act in God’s name for the salvation of His children. Through the priesthood we receive the ordinances of salvation, as well as blessings of healing, comfort, and counsel. (Preach My Gospel, pp. 83)



The Church of Jesus Christ is led by a prophet and apostles with the priesthood authority. They are worthy and righteous men, that receives revelations from Heavenly Father and reveals them to us. In the Bible it says, "I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; an he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him." (Deuteronomy 18:18)

Heavenly Father reveals His words unto His prophets. (Amos 3:7) Through His chosen servants we can receive the things Heavenly Father wants us to know. Heavenly Father has always been speaking to His children through prophets. There were prophets such as Adam, Noah, Moses, and Abraham that taught about God and prophesied of Christ. Jesus Christ was our Savior and Redeemer, but He was our prophet too. He taught us His gospel and commanded us to do the things God would want us to do. But again, people rejected His gospel crucified our Savior and persecuted His apostles. After Christ's death, the priesthood was taken away and the gospel was not in its fullness.
Heavenly Father again reached out to His children and restored His gospel to the prophet Joseph Smith. Through Joseph Smith, Jesus Christ called twelve apostles. The priesthood was restored and the gospel was in its fullness. I know that Heavenly Father still speaks to His children today through His chosen servants. The heavens will always be open and Heavenly Father will always speak to us through prophets. I know that Heavenly Father loves us that He will always be there to help us so we can live a better life. I know that we have a modern day prophet today, President Thomas S. Monson, that leads and guides us. I know that the priesthood to act in God's name was restored again to the prophet Joseph Smith for our happiness in these latter-days. I am so grateful for the priesthood and for the many blessings that we can receive from it.