Departing Missionaries

A HUGE Thanks!

You've seen them on the road, you've seen them in your neighborhood, you may have even seen them on your front porch trying to talk to you about the gospel! Mormon missionaries. As missionaries we spend 18 months (girls), or 2 years (boys) serving the Lord and telling people about the good news. We believe that God has restored His church to the earth once more and that everyone should know!




Currently there are over 80,000 missionaries in the world. We serve in almost every country and love what we do. I am serving in the Tennessee, Nashville Mission. I love it so much. There are so many spiritual giants that I've gotten to work with and I wouldn't have spent this last year in any other way. Every six weeks, a new batch of missionaries comes out. They're brand new to the mission-field and filled with the desire to spread the gospel! At the same time, a batch of missionaries goes home. They've come to the end of their service and are completely different people from when they came out. They have stronger testimonies, humble confidence, and a desire to continue sharing the gospel for the rest of their lives.



I'm so grateful for the elders and sisters that are serving around me. We recently sent home an incredible group of men and women.

Elder Matthew Horner, Elder Jacob Clark, Elder Joshua Heath, Elder Freeze, Elder Brandon Bollschweiler, Elder Anthony Bassett, Tyler Duffin, Elder Cody Miller, Hermana Courtney Smith, Sister-Hollie Vandenberg, Elder Worthen, Elder Joshua Nield Elder Paul T. Farrell, Elder Chris Gwilliam, Elder Poulsen, Elder A. Miller, Elder Huntington, Elder Allen, Elder Steineckert

I want to thank all these elders and sisters for serving with their whole hearts. They were my leaders and examples and I know they were to everyone else as well. They truly changed the lives of many people here in the South, and their influence, no doubt, spread far beyond those boundaries. As they get to spend their first holiday at home in 2 years, I'm sure their families are so grateful for the blessings they brought. The Lord truly blesses those that are willing to consecrate their time to Him. Thank you elders and sisters for your service. We love you and we'll always remember you.

The Word of Wisdom

Your Body is a Temple!

It's a late chilly night and the Potter family flies on their Nimbus 2000's to the nearest waffle shop. They're fingers are numb, and their noses are cold after brilliantly fun, snowy game of Quidditch. The family sits down happily in a booth and start searching the menu. A waiter walks up and asks "could I interest you in any coffee?" All the kids shake their heads. "No thank you" says Harry kindly. "Alright, any tea?" The kids all shake their heads again. "No that'll be alright" Harry answers again. "Well any alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs?" Shaking of the heads. "Nah I think we'll just have 5 hot chocolates and waffle dinners please. Thank you very much though." The waiter is stunned. "Who are you people?" he whispers. "Us? Well we're just your average Mormons! We treat our bodies like temples because our Lord bought them with a price."
  

Ok so maybe this a little dramatic, but it's straight to the point. We all know you've heard those crazy Mormons don't drink soda, or have any fun in their lives. Rumors have spread that they'll turn you into their police if you drink around them. Well my friends, lets put all these rumors to rest and figure out, together, the real reason why Mormons follow a strict health code.  (Also sorry it's in italics... the computer apparently wants to look pretty.)

"Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation" D&C 89:4

When we are addicted to substances we have a hard time focusing on other things; especially the spirit. Think about the last time you were hungry; starving! You know that the only thing you could focus on was the nearest McDonald's. Maybe the person on the side of the road that needed help, was not even noticed! Maybe you were short with your child who just needed "to tell you somethin' daddy!"  This is the same with addictive substances. The famous 5 that I talked about at the beginning: coffee, tea, alcohol, illegal drugs, tobacco. When these things are in our lives, the spirit is not. God has told us this in the scriptures. Addiction to these things also results in a very hard time hearing the spirit!

The word of wisdom not only focuses the things that we shouldn't have, but the things we should have! The Lord explains that we need to use meat sparingly, and that fruits, vegetables, and grains are for our benefit. How lucky are we to have this! We know exactly what's healthy for us and what isn't.

Heavenly Father promises us so many blessings if we obey the Word of Wisdom:

 "And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones;

And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures;

And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.

And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen."   D&C 89: 18-21

Aren't those amazing blessings? I can give up a trip to the local coffee shop for "great treasures of knowledge". Maybe that will help me with my chemistry! I think the coolest thing is that these revelations came in the 1800's, before there was scientific evidence to show how harmful coffee, tea, tobacco, and illegal drugs were. The only explanation is that Heavenly Father saw what was coming, as He always does. He knows exactly what is best for the bodies that He gave us. I am so grateful for that. 

What is the Word of Wisdom?

http://www.lds.org/topics/word-of-wisdom

Revelation in the Doctrine and Covenants-

http://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/89

Becoming Gods

Becoming Gods?

Each area that I'm transferred to, the first concern that I hear about the Mormon church is almost always the same. Ok the second one.. (they all wonder what number of wife we are). The second thing they ask is "Don't y'all think you can become gods?" At first this question shocked me a little bit. This was doctrine that I didn't think was something people knew right off the bat, yet it was something everyone seemed to be wondering.

"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." -Romans 8:16-17 

Paul testifies that we are to become like God in this life, and the life to come. We are joint-heirs of His kingdom! What do you think of when you hear the phrase "joint-heir"? I think of learning how to be just like my Heavenly Father. Of Him teaching me how to be like Him and how to be a loving parent.
  

"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." 
-2 Peter 1:4
In 2 Peter, Peter talks to the saints about the promises that God gives us.We are to be partakers of His divine nature! Isn't that the most amazing promise? To be divine is to be like God. We will be like Him! He wants this for us. He wants us to become like Him because He is perfect.

Do Latter-day Saints believe they can become “gods”?
Latter-day Saints believe that God wants us to become like Him. But this teaching is often misrepresented by those who caricature the faith. The Latter-day Saint belief is no different than the biblical teaching, which states, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” (Romans 8:16-17). Through following Christ's teachings, Latter-day Saints believe all people can become "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4).

I can understand where the miscommunication comes from. Some people have explained to me that they believe we aren't supposed to become like God because He is OUR God! That is completely right! We are only supposed to have one God that we worship, so is it offensive that we believe we will become like Him? Well here is a little analogy.

Harry has two wonderful parents. They love him and cherish him and want the best for him. Harry's parents each have a good job, and are able to provide well for their son. Well, Harry is now entering the young adult stage. He must make choices on where to go to school, what career he wants, who to marry, and how to raise his children. Harry's parents have done that already! They want him to make good decisions so that he can one day have a loving, well-functioning family too. Harry makes all the right decisions (with the wonderful support from his parents) and 10 years late he has a family of his own. Harry is now a parent! But.... he still has parents of his own. They will always be
his parents. They will always be the ones that raised him and helped him through life. But now he gets the chance to do that for someone else. And his parents are so proud that he does.

This is the same idea as us becoming gods and goddesses after this life. Heavenly Father wants us to become like Him. He wants us to become perfect! If we become like Him, then we will be royalty as well. But He will always be the one that we worship. He will always be there for us. Us becoming gods and goddesses will never diminish the fact that He is our King, our Father, our Lord. 

I know that Heavenly Father loves us so much. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints know that He will always be our God and that He deserves to be worshiped with every fiber of our being. We do not obey so that we can become Gods. We obey because we love our Lord and we will never be able to repay Him. I know that the reason we are on this earth is to be tested. If we make the right decisions, we will be able to live with our family and Father in Heaven for eternity. He will teach us to become like Him. We will become joint-heirs!


Mormon Newsroom Article
http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/mormonism-101#C13

What Happens When I die?

Life After Death?

Happy Halloween! Ok yes it's November now, but that's what happens when tornadoes hit. The Mayor claims November 1st to be Halloween instead! Yay for safety! So in honor of Halloween, I decided to pick a topic about ghosts! Sort of... well mostly about death. But the happy side of it!

"Picture your hand inside a glove. The glove moves only when your hand does. Take your hand out and the glove sits lifeless on the table. This is an easy way to visualize what happens when you die. Imagine your body is the glove being operated by who you really are—your spirit. When you die your body gets left behind, lifeless like a glove, but your spirit lives forever." And there you have the glove analogy my dear readers. This is the most comforting thing in the world to me. Life does not end after we die! In fact, death is just the beginning. So what does a spirit look like? "Spirit beings have the same bodily form as mortals except that the spirit body is in perfect form (see Ether 3:16). Spirits carry with them from earth their attitudes of devotion or antagonism toward things of righteousness (see Alma 34:34). They have the same appetites and desires that they had when they lived on earth. All spirits are in adult form."

Where does the spirit go when you die? Well it goes to the spirit world. In the spirit world, there is a place for the faithful followers of Christ, and there is a place for those that did not follow Him. Alma, a prophet in the Book of Mormon, explains the spirit world to us.

“The spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.

“And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of the wicked, yea, who are evil—for behold, they have no part nor portion of the Spirit of the Lord; for behold, they chose evil works rather than good; therefore the spirit of the devil did enter into them, and take possession of their house—and these shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth, and this because of their own iniquity, being led captive by the will of the devil.

“Now this is the state of the souls of the wicked, yea, in darkness, and a state of awful, fearful looking for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God upon them; thus they remain in this state, as well as the righteous in paradise, until the time of their resurrection” (Alma 40:12–14).

 

Can you imagine living in Paradise? This isn't even Heaven yet and it sounds wonderful. I want to do all I can to be able to get there and rest from all my trials. "But Sister V.! You said that isn't Heaven yet! When do I get to go there?" Well why didn't you ask sooner? I would love to tell you!

 

While we are in the spirit world, we will be learning about the gospel. We will still have the choice to accept or reject it at this point. We will have the same desires, addictions, personalities, doubts, beliefs, etc. that we did on Earth. For those that do accept the truth, the gospel, and didn't have an opportunity to be baptized or go to the temple during their life, they will have the chance to have their work done for them by someone acting in place of them that is alive still. This is why we do work for the dead.

 

Then comes resurrection. This is a gift that is given to everyone, no matter what choices you made on earth. Isn't that wonderful? Our bodies are restored to their perfect state. That is something that most people would give a lot for. The deaf will hear, the blind will see, and limbs will be restored. Once we are resurrected, we go to judgement. Here our Heavenly Father judges us for everything that we did on Earth and in the spirit world. We give an accounting of our lives basically. This is where I hope I can stand in front of God and tell Him I tried my best.

After we have been judged, we will be sent to one of three kingdoms.
"There are three kingdoms of glory: the celestial kingdom, the terrestrial kingdom, and the telestial kingdom. The glory we inherit will depend on the depth of our conversion, expressed by our obedience to the Lord's commandments. It will depend on the manner in which we have “received the testimony of Jesus” (D&C 76:51; see also D&C 76:74, 79, 101)."

The celestial kingdom (the top kingdom) is where we can be with our family and God forever. It's where happiness is eternal and sorrow is go! I imagine there's a never ending supply of waffles and Harry Potter books there. THAT is where I want to be.

I know that was a lot of information in a short time, so I encourage you to go and research it yourself! Tell me what you think! Ask missionaries in your area if you have any questions. I know that God's Plan of Salvation is true, and I am so grateful that there is a     plan for us. And that we can look forward to living with Him and our families for eternity.

http://mormon.org/beliefs/plan-of-salvation