Family History

"Those of us who have been bitten by the family history bug know how fun it can be. But this isn’t why we have the largest genealogical library in the world and why 13 million Mormons are encouraged to research their family roots. Rather, we are driven by our doctrine that teaches that marriage and families can continue beyond this life. But this can only happen when families are sealed together in one of the Lord’s holy temples around the world and united for all eternity.

"That’s fine for all of us today who have the chance to be sealed in a temple, but what about our ancestors who die without the opportunity to receive ordinances like baptism, or the blessings of being an eternal family? Does it make sense that God would simply say, “Too bad, tough luck?” Of course it doesn’t. When Christ organized His Church anciently, it included vicarious work for the dead and the practice of performing ordinances for deceased relatives “Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?” (1 Corinthians 15:29). Christ’s restoration of his original Church to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith included the ancient practice of performing these ordinances for our deceased relatives in holy temples. The gospel of Jesus Christ includes the same blessings today in holy temples." Mormon.org

"We believe that people can have ordinances performed for them after they have died. We know that these people have the opportunity to accept these ordinances and that many are waiting to gain these ordinances so that they may continue in their progress toward returning to live with Heavenly Father again.

"I have had the opportunity to work on finding my ancestors and feeling their Spirits as I was doing ordinance work fo rthem. This is one of my favorite experiences. I felt the Spirit of the Lord more at that time than at any more in the world." Kathy

Fundemantal to Our Faith

^{Some times our faith is misunderstood, our faith is in Jesus Christ, our standards are high, and we strive to love all mankind. These principles were taught by Christ himself. This article is a great source of information for those who do not understand our basic beliefs.}   

Fundemantal to Our Faith
By Elder Dallin H. Oaks

We Latter-day Saints know that our doctrines and values are not widely understood by those not of our faith. This was demonstrated by Gary C. Lawrence’s nationwide study published in his recent book, How Americans View Mormonism. Three-quarters of those surveyed associated our Church with high moral standards, but about half thought we were secretive and mysterious and had “weird beliefs.”¹ When asked to select various words they thought described Latter-day Saints in general, 87 percent checked “strong family values,” 78 percent checked “honest,” and 45 percent checked “blind followers.”²

When Lawrence’s interviewers asked, “To the best of your understanding, what is the main claim of Mormonism?” only 14 percent could describe anything close to the idea of restoration or reestablishment of the original Christian faith. Similarly, when another national survey asked respondents what one word best described their impression of the Mormon religion, not one person suggested the words or ideas of original or restoration Christianity.^3more

You Can't Change The Past...

I like this video because it shows us two things about life. First, we can't change the past, no matter how hard we try, no matter how much we want to do things differently, we can't. So often in my life I look back and wonder what I could have done differently, or the infamous "what if" comes to my mind. Its hard to look at the past and not get discouraged when we see all the bad or poor decisions we have made. But in my life, and in so many others, there has been something that has changed who we were into who we are. The second thing is Jesus Christ. It is also Jesus Christ that has changed my life, He has changed me from who I was, to who I am now, and He continues to strengthen me in who I can become. We may not be able to change the past but we can choose to change the direction in which we are going. Faith, it begins with faith, as we put our trust in God and ask for His help, we can change who we are or where we are going. It is God's plan for us to be happy, He loves us, He will strengthen us to go forward looking ahead.

Jacob 3:2

Jacob 3:2

O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever.

 I thought I would share this scripture, it was pretty much just a random find but I liked it. I really like the middle, "lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love", it made me think of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, then I thought that gospel means good news. I have had down days, the ones where your head hangs down, the brightness in my heart was gone and I felt empty. For me, being a missionary is tuff some times, I feel sad when I meet someone who is really awesome, but they wont open their heart to receive this good news. I get discouraged and satan begins to win the battle, but that isn't how our Father in heaven wants us to be, He wants to bless us, and He wants us to be happy. That is when I turn to Him in prayer, and remember the words of David in psalms 18:2, The Lord is my ^arock, and my ^bfortress, and my deliverer; my God, my ^cstrength, in whom I will ^dtrust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
 The Lord will build a fortress around us, He will provide strength when needed, and He will deliver us from the grasp of satan. I love my Savior, and all that He does for me to bear me up to lift my head. I feel this way because of the scriptures, they are the guide for each of us in our journey in life, they are the words of God and through them we can truly be filled with His love.

A Light Unto All: A Christmas Gift

Prayer

"I saw a pillar of ^clight exactly over my head, above the brightness of the ^dsun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me...When the light rested upon me I ^bsaw two ^cPersonages, whose brightness and ^dglory defy all description, ^estanding above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My ^fBeloved ^gSon. Hear Him!" Joseph Smith History.


This is the account of Joseph Smith. In this wonderful vision, Joseph saw God the Father, and His Son, the Beloved, Jesus Christ. This visitation was brought on by Joseph's sincere desire to know more. He desired Gods direction in which religious group he should join. In life we all come across time in which we need guidance, either from parents, friends, or even God. I am so grateful for the power of prayer, and the knowledge that my Father in heaven loves me, I have grown closer to God as I have turned to Him for guidance and help. My relationship with Him has become more than just speaking to an unknown being, as I have earnestly looked for Him in everything in this world, I have found His beautiful signature. It is my testimony that God lives, he loves each of us, and He speaks to all. It all begins with a humble prayer.