Sisters

So there we were...in front of my house.  Mom wanted more pictures...I didn't know why.  Dad had taught me to not say anything when I didn't understand what my mom was trying to do.  So I just stood there.  Then one of my sisters decided to bring back a pose that the four of us have been doing since I was little.....

Rian's Angels

My sisters are a big part of my life.  I never really had a brother to do stuff with but I am ok with that.  Lacey went before the rest of us and showed me what not to do if I wanted to avoid getting into trouble.  Ashli had lots of friends that were kinda like older brothers for me.  Shayla being only two years older than me was always around when I was sad and needed someone to talk to.

I remember one morning when me and Shayla were getting ready for school, and my dad happened to have a day off, we somehow ended up in my room.  At some point I thought it would be funny to 'pin' her to my bed.  I was smaller than she was still I think, but either way I was going to win this one.  After a few minutes of struggling I had her down.  She proceeded to struggle a bit more and then started calling for dad.  Normally I would have been swift in getting off and pretending I didn't do anything, but she sounded like a sheep every time she called for him.  It was something along the lines of, 'DaaaaaD' ... 'DAAAaaaaaaaaD' ... 'DaAAAaaAAAaaaDdy, he's squishing me'.  It was just so funny, all I could do was laugh at her.  Then she started laughing and it was even more funny.

 

Basically I love my sisters.  If they weren't there, I wouldn't have come on a mission.  Because of the examples they have been for me, I know that serving the Lord for two years is exactly what I needed to be doing.  Everything in my life so far has led me to this.  Everything in my life after I go home will be affected by what I do for my mission.

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true and living church on the earth today.  I have felt the witness of the Spirit confirming my testimony that this is true.  I have that same knowledge that the Book of Mormon is true.  It was translated by Joseph Smith, a prophet, by the gift and power of God.  If anyone does not believe that, I invite you to first READ THE BOOK. Then pray about it and ask God speciffically if the writings contained therein are true.  I know, and promise anyone who is willing to do so, that you will also be able to find out the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, by the power of the Holy Ghost. 



What are You DOing???

As a missionary I often ask people to read the Book of Mormon.  Missionaries ask people to pray and ask God if the Book of Mormon is true, and to come to church so they can feel the presence of the Holy Spirit more powerfully, and to learn more about God and His commandments and His kingdom here on the earth.

We are always asking because we know that in order to truly understand something you have to act in faith to see what happens.  I know that the Book of Mormon is true because I have read and prayed about it myself, not because someone else told me a little bit about it and I said 'hey why not'.  My journey to truly knowing what the Book of Mormon was just that, a journey meant for me to be able to understand the gospel, and how it applies in my own life.

So are YOU going to do something about it, or are you just going to sit there and read all about it without ever truly trying to figure it out for yourself??

I hereby invite anyone reading this to Read the Book of Mormon, Pray and ask God if it is a True record, and then to act in Faith.  I know that anyone who follows this course will feel the Spirit, and know what to do to come closer to Jesus Christ.

If you do not have a Book of Mormon, go to this website and request one for free.
>>http://mormon.org/free-book-of-mormon/<<

Any questions you may have can be answered by reading and praying about this book.  If you would like to learn more, or ask missionaries in your area about the Book of Mormon, please go to one of the following.
http://mormon.org/missionaries/ to talk to the missionaries.
http://mormon.org/faith/ to understand what we believe.
http://mormon.org/meetinghouse/ to locate the nearest meetinghouse to you.

Have a Firm Foundation, Don't Fall Down

"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."

-- Helaman 5:12

Mowing the Lawn

So today I was mowing a lawn for service this morning with a riding lawn mower, and I have never used one of those before.  After the first few minutes I realized all my lines were squiggly, and not even close to straight. Then I remembered something that I learned about 3 years ago.

When you drive a tractor through a field, you don't watch what is right in front of you.  You watch the edge of the field you are driving towards.  This gives you a stationary spot you can aim for the entire length of the field.  I considered this concept and decided that it would work for mowing the lawn as well.  Turns out I was right.

Then I thought about how this could be applied to the gospel, and as I sat on the rumbling lawn mower I thought of making goals.  When you make a goal to do something you automatically have things to do before you get there.  I made a goal mark of getting to the other side of the lawn in a straight line.  This meant I had to adjust the steering wheel several times a second, it wasn't a very straight steering wheel in the first place, but eventually I would get to the other side, turn around, and aim for somewhere at that end of the lawn.

This is applied in the Gospel of Jesus Christ because we have to know where we are going in order to get there.  The path to return and live with our Heavenly Father is 'straight and narrow' so we have to make sure we can see the end goal from wherever we are.  Then we can progress down that path that is before us until we get there.

Occasionally we find ourselves making squiggles in our path.  This is not a good thing but we can always pray and receive strength from Christ to straighten out our paths.

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

--Philippians 4:13

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."

--Psalms 119:105

The Gospel . . . Simple Enough for Kids

So.....Once upon a time, there was God.

God loved His children, so He provided a way for them to learn and grow. 

This way of learning was called Life. 

God knew that His children would struggle as they went through Life. 

So He sent His son, Jesus, to help everyone who was struggling. 

We can look to Jesus as an example for everything, and with His help we can live with God again.