Our True Identity

A few things have happened in my life over the past few weeks and its really caused me to think about "who I really am" Who is Remington Peck? Is he just another person doing what everybody else is doing in the world? Is he a hot shot football start who thinks he owns the world? Or is he a servant of the lord and a child of God? As I have been thinking and pondering about who we really are I really feel that a lot of us don't know the answer. Its not that we're bad people or anything, but maybe we just dont fully understand. I think about how many poeple out there feel like they are nothing. Feel down and are embarrassed for who they are. There are so many all over who think they are nothing but a waste. We all need to realize that we truly are something. Not only are we all special and have great things to do but we are all literally sons and daughters of God. Not just a man, but the most glorious being in the entire universe! While I was thinking about this is made me think about the Mormon Message titles "Our True Identity" by President Uchdorf. I dont know how many of you have seen it, but you need to. I have seen it probably 50 times not and not once has it not moved me.


He talks about the story  "The Ugly Duckling" and how he was picked on all his life and leaves home because he was made fun of and different. One day he looks into the water and see's that beautiful swan he has become. That is exactly how our heavenly father looks at us. We are all beautiful and all are special to him. It doesn't matter if your popular or good at sports. What really matters is who you are inside. Im begging all of you to go watch this video by Elder Uchdorf and I promise you will enjoy it! Let us all be happy with who we are and when we are dealing with other people as well, find out who they REALLY are. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiiadnMvm20

Sharing the Gospel

The last two verses in the Gospel of Mathew Christ tells us to "teach all nations". We all know that is a responsibility we have being believers in christ. Taking the gospel to all the world and sharing with others the joy, happiness, and knowledge we have in our own lives. When we think of sharing the gospel most of us think about missionaries. That is what i think about as well. You all might remember the talk from President Hinkley called "every member a missionary". It was an amazing talk and there are all kinds of quotes we use all the time from that talk. But it is so true! Every single one of us as members of the church, and believers in Christ need to be missionaries. Yes it might be challenging or scary at times, but that is what Christ has asked us to do, so we can do it. Our heavenly father will be right by our side the whole time. I heard a stat the other day that was pretty cool. It was if every member in the world brougth 1 single person into the church every year it would only take 9 years for the whole world to be converted. How cool is that? Only 9 years.

Elder Packer once said "We are going to take the gospel to all the world" and some guy sitting by him said "well that is impossible" Elder Packer responded "Yes, but we are going to do it anyways"! We can do this and we will. I would just encourage you all to reach out to those around you and share the great message we have to everyone you can. It has blessed our lives so much and we should want to give that to others.

Go check out this video and see how so much came from 1 young man who shared the gospel! He was the only young man in his ward and now there is 26. Such a cool story! https://lds.org/youth/video/inviting-all-to-come-unto-christ-sharing-the-gospel?lang=eng&query=sharing+gospel-+inviting+all+come+unto+christ

The Cunning Plan of The Evil One

This last general conference Elder M Russell Ballard of the quorum of the twelve apostles gave an amazing talk on the adversary and how he will do anything to get us. The latest mormon message is actually a video going along with that talk. It puts it perfectly and I like it alot. I have found that he really will do anything he can to get us. He will make that lure look as good as ever. Whether it is a bad movie, bad music, or even a party that may seem harmless he is trying to do all he can to catch us. I hope we can all be aware of this and realize what Satan is trying to do.

Go check out this video it really is awesome. http://lds.org/pages/you-will-be-freed?lang=eng

What's really important in life!

So many people every single day ask me what I am doing in Rochester, New York. They say "You play division 1 football, have a girlfriend, a truck, and you really left all that?" I say "Yes and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else." When I first decided to go on a mission I never thought it would be what it is. I never thought it would change my life how it has. One of the greatest lessons that i have learned on my mission though is what is really important in life. Before the mission Football was my life. It was everything to me and other then that it was living weekend to weekend. But now that I have been out in the field for a while I have really come to find out and know for myself that The Gospel of Jesus Christ truly is the most important thing in our lives. My mission president suffered a mild heart attack this past weekend and he was very close to death. He was talking to my companion and I and telling us at that point he realized more then ever what is important as well. He said "The Gospel and Families" because everything else doesn't mean jack after this life and those are the two things you take with you.

 Im sure many of you know who Tyler Haws is and if not at least heard of him. Take a look at this video and see how besides being a basketball star and doing everything he does, he still puts the gospel first and right now is serving in the Phillipines. I think he is a great example of this. https://lds.org/youth/video/a-work-in-progress?lang=eng&query=tyler+haws I hope you all enjoy that and see what I mean. I just want you all to know that this mission really has taught me what is imoortant in life. Everything else we do is great and we need to enjoy it, but when it really comes down to it lets all focus on what really really matters and will for eternities. I know this to be true and I know that if we can all find this out for ourselves it can help us so much in our lives.

Why is it SO DANG HARD?

Has there ever been a time in your life or even recently that you have asked yourself "why is life so hard?" Im sure you all have and its not just me on a very regularly basis. I was studying just the other day and came across a quote that I heard from President Christianson and it is so relavent to all of our lives and it gives alot of explanation for that question. The quote is "Satan don't kick no dead dogs" now as you read that you might think it is terrible english, and yes it is. But it is that way for a reason, and if it wasn't then we would all just forget. Sometimes throughout life we ask ourselves "why is it so hard?" or "why do I get worked on the hardest?" or "why do I face all the tough times?" This quote is just perfect for those questions. If you think about it Satan doesn't care about all those people out there that are committing crimes or out killing people. He could care less about them, because he knows they aren't going to do any good. The people that he works on the hardest and is most worried about are those who are trying to do good. Those who he knows will make a difference in somebody's life or those who are building up others. There are so many different experinces (Jesus Christ and Joseph Smith being first) that Satan will do all he can to try and ruin something good. Always before and after any spiritual experience. Before the savior wraught all his miracles he was temted. Before Joseph had the visions he was overtaken. it is the exact same thing in our lives and he knows that we are trying to do good. I really have found this out in missionary work first hand Elder Holland said "the only people Satan works harder on then missionaries, is the quorrum of the 12" and its so true. So lets all know there is a reason for it and fight this war. We can do it and we will! Satan is in our lives as much as the Savior is and he will do all we can, but with our faith and the Savior on our side he will have no power over us.

Go check out this video. Its great about "good things to come"
http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?autoplay=true&index=1&locale=0&sourceId=bdf4906ba3839210VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=bd163ca6e9aa3210VgnVCM1000003a94610aRCRD

Upon the Rock

So I was walking through the Sacred Grove with an investigator this past week when we came across this tree that had fallen down and above is a picture that I took of it. I had heard about it this past fall, but this was the first time I had actually seen it. It fell to the ground October or November when we had a really bad wind storm. I think there is a great lesson we can learn from this tree. It was actually one of the oldest trees in the grove and a "witness tree" as we call them. One of my favorite scriptures in the Book of Mormon and one that I have used several times on my mission is Hel 5:12 which reads-  "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." This is a scripture when Helaman is talking to his sons and giving them some advice. I find it so interesting how in the beginning of the verse it says "when" the devil will do all of this. Not if, but when he sends forth his mighty winds. If you think about a foundation and how important it is in a house, a building, and even more in our lives. Without a foundation the house would fall, just as we will if we dont have a sure foundation. That foundation has to be Christ. It promises us in that verse that if we build upon that sure foundation, that rock, who is Christ we cannot fall. Now the interesting part about this tree is if you go up close to it and take a look at it its roots are no longer then six inches long. If you touch them they crumble, which shows us that it had no foundation. For being one of the biggest and strongest trees in the grove without that foundation it coudn't withstand the winds. I know in our lives it is the exact same. If we dont sink our roots deep and build upon that sure foundation we are going to have a tough time when those rough times come and when satan sends forth his winds. But if we build upon Christ and day by day(personal and family prayer, scripture study, repentance)  increase our faith in him WHEN the devil comes forth we can withstand it and he will have no power over us. Let us all do what we can personally to strengthen our faith and to build upon that foundation who is Christ and I promise we can withstand and endure anything.

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