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.

Go visit Mormon.org, lds.org, and ldsyouth.org!

Lifting Burdens

Lately in my missionary work I have really come to realize the importance of the atonement in our lives. I have come to see how we really can do nothing without him, the son of god, our master, Jesus Christ. He is the only way we can find true happiness and be cleansed of the sin we all carry. I have really been trying to not only know about the atonement and what it means, but apply it in my life. When we actually use it and see how it works it means so much more to us. When we know that everything we do bad can be forgiven and put behind us, what a joy. In Moses we read that "no unclean thing can enter into the kingdom of God" which obviously means that we need to be clean of our sin. One of my favorite scriptures is in D&C 58:42-43 which reads "Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven and I, the Lord, remember them no more" So not only is the burden or the weight that we feel taken off our shoulders, but we are clean in the eyes of the lord. What a great feeling to know that we can be forgiven for all the stupid things we do. All the dumb decisions, and just all the mistakes we make as a human being. I truly know that it is possible to be clean from our mistakes. I couldn't be where I am today without that sacrifice and being able to repent. We can let all that stuff go and move on with life, but the only way to do that is through our savior Jesus Christ! He is real and he atoned for you personally. My prayer is that we can all come to know and apply the atonement in our lives and see how we can be freed of our sin.                              

Go watch this video! Its awesome.   http://lds.org/pages/lifting-burdens?lang=eng

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